that I am to be kept from everything in my world —
9
completely. I don’t want my car in your driveway or some 10
driver who remembers where he dropped me off.”
11
“That sounds illegal, Mr. Bennet. I don’t want to be in-12
volved in anything that’s against the law.”
13
He looked at me and laughed silently. Then he said, 14
“Not illegal. No. You see, in my world I’m pretty well 15
known, and some people think that I’m important — for 16
their money. I don’t want anybody finding me. This time 17
is my own.”
18
Off the side of the highway, I spotted three deer, their 19
luminescent eyes transfixed by my high beams. We sped 20
past them. I thought that at least they were witnesses to 21
our passage.
22
“What were you laughing about?” I asked.
23
“Ask me later.” Bennet sat back in the passenger’s seat, 24
letting out a deep sigh. It could have been pleasure or the 25
last breath of a dying man.
26
S 27
R 28
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3rd Pass Pages
ManInMyBasemnt_HCtext3P.qxd 10/24/03 8:16 PM Page 118
Walter Mosley
1
“Can you pull into your garage?” Bennet asked me as we 2
drove up my gravel driveway. “I mean, if we’re going to 3
see this secrecy thing through, we might as well do it right.”
4
I almost sneered, but then I remembered Miss Little-5
neck. She was probably sitting on her front porch, smok-6
ing a cigarette and spying on the night. I wasn’t sure if I 7
wanted the neighborhood to know about my tenant, so I 8
opened the garage door and drove in. Bennet and I exited 9
out the back door of the garage and down through the 10
hatch to the cellar. I snapped on the light and immedi-11
ately Bennet began to inspect my work. I had unpacked 12
and constructed a small red plastic table and chair. These 13
seemed to satisfy him. There was also a futon that I had 14
unfurled.
15
