crumbling building.
On the sidewalk in the building’s shadow, a heap of clothing came to life. A dusty head poked from the bundle and Frank tried to determine if it was male or female. A face that seemed to have weathered countless suns lifted itself to hers. Bluish white eyes stared at Frank. The lips split into a fat grin.
The car started rolling and the grizzled head followed it, the blind eyes and wet smile still trained on Frank. She craned her neck out the window until the relic disappeared.
“Yeah?” Lewis prompted.
“What?”
“What’s the other reason to breast my cards?”
What the fuck was that all about?
It felt like that thing with the poached eggs for eyeballs had not only seen Frank, but recognized her.
“Well?” Lewis demanded.
Even as she silently chastised that she was getting as goosey as Lewis, the hair remained erect on her arms, despite the hundred-degree heat.
“What were we talking about?”
Lewis sighed, “You said to never give anyone an out. Make them give it up. And to breast my cards, whatever that means.”
“It means don’t show them your hand,” Frank answered, relieved to be back on familiar terrain. “You want to have something to surprise them with. Watch somebody long enough and their actions’ll usually tell you more than words. Did you notice me get closer to the Mother before I asked her about Echevarria and Hernandez?”
Lewis shook her head.
“I wanted to get close enough to see her pupils. Right as I said Danny’d been hanging around some Nicaraguans, they dilated. It was a slight and completely involuntary reaction, and it gave her away. She didn’t even know she was doing it. She tightened her lips and her eyes narrowed too. Just a fraction, but enough. When you drop something on them they don’t think you know about, they can go through dozens of involuntary reactions like that. All the way from pupils dilating to shitting their pants.”
The image of the old beggar faded as Frank talked.
“And pay attention to what they call you. Notice how she went from calling me child to Lieutenant and then back to child? In the beginning she was in control and I was child. Then when she got a little rattled I was Lieutenant. When we were leaving and she told me about the red dog, she felt she had the upper hand again and called me child. Did you notice that?”
“No,” Lewis pouted.
“You will,” Frank reassured. “It’ll all come with time.”
Frank checked the world moving by. A nail salon and a cell phone store. Metal works. A discount store. Two long-haired girls pushing strollers. A young man in a Walkman funked out toward them. Everything was normal.
“I was listening to you with Kim this morning. You gave her all the answers. Don’t do that. Let them think you’re clueless. Makes them think they know more than you do. Makes them feel more comfortable, confident, and that’s what trips them up.”
“Yeah, but she was cooperating. She was being up front with me.”
“Happily or reluctantly?”
“Reluctantly,” Lewis admitted.
“Yeah, like you are now. And if I push too hard you’re gonna cop that famous Joe Lewis attitude on me and clam up. What would happen if I treated you soft and respectful-like?”
“It’d make it easier to talk to you.”
“Yeah, you’ll open up to me. What if I beat you over the head with what I think you’re doing wrong?”
“I’ma be in your face,” Lewis chuckled.
Frank nodded.
“If you make some suggestions and let your wit come to the conclusion you lead him to, then he feels like he’s got some power in the conversation, some control. Makes him feel pretty good, then he’ll want to keep sharing. N’mean?”
Lewis grinned, “You just did that, didn’t you?”
Frank returned the grin.
“You’re gonna be all right, Lewis.”
The sun felt good and Lewis was pleasant company. Frank had written off the odd deja vu at Mother Love’s even as it happened, and already she was
On the sidewalk in the building’s shadow, a heap of clothing came to life. A dusty head poked from the bundle and Frank tried to determine if it was male or female. A face that seemed to have weathered countless suns lifted itself to hers. Bluish white eyes stared at Frank. The lips split into a fat grin.
The car started rolling and the grizzled head followed it, the blind eyes and wet smile still trained on Frank. She craned her neck out the window until the relic disappeared.
“Yeah?” Lewis prompted.
“What?”
“What’s the other reason to breast my cards?”
What the fuck was that all about?
It felt like that thing with the poached eggs for eyeballs had not only seen Frank, but recognized her.
“Well?” Lewis demanded.
Even as she silently chastised that she was getting as goosey as Lewis, the hair remained erect on her arms, despite the hundred-degree heat.
“What were we talking about?”
Lewis sighed, “You said to never give anyone an out. Make them give it up. And to breast my cards, whatever that means.”
“It means don’t show them your hand,” Frank answered, relieved to be back on familiar terrain. “You want to have something to surprise them with. Watch somebody long enough and their actions’ll usually tell you more than words. Did you notice me get closer to the Mother before I asked her about Echevarria and Hernandez?”
Lewis shook her head.
“I wanted to get close enough to see her pupils. Right as I said Danny’d been hanging around some Nicaraguans, they dilated. It was a slight and completely involuntary reaction, and it gave her away. She didn’t even know she was doing it. She tightened her lips and her eyes narrowed too. Just a fraction, but enough. When you drop something on them they don’t think you know about, they can go through dozens of involuntary reactions like that. All the way from pupils dilating to shitting their pants.”
The image of the old beggar faded as Frank talked.
“And pay attention to what they call you. Notice how she went from calling me child to Lieutenant and then back to child? In the beginning she was in control and I was child. Then when she got a little rattled I was Lieutenant. When we were leaving and she told me about the red dog, she felt she had the upper hand again and called me child. Did you notice that?”
“No,” Lewis pouted.
“You will,” Frank reassured. “It’ll all come with time.”
Frank checked the world moving by. A nail salon and a cell phone store. Metal works. A discount store. Two long-haired girls pushing strollers. A young man in a Walkman funked out toward them. Everything was normal.
“I was listening to you with Kim this morning. You gave her all the answers. Don’t do that. Let them think you’re clueless. Makes them think they know more than you do. Makes them feel more comfortable, confident, and that’s what trips them up.”
“Yeah, but she was cooperating. She was being up front with me.”
“Happily or reluctantly?”
“Reluctantly,” Lewis admitted.
“Yeah, like you are now. And if I push too hard you’re gonna cop that famous Joe Lewis attitude on me and clam up. What would happen if I treated you soft and respectful-like?”
“It’d make it easier to talk to you.”
“Yeah, you’ll open up to me. What if I beat you over the head with what I think you’re doing wrong?”
“I’ma be in your face,” Lewis chuckled.
Frank nodded.
“If you make some suggestions and let your wit come to the conclusion you lead him to, then he feels like he’s got some power in the conversation, some control. Makes him feel pretty good, then he’ll want to keep sharing. N’mean?”
Lewis grinned, “You just did that, didn’t you?”
Frank returned the grin.
“You’re gonna be all right, Lewis.”
The sun felt good and Lewis was pleasant company. Frank had written off the odd deja vu at Mother Love’s even as it happened, and already she was
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