Going Nowhere Fast by Gar Anthony Haywood Page A

child tearing into a gift on his birthday. He was entirely taken aback when Joe poked a finger in his left side, then began using his weight to guide Dog over to where I was standing, dancing uneasily on the balls of my feet. For a black man, Dog didn't have much color to begin with, but in the few short minutes it took him to be brought before me, I watched him turn as deathly pale as a nauseated albino.
    "Hello, Theodore," I said. The chill in my voice could have frosted a drinking glass.
    "Moms. Hey," he said, trying his best to make a smile form on his face. "I thought—"
    "You thought we were going into town. Yes, I know. Your father and I wanted you to think that, Theodore."
    "Sure did," Joe said. "We set ourselves a little trap, and hell if you didn't walk straight into it."
    Bad Dog looked from his father's face to mine, back to Joe's, then back to mine again, apparently trying to decide upon whose mercy he should throw himself. "Moms—"
    "Moms, nothing. I'm ashamed of you, Theodore. We both are. We've given you every opportunity to tell us the truth about your involvement in Mr. Bettis's death, and all you've done is lie, lie, lie. You've lied to us, and you've lied to the police. But that's all going to come to a stop right now. And I do mean this instant!"
    "But, Moms, I didn't do anything! All I did was—"
    "Walk into that bank, pretend to be somebody named Jeffrey Bettman, and steal the contents of his safety deposit box," Big Joe said, fuming.
    "Joe, he didn't," I said, aghast.
    "Oh yes he did. I stood right over there and saw the whole thing!"
    "Then he did rob Mr. Bettis!"
    "No!" Bad Dog cried. "I didn't rob nobody! All I did was take the man's wallet, that's all!"
    "That's 'all'? Theodore, that's terrible!" I said.
    "I guess you know where we're all goin' now, don't you, boy?" Joe asked him, sounding more like a cold and bullying cop than he had ever actually been. "Or do I have to tell you?"
    He started marching Dog down the road, out of the village, and I followed close behind them.
    "Pops, please! Let's leave the police out of this, all right?"
    "I think we've left them out of it long enough, Theodore," I said. "Don't you?"
    "Moms, listen to me! I wasn't tryin' to steal nothin'! I was just tryin' to help you an' Pops get off the hook for Bettis's murder! I only got this stuff out of his safety deposit box 'cause I thought there might be somethin' in there could prove you guys didn't kill the man!"
    "Oh, Jeez Looweez," Joe sneered, rolling his eyes skyward. I'd wondered when those wonderfully expressive "Jeez Looweezes" of his were coming.
    "I swear, it's the truth! I was just lookin' for some evidence! "
    " 'Evidence'? Evidence of what? "
    "I don't know. I ain't had a chance to look in the envelope yet!"
    Finally, Dog had said something to earn himself a reprieve. Big Joe stopped walking.
    "He's right, Joe," I said.
    "Dottie, don't even get started—"
    "I know, I know. Whatever's in that envelope is none of our business."
    ''That's right."
    "Even if it could clear us of the charge of murder."
    "Yes. I mean, no. No! Woman, I told you not to get started!"
    "Baby, I can't help it. I'm curious, and so are you. It's written all over your face."
    "Say what?"
    "Come on, Pops," Bad Dog told his father. "Give it up. You're an ex-cop, man, you can't help but be curious. It's in the blood."
    Having Dog and me read his mind like an open book has always rubbed Joe the wrong way, but for once he didn't foam at the mouth refuting the accuracy of our perceptions. He merely sulked for a brief moment before holding out his right hand to Dog and saying, "Okay. Let's have it."
    Dog grinned and gave him the envelope. We all huddled in a tight circle and held our collective breath as Joe lifted the flap and reached inside to withdraw its contents: three eight-by-ten black-and-white glossies and a pencil sketch on a lined piece of paper. We looked each item over carefully as Joe flipped through them, and then Joe said out