Bad Boy Brawly Brown (35 page)
Read Bad Boy Brawly Brown Online
Authors: Walter Mosley
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“You tell her everything you feel? You always tell her the truth? I 29
mean, Brawly knows how his mother feels about Aldridge. Why S 30
would he tell her if they squared up and started talkin’ again?”
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“Maybe that’s true,” he said. “But even if it is, how’d you find 2
out?”
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“I came out here one day when you were gone and talked to 4
Chapman and Mercury. They told me because I asked.”
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“And here they supposed to be my men.”
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“They wouldn’ta said anything if I didn’t ask, John. And you 7
know we go back. Me an’ Mouse pulled their fat outta the fire when 8
they robbed those dockworkers.”
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“Okay,” John said. “So Strong and Brawly’s father came out here.
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So what?”
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“So what if Brawly killed Aldridge? Strong, too? I caught a 12
glimpse of the man who shot him. It could’a been Brawly, I don’t 13
know.”
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“So? What you sayin’?”
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“If Brawly killed them people, he’s way past a good talkin’-to and 16
sowin’ his wild oats. What you want me to do if he’s a double mur-17
derer?”
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John looked at me, taking long, slow breaths. I had counted six 19
exhalations when he asked, “How was Strong killed?”
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“Ambushed, chased down like a dog, and then shot in the back 21
of his head.”
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John did not like that.
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“Could you just walk away?” he asked.
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“I’m in it already, John. The police know I’m in it. They are, 25
too.”
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“I knew I shouldn’ta called you, Easy. I didn’t want to, but Alva 27
needed to feel like she was doin’ somethin’. She had lost him for so 28
many years and there she was, losin’ him again.” John bit his lip and 29
shook his head slowly. “She asked me to bring you in, so what could 30 S
I say?”
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“I don’t know.”
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“Find out, Easy. Find out what happened.”
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“And if she lose the boy?”
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“She still got me,” he said.
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Mouse had been my closest friend since I was a child, but I 4
never respected any man as much as I did John. He was taciturn with 5
a mean temper, but in the end you could always count on him to do 6
what was right.
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“Mercury and Chapman out around here someplace?” I asked.
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“Chapman is,” John said. “Mercury quit.”
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The fever I’d been feeling for days broke at that moment. Half 10
the puzzle fell into place and I wondered, as one always does in 11
hindsight, why hadn’t I seen it before.
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C
HAPMAN WAS APPLYING A ROUGH COAT
of plaster to a three-15
beamed wall when John and I walked in.
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“John,” Chapman said. “Mr. Rawlins.”
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He had a splotch of plaster on the side of his broad nose and plas-18
ter in his hair. Chapman had straightened hair that he combed down 19
the back of his neck. With his light skin, heavy features, and straight 20
hair, strangers often had trouble guessing his racial background.
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John moved to stand against the wall on the other side of Chap-22
man. He noticed that we had cut off his avenue of escape.
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“I hear that Mercury quit,” I said.
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“Yeah,” Chapman said. “Yeah, he sure did. Been threatenin’ to 25
move down to Texas for so long that I guess he felt he had to do 26
sumpin’ about it.”
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“He left town?”
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“That’s what he told me he was doin’.”
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“But you his best friend,” John said. “Best friend should know for S 30
sure about his partner.”
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“Have you called his house?” I added.
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“He said he was goin’ to Texas, to look for work. Bought me a 3
drink to say he was leavin’ the next day. Why I’ma call him if he sup-4
posed to be gone?”
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“Supposed to be,” I said. “That mean you don’t believe him?”
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“What is this? Some kinda police interrogation?”
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“I was out at Mercury’s house the other day,” I said.
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“So?”
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“You know, that’s a nice house he got.”
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“So?”
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“Where do you live, Kenneth?” I asked the ex-burglar.
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“Over on One-sixteen. The LaMarr Towers.”
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“That’s projects,” I said in mock surprise.
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“So what?”
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“So how come you in the projects and Mercury got a house over 16
in the nice part’a the slum?”
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“He got some money from an uncle that died back in Arkansas.”
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“Did you know his uncle?” John asked.
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“Yeah. I went with him to the funeral.”
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“Was he rich?” I asked.
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“Rich enough to leave Mercury ten thousand dollars, I guess.”
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“He bought the house for cash?” I asked.
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“That’s what he said,” Chapman answered. I could see that an 24
old suspicion was rekindled in his mind.
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“I hear that they got extra police patrols because of thefts out 26
around the sites,” I said.
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“So what?”
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“So maybe you two didn’t go as straight as you said you did.”
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“You listen to me, Easy Rawlins,” Chapman lectured. “I put up 30 S
my burglary tools right after you and Mr. Alexander got them men 31 R
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off’a us. I even took the five hundred you gave me and donated to my 1
mother’s church. I already told you where Mercury said he got his 2
money. That’s all I know.”
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“When I was out to his place I asked him about you and Henry 4
Strong and Aldridge Brown,” I said.
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“Asked what?”
