Chapter 11
Helmut
BODEE BEGAN HIS walk hoping some fresh air would clear his mind. A young White man stood at the intersection of Minetta and Sixth, checking something written on a piece of paper. The man wore a full suit with a necktie and the shiniest black shoes Bodee had ever seen. Whispers were exchanged by the thugs in wait behind concealed basement doors . . . come on down . . . got something for ya . . . right over here. The code was clear-cut, but unfair—the man wasn’t drunk or looking for any kind of trouble, but he was White, and therefore fair game. The mumbling in the shadows increased as Blood’s cast of villains negotiated the composition of the neighborhood welcoming party.
Bodee hoped the man would play along as he approached. “Hi, how are you? Happy you had the time to
