Body on Pine

by DeMarco, Joseph R. G.

  This part of town consisted of older housing with new development haphazardly thrown in here and there. Bella Vista is the first neighborhood settled by Italian immigrants. One of my grandfathers had lived somewhere in the area. That era had long ago faded to nearly nothing.

  Some older homes had been redone by newcomers, a large segment of which were gay men who felt it was close enough to the center of town but not as expensive. Except as soon as they started moving in and upgrading, costs and taxes began rising. Parts of Bella Vista butted up against historic sections of the city and the closer you came to that, the better things looked and the more they cost.

  Ty wasn’t lucky enough to live in that part of the neighborhood. His apartment, near Seventh and Fitzwater, was in an old building, waiting for a fix up that might never happen.

  “Got some friends who bought a house down here,” Kevin said as we walked through Bella Vista. “Nice neighborhood but too far out of the way for me. I like being in the middle of town.”

  “Too close to family for me to feel comfortable,” I said. “No way am I moving anywhere near South Philly. Too many memories.” This neighborhood was so close to family territory, I felt it on my skin like a subtle change in the air’s electrical charge.

  “You think we’ll find this guy?”

  “If we don’t find him tonight, I’ll find him eventually. The longer it takes, the sorrier he’ll be.”

  “What’re you gonna do?” Kevin asked, and I could hear Kevin’s alter ego speaking. Hugely muscled and tough, Kevin occasionally reveled in his drag identity as Germaine Shepherd. His transformation usually caused considerable dissonance but also gained him a lot of fans.

  “I’d like to wring Eddie’s neck until his eyes pop out. Even better, I’d like to make him feel the way Ty must’ve felt. Cornered, scared, helpless. I’ll settle for making him squirm and getting him out of town until I can figure out how to decommission him.” I felt my heart thump with anger.

  “Wow, you really got it in for the dude.”

  I did have it in for him. I wondered whether it was having seen Ty, sylph-like and bloodied, being trundled away in an ambulance or whether I was thinking about the fact that someone like Eddie might’ve killed Brad. Or was it something in myself I was reacting to? Whatever it was, the feeling was real and strong. I needed to control it before I did something stupid.

  We neared Seventh and Fitzwater while it was still daylight and I gazed around looking for Ty’s apartment house. On one corner, a quirky old building sporting an odd clock tower reminded me of a very different time in South Philly and made me feel good whenever I passed by. Not this time. This time I had Eddie on my mind and all pleasant thoughts had fled.

  New row homes squatted on one side of the street with a parking lot at one end. Halfway down the street towards Eighth, I spotted a familiar building. I’d dropped Ty off one night after work. I’d only seen the place from the outside.

  “We’re not gonna be able to get in easily. Whatever way we do it, we’ll spook Eddie. Let’s scope it out first.” I pointed to the building.

  “Got it,” Kevin said. “What do you want me to do?”

  “See if there’s a back way out. An alley, a fire escape. Or some way he can evade us. I’ll see how we might get in without a fuss.”

  Kevin loped away, his eyes trained on the building. His skills as a bouncer, with a good eye for trouble, came in handy.

  The building’s façade was marred by a hundred years of caked on dust and grime. The once-red brick was a muddy brown. The doorway, flanked by two oblong windows, was decrepit. No decorations, no sign of life.

  “Wouldn’t be easy for him to escape out the back,” Kevin said returning to stand with me. “A long drop and no alleyway. He’d have to hop over roofs then jump down three stories.”

  “He wouldn’t do that. He loves himself too much.”

  “Did you find a way in?”

  “Not yet. I’m workin’ on it.” There wasn’t much to work on. Only so many legal ways in.

  “I’ll stake out the corner in case the creep finds the balls to jump three stories. Should be easy catchin’ him if he does.” Kevin winked at me and took up a position leaning against the waist-high wall of the parking lot.

  As I peered at the three story building wondering how I could finagle my way in, an old, very old, Italian-looking woman walked slowly toward me from the direction of Seventh Street. Small and thin, her back ramrod straight, she moved with an unhurried, steady gait. The no nonsense look on her face told me she was tougher than steel.

