Catfish Alley

by Lynne Bryant

  "No," I say in a small voice.

  "He told Dr. Jackson that he'd have to look into it in the morning. There was nothing he could do in the dark. He didn't even take a report. He still hasn't taken a report!" Zero throws his remaining coffee in the sink and stands looking out the window. "They're not going to do anything, Grace. This is up to me."

  I'm even more afraid now. I can't stop myself from shaking as I walk over to Zero and put my arms around his waist. He turns to hug me, but I can tell he's preoccupied with his thoughts.

  "Zero, swear to me you'll be careful!" I plead, stepping back and making him look at me. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to you, too."

  "Don't you worry about me," he says, kissing me on top of the head. "I'm going to be fine."

  "I didn't see Zero at all that day after he left and he didn't come home that night. I sat with Adelle all afternoon; then Dr. Jackson brought me home to my house to sleep. Early in the morning on December sixteenth, Mr. Calhoun came knocking on the door. He was crying like a baby when he told me they'd found Zero." I have to stop my story and settle myself before I go on.

  Clarence has been standing at the window the whole time I've been talking. Now he comes back to the table and sits down heavily, as if he's got the world's weight on his shoulders. He looks at me and starts to say something, and then he looks down again, as if he's having trouble looking me in the eye.

  "What is it, Clarence?" I ask. Roxanne and Rita are both leaning forward, watching the two of us.

  Clarence shakes his head and sighs raggedly. "Grade, I ain't never wanted to cause you more pain than you already had."

  "Go on," I say, wondering what could possibly hurt more.

  "I never told you before, but I saw Zero the night it happened," he says.

  December 1931

  Clarence

  Zero and I step out of Jones's Cafe, and he's talking about how much he's missed Miss Mabel's catfish. He says he's headed back over to the Jacksons' house to see if Adelle will see him tonight, when we hear a noise. At first neither one of us recognizes the sound. It's a sort of hissing coming from the side of the building. I think maybe it's an alley cat. As we walk closer, we realize it's somebody trying to get our attention.

  I see a small black close-shaved head peeking around the garbage cans Jones keeps in the alley. The little boy motions toward himself like he's in a big hurry. I look around and over my shoulder as Zero points to his chest. The small black head bobbles like it's on a spring and he waves his arm again for us to come into the alley. As we walk toward the boy, I recognize it's Malcolm Jones, Miss Mabel's son. The Joneses' house is next door to the cafe, and Malcolm is always hanging around, talking to customers.

  "What's going on, Malcolm?" Zero asks. "Why you being all secret-like?"

  "You Miss Adelle's fella, right?" he says.

  Now Malcolm has got all Zero's attention. "That's right. Why you want to know?"

  "My mama said Miss Adelle got hurt." He looks past us, like he's making sure no one's coming. "I heard something the other night," he whispers. "I think it was the men who hurt Miss Adelle."

  Zero grabs Malcolm's jacket, and he's so light that before Zero knows it he's got him pulled up off the ground, his feet dangling in the air. "What'd you hear?" Zero asks, and, seeing Malcolm's eyes about to bug out of his head, he sets him back down.

  "Don't tell Mama," the boy says, looking around all nervous.

  "I ain't going to tell your mama nothing. Now what did you hear?" I think Zero's trying his best to stay calm so Malcolm won't run off.

  "I woke up in the night and I's powerful hungry. So I sneaked the key and went in the back door of the cafe to get me some of them fried apple pies Mama made for next day's dinner. I's just opening the pantry when I heard voices out in the alley. I didn't dare open the door to look on account of they might see me. But I crouched down up under the window on the alley and listened."

  "You recognize the voices?" Zero asks, sounding hopeful. "Them colored men from around here?"

  "Nosir, and they weren't no colored men, Mr. Zero. They's white men."

  "White men?" Zero looks at me. This don't make no sense to either one of us. Surely Adelle could tell it was white men who robbed her, not colored? Unless ... A sick feeling starts down in my belly and I can tell Zero's feeling it, too.

  Zero squats down in front of Malcolm so's he can look him square in the eye. "Malcolm, this is real important," he says, taking him by the shoulders so he can't squirm away. "Did you hear what them white men said to Miss Adelle?"

