that mean?"
"Take my word," Dennis said, not wanting to get into Kirkbride and the granddaddies. "Robert isn't the kind's gonna volunteer information. We're talking, I must've seemed nervous. You know, after what I saw. He said, `Come on, I'm not looking into your business.' "
Charlie seemed to give it some thought before he said, "You saw Arlen. You sure he didn't see you, in Robert's car?"
"He couldn't have."
"But you recognized him?"
"I see the Lone Ranger coming out of the house-shit yeah, I recognized him. Vernice told you, didn't she? He wanted to talk to you about uniforms? Doesn't like you going Yankee on him."
"That's what he told her."
"You dress up and play war with those guys? Pretend to shoot each other? It's hard for me to imagine."
" 'Cause you don't know anything about it."
"I remember you saying-I told you I thought the one looked like a deputy or a state trooper? And you said, `You oughta see him with his sword'? I didn't know what you were talking about. Then Vernice tells me Arlen and his gang all get into it, playing war." He could tell Charlie didn't like the way he was talking, but didn't care. He said, "You gonna let him talk you out of being a Yankee?"
Charlie said, "You're sure a lot spunkier'n the last time I saw you."
"I'm trying to forget what happened. Since I wasn't there."
"That's good, 'cause Arlen just phoned." "About the uniform?"
"Will you forget the goddamn uniform?" Charlie's voice rising now, irritated. "He wanted me to know they killed Floyd because he might talk, not 'cause he did. Arlen says we ever put him at that scene we'd end up in a ditch."
"What did you say?"
"I told him to stay away from us. And had another drink."
"What're you gonna do?"
"Watch my goddamn back. What you think I'm gonna do?"
Dennis thought of RobertTaylor, Robert's voice in the dark saying, "That man gives you any shit, tell me." Dennis hesitated but kept looking at Charlie before he said, "I think of what happened ... I'm up on the ladder ... Could they have walked out from the hotel and not seen me?"
"They couldn't miss seeing you."
"So they don't care I'm a witness. It wasn't gonna stop 'em from shooting Floyd."
Charlie said, "You're just some squirt stuck up there on the ladder. They might've wished they brought a rifle."
Dennis said, "They were having fun talking about it-making a bet whether the one could hit me or not, Junebug, with the slicked-back hair. He said, `Shit, I'll hit him on the fly.' "
"I heard 'em," Charlie said, "but couldn't tell what they were saying."
"I think about it now," Dennis said, "it pisses me off. They didn't see me as any kind of problem. Who's the guy in the red trunks? Where? Up on the ladder. That's nobody-fuck him. You know what I mean? When Arlen threatened you, on the phone, didn't it piss you off?"
"Sure it did."
Dennis watched Charlie looking down at his big hands, the left one that years ago could throw a baseball ninety-nine miles an hour.
"You bet I was pissed."
Dennis said, "You're bigger than he is."
"Yes, I am," Charlie said, looking up. "I use to buy him cheap when he was a two-bit deputy and I was running liquor."
Dennis sat in the lawn chair, National Enquirers on his lap. "Did you know Tom and Nicole fell out of love way before Tom pulled the plug?"
"I suspected it," Charlie said, "but wasn't ever sure. You want a beer?"
Chapter 6
ROBERT OPENED THE DOOR in a hotel terry-cloth robe smoking weed, knowing who it was and what happened, curious to see how Dennis was handling himself this morning. One to ten-ten being all the way cool-Dennis was about a seven, up from the five he was last night; though before he got out of the car at Vernice's he might've inched up to a six. It surprised RobertDennis wasn't tighter strung, Dennis looking around the suite now. Robert offered the joint and Dennis took it saying, "One hit, I have to dive." Robert watched him take it in deep and let it work inside him before blowing it out. He took
"Take my word," Dennis said, not wanting to get into Kirkbride and the granddaddies. "Robert isn't the kind's gonna volunteer information. We're talking, I must've seemed nervous. You know, after what I saw. He said, `Come on, I'm not looking into your business.' "
Charlie seemed to give it some thought before he said, "You saw Arlen. You sure he didn't see you, in Robert's car?"
"He couldn't have."
"But you recognized him?"
"I see the Lone Ranger coming out of the house-shit yeah, I recognized him. Vernice told you, didn't she? He wanted to talk to you about uniforms? Doesn't like you going Yankee on him."
"That's what he told her."
"You dress up and play war with those guys? Pretend to shoot each other? It's hard for me to imagine."
" 'Cause you don't know anything about it."
"I remember you saying-I told you I thought the one looked like a deputy or a state trooper? And you said, `You oughta see him with his sword'? I didn't know what you were talking about. Then Vernice tells me Arlen and his gang all get into it, playing war." He could tell Charlie didn't like the way he was talking, but didn't care. He said, "You gonna let him talk you out of being a Yankee?"
Charlie said, "You're sure a lot spunkier'n the last time I saw you."
"I'm trying to forget what happened. Since I wasn't there."
"That's good, 'cause Arlen just phoned." "About the uniform?"
"Will you forget the goddamn uniform?" Charlie's voice rising now, irritated. "He wanted me to know they killed Floyd because he might talk, not 'cause he did. Arlen says we ever put him at that scene we'd end up in a ditch."
"What did you say?"
"I told him to stay away from us. And had another drink."
"What're you gonna do?"
"Watch my goddamn back. What you think I'm gonna do?"
Dennis thought of RobertTaylor, Robert's voice in the dark saying, "That man gives you any shit, tell me." Dennis hesitated but kept looking at Charlie before he said, "I think of what happened ... I'm up on the ladder ... Could they have walked out from the hotel and not seen me?"
"They couldn't miss seeing you."
"So they don't care I'm a witness. It wasn't gonna stop 'em from shooting Floyd."
Charlie said, "You're just some squirt stuck up there on the ladder. They might've wished they brought a rifle."
Dennis said, "They were having fun talking about it-making a bet whether the one could hit me or not, Junebug, with the slicked-back hair. He said, `Shit, I'll hit him on the fly.' "
"I heard 'em," Charlie said, "but couldn't tell what they were saying."
"I think about it now," Dennis said, "it pisses me off. They didn't see me as any kind of problem. Who's the guy in the red trunks? Where? Up on the ladder. That's nobody-fuck him. You know what I mean? When Arlen threatened you, on the phone, didn't it piss you off?"
"Sure it did."
Dennis watched Charlie looking down at his big hands, the left one that years ago could throw a baseball ninety-nine miles an hour.
"You bet I was pissed."
Dennis said, "You're bigger than he is."
"Yes, I am," Charlie said, looking up. "I use to buy him cheap when he was a two-bit deputy and I was running liquor."
Dennis sat in the lawn chair, National Enquirers on his lap. "Did you know Tom and Nicole fell out of love way before Tom pulled the plug?"
"I suspected it," Charlie said, "but wasn't ever sure. You want a beer?"
Chapter 6
ROBERT OPENED THE DOOR in a hotel terry-cloth robe smoking weed, knowing who it was and what happened, curious to see how Dennis was handling himself this morning. One to ten-ten being all the way cool-Dennis was about a seven, up from the five he was last night; though before he got out of the car at Vernice's he might've inched up to a six. It surprised RobertDennis wasn't tighter strung, Dennis looking around the suite now. Robert offered the joint and Dennis took it saying, "One hit, I have to dive." Robert watched him take it in deep and let it work inside him before blowing it out. He took
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