you do and you know god-dang well I'm entitled to a reeward. I-'
'What?' Robert Lee started at him. 'What did you say?'
'County pays a ree-ward for corpses pulled out of the river, don't they? So why don't I get a bounty for finding these? I not only found 'em, I haul 'em all the way into town an' get nigger blood all over my wagon, an'-'
'Answer me, you incestuous skunk! Did you address me as Robert Lee?'
Henry Clay said sure, he called him that, and what about it, 'What you mean callin' me a-'
Robert Lee hit him in the mouth. Henry Clay sailed off the sidewalk, and landed in the mud on his back. His eyes were open, but he didn't stir. Just lay there, breathing with a snuffling sound because of his bloody nose and mouth.
Robert Lee dusted his hands, nodded to me and entered his store. I followed him back to his office.
'Now, I feel better,' he sighed, sinking down in a chair. 'I've been wanting to punch that dirty cur for years, and he finally gave me an excuse.'
I said I guessed Henry Clay didn't really know a lot about law, after all. 'If he did, he'd know that calling you by your first name would be laying a predicate for justifiable assault.'
'What?' He gave me a startled look. 'I'm not sure! understood you.'
'Nothin',' I said. 'You sure gave him a punch, Robert Lee.'
'Wasn't it a beaut? I only wish I'd broken his filthy neck.'
'Maybe you'd better be kind of careful for a while,' I said. 'Henry Clay might try to get back at you.'
Robert Lee snorted. 'He doesn't have the nerve, but I wish he did. That's one man I'd enjoy killing. Imagine him calling me by my first name!'
'Yeah,' I said, 'just imagine that!'
'Now, about this other matter, Tom and Uncle John, I don't see much point in impaneling a coroner's jury in such a clear-cut case. The facts seem obvious enough, don't you agree?'
'Well, it sure is a clear-cut case,' I said. 'I don't know as I've ever seen such a clear-cut case of killing.'
'Exactly. And everyone I've talked to has the same opinion. Of course, if Rose should insist on an inquest…'
'Or Uncle John's kinfolks…'
'Oh, now-' Robert Lee laughed. 'Let's not be ridiculous, Nick.'
'I say something funny?' I said.
'Well, uh,' said Robert Lee, sort of clearing his throat. 'Perhaps I chose the wrong word. I should have said impractical.'
I looked blank, and asked just what did he mean, anyways? He snapped back that I knew very well what he meant. 'No doctor is going to do a post mortem on a Negro. Why, you can't get a doctor to touch a live Negro, let alone a dead one.'
'I reckon you're right,' I said. 'Just in case we had to, though, and I'm just asking for information, do you suppose you could get out a court order t'make a doctor do his duty?'
'We-el'-Robert Lee leaned back and pursed his lips-'I imagine that's something that one could do
I said I'd be god-danged, he was sure one heck of a smart man. 'I reckon my head's plumb bustin' from all these things you been tellin' me, Robbie Lee. Maybe I better run along before you give me some more information, an' it pops wide open.'
'Now, you're flattering me,' he beamed, standing up as I did, 'which reminds me that I should compliment you on your conduct in today's affair. You handled it very well, Nick.'
'Why, thank you kindly, Robert Lee,' I said. 'How does the election look to you by now, if you don't mind my asking?'
'I think you're a cinch to win, in view of the unfortunate talk about Sam Gaddis. Just keep on doing your job, like you did today.'
'Oh, I will,' I said. 'I'll keep on exactly like that.'
I left the hardware store, and sauntered back toward the courthouse, stopping now and then to talk to people, or rather to let them talk to me. Almost everyone had about the same idea about the killing as Robert Lee Jefferson. Almost everyone agreed that it was an open and shut case, with Uncle John killing Tom and then Tom, dead as he was, killing Uncle John. Or vice versa.
About the only people who didn't see it that way, or said they didn't, were some loafers. They wanted a coroner's jury impaneled, and they were ready and willin' to serve on it. But if they were that hard up for a couple of dollars, I figured they hadn't paid their poll tax, so what they thought didn't matter.
Rose had heard the news from probably two, three hundred people by the time I got back to the courthouse, and Myra said I had get out to the Hauck place right away and bring Rose into town.
'Now, please hurry, for once in your life, Nick! The poor thing is terribly upset!'
'Why for is she upset?' I said. 'You mean because Tom is dead?'
'Of course, I mean that! What else would I mean?'
'Well, I was just wonderin',' I said. 'She was terribly upset last night when she thought he might becomin' home, and now she's terribly upset because she knows he ain't. Don't seem to make much sense somehow.'
'Now, just you never mind!' Myra snapped. 'Don't you dare start arguing with me, Nick Corey! You just do what I tell you to, or you won't make much sense! Not that you ever did, anyway.'
I got the horse and buggy and drove out toward the Hauck farm, thinking to myself that a fella hardly got one problem settled before he had to take care of another one. Maybe I should have foreseen that Rose would be coming in and staying with Myra and me tonight, but I hadn't. I'd had too many other things on my mind. So now I was supposed to see Amy tonight- I'd just better see her if I ever wanted to see her again. And I was also supposed to stay at home-Rose would think it was god-danged peculiar if I didn't. And I just didn't know what the heck I was going to do.
They were a real problem, Rose and Amy. A lot bigger problem than I realized.
The farm house was all steamy and kind of smelly when Rose let me in. She apologized for it, nodding toward the black dress that was hung up over the stove.
'I had to give it a hurry-up dye job, honey. But the goddam thing ought to be dry pretty soon. You want to come into the bedroom, and wait?'
I followed her into the bedroom and she started taking off her shoes and stockings, which was all she had on. I said, 'Looky, honey. Maybe we shouldn't do this right now.'
'Huh?' She frowned at me. 'Why the hell not?'
'Well, you know,' I said. 'You're just now officially a widow. It just don't seem decent to hop in bed with a woman when she ain't hardly been a widow an hour.'
'What the hell's the difference? You slept with me before I was a widow?'
'Well, sure,' I said. 'But everybody does things like that. You might say it was even kind of a compliment to a woman. But this way, when a woman ain't been a widow long enough to get her weeds wet, it just ain't respectful. I mean, after all, they's certain proprieties to observe, and a decent fella don't hop right on a brand-new widow any more than a decent brand-new widow lets him.'
She hesitated, studying me, but finally she nodded.
'Well, maybe you're right, Nick. Christ knows I've always done my goddam best to be respectable, in spite of that son-of-a-bitch I was married to.'
'Why sure you have,' I said. 'Don't I know that, Rose?'
'So we'll wait until tonight. After Myra goes to sleep, I mean.'
'Well,' I said. 'Well, uh-'
