Underbelly by Gary Phillips Page B

saying?”
    â€œYou know damn well what I’m saying,” Magrady helped Chambers, also breathing hard, sit up and righted his chair. “You’re going to jail. You’re a menace.”
    â€œMaybe I should call my lawyer.”
    â€œYeah, I do think you should call mommy and daddy’s lawyer. And I’ll get some witnesses’ statements while you’re at it.” He got Chambers into his wheelchair. “How are you, sir? Can you understand the words coming out of my mouth?” He over-enunciated, stealing the line from that comedy movie with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan.
    He muttered to Magrady, “Crazy motherfucker.” He rasped out loud, “I think I’ll be okay.” It didn’t escape him that Magrady had a grip on the handle of his chair.
    â€œWell, your medical bills should be added to the lawsuit,” he said louder than necessary. “You’ll need to get checked out thoroughly.”
    The driver had put a sandal-clad foot on the ground preparing to step out of her car but froze at that statement. “He’s all right,” she insisted, looking from Chambers to her dented door.
    â€œReally?” Magrady challenged. “We better let a doctor determine that.”
    She sat in the car again, closing the door. It creaked. Several drivers slowed to rubberneck then went around them in the street. “There’s no need for that.”
    â€œAren’t you going to get your mouthpiece on the phone? I want to talk to him,” Magrady said authoritatively. He hedged this behavior would have her backing down.
    â€œHe’s okay, right?” the young woman asked.
    â€œI’m not saying that,” Magrady answered.
    â€œI’m asking him,” she retorted irritably.
    â€œI can make it,” Chambers said.
    She started the Mustang. “So let’s just call it even.” Putting it into gear, the vehicle slowly crept forward as the onlookers watched her go.
    â€œI’ve got her license number,” one of the good citizens shouted. She looked to be the same age as the driver, but tanned, wearing a short T that exposed her taut belly and the jewel stud in her navel. She stepped forward and handed Magrady the information on the back of a crumpled receipt. He thanked her and she displayed very even teeth. She was cute. Magrady got back on task.
    Mustang Sally took all this in but continued going. She got to the corner and then turned east into the afternoon flow.
    â€œI’ll make sure he gets home okay.” Magrady said and half-waved to the concerned.
    â€œI can take him to a doctor,” the nice tanned lady said. “He might have internal injuries or who knows what.”
    Magrady squeezed Chambers’ shoulder blade, grinning.
    â€œThank you, but I’m fine. It’s okay.” Chambers got the message. Doubtless too he didn’t want to be hung up at some emergency room or clinic for several hours. He and his lowlife buddies were hunting in the tall grass, Magrady reasoned, and he intended to find out what kind of game they were after.
    â€œNow I’m going to wheel your ass over here,” Magrady was close to his friend’s ear, pushing him at a normal speed across the side street, away from the bear patrol.
    Chambers licked his lower lip. “How come you’re all up in this, Magrady?”
    â€œWhy’d you try to vamp on Angie?’
    â€œIt’s not like that, man. She’s been straight with me. I just wanted—” but he didn’t finish.
    They got to the curb and Magrady turned the chair around and cocked it back to pull the wheelchair up and onto the grass strip of the sidewalk. Behind him was a row of grey and white apartment buildings.
    â€œThen why are you and Boo Boo making like Starsky and Hutch?”
    â€œI had no choice.”
    The two moved further into the residential section. “You need to let me know what the hell’s going on,