he got tight with that Tommy T., well, I could see the handwriting on the wall. I just knew Terry'd end up killing somebody, and, by God, he did."
I was surprised by her candor. And even more surprised by the fact she wasn't defending Carnova. "You knew how he was making his, living?"
The woman ducked her head. "Yeah, I knew. I never come right out and said it to myself. But I knew he was shaking queers down to get money to cop T's and B's. Him and Tommy T."
"What do you know about Ira Lessing?" I asked curiously.
"Not a thing," she said flatly. "Never heard his name before I read it in the newspaper. Kitty says that he and Terry were real close. But I never saw it. Course for the last couple of years, Terry's been living over on Baltimore with Kitty, so I ain't seen that much of him. Could be Terry and him were close. But I doubt it."
"Why?"
"Well, for one thing, Kitty'd say about anything to help Terry out after she turned him in. And for another . . . Terry just don't have no feeling in him. I mean not so's he'd be friends with a man like that Lessing. The way Terry grew up, he lost all his respect for other people. Not having a daddy. Bouncing around from place to place, with Estelle getting so drunk she'd have to be locked up, and Terry getting farmed out while she dried out. That just killed all his sympathy."
She ducked her head. "Maybe I didn't help any neither. I ain't fit to be nobody's mother -I know that. But I do believe Terry was far gone before he ever met me. He was headed down that road anyway. And he finally got to the end of it. Least that's the way I was thinking till I talked to Kent last night. Now I ain't so sure."
"Sure of what?"
"That Terry kilt that man."
Naomi Trimble was a hard, loveless woman living in a hard, loveless world. She had a great deal to pay back for, but self-delusion didn't seem to be one of her sins. She wasn't being dishonest about herself. And I had the feeling that she wasn't being dishonest about Terry Carnova.
I glanced at the boy -Kent Holliday. He tilted his head and stared down his nose at me, contemptuously. A tough street kid, not about to give an inch to an adult. I knew Carnova wasn't any of my business -not anymore. But part of me was damn curious about what it was that had changed Naomi Trimble's mind. I let that part win out.
"What do you have to say?" I said to Kent.
"I know what happened to that man," he said in a sullen voice.
"Lessing?"
He nodded slightly.
"You were there when he was killed?"
"After. They picked me up in that car after, over to Elberon."
"What car?"
"BMW. It was real messed up inside. Terry said it was on account of they had a fight with a nigger. He said his dad was gonna be real pissed off 'cause it was his dad's car and they done ruined the seats."
"I thought Terry didn't have a father."
"He don't," Kent Holliday said. "That's just what he called this guy who give him money and clothes and shit. This guy Lessing."
"You saw him with Lessing?" I said.
"No, I never did. But somebody sure as hell give Terry a lot of money pretty regular. And I saw Terry driving that car a couple times before -only he was always alone before."
"Who else was in the car that night?"
The boy hesitated a second, and Naomi Trimble gave him an angry look.
"Go on and tell him."
"It was Tommy T.," Kent said.
I stared at the boy's face. He was still trying to look tough, but it had cost him some brass to say that name. "You're afraid of Tommy T.?"
The kid laughed a scoffing laugh. "Hell, yes, I'm scared of him. Anybody got any sense at all is scared of Tommy T. He's a bad-ass dude."
"Is that why you don't want to go to court?"
Kent nodded. "He knew I was talking to you now, he'd come looking."
"Then why are you here?"
The boy glanced at the woman. "'Cause of her," he said. "She's my second cousin."
It was like the flip side of Len Trumaine and Janey Lessing -the down-home version.
"Tell him what happened, Kent," Naomi Trimble prompted.
The
I was surprised by her candor. And even more surprised by the fact she wasn't defending Carnova. "You knew how he was making his, living?"
The woman ducked her head. "Yeah, I knew. I never come right out and said it to myself. But I knew he was shaking queers down to get money to cop T's and B's. Him and Tommy T."
"What do you know about Ira Lessing?" I asked curiously.
"Not a thing," she said flatly. "Never heard his name before I read it in the newspaper. Kitty says that he and Terry were real close. But I never saw it. Course for the last couple of years, Terry's been living over on Baltimore with Kitty, so I ain't seen that much of him. Could be Terry and him were close. But I doubt it."
"Why?"
"Well, for one thing, Kitty'd say about anything to help Terry out after she turned him in. And for another . . . Terry just don't have no feeling in him. I mean not so's he'd be friends with a man like that Lessing. The way Terry grew up, he lost all his respect for other people. Not having a daddy. Bouncing around from place to place, with Estelle getting so drunk she'd have to be locked up, and Terry getting farmed out while she dried out. That just killed all his sympathy."
She ducked her head. "Maybe I didn't help any neither. I ain't fit to be nobody's mother -I know that. But I do believe Terry was far gone before he ever met me. He was headed down that road anyway. And he finally got to the end of it. Least that's the way I was thinking till I talked to Kent last night. Now I ain't so sure."
"Sure of what?"
"That Terry kilt that man."
Naomi Trimble was a hard, loveless woman living in a hard, loveless world. She had a great deal to pay back for, but self-delusion didn't seem to be one of her sins. She wasn't being dishonest about herself. And I had the feeling that she wasn't being dishonest about Terry Carnova.
I glanced at the boy -Kent Holliday. He tilted his head and stared down his nose at me, contemptuously. A tough street kid, not about to give an inch to an adult. I knew Carnova wasn't any of my business -not anymore. But part of me was damn curious about what it was that had changed Naomi Trimble's mind. I let that part win out.
"What do you have to say?" I said to Kent.
"I know what happened to that man," he said in a sullen voice.
"Lessing?"
He nodded slightly.
"You were there when he was killed?"
"After. They picked me up in that car after, over to Elberon."
"What car?"
"BMW. It was real messed up inside. Terry said it was on account of they had a fight with a nigger. He said his dad was gonna be real pissed off 'cause it was his dad's car and they done ruined the seats."
"I thought Terry didn't have a father."
"He don't," Kent Holliday said. "That's just what he called this guy who give him money and clothes and shit. This guy Lessing."
"You saw him with Lessing?" I said.
"No, I never did. But somebody sure as hell give Terry a lot of money pretty regular. And I saw Terry driving that car a couple times before -only he was always alone before."
"Who else was in the car that night?"
The boy hesitated a second, and Naomi Trimble gave him an angry look.
"Go on and tell him."
"It was Tommy T.," Kent said.
I stared at the boy's face. He was still trying to look tough, but it had cost him some brass to say that name. "You're afraid of Tommy T.?"
The kid laughed a scoffing laugh. "Hell, yes, I'm scared of him. Anybody got any sense at all is scared of Tommy T. He's a bad-ass dude."
"Is that why you don't want to go to court?"
Kent nodded. "He knew I was talking to you now, he'd come looking."
"Then why are you here?"
The boy glanced at the woman. "'Cause of her," he said. "She's my second cousin."
It was like the flip side of Len Trumaine and Janey Lessing -the down-home version.
"Tell him what happened, Kent," Naomi Trimble prompted.
The
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