Marlon James - The Book of Night Women

All this Robert Quinn say to Lilith back in him quarters but he don’t look at her.

— Me can’t believe it to be true, massa.

— Nor I. Certainly not Homer, but who can ye trust these days. Who can ye. .

— Massa. .

Lilith feel the silence on her back. Before she even turn, Robert Quinn grab her arm and twist it behind her back. Lilith bawl.

— Yer in her company all the time! All the time! Are ye in league with her? Are you in league with her, damn you?

— No, massa! Me not in league with nobody. Me. .

Lilith bawling as he twist her hand harder. She buckle and fall hard on her knee.

— I don’t think I believe ye. You two were especially close. Are ye planning something, the two of ye? So help me, I’ll break this hand off!

— Lawd God, Massa Robert! Lawd! Lilith bawling getting louder. — Me don’t know — Me don’t know nothing ’bout Homer, swear to God-Jesus!

— Me memory’s not as bad as ye wish it, Lilith. I recall several times you going to meet the woman. At night too. Late night. I swear, you niggers are planning something, after all the kindness I’ve shown you.

He twist harder. Lilith bawling loud now.

— Nobody not close to me, sah!

— Ye expect me to believe that these niggers and ye don’t have each in the other’s confidence? Ye expect me to believe that Homer and at least one more is involved in a murder plot, and ye have no knowledge of it? None at all?

— Me never know, sah! Oh, lawd!

— How could you not know?

— Nobody talk to me, sah! Nobody talk to me!

— Since when! Since fecking when? Don’t make me any more cross with ye, Lilith. Don’t fecki—

— Since me start share bed with white man, massa! Since me sleeping with you.

He stop and let go of her. He pace for a while, then stop and look at her.

— What am I, a fecking plague? Am I some sort of leper? he say, but Lilith don’t answer. She clutch her hand, still crying.

— Nobody have nothing to do with me. Not since me come back from Coulibre, not since me living here with you, she say.

Quinn go over to the table and sit down in a chair. He sigh loud and scratch him head.

— Goddamn. Were ye lying I’d feel bad, but yer probably telling the truth and that makes me feel a lot, lot worse.

Hundred sixty-four was the number on the shirt. The piece of shirt that Athena tear off when she was fighting the murdering nigger for her life. Who know where her spirit be now, but she do one last thing to make sure her death get avenge. Hundred sixty-four. Robert Quinn bring numbers to the estate to make things simpler. So number hundred sixty-four slave have number hundred sixty-four shirt and number hundred sixty-four pantaloons. Hundred sixty-four mark when he get feed two times a day, hundred sixty-four mark when he spend the allotted hours in the field working. Hundred sixty-four belong to Atlas.

Richardson go in the field after Atlas. Atlas see him and McClusky coming and run. Atlas run clear down a trail in the cane piece when another driver chase him down on horseback and strike him with a club. Richardson ask who him in league with and why he kill Athena. Or if he tickled pink by killing young women. Atlas say he no know what dem a-talk ’bout and Richardson shoot off two of him left toe. Atlas scream clear across the field. Every driver lift up the rifle and aim, shouting to the slaves to go back to work, and the Johnny-jumpers strike who they please. Atlas bawl again that he no know and he didn’t have nothing to do with no poor murdered girl and he love all girl and would never kill such a pretty girl like Athena, who never would hurt even flea. Richardson have two driver hold him down. He step on Atlas wrist with him boot and shoot off a thumb. Atlas scream and holler and bawl and yell and whimper. He still saying that he no know nothing ’bout no young girl. Richardson say he was the one who find the body himself coming back from Red Horse Tavern in Kingston. Blood smear the road leading straight over the cliff. He climb all the way down himself and find Athena stinking up the rocks, half her body almost gone in the sea. Athena still have most of him shirt in her hand. Richardson ask Atlas what anybody could have over him that he gone lose a thumb and two toe already. Atlas bawling. Richardson tell the drivers to turn him over. A driver further off fire in the air and say, Git back to work, the lot o’ ye! And the niggers watching go back to work. Atlas still screaming and bawling when Richardson rip down him pantaloons and shove the rifle hard and rough until it gone full up Atlas arse. — I’ll send your shit all the way up to yer eyeballs, Atlas, so help me God I will, he say and Atlas finally scream out, She does bewitch me! She does work Obeah on me! She Obeah me, lord massa! She make me do it!

— Who? Richardson say.

— Homer. Homer! Atlas say.

Callisto tell all this to Pallas. By the noon hour, everybody ordered to the cotton tree. Lilith remember that tree well. She walk three pace behind Robert Quinn and they don’t say nothing from the morning. Noon gone white. Most of the niggers assemble round the tree with the slave-drivers at the back, all with rifle cock and loaded and extra musket on they shoulder. Massa Humphrey watching from the terrace. Lilith look around and see Callisto in front but across from her, and Hippolyta in the back, tiptoeing to get a better look. She don’t see Gorgon.

They string up Atlas first. Him screaming into a gag. They put the nigger to stand on a small barrel with him hand tie behind him back. The noose already round him neck. A driver shouting to the niggers ’bout the perverted Atlas and Homer who killing little girls for their amusement. Atlas murder the girl and Homer hide the dastard deed. — May God have mercy on you and let you out of hell one day, the driver say and kick away the barrel. The noose grip round the nigger neck. He swing and kick and spin but that only make the noose squeeze tighter. Is years since anybody get hang at Montpelier. The body jerk and sway and piss burst from him cocky and wet the dirt.

Then they bring out Homer. Richardson push her and she stumble. Homer naked, with her skin stretch over bone and her hips sticking out and her ribs poking through her side. Few on the estate would know what Homer body look like, so plenty gasp and few look away when they see how she look like animal. Her back, arse and thigh cover in scar big like animal stripe, her titties chop up and scar up so that is only nipple left to tell you that she born to suckle. But all over her from arm to leg to foot tight with muscle. Homer try to walk straight but Richardson butt her with the rifle for showing uppityness. They tie her wrists and pull her up till she on level with dead Atlas. Homer gasp and wince but say nothing. Her head drop down like she falling asleep. Homer pussy hair white like her head. The driver talking ’bout how she of all people, the one nigger who was expected to be an example for all other nigger to follow, turn out to be such a decadent pervert and murderess. How a slave under her supervision came to such an untimely death and neither she nor Atlas will tell why. How there is no way to comprehend such evil, one can only drive it out with the smart of a good, severe whipping. Homer head nodding and rolling up and down like she agree.

Richardson dealing with this one himself. Homer spinning a little so the whip land anywhere it choose. The first lash strike her back and Homer grunt. The second lash hit her back and coil round her belly. Homer start to jerk like she having fit. She not screaming, only grunting. Homer body tough from much scar and her skin strong and not even a welt mark on her yet. Richardson notice and the fourth and fifth lash come harder. Homer spinning worse and the fifth lash strike her breasts. Homer scream. The whip cut through her black skin leaving a white gash that turn red with blood, then pink when the blood start to flow down her skin. Her wet body change the way the whip sound on her skin and every lash sound like a burst of flame. Robert Quinn turn away and leave. Lilith wipe her eyes and see Callisto. Callisto look at her and nod. Lilith, who can’t wipe away tears faster than they fall, shake her head no. Callisto nod again, closing her eye and pressing her lip together like that be the final word. Yes, she nod.