House of Blues

little.
"Isn't that the usual thing?"
    Skip said, "I'll check it out."
    Seeing her out, she thought, This
is a woman with too much time on her hands.
    Or else, that's what she wants me to think.
    Still, it had to be checked. She called Nina
Phillips. "Did Arthur have a girlfriend?"
    " Not that I know of, and I worked with him
pretty closely. May I ask why?"
    "Mrs. Hebert seems to think he did—someone
named Anne."
    "Oh, Anne. Oh, for heaven's sake. That's just
like Sugar."
    "I beg your pardon?"
    " Anne's his lawyer; Sugar probably heard them on
the phone or something. "
    "Anne who?"
    "Ebanks. Anne Ebanks."
    " Thanks a lot."
    Skip hung up shaking her head. Sugar was a piece of
work, but what kind, she couldn't be sure. The one thing that looked
obvious was that her idea of mourning was a bit on the unconventional
side.
    Now how to find Deluvon? Nothing to do but go back
to square one.
    She headed once again for Jeweldean's run-down
apartment.
    " Hey, it's me again."
    " I'm a night worker; haven't you heard?"
    " I've got something for Tynette." She had
stopped and picked up a stuffed toy and a book; she'd also gotten an
extra fifty out of the bank.
    Jeweldean came to the door clutching an ice pack to
her head. Skip said, "You don't look so good."
    "I got mugged last night."
    "Oh, God. The whole city's gone crazy."
    "What you talkin' 'bout? I'm not the first
hooker ever got mugged." She let Skip in and took her into the
kitchen. "Some kid was waitin'. Soon as I turned around to
unlock the door, he hit me with something and grabbed my purse."
    "How do you know it was a kid?"
    "'Cause who else pulls that kind of shit? It was
some baby crackhead knew I'd be home late. Fact, I think I know whose
kid it was."
    "That's so sad. To have to be afraid of your
neighbors."
    "Who's afraid? I'm not afraid. I'm gettin' me a
purse phone is all—from now on, when I'm comin' home, I'm callin'
Biggie and he' gon' be out here waitin' for me. Any kid messes with
me, Biggie blows him away."
    "He's got a gun, does he?"
    " Now don't be axin' impertinent questions.
Anyway, it prob'ly won't happen again. Biggie might have already had
a talk with somebody or other. This is some neighborhood, you know
that?"
    " They all are."
    "Yeah, you right. But a thing happened yesterday
nearly broke my heart. My friend Lanita, lives downstairs, lost her
boy 'bout two weeks ago—he was shot down not all that far from
here."
    "My God." Skip's mind was reeling at the
matter-of-fact way Jeweldean accepted violence as a fact of life.
    " Two days ago they arrested some kid lives down
the block, turns out it's Lanita's best friend's boy. So yesterday
the friend was over here cryin' and carryin' on, sayin' she hoped it
wasn't gon' ruin their friendship, just 'cause her boy killed
Lanita's. Now tha's pathetic."
    " Things are getting out of hand." Skip was
aware of a depression within her that was always just beneath the
surface, that had nothing to do with her own life; it bubbled to the
top on occasions like this, when it was brought home to her how truly
out of hand things were getting.
    Cuppellos right , she
thought briefly.
    "Here's some things for Tynette," she said,
thrusting them into Jeweldean's hand.
    " You go give 'em to her yourself. She be glad to
see you."
    Reluctantly, Skip went into the living room, where
the little girl lay on the couch. She had seen a lot of misery lately
and it was starting to get to her—Justin Arceneaux, Tynette, Jim.
    But the little girl smiled. Tynette was happy to see
her; and she was so thoroughly delighted with the stuffed monkey Skip
had been unable to resist, and the book about the rain forest, some
of which Skip read to her, that the depression started to lift.
    She heard Jeweldean making phone calls. When all was
quiet in the kitchen, she went back in. "You think Biggie could
get me to Delavon again?"
    " Sure don't. Why?"
    " I need him bad. Look. Maybe I could talk to
him."
    "He ain' here." Jeweldean was momentarily
sullen. Skip thought she didn't like the idea of Biggie's consorting
with Delavon.
    "Here's all I ask. Just have him tell Delavon I
want to see him—he can name the place and time, I don't care."
She put the fifty on the table. It would buy the favor and then some.
She was counting on the lagniappe to soften Jeweldean's heart.
    Jeweldean didn't answer.
    "You take care of that little girl," Skip
said, and left. Almost the minute she hit the sidewalk, two kids
stepped in front of her. One of them had a