Chapter 2 Chapter One

On Sunday morning, Ordell took Louis to a "white power" demonstration in downtown Palm Coast. "Young bald Nazis," Ordell said. "Hey, even little Nazi girls are parading on Worth Street. Can you believe it? Come with me, and you'll see the Ku Klux Klan, which isn't much of it these days. Some of them in green, they must be bald The party's new spring outfits. Behind them, what looks like a racist motorcycle team, they call them 'Southern Riders.' Let's move forward and squeeze our way through the crowd here," Ordell said. He walked forward with Louis.

"There's a guy over there I want to point you to. See who you can think of. The guy told me they were going to march all the way down South County, rallying on the steps of the fountain in front of City Hall. Have you ever seen so many cops?" I think you must have seen it, but you will never see so many different styles of police uniforms at once. Wearing a helmet on the head, carrying a baton in the hand, they are also performing duties. Walk on the sidewalk, or they will beat you Heads. They're keeping order in the streets for the Nazis." People turned to look at Ordell.

"Man, look at these photographers, these TV cameras. This shit is big news, and everyone flocks to see it. Otherwise, on Sunday, you'd probably see rich ladies leading their little ones." Dog, come out to shit and pee—I mean puppy, not lady." A lady ahead of them turned around and grinned, and Ordell said, "How are you, baby? You're doing well, aren't you? ’ Then he glanced past her, looked at Louise and said, ‘I think I saw him,’ pushing through the crowd to the road. "Yes, there he is. Wearing a black shirt and tie, huh? A grown Nazi with a bald head. I call him Big. He likes it."

"It's Richard," Louis said. "Oh my God." "Looks like him, huh? Remember how Richard walked around his room proudly in that nazi shit he had? Remember those guns he had? The big guy has more stuff than he does .” Louis said, "He's serious. Look at him." "Probably trying to get power. He's a player," Ordell said. "You know where you can see a guy like him? At a gun show." Ordell paused deliberately.Lewis wanted to ask Ordell what he was doing at the gun show, but he didn't want to bother.He was too busy looking at the female Nazis, little uneducated skinny girls with boyish haircuts.

"I have a way of making them straighten up and make their eyes light up," Ordell said. He drew sideways glances again, some grinning.Louis walked out of the crowd, and Ordell had to walk a few steps to catch up with him.After serving time in prison, Lewis' shoulders are wider than before. "This way," Ordell said, and they had to get to South County ahead of the parade.Ordell Robbie and Louise Gallas are old friends: one is a light-skinned black man, the other is a dark-skinned white man, both from Detroit, where they met in a tavern and chatted. When I woke up, I found that they had all been in the reformatory of southern Ohio, and they had some common views.Not long after, Lewis went to Texas and missed again.When he got home, Ordell had an idea for him: A money hustler had stashed money in the Bahamas, and if he kidnapped his wife, he could get a million dollars.Louis said yes.That plan seemed to blow up, and Louis never mentioned it again.That was thirteen years ago...

Now that Ordell is having an idea again, Louis can feel it.That's why they come here to see men with shaved heads and women with pointed heads paraded through the streets. Ordell said, "Remember when you came out of Huntsville and I introduced you to Richard?" Let's get down to business.Louis cheered up now. "That's what reminds me today," Ordell said. "I guess it deserves it. This time you come out of Florida jail and I let you meet the big man, like Richard back from the dead." "What I've kept in mind since then is," Lewis said. "I don't want to run into Richard again. But what does this have to do with you and the Nazis?"

"It's fun to watch them," Ordell said. "Look at the flag they're carrying, with the lightning bolts going from low to high. You can't tell if it's referring to the SS or Captain Marvel." Louis said, "You have another million-dollar idea and want to try me?" Ordell turned his face away, no longer looking at the parade, with a serious and indifferent expression. "You ride in my car. That car isn't just an idea, man, it costs real money." "Why do you want me to watch this Nazi?" "Big guy? His real name is Gerald. Once I called him Jerry and he literally lifted me off the ground and he said, 'That's not my name, boy.' I told him Well, I was segregated and he thought I was all right. I ran into him one time, at a gun show."

Remind Louis of that again. Louis said, "You didn't answer my question. What are we doing here?" "I told you. Look who the big guy reminds you of. Listen, there's someone else here you didn't expect. It's a woman. Guess who she is." Louis shook his head. "I have no idea." Ordell smiled. "Melanie." "You're kidding." It was another person I met thirteen years ago. "Yes, we kept in touch. One day, Melanie called me . . . She's staying at one of my places in Palm Shores. Do you want to see her?" "She lives with you?"

"I'm out there on and off, you can say. We can go this afternoon if you want. Melanie's a pretty fat chick, just a little too fat. Man, let me tell you Well, fate has been twisting our asses and bringing us all here. What I want to do now is introduce the big guy to Melanie." What is the purpose of this?Louis could feel Ordell's intentions. "What are you doing?" "You wait and see! I think it's going to be exciting. You know Melanie, she hasn't changed a bit. Can you watch her with this ass Nazi?" A child of secrets, who wants to reveal the secret wholeheartedly, but deliberately waits for someone to ask.

He said to Louis, "You don't know what the hell you're going for, do you? Get out of jail and start over again. I noticed you shaved off your beard and your curly hair was a little gray .But you're in good shape, which is good." "What the hell are you going to do?" Louis said. "Straighten your hair? You used to comb it back." "To be fashionable, man." Ordell ran his hands carefully through his hair, found a stiff bobby pin, inserted it back into his braid, and crooked the pin with his fingers, fiddling with it and saying, "No, I bet You don't know what you want."