  Her flower print dress blew about her, as she neared eyeing me with suspicion. Her natural Italian defenses against strangers had gone up and locked themselves into place.

  “Whaddayou lookin’ at?” she said in a commanding voice loud enough for neighbors to hear. “You gott’a business in this building?”

  “Good afternoon, ma’am,” I said smiling.

  “Whaddayou smilin’ about? I didn’t say nothin’ funny. I don’t like people who smile wit’ no reason.”

  “My name’s Marco. Marco Fontana.” I extended a hand which she ignored. She reminded me of my Great Aunt Gemma and her world-hardened dignity. I’d have to tread lightly if I wanted to get anywhere with this woman.

  She said nothing. Kept moving forward.

  “I’m a private investigator and I could use your help, Miss…? I didn’t get your name.”

  “I don’t give my name to strangers.” More and more she was looking like Aunt Gemma who could make grown men weep with fear.

  “There’s a young man who lives in this building. Right now, he’s in the hospital and maybe you could help me catch the one who did this to him. How about it?”

  I looked over at the building again. Shook my head.

  The woman paused. I took that as a sign of something. Good or bad, I wasn’t sure.

  “Do you know anyone who lives here?” I asked.

  The struggle she went through with herself was visible on her face but just barely. Her stubborn strength had obviously kept her going all these years. She didn’t let down her guard easily.

  “Yeah, I live here. Lived here a long time. Before you was born, I bet.”

  “You rent out some space to a couple of young men?”

  “It’s not illegal. Besides, it’s an apartment, not just some space. A full apartment that my husband, rest in peace, built with his own hands.”

  “My father does stuff like that, too. He’s an all around kind of guy, y’know?”

  “Whaddayou wanna know about my tenants?”

  All business, she plowed on.

  “Okay, how well do you know the guys?”

  “Lemme tell you, at first it was just the one kid. Cute, sweet. Looks like an angel with that curly yellow hair. But he’s skinny. Him I know. Or, I thought I knew ‘im.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “The other guy. That’s why. One day he brings home this cafone. Big deal kinda guy. Thinks his shit don’t stink.”

  “Name’s Eddie, right?”

  “Eddie. Yeah. Noisy guy. Ty, the angel, he never made no noise. But now with this other one… They argue a lot. I heard things fallin’ and the little angel is screamin’ and the big cafone is like an animal.”

  “Is he…”

  “I want him out. But I keep my mouth shut for the little angel. He’s got no place else and nobody else. You gonna get this Eddie out for me?”

  “Ma’am, I intend to get him way out. He’s the one who put Ty in the hospital.”

  “Che stronzo! Get ‘im outta my house.”

  “He’s there now?” I asked hoping she knew his habits.

  “He’s alla time there. Don’t work. Not that I can see. How’s my little angel?”

  “He was beaten pretty bad.”

  “Poverello. You tell ‘im I’m prayin’ for him.”

  “Can my friend and I get in to talk to Eddie?”

  “Talk? ‘Ats all you gonna do? Talk? If I
was your age, I’d make sausage outta him.”

  “Don’t worry. He’s gonna be tied in knots when we get through.”

  The old woman quickly climbed the three steps to the door, looked back at me, then brandished a key.

  “There’s no back way out, is there?” I asked.

  “Not unless he wants’a break his neck. I pray to God he does.” She looked skyward.

  I motioned Kevin over and the woman nodded approvingly.

  “You bringin’ in the big guns now, huh? Good. And I don’t care if you make noise. Just make him pay for what he done to my poor angel.”

  Unlocking the door, she held it open for me and Kevin.

  “Third floor apartment. He was there when I left.” She stayed outside. A wise move since she had no idea what would happen. My mother, on the other hand, would’ve insisted on coming up with me to get Eddie, or she’d have taken command of the kitchen to make some sauce for after.

  Kevin and I slipped into the house without a sound. With few windows, the downstairs was dimly lit. Things looked comfortable, neat, and fresh. The pleasant fragrance of something cooked in olive oil lingered in the air as we moved to the stairs.

