answer.
"Okay, fellas," Carella said, "play it smart. See what that gets you. See how long The Grovers are gonna last under a rap like this one."
"We din' shoot no cop," one of the boys said.
"No? What happened, he shoot himself?"
"You ting we crazy?" the other boy said. "Shoot a bull?"
"This was a patrolman," Carella said, "not a detective."
"He wass wear a suit," the first boy said.
"Cops wear suits off-duty," Bush said. "Now how about it?"
"Nobody shoot a cop," the first boy said.
"No, except somebody did."
Lieutenant Byrnes came out of his office and shouted, "All right, knock it off! KNOCK IT OFF!"
The room fell immediately silent.
"Who's your talk man?" Byrnes asked.
"I am," a tall boy answered.
"What's your name?"
"Do-Do."
"What's your full name?"
"Salvador Jesus Santez."
"All right, come here, Salvador."
"The guys call me Do-Do."
"Okay, come here."
Santez walked over to where Byrnes was standing. He walked with a shuffle which was considered both hip and cool. The boys in the room visibly relaxed. This was their talk man, and Do-Do was a real gone stud. Do-Do would know how to handle this jive.
"What happened?" Byrnes asked.
"Little skirmish, that's all," Santez said.
"Why?"
"Jus' like that. We got the word passed down, so we joined the fray."
"What word?"
"You know, like a scout was out."
"No, I don't know. What the hell are you talking about?"
"Look, Dad . . ." Santez started.
"You call me 'Dad' again," Byrnes warned, "and I'll beat you black and blue."
"Well, gee, Da . . ." Santez stopped dead. "What you want to know?"
"I want to know why you jumped a cop."
"What cop? What're you talkin' about?"
"Look, Santez, don't play this too goddamn cute. You jumped one of our patrolmen as he came out of a bar. You beat him up, and one of your boys put a bullet in his shoulder. Now what the hell's the story?"
Santez considered Byrnes' question gravely.
"Well?"
"He's a cop?"
"What the hell did you think he was?"
"He was wearing a light blue summer suit!" Santez said, his eyes opening wide.
"What the hell's that got to do with it? Why'd you jump him? Why'd you shoot him?"
A mumbling was starting behind Santez. Byrnes heard the mumble and shouted, "Shut up! You've got your talk man, let him talk!"
Santez was still silent.
"What about it, Santez?"
"A mistake," Santez said.
"That's for damn sure."
"I mean, we didn't know he was a cop."
"Why'd you jump him?"
"A mistake, I tell you."
"Start from the beginning."
"Okay," Santez said. "We been giving you trouble lately?"
"No."
"Okay. We been minding our own business, right? You never hear from The Grovers, except when we protectin' our own, right? The last rumble you get is over there in The Silver Culvers' territory when they pick on one of our Juniors. Am I right?"
"Go ahead, Santez."
"Okay. Early today, there's a guy snooping around. He grabs one of our Seniors in a bar, and he starts pumpin' him."
"Which Senior?"
"I forget," Santez said.
"Who was the guy?"
"Said he was from a newspaper."
"What?"
"Yeah. Said his name was Savage, you know him?"
"I know him," Byrnes said tightly.
"Okay, so he starts askin' like how many pieces we got, and whether we got .45's, and whether we don't like the Law, things like that. This Senior, he's real hip. He tips right off this guy is trying to mix in The Grovers with the two bulls got knocked off around here. So he's on a newspaper, and we got a rep to protect. We don't want Law trouble. If this jerk goes back to his paper and starts printing lies about how we're mixed in, that ain't good for our rep."
"So what'd you do, Santez?" Byrnes asked wearily, thinking of Savage, and thinking of how he'd like to wring the reporter's neck.
"So this Senior comes back, and we planned to scare off the reporter before he goes printing any crap. We went back to the bar and waited for him. When he come out, we jumped him. Only he pulled a gun, so one of the boys plugged him in
"Okay, fellas," Carella said, "play it smart. See what that gets you. See how long The Grovers are gonna last under a rap like this one."
