“He never gave her no candy ’cause she wouldn’t have a-taken it.”
“She wouldn’t take it?”
“She wouldn’t. Not even the kind she liked. I seen her take it from others.”
“Fireballs?”
“Wren Maxwell trades’em to me for the toothpicks and I seen him give the candy to her.”
“Was she by herself when she was walking home that night with her guitar?”
“She was.”
“Where?”
“On the road. About a mile from the church.”
“Then she wasn’t walking on the path that goes around the lake?”
“She was on the road. It was dark.”
“Where were the other children from her youth group?”
“They was way behind her, the ones I saw. I didn’t see but three or four. She was walking fast and crying. I slowed down when I seen she was crying. But she kept walking and I went on. I kept her in sight for a while’cause I was afeared something was wrong.”
“Why did you think that?”
“She was crying.”
“Did you watch her until she got to her house?”
“Yeah.”
“You know where her house is?”
“I know where.”
“Then what happened?” I asked, and I knew very well why the police were looking for him. I could understand their suspicions and knew they would grow only darker if they heard what he was telling me.
“I seen her go in the house.”
“Did she see you?”
“Naw. Some of the time I didn’t have my headlights on.” Dear God, I thought.
“Creed, do you understand why the police are concerned?” He swirled the liquor some more, and his eyes turned in a little and were an unusual mixture of brown and green.
“I didn’t do nothing to her,” he said, and I believed him.
“You were just keeping your eye on her because you saw she was upset,” I said.
“And you liked her.”
“I saw she was upset, I did.” He took a sip from the jar.
“Do you know where she was found? Where the fisherman found her?”
“I know of it.”
“You’ve been to the spot.” He did not answer.
“You visited the spot and left her candy. After she was dead.”
“A lot of folks has been there. They go to look. But her kin don’t go.”
“Her kin? Do you mean her mother?”
“She don’t go.”
“Has anyone seen you go there?”
“Naw.”
“You left candy in that place. A present for her.” His lip was trembling again and his eyes watered.
“I left her Fireballs.” When he said “fire” it sounded like “far.”
“Why in that place? Why not on her grave?”
“I didn’t want no one to see me.”
“Why?” He stared at the jar and did not need to say it. I knew why. I could imagine the names the schoolchildren called him as he pushed his broom up and down halls. I could imagine the smirks and laughter, the terrible teasing that ensued if it seemed Creed Lindsey got sweet on anyone. And he had been sweet on Emily Steiner and she had been sweet on Wren. It was very dark when I went out, and Deborah followed me like a silent cat as I returned to my car. My heart physically ached, as if I had pulled muscles in my chest. I wanted to give her money but I knew I should not.
“You make him be careful with that hand and keep it clean,” I said to her as I opened the door to my Chevrolet.
“And you need to get him to a doctor. Do you have a doctor here?” She shook her head.
“You get your mother to find him one. Someone at the Burger Hut can tell her. Will you do that?” She looked at me and took my hand.
“Deborah, you can call me at the Travel-Eze. I don’t have the number, but it’s in the phone book. Here’s my card so you can remember my name.”
“Thar don’t have a phone,” she said, watching me intently as she held on to my hand.
“I know you don’t. But if you needed to call, you could find a pay phone, couldn’t you?” She nodded.
A car was coming up the hill.