George Pelecanos - The Night Gardener

'You said Okie.'

Brock's right hand flew up and slapped Charles hard across the face. Charles was knocked back a step, and his eyes rolled some as he took the strike. Tears welled in his eyes, and his closed lips went out like a muzzle. Far as stripping a boy of his pride, Brock knew that the open hand was more powerful than the closed fist.

'Where was we gonna meet?' said Brock.

'I…' Charles struggled to speak but could not.

'Aw, you fixin to cry?'

Charles shook his head.

'Are you a girl or a man?'

'I'm a man.'

'"I'm a man,"' repeated Brock. 'Well, if you are, you a poor excuse for one.'

A tear rolled down Charles's cheek. Brock laughed.

'Get the money and let's get gone,' said Gaskins, his back still turned.

'I'm gonna ask you again,' said Brock. 'Where was we supposed to meet, Charles?'

'Right here.'

'Good. And why you ain't post?'

"Cause I ain't had no money,' said Charles.

'You still in business, right?'

'I just now bought my stash. I'm fixin to have some money soon.'

'Oh, you gonna have some soon.'

'Uh-huh. Soon as I move my stash.'

'What's that lump in your pocket, then? And don't even try and tell me it's your manhood, 'cause we already established that you ain't got none.'

'Leave him alone,' said James.

Brock turned his attention to the smaller of the two boys, who couldn't have been more than twelve. He had braids under an NY cap turned sideways.

'You say somethin?' said Brock.

James raised his chin and for the first time looked Brock in the eye. His fists were balled as he spoke. 'I said, leave my boy alone.'

Brock's eyes crinkled at the corners. 'Look at you. Hey, Conrad, this boy here showin some heart.'

'I heard him,' said Gaskins. 'Let's go.'

'I'm here now,' said Charles desperately. 'I wasn't runnin. I been waitin on you to show all day.'

'But you shouldn't have lied. Now I'm 'a have to give you your medicine.'

'Please,' said Charles.

'Beggin-ass bitch.'

Brock grabbed hold of the right pocket on Charles's low-riding jean shorts and pulled down on it so violently that the boy fell to the sidewalk. The jeans ripped open at the side, exposing the inner pocket. Brock tore the pocket clean away and turned it inside out. He found cash and some dime bags of marijuana. He tossed the marijuana to the ground and counted the money. He frowned but slipped the money into his own pocket.

'One more thing,' said Brock.

Brock kicked Charles in the ribs. He kicked him again, his teeth bared, and Charles rolled over on his side as bile poured from his open mouth. James looked away.

Gaskins pulled on Brock's arm and moved between him and Charles. They stared at each other until the fire went out of Brock's eyes.

'Y'all coulda made this easy,' said Brock, stepping back and shaking his head. 'I was willin to share. I was only lookin to take half. But you had to fuck up and lie. And now you prob'ly thinking, We gonna get this motherfucker. We gonna come back on him, or we gonna find someone who can, and get righteous on his ass.' Brock straightened his shirt. 'But you know what? You never will. Y'all ain't man enough to fuck with me. And you don't have anyone to protect you. If you knew someone bad enough to do it, they dead or in jail. If you had someone in your life who gave a fuck about you to begin with, you wouldn't be out here on this corner. So what do you have? Your little-ass, no-ass selves.'

The boy on the ground said nothing and neither did his friend.

'What's my name?'

'Romeo,' said Charles, his eyes closed in pain.

'We'll be comin 'round again.'

Brock and Gaskins walked back to the Impala SS. None of the residents or onlookers had made a move to help the boys, and now they averted their eyes. None, Brock knew, would talk to the police. But he wasn't satisfied. It was too easy, and not worth the effort for a man of his reputation. It hadn't been a challenge, and the payoff was shit.

'How much we get?' said Gaskins.

'Buck forty.'

'Hardly seem worth it.'

'Don't worry. We gonna step it up from here.'

'It's lookin to me that all we doin is roughin kids and shit. I'm askin where we goin with this, cuz. What's this about?'

'Money and respect,' said Brock.

They got into the car.

'We'll head back to Northwest,' said Brock. 'Got a couple more appointments we need to keep.'

'Not me,' said Gaskins. 'I got to be up before the sunrise. 'Less you sayin you need me.'

'I'll drop you off at the house,' said Brock. 'I can handle the rest myself.'

Brock made a call on his cell, ignitioned the SS, and drove off.

Soon after he and Gaskins left the neighborhood, a police cruiser came slowly down Gallaudet. Its driver, a white man in uniform, looked at the residents in front of the apartments and at the boy on the corner who was helping another boy, holding his side, to his feet. The uniformed officer gave the cruiser gas and continued on his way.

How is it?' said Detective Bo Green, back in the box. 'Taste good,' said William Tyree, placing the can of soda on the table.

'Cold enough for you?'

'It's good.'

In the darkness of the video room, Anthony Antonelli grunted in disgust. 'Fucknuts thinks he's in a restaurant.'

'Bo's just making him comfortable,' said Ramone.

Green shifted his weight in his chair. 'You feel all right, William?'

'Not so bad.'

'You still high?'

'I been high for a day.' Tyree shook his head in self-disgust.

'When did you get first get high yesterday?'

'Before I got on the bus.'

'You took the bus to…'

'Jackie's.'

'How much crack had you smoked? You remember?'

'I don't know. But it musta hit me good. I was upset to begin with. The rock made me feel, you know, fierce inside.'

'What were you upset about, William?'

'Every goddamn thing. I got laid off from my job a year ago. I was a driver for a linen service, you know, one of those companies that deliver uniforms, tablecloths to restaurants, and stuff. I been havin trouble finding a job since I lost that one. It's hard out there.'

'I know it is.'

'It damn sure is. And then, to lose my wife and kids on top of that. I mean, I'm an honest man, Detective. I ain't never been in trouble in my life.'

'I know your family. You come from good people.'

'I never even messed with no drugs before my luck turned bad. A little marijuana, maybe.'

'That ain't no thing.'

'And then my wife goes and takes up with a low-ass criminal. Man sleepin in my bed, telling my kids what to say and do… telling them to shut their mouths and show respect. To him.'

'It bothered you.'

' Shit . Wouldn't it bother you ?'

'It would,' said Green, giving him that. 'So you smoked some crack yesterday and you went to see your ex-wife.'

'She was still my wife. We ain't had no divorce proceedings yet.'

'My mistake. I got some bad information.'

'We were still married. And I was just… I was angry, Detective. I'm sayin my head was on fire when I left out the house.'

'Did you take anything with you when you left?'

Tyree nodded. 'A knife. You know, that knife I told you about.'

'The one you put in the Safeway bag.'

'Uh-huh. I snatched it up off the counter before I tipped out.'

'You carried it on the Metrobus.'

'It was inside my shirt.'

'And then you walked up Cedar Street with the knife in your shirt and you went to your wife's apartment.' When Tyree nodded again, Green said, 'You knocked on the door, right? Or did you have a key?'

'I knocked. She asked who it was, and I told her it was me. She said she was busy and couldn't see me right then, and asked me to go away. I said I just wanted to talk to her for a minute, and she opened the door. I went inside.'