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72 THEO What do you mean by that? ADELE I mean that he has been dipping his hands into that little drawer of yours at least two or three times a week. THEO You ain't telling nothing I don't know. ADELE What about your friend Blue? THEO I can handle him. ADELE I hope so, since it is a known fact that he can be pretty evil when he thinks someone has done him wrong-- and it happened once, in a bar uptown, he actually killed a man. THEO You're lying. (He moves quickly to shop entrance.) Bobby have you heard anything about Blue killing a man? (BOBBY, seated in the barber's chair, looks at him, then turns away, not answering. THEO returns to the back room.) ADELE Asking him about it is not going to help you. Ask yourself a few questions and you will know that you are no better than Blue-- because it is you two who are the leaders of those mysterious store raids on 125th Street, and your ace boy on those robberies is no one other than your brother, Bobby Parker! THEO Bobby! ADELE I don't know why that should surprise you, since he is known as the swiftest and coolest young thief in Harlem. THEO I didn't know about Bobby-- who told you! 73 ADELE As you well know by now, I've been getting around lately, and I meet people, and people like to have something to talk about, and you know something: this place is becoming the talk along every corner and bar on the Avenue! THEO You're just trying to scare me. ADELE I wish to God I was. (Starts out.) THEO Where are you going? ADELE (Stops, turns abruptly.) Out. Do you mind!? THEO That's all you ever do! ADELE Yes, you're right. THEO They tell me you're going with Wilmer Robinson? ADELE Yes, that's true. (Moving through shop toward door. Bobby doesn't move from the barber's throne and buries his nose in a comic book.) THEO (Following behind her.) He's a snake. ADELE No better or worse than someone like you or Blue. THEO He'll bleed you for every dime you've got! ADELE So what. He treats me like a woman, and that's more than I can say for any man in this house! THEO He'll treat you like a woman until he's gotten everything
