Conversation · Kim Kitsuragi

(Whisper) "Kim, we did it."

The lieutenant gives a smile only you can see.

"Whose idea was it to hang him anyway -- hers?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Remember the two girls? He may be talking about the other one.

"Earlier you said the girls asked for your help. Was this the other girl?"

"That's right." He blinks. "It was her idea to hang him -- I liked it, for political reasons. It sent a good message."

"It's her, isn't it? The drug trafficker -- the missing eighth Hardie..."

The big guy steps toward you. "Fella, you think too much. Ease off, alright? You're gonna hurt your head."

A little too far there -- but you're definitely right.

"That woman is just affiliated with the Hardie boys. You don't know her, anyway. "

"Understood. Can you tell me anything about her? Name, current location?"

"Nope," he says. "You're not getting to her. It's Klaasje you want to talk to."

"You know, it's okay for there to be a Hardie girl, Titus."

His face sets like concrete. He shakes his head solemnly. "We're Hardie boys and that's it."

"You're going to stonewall me if I ask more about her, aren't you?"

"Glad you understand that."

"It's her, isn't it -- the missing eighth Hardie? That's the other girl."

The big guy turns to Glen who's about to say something.

The blond shuts his mouth before a word escapes.

"I'll say it again..." Titus turns to you. "All the Hardie boys are right here, cop. That woman is just affiliated with the Hardie boys. You don't know her, anyway. "

"Who is she -- this other girl? Do I know her?"

"No," he shakes his head, "you're not gonna be on a first name basis with this person."

"Okay -- where is she?"

"You're not getting to her," he says calmly. "This person is affiliated with the Hardie boys. It's Klaasje you want to talk to."

Hah! Here we go. Jigsaw pieces falling into place...

"So the missing eighth Hardie boy... is a Hardie girl?"

"No. Absolutely not. She's just a woman who's sometimes in our company -- who sympathizes with Klaasje. Let's leave it at that."

"You know, actually, some of the guys have been talking, and..."

"No. My answer is no, Glen." He turns to you. "We're Hardie boys and that's how it's gonna stay."

"She's affiliated with the Hardies? So she's, like... a Hardie girl?"

"I wouldn't go that far. She's just a woman who's sometimes in our company -- who sympathizes with Klaasje. Let's leave it at that."

"Okay -- I get it. Stonewalled."

"Glad you understand that."

"What do you mean?"

"We had... help. From another girl. It was her idea to hang him -- and I liked it, for political reasons. It sent a good message."

"Thank you for this, Titus. I'll go talk to her -- for the last time." (Conclude.)

"You do that." He grabs his beer and swirls it in his hand, then thinks of something. "Hey, cop -- before you go."

Suddenly the wind picks up outside. You hear it rattling the large windows in their frames. It carries newspapers, circles the Whirling-in-Rags in a warm column...

"She..." He looks up. "Klaasje came to Martinaise to hide -- many of us did. This is where you wash up when there's nowhere left to go. The Union takes you in -- now, she refused that protection, but..."

Still, after all this headache...

"Good bye, Titus." [Leave.]

"But you would still prefer if we didn't take her away?"

"That's right. If we didn't take care of the people who end up here, this place would just be a couple of ruins and some cargo containers."

"We'll take that into account." The lieutenant slides his notebook into his coat pocket. He turns to leave.

"I'm sorry I made you guys fight."

"Me too."

"So you didn't kill him. He was already dead."

He nods.

"You hanged the corpse to cover up the real cause of death -- the bullet in his head."

Another nod.

"Why?"

"Cause the girls asked us to. They were in some shit."

Girls plural? There's another girl? Two of them? Take note of this. They'll probably say more about her later.

"Did she kill him?"

"Cop, I have no idea -- the girl says she didn't..."

He doesn't think she did. Or at least he hopes she didn't.

"What happened Sunday night?"

"Klaasje came down." He points to the stairs. "She seemed really out of it. Drugged up -- even more than usual. Bug eyed and gurning, you know? Not in a fun way."

"It looked like she'd redosed after something went down. I've seen that look before, she was scared. I knew someone had died."