“Liar,” Bo said.
“See, nobody heard him,” Joe Marino said.
“It’s just his word
against hers.”
“Don’t force me to make that
choice,” Jesse said.
“What’s that mean,” Marino said.
“It means that I have found Bo to be a chronic liar, and a bad
creep.”
“See that, they’re all out to get me. I didn’t do nothing to the
bitch.”
Chuck Pennington stood up quite suddenly. He showed no change of
expression as he reached across the table and yanked Bo Marino out of his chair and dragged him headfirst over the table.
“Hey,” Joe Marino said and stood up.
Chuck Pennington punched Bo twice in the face with his left hand. Bo’s father grabbed Chuck from behind and wrestled him away
from Bo. Pennington shrugged Marino off, and turned and hit him a right hook that set Marino back on his heels and another one that knocked him down. Jesse put a hand softly on Candace’s shoulder.
Otherwise he did nothing. Bo floundered across the tabletop, his nose bleeding. He was a big kid, a weight lifter and a football player, but he looked like neither with the blood running down his face and tears welling in his eyes. He swung wildly at Chuck Pennington, who tucked his chin inside his left shoulder and let the punch slide off his arms. Then he hit Bo with a straight left and a right cross and Bo sat down hard on the floor. Bo’s father
was scrambling to his feet.
“Arrest him,” Joe Marino screamed at Jesse. “You saw it. I want
the sonovabitch arrested for assault.”
“Assault?” Jesse said.
“You seen him,” Marino shouted.
“Sit down, Mr. Pennington,” Jesse said.
“I promise you they
won’t assault you again.”
“Wait a minute,” Marino said.
“You was sitting right
here.”
Pennington sat down. He still had no expression on his face but
he was breathing a little harder. He didn’t look at his daughter,
who stared at him with her mouth open.
“And I saw you and your son insult Candace Pennington and
assault her father,” Jesse said. “You see it any different?”
“That’s the way I see it,” Chuck
Pennington said.
“Me too,” Candace said.
Her small voice was startling in the big room.
“He punched my kid for no reason,” Marino said.
Bo had gotten to his feet and was holding a paper napkin against
his bloody nose. He was crying.
“I think there was a reason, Mr. Marino,”
Jesse
said.
46
Jesse came into the Gray Gull out of the bright winter day, and
stood for a minute to let his eyes adjust. The maitre d‘ saw him
and came over with some menus under his arm.
“This isn’t a raid, is it,
