All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren [250]
He said how the boys all missed the Boss. I nodded to that.
He said how things were getting done though. Just like the Boss would have wanted. I nodded to that.
He said how they sure missed the Boss, though. I nodded to that.
He said, “Jack, the boys sure miss you around here, too.”
I nodded modestly and said that I sure missed the boys.
“Yeah,” he resumed, “I was saying to myself the other day, just let me get settled into harness and I’m going to get hold of Jack. Yeah, Jack’s the kind of fellow I like to have around. The Boss sure thought a lot of him, and what was good enough for the Boss is good enough for old Tiny. Yeah, I said to myself, I’m gonna get old Jack. The kind of guy I need. A square-shooter. A guy you can trust. He’ll speak the truth, fear nor fear. His word is his bond.
“Are you referring to me?” I asked.
“I sure am,” he replied. “And I’m making you a proposition. I don’t exactly know what arrangement you had with the Boss, but you just tell me straight what it was and I’ll up it ten per cent.”
“I had no complaints about my treatment.”
“Now that’s talking like a white man, Jack,” he said, and added earnestly, “And don’t get me wrong, I know you and the Boss was like that.” He held up two large, white, glistening episcopal fingers as in benediction. “Like that,” he repeated. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing the Boss. I just want to show you I appreciate you.”
“Thanks,” I said with some lack of warmth.
The lack of warmth was such, I presume, that he leaned slightly forward and said, “Jack, I’m going to make that twenty per cent.”
“That’s not enough,” I said.
“Jack,” he said, “you’re right. That’s not enough. Twenty-five per cent.”
I shook my head.
He showed a slight uneasiness and the couch creaked, but he rallied with a smile. “Jack,” he said soothingly, “you just tell me what you think’s right, and I’ll see how we make out. You tell me what’s enough.”
“There ain’t enough,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Listen,” I said, “didn’t you just tell me that I am the guy whose word is his bond?”
“Yeah, Jack.”
“So you’ll believe me if I tell you something?”
“Why, yeah, Jack.”
“Well, I’m telling you something. You are the stinkingest louse God ever let live.”
I relished the moment of profound silence which followed, then plunged on, “And you think you can buy me in. Well, I know why you want to. You don’t know how much I know or what. I was thick with the Boss and I know a lot. I’m the joker in the deck. My name is Jack and I’m the wild jack and I’m not one-eyed. You want to deal me to yourself from the bottom of the deck. But it’s no sale, Tiny, it’s no sale. And it’s too damned bad, Tiny. And do you know why?”
“Look here!” he said with authority. “Look here, you can’t be–”
“It’s too bad because I do know something. I know a lot. I know that you killed the Boss.”
“It’s a lie!” he exclaimed, and heaved on the couch and the couch creaked.
“It’s no lie. And it’s no guess. Though I ought to have guessed it. Sadie Burke told me. She–”
“She’s in it, she’s in it!”
“She was in it,” I corrected, “but not any more. And she’ll tell the world. She doesn’t care who knows. She’s not afraid.”
“She better be. I’ll–”
“She’s not afraid, because she’s tired. She’s tired of everything and she’s tired of you.”
“I’ll kill her,” he said, and the perspiration exuded delicately on his temples.
“You won’t kill anybody,” I said, “and this time there’s nobody to do it for you. For you’re afraid to. You were afraid to kill the Boss and you were afraid not to, but luck helped you out. But you gave luck a little push, Tiny, and I swear, I admire you for it. It opened my eyes. You see, Tiny, all those years I never thought you were real. You were just something off the cartoon page. With your diamond ring. You were just the punching bag the Boss used, and you just grinned your sick grin and took it. You were like the poodle I heard about. You ever hear about the poodle?”
I didn’t give him time to answer. I watched his mouth get ready, then I went on. “There was a drunk had a poodle and he took him everywhere with him from bar to bar. And you know why? Was it devotion? It was not devotion. He took that poodle everywhere just so he could spit on him and not get the floor dirty. Well, you were the Boss