Part 6 (2/2)

”Yes you are. The problem is...this here is private property. No n.i.g.g.e.rs allowed. Now how long you boys been living around here? You should know that.”

”We're sorry. We weren't thinking,” Jim Ed offered.

”You right about that. Caint you see that sign over there?” he said while pointing to a sign above the store's door that was hard to read because the red letters were faded and the white background blended with the building.

”I see it now, but didn't before.”

”Read it to me.”

Jim Ed gritted his teeth. Bo started to say something smart, but Jim Ed held his arm out for him to stay quiet.

”Read it to me, I said-if you can.”

”I can read.”

”Well then do it, boy. Go on.”

In the war Jim Ed had put down guys much bigger and tougher than this slimy piece of flesh. All three of them had. The only thing that made this guy strong was his five buddies standing there with him. Humiliated and embarra.s.sed, Jim Ed read the sign. ”No n.i.g.g.e.rs or Dogs allowed! Dogs can wait outside. n.i.g.g.e.rs will be shot!”

”Hey Lewis, you ever see one that black?” one of the other guys said, pointing to Willie.

”He looks like one of them monkeys in the zoo, don't you think?” Lewis replied. ”Hey, maybe they escaped. We need to call the zoo and find out. Maybe there's a reward for their capture.”

”I got me a wild hog cage back home we could put'em in,” another one said. All six cracked up laughing. Then, just that quick, their faces went from wise guys to rage. Lewis stepped up to Willie, his veins popping out of his red neck. ”Don't you ever set foot on this property again. You hear me, n.i.g.g.e.r?” At that, he spit another stream of tobacco, but this time it landed on Willie's shoe.

”You not G.o.d,” Willie shouted. ”You can't spit on me!” Something broke in Willie and he pushed Lewis in the chest. When he did, all h.e.l.l broke loose as the six white guys jumped on them. Everybody was swinging and taking punches. In the midst of the mayhem, Bo and Jim Ed grabbed Willie to run, something they should have done first, but as they were taking off, Lewis picked up an old hubcap that was leaning against a stack of tires, and brought it down across Willie's skull, slicing it wide open, knocking him to the ground.

Mr. Boyd, who'd been sitting there watching the whole thing and had already called the cops, fired a gunshot in the air. ”Party's over fellas,” he hollered. ”Cops on the way. Now break it up.” Everybody stepped back and Willie lay still on the ground, blood everywhere.

Lewis put his boot on Willie's back and shook him. ”Get up, n.i.g.g.e.r. Now ya'll get on out of here.” But Willie didn't move.

Jim Ed leaned over and tried to get him up. ”Come on, Willie, get up. We gotta go,” he told him. He shook him again, but Willie still didn't move. Then Bo shook him with the same results and the two young black men looked at each other frozen with shock, not believing what they saw before them.

”He ain't dead,” said Lewis. ”I didn't hit him hard enough. He's faking like all n.i.g.g.e.rs do.” Lewis flipped Willie over with his foot. ”Get up I said!”

But when Willie rolled on his back, his eyes were wide open and fixed. Jim Ed and Bo's lifelong friend was lying there dead. ”This can't be happening,” Jim Ed thought. In the background sirens could be heard and Lewis started getting fidgety. He turned to his friends and shouted. ”Those n.i.g.g.e.rs attacked us. And that one tried to kill me. I was just defending myself. Ya'll all saw it.”

While the five other whites consoled Lewis, Jim Ed and Bo stood silent in the background. They'd thought about running, but figured they didn't do anything wrong. Plus, where'd they run to anyway? Within what seemed like a few seconds, two police cars whipped in the parking lot and three deputies hopped out with guns drawn. Without even asking the first question, they pushed Bo and Jim Ed to the ground, jerked their hands behind their backs, and clamped the handcuffs down on their wrists. ”You're under arrest,” they shouted.

”For what?” Jim Ed hollered back.

”a.s.sault and battery, instigating a riot, trespa.s.sing and disturbing the peace,” the deputy answered, shoving Jim Ed's head into the ground. Under his breath the deputy mumbled, ”Stupid n.i.g.g.e.rs.”

