1 Death of a Garden Hoe (4 page)

Pone stood up half way through supper. He whispered to Bean, "Cover for me. I'll be back."

Bean nodded and kept eating. Pone fled.

* * *

After supper, Big Mike Williams sat at the kitchen table, his notes spread before him. He sipped his hot coffee began to read. He squinted and slid his reading glasses onto his nose. "Hmmm, much better."

Big Mike heard the back door slam and Pone walked into the room.

"Hey, Dad."

Startled, Big Mike stood. "Hey Mike, what's up? Don't you have one-on-one counseling or something this evening?"

"Uh, naw. Group, but Dr. Browning said I could be late tonight. I have to talk to you."

"Sure, Mike. It's been a long time since we talked. Do you think we can remember how?"

Pone smiled. "Yeah, I think we can remember how, Dad."

Pone walked over to the kitchen table and sat. Big Mike waited until he took a seat and sat across from him. He folded his large hands on the table. "So, Son, what's up?"

Pone looked at the ceiling. He licked his lips and cracked his knuckles. "Dad, I've learned a lot since I had to live at The Olive Branch. I don't mean about gardening, but I learned a lot about that too." He squirmed in his seat. "What I want to say is that I am really sorry for all the crap I put you through."

Big Mike raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Pone got up and went to the fridge. Pulling out two Sprites, he put one in front of his father and he popped the top on the other.

Sitting down, he stared at the soda. Big Mike sipped his Sprite and waited.

Pone took a breath and let it out slowly. "Today, when we found that girl, something inside made me think about stuff.

Pone stared at the table. Big Mike wanted to speak, but waited for Pone to finish.

Pone took a breath. "The thing is, Dad, we have group sessions three times a week. I thought they were dumb, but I had to go. I'd sit there and try to figure out gaming moves. I didn't pay attention. I learned how to
look
like I was, but I treated most of it like a joke."

Big Mike quietly asked, "And now?"

Pone shook his head. He yanked off his ball cap. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his father. "Now I don't know. Now I see how life as a super gamer is so totally lame. That isn't real life. Those guys I know online aren't real." He grabbed his father's hand and squeezed. "
This
is real. That dead girl is real. Shroom, Spaz, and Bean are real. All the things I thought were important don't really mean much. So now where am I?"

Big Mike nodded. Pone stared at the wall. "I saw money never did Cash any good in life, and he ain't ready to change. When Daddy don't bail him out, Momma does if she's sober, which isn't often.

Shroom was into drugs and gangs. The State took him away from his family. They said they were bad for him. The State placed him with his grandma. Grandma got him out of the gangs. Grandma also grew pot in her basement. Instead of crack, he did blunt. So back to jail he goes. And Spaz? She's been abused since she was a baby. She may never be okay."

His father looked up. "And that boy they call Bean?"

Pone laughed. "Bean is not like the rest of them. He's really smart, but they think he's stupid. It's like he's never been around people and doesn't know how to act. I guess I'm more like Bean than the rest of them. He's what got me thinking about why I felt so out of place. Thank God, I'm black, because Spaz and Shroom took one look at me and figured I came from their world-no questions asked. Bean is the odd man out. I'm sayin' his parents are
teachers
!"

Mike chuckled. "You say that like it's a disease."

"For Bean with this group, it's like a death sentence. Almost as bad as having a cop for a father, but they just found out about that today."

Big Mike grinned. "I'm sure things will get better for him. Now back to you. What's up here? You didn't come over here to discuss your cop dad, did you?"

"I know we can be better than we are."

"And by that you mean?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm really sorry."

Pone stood and his father wrapped his arms around him. "Mike, I know we can't bring Mom back. I know it's been hard for you. But I think we are gong to be okay."

Pone smiled and hugged his dad close. "Yeah, we are." He pushed back and stood facing Big Mike. "Which reminds me, Dad. Can you do me a favor?"

Banging on the back door stopped both of them. Bean blew through the kitchen yelling, "Hey, Pone, I stopped by to talk to your dad. Good thing you're here. Hi, Mr. Williams."

"Hello, young man. What did you want to see me about?"

Bean looked at Pone. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked at the floor. Pone hit his shoulder. "Out with it, man. What do you want with my dad?"

Bean stumbled back and rubbed his arm. "I want to help. That's why you're here too, right, Pone?"

Pone nodded and faced his dad. "Uh, yeah, me and Bean, we want to check it out. You know, help."

"You mean, solve a murder?"

"Yup," Bean said. We want to see how you solve a crime."

Big Mike thought. "You know many crimes are never solved, right? Most police work is boring, you know."

Pone nodded. "We know, but our friend Spaz knew that girl. I don't think Spaz has many friends."

Big Mike thought a moment. So you think maybe you can help your friend Spaz if we can find out who killed her friend."

Pone looked at his feet. "Sounds kind of stupid when you say it out loud."

Big Mike smiled. "No, not stupid, just a hard row to hoe."

Both Bean and Pone flinched. Pone said, "Uh, no more about the hoes, Dad,"

"Why not?"

Pone smiled and looked at Bean, He looked away. "Uh, never mind."

"I don't get it."

Pone said, "I know, but hey, you had to be there."

Bean piped up. "I bet Shroom and Cash would help too. Spaz will be a harder nut to crack, but maybe she will come around."

Big Mike smiled. "Let me make some calls, Mike. I'd have to clear it with the courts, probation, my work, and Ollie Boothe. If I am going to do this, I need to know you guys will follow through. And no going off on your own, understood?"

They both grinned. "Okay."

