The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [256]
He crawled. He knee-walked. He hit the anchor hub. He stood up. He invoked Barb. He did a dead squat. He threw his right arm out. He wrapped the anchor stem. He jerked and stood up.
His breath exploded. His breath held. His left arm burned up.
He stumbled. He weaved four feet starboard. He reared up to six-five plus. He let the anchor drop.
It cracked the deck. It shattered loud. It snapped threadbare teak. It fell below. It dropped straight down. It smashed John Stanton flush.
112
(Memphis, 4/4/68)
Countdown:
It’s 5:59. We’re heading for checkmate—pawn to RED KING. We’re close. King’s outside. King’s on the balcony.
He’s by the railing. He’s with a Negro man. Negro men mill below. King’s talking to them. It’s jovial. Cars sit below.
Jimmy’s in the wino pad. Fred O. said so. Jimmy will shoot. Fred O. said so. Jimmy will split. I’ll drop gun 3. Fred O. said so.
Wayne watched the balcony. Brush covered him. Bob Relyea ditto. Bugs crawled. Ants swarmed. Pollen spritzed.
Bob held gun 2. It was aimed up and out. It was eye-sighted in. Wayne held binoculars. Wayne zeroed in tight.
He held on King. He got King’s eyes. He got King’s skin.
Bob said, “He ain’t walking downstairs. If Jimmy don’t shoot inside a minute, I do.”
Code Red/all systems clear/all systems GO. No security extant/no cops visible/Feds and Fed cars ditto. Their car was parked on Main Street. Fred O.’s car ditto.
Bob shoots or Jimmy shoots. Jimmy runs then. They run faster. They run zippo. They run through the same passageway. They’re younger and swift. They cut through the wino-pad wings.
They bag their car. They split. Jimmy bags his car. Jimmy splits. Fred O. drops gun 3 in a doorway—upside Canipe Novelty.
Wayne hits the safe house. Jimmy shows up. Jimmy suicides.
Countdown—6:00 p.m. sharp—pawn to RED KING.
Wayne honed his binoculars. Wayne got King’s eyes. Wayne got King’s skin.
“I’m on him. If Jimmy misses or wounds, I’ll tap you.”
“I want him to punk out. You know that.”
“Otash says he’s solid.”
“He’s a fruitcake. Always has been.”
Wayne watched King. Wayne ran outtakes. Wayne saw that fuck film. The mattress jiggles. King’s flab rolls. That ashtray drops.
Wayne tingled. Bob tingled. Wayne saw his veins pop. They heard a shot slam. They saw red blood on black skin. They heard concurrent pop.
Wayne saw the impact. Wayne saw the neck spray. Wayne saw King drop.
The safe house:
A two-room apartment. Bargain-basement furnished. Three miles off South Main.
Wayne dropped Bob off. Wayne went there. Wayne sat. Fucking Jimmy schizzed out. Fucking Jimmy no-showed.
Fred O. said go there. Fred O. said meet my friend. He’s got the bounty. He’s got your visa. He’s got your Rhodesian passport.
Wayne sat. Wayne waited. Wayne shagged walkie-talkie reports. Fred O. buzzed. Fred O. talked. Fred O. culled juicy cop talk.
He dropped the gun. He did it unseen. Jimmy bagged his sled and took off. The cops showed. The cops found the gun. The cops checked it out.
They talked to folks. They got descriptions. They put broadcasts out. Look for a white man. He’s got a white Mustang. Wrong. Jimmy’s ‘Stang was yellow.
Fred O. buzzed. Fred O. fretted. He’s gone. He smelled shit. He shut “Raul” off. The cops have the plant gun. The Feds will take over. The Feds will obfuscate.
Soft-point bullets. Hard to ID. Ballistic holocaust. It’s a 30.06. It’s the murder weapon. We know that’s a fact.
Trust Mr. Hoover. He’ll extrapolate. Big Dwight says so. Wayne agreed. Wayne said we’re covered. We both say so.
Bob was crushed. Bob didn’t shoot. Bob the Klansman bereft. Bob laughed and hailed a cab. Bob booked for West Memphis, Arkansas. Wayne sat. Wayne waited. Wayne gave Jimmy up. He burned the suicide note. He flushed the crystal meth. He smashed the hypodermic. He put gloves on. He wiped the pad. He played the radio.
He heard eulogies. He caught breaking news. He heard Negroes-in-the-street bereft. Riots in progress/nationwide chaos/arson and sack.
Wayne popped a window. Wayne heard sirens. Wayne