  I reckon this must have scared Malcolm, because he starts stuttering. "I, I, I think one of 'em named P ... P ... Pete, 'cause I hear the other one say, 'H ... H ... Hold her, Pete.' Then he say something about how they g ... g ... gonna show Zero Clark what happen when he mess in white folks' b ... b ... business." Malcolm looks down at the ground.

  I feel my heart pounding in my chest and I'm already seeing where this is going. "What else did you hear, Malcolm?" Zero asks, breathing fast now.

  "I didn't hear them say nothing else. It got quiet and all I could hear was the trash can bumping up against the side of the building." Malcolm hangs his head. "I climbed out the window on the other side of the kitchen and run home. I's scared, Mister Zero." His voice is not much more than a squeak now. "I swear

  I don't know what happened after that."

  Zero lets go of Malcolm and stumbles toward the trash cans. I shoo Malcolm on home, telling him he done good. I watch Zero real close, not sure what he's fixing to do next. I think we both know what happened now and why Adelle made up that bullshit story about being robbed. She's trying to protect Zero. The one named Pete is Pete Hatfield. He's been taking orders from that son-of-a-bitch Ray Tanner since they beat Zero up over a damn nickel when we was ten.

  It also explains the pocketknife Zero said he found last night. Ray Tanner stole that knife off me when we were kids. My mama saved her butter and egg money for a year to buy me that knife. I can see that old festering place in Zero opening up like a scab picked off a sore. The thought of their filthy hands on his Adelle is making him crazy with rage. He hauls off and kicks the trash can so hard the sound echoes down the alley, and I take a step toward him to try to talk to him. He don't even seem to feel any pain in that leg. Before I can say anything he bends over the trash can and throws up the catfish he had for supper.

  I'm scared now, not knowing what Zero's fixing to do next. He stands there at that trash can for a long time before he straightens up and looks at me. They's kind of a wild look in his eyes then.

  "What you thinking, Zero?" I ask.

  "I don't know, Clarence ...," he says, and turns to walk away.

  "Where you going?"

  He stops, but he won't look at me.

  "Don't you go and do nothing stupid, now, you hear?" I say. I hear the church clock chiming eight and I know I got to get to my job over at J.T.'s Bar. I ain't told Zero yet that I'm working there now. And I sure ain't fixing to tell him tonight. Ray Tanner is a regular at J.T.'s.

  "You go on home, Clarence," he says. "I'll catch up to you tomorrow. Maybe we'll go fishing." He walks off, heading in the direction of Adelle's house.

  Grace

  We are all listening intently to Clarence. He pauses to drink some of his coffee, and my mind starts to fly all over the place. So, Zero knew about Adelle after all? Did he go after Ray Tanner? Was he so full of rage that he would take a risk like that? Why has Clarence never told me this? Why has he let me question all these years what happened? What else does he know?

  "I thought he was going to Adelle's house.

  I swear I did, Grade," Clarence says, looking at me with pleading in his eyes, like he's afraid I won't believe him. "Then, he showed up at J.T.'s later that night."

  "Wasn't that the bar where you worked?" asks Roxanne. I jump when she speaks. I've been so focused on Clarence that I almost forgot those girls were here. I look at Roxanne across the table and I feel like I'
m staring at her across a deep, wide chasm.... My head starts to ache and my arms suddenly feel like lead.

  "Miss Grace, are you all right?" Rita asks, as she comes around the table to kneel beside my chair. "Roxanne," she orders, "get Grace a glass of water."

  Clarence jumps up to help, and Roxanne brings me the water he hands her. I don't really like being fussed over like this and I shoo them away.

  "I'm fine. Y'all sit down," I say. "I must have forgotten to breathe for a minute."

  "I told you ain't nothing good going to come from talking about all this," Clarence says, sitting back down beside me.

  I take a deep breath to steady myself. I muster up my old teacher's voice to get Clarence's attention. "Clarence Jones, what happened at that bar?"

  Clarence sits up straight, looks at me, and frowns. He goes on to tell us how Zero showed up at J.T.'s, wanting to see Ray Tanner, and that J.T. told him to go on home and wait until daylight.