"You know you are speaking for people who have not even been asked yet."

Pone grabbed his ball cap and shoved the chair under the table. "But we will ask, and I'll call you tonight, but I know they'll say yes. If not, you still got me-n-Bean."

"Now
that
makes me very afraid."

Big Mike watched the two boys. They bounded out of the house and ran down the street.

"I think I am very afraid."

Chapter 6

Pone and Bean skidded to a stop outside Dr. Browning's office. A quick look at his watch told Pone there was about ten minutes left of group. Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice and turned the knob.

Dr. Patricia Browning stopped speaking when the door flew open. Bean and Pone stood in the doorway sucking air like winded racehorses.

Patti Browning had been around a lot of troubled kids in her time. She knew the signs of a break-through when she saw one. Mike Williams Jr., a.k.a. Pone was shining with a new inner light. The other kid was jazzed to the max. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought Bean was high.

The group may not see it, but they could sense something was different. Patti Browning watched them closely. Spaz turned her back to them. All that happiness freaked her out.

Shroom crossed his arms and slid down into his chair, frowning. Cash looked confused.

Dr. Browning stood. "Well, nice to see you two. Glad you could make it. We were just talking about things we fear, and our time is about up."

Pone pushed away from the door. "Good. Can I change the subject, Dr. Pat?"

She looked at the other kids. "I think that would be all right. Is it okay with the rest of you?"

Everyone but Spaz nodded. She just sat there, turned away from the rest.

Pone walked to the front of the room. "Thanks, guys. I talked to my dad tonight. I asked if we could help find Dead Chick's killer. He said yes, and if he can get it okayed, we can all help."

All eyes turned to Spaz. She stood and faced the rest. "What are you all looking at me for? I don't care what you morons do. You think anything we do will help Amy now? She's just another dead ho. No one gives a damn, so don't pretend you do!"

Spaz grabbed her sweater and ran out of the room.

Bean looked after her and at the group. "Oops."

Shroom pushed the hair out of his eyes. "Big oops. What were you thinking, man?"

Pone shrugged. "I don't know. I thought she would like the idea."

Cash let out a breath that puffed out his cheeks. "Well, you thought wrong, dawg."

Pone looked at the floor. "Now what?"

Dr. Browning cleared her throat. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Sure, anything."

"If you boys want to be involved, I'll help get permission so you may. I'll work with Detective Williams on this.

Bean spoke up. "And if Spaz wants to join us later, that would be all right. If not, maybe we will find answers that will bring her some peace."

Shroom scowled. "Work with cops, are you playin' me, dawg? I ain't goin' anywhere near cops! Count me out, man."

Quiet up until that point, Cash said, "Maybe we don't have to."

Shroom looked up. "Don't have to what?"

Pone turned. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe we don't need the cops. Maybe we do this on our own."

Shroom stood. "Maybe...
not
! Hell, Cash, what do we know about investigating crime? We only know how to commit them."

Cash leaned back in his chair. "We also know how we got caught. We just do it backward."

Bean shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense, but I like it." He looked at Pone. "When do we start?"

Pone was trying to settle them down. "Now wait a minute. We can't just go off on our own and–"

Cash grinned. "Why not? I have a vehicle, and I can bankroll us…What the–"

Shroom spun around and scowled. He leaned close to Cash and crossed his arms. "No way, man. No cops. I mean it. No cops. Me and cops do not get along!" He bounced out of his chair. "Did I say no cops?"

Bean said, "You said no cops."

Pone tried to calm Shroom, "Okay, you got it, no cops, just my dad."

"Your dad is a cop."

"I know. But he's cool, I swear. Come on, Shroom. Let's do it for Spaz."

"Why should we help her? She's a bitch, man."

Bean butted in. "She's got her issues, Shroom. Just like you, just like any of us. You scared to be a good guy for once in your life? Think of your mom. She'd–"

Shroom got in his face. "You don't say
nothin'
about my mom."

Bean held up his hands. "Back off, dude, I didn't. It just might make your mother proud, that's all."

Shroom thought a moment. "I thought it was one more of your peckerwood ideas, and I don't want to hear it."

Shroom backed away and picked up his sweatshirt. He held up a hand and pointed down at the group. "You guys want to do this, you go. I ain't going. This ain't my gig, it's yours. Go play Five-oh and make your daddy proud, Pone."

Pone stepped forward. "You moron. It's about helping a friend. About finding answers about dead chick, who has no one to help her. Why does everything always have to be about you, Shroom? Why can't it ever be for anyone else?"

Shroom grabbed his sweatshirt. "I don't have to listen to this crap, man."

Pone yelled after him, "You go run away, Shroom. You're just scared, girly man. Go run and hide. We don't need your ass here anyway."

Shroom slammed the door on his way out. Pone looked at Cash and Bean. He sighed.
A smart assed rich boy and an intelligent idiot who knows four speeds; trip, stumble, fart, and fall down. I am in big trouble
.

Chapter 7

Early the next morning, Pone, Bean, and Cash sifted through layers of slimy garbage and other muck trying to find a clue as to who offed Dead Chick.

"Who the hell thought this would be a good thing?" Cash yelled. "Three hours in this cesspool and all I got to show for it is a buckle off a shoe and ruined blue jeans!"

Pone looked over his shoulder at the rip in Cash's thigh. "If you didn't wear two hundred dollar jeans, it wouldn't matter so much, Yo."

Cash gave Pone the "You're Number One" sign with the wrong finger and Pone laughed.

Bean made it through seven layers of yuck and stopped dead. "Uh, Detective Williams? I think I've got something here."