"We din' shoot no cop," one of the boys said.
"No? What happened, he shoot himself?"
"You ting we crazy?" the other boy said. "Shoot a bull?"
"This was a patrolman," Carella said, "not a detective."
"He wass wear a suit," the first boy said.
"Cops wear suits off-duty," Bush said. "Now how about it?"
"Nobody shoot a cop," the first boy said.
"No, except somebody did."
Lieutenant Byrnes came out of his office and shouted, "All right, knock it off! KNOCK IT OFF!"
The room fell immediately silent.
"Who's your talk man?" Byrnes asked.
"I am," a tall boy answered.
"What's your name?"
"Do-Do."
"What's your full name?"
"Salvador Jesus Santez."
"All right, come here, Salvador."
"The guys call me Do-Do."
"Okay, come here."
Santez walked over to where Byrnes was standing. He walked with a shuffle which was considered both hip and cool. The boys in the room visibly relaxed. This was their talk man, and Do-Do was a real gone stud. Do-Do would know how to handle this jive.
"What happened?" Byrnes asked.
"Little skirmish, that's all," Santez said.
"Why?"
"Jus' like that. We got the word passed down, so we joined the fray."
"What word?"
"You know, like a scout was out."
"No, I don't know. What the hell are you talking about?"
"Look, Dad . . ." Santez started.
"You call me 'Dad' again," Byrnes warned, "and I'll beat you black and blue."
"Well, gee, Da . . ." Santez stopped dead. "What you want to know?"
"I want to know why you jumped a cop."
"What cop? What're you talkin' about?"
"Look, Santez, don't play this too goddamn cute. You jumped one of our patrolmen as he came out of a bar. You beat him up, and one of your boys put a bullet in his shoulder. Now what the hell's the story?"
Santez considered Byrnes' question gravely.
"Well?"
"He's a cop?"
"What the hell did you think he was?"
"He was wearing a light blue summer suit!" Santez said, his eyes opening wide.
"What the hell's that got to do with it? Why'd you jump him? Why'd you shoot him?"
A mumbling was starting behind Santez. Byrnes heard the mumble and shouted, "Shut up! You've got your talk man, let him talk!"
Santez was still silent.
"What about it, Santez?"
"A mistake," Santez said.
"That's for damn sure."
"I mean, we didn't know he was a cop."
"Why'd you jump him?"
"A mistake, I tell you."
"Start from the beginning."
"Okay," Santez said. "We been giving you trouble lately?"
"No."
"Okay. We been minding our own business, right? You never hear from The Grovers, except when we protectin' our own, right? The last rumble you get is over there in The Silver Culvers' territory when they pick on one of our Juniors. Am I right?"
"Go ahead, Santez."
"Okay. Early today, there's a guy snooping around. He grabs one of our Seniors in a bar, and he starts pumpin' him."
"Which Senior?"
"I forget," Santez said.
"Who was the guy?"
"Said he was from a newspaper."
"What?"
"Yeah. Said his name was Savage, you know him?"
"I know him," Byrnes said tightly.
"Okay, so he starts askin' like how many pieces we got, and whether we got .45's, and whether we don't like the Law, things like that. This Senior, he's real hip. He tips right off this guy is trying to mix in The Grovers with the two bulls got knocked off around here. So he's on a newspaper, and we got a rep to protect. We don't want Law trouble. If this jerk goes back to his paper and starts printing lies about how we're mixed in, that ain't good for our rep."
"So what'd you do, Santez?" Byrnes asked wearily, thinking of Savage, and thinking of how he'd like to wring the reporter's neck.
"So this Senior comes back, and we planned to scare off the reporter before he goes printing any crap. We went back to the bar and waited for him. When he come out, we jumped him. Only he pulled a gun, so one of the boys plugged him in
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