  Clarence can barely get out the last words. "He walked away from there and that was the last time I saw him alive." Clarence's voice cracks as he says, "All these years I've beat myself up for not following Zero that night. But I was scared I'd lose my job. I just kept hoping and praying Zero had gone home."

  Clarence turns toward me and leans forward, his elbows on his knees. "Grade, I swear, until we read that diary, I didn't know Ray Tanner had lost his job that day. I knew he was in the bar that night, but he was there every night. I reckon Mr. J.T. must've told Ray that Zero came looking for him. When I saw Ray and his boys leaving, I just stayed out of their way ... I was such a coward." Clarence is racked with sobs now and my heart is breaking. I'm not sure if it's for me or for him. "I'm so sorry I couldn't stop it, Gracie ... I'm so sorry...."

  He hangs his head and I can see his tears falling on the tile floor. All of us have carried the pain of what happened for so long. All of us have wondered what we could have done differently to stop Zero that night. At least I now know that Zero didn't go after Ray Tanner. He walked away. My heart goes out to Clarence.

  Through his tears, Clarence finishes the story. "I got ready to go fishing early that next morning, right after sunup. I kept thinking Zero would show up at my house and everything would be fine, just like always. We'd fish and talk like we always did, maybe try to sort out what to do. Zero always said he did his best thinking while he was fishing." Clarence looks at me and I nod. I remember Zero saying that very thing.

  Clarence pulls out his handkerchief and wipes his eyes. His voice is so soft now I can barely hear him. "But Zero never showed up. So I went on by myself. I put my boat in the river and headed over to that deep hole behind the Riverview plantation where the big catfish go in the wintertime. It was foggy, and when I first came around the curve in the river, I couldn't make out what was in the big old oak tree that branched over the river." Clarence stops and takes a shuddering breath. He has to pause before he can go on. "Then I realized it was Zero. I tied my boat up and ran to fetch Dr. Jackson. He told Mrs. Jackson to call Mr. Calhoun, so's he could tell you. Dr. Jackson and me cut Zero down out of that tree."

  No man should ever have to see the sight Clarence saw that morning. I thank the good Lord that I didn't have to see my brother hanging from a tree like that. It's bad enough that ever since that December morning when I jumped out of Mr. Calhoun's car and saw Zero lying on the ground, those grown men weeping over his body, I've fought the images in my mind of what Zero's last moments on this earth must have been like.

  December 1931

  Zero Clark

  I'm thinking about what Dr. Jackson would say right now. That the way for a colored man to deal with a situation like this is to put his energy into getting the vote, furthering his education, working on changing the laws. But how is that going to keep people like Ray Tanner from doing whatever they want?

  Ray Tanner's been finding ways to make my life hell for the past ten years. But now he's gone too far. I imagine Adelle in her white nurse's uniform, hurrying home to surprise her family. She looks beautiful in that uniform, the crisp white of it against her skin, the glow she takes on when she's easing someone's pain or making them more comfortable. Adelle is a born nurse. I only hope I can be as good a doctor. I plan to do right by her, to be the kind of man she's proud to marry.

  Something has to be done. Ray Tanner has to be stopped. I can't sit by anymore and allow the man who violated the woman I love to escape justice. I know where Ray Tanner'll be this time of night. He's always at J.T.'s Bar, the same bar where his daddy's kept a barstool warm for twenty years. Still does. They might even be there together. I'm not sure what my plan is. I'm not exactly thinking straight. All I can think about is my beautiful Adelle in the alley with Ray Tanner pushing her to the ground.

  I stand across the street from the bar and try to see in, but it's too dark to make out anybody. I cross the street and go around to the back. Just as I step into the light near the back door, Clarence Jones comes out, holding a bag of trash in each hand. His eyes get wide when he sees me.

  "Zero? Is that you?" Clarence peers through the dark. "What you doing here?"

  I step closer to Clarence. "I'm looking for somebody. You work here now?"

  "Yeah, just on the weekends. Trying to make some extra money. Who you looking for?"

  "Ray Tanner."

  "Are you crazy, man?" Clarence looks around the alley and dumps his trash before coming close to me. "You know you don't want to mess with Ray Tanner! He's mean as a yard dog, Zero, and he's gotten worse. Just go home. Stay away from him. Talk to Dr. Jackson. He'll help you figure out something to do."

