Gloria (32 page)
When Marcia telephone to tell me she think somebody watching the house over Franklyn Town that is when I knew the situation bad outta hand and I had no choice but to go back to Clifton.
‘Oh, so now yu want to tell me.’
‘What can yu do Clifton?’
He look out to sea just the same way he do the last time we sitting there in the shade at Morgan’s Harbour. And then after some long while he say, ‘I already do it, Gloria.’ And he smile.
‘Yu already do what?’
‘I already know all about yu mystery man and who hire him and what she want. Everything, Gloria, everything, believe me.’
Clifton pleased with himself. Smug. It wouldn’t have surprise me if he pull a big, fat cigar outta his pocket and stick it in his mouth, except Clifton don’t smoke.
‘So yu going tell me?’
‘That depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On whether or not I change my mind.’ And then he laugh. A great guffaw of a laugh. Clifton well satisfied with himself that is for sure.
We sit there a while longer and then he say, ‘The man, the one watching the house and asking so much questions, he a ex-policeman renting himself out to go spy on people and report their business. He get hired by a woman over Passmore Town. I think she a friend a yours.’
‘Fingernail?’
Clifton laugh so much he nearly fall off the chair. ‘Fingernail! That is what yu call her?’ And he laugh some more.
‘Yu ever see her? Yu ever see that nail?’
‘No, man.’
‘So?’
‘So OK, Fingernail hire him to go find out anything he can about you and what gwaan over Franklyn Town. And simple enough he wondering who this house belong to that everybody so busy taking their vacation in Ocho Rios. And that take him straight to Henry Wong. The man we talking ’bout not so bright so that musta been some easy-easy trail to follow.’ He stop. And then he say, ‘But I tell yu something for nothing. This thing not done yet.’
‘What yu mean?’
‘Wait nuh sista. I going tell yu. Just wait yu hurry.’
‘I am not yu sista, man.’ And then I have to bite my tongue because I can feel I am getting ready to give this man a piece of my mind, and in the circumstances I know that not such a good idea.
The waiter put down the two rum punches and take up the empty glasses and walk off.
‘Yu friend, what she want is money. She go up Lady Musgrave Road and tell Cicely Wong that her husband got a woman in Ocho Rios and if she pay she can have all the details she want. But Miss Cicely not interested. She just tell her she can do whatever she want with her information because she not going give her a penny.’
‘How yu know all a this?’
‘Fingernail tek her detective with her for comfort and one thing about a private dick is that if yu pay him enough he will tell yu anything and everything yu want to know. That is why it always better to put yu trust in the police.’ And he smile.
He sip his punch. And then he look out to sea with the breeze blowing in his face and say, ‘I know yu don’t want nothing happening to Henry Wong to disturb your cosy weekends in Ocho Rios. You and him sipping Appleton on the veranda and doing whatever the two a yu do up there. I know yu don’t want that.’ And then he turn to me and raise his eyebrows.
Henry miserable. Every day he get up early hours before Fay get outta bed and take himself to Barry Street for his breakfast and then he go sit in the shop all day ’til it time to go back to Barry Street for his dinner and play mah-jong ’til all hours of night to make sure Cicely gone to her bed by the time he get back. And when he not down there losing his money he is sitting here in the house telling me how Fay leave Pao and come back to Lady Musgrave Road and arguing with Cicely morning, noon and night.
‘Even sometime when Fay come back from nightclub early morning, Cicely get out bed so two them can argue ’bout hours Fay keeping and how it not seemly for a married woman, and ’bout priest that she busy chasing to Bishop’s Lodge and he chasing her up the house. And I know because some time back I had to get out own bed tell him go home when he come knocking at door in middle of night. All this arguing. They even argue over fact that maybe they nuh argue for two hours. That is how bad it is, Gloria. Too much for a man to take. Too much.’
