One day she came in late, acting very mysterious.” He deepened his voice and drew out the last two words. “A few days later I had a meeting and really needed her to take calls, and she didn’t come in at all. After that, I don’t think she’s ever come back. I figured her auntie finally got to her. Put her foot down, or something. Well, here’s Ricky’s trailer park.”
The grass was cut, the roads were in good repair, and many of the mobile homes were landscaped as if the people planned to stay awhile. I especially admired a blaze of white impatiens surrounding a deep fuchsia crape myrtle.
Ricky’s address, however, was a dilapidated green and white unit at the back with an old washer in the side yard and no flowers or bushes whatsoever. “You were wise not to come out here alone,” Lewis said, as he switched off the engine. “From what I hear, Rick’s a great believer in the state motto.”
“Which is?”
“We dare to defend our rights.”
Nine
Violence overwhelms the mouth of
the wicked. Proverbs 10:6
Ricky Dodd had about a hundred words in his total vocabulary, sixty of them vulgar. What they added up to was, “Anything’s happened to Harriet, it ain’t my business.”
He folded his arms across his bare torso, arched his back, flicked back greasy white hair that fell almost to his shoulders, and dared anyone to disagree.
Behind him, framed by a filthy doorjamb, stood a girl who looked like she might die from anemia before we finished talking.
“How long has it been since you saw Harriet?” Lewis pressed mildly. I admired the way Lewis kept his temper, especially since Ricky’s vocabulary was also rich in racial slurs.
Ricky turned to the girl for confirmation. “How long’s it been, Bev, six weeks?”
“Two months, more like. School wasn’t out yet.”
“Yeah. Harriet’s school,” he added, to let us know he had no part in it. None of us would have remotely imagined he had.
“She said she had a letter from her mama back in May,” Bev contributed timidly.
“Yeah,” Ricky interrupted. “Maybe Harriet split to join her.”
“Her mother?” Lewis was skeptical. “I thought her mother was dead.”
“Naanh, she just split.” Again Ricky flipped his hair. I suspected he practiced that in front of a mirror. My son Ridd went through a stage of practicing tossing his hair—back when Ridd still had hair.
“Where was the letter from?” I asked.
“I dunno. Never read it.” As if he could.
It had taken him that long to think of the obvious question. “Why do you care what happened to Harriet, anyhow? She in trouble?”
“Of course not.” Lewis acted like he was about to leave, then turned and asked casually, “She didn’t happen to mention getting a large sum of money, did she?”
Unfortunately, at the very same time, I said, “I’ve found something of hers and wanted to return it.”
Ricky could at least add two and two. He whipped around to me. “You found money? Where?”
“At the teen center,” I admitted uncomfortably. “Hidden.”
When he narrowed his eyes, he looked just like a weasel. “Harriet got a pile from her Granny, old Lady Lawson. Left Harriet everything she had.” He snickered. “Put her aunt’s nose out of joint, I can tell you that.”
I’d presumed it was Dee who’d sold her mother’s house. Dee hadn’t corrected that impression, so I couldn’t help showing my surprise. Ricky preened like a peacock, knowing something I didn’t. Then he demanded, “What’d you do with that money? Harriet was gonna give some ofit to me. If you got it—” He came a step forward. Without thinking, I backed up. He followed.
Lewis caught my elbow protectively. “She hasn’t got it with her, and if I catch you bothering Harriet for money, dude, I’ll have the law on you.”
Ricky whirled and hit his jaw so hard I was surprised it didn’t crack. Caught off guard, Lewis stumbled and fell. Ricky crowed brutally. “You and who else?”
Josheba
The grass was cut, the roads were in good repair, and many of the mobile homes were landscaped as if the people planned to stay awhile. I especially admired a blaze of white impatiens surrounding a deep fuchsia crape myrtle.
Ricky’s address, however, was a dilapidated green and white unit at the back with an old washer in the side yard and no flowers or bushes whatsoever. “You were wise not to come out here alone,” Lewis said, as he switched off the engine. “From what I hear, Rick’s a great believer in the state motto.”
“Which is?”
“We dare to defend our rights.”
Nine
Violence overwhelms the mouth of
the wicked. Proverbs 10:6
Ricky Dodd had about a hundred words in his total vocabulary, sixty of them vulgar. What they added up to was, “Anything’s happened to Harriet, it ain’t my business.”
He folded his arms across his bare torso, arched his back, flicked back greasy white hair that fell almost to his shoulders, and dared anyone to disagree.
Behind him, framed by a filthy doorjamb, stood a girl who looked like she might die from anemia before we finished talking.
“How long has it been since you saw Harriet?” Lewis pressed mildly. I admired the way Lewis kept his temper, especially since Ricky’s vocabulary was also rich in racial slurs.
Ricky turned to the girl for confirmation. “How long’s it been, Bev, six weeks?”
“Two months, more like. School wasn’t out yet.”
“Yeah. Harriet’s school,” he added, to let us know he had no part in it. None of us would have remotely imagined he had.
“She said she had a letter from her mama back in May,” Bev contributed timidly.
“Yeah,” Ricky interrupted. “Maybe Harriet split to join her.”
“Her mother?” Lewis was skeptical. “I thought her mother was dead.”
“Naanh, she just split.” Again Ricky flipped his hair. I suspected he practiced that in front of a mirror. My son Ridd went through a stage of practicing tossing his hair—back when Ridd still had hair.
“Where was the letter from?” I asked.
“I dunno. Never read it.” As if he could.
It had taken him that long to think of the obvious question. “Why do you care what happened to Harriet, anyhow? She in trouble?”
“Of course not.” Lewis acted like he was about to leave, then turned and asked casually, “She didn’t happen to mention getting a large sum of money, did she?”
Unfortunately, at the very same time, I said, “I’ve found something of hers and wanted to return it.”
Ricky could at least add two and two. He whipped around to me. “You found money? Where?”
“At the teen center,” I admitted uncomfortably. “Hidden.”
When he narrowed his eyes, he looked just like a weasel. “Harriet got a pile from her Granny, old Lady Lawson. Left Harriet everything she had.” He snickered. “Put her aunt’s nose out of joint, I can tell you that.”
I’d presumed it was Dee who’d sold her mother’s house. Dee hadn’t corrected that impression, so I couldn’t help showing my surprise. Ricky preened like a peacock, knowing something I didn’t. Then he demanded, “What’d you do with that money? Harriet was gonna give some ofit to me. If you got it—” He came a step forward. Without thinking, I backed up. He followed.
Lewis caught my elbow protectively. “She hasn’t got it with her, and if I catch you bothering Harriet for money, dude, I’ll have the law on you.”
Ricky whirled and hit his jaw so hard I was surprised it didn’t crack. Caught off guard, Lewis stumbled and fell. Ricky crowed brutally. “You and who else?”
Josheba
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