Free Six Easy Pieces by Walter Mosley Page B

that poor young girl.”
    “Dead girl,” I said.
    Tears appeared in the luscious woman’s eyes. She nodded and looked down again. Lena McCoy was so full of love and compassion that any man would be drawn to her. It’s not that she was beautiful, not even pretty, really. But there was something physical there, and caring. If there was music in a room and I saw Lena McCoy, I would have asked her to dance, even though I didn’t like dancing.
    “I have some hard questions to ask you about Etheline, Lena. And I want you to answer them.”
    She nodded again.
    “She was having an affair with your boss, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Right here in this room.”
    Her assent was a simple movement of her head, like a bird makes when warbling softly.
    “What did you think about that?”
    “I was happy for him.”
    “Happy?”
    “Yes. Medgar gives of himself like some kind of saint. He meets fifty people in this room every day. And they’re all askin’ for somethin’. They want money or a soapbox or for him to travel fifty miles to talk to a roomful’a people who don’t even care. They cry on his shoulder. They confess their sins. And he takes it all in, Mr. Rawlins. Twelve hours every day, seven days a week.”
    “And Etheline was different?”
    “The first day she came here, she brought homemade brownies and a bunch of little white flowers. Medgar had those daisies in a glass of water for two weeks. I finally had to throw them out.”
    “Why did she meet the minister?” I asked.
    “To apologize. To apologize for her sins. To ask him if she was worthy to be in his congregation.”
    “You heard this?”
    “Medgar tells me everything.” It was the first hint of pride in Lena’s tone.
    “Everything?”
    “Yes.”
    “He tell you when they became lovers?”
    “He didn’t need to, but he did. After the first time I would sneak her in through the side door so that no one else would know.”
    “You helped him cheat on his wife?”
    “His wife helps herself to everything he has. They been married since before he came to Los Angeles. You know he seems the same, but inside he’s changed. He’s gotten bigger. Mrs. Winters changed on the outside. She wears nice clothes and drives a big car. But on the inside she’s hungry and jealous. She ain’t never so much as brought him a cupcake on his birthday.”
    “What happened when Lena broke it off with the reverend?”
    “He cried,” she said. “He put his head on my shoulder and cried like a child.”
    “Was he angry?”
    “He knew that they’d have to stop one day. He knew it was wrong what he did. But you know sometimes a man is weak.”
    “Do you know Cedric Boughman?”
    “Sure I do. He brought Etheline to Medgar’s attention.”
    “Do you think that Cedric might have harmed Etheline?”
    “Why would he?”
    “Because she left him for your boss.”
    “But she left Medgar to go back with Cedric.”
    “What?”
    “Didn’t the minister tell you?” She was really surprised. “Etheline left him a note Sunday after services. She said that she was going away with Cedric, back up to the Bay Area where she was from.”
    “Then why did Winters keep paying Cedric?”
    “He did that before Etheline left him, and he would have done it for any of his inner circle. He’s a good man.”
    “Are you in love with Reverend Winters?” I asked.
    She could have been a wild night creature frozen in my headlights.
    “Are you?” I insisted.
    “What does a question like that have to do with anything?”
    “I don’t know. If you were in love with him, you might wanna protect him, you might be mad that he was with another woman. I mean if he needed love, why not come to you?”
    “I’m a married woman, Mr. Rawlins.”
    “He’s a married man. Maybe that’s why your husband gets so mad when a man calls you. Mad ’cause he feel another man nearby.”
    “I would never cheat on my husband,” Lena said. “The minister is the whole world to me, but I’d never cross