I sit there and I listen to it, not because I am interested in what Fay and Cicely cussing about but because I want to hear the reason why Fay leave Pao. But Henry don’t know. Every time I see him I think maybe this time he find out and going tell me, but no. All he say is that it involve some boss in West Kingston. That is it. Except it seem like whatever happen in West Kingston mean that Pao now got Kenneth Wong working for him.
‘Yu mean your boy Kenneth?’
‘Yes, Gloria. My boy who should be in school learning lessons instead of running on street do errands Pao. So he have money now, buy records and fancy clothes. And school he forget about even though I still pay fees. Kenneth always been wild. I tell you that before. But now he rude and talk back to everybody in house, including his mother! Can you believe?’
‘So what you doing ’bout it?’
‘Me? Children not to do with me, Gloria. That for Cicely. That is how it always been.’
Henry not mention nothing to me ’bout Fingernail’s private detective so I reckon that die a death even though Clifton still convinced she not done yet.
Next thing I get a knock at the door one day and when I go open it Judge Finley is standing there taking a rest from the noonday sun. I so surprised I can hardly believe my eyes. I didn’t even know he had the address to come find me.
‘I hope I not intruding, Miss Gloria, but I have a favour to ask yu.’
When we settled with the coffee on the veranda I say to him, ‘I don’t have no envelope a money for yu Finley.’ And I laugh.
He a humble man, Finley, so he bow his head a little.
‘I know that is the only way you and me meet each other before. But this is a completely different matter I want to ask yu ’bout.’
And what he want is for me to talk to Pao ’bout Kenneth Wong.
‘Kenneth is a young and foolish bwoy. I tell Yang Pao that a long time back, long before all this mess. We had a tangle wid some bad people and, well, I don’t need to go into details wid yu. The thing is Kenneth working wid us now and Miss Gloria, I can tell yu it a bad situation that can only get worse.’
‘Finley, yu work for Pao. Why yu nuh just talk to him ’bout it?’
‘I have tried, believe me, but he not listening to a single word I am saying. Even Hampton say to him that Miss Fay not going like it, her little brother involve wid us and all. But Yang Pao don’t care. You must know what he get like when his mind fixed on something.’
I think to myself yes, I know, and then I say to him, ‘What mek yu think the situation so bad apart from how Fay maybe feel ’bout it?’
‘The bwoy is wild, Miss Gloria. He got no discipline. He outta control. He will do anything wid anybody or against anybody at any time. He got no sense, and no understanding a business or respect for anybody or anything. He lie and he cheat and he disloyal. All Kenneth Wong interested in is money and swaggering ’round the place like he a big shot now he running wid us. So trouble is following him everywhere. It get so bad nobody want to go do nothing wid him. Not even run a little errand ’round the corner because it so dangerous.’ He pause and then he say, ‘I worried people going start tek a hike. Yu know, if the Kenneth thing nuh get sorted out. Or worse that somebody get hurt.’
I look at him bending down his tall wiry frame to sip the coffee. Like he don’t know he can raise his arm to bring the cup to his lips.
‘I don’t see how I can help yu.’
‘Talk to him. That is all I am asking.’ And then he say, ‘Things going OK for us right now but this Kenneth thing, it need put a stop to before it completely get outta hand.’
I got no idea what good they think me talking to Pao going do. But anyway, I say to him that I will try and he grateful. I reckon they must be desperate if they coming to me.
Just before he leave I say to him, ‘Tell me something Finley, how yu get the nickname Judge?’
He pull his big lips together tight like maybe he don’t want to say, but then he relax and smile.
‘Yang Pao give it to me when we was just boys, the first time I meet him and Hampton ask him what he think I look like. Hampton is my cousin, is him introduce me to Yang Pao. Anyway, he think ’bout it and he say I look like I could judge a good horse. And it mek Hampton laugh so much he nearly bust his sides. So that is how it come about, Horse Judge, yu know.’
I can see where Pao get it from because Finley got a face like a horse sure enough.
I smile and I say to him, ‘So what yu name?’
‘Neville.’
‘All right Neville Finley, I will see what I can do.’
