Two Klansman men trotted over to help the gravel-voiced one to his feet.
“Get in!” Scratch screamed at the young man.
The man pulled the handle, and the back door on the passenger's side popped open. He dove into the backseat. Scratch sped off, tires squealing. The door, still open, clipped one of the charging Klansman, knocking him to the ground. Scratch's passenger grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut. He lay back down, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh of relief.
Insults, rocks and baseball bats were hurled at the Dodge. Scratch didn't waste any time driving through Odarko. He hurried to route 10, headed to Bucksville. The moon showed the way, and there were rows and rows of trees on the side of the road, along with white lines on the highway, that hypnotized Scratch. He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and the faces of George Spiff, Shep Howard and Lilly kept invading his mind. The Dodge veered to the right. The front tire nearly hit a ditch. Scratch's passenger was not happy about being rescued, nor his driving ability.
“Hey! Wake up!” The man yelled.
Scratch jerked awake and steered the Dodge back on the road.
“You can let me out here, OK?”
“I'm not letting you out,” Scratch told the man.
“C'mon, now. What are you doing? Kidnapping me?”
“No,” Scratch said. “Just holding you against your will.”
“What?” The man protested, thought about what Scratch said. “Hey, man, that's the same thing!”
“Hmm, is it? Whatever it's called, boy, I'm doing it. You're going to answer some questions, then I'm taking you to see Shep Howard.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“Sheriff around these parts,” Scratch said.
“Hey… I'm-I'm grateful for you picking me up before the hoods could string me up, but I ain't going to no white lawman,” the man said. “I could wind up beat all to all to hell, meetin' Jesus when I wake up. No way, José.”
“You'll be safer in a cell…”
“The hell you say! Look… just let me out.”
“I'll take you to Darktown. How's that?”
“You ain't allowed in there any more than I'm allowed in Odarko,” the man said.
“You'll be surprised when they open the gates to let me in,” Scratch said. “First you're going to answer some questions.”
“I ain't answerin' shit,” the man said.
“You'll answer them,” Scratch said. “Or I'll turn this car around and drop you off where those Klansman were having a barbecue.”
The man didn't reply. Complete silence for a bit, until Scratch reiterated his reasons for rescuing the man.
“What's your name?”
The man didn't answer.
Scratch nodded.
“That's OK. I can find that out. Why did you try to kill the woman in that house?”
“Look, I-I didn't want to, OK?” he sighed. “This guy… he came in to Darktown. He…” The man was hesitant, embarrassed. “He wanted some company.”
“Company? What do you mean?”
The man clucked his tongue.
“What do you think I mean?”
Scratch looked over his shoulder at the man. “Oh. Yeah. You look like a sissy.”
“I ain't no sissy! I'm as touch as they come! You saw me with that gun!”
Scratch chuckled. “Yeah,” he said sarcastically and moved his eyes back to the road. “OK, buddy. You're tough. What did this man look like?”
The young man shrugged. “A white man.”
“What did he look like?” Scratch repeated the question with more aggression.
The young man shivered. “I don't know! I-I don't usually remember things like that… especially if I'd been smokin'… You know, been in a cloud…”
“Then what?”
“We did some stuff,” the man said. “Hey… you ain't a weirdo who pulls on himself while I talk dirty, are you?”
“What the hell?” Scratch laughed, looked at the man incredulously.
“Anyways, after all that, the guy gives me a package. A gun, 200 dollars and an address. He says: 'Go to any window, you see a man there, shoot him!' I said: 'I ain't never killed nobody.' It ain't been my chance yet but it… it's comin' up… and I ain't lookin' forward to it. Anyways, he says: 'Do this, and I'll throw in another 200.' Shit….” The man laughed. “I ain't never seen 200 dollars, let alone 400 at one time. I told him I'd kill the mayor for that amount. He said: 'Maybe another time.' Shit… I'll take him up on it.”
“So, you were aiming for me?” Scratch asked.
The man shrugged. “I was aimin' for anybody to collect that other 200.”
“You can't tell me what this guy looked like?”
“No,” the man smiled, showing two bottom teeth that had rotted out. “I can. But I won't. Unless you flash some green.”
“I can pay you,” Scratch said. The man got even happier, danced in the backseat. Scratch hit the brakes and the car came to halt. The man fell forward, his face smashed into the hard vinyl seat in front of him. The man screamed out.
“But I won't,” Scratch said.
Scratch turned the engine off.
“What are you doin'?” The man asked.
“I think I'll just beat the information out of you,” Scratch said calmly.
The man popped the back door open and jumped out before Scratch could open the car door. The man hit the hard pavement and yelped. He rolled off the road and into a ditch. He sprang to his feet and dashed towards the woods. The man disappeared into the dark woods.
“Damn it!” Scratch slammed the palm of his hand on the car roof.
11
He was gone. Nothing Scratch could do about that. But he could ride into Darktown and see Immy and Dobro. Before that, he needed to go back to his place and get cleaned up. His head was swimming. Maybe a shower and some food would help.
Truth be told, Scratch needed some sleep. Only, he was afraid if he laid down, he'd
