I’m Fixin’ To Play Dead – Part 60
I turned and walked away from Sissy’s former place of employment, feeling forlorn, confused and almost dumbfounded. In this particular state I found myself pulling back into the drive way of the darkened house that had been my former sanctuary. The sign advertising the place for rent stood out like a beacon beneath the streetlight, as if to signal that I didn’t belong there.
I found a pen in the glove box and wrote down the phone number listed on the sign. I would call them tomorrow. But I still had tonight to deal with. I was dazed and confused, but still not ready to admit to myself that I had been abandoned. However, the empty house, no record of Louise being in jail for murder and the information I had received from Mister Moss, the real owner of the underground club, all pointed strongly in that direction.
There had to be some kind of explanation, otherwise why would Sissy leave behind the expensive vehicle I was driving?
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope came to mind. Glancing at my watch I observed it to be a few minutes past nine ‘clock. I made the decision right then–I was fixin’ to go back to Birmingham!
I knew I could be there by 10:30 and maybe Old Man Jenkins, the trailer park manager, would still be up. I couldn’t imagine why, but just maybe Louise and Sissy had gone back there to Louise’s trailer. It was a long shot, but no other actions that made any sense came to mind.
About a hour and a half later, after cruising the trailer park and finding no lights, vehicles or any activity at Leon’s or Louise’s former trailer, I was standing on the steps of the manager’s trailer rapping on his door.
When the door finally cracked open the old man peeked through the crack and said, “Yes, can I help you?”
“Mr. Jenkins, remember me? It’s Ralph Cooper. Can I please talk to you for just a minute?”
The door opened wide and with a look of relief on his face Mister Jenkins said, “Why sure I remember you, Ralph. Come on in. It’ll be nice to have some civil company and maybe you can clear up a few things for me.” He gestured toward a chair and said, “Have a seat and let’s talk.”
As I sank into the chair I started to ask, “You haven’t seen—–”
“No, I ain’t seen Leon,” he interrupted, “and I ain’t seen Louise either. However, there was a passel of police looking for her. They come in here yesterday with a search warrant and made me unlock her trailer for them, but they wouldn’t tell me how come they was looking for her. I suspect it had something to do with cars. She always had an affinity for driving other folk’s cars without permission.”
So the cops really were looking for Louise, or maybe they were looking for Sissy like I was. I couldn’t tell Mister Jenkins what those cops were looking for, but I could tell him about Leon.
“Leon won’t be back, Mister Jenkins. He was murdered down in Biloxi a few days ago.”
With a look of shock on his face Mister Jenkins said, “Oh Lord have mercy! Did they catch the killer?”
“The cops didn’t, but you can take my word for it that the murderer got what was coming to him,” I told him. “The cops were probably looking for Louise for something to do with Leon’s murder. She didn’t have nothing to do with it and I can clear all that up, which I intend to do.”
Suddenly, I felt extremely tired and remembered Mister Jenkins’ former offer of a place to rest. “Mister Jenkins, do you still have a trailer for rent by the night. I really need a place to sleep tonight.”
The old man fetched a key out of a drawer and said, “It’s the third one on the right past Leon’s, and won’t be no charge for you, son.”
“Oh, no sir! I insist on paying,” I said as I placed a fifty on the table. “There’s just one thing—if the cops come back around please don’t mention that I’ve been here. I haven’t done anything wrong, but I am in a tight situation right now. I’ll probably leave real early in the morning, so if I don’t see you again, well, God bless you.”
As I was leaving the old man said, “And may the Lord take a liking to you, son. Just remember that sometimes hope is born when all is forlorn.”
The trailer was dark and cool, but it was fresh and clean. I turned on a dim light and found the small bed and turned the covers down. Then I shed my clothes and crawled into it and hugged the thin pillow. It was a lonely bed and far from what I had imagined the evening to have brought. I went to sleep hungry and lonely, but I knew what I was fixin’ to do first thing in the morning.