Part 13 (2/2)
Johnny drank his glass of lelass down carefully, like a man who prided himself on selfcontrol under any circuet up and put some clothes on?”
”For Christsake, it's too hot to wear clothes,” she said Johnny poured and gulped another glass of le
”Listen, baby, I ain't being unreasonable,” he said ”All I's--”
”What's simple to you ain't silance struck her like a slap
She said with quick apology, ”I don't knohy that preacher's got it in for me”
”Listen to me, baby,” Johnny went on reasonably ”I just want to knohy Ma your case when I ain't even suspected you of doing nothing Is that unreasonable?”
”How the hell do I knohat goes on in Aunt Mae pass across his face like suhball she was drinking and strangled
Spookie, her black cocker spaniel bitch, who had been resting at her feet, jumped up and tried to cli so God-da when you're drunk”
She looked about guiltily for a place to put the glass, started to put it on the television set, caught his warning look, then put it on the floor beside her feet
”And stop that da you all the ti spit?”
”Get down, Spookie,” she said, pushi+ng the dog frohball glass and turned it over
Johnny looked at the stain spreading over the red carpet and his jaw muscles roped like ox tendons
”Everybody knows I' you is three sis First, how come that preacher tells the police a story about chink Charlie giving you that knife?”
”For God's sake, Johnny,” she cried, and buried her face in her hands
”Get ht,” he said ”I ain't said I believed that But even if the mother-raper had it in for you--”
At that moment the commercial appeared on the television screen, and four cute blonde girls wearing sweaters and shorts began singing a commercial in a loud cheerful voice
”Cut off thatnoise,” Johnny said
Dulcy reached up quickly and toned down the voice, but the quartet of beautiful-legged pygmies continued to hop about in happy, zippy panto in Johnny's forehead
Suddenly the dog began to bark like a hound treeing a coon
”Shut up, Spookie,” Dulcy said quickly, but it was too late
Johnny leaped up fro the cocktail table and pitcher of le across the floor and kicked the bitch in the ribs with his stockinged foot The bitch sailed through the air and knocked over a red glass vase filled with ireen lacquered end table The vase shattered against the radiator, spilling paper yellow roses over the red carpet, and the bitch stuck its tail between its legs and ran yelping toward the kitchen
The glass cover of the cocktail table had shattered against the overturned pitcher, and frag wet splotch made by the spilt lemonade
Johnny turned around, stepped over the debris and returned to his seat, like a man who prided himself on his self-control under all circumstances
”Listen, baby,” he said ”I'm a patientyou is--”
”Three sis,” shedeep breath and ignored it
”Listen, baby, all I want to know is how in the hell could that preacher make that up?”
”You alant to believe everybody butit was you who did it?” he kept on, ignoring her remark
”God damn it, do you think I did it?” she flared
”That ain't what's botheringme is why in the hell he thinks you did it? What reason has he got to think you had for doing it?”
”You keep talking about ns of hysteria ”How coht He toldwith you to the wake He ain't had no reason to tell me he was if he wasn't That's a htfully ”If you keep popping off on that idea, that will get us all into trouble,” he said
”Then what you keep blowing off at ot about me, as if you think I kilt him,” she said defiantly
”It don't bother me who kilt him,” he said, ”He's dead and that's it What bothermysteries about you You're alive and you're my woman, and I want to knohy in the Goddas about you that I ain't never even thought of, and I'm your man”
Alamena came in from the hall and looked indifferently at the debris scattered about the rooed clothes but had put on a red plastic apron The dog peeped out fros to see if the coast was clear, but decided that it wasn't
”You all going to sit here and argue all night or do you want to co to eat?” Alaive a damn whether they ate or not
For aThen Johnny got to his feet
Thinking Johnny didn't see her, with quick furtivehad stepped into and poured it half full of brandy from a bottle she had cached behind the television set