12
PARTISAN REVIEW
"Didn't have no garage, simple as that," the Chief said briefly.
"He could have found one for that, I should think. You know
more about it though ... "
"Hit me once more light," said Charlie. "Oh-oh, too much
is what she said."
The Chief added the nickels to his pile on the dashboard.
"Well you found him, Mister," he said, dealing again. "You
looked him over close and there he was." He looked up at Charlie:
"Stick on two whores, huh? Mighty brave ... Damrnit, I got
to cut the heat out of this deck."
"Sure, Chief," Charlie said.
"I guess he probably doped himself up first," the man reflected.
The Chief put the deck down in the seat. "Look Jack," he said
abruptly, "it's a long day and the sun was out and now it's raining,
see what I mean?"
"Wh-? I beg your pardon?"
"It's a long day."
The man considered this a minute. "Of course," he said then.
"I'm sorry. I think-well, walking out after some flowers and com–
ing on that. It makes you think, that's all."
"Sure it does," the Chief agreed. "What with pulling the box
off and
all."
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I forget you people see this kind
of thing all the-"
"Wait a minute wait a minute," the Chief interrupted. "Don't
tell me what I see. Don't forget that, hear?"
Into the silence that followed Charlie said in a relaxed voice:
"Old man Bentley's probably asleep in the tub still, huh Chief?"
"He'll be along," the Chief assured him. He shifted his position
behind the wheel, looked out the side window at the mist. "Used
to be good hunting hereabouts," he said to no one. He turned up
the bottom card. "Gus Baldwin used to choke that pickup of his
with pheasant and let 'em go right back in there a ways."
"Grace and I didn't see any this afternoon."
"He don't bother around here any more," the Chief explained.
"That goddam development back there. Too close--they're all the
time calling in. Every time a truck backfires on the pike they want
the Guard out."
