that. I’m not here for you. I want to know where your son is.”
Dimi? This was about Dimi? What had that little shit done now? Was he the one who robbed Skip’s yesterday? Was this a partner of his? Or someone he cheated?
“I do not know where he is.”
“I think you do. I think you should tell me right now.”
“What is this about? Who is Dimi to you?” Wolo searched the man’s face.
“He’s someone I need to find. When is the last time you saw him?”
Wolo had no intention of telling this asshole anything but he could not help but search his mind for the last time he saw his son.
“The girl. This is about the girl. The one at the bar. The one the police were looking for,” Wolo said. The skin around the man’s eyes tightened just for a second.
“Where is he?”
“All this for some little whore? You come to me in my house. You threaten me. Over a woman? Is this what this is?” Wolo said, a mocking edge in his voice.
“Do you know where she is?”
“In a grave. In the bay. In a whorehouse in Plant City sucking cocks. Do I care?” He shrugged as best he could taped down tight in the chair as he was.
“The last time you saw your son it was about the girl. Was she dead? Was she alive?”
“I cannot remember. I would not help him. He deals in the drugs. The meth. He is no son of mine. He is not Vor,” Wolo said.
“You won’t help me.”
“I cannot help you even if I could. Go see his friends in Cotton Lake. Ask them where he is.”
The man put a booted foot on the chair frame between Wolo’s knees and shoved. The chair went over backwards into the water. There was no time to call out. No time to take a breath. Wolo’s head struck the bottom and lay in the shallow end with his bare feet waggling exposed on the surface. Wolo stared up through water stained with his own blood and willed the man to return with more questions.
The man was gone. He had not stayed. He got what he came for.
19
----
Danny and Van found out two things about Oscar Dumont, the afternoon man at Skip’s.
He could take a beating.
And he didn’t know anything about the robbery.
Van dropped the plastic sack of lemons he’d been beating Oscar with and told Danny to let the man go.
Oscar sagged away to lean on the bar, a hand to his gut. For sure he’d shit blood for a few days. But he didn’t go to his knees.
“You are okay to work today?” Van said.
“I can work,” Oscar said turning his face away.
“You one tough motherfucker,” Danny said.
Van peeled five one-hundred dollar bills off his roll and laid them on the bar. The two of them went out the front to the Mercedes. Van used his throwaway to call Uncle Wolo. No answer. He tried the landline. No answer there either.
“Maybe he is taking a nap,” Danny said from the wheel.
Van tapped fingers on the console.
“Forget the pick-ups till later. Let’s go have lunch at his house,” Van said.
They found their uncle sitting at the bottom of the pool looking up at them like he was surprised to see them.
“This has something to do with the robbery,” Danny said.
“You are thinking that? Serious?” Van slapped his brother across the back of the head and wondered, for perhaps the millionth time, how they could have been born seconds apart.
They called the cleaning crew. Then they called their father.
Gunny Leffertz said:
“Like your boxing coach taught you. Stick and move. Stick and move. Never be where they think you are.”
20
----
“How’s my honey?”
“Daddy!”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too! Will I see you this weekend?”
“I hope so. I still have some work to do.”
“For your boss?”
“For my boss. But I’m going to try and get back. I promise.”
“Where are you? Far away?”
“Not too far. Florida. Do you know where Florida is?”
“Where Disneyworld is?”
“That’s right, honey.”
“Are you at Disneyworld, Daddy?”
“Without you?”
“We can go there someday?”
“We will. When
Dimi? This was about Dimi? What had that little shit done now? Was he the one who robbed Skip’s yesterday? Was this a partner of his? Or someone he cheated?
“I do not know where he is.”
“I think you do. I think you should tell me right now.”
“What is this about? Who is Dimi to you?” Wolo searched the man’s face.
“He’s someone I need to find. When is the last time you saw him?”
Wolo had no intention of telling this asshole anything but he could not help but search his mind for the last time he saw his son.
“The girl. This is about the girl. The one at the bar. The one the police were looking for,” Wolo said. The skin around the man’s eyes tightened just for a second.
“Where is he?”
“All this for some little whore? You come to me in my house. You threaten me. Over a woman? Is this what this is?” Wolo said, a mocking edge in his voice.
“Do you know where she is?”
“In a grave. In the bay. In a whorehouse in Plant City sucking cocks. Do I care?” He shrugged as best he could taped down tight in the chair as he was.
“The last time you saw your son it was about the girl. Was she dead? Was she alive?”
“I cannot remember. I would not help him. He deals in the drugs. The meth. He is no son of mine. He is not Vor,” Wolo said.
“You won’t help me.”
“I cannot help you even if I could. Go see his friends in Cotton Lake. Ask them where he is.”
The man put a booted foot on the chair frame between Wolo’s knees and shoved. The chair went over backwards into the water. There was no time to call out. No time to take a breath. Wolo’s head struck the bottom and lay in the shallow end with his bare feet waggling exposed on the surface. Wolo stared up through water stained with his own blood and willed the man to return with more questions.
The man was gone. He had not stayed. He got what he came for.
19
----
Danny and Van found out two things about Oscar Dumont, the afternoon man at Skip’s.
He could take a beating.
And he didn’t know anything about the robbery.
Van dropped the plastic sack of lemons he’d been beating Oscar with and told Danny to let the man go.
Oscar sagged away to lean on the bar, a hand to his gut. For sure he’d shit blood for a few days. But he didn’t go to his knees.
“You are okay to work today?” Van said.
“I can work,” Oscar said turning his face away.
“You one tough motherfucker,” Danny said.
Van peeled five one-hundred dollar bills off his roll and laid them on the bar. The two of them went out the front to the Mercedes. Van used his throwaway to call Uncle Wolo. No answer. He tried the landline. No answer there either.
“Maybe he is taking a nap,” Danny said from the wheel.
Van tapped fingers on the console.
“Forget the pick-ups till later. Let’s go have lunch at his house,” Van said.
They found their uncle sitting at the bottom of the pool looking up at them like he was surprised to see them.
“This has something to do with the robbery,” Danny said.
“You are thinking that? Serious?” Van slapped his brother across the back of the head and wondered, for perhaps the millionth time, how they could have been born seconds apart.
They called the cleaning crew. Then they called their father.
Gunny Leffertz said:
“Like your boxing coach taught you. Stick and move. Stick and move. Never be where they think you are.”
20
----
“How’s my honey?”
“Daddy!”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too! Will I see you this weekend?”
“I hope so. I still have some work to do.”
“For your boss?”
“For my boss. But I’m going to try and get back. I promise.”
“Where are you? Far away?”
“Not too far. Florida. Do you know where Florida is?”
“Where Disneyworld is?”
“That’s right, honey.”
“Are you at Disneyworld, Daddy?”
“Without you?”
“We can go there someday?”
“We will. When
Similar Books
