'Who's that?'
I never got used to big lips on white people, especially white men. This white man had lips that were fat and red. They looked like swollen wounds.
'I know why they took you in there, Mr. Rawlins.' He gestured with his head to say the police station behind. But when he did that I looked in the storage area again. He looked pleased and said, 'Come on out, honey.'
A small boy climbed over the seat. He was wearing soiled briefs and dirty white socks. His skin was brown and his thick straight hair was black. The almond-shaped eyes spoke of China but this was a Mexican boy.
He climbed down to the floor and curled around the fat man's leg.
'This is my little man,' the fat man said. 'He's the only reason I can keep on going.'
The sight of that poor child and the odors made me cringe. I tried not to think about what I was seeing because I couldn't do anything about it—at least not right then.
'I don't know what you want with me, Mr. Teran,' I said. 'But I don't know why the police arrested me and I don't know no Daphne nobody. All I want is to get home and put this whole night behind me.'
'So you know who I am?'
'I read the paper. You were running for mayor.'
'Could be again,' he said. 'Could be again. And maybe you could help.' He reached down to scratch the little boy behind the ear.
'I don't know what you mean. I don't know nuthin'.'
'The police wanted to know what you did after you had drinks with Coretta James and Dupree Bouchard.'
'Yeah?'
'I don't care about that, Easy. All I want to know is if somebody used the name Daphne Monet.'
I shook my head, no.
'Did anybody,' he hesitated, 'strange … want to talk to Coretta?'
'What you mean, strange?'
Matthew Teran smiled at me for a moment, then he said, 'Daphne is a white girl, Easy. Young and pretty. It means an awful lot to me if I can find her.'
'I can't help ya, man. I don't even know why they pulled me in there. Do you know?'
Instead of answering me he asked, 'Did you know Howard Green?'
'I met'im once or twice.'
'Did Coretta say anything about him that night?'
'Not a word.' It felt good to tell the truth.
'How about your friend Dupree? Did he say anything?'
'Dupree drinks. That's what he does. And when he's finished drinking, then he goes to sleep. That's what he did. That's all he did.'
'I'm a powerful man, Mr. Rawlins.' He didn't need to tell me. 'And I wouldn't want to think that you were lying to me.'
'Do you know why the cops took me in?'
Matthew Teran picked up the little Mexican boy and hugged him to his chest.
'What do you think, honey?' he asked the boy.
Thick mucus threatened to flow from the boy's nose. His mouth was open and he stared at me as if I were a strange animal. Not a dangerous animal, maybe the corpse of a dog or porcupine run over and bleeding on the highway.
Mr. Teran picked up an ivory horn that hung next to his head and spoke into it. 'Norman, take Mr. Rawlins where he wants to go. We're finished for the time being.' Then he handed the horn to me. It smelled strongly of sweet oils and sour bodies. I tried to ignore the smells as I gave Norman the address of John's speak.
'Here's your money, Mr. Rawlins,' Teran said. He was holding a few damp bills in his hand.
'No thanks.' I didn't want to touch anything that that man had touched.
'My office is listed in the book, Mr. Rawlins. If you find something out I think you might find me helpful.'
When the car stopped in front of John's I got out as fast as I could.
'Easy!' Hattie yelled. 'What happened to you, baby?' She came around the counter to put her hand on my shoulder. 'Cops,' I said.
'Oh, baby. Was it about Coretta?'
Everyone seemed to know about my life.
'What about Coretta?'
'Ain't you heard?'
I just stared at her.
'Coretta been murdered,' she said. 'I hear the police took Dupree outta his job 'cause he been out there with
