I stuck out my hand. “Good to meet you.”
“You too,” he said, and we shook.
“She’s sleeping. Said she was resting up for you. I didn’t know she meant you were coming today.”
“She didn’t know exactly, but I called and told her it was likely. I always come around this time of year. It’s my vacation time from work.”
He nodded toward his white van in the drive. I saw on the driver’s door the stenciled words EASTEX SCHOOL SUPPLIES.
“That’s right,” I said, “you’re a salesman.”
“I can sell socks to a legless man, Hap.”
He certainly sounded as if he could. I said, “But you don’t sell socks to schools.”
“Nope.”
“Pencils? Notebooks?”
“Nothing like that. They get that stuff at the drugstore. I carry stuff like American and Texas flags, sell those on the spot. Take orders for flagpoles, podiums, sweatshirts, senior rings. That kind of thing. Mostly it’s riding around and talking and showing my teeth a lot.”
Across the street, Leonard pulled into the drive and got out with a greasy white burger bag. He crossed over and nodded at Hiram. He said, “MeMaw’s baby boy.”
Hiram grinned. “That’s me. You Hap’s friend?”
“Gosh,” Leonard said, “I hate getting put on the spot like that.”
Hiram laughed like that was really funny. You could certainly see the salesman in him, but he seemed like an all-right kind of cuss too.
“We can split this stuff with you,” I said.
“Naw, thanks. I reckon Mama’s got something in the box in there.”
“Just stuff that tastes like ambrosia of the gods,” Leonard said. “Can’t figure why you’d want to eat that and not share our burger.”
“I got a strong character,” Hiram said. “I’m gonna tiptoe in here and check on Mama. You boys take it easy. And thanks for doing this work. I wasn’t so damn tired right now, I’d help you. I been driving all over. Come in from El Paso today.”
“That’s on the other side of the world,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Say, Hiram,” Leonard said. “We’re gonna work a little more, then clean up some of this lumber and stuff, then we’re gonna knock off a bit. We gotta run in and get some nails, a few things to finish out.”
“Need money for it?” Hiram said.
“It’s on us,” Leonard said.
Hiram smiled at us and thanked us, and quietly went inside and closed the door.
Way the world was, the things I knew about, it was good to see everything wasn’t crazy. Good to be reminded sons still loved their mamas and came home to see them. Not everyone had dead children under their house.
About two that afternoon, right after we’d come back from the lumber yard with nails and stuff, Hanson pulled up in Uncle Chester’s driveway and got out. He had the white cop Charlie with him. Charlie was wearing the same sheen-green Kmart suit he’d had on last time, but he’d added a porkpie hat to his outfit. Maybe to keep that pesky fly off his head.
Charlie stayed by the car, and Hanson walked across to MeMaw’s where we were working.
“You boys got a moment?” he said.
We put up our materials and crossed the street and went into the house with them. Before we could get seated at the kitchen table, Hanson said, “Charlie’s in on it, boys. I had to have some help.”
I looked at Charlie. He looked the way he always looked. Calm, a little bored, old-looking for his age, disinterested, dumb. I figured he was about as dumb and disinterested as the proverbial fox. When we were seated, I said, “OK. How’d it go?”
“Well, he was down there,” Hanson said.
“Identify him?” Leonard said.
“It’s Illium Moon. Looks like a suicide. Providing you accept the old bookmobile in the pond method.”
“That’s unusual, all right,” I said.
“I’ve seen weirder,” Hanson said. “I seen a guy that had frayed a lamp cord, plugged the good end into a socket, put the frayed end in a cup of water, along with his dick. Barbecued that fucker.”
“His dick?” Leonard said.
“The rest of him too,” Hanson said.
“About Illium,” I said. “Find the goods on the couch?”
“Yep.”
“And?”
“I think it’s like you guys think,” Hanson said. “A setup. It’s too goddamned cute.”
“Yeah,” Charlie said. “Some of those kids’ clothes were new. Could be of recent victims, but we don’t think so.”
Hanson said, “Whoever did Moon in wanted to make him look like he killed some kids and had some souvenirs from the killings, but he didn’t want to give up his own souvenirs, ’cause I’m sure he’s got ’em. A killer like this has always got ’em. A few magazines he’s willing to lose, but the actual clothes his victims wore, that’s much too special for a dick like this.”
“Couldn’t part with the stuff,” Charlie said, “so he went and bought some at Kmart. I checked myself. Kmart is where I like to shop.”
“They got some deals all right,” I said.
“Yeah, and they take shit back easy, it don’t fit right,” Charlie said.
“I know a man likes Wal-Mart for that same reason,” I said.
“Yeah, well,” Charlie said, “Wal-Mart’s all right.”
“You guys through shopping?” Hanson said.
“He’s always business,” Charlie said. “He don’t get any recreation.”
Hanson ignored him. He got out his sloppy-ended cigar and put it in his mouth and did the side-to-side routine with it. He said, “Some of the jeans are brands and styles not made until this year. There might be one authentic piece in there, something belonged to one of the dead boys, but that’s it. And I’d stake my career on it.”
“Actually, way this is going,” Charlie said, “you’re staking my career on it too.”
“Wouldn’t that be a loss?” Hanson said. He turned to us. “Newspapers are gonna be bad to Moon, I think. I can’t do anything about that. We can hold off what we found a little while, but not long. Best thing we can do is prove the truth here, show he’s been set up. You boys look at the files?”
“Sure.” I said.
“Anything?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Don’t be coy,” he said, “we had a deal.”
“Still do,” Leonard said. “The deal is we let you in on what we know when we want you to know it.”
Hanson took the cigar out of his mouth and put it in his coat pocket and took a deep breath like his chest hurt. I hurt with him. I wasn’t sure we were right in holding anything back. I was still going by Leonard’s rules, but I wasn’t certain how much longer I could do that. I was getting scared.
“Listen,” Hanson said. “I’m playing with you guys ’cause I think you got something and I want it and I don’t want to climb mountains to get it. But you start thinking we’re too cozy, start thinking this is all play, I’ll wring your fuckin’ necks for you. I’ll throw you so far under the goddamn jail you’ll be wearing a coolie hat.”
“Damn,” Leonard said, “I think my pulse just jumped a little.”
Hanson seemed to swell. “Fuck with me, you smart-ass motherfucker, just fuck with me, see where it gets you.”
“I wouldn’t fuck you with Hap’s dick,” Leonard said. “Hell, I wouldn’t fuck you with Charlie’s dick.”
Hanson moved toward Leonard, and Charlie caught him, and I put an arm across Leonard’s chest. I said, “Boys, let’s ease off, now.”
