“I never trusted him. Never knew what he had his fingers in.”
“Was he a crook, sir?”
“He was tricky, played both sides of the street. He’s worth a lot if he can dispose of his property, but three thousand—that’s a giveaway.”
“He liked me.”
“He must have. Who did he send, the Mafia?”
“A government man. You see, Marullo trusted me.”
Mr. Baker clasped his brow, and that was out of character. “Why didn’t I think of it? You’re the man. Good family, reliable, property-owner, businessman, respected. You don’t have an enemy in town. Of course you’re the man.”
“The man?”
“For Town Manager.”
“I’ve only been a businessman since Saturday.”
“You know what I mean. Around you we could get respectable new faces. Why, it’s the perfect way.”
“From grocery clerk to Town Manager?”
“Nobody ever thought of a Hawley as a grocery clerk.”
“I did. Mary did.”
“But you aren’t. We can announce it today before that crazy fringe gets set.”
“I’ll have to consider it from keelson to skys’l.”[72]
“There’s no time.”
“Who had you thought of before?”
“Before what?”
“Before the council burned. I’ll talk to you later. Saturday was a big day. I could have sold the scales.”
“You can make a nice thing of this store, Ethan. I advise you to build it up and sell it. You’re going to be too big to wait on customers. Is there any word at all about Danny?”
“Not yet. Not so far.”
“You shouldn’t have given him money.”
“Perhaps not. I thought I was doing a good deed.”
“Of course you did. Of course you did.”
“Mr. Baker, sir—what happened to the Belle-Adair?”
“What happened? Why, she burned.”
“In the harbor—how did it start, sir?”
“Funny time to ask. I only know what I heard. I was too little even to remember. Those old ships got oil-soaked. I suppose some sailor dropped a match. Your grandfather was master. I think he was ashore. Just came in.”
“Bad voyage.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Any trouble collecting the insurance?”
“Well, they always send investigators. No, as I remember, it took some time but we collected, Hawleys and Bakers.”
“My grandfather thought she was set afire.”
“Why, for heaven’s sake?”
“To get the money. The whaling industry was gone.”
“I never heard that he said that.”
“You never heard it?”
“Ethan—what are you getting at? Why are you bringing up something that happened so long ago?”
“It’s a horrible thing to burn a ship. It’s a murder. I’m going to bring up her keel someday.”
“Her keel?”
“I know just where she lies. Half a cable offshore.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I’d like to see if the oak is sound. It was Shelter Island virgin oak. She’s not all dead if her keel’s alive. You’d better go, if you’re going to bless the opening of the safe. And I’ve got to open up.”
Then his balance wheel started and he ticked off to the bank.
I think now I had expected Biggers too. Poor fellow must spend most of his time watching doorways. And he must have been waiting somewhere in peeking range for Mr. Baker to leave.
“I hope you’re not going to jump down my throat.”
“Why should I?”
“I can understand why you were huffy. I guess I wasn’t very—diplomatic.”
“Maybe that was it.”
“Have you chewed on my proposition?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
“I think six per cent would be better.”
“I don’t know whether B.B. will go for it.”
“It’s up to them.”
“They might go five and a half.”
“And you might go the other half.”
“Jesus, man. I thought you were being a country boy. You cut deep.”
“Take it or leave it.”
“Well, what kind of volume would it be?”
“There’s a partial list over by the cash register.”
He studied the strip of wrapping paper. “Looks like I’m hooked. And, brother, I’m bleeding. Can I get the full order today?”
“Tomorrow would be better and bigger.”
“You mean you’ll switch the whole account?”
“If you play nice.”
“Brother, you must have your boss by the throat. Can you get away with it?”
“Just have to see.”
“Well, maybe I could get a crack at the drummer’s friend. Brother, you must be cold as a herring. I tell you that dame’s a dish.”
“Friend of my wife.”
“Oh! Yeah! I see how it could be. Too close to home is bad news. You’re smart. If I didn’t know it before, I know it now. Six per cent. Jesus! Tomorrow in the morning.”
“Maybe late this afternoon if I get time.”
“Make it tomorrow morning.”
On Saturday business came in bursts. This Tuesday the whole tempo had changed. People took time. They wanted to talk about the scandal, saying it was bad, awful, sad, disgraceful, but enjoying it too. We haven’t had a scandal for a long time. Nobody mentioned the Democratic National Convention coming up in Los Angeles—not even once. Of course New Baytown is a Republican town, but I think mostly they were interested in what was close to home. We knew the men whose graves we danced on.
Chief Stonewall Jackson came in during the noon hour and he looked tired and sad.
I put the can of oil on the counter and fished out the old pistol with a piece of wire.
“Here’s the evidence, Chief. Take it away, will you? It makes me nervous.”
“Well, wipe it off, will you? Look at that! That’s what they used to call a two-dollar pistol—top-latch Iver Johnson. You got anybody that can mind the store?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Where’s Marullo?”
“He’s out of town.”
“Guess maybe you might have to close up for a while.”
“What is this, Chief?”
“Well, Charley Pryor’s boy ran away from home this morning. Got a cold drink there somewhere?”
“Sure. Orange, cream, lemon, Coke?”
“Give me a Seven-Up. Charley’s a funny kind of guy. His boy Tom is eight. He figures the world’s against him and he’s going to run away to be a pirate. Anybody else would of give him a crack acrost the behind, but not Charley. Aren’t you going to open this?”
“Sorry. There you are. What’s Charley got to do with me? I like him, of course.”
“Well, Charley don’t do things like other people. He figures the best way to cure Tom is to help him. So after breakfast they get a bedroll together and a big lunch. Tom wants to take a Jap sword for self-protection, but it drags so he settles for a bayonet. Charley loads him in the car and drives him out of town to give him a good start. He let him out over near Taylor Meadow—you know, the old Taylor place. That’s about nine o’clock this morning. Charley watched the kid a while. First thing he did was sit down and eat six sandwiches and two hard-boiled eggs. And then he went on acrost the meadow with his brave little bindle and his bayonet and Charley drove home.”
Here it came. I knew it, I knew it. It was almost a relief to get it over.
“ ’Bout eleven he come slobbering out on the road and hooked a ride home.”
“I think I can guess, Stoney—is it Danny?”
“’Fraid so. Down in the cellar hole of the old house. Case of whisky, only two empties, and a bottle of sleeping pills. Sorry I got to ask you this, Eth. Been there a long time and something got at him, at his face. Cats, maybe. You remember any scars or marks on him?”
72
keelson to skys’class="underline" The keel is the spine of the ship, providing structural support, and the keelson is a beam or timbers along the keel to add strength. A skysail is the topsail in a square rigger.