several times, and now looked like an old rag that had been lying on the ground for a week.
Amazing what a couple cop cars will do, running over their own evidence.
While Michelle and Miss Betty stood watching the scene, an unmarked police car came up behind them and bumped the siren. They moved out of the way, and the car passed into the alley. The detectives had arrived.
“All of those police mean something big happened,” Miss Betty said. “Maybe someone got killed.”
“You think so? I hope not,” Michelle said.
“Sure. They don’t bring an ambulance in all quiet-like and all them po-lease for no small thing. I’ve been around long enough to know how they operate. I’ll bet someone got hisself shot and killed. Want to walk down with me to see who it is?”
“No, I don’t like to see dead people. It always gives me the creeps, even at funerals. I’m sure the police will come up to talk to us, anyway.” No sooner had Michelle spoken, when a young cop strode up the alley. “See? Here he comes.” Slow, deep breaths; slow your heart down, keep calm.
“Excuse me, ladies, can I ask you a few questions?”
Michelle took the lead. “Sure.”
“Did you see anybody coming from the alley, or hear anything unusual in the last few minutes?”
“No, we were coming out the 7-Eleven when that first cop went around the corner. Then the second followed real quick.”
The cop looked at Miss Betty. “Is there anything else you can remember?”
“We heard the ambulance siren coming, but it cut off,” Miss Betty said. “Then we saw the ambulance down the alley sitting quiet, with no one running around like it was an emergency, so we figured someone must be dead. Is that what happened? Who’s down there, dead? I can see his feet sticking out, and they haven’t moved since we’ve been standing here. He’s gotta be dead. Who is he?”
“We’re not sure,” the cop replied. “We think he might have worked at the shoe store, cleaning up.”
Miss Betty nodded. “Most likely Lil Rich. Is he a light-skinned young man with a bad complexion?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s a good description. What did you say his name was?”
“That’s Richard Williams you’ve got dead down there, then. Most folks know him as Lil Rich. I know his mother, and I watched that boy grow up. He was a good boy until he got into drugs a few years ago. Been cleaning at Brown’s shoe store. His momma’s going to be brokenhearted, but she always knew it was going to come to this.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Is there anything else you can think of?”
“Um . . . no. Except you cops don’t do enough to keep drugs from our kids. It’s y’all’s fault Lil Rich is down there, lying dead in the mud.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.” With a nod, he turned and walked back toward the scene, stepping unawares on the muddy sleeve of the faded black hoodie.
Michelle considered Miss Betty, who seemed genuinely sad that Lil Rich had been killed. Now, though, she had news that needed to be spread. In less than an hour, the word would be out. She had to move quickly.
“I’m going to go back to the 7-Eleven to get me a burrito,” she said to Miss Betty. “You want to come?”
Miss Betty waved her hand. “No, you go on. I’m going to head over to Sondra’s. It’s better a friend tells her about her boy. So tragic.” She strode off, up the street.
Michelle returned to the 7-Eleven, spending several minutes heating up a burrito and refilling her Big Gulp, before pulling a white hoodie from of her bag. A minute later, and dressed in the white hoodie, she paid for her stuff and walked out. Strolling the two blocks to her rented gray Acura, Michelle left the first body behind.
* * *
“G -Baby’s B-Shop. This is G.”
“It’s done,” Michelle said. “He was the first. The littlest fish is now a dead fish.”
The phone line went dead, and G-Baby hung up. With an extra bounce in his step, he gave everyone extra