stops. About ten minutes later, your girl comes back down the street from walking her young’un to the bus stop. You see they got a bus stop over on the next corner for all the kids around here. Anyway, next thing I know, police cars are pulling up, lights flashing, ambulance comes tearing in and not long after they take her out in handcuffs and put her in the back of the police car.”
“You tell the police that?” Riley asked.
“No, I ain’t told the police nothing except he’s a dick and she’s nice.”
“Why?” Roman asked.
“Because the last thing I need is to be dragged into court to testify against the little prick and have the charges not stick and have to live across the street from him. He ain’t got no respect. His momma made him that way. No matter what he does, she makes it all right. I do not need him harassing me. I’d have to shoot him and then I’d be in jail. I worked too hard all my life to end up in jail over some little prick who don’t know his place.”
“I can promise you, if you’ll testify to what you’ve seen, you won’t have to worry about him, even if the charges won’t stick,” Roman said.
“You ain’t got no way to know what’s gonna happen, and you can’t guarantee me that. I don’t need these punks targeting my house. Used to be a nice quiet area until he moved in and his mother moved out. Even with all her gentleman callers, she kept to herself, you know? Then this dick and his friends start terrorizing the neighborhood. Playing their boom-boom music at all hours, coming and going at all hours. Always bringing in new stuff! How they afford all that stuff when they ain’t working that I can see?”
“If you’d give the police a statement, it could help free Talie,” Riley said.
“I don’t want to get involved. Ain’t there somebody else that can do that?”
“No, there’s not. Everyone else just says they don’t know anything,” Riley explained.
“’Cause they don’t want the fallout either! We gotta live here,” the man said, his voice rising.
“There will be no fallout. I give you my word,” Roman said.
“The wife knows,” the old man said. “The dead man’s wife. Ask her.”
“And she’s willing to testify, but all she knows is her husband told her to call the police. He was going after the guy they’d seen leaving their house. She didn’t personally see him,” Roman said.
The old man grumbled. “I didn’t personally see anything either. All I know is what I told you,” he said, obviously not wanting to have to be pulled into the legalities of the situation.
“We would really appreciate your help,” Riley said. “Please just consider it. Talie doesn’t deserve to be in jail. She should be with her husband and daughter.”
“Nothing I saw can help her, son. All I know is a matter of opinion,” the old man insisted. “Besides,” he said, gesturing up the street. “You ain’t finished knocking yet. Maybe you’ll find somebody knows more than me and has the time for all this,” he said.
“Sir,” Roman started.
“No, no, I ain’t getting involved. I’m too old to move if they let him go and he comes after me next. I just want to be left in peace. Ya’ll get on now,” he said, closing the door.
“But, sir! She needs your help. Any little thing could help weigh things in her favor!” Roman called out.
The old man closed the door and they could hear the locks being turned.
“Her initial hearing is at 9:00 in the morning. If you have a change of heart, it would certainly be appreciated. And we can guarantee you, once we find him, he won’t be a threat to anyone,” Riley said.
Riley turned away from the door and nudged Roman’s arm. “Come on. Since we’re here we should at least knock on the other doors.”
“If he’d just testify, it creates more reasonable doubt. It might be all that’s needed to release Talie,” Roman said.
“You can’t force him to if he doesn’t want to. Even if we had him subpoenaed, there’s no guarantee that he’d tell the judge and jury what he just told us. He could deny he witnessed anything at all,” Riley said. “He’s afraid. He doesn’t want to become Frederick’s next target.”
“I get that, but nobody will be Frederick’s target once I locate the bastard. He can’t target anybody if he’s lying in pieces around whatever fucking parking