Chapter 17

Bowman woke with a start. Confused initially, he didn't realize where he was, but as he took in his surroundings, he realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. The tightness in his neck gave evidence he hadn't been in a comfortable position. The taste in his mouth suggested that he had been snoring and breathing through his mouth. He rose and stretched, rubbing his eyes while crossing to Emrick's room. He was not there and the still made bed indicated he hadn't been. Dear God, he thought. What have I done? He grabbed for his billfold, frantically searching for Flint's home phone number. Finding it, he reached for the phone then paused to check his watch. Knowing Flint he'll probably leave for work at least a quarter hour early. He decided to wait fifteen minutes before calling. Suddenly, he heard a key being inserted in the lock. Emrick stood in the doorway. Safe and sound. A grin stretched across his face. "Hey Boss," he said. "Em, I've been worried sick about you. I just knew somebody had eaten you last night." He wiped his brow with his shirt sleeve. "Eaten me? Boss, you strange." "What's this Boss business." "I workin' for you, ain't I?" "Yes." "Then you Boss." "Okay, I can handle that, but where have you been?" "Boss, I ran up on prolly de mos' beautimous woman evah lived." "You've been with her all this time?" "Naw, not at first. I wuz jes' mixin' roun' like you tole me. You know, speakin' to folks. Not really askin' nuthin'. Jes' gettin' folks used to me like you said. I wuz fixin' to head back dis way when she come prissin' down de street. I mean she cover some sidewalk when she move. She look over at me and she smiles. I smiles back and she walk up to me. She ask me what my name is. I tell her Emrick T. Powell. She say her name's Earline Sims.

We walkin' down the street. She talkin', I'm walkin'. Firs' thang I know we turn one corner 'n den another an' we come to where she stay. I go in wid her an' she still talkin'. Firs' thang I know she quit talkin'. Nex' thang I woke up an' she bes gone." Bowman frowned. "Em, do you think she drugged you?" "Yeah Boss. She drug me 'roun' quite a spell. Din' thank she'd evah wear down, but she did." Emrick gave Bowman a very self satisfied look. Bowman moved his head from side to side, then smiled in relief. "Okay, you took me down the rosy path. You don't have to gloat. You really should've called me though, at least." "You right. I should've. Thangs wuz jes movin' so good. I dint wanna take no chances. I will from now on." "Does she have a phone?" "Don' know. Didn't ring while I wuz dere." "Have you had breakfast yet?" "Tha's sumpin' else I gotta talk about." "I wen' in a sto' to get me a piece of cake dis mornin'. I reach fo' my money an' it bes gone." "You mean you spent all that fifty dollars in one night?" "Boss, I din' spen' nar'rin dat money. I had it when we wuz walkin' to where she stay, cause I had my hand on dat pocket de whole time we wuz walkin'. It must'a jes' fell on de flo' when thangs got movin'." "Em, it didn't fall on the floor. She took it when she left this mornin'." Emrick's eyes widened and an angry look came over his face. "You sayin' de bitch stole my money?" "No I didn't say she stole it. I said she took it. This isn't the country. People don't think the same way down here." "Wha' you sayin' is de bitch stole my money." Bowman placed his hand on Emrick's shoulder and stared into his eyes. "No, I didn't say that at all. She gave you a place to stay last night. She has to pay the rent. She probably went out to buy some groceries and is goin' to come back and fix you somethin to eat. All that stuff costs money. She probably thought you'd want her to spend it that way." Em turned and stomped toward the door. "Where are you goin' now?" "Goin' to get my money." "Em, forget the damn money. I'll give you some more. When you see her again, just ask her calmly if she took it. If she says she did, tell her that's fine, but just ask you next time." He reached in his pocket and peeled a bill from his money clip. "Here's twenty more dollars. Does she live very far away?" "No, she don' live too far." Walking over to the coffee table, Bowman grabbed some supplies. "Take this pen and note pad over there and write down her address for me. If she's there, go in and talk to her. Be nice to her. If she has a phone, call me here." He wrote down the number on the pad. "If she's not there or doesn't have a phone, then run back over here with the address. I want Flint to check her out for us. See what we're dealing with. I don't know when he might call or come by, so hurry on back." "Okay." Bowman walked downstairs and to the end of the block with Emrick. He watched the direction Emrick was walking then returned to the apartment. He removed his now moist blue cotton shirt and used it to wipe his armpits before letting himself fall back on the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table. Emrick was gone no more than twenty minutes before returning with the address. "She wad'n dere," he said. "You want some breakfast?" "Naw. I ate me a raisin cake on de way back over heah. Wha' you wan' me to do today?" "Do you remember the place the boy was killed? Do you think you can find your way there?" "Sho'." "I want you to walk all back in there just to get used to it. But if you see anybody else back there, I want you to avoid them. While you're in there, I don't want you talkin' to anybody. Just keep your eyes open and come back and tell what you saw. I don't expect you'll see anything. If you don't find anything unusual, you don't have to hurry back here. Just hang around the street meetin' people some more. But listen, don't be out late again without callin' and lettin' me know." He returned his hand to Emrick's shoulder and stared into his eyes again. "Do we have an understandin' now? You can do whatever you want to do, but call me. I don't want anything bad happenin' to you." Emrick shuffled his feet and looked down. "I'll call." "Good enough."