The two were thrust into separate police cars and whisked off to the jailhouse, while the police never laid a hand on any of the other guys. Blood was running from a gash beneath Jim Ed's eye and the salt from his sweat caused it to burn. It was only a short distance to the police station, yet the ride seemed to last forever. People walking down the street and driving by gaped at them like they were criminals and were the sc.u.m of the earth. But all Jim Ed and Bo could think about was Willie.

They were locked up in a jail cell that reeked with the stench of alcohol and vomit. Rights were virtually non-existent-no phone call, no visitors, nothing. Lying on that stone-cold bunk all night Jim Ed's soul ached for the loss of his friend and his mind brooded over the injustice of it all. Bo cried himself to sleep. It should have been clear to anyone with a kernel of sense that they were innocent and Willie had been murdered in cold blood.

After spending the night in jail without talking to anyone except each other, to their surprise, around ten the next morning the sheriff swung open the jail door and told Jim Ed and Bo to get out.

”So, that's it?” Jim Ed asked the sheriff. ”What about Lewis? You know he killed Willie in cold blood. Everybody saw it!”

”Now that's where you are wrong. Eyewitnesses said there was a fight plain and simple.” The sheriff grabbed Jim Ed's arm and squeezed it tight. ”Son, because Mr. Boyd said you boys weren't lookin' for trouble, I'm letting you go. If you know what's good for you, you'll just keep that big mouth of yours shut because I can easily put you right back in that cell and lock the door. You hear me? h.e.l.l, I'm doing you a favor, son. You ought to be thanking me.”

18.

For the next several days, Jim Ed couldn't talk to anyone about the incident, not Christina, not Mama Porter, not Bo or anybody. He was out of his mind with grief and rage. But it was when he saw Willie laying in his casket that he cracked. And upon hearing the wails of his people when they put him in the ground, Jim Ed knew what he had to do.

The rest of the afternoon, during the post-funeral dinner at the church, Jim Ed quietly contemplated his plan. Christina realized that something was up and it was more than just grief over losing Willie.

”I'm so sorry about Willie,” she said. ”It was such a tragic thing and I know you are hurting, Jim Ed.” She put her arm around his waist and pulled herself close. The two walked out of the fellows.h.i.+p hall into the yard outside. Despite the sadness all around, kids were running around playing.

”Not that long ago Willie and I were doing the same thing,” Jim Ed said, glancing at the kids.

”What are you thinking?” Christina asked. ”It's like you're in another world and won't let me in.”

Jim Ed stared at her coldly. ”My best friend was murdered, Christina. Of course I'm in another world.”

”I'm sorry, honey,” she said caressing the back of his head with her fingers. ”I just want to help you.”

”You can help by leaving me alone!”

”Jim Ed, I know you, and I know that's not the real you speaking. You're up to something and I have an uneasiness in my spirit about it.”

As they walked, the sun began to set. Soon it would be dark and Jim Ed could move ahead with his plan. ”Did you know that Willie saved my life one time?” he asked.

”You never told me that,” said Christina.

”Yep. He sure did. I was eleven and a bunch of us was swimming over at Miller's bluff. We liked to jump off the bluffs into the water. The water was muddy and when I jumped my foot rammed right through this rotten log under the water. It bruised and cut my foot, but worse, my foot was stuck and the log was set deep in the mud. I flung around underwater trying to free myself, but my foot wouldn't budge. I gave out of air thinking I was going to die, but right when I could sense my body fading out of consciousness, I felt somebody's arm. He shook the log over and over. Finally, my foot slipped free. It was Willie. He had jumped in to rescue me. If he hadn't done that, I would have been buried long time ago.”

Christina didn't say a word, but squeezed him tightly.

”Willie deserves justice and the law is sure not going to give it to him. So somebody has to. I owe him.” When Jim Ed said that, he immediately realized he' d given too much information.

”Jim Ed, what are you thinking?”

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