  I reach out and grab Clarence's shoulders. "You and I both know what he did to Adelle, Clarence."

  "Yeah, but there ain't nothing you can do. You got to leave this alone." Clarence turns to look behind him at the back door of the bar.

  Just then the screen door slams and J.T., the bar owner, walks toward us, his head cocked to one side.

  "What you boys doing out here? Clarence, you working for me or talking to your buddies?"

  Clarence ducks his head and says, "I'm working, Mr. J.T. I just brought the trash out."

  J.T. recognizes me. "What you doing hanging around behind my bar, boy?"

  I take a deep breath and look J.T. in the eye. "I'm looking for Ray Tanner, Mr. J.T. Is he here?"

  The big burly white man snorts out a laugh. "Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course he's here. It's Saturday night, ain't it? What you want with him?"

  "I've got some business I need to take care of with him. Will you let him know I'm here?"

  J.T. eyes me. "What business you got with a white man this time of night that won't wait until daylight?"

  I ignore the question. "I'd go in there and fetch him myself, Mr. J.T., but I know you don't allow coloreds in your bar. So, if you'd please just send him out here, I'd appreciate it."

  J.T. stares at me for a while. Clarence hasn't moved a muscle. Finally, J.T. turns, shaking his head. He looks up and sees Clarence. "You still standing here? Get on back in there and get to work." J.T. turns back to me. "And as for you, I don't want no trouble around my bar. You just get out of here and go home. You take up your business with Ray Tanner in the daylight, you hear me?" I don't move. "I'm telling you. Get out of here before I have to call the sheriff." J.T slams back into the bar with Clarence following him. Clarence looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders.

  I stand there trying to figure out my next move. Maybe J.T.'s right — maybe I ought to wait for morning. But the anger boils up in me and I can't find any place to put it. I think maybe if I walk for a while I'll cool down. As I walk, my mind starts to clear. Maybe I'll try to see Adelle again. It'll be morning soon and I'll knock on her door, convince her to talk to me, maybe talk her into going to the sheriff like Grace said. I can tell her there was a witness — that Malcolm Jones heard what happened. I can tell her there's evidence — the pocketknife is in my pocket right now. I'll show it to her. Dr. Jackson will go with us and we'l
l tell the sheriff. I imagine Ray Tanner behind bars and I like the thought of that.

  I'm walking on Bridge Street, the last street before the river. There ain't many houses down here. Riverview still takes up most of the property along the river. I'm fixing to cut through an alley and head over toward Adelle's house, when I hear a truck coming up behind me. The truck is coming fast and I try to get over in the bushes beside the road. The headlights flash on me and the truck screeches to a stop. Four white men jump out and start coming toward me. I hear them holler, "Hey, boy. We want to talk to you."

  I panic and take off running. Behind me I hear Ray Tanner saying, "Catch that damn nigger. I've got something to settle with him."

  I head for the river. My mind is not too clear, but I think if I can get to the water, maybe there'll be a boat on the bank and I can cross the river and lose them. I come out of the trees and spot a small boat tied up to a tree at the foot of the steep bank. I take off for the boat, but don't see the roots under my feet, and all of a sudden I'm crashing to the ground. I struggle to get back up, but it's too late. One of the men grabs my boot and then two of them hold me on the ground while the third one gets behind me and jerks my head back. I can smell his sweat and feel it dripping on my face, mixing with my own.

  I open my eyes and Ray Tanner is standing over me with a thick rope dangling from his hand. As I watch he makes a loop and winds the rest of the rope around the bottom of it. He's making a noose. I use every bit of strength I've got left to try to get away from the men holding me down, but it's no good.

  The night goes into slow motion after that and it's like I'm looking at myself in a nightmare. I feel their heavy boots kicking my sides and belly, but I can't make a sound. I feel blood trickling down my chin and I spit out teeth. I kick out at them and struggle until they have my hands tied tight behind me and my ankles are bound. I'm being dragged now and I hear the river getting closer. I must black out for a few minutes, because when I come to one of my eyes is swollen shut. With the other eye I look up and recognize the big live oak near Riverview towering over me. The one with the good fishing hole under its roots.