instead of spices and flour. No one was living here.
‘Where’s Lawan?’ Evan asked.
Shadey stood at the window, peering out to see if anyone had followed Evan. ‘Dead. Two months ago. The AIDS caught up with him.’
‘I’m really sorry. I wish you had called me.’
Shadey shrugged. ‘When was the last time you called me, just to see how I was?’
‘I’m still sorry.’
‘You don’t have to be. Back to biz, son.’
Evan waited.
‘I scrounged up green for you. But you get caught, you keep my name out of it.’
‘Why are you so mad at me?’
Shadey lit a cigarette. ‘Why you think I’m mad?’
‘On CNN. You acted like I’d ripped you off. I didn’t make a lot of money on the movie, Shadey. I’m not Spielberg. I didn’t promise you a career in entertainment, I couldn’t make that promise.’
‘Being in your movie, you gave me a taste of a better life, Evan, better than what I had here. Better than what I could have gotten when I dealt.’ He watched Evan through the smoke. ‘You know, once Ounce came out, I wanted to make a movie. Tried writing a script. Took classes. Couldn’t stitch two scenes together. No head for it.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me? I would have helped you with your script.’
‘Would you? I think you were one busy white boy after Ounce hit big. You get into your work, you don’t pay so much attention to people. You’re right, I had my freedom because of Ounce. But you had your career because I said yes to letting you film my story. That’s a debt you can’t repay, either.’
‘Shadey. I’m sorry. I had no idea. I do owe you. Thank you. I’m sorry if I never said it before.’
Shadey offered his hand; Evan shook it. ‘The whole damn world boils down to you owing another fool something. So it don’t matter. Because now we’re even. If I was mad – well, you limited my career options.’
‘I don’t understand.’
Shadey leaned forward in the quiet of the house. ‘I was still dealing dope on occasion, Evan. Yeah, that fucker Henderson framed me, he planted the coke in my car. But I had kilos of coke riding in the trunk not three days before. A shitload more of it.’
Evan stared.
‘You really thought I was innocent, pure as the driven snow.’ Shadey shook his head. ‘Evan, I was driving the snow.’ He laughed at his own joke. ‘But you do your movie, I can’t deal no more. My face is too well known, and I’m Mr. Innocent Wronged by the Police. You get me interested in movies, but I don’t got a goddamned clue how to make ’em. So I’m a security guard. That’s about all you left me. Certain times freedom is just painting yourself into a new corner you can’t get out of.’
‘I’m sorry, Shadey.’
‘Don’t worry about it no more.’ Shadey handed Evan the case. Evan sat it on the floor and opened it. Cash, a few hundred, all in worn tens and twenties.
‘Count it, it’s about a thousand. All I can spare.’
‘I don’t need to count it. Thank you.’
‘Lawan had a laptop computer; you can have it.’
‘Thank you, Shadey. Thanks a lot.’ Evan blew out a sigh to hide the quaver in his voice. ‘I knew I could trust you. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.’
‘Evan. Listen to yourself. You think I never saw the pity in your face, that I never heard that tone of voice that let me know you were doing me a life-changing favor? You ain’t as smart as you want to be, Evan. Now you’re the one brought low. Now you’re the one needing the handout. Now you’re the one that looks like dog shit to scrape off the bottom of a shoe.’
‘I never pitied you.’
‘You didn’t believe I could stand on my own two feet to get out of jail.’
‘You couldn’t.’
‘The way the wheel of fortune spun, you landed on my doorstep, you helped me. But I want you to wake up and see the world how it is, because you don’t know what it is to be in trouble, real trouble. I trusted you because I didn’t have a choice. You trusted me when you do have a choice, Evan. You got other friends you could’ve run to, smarter than me. Don’t trust unless you must. That’s my motto.’ Shadey reached out, squeezed Evan’s shoulder. ‘I thought about what that Galadriel Jones said to me. If you came around, she said call this number, and I’d have fifty thousand bucks in cash, tax-free.’
‘But you haven’t called.’
‘What do you think?’
‘No. Because you’re all about respect, and she’s trying to bribe you. Trick you.’
‘I pretended to listen to her. Sure I was tempted. That’s over two years’ salary taking shit from the snot- asses at Tuscan Pines. But you know, fuck her. I might lie and I might steal once upon a time, but I ain’t gonna be bought.’
‘I’m glad, Shadey. Thank you.’
‘Welcome.’
‘I need to borrow a phone. And I need to use your brother’s computer. Are we safe here for a while?’
‘Yeah. Less the realtor shows up to show the house.’ Shadey shrugged. ‘Doesn’t seem likely.’
Evan sweated through four rings.
‘Hello?’ A woman’s voice, worn from a lifetime of use.
‘Hello, may I speak to Mrs. Briggs?’
‘Whatever you’re selling, I sure as hell don’t want none.’
‘I’m not a salesman, ma’am. Please don’t hang up – you’re the only person who can help me.’
This appeal to elderly ego could not be resisted. ‘Who is this?’
‘My name is David Rendon.’ He decided at the last moment not to use his real name; old people were often news junkies, and he tossed out one of the false passport identities. ‘I’m a reporter for the Post. ’
She didn’t give a reaction to this, so Evan plunged ahead: ‘I’m calling to see if you remember the Smithson family.’
Silence for ten long seconds. ‘Who did you say you were?’
‘A reporter for the Post, ma’am. I was doing a search through the archives and saw a story about your neighbors having vanished over twenty years ago. I couldn’t find a follow-up and I was interested to know what happened to them, to you.’
‘Will you put my picture in the paper?’
‘I bet I can arrange a picture.’
‘Well’ – Mrs. Briggs lowered her voice to a practiced conspiratorial whisper – ‘no, the Smithsons never showed up again. I mean, that house was a dream, perfect for a new family, and they just up and walk away. Unbelievable. I’d gotten attached to that baby of theirs, and Julie, too. Arthur was a jerk. Didn’t like to talk.’ Reticence was clearly a crime to Mrs. Briggs.
‘But what happened to their house?’
‘Well, they defaulted on the mortgage, and the bank finally resold it through a local realtor.’
He wasn’t sure what to ask next. ‘Were they a happy family?’
‘Julie was so alone, you could see it in her face, in the way she talked. Scared girl like the world had gone up and left her behind. She told me she was pregnant and I remember wondering, “Why is there dread in this sweet girl’s face?” Happiest news you could get and she looked like the whole world crashed down on her.’
‘Did she ever tell you why?’
‘I considered that she wasn’t happy in her marriage to that cold fish. Child might have anchored her down.’
‘Did Mrs. Smithson ever suggest that she might want to run away, go live under a new name?’
‘Good Lord. No.’ Mrs. Briggs paused. ‘Is that what happened?’
He swallowed. ‘Did you ever hear them mention the name Casher?’
‘Not that I recall.’
