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Back Blood Grove
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. Discover More
  53. Praise for Walter Mosley andBlood Grove
  54. About the Author
  55. Also by Walter Mosley

“It was that mothahfuckin’ Alonzo. He ripped me off. Took all’a the money from where we hid it. But I knew. I knew where he went with that girl’a his. He’idn’t know that she had me up there too. He got her pregnant and I took her to that free clinic they got on Fairfax. She were mad at him and so when I took her out to Blood Grove she had me stay. I knew they were up there and I went to kill him and then make her pay me my money. But Alonzo wasn’t there and when I was talkin’ to her this white boy jumped in. We fell and I stabbed myself. When I came to the white boy was on the ground and Donata was gone. I made it to my car and then to a phone booth to call Mama. But she wouldn’t take me to no doctor. She said if she did we’d both get in trouble.”

I had about a dozen questions. I wanted to know how Lily got all the way out to Orange County and why she would let her own son die. But Ketch didn’t have the time and I didn’t need answers.

He said other things that I didn’t understand. After a while he drifted off into a feverish sleep.

“We got to call the cops,” I said to the heist man’s mother.

“His fate lies with the Lord,” she replied, refusing to look me in the eye.

“That’s true,” I agreed. “But God’s watchin’ whether the cops come or not. No one can escape the judgment of God.”

I didn’t believe any of that but I knew those words would sway her.

Shaking her head Lily Dasher said, “That boy never did do right.”

In some way I knew these words meant I could do what I felt was necessary.

“McCourt,” he said, answering the first ring.

“I got another body for you, Anatole. This one’s still breathing.”

34

34

I left Lily Dasher’s house before the police came. That was okay because, even if my name got mentioned, McCourt would call Suggs and the chief detective would tell his minion to lay off me—for the time being.

I got back up to Sunset around dusk. The hill upon which that part of the Strip stood looked down on the rest of the city like a lazy predator idly wondering how to approach a herd of unsuspecting bovines.