Goldsmith has been missing for quite a while,” I replied.
“That she has.”
“So why is it all of a sudden so important that you get me on the search party?”
Instead of answering, Tout Manning reached into his breast pocketand came out with a thick brown envelope. He leaned over to hand the packet to me.
Swaying back again, he said, “Sixty one-hundred-dollar bills. That’s what you asked for, right?”
“Are you a cop?”
“I work in Mr. Frisk’s office.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that from now on I’m your official contact with Mr. Frisk. There’s a piece of paper with my phone numbers in among the hundreddollar bills. Office, home, and answering service. Call me if you need anything.”
“I need something now.”
“What’s that?” Tout asked. He crossed his right leg over his left.
“Information. Is there a criminal case against Mantle or what?”
“There might be a criminal aspect to the case,” Manning admitted. “Whether that shadow falls on Bob or not is unclear. All you have to remember is my phone number. No matter what you come across, legal or illegal, you are to call me first. I don’t care if there’s blood on the ground, you call me and leave the regular cops out of it.”
“What if somebody is dead?”
“I’m the contact. You’re working directly for the Chief of Police.”
“What if I don’t like that situation?”
“What’s not to like? You’re in the inner circle now, Ezekiel. Nobody can lay a hand on you.”
“Do you think Mantle is holding the girl against her will?”
“Who knows? You find Mantle for us and we’ll tell you who did what.”
I didn’t like Tout Manning, my dog didn’t like him.
“Yes, Mr. Rawlins?” Tout said. “Is there anything else you need to know?”
“What if I gave you back your money and your phone numbers, Mr. Manning? What if I told you that I don’t want to have anything to do with this mess?”
“You just moved, Mr. Rawlins. Here you are in your nice new house and everything. You wouldn’t want to have to do that again so soon. But if you don’t do what Chief Parker and Mayor Yorty want, that’ll bethe only choice you have—to move and move far. Because you know working stiffs like you and me have to do what we’re told. I mean even your little dog knows that much.”
Oddly his threats soothed my nerves. I was used to men in authority trying to intimidate me. It almost always meant that they had something to protect.
“Are there any other crimes or infractions that you want Mantle or Rosemary for?” I asked.
Manning looked surprised for a moment and then he smiled.
“There might be a robbery or some mayhem here and there,” he said. “You know the colored brothers are always close to that line. If it’s not them it’s their cousins and if it’s not their cousins it’s their mothers’ other sons.”
“What I need to know, Tout, is if there’s going to be some armed zealot aiming his gun at the back of my head while I’m knocking on the wrong door.”
That actually got my police liaison to laugh out loud.
“No, no, no, Mr. Rawlins. You’re safe. That’s why Mr. Frisk came to you. Nobody is going to look twice at a black man asking about his buddy.” Tout got to his feet. “If you have any more concerns just call me. If you can’t get me directly I check into the answering service every hour or so; if you tell them that it’s an emergency they’ll call me.”
He walked toward the door and I followed.
“See you, Ezekiel. Don’t forget—call me and only me if you find anything or need anything.”
He walked down to the curb and climbed into a cranberry-colored Volkswagen. As he drove off I thought that I would never have imagined a big, dangerous man like that in a tiny tin Bug.
6
I stood there in the open doorway thinking that I might be in over my head and deciding that I should put in a screen door so that my new house could catch the breeze without
“That she has.”
“So why is it all of a sudden so important that you get me on the search party?”
Instead of answering, Tout Manning reached into his breast pocketand came out with a thick brown envelope. He leaned over to hand the packet to me.
Swaying back again, he said, “Sixty one-hundred-dollar bills. That’s what you asked for, right?”
“Are you a cop?”
“I work in Mr. Frisk’s office.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that from now on I’m your official contact with Mr. Frisk. There’s a piece of paper with my phone numbers in among the hundreddollar bills. Office, home, and answering service. Call me if you need anything.”
“I need something now.”
“What’s that?” Tout asked. He crossed his right leg over his left.
“Information. Is there a criminal case against Mantle or what?”
“There might be a criminal aspect to the case,” Manning admitted. “Whether that shadow falls on Bob or not is unclear. All you have to remember is my phone number. No matter what you come across, legal or illegal, you are to call me first. I don’t care if there’s blood on the ground, you call me and leave the regular cops out of it.”
“What if somebody is dead?”
“I’m the contact. You’re working directly for the Chief of Police.”
“What if I don’t like that situation?”
“What’s not to like? You’re in the inner circle now, Ezekiel. Nobody can lay a hand on you.”
“Do you think Mantle is holding the girl against her will?”
“Who knows? You find Mantle for us and we’ll tell you who did what.”
I didn’t like Tout Manning, my dog didn’t like him.
“Yes, Mr. Rawlins?” Tout said. “Is there anything else you need to know?”
“What if I gave you back your money and your phone numbers, Mr. Manning? What if I told you that I don’t want to have anything to do with this mess?”
“You just moved, Mr. Rawlins. Here you are in your nice new house and everything. You wouldn’t want to have to do that again so soon. But if you don’t do what Chief Parker and Mayor Yorty want, that’ll bethe only choice you have—to move and move far. Because you know working stiffs like you and me have to do what we’re told. I mean even your little dog knows that much.”
Oddly his threats soothed my nerves. I was used to men in authority trying to intimidate me. It almost always meant that they had something to protect.
“Are there any other crimes or infractions that you want Mantle or Rosemary for?” I asked.
Manning looked surprised for a moment and then he smiled.
“There might be a robbery or some mayhem here and there,” he said. “You know the colored brothers are always close to that line. If it’s not them it’s their cousins and if it’s not their cousins it’s their mothers’ other sons.”
“What I need to know, Tout, is if there’s going to be some armed zealot aiming his gun at the back of my head while I’m knocking on the wrong door.”
That actually got my police liaison to laugh out loud.
“No, no, no, Mr. Rawlins. You’re safe. That’s why Mr. Frisk came to you. Nobody is going to look twice at a black man asking about his buddy.” Tout got to his feet. “If you have any more concerns just call me. If you can’t get me directly I check into the answering service every hour or so; if you tell them that it’s an emergency they’ll call me.”
He walked toward the door and I followed.
“See you, Ezekiel. Don’t forget—call me and only me if you find anything or need anything.”
He walked down to the curb and climbed into a cranberry-colored Volkswagen. As he drove off I thought that I would never have imagined a big, dangerous man like that in a tiny tin Bug.
6
I stood there in the open doorway thinking that I might be in over my head and deciding that I should put in a screen door so that my new house could catch the breeze without
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