  At the foot of the stairs, I pulled my gun and moved ahead of Kevin. As I climbed, I turned and signaled him to be quiet. He nodded.

  I stopped mid-climb and listened. Not a sound.

  The next step I took resulted in a squeak from the old wood. I froze and listened. If Eddie was up there he wasn’t bothered by house noises.

  On the second landing, I halted and Kevin nearly bumped me into the wall. I could tell he was nervous. I knew he wasn’t afraid because I’d seen him take rowdy customers and fold them like cheap umbrellas. Hunting around in a strange house, not knowing where your target was likely to be would unnerve most people.

  I placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded signaling we should move.

  The second flight of stairs was a tighter climb. I heard Kevin huffing as he squeezed himself up the narrow stairs.

  On the third floor landing, we faced an old wood door. Not a solid piece of construction. I stood to one side of the door and indicated Kevin should take the other. He moved swiftly and flattened himself as best he could against the wall.

  Gun in one hand, I pounded at the door with my other hand. The old boards rattled and dust motes flew in all directions.

  “Eddie! We need to talk.” I stopped and listened. I heard a faint sound. “Eddie!”

  There was shuffling. I heard him latch the door and scuttle back. “If you’re not the police then get the fuck out,” he shouted.

  “Open the door or you’re gonna wish I was the police.”

  “Who the hell…?”

  “I’m Ty’s boss, Marco Fontana. You and I have some talking to do.”

  “Get the fuck out.” He was silent a moment. “Ty sent you, didn’t he? The little fag. What a pussy. You his daddy now?”

  “Open the door, we can talk nice and civil. Whaddaya say, Eddie?”

  I signaled Kevin that I was going to break in the door and he should be ready to catch Eddie if he attempted to run.

  “Get the fuck away or I’ll call the police.”

  I moved as I spoke. “Yeah, you do that, Eddie.”

  In front of the door now, I breathed a silent prayer that Eddie was unarmed.

  “Go ahead and call.”

  Before he could respond, I shoved my right foot against the lock midway up the door. The old boards splintered and the door collapsed like it was too tired to take any more.

  I held the gun steady and moved in on a wide-eyed, gawky Eddie. He was tall, slender, and had a face which I knew a lot of guys would find attractive. Kind of cruel and sweet at the same time. Except I knew what was under that face and it didn’t look so hot to me.

  “What the fuck! You got a gun?” Eddie gasped. When he looked over my shoulder and saw Kevin, he wet his pants.

  “Help!” Eddie yelled but by this time his voice was small in his throat. “You got no right comin’ in here. Somebody help! He’s got a gun!”

  “Landlady let us in. Her property. You’re not on the lease.”

  “Stay away from me!” He backed away, fumbling over his own feet.

  “We wanna talk. About Ty.” I waved the gun airily as if it was just some gadget I happened to have with me. Eddie’s eyes bugged out.

  “I got nothing to say. Ty’s my boyfriend. I got nothing…”

  “I think you got plenty to tell me. If not, I got plenty to tell you.” I advanced on him.

  Tripping as he shuffled backward, Eddie eventually came to the bedroom doorway where he fell on his ass into the room. He looked up startled, like a baby who’d fallen for the first time.

  “Why don’t you leave me and Ty alone? We’re happy together.”

  “Yeah. I saw how happy Ty was a minute ago. He’s so happy they had to rush him to the hospital.”

  Eddie’s face crunched up into an ugly version of his usual and he started to cry. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I didn’t. He was always doing things to make me angry. I told him… I told him.”

  “Big man we got here, boss.” Kevin said, and with his size thirteen foot tapped one of Eddie’s feet. Eddie pulled back as if he’d been zapped with a cattle prod.

  “Yep, Eddie’s a big man, Kev. Think you can handle him?”

  Kevin bent down and pulled Eddie up by his shirt sleeves. He held him at arm’s length, avoiding Eddie’s piss-soiled pants.

  “No problem boss.” Kevin stood Eddie against a wall. “What should I do with this piece of shit?”