Pao not interested. ‘That is my business. Finley got no right coming to yu over a thing like that. It got nothing to do wid you.’
‘Yu cyan see he must be seriously fretting over this to be coming all the way up here to talk to me ’bout it?’
He stop his fuming. ‘Kenneth not that bad. He unruly that is true. But he young. He will learn. All he need to do is simmer down.’
‘You, Finley and Hampton been running together since yu fourteen years old. Yu nuh think yu should stop a minute and listen to them?’ He thinking on it. ‘Yu know, Pao, trouble is brewing. The ink barely dry on the election paper and already there is so much rumbling over unemployment and the poor state a the economy. People running short on patience and hope, especially in West Kingston, which is where I hear yu have some run-in.’
‘Where the hell yu hear ’bout that?’
‘It nuh matter where I hear it. The thing is t-r-o-u-b-l-e is b-r-e-w-i-n-g. That is what I am saying to yu. Yu nuh know that for yuself??’
He vex. ‘Of course I know it. Yu think I been living in a cave? But that is West Kingston, it not Chinatown.’
‘There is going to be open warfare in the street. Yu know how easy it is to buy a gun nowadays?’
‘Don’t talk to me ’bout no gun. That is how all this nonsense start.’
‘What yu mean?’
He look at me like he wish he never say what he did. And then he think hard on it and take a deep breath.
‘I had a man call Samuels and a while back I discover he was selling guns in Chinatown for a boss in West Kingston called DeFreitas. So anyway, I go deal with that situation and DeFreitas agree to stay outta Chinatown if I give him Samuels so I do it. And next thing I know, Samuels turn up dead. They shoot him in the back a the head and burn his body in a alley.’
‘And Kenneth?’
‘After Samuels gone I needed somebody to take care of his chores.’
‘Even though Finley and Hampton warn yu against it?’
‘Yu see, now yu back to that same thing.’ He shrug his shoulders and start to walk off.
So I say, ‘And Fay?’
He turn ’round. ‘What you know about that?’
‘I know she leave yu and go back to Lady Musgrave Road.’
He take two deep breath and do one of his big puff-out-yu-cheek sighs. ‘She leave me after she hear ’bout Samuels. She even try tek the children with her but I stop that.’
‘Yu see, the trouble already start. Yu cyan see how all a this is coming together into one almighty calamity for yu? Turf war, murder, yu wife leaving yu and all this business over Kenneth. It all pointing in the same direction. Yu nuh see that?’
He look at me a good while. ‘Yu have any tea?’
When we settled with the Lipton’s on the veranda he say in a calm, gentle voice, ‘I know how much trouble going on over West Kingston. The thing with DeFreitas was because I didn’t want it spreading into Chinatown.’
I sigh and pat his hand as we sitting in the chairs next to each other. ‘Che Guevara said that we shouldn’t be afraid of violence. It is the midwife of new societies.’
‘He said that? Well I guess he would the amount of fighting them Cubans been doing since the first Spaniard set foot in Havana or wherever it was.’
‘They doing good yu know, since Castro tek over. With literacy, employment, medical care. They turning the place ’round.’
‘Yu think that is the way we should be going? Communist?’
‘Maybe not communist as such. But socialist. Socialist enough for every man, woman and child to have a chance.’
‘Yu mean like Sun Yat-sen? Liberty, equality and fraternity?’
‘As long as fraternity include everybody. Black, white . . .’ and then I look at him and say, ‘Chinese, Indian, Scottish, Irish, Lebanese, Jew. Everybody, no matter where they come from or the colour or shade of their skin. Out of many, one people.’ And then I think on it and I say, ‘Even if they homosexual.’
‘Homosexual!’
‘Yu got a problem wid that?’
He think and then he say, ‘No. Actually, I know a homosexual myself and he is a good man. As loyal a friend as anybody could want.’
And then he reach in his pocket and pull out a cigar and stick it in his mouth and light it.
‘Since when yu start doing that?’
