is.â
Jin drank the glass in a gulp and sputtered while her throat and stomach blazed. âItâs not
good
whiskey,â she managed.
The two men, who were in the midst of exchanging a meaningful look, turned and stared at her. âWhat on earth do you know about whiskey, young lady?â the hatless man demanded.
âI know the good stuff doesnât burn your eyebrows off before you drink it. Iâve been to Kentucky.â She put a hand to the side of her head and winced as her fingers found a knot that felt, impossibly, to be about the size of an egg.
âI
told
you not to breathe the fumes, and thisâll do just fine for medicinal purposes.â He held out the fabric bundle. âPut this on your head.â
The bundle was full of ice. Jin sighed and closed her eyes. âThank you.â
The two men stood, hands in their pockets, having whole silent conversations with their faces while Jin held the ice pack to her head. She opened her eyes, about to ask what had happened, when she remembered.
âThere was . . .â She licked her lips again and steadied her voice. âThere was a body in the alley. Thatâs why I was screaming.â
The hatless man turned on his heel and headed back to the bar. âBring the good stuff this time,â the other one called. Then he turned back to Jin and leaned his elbows on his knees.
âMy nameâs Walter Mapp,â he said. âThatâs Jasper. This is his place.â
Jin nodded, but she wasnât listening; she was just seeing clumped newspapers slide from a mangled, vaguely human shape. Over and over.
âStop picturing it,â Mapp said sharply. âDonât do that.â
âYou didnât see it,â she said thickly.
âYes, I did,â he told her. âI went back with the fellow who brought you in. He didnât want to get involved with the police himself. You were out for nearly an hour, sunshine. A lotâs happened.â
âIt was terrible.â Another glass materialized in her hand. She stared into it. âIt was torn up so badlyâcouldnât tell if it was wearing ripped clothes or ripped skin.â She looked up at Mapp. âWhat did that? What
could?
â
Before Mapp could answer, the door of the saloon burst open and Uncle Liao and Mr. Burns all but sprinted across the room.
âIs she all right?â Mr. Burns demanded. âJin, are you all right?â
âYes, sir. Waitâwhere did
youâ
?â
âDonât bother with
sir
while weâre ascertaining whether youâre alive or not!â Liao ordered.
â
Xiao Jin,
ni shou shangle ma?â
He took her head between his gnarled hands, tilted it so that he could peer into her eyes.
â
Wo toutong.
I hit my head,â she added for Mr. Burnsâs benefit.
Liao moved the ice pack away from her scalp and examined the knot. Then he plucked the glass from her fingers, sniffed, turned to Jasper, and gave him an approving grunt. âDrink, fiÂrefly. Little sips, while we talk to these men.â
Mr. Burns managed a pat on her knee before Liao swept him away to where Walter Mapp and Jasper now stood a little distance off. Jin took a sip from the glass and looked up to find the boy named Sam, the one from Culver Plaza, lingering near the door.
He came to sit in the chair Mapp had vacated. âYou remembered what I said.â
Jin looked over to where the four men stood deep in conversation. âHow did Uncle Liao and Mr. Burns get here?â
âYou mentioned my name,â Sam told her. âWhen you asked for the Reverend Dram. The fellow who found you brought you here and then came to find me.â
She snorted. âIn all of Coney Island thereâs only one Sam?â
âItâs a small place,â Sam replied with a shrug. âThey know me here.â
âAnd I told you where the display was going to be tonight. Thatâs how you
Yenthu Wentz
Aneesa Price
Suzanne Weyn
Mary Marks
Craig Johnson
Patrice Michelle
Kate McMullan
Sherryl Woods
Steven Savile
Hallie Swanson