Louis said, "You said I didn't know, huh?" "Don't look at me with your criminal eyes. Never mind, you learned something in prison," Ordell said. "Look at you, Louis, you look so weak in this shirt. Just embroider your name 'Road' on this pocket, go to someone's car window, check the oil..." He smiled, indicating that he was joking.Ordell wore a linen shirt over a blond crew-neck sweatshirt and slacks, with gold ornaments on his neck, wrists, and two fingers. He said, "Come on, let's go see the show." "You're just acting," Lewis said. Ordell smiled, shaking his shoulders like a fighter.They were walking outside the crowd as the onlookers blocked off the steps in front of the fountain with police yellow tape.A young Nazi was speaking there, and the rest of the crowd stood up, proudly facing the crowd.Ordell was about to push forward when Louis grabbed his arm. "I don't want to go in." Ordell turned to look at him. "It's not like in the prison compound, man. No one's got a knife." "I don't want to go in with you." "Well, that's not enough friends," Ordell said. "Let's not go in." They found a place where they could get a good view of the young Nazi.He's yelling, "What do we want?" And his buddies, the Nazis, and the lunatics are yelling, "White Power!" And they're yelling over and over until the young Nazi yells He ended his speech with the words: "One day the whole world will understand that Adolf Hitler was right!" This sentence caused the crowd to shout at him, calling him a fool and a fool.He yelled at the crowd: "We will take back the right to this land for our people!" His voice of a young Nazi was at the top of his lungs.People shouted again, what kind of people is he talking about, is it an ass hole like him?A black woman in the crowd said, "Go to the Riviera and say this, you're going to die." The young bald Nazi started screaming "Victory!" and he yelled it over and over again at the top of his voice, The lunatics gave the Nazi salute with him.That's when the young men in the crowd called them fucking racists and told them to go home, go away, and get away from here.It looks like the protest is over. Ordell said, "Let's go." They walked to Ocean Street, where Ordell's car was parked, a black convertible Mercedes with the hood down.There's a timeout on the meter and a parking ticket pinned under the driver's side windshield wiper.Ordell took down the ticket and threw it in the middle of the street.Louis watched silently.They drove back to West Palm, neither of them speaking until they crossed the middle bridge.Only then did Louis speak. "Why do you want me to meet that guy? He calls you a nigger, and you're going to break his legs, aren't you?" "That vindictive bastard," Ordell said, "you should have learned that from dealing with the Italians. They don't like revenge more than revenge. I swear." "Would you like to see where I work?" Louis said. "When you get to Oliver, turn right. Go to Bunyan Street, which used to be First Street, and then turn left." At this time they had reached Oliver, and Louis pointed again: "That's the courthouse on the right." Building." "I know where the courthouse is," Ordell said.He turned onto Bunyan Street and continued south.When he was halfway down the block, Louis told him to stop. "Here, the white house," Louis said, "I work there." Ordell turned to look across the street at a bungalow where "Bail Bond Max Cherry" was printed on the glass window of a shop. "You work for a bail bondsman? You told me you worked for a liquid insurance company controlled by Italians." "Graz Mutual in Miami," Lewis said. "Max Cherry writes the bond for them. I sit in the office—I bring anyone who misses his court date." "Really?" It sounded better to say that, as if Louis was a bounty hunter who chased criminals who were at large. "The main thing they want me to do is to see if I can get some bail letters from those big drug dealers, more than $150,000." Ordell said, "Ah, I guess you signed some kind of contract in jail that's why the company hired you?" "It was a roommate of mine who went in because he killed his wife. He told me to find these friends of his when I got out. I went to see them and they asked me if I knew any Colombians. I said yes , a few. I met a few guys through a fraudster named JJ. Did I mention him to you? The one who got caught again. I'm staying at his house now." Louis He took a cigarette from his overalls pocket. "My job was to find those Colombians on the south coast and hand them two business cards from Max Cherry. One said: 'If you go to jail, I'll be your bail.' He has another card that says: 'Bonds welcome,' with his name, phone number, everything." Louis reached into his pocket again and pulled out a kitchen match. Ordell waited. "Ok?" "That's the way it is. I just sit there most of the time." "You associate with Colombians?" "What? They know where I come from." Louis struck a match on his thumbnail. "They played the cha-cha so loud you couldn't talk anyway." Ordell produced his own cigarette, and Louis folded his hands to light it for him. "You don't sound very happy, Louis." He said: "Whatever your business is, I don't want to play any part in it, okay? Once is enough." Ordell leaned back with a cigarette. "You're like Studdy Eddie, huh? Did I screw up that kidnapping business?" "You brought Richard in." "What does that matter?" "You knew he was going to rape her." "Yeah, you got her out of trouble. But that's not why the deal blew up, Louis. You see what it is. We told the guy: Hand over the money, or you'll never see you." Wife—because that's what you said, right? Turned out he didn't want to see his wife anymore, not even for five minutes, did he? Been with Melanie in his Bahamas love nest, Right? Since you can't negotiate with that man, Louis, and you can't threaten him, you've lost even a chance to do business." "We're breaking up anyway," Lewis said. "We didn't know what to do at the time." "I can see you're an expert now. Tell me who's been in prison three times and who's been in prison only once? Listen, I've got a job for me now. I've got a bunch of brothers doing heavy work. I There's a guy in Freeport—do you remember Mr. Volka? I have a Jamaican who can do mental arithmetic, and add, and multiply the unit price of things." - Ordell snapped his fingers - "that's it." "You've got an accountant," Louis said. "I'm happy for you." "What did I ask you to do for me?" "not yet." "Do you know what an M-60 machine gun is?" "Big fellow, a military weapon." "I sold three of them, one for twenty thousand, and I bought the car," Ordell said. "What do I want you for?"