“Got this here fine nigger lady,” Major said.
Jackie looked at us. Her eyes were wide. “Hawk,” she said. She said it like a request. Hawk didn’t move. His expression didn’t change.
“Come around without you,” Major said, the laughter lilting in his voice. “Say we all black folks, and I’m trying to get the low-down on what it’s like for you poor nigger boys in the ghet-to. And John Porter he say how come you don’t go low down on this?”
Major laughed. It was real laughter. It wasn’t for effect, but it had a crazy tremolo along its edge. John Porter smiled vacantly, proud to be mentioned by Major.
“So she say I know you gonna meet with Hawk and he won’t tell me where. So I say we tell you where, slut. Fact we bring you along with us.”
Hawk said to me, “When it starts, you take the stands.”
I said, “Um hmm.”
Major said, “I tol you, you better be listening to me, Hawk. You want your slut back, you better be paying attention to me.”
Hawk looked at Major, full focus, and slowly nodded his head once.
“You want the slut back, you ask me nice, you say please, Mr. Major, and maybe I tell John Porter to let her go.”
Hawk’s gaze didn’t falter. He was waiting. Major didn’t know him like I did. Major thought he was hesitant.
“Go ahead, man. Say please, Mr. Major Johnson, sir.”
Major was excited. He moved back and forth in a kind of wide-legged strut as he talked. The gun in his belt was a Glock, 9mm, retail price around $550, magazine capacity seventeen rounds. It was enough to make you nostalgic for zip guns.
“Hawk,” Jackie said again. “Please.”
“Better hurry up, Hawk, better ask me nice and polite, ‘fore I put a bullet up her ass.”
In the stands a kid in a black satin hip-length warm-up jacket brought an Uzi out from underneath it.
“No,” Major screamed. “Nobody shoots! This is me and Hawk! Nobody shoots! Hawk! Me and Hawk!”
Hawk reached thoughtfully under his arm and brought out the big Magnum. He turned deliberately sideways toward Major and Jackie.
“Hawk,” Jackie screamed. “Don’t!”
“You shoot at me, Hawk,” Major shouted, “John Porter kill the slut.” Major’s voice was full of high vibrato.
Hawk brought the gun down onto his target. “Don’t!” Jackie screamed again.
“He’ll kill her”-Major was screaming now too-“ ‘less you ask me nice.”
I drew my Browning and cocked it as it cleared the holster. Everything seemed to be moving languidly through liquid crystal. Hawk settled the handgun on his target and squeezed off a round and John Porter’s face contorted. His gun spun away from him and he flung out both his arms and fell backwards, sprawling on the ground behind Jackie. Jackie was standing with both hands pressed against her open mouth. She looked as if she were trying to scream and couldn’t. The kids in the stands were motionless.
Hawk walked slowly toward Major, the big Magnum still in his hand, hanging loosely at his side. When he reached him he looked straight down at Major. And stood, looking at him and not speaking. Then he reached over and took the Glock out of Major’s belt and dropped it in his pocket. He looked down at John Porter. John Porter was sitting up now with his left hand pressed against his right shoulder, and some blood slowly showing through his fingers and smearing on the smooth finish of his half-zippered warm-up jacket. There was no pain in his face yet, just surprise, and a kind of numb shock.
“Who iced Devona Jefferson?” Hawk said.
He didn’t speak very loudly, but his voice seemed too loud in the frightening silence.
I put my gun away and walked over and stood beside Jackie. The first cars of the morning rush hour were beginning to move around the Fenway.
“Who killed her?” Hawk said again.
Major seemed dazed, staring at Hawk as if he’d never seen him before. The ducks had flown, frightened by the gunfire. I put an arm around Jackie’s shoulder. No one spoke. No one moved.
Then Major said, “Marcus. Tallboy was skimming on us and Tony say be a good lesson for everybody.”
“He didn’t do it himself,” Hawk said.
“Billy done it,” Major said. “Done Tallboy, too, and left him in Double Deuce so we’d see and remember.”
“I heard you did Tallboy,” I said.
“Tol everybody I did,” Major said. “But it was Billy.”
“Marcus got to take the jump for it,” Hawk said.
Major nodded. He seemed transfixed, gazing at Hawk.
“I want you out of Double Deuce,” Hawk said. Major nodded slowly.
“We gonna go,” he said. “Tony already say so.”
“Tony going to be gone,” Hawk said. “I say so.” Everyone lingered.
