“We’ve talked to her.”
“It’s not just blacks.” Gloria wasn’t finished. “She found out one’a the teachers at Wayne’s school was a lesbian and had her run out on a rail. And it takes a lot to get fired from the Clayton County school system.”
Faith shook her head, like she needed to clear it. “Where does Billie Lam fit into all of this?”
“That piece of trash?” Gloria stubbed her cigarette out by the others. “Like I said, I haven’t talked to any of them in years, but I hear she followed Doug-Ray up here when Wayne got him a job at the school.”
Amanda made it clear. “Billie followed Doug-Ray back to Forest Park, not the other way around?”
“What she wanted to do up here is beyond me. Same trailer, different park.” Gloria lit another cigarette. “Why are y’all looking at me funny?”
“Billie isn’t Maw-Maw’s granddaughter?”
She sputtered out smoke as she laughed. “Oh, hell no. Maw-Maw woulda drowned a girl before she raised her. You think she hates men? You should see what she does to women. I’m not sure why she talked Gilbert into hiring Billie to work at the store, but mark my word, Maw-Maw was working an angle. Don’t let her fool you. She’s a crafty old bitch.”
Will noted an absence of saliva in his mouth.
Faith said, “Gilbert Caldwell is Maw-Maw’s son, not his son-in-law?”
“By a different daddy from Wayne and Doug-Ray. Never married none of them, of course.” She pursed her lips. “My mama used to say Samantha Lewis had a rocking chair for an ass.”
Faith asked, “Did she have any more children?”
“Just the three boys, God bless their souls. And Pete, though like I said, he was her sister’s kid.”
Amanda pushed herself up from the table. She rarely showed her years, but today was an exception. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Pringle. We’ll follow up if we have any more questions. In the meantime, if you hear where Billie might be, we would appreciate a phone call.”
“No problem. You’ll be the first to know.” Gloria walked them toward the door. There was a look of concentration on her face. In Will’s experience, the best details always came out when an interview was over. Gloria Pringle was no exception.
“What about the house?” she asked, holding open the front door. “Did ya’ll check Doug-Ray’s house?”
“Yes,” Faith answered. “Doug-Ray’s house, Wayne’s apartment, Maw-Maw’s house.”
She didn’t mention that Maw-Maw had given them the slip, but Will could tell from the way’s Amanda’s jaw set as she walked onto the porch that the thought was prominent in her mind.
“What about Arthur’s?” Gloria smiled when they all stopped and turned around. “Arthur Pierce. He was a mailman. Died about three months ago.” Her smile started to falter. “Y’all know Doug-Ray’s daddy left him a house?”
--7--
Arthur Pierce had left his son a two-bedroom clapboard house located in a section of Forest Park that bordered Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The house wasn’t exactly on the runway, but Will felt the need to hunch his shoulders as a Delta jet came in for a landing.
He walked up the driveway on foot. There was a silver Pontiac Firebird parked in front of the closed garage. Will glanced in as he passed, making sure no one was hiding in the back. He headed toward the front porch. Weeds had grown through the cracked concrete, but Will could tell the house had been well maintained until three months ago when Arthur Pierce passed away. And he had really died, because they’d all seen his death certificate, tax returns, property deeds, and records on his closed pension account.
The day’s events so far had served as an unwelcome reminder of why they taught you at the academy to verify all witness testimony down to the last detail.
Arthur Pierce was without question deceased. They’d talked to the funeral home that buried him and his friends at the VA who’d been there
“It’s not just blacks.” Gloria wasn’t finished. “She found out one’a the teachers at Wayne’s school was a lesbian and had her run out on a rail. And it takes a lot to get fired from the Clayton County school system.”
Faith shook her head, like she needed to clear it. “Where does Billie Lam fit into all of this?”
“That piece of trash?” Gloria stubbed her cigarette out by the others. “Like I said, I haven’t talked to any of them in years, but I hear she followed Doug-Ray up here when Wayne got him a job at the school.”
Amanda made it clear. “Billie followed Doug-Ray back to Forest Park, not the other way around?”
“What she wanted to do up here is beyond me. Same trailer, different park.” Gloria lit another cigarette. “Why are y’all looking at me funny?”
“Billie isn’t Maw-Maw’s granddaughter?”
She sputtered out smoke as she laughed. “Oh, hell no. Maw-Maw woulda drowned a girl before she raised her. You think she hates men? You should see what she does to women. I’m not sure why she talked Gilbert into hiring Billie to work at the store, but mark my word, Maw-Maw was working an angle. Don’t let her fool you. She’s a crafty old bitch.”
Will noted an absence of saliva in his mouth.
Faith said, “Gilbert Caldwell is Maw-Maw’s son, not his son-in-law?”
“By a different daddy from Wayne and Doug-Ray. Never married none of them, of course.” She pursed her lips. “My mama used to say Samantha Lewis had a rocking chair for an ass.”
Faith asked, “Did she have any more children?”
“Just the three boys, God bless their souls. And Pete, though like I said, he was her sister’s kid.”
Amanda pushed herself up from the table. She rarely showed her years, but today was an exception. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Pringle. We’ll follow up if we have any more questions. In the meantime, if you hear where Billie might be, we would appreciate a phone call.”
“No problem. You’ll be the first to know.” Gloria walked them toward the door. There was a look of concentration on her face. In Will’s experience, the best details always came out when an interview was over. Gloria Pringle was no exception.
“What about the house?” she asked, holding open the front door. “Did ya’ll check Doug-Ray’s house?”
“Yes,” Faith answered. “Doug-Ray’s house, Wayne’s apartment, Maw-Maw’s house.”
She didn’t mention that Maw-Maw had given them the slip, but Will could tell from the way’s Amanda’s jaw set as she walked onto the porch that the thought was prominent in her mind.
“What about Arthur’s?” Gloria smiled when they all stopped and turned around. “Arthur Pierce. He was a mailman. Died about three months ago.” Her smile started to falter. “Y’all know Doug-Ray’s daddy left him a house?”
--7--
Arthur Pierce had left his son a two-bedroom clapboard house located in a section of Forest Park that bordered Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The house wasn’t exactly on the runway, but Will felt the need to hunch his shoulders as a Delta jet came in for a landing.
He walked up the driveway on foot. There was a silver Pontiac Firebird parked in front of the closed garage. Will glanced in as he passed, making sure no one was hiding in the back. He headed toward the front porch. Weeds had grown through the cracked concrete, but Will could tell the house had been well maintained until three months ago when Arthur Pierce passed away. And he had really died, because they’d all seen his death certificate, tax returns, property deeds, and records on his closed pension account.
The day’s events so far had served as an unwelcome reminder of why they taught you at the academy to verify all witness testimony down to the last detail.
Arthur Pierce was without question deceased. They’d talked to the funeral home that buried him and his friends at the VA who’d been there
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