“Man, I had a hard time findin’ ye!” he said, casting a furtive glance about with his restless, bloodshot eyes. “Hey there, Tyke, I thought you got pinched!”
“What, me! Think again, Bill. Take a slicker guy’n that cop to lay hands on me. I double crossed him, I did. Seen Taney?”
“Yep. Got him hid in the Hazels down on the Point. Gonta watch all night. Taney’s all right fer that. He’s on the job. Nothin’ won’t get by him. We figger this would be the night fer another lot to land there if they had any sorta greement about it. There ain’t no other spot this side o’ the lights, an’ he’s bound to connect along this coast somewheres. He ain’t goin’ fur away, you needn’t think. He’s got his good buyers all around this part. No sir, he thinks he’s got us buffaloed all right with that there two hundred bucks, an’ now he’s figgerin’ to work it alone, the young devil!”
“Been to the cem’try, Bill?”
“Yep. Went this a.m. fore dawn. Jest light ’nough t’see t’spade. Opened her all up. Nothin’ there but a bed of broken glass. Slick job! Cleaned the whole thing out. Must think we’re takin’ nourishment out of a bottle yet, we can’t see through that. Say, boys, whaddaya say we take a little trip through the ole buryin’ ground up by the state road? He’s bound to get another location fer his business, an’ that’s good an’ lonely. I found out he’s got a sister an’ she’s got some kids. Be a good idee to buddy up to ’em, Tyke. You’re good at that business. They live down to Meadow Brook on Orchard Street, third house from the corner, opposite to the garage.”
Tyke narrowed his eyes and nodded.
The next day Tyke happened along Orchard Street as Lib Knox was starting to school.
“Yer uncle at home?”
She eyed him shrewdly.
“Whaddaya wanta know for?” she demanded, cold-eyed.