'But at the end, he come out,' Yang said.
'Yes.'
'And you come out.'
'Yes.'
'Face-to-face,' Yang said.
I nodded.
'He was looking at you when he died,' Yang said.
'He was.'
Yang stood suddenly and walked down the hot top walkway to the far end of the park and stood with his back to us, looking out at the tightly packed neighborhood around us. None of us on the benches did anything. After a time, Yang turned and walked back down the walkway and stood in front of me. He looked at me. I looked at him.
'He straight?' Yang said to Major.
'Yeah.'
'You believe what he say?'
'Yeah.'
'Why you come tell me?' Yang said to me.
'Didn't want to be looking behind me the rest of my life.'
'He was my brother,' Yang said.
I nodded.
'He a fucking fool, too,' Yang said.
I nodded.
'Never knew how to act,' Yang said.
'He stood up,' I said. 'At the end. He came at me straight-on.'
Yang nodded.
'You got some big balls coming here like this,' Yang said.
'Had to be done,' I said.
'Like killing Luis,' Yang said.
'Yeah,' I said.
Yang nodded some more. He looked back at the corner of the park where he had stood, as if there was something there only he could see.
'I got no problem with you,' he said finally, still staring at the far corner of the park.
'Good,' I said and stood.
Yang's gaze came slowly back from the corner and settled on me. He nodded.
'Sorry about your brother,' I said.
Yang nodded again. He didn't speak. I had nothing else to say, so, with Major and his pal behind me, I turned and walked out of the park.
Chapter 44
I SAT IN A BIG maple captain's chair in the a small office in the Bethel County Courthouse and talked to Francis X. Cleary, the Bethel County Chief Prosecutor.
'I've heard a lot about you already,' Cleary said.
He had longish silvery hair, which he combed straight back, and high color, and pale blue eyes that were very bright and never seemed to blink.
'So you are fully prepared to admire me,' I said.
Cleary laughed.
'I'm maintaining a wait-and-see attitude,' he said. 'You convinced the Clark kid did it?'
'Yes,' I said. 'But I don't know why.'
'And you care why,' Clearly said.
'Yes.'
'I don't,' Cleary said.
'We got his confession. His accomplice supports it.'
Cleary spread his hands, palms up.
'Slam, bam,' he said. 'Thank you, ma'am.'
