sell?â
âBoth.â
âWhat did he bring in to sell on March 6th?â
âI donât know.â
âYou canât remember?â
âI wasnât there.â
âOn March 6th.â
âYes.â
âWho was tending the store?â
âTending?â
âWho was sitting where you are right now?â
He blinked. âMy daughter.â
âShe dealt with Mr. Szabo on that day?â
âYes.â
âWhatâs her name?â
Hesitation. âLisa.â
âWhen will Lisa be in?â
âNot today.â
âTomorrow? Thursday?â
âThursday.â
âIâll be back Thursday then.â I closed up my notebook, the page empty. While weâd been talking a dreadlocked white kid in cutoffs and sandals had entered the store and started perusing the racks of dusty Nintendo games. I thanked Mr. Ramsey for his time. He didnât respond.
T uesday, 2:50 p.m.
P lace: Brahmin Stamps Coins and Collectables, 3rd Street.
S peaker: Germit Gil, owner and proprietor
âYes, Iâve done much business with Mr. Szabo. I believe he is a good man. I like his son very much. At least once a month Iâd see him. Sometimes he brought his son. I liked them very much. They seemed happy. He sold me some silver coins that day. I still have them. A very good man. Iâm very sorry for him.â
W ednesday, 10:45 a.m.
P lace: Coin Land, International Village Mall
S peaker: Bill Koch, store manager
âCliffy, yeah, he did stop by that day. Sucks for him, huh? Heâd bring the kid but usually send him to the food court with a dollar. A single dollar, like four quarters. What can you buy with that, a packet of ranch dressing? He never seemed cross with the kid, but heâs not an affectionate guy. But then I knew a guy in the service, nicest, most brave guy I ever met. They found two hookers buried under his house. Goes to fucking show you, doesnât it?â
W ednesday, 12:10 p.m.
P lace: Diaz Bicycles and Sporting Equipment, West Broadway
S peaker: Arturo Diaz, co-owner
âYou know how I know Django ran away? âCause whenever they came into my place Cliff would tell him not to go anywhere, not to touch anything, and Django would usually do both. Weâd look around and heâd be gone. Then weâd find him downstairs trying to pedal one of the ten-speeds. Just the kind of kid he was. No, Cliff never hit Django that I saw, but maybe he shouldâve. My dad tuned me up a few times. Thatâs how we learn.â
W ednesday, 2:00 p.m.
P lace: Mumbai Sweets, Cambie Street and 49th
S peaker: Ashraf Dillon
âDonât remember, sorry. Lots of people bring their kids to eat. Rice or naan?â
W ednesday, 3:45 p.m.
P lace: Emily Carr Elementary School, King Edward and Laurel
S peaker: Henrietta Chang-Clemenceau, seventh grade teacher
âIt was so horrible, so sad. Itâs why I changed schools. No, I never noticed any physical abuse, bruises and such. Believe me, if I had I would have spoke up then and there. But Iâm pretty attuned to moods and attitudes, and Django was troubled. Heâd rarely write in his Classroom Journal, and when he did it was about looking forward to the next Friday when his dad would take him out of school. I had words with his father about that.
âI guess that seems counter-intuitive, that you would look forward to spending more time with someone who treats you poorly â and believe me, I did witness Mr. Szabo treat Django like that several times, snapping at him to get his coat, expressing frustration when he didnât move fast enough. Have you heard of the Stockholm Syndrome? You may think itâs bull, but Iâve seen it.
âBetween us? Whatâs so horrible, Mr. Drayton, is that I canât shake from my head the idea, the feeling, that Mr. Szabo killed his poor son.â
T hursday I hung back until half past eleven. Iâd made about
Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez
S.B. Johnson
Adriana Kraft
Jess Michaels
Melissa Hill
Xakara
Lynne Truss
Jessika Klide
Cheryl Howe
Adair Rymer, Nora Flite