  “You could flush him down the toilet. But what a waste of water.”

  I walked over to Eddie and took his jaw in my hand. The look of fear in his eyes almost made me feel a little something for him. Then I remembered the blood on Ty’s blond hair and I squeezed Eddie’s jaw. Hard. Just to get his attention. Then briefly relaxed my grip.

  “You know what I don’t understand? I don’t understand what Ty sees in a guy like you. Maybe he’s nicer than I am and he can see good where there isn’t any. Maybe he’s too trusting and you led him on. Whatever it is, you gave him a raw deal.”

  “I didn’t wanna hurt him. He made me…”

  “What was that?” I squeezed again. I wanted to crush his jaw in my hand but that wouldn’t have been playing nice. “He made you beat him to a pulp? He made you break his arm?”

  Eddie could barely move his head but he tried to nod.

  I leaned my weight onto him pressing the breath out of him.

  “You mean, like you’re makin’ me mad right now? And you’re makin’ me hurt you. Is that how you mean it? Ty bothered you like that?”

  Eddie couldn’t breathe let alone say a word.

  “I’m tryin’ here, Eddie, really but I can’t see your point… You see his point, Kev?”

  “Naw, can’t say I do, boss.”

  I let Eddie breathe again but held onto his jaw. He sucked air as best he could.

  “Got any relatives, you leech? Or did you get belched out of a sewer?”

  Eddie strained to nod his head. His voice made a small squeaking sound as he attempted to say something.

  “What was that?” I asked looking into his terrified brown eyes. “Did you say something?”

  I relaxed my grip on his jaw.

  “I-I g-got… fam-family…”

  “Where?”

  “H-Harrisburg… near… near H-Harrisburg.”

  “You’re gonna visit them.”

  “I-I can’t… got no…”

  “That wasn’t a question, smart guy. I said you’re gonna visit them. Today.”

  “I can’t afford…”

  “I’m buyin’ you a ticket. You’re stayin’ there until I decide what to do with you.” I squeezed his jaw again. “Got it?”

  “T-they…”

  I squeezed.

  “I… I got it.”

  “Now, Kev is gonna help you pack. Show him what’s yours and go clean yo
urself up. Try anything and you’ll be leavin’ in a box.”

  Kevin let Eddie show him where his clothes and possessions were, and Kevin threw things into a large duffle bag he’d pulled from a closet. I heard the shower turned on in the bathroom.

  I flipped out my phone and called Anton.

  “How’s Ty?”

  “He’s going to be all right eventually. The doctors said it’ll take time, but he’ll be all right.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Did you find Eddie?”

  “We’re at Eddie’s place right now. How’re you holding up?”

  “Better than I thought,” Anton said, and I could hear the relief in his voice. “The doctors said Ty had a broken arm, broken ribs, a slight concussion, and some other injuries but everything will heal. In time.”

  “Everything except his emotional state.”

  “He’s going to stay with me until he can do for himself,” Anton said.

  ***

  Philly’s Greyhound bus station near Filbert Street is not my favorite place in town. The only word to describe the area is drab. It’s not run down, it just has no character, nothing to distinguish it, not a speck of pretty about it. Drab, dull, and worth missing.

  Gypsy cab drivers scrambled over to us seemingly out of nowhere. They might’ve just been poor slobs hustling up work but their sleazy, under-the-table air didn’t make you want to hop into their banged up vehicles. One hard look from Kevin warded them off.

  We walked Eddie into the station crammed between us. Kevin had a firm hold around his waist so there was no chance he’d escape. Not that he’d want to after I’d told him what would happen if he even thought about it.

  We bought his ticket and waited with him for the bus.

  “This everything? No other contact numbers?” I asked waving a paper on which he’d scribbled his mother’s address and phone number.

  “N-no, you got it. Her and my sister. That’s all the family I got.”

  “You call me when you get in,” I said and checked my watch. “…which should be in about three hours if the bus arrives on time.”

  “Calls to Philly are expensive. My mom don’t have money.”

  “Call collect. I want you to check in with me every day.”