The Ballad of Black Tom

Malone returns to Red Hook only to find that the residents now avoid him. At the precinct, the officers tell him that Suydam has taken over three tenement buildings and seems to be leading a crime ring. Suydam’s library has sprung up overnight, filling many rooms, and heavy curtains shield the tenements’ windows. No one knows exactly what Suydam is doing, but both the locals and the police are scared. Malone discovers that Suydam’s second-in-command is a Negro called Black Tom who carries a bloodstained guitar. The shock of the news causes Malone to faint.

When Malone recovers, he returns to Red Hook to confront Suydam. He approaches Suydam’s tenement building, but Black Tom stops his from entering. Malone recognizes him as “the Negro from Harlem” (103) and has to search through his notepad to find his name. Malone notes that the man’s demeanor has changed from docile to defiant. When he asks if the man has buried his father yet, Black Tom responds cynically, saying that the city refused to release the body. Malone leafs through his notebook and finds the name Charles Thomas Tester. Black Tom tells Malone that since his father died, he no longer goes by that name.