policewoman barrelled towards us, shouting, “I told the two of allyou to remove yourself from the premises!”
Hector said, “They were keeping me company.”
“Madge,” said Gene, “I think they could stay.” Madge glared at us but didn’t say anything.
“Watch it!” yelled one of the men packing the bodies. Too late. The body they were carrying slipped out of the open front of the bag like a guinepe slipping out its skin. It thudded to the ground.
“Ohmigod,” groaned Mr. Lee. Hector put his hand to his mouth.
“Put him back in the bag!” Gene barked. “Now!”
Everybody knew that the Cayaba Police Force and the Coast Guard had a steady rivalry going between them, but right now, nobody bothered to tell Gene that he was out of order for giving orders to policemen. They just started stuffing the man back into the bag.
But I had already seen. A black man, maybe mid-twenties, skin torn and bruised all over. Not a stitch on him; naked as a johncrow scalp. He had a dark patch of callous on the inside of the knee I could see. Agway’s father?
The men were having trouble getting him bagged. His tubby body was loose like a sack of flour, his limbs snaky as noodles. Even with the tangle of dreads, I could see that his skull had a strange dent in it. All the bones broken, Hector had told us. I must have sobbed. Mr. Lee had tears in his eyes.
“Please come away,” said Madge, gently this time.
Mr. Lee nodded and began heading back to the plaza. “I going,” I told Madge. But I couldn’t make myself move off just yet.
The men got the body into the ambulance. As they were closing the double doors, one of the man’s arms flopped out of the bag. In the glow from the flashlights, I could see the webbing between his fingers, like a duck’s. I gasped, loudly enough that Gene heard me.
“Fucking hell,” muttered the paramedic. He rushed between the two policemen, shoved the arm in, slammed the doors closed. I glanced at Hector. He had his head down, a hand covering his eyes. He hadn’t seen.
I said, “Gene, is he…” Like his son? What were the chances that exactly the same abnormalities would breed true?
Gene caught my gaze. Held it. Shook his head slightly. So I didn’t finish the sentence. What? Don’t make like I know Gene? Or don’t ask the question I had been about to ask?
“Mr. Goonan,” said one of the policemen. “Come with us, please.”
“Yes. Of course.” Hector followed him, got into the back of a police car. Gene was still looking hard at me. He pressed his forefinger against his lips: sshh . My mind was in turmoil, my heart pounding. But I nodded. Whichever one he was asking me to keep quiet about, I wouldn’t say anything.
I turned and stumbled back to the plaza. The two adults and Agway, in their boat. Got caught in the storm. Blown off course. That must be what happened. The boat, caught in the Shark’s Teeth, just like Captain Carter’s slave ship. Agway’s fat beach ball body buoyed up. Swept to shore. But the adults didn’t make it.
When I reached the plaza, Mr. Lee’s car was pulling out. He stopped and stuck his head out his window. “You’re a drinking woman?” he asked me.
I nodded. “Oh, yes.”
“Then take a dram or two tonight,” he advised me. “I know that’s what I’m going to do.” He waved me goodbye and went his ways.
I was shaking. I leaned against the hood of my car for support. Maybe Gene had only been telling me not to make a fuss, not to upset Hector even more. Hector, swimming through the ink of the sea at night, and bumping into a body whose every bone had been smashed to shards…
The ambulance rolled over to the waterbus dock, followed by the police cars and the one Coast Guard car. Gene wouldn’t let his two eyes make four with mine. I looked for the car that Hector was in. There. He waved at me from the back seat, but before I could go over there, I heard the thrum behind me of a waterbus pulling up to the dock. A waterbus so
Hector said, “They were keeping me company.”
“Madge,” said Gene, “I think they could stay.” Madge glared at us but didn’t say anything.
“Watch it!” yelled one of the men packing the bodies. Too late. The body they were carrying slipped out of the open front of the bag like a guinepe slipping out its skin. It thudded to the ground.
“Ohmigod,” groaned Mr. Lee. Hector put his hand to his mouth.
“Put him back in the bag!” Gene barked. “Now!”
Everybody knew that the Cayaba Police Force and the Coast Guard had a steady rivalry going between them, but right now, nobody bothered to tell Gene that he was out of order for giving orders to policemen. They just started stuffing the man back into the bag.
But I had already seen. A black man, maybe mid-twenties, skin torn and bruised all over. Not a stitch on him; naked as a johncrow scalp. He had a dark patch of callous on the inside of the knee I could see. Agway’s father?
The men were having trouble getting him bagged. His tubby body was loose like a sack of flour, his limbs snaky as noodles. Even with the tangle of dreads, I could see that his skull had a strange dent in it. All the bones broken, Hector had told us. I must have sobbed. Mr. Lee had tears in his eyes.
“Please come away,” said Madge, gently this time.
Mr. Lee nodded and began heading back to the plaza. “I going,” I told Madge. But I couldn’t make myself move off just yet.
The men got the body into the ambulance. As they were closing the double doors, one of the man’s arms flopped out of the bag. In the glow from the flashlights, I could see the webbing between his fingers, like a duck’s. I gasped, loudly enough that Gene heard me.
“Fucking hell,” muttered the paramedic. He rushed between the two policemen, shoved the arm in, slammed the doors closed. I glanced at Hector. He had his head down, a hand covering his eyes. He hadn’t seen.
I said, “Gene, is he…” Like his son? What were the chances that exactly the same abnormalities would breed true?
Gene caught my gaze. Held it. Shook his head slightly. So I didn’t finish the sentence. What? Don’t make like I know Gene? Or don’t ask the question I had been about to ask?
“Mr. Goonan,” said one of the policemen. “Come with us, please.”
“Yes. Of course.” Hector followed him, got into the back of a police car. Gene was still looking hard at me. He pressed his forefinger against his lips: sshh . My mind was in turmoil, my heart pounding. But I nodded. Whichever one he was asking me to keep quiet about, I wouldn’t say anything.
I turned and stumbled back to the plaza. The two adults and Agway, in their boat. Got caught in the storm. Blown off course. That must be what happened. The boat, caught in the Shark’s Teeth, just like Captain Carter’s slave ship. Agway’s fat beach ball body buoyed up. Swept to shore. But the adults didn’t make it.
When I reached the plaza, Mr. Lee’s car was pulling out. He stopped and stuck his head out his window. “You’re a drinking woman?” he asked me.
I nodded. “Oh, yes.”
“Then take a dram or two tonight,” he advised me. “I know that’s what I’m going to do.” He waved me goodbye and went his ways.
I was shaking. I leaned against the hood of my car for support. Maybe Gene had only been telling me not to make a fuss, not to upset Hector even more. Hector, swimming through the ink of the sea at night, and bumping into a body whose every bone had been smashed to shards…
The ambulance rolled over to the waterbus dock, followed by the police cars and the one Coast Guard car. Gene wouldn’t let his two eyes make four with mine. I looked for the car that Hector was in. There. He waved at me from the back seat, but before I could go over there, I heard the thrum behind me of a waterbus pulling up to the dock. A waterbus so
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