I, Witness

If tomorrow they locked us all in jail, how many of us could testify our way out? I’ve been looking at mug shot books all morning and nobody in this whole jury of peers collection looks not guilty. I wonder, if they gave me the book of women, would I find innocence there?

Supercapital

One thing for sure, Uncle V’s business—as business, now—was as money as a business can be. Its revenues were pure profit and customers killed one another to give him his fees. He expended no effort to provide his service;

The Purpose

I turned thirty in here, I turned forty in here, now I’m fifty and there’s very little chance you’ll let me out, I know that. What purpose does this serve? At least I’m not at large in the world, I guess you’d say. You should only know what’s at large in the world.

Final Markdowns

Of all my tools, although more often I use a single-edge razor, I’m partial to the paper punch. I love the neat little hole it leaves behind and the ripping thwick of the two round fitted edges cleaving the fabric.

Loansharking for Dummies

This is not my usual business. I’m what my associates call a financial adviser but occasionally I will let out some surplus funds at an agreed return to help a person pursue a dream. This could be college; it could be a night of romance with a special lady, a shipment of cigarettes, or it could be something we all take for granted like walking straight.

Arms and the Boy

Rumors of my death are only slightly exaggerated, son. I’m so close to dying I taste ashes. There’s little time for me to atone for a lifetime of neglect—of you, I mean; I didn’t neglect much—but, no matter, this should do it. It’s more than a will; it’s your life from here forward.

Black and White Movie

They have me locked up for something I didn’t do, which is lucky. If they had convicted me for the job I did pull, I’d be doing hard time somewhere real.

Interrogation A

The light is good in Interrogation A. Not so bright I can’t think. And it doesn’t buzz like those godawful fluorescents in B that made it so hard to remember the truth. I’ve been here since yesterday. They’re starting to like me.

Confidence

I don’t know how long he’s been supposedly dead. Nobody will tell me. They don’t like me doing research either, but he’s all I ever overheard about. He’s the most exciting relative I never met.

What We Say about What We See

First of all, I’m not saying whether I saw anything or not unless I already know you, be that as it may, but on top of that, why you’re asking me is what I want to know, with those fake-looking credentials.