five.
'Whas happenin', Easy?' Jackson said to me after Zeppo had gone off.
'Nuthin'. What you talkin' 'bout?'
'I mean you ain't givin' no party. An' you ain't usually gettin' no haircut on'a Wednesday neither. Sumpin's up.'
'You dreamin', man. Party gonna be Saturday night an' you welcome t'come.'
'Uh-huh.' He eyed me warily. 'Whas all this got to do with Frank?'
My stomach filled with ice water but I didn't let it show. 'This ain't got nuthin' t'do with Frank Green, man. I just want some liquor.'
'Alright. Sounds good. You know I be around if they's a party t'be had.'
'See ya then,' I said. I was hoping that I'd still be alive.
All I had to do was live for twenty-four hours, until Frank made his weekly rounds.
21
I stopped by Joppy's on the way back from the liquor store.
It felt like home to see him buffing that marble top. But I was uncomfortable. I had always respected Joppy as a friend. I was also a little wary of him because you had to be careful around a fighter.
When I got to the bar I dug both hands into the pockets of my cotton jacket. I had so much to say that, for a moment, I couldn't say anything.
'What you starin' at, Ease?'
'I don't know, Jop.'
Joppy laughed and ran his hand over his bald head. 'What you mean?'
'That girl called me the other night.'
'What girl is that?'
'The one your friend's lookin' for.'
'Uh-huh.' Joppy put down his rag and placed his hands on the bar. 'That's pretty lucky, I guess.'
'I guess so.'
The bar was empty. Joppy and I were studying each other's eyes.
'But I don't think it was luck, really,' I said.
'No?'
'No, Joppy, it was you.'
The muscles in Joppy's forearms writhed when he clenched his fists. 'How you figure?'
'It's the only answer, Jop. You and Coretta were the only ones who knew I was lookin' for her. I mean DeWitt Albright knew but he'd'a just gone after the girl if he knew where she was. And Coretta was still lookin' to get money from me, so she wouldn't want me knowin' she talked to Daphne. It was you, man.'
'She could'a looked you up in the phone book.'
'I ain't in the book, Joppy.'
I didn't know for sure if I was right. Daphne could have found me some other way, but I didn't think so.
'Why, man?' I asked.
Joppy's hard face never let you know what he was thinking. But I don't think he suspected the lead pipes I had clenched in my pockets either.
After a long minute he gave me a friendly smile and said, 'Don't get all hot, man. It ain't so bad.'
'What you mean, ain't so bad?' I yelled. 'Coretta's dead, your friend Albright is on my ass, the cops already brought me down once—'
'I din't mean for none'a that t'happen, Easy, you gotta believe it.'
'Now Albright got me chasin' Frank Green,' I blurted out.
'Frank Green?' Joppy's eyes tightened to birds' eyes.
'Yeah. Frank Green.'
'Okay, Easy. Lemme tell ya how it is. Albright come here lookin' for that girl. He showed me the picture and right away I knew who it was …'
'How'd you know that?' I asked.
'Sometimes Frank bring her along when he deliverin' liquor. I figured she was his girl or sumpin'.'
'But you didn't say nuthin' to Albright?'
'Naw. Frank's my supply, I ain't gonna get in bad with him. I just waited until he come back with her and I let her know, on the sly, that I got some information that she want to know. She called me and I give it to her.'
