know the song ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’? You remember that one?” I hummed a couple of bars for her.
Jannie nodded her head yes. She knew the song. She’d heard me play it on the piano downstairs, on our porch. “You have
guests,”
she announced.
I sat up in bed. “How long have they been here?”
“They just came. Nana sent me and Rosie up to get you. She’s making them’ coffee. You, too. You have to get up.”
“Is it Sampson and Rakeem Powell?” I asked.
Jannie shook her head. She seemed unusually shy this morning, which isn’t really like her. “They’re white men.”
I was starting to wake up in a hurry. “I see. You happen to catch the names?” Suddenly, I thought I knew the names. I solved the mystery myself—at least, I thought I had.
Jannie said, “Mr. Pittman and Mr. Clouser.”
“Very good,” I complimented her.
Not good, not good at all,
I was thinking about my “guests.” I didn’t want to see the chief of detectives, or the police commissioner—especially not in my house.
Especially not for the reason I imagined that they were here to see me.
Jannie bent and gave me my morning kiss. Then a second kiss.
“Oh, what lies there are in kisses,” I winked and said to her.
“Nope,” she said. “Not my kisses.”
It took me less than five minutes to get as ready as I was going to get for this. Nana was entertaining our visitors in the parlor. Commissioner Clouser had come to my house twice before. This was a first for the chief of detectives. The Jefe. I assumed that Clouser had forced him to come.
Chief Pittman and Commissioner Clouser were sipping Nana’s steaming coffee, smiling at a story she was spinning for them. I wondered what it was she had decided to get off her chest. This was a dangerous time—for Pittman and Clouser.
“I was just rebuking these gentlemen for allowing Emmanuel Perez to roam our streets for so long,” she told me as I entered the parlor. “They promised not to let that sort of thing happen again’. Should I believe them, Alex?”
Both Pittman and Clouser chuckled as they looked at me. Neither of them realized this was no chuckling matter, and that my grandmother was no one to mess with or, even worse, condescend to in her house.
“No, you shouldn’t believe one word they say. Are you finished now?” I asked her, returning her sweet, phony smile with one of my own.
“I didn’t think I could trust either of them. I wanted to get their promise
in writing,”
Nana said.
I nodded and smiled, as if she’d just made a joke, which I knew she hadn’t. She was dead serious. The Jefe and Commissioner Clouser both laughed heartily. They thought Nana Mama was a stitch. She isn’t. She’s the whole nine yards.
“Can the three of us talk in here?” I asked her. “Or should we go outside for our discussion?”
“I’ll go in my kitchen,” Nana evil-eyed me and said. “So nice to meet you, Chief Pittman, Commissioner Clouser. Don’t forget your promise. I won’t.”
Once she had left the room, the commissioner spoke right up. “Well, congratulations are in order, Alex. I understand that you found all kinds of kiddie porn in Emmanuel Perez’s apartment”
“Detective Sampson and I found the pornography,” I said. Then I was silent I had decided not to make this easy for them. Actually, I agreed one hundred percent with the point Nana had been trying to make.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what we’re doing here, so let me explain,” Chief of Detectives Pittman spoke up. He and I were not close, to put it mildly. Never had been, never would be. Pittman is a bully and also a closet racist and those are his better points. He could never seem to see a belt without wanting to hit below it.
“I’d appreciate it” I said to The Jefe. “I was thinking that maybe you had just been in the neighborhood and you dropped by for my grandmother’s coffee. It’s worth a trip.”
Pittman didn’t Come close to breaking a smile.
Jannie nodded her head yes. She knew the song. She’d heard me play it on the piano downstairs, on our porch. “You have
guests,”
she announced.
I sat up in bed. “How long have they been here?”
“They just came. Nana sent me and Rosie up to get you. She’s making them’ coffee. You, too. You have to get up.”
“Is it Sampson and Rakeem Powell?” I asked.
Jannie shook her head. She seemed unusually shy this morning, which isn’t really like her. “They’re white men.”
I was starting to wake up in a hurry. “I see. You happen to catch the names?” Suddenly, I thought I knew the names. I solved the mystery myself—at least, I thought I had.
Jannie said, “Mr. Pittman and Mr. Clouser.”
“Very good,” I complimented her.
Not good, not good at all,
I was thinking about my “guests.” I didn’t want to see the chief of detectives, or the police commissioner—especially not in my house.
Especially not for the reason I imagined that they were here to see me.
Jannie bent and gave me my morning kiss. Then a second kiss.
“Oh, what lies there are in kisses,” I winked and said to her.
“Nope,” she said. “Not my kisses.”
It took me less than five minutes to get as ready as I was going to get for this. Nana was entertaining our visitors in the parlor. Commissioner Clouser had come to my house twice before. This was a first for the chief of detectives. The Jefe. I assumed that Clouser had forced him to come.
Chief Pittman and Commissioner Clouser were sipping Nana’s steaming coffee, smiling at a story she was spinning for them. I wondered what it was she had decided to get off her chest. This was a dangerous time—for Pittman and Clouser.
“I was just rebuking these gentlemen for allowing Emmanuel Perez to roam our streets for so long,” she told me as I entered the parlor. “They promised not to let that sort of thing happen again’. Should I believe them, Alex?”
Both Pittman and Clouser chuckled as they looked at me. Neither of them realized this was no chuckling matter, and that my grandmother was no one to mess with or, even worse, condescend to in her house.
“No, you shouldn’t believe one word they say. Are you finished now?” I asked her, returning her sweet, phony smile with one of my own.
“I didn’t think I could trust either of them. I wanted to get their promise
in writing,”
Nana said.
I nodded and smiled, as if she’d just made a joke, which I knew she hadn’t. She was dead serious. The Jefe and Commissioner Clouser both laughed heartily. They thought Nana Mama was a stitch. She isn’t. She’s the whole nine yards.
“Can the three of us talk in here?” I asked her. “Or should we go outside for our discussion?”
“I’ll go in my kitchen,” Nana evil-eyed me and said. “So nice to meet you, Chief Pittman, Commissioner Clouser. Don’t forget your promise. I won’t.”
Once she had left the room, the commissioner spoke right up. “Well, congratulations are in order, Alex. I understand that you found all kinds of kiddie porn in Emmanuel Perez’s apartment”
“Detective Sampson and I found the pornography,” I said. Then I was silent I had decided not to make this easy for them. Actually, I agreed one hundred percent with the point Nana had been trying to make.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what we’re doing here, so let me explain,” Chief of Detectives Pittman spoke up. He and I were not close, to put it mildly. Never had been, never would be. Pittman is a bully and also a closet racist and those are his better points. He could never seem to see a belt without wanting to hit below it.
“I’d appreciate it” I said to The Jefe. “I was thinking that maybe you had just been in the neighborhood and you dropped by for my grandmother’s coffee. It’s worth a trip.”
Pittman didn’t Come close to breaking a smile.
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