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“Didn’t you use to hang out with Brawly and them?”
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“We had drinks once or twice, but it was Mercury hung out with 8
them. Why? What’d he say?”
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“That you were thick as thieves with all three,” I said. “That 10
they’d come and pick you up after work and you’d go off together.”
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“That was him. Not me. No. I don’t like Aldridge, ’cause he’s a 12
braggart. And Strong made you feel like he was keepin’ secrets. I 13
don’t like a man like that. That’s why I never hung out with you, 14
Easy.”
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“How’s that?”
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“Nobody ever know what you thinkin’,” Chapman said. “That 17
day we went out to see them union men, we didn’t know that you 18
was gonna bring Mouse along. And then when you made them pay 19
us . . . I ain’t complainin’ about the help, but I knew right then you 20
was too deep for me.”
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“And you felt the same about Strong?” I asked.
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“That’s right.”
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“Why?”
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“He had a way of gettin’ you to talk about stuff. Merc and me 25
don’t like to brag that much about the old days, but the first night we 26
saw Strong, Mercury started in on how when we were teenagers we’d 27
break into candy stores. Strong wheedled it outta him. I was always 28
too busy for drinks after I seen that.”
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I glanced at Chapman’s plastering job. It was excellent. He used S 30
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a circular motion of his knife to make every application neat and per-2
fect. The swirls were all of equal size and depth. When he came 3
back to level the wall, it would be just right.
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“Blesta told me that you and Merc would go off and play snooker 5
after work a few times a week,” I said.
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“Used to,” Chapman said. “Used to, but we ain’t played in 7
months.”
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“Where you think he been goin’ lately?” I asked.
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“Gettin’ his hambone greased,” Chapman said. He looked me in 10
the face.
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“Who wit’?”
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“He never said a word about it,” Chapman replied. “I just knew 13
by the way he was actin’ that he was gettin’ it on with some girl.”
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Chapman looked me in the eye for a second and then he looked 15
down.
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“That all you got, Easy?” John asked me.
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“Yeah.”
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“Then I got a question,” the bartender said to Kenneth Chap-19
man. “Why didn’t you tell me when Brawly’s father come around 20
here?”
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“Brawly’s a man, John,” Chapman replied. “I cain’t be workin’
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with him and treatin’ him like a child, too.”
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“Do you think Merc left town?” I asked Chapman.
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“I don’t know.”
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“You still don’t wanna help me after what I told you?”
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“What you said is just talk, Easy. And talk is cheap.”
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J
OHN WALKED ME
down to my car after our chat with Chapman.
“What you think about Mercury?” he asked me.
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“Once a thief . . . ,” I said.
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“What’s that got to do with that group Brawly’s messed up with?”
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“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe nothing.”
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“What’s that supposed to mean?”
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“Maybe I been lookin’ at this whole thing wrong. Maybe you 4
were right from the beginning. Maybe Brawly’s tied up with a 5
bunch’a thugs and thieves.”
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“What are they gonna steal?”
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“If Mercury’s in it, it’s likely to be a payroll. There any big ones 8
out around here?”
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“Manelli,” John said. “They’re big and they pay once a month —
10
in cash.”
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“Oh yeah,” I said. “That’s the top of the list. You know when the 12
next payday is?”
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John just shook his head and scowled.
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/ WHEN I KNOCKED
on Mercury Hall’s door later that morning, I had my hand on the .38-caliber
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pistol in my pocket. Blesta opened the door as far as the guard chain 4
would allow. She stuck her face into the crack and so did little Arte-5
mus two feet below.
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“Boo!” the child said.
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“He’s gone,” Blesta said.
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“Say what?” I asked her.
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“Down to Texas to get a job,” she said.
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There were bags under her eyes and a strained quality to her 11
voice.
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“He said he’s gonna send for us,” she added.
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“Can I come in?”
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“I’m sorry, but no, Mr. Rawlins,” she said. “You know with Merc 15 R
gone, I got to be careful.”
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“Careful of me?”
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Her stare was all the answer she offered.
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“What’s wrong, Blesta?” I asked.
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“Mercury told me not to talk to you,” she said. She was an hon-4
est young woman. The truth was a balm to her.
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“Lotta men been sayin’ that about me lately. You think I might 6
hurt your man?”
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“Where’s Daddy?” Artemus asked. Maybe it was the first time he 8
realized his father was gone.
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“Not now, Arty,” Blesta said.
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“You tell Mercury, when he calls you from the road, that I’m out 11
here lookin’ for him. Okay?”
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“I don’t think he’s gonna call for a few days,” Blesta said.
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“Not till Sunday?” I asked.
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Blesta nodded, though I believe it was against her will.
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“Where’s Daddy?” Artemus asked in an anxious tone.
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“If he calls you before then, you tell him what I said.”
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Blesta looked down to avoid my gaze. She closed the door.
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“Where’s my daddy?” Artemus shouted from behind the door.
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I walked down to my car, hoping that Mercury really was on the 20
road down South.