Red Death An Easy Rawlins Mystery

Chapter One I always started sweeping on the top floor of the Magnolia Street apartments. It was a three-story pink stucco building between Ninety-first Street and Ninety-first Place, just about a mile outside of Watts proper. Twelve units. All occupied for that month. I had just gathered the dirt into a neat pile when I heard Mofass drive up in his new '53 Pontiac. I knew it was him because there was something wrong with the transmission, you could hear its high singing from a block away. I heard his door slam and his loud hello to Mrs. Trajillo, who always sat at her window on the first floor'best burglar alarm you could have.I knew that Mofass collected the late rent on the second Thursday of the month; that's why I chose that particular Thursday to clean. I had money and the law on my mind, and Mofass was the only man I knew who might be able to set me straight.I wasn't the only one to hear the Pontiac.The doorknob to Apartment J jiggled and the door came open showing Poinsettia Jackson's sallow, sorry face.She was a tall young woman with yellowish eyes and thick, slack lips."Hi, Easy," she drawled in the saddest high voice. She was a natural tenor but she screwed her voice higher to make me feel sorry for her.All I felt was sick. The open door let the stink of incense from her prayer altar flow out across my newly swept hall."Poinsettia," I replied, then I turned quickly away as if my sweeping might escape if I didn't move to catch it."I heard Mofass down there," she said. "You hear him?""I just been workin'. That's all."She opened the door and draped her emaciated body against the jamb. The nightcoat was stretched taut across her chest. Even though Poinsettia had gotten terribly thin after her accident, she still had a large frame."I gotta talk to him, Easy. You know I been so sick that I cain't even walk down there. Maybe you could go on down an tell'im that I need t'talk.""He collectin' the late rent, Poinsettia. If you ain't paid him all you gotta do is wait. He'll be up here soon enough to talk to you.""But I don't have it," she cried."You better tell'im that," I said. It didn't mean anything, I just wanted to say the last word and get down to work on the second floor."Could you talk to him, Easy? Couldn't you tell'im how sick I am?""He know how sick you are, Poinsettia. All he gotta do is look at you and he could tell that. But you know Mofass is business. He wants that rent.""But maybe you could tell him about me, Easy."She smiled at me. It was the kind of smile that once made men want to go out of their way. But Poinsettia's fine skin had slackened and she smelled like an old woman, even with the incense and perfume. Instead of wanting to help her I just wanted to get away."Sure, I'll ask 'im. But you know he don't work for me," I lied. "It's the other way around.""Go on down there now, Easy," she begged. "Go ask 'im to let me slide a month or two."She hadn't paid a penny in four months already, but it wouldn't have been smart for me to say that to her."Lemme talk to 'im later, Poinsettia. He'd just get mad if I stopped him on the steps.""Go to 'im now, Easy. I hear him coming." She pulled at her robe with frantic fingers.I could hear him too. Three loud knocks on a door, probably unit B, and then, in his deep voice, "Rent!""I'll go on down," I said to Poinsettia's ashen toes.I pushed the dirt into my long-handled dustpan and made my way down to the second floor, sweeping off each stair as I went. I had just started gathering the dirt into a pile when Mofass came struggling up the stairs.He'd lean forward to grab the railing, then pull himself up the stairs, hugging and wheezing like an old bulldog.Mofass looked like an old bulldog too; a bulldog in a three-piece brown suit. He was fat but powerfully built, with low sloping shoulders and thick arms. He always had a cigar in his mouth or between hiMosley, Walter is the author of 'Red Death An Easy Rawlins Mystery', published 2002 under ISBN 9780743451765 and ISBN 0743451767.