Louisiana Lament

get what she wanted, but too bad, this library thing was the most important thing she had to do today. If anything could help her, these old papers could.
    She pored over them in peace and in silence, undisturbed by white men or, indeed, anybody, and in a few short hours she had what she needed—or at least a very good candidate. Feeling close to triumphant—but holding back, you never knew—she got a cab to her appointment.
    L. J. Currie worked for a company called CompuTemps, an agency she knew that provided temporary technical workers. She’d discovered him when working for another PI, one who wasn’t nearly so ethical as Eddie. Gene Allred had turned L. J. into his personal servant by the simple method of bribing him once, then forever holding the bribery over him. Talba had inherited this excellent contact. She’d found that, for the right price, L. J. could get you into any office you wanted, so long as it had computers in it.
    He was tricky, though—he’d blown her off before; she couldn’t afford to have it happen again.
    But today he added a brand-new element to their arrangement. When they shook hands, he held her hand a little longer than necessary, something he hadn’t done before. “Well, well, well,” he said, “The Baroness herself. What have I done to deserve the honor?”
    What the hell,
she thought.
He must have finally accepted me.
    “It’s what you’re
going
to do, L. J. I need a job at O’Brien Calhoun Guste.”
    He was shaking his head before she got out the second syllable. “No can do.”
    “Here we go again. That’s what you always say.”
    He shrugged. “What am I s’posed to do? They don’t need anybody.”
    “Ah. So they are your client.” Nearly everyone was.
    “They’ve called me. Sure.”
    “I’ve got to get in there tomorrow.”
    “How you gon’ do that Your Grace? I haven’t got a job for ya. Simple as that.”
    “Well, I’ve given that a little thought. How about if you call up and offer me for free?”
    “What the hell ya talkin’ about? The agency’s not gon’ put up with that.”
    “We don’t go through the agency—only the law firm never knows that. Here’s what you do: Call up whoever you deal with and say you’ve got a new candidate. Her credentials are way too good to be true—so good, in fact you think she might be lying. So you want to try her out before you send her out on a job. If she’s as good as she says she is, she can do anything in the office. If not they can always use her for filing. In short, how would they like a top-quality geekette, absolutely free, for one day only?”
    “No way. Who’s going to take on somebody that might not be qualified?”
    “Only everybody, if it’s free. Who wouldn’t do it, L. J.?”
    “I got a reputation.”
    “So? This can only enhance it. I’m the best techie in the city—you know it and I know it.”
    “Bullshit. I got at least two guys as good as you are.”
    “Okay. One of the top three.” She looked at her watch. “Come on. It’s getting late.”
    “Baroness, I’m sorry. It just ain’t worth the aggravation.”
    “It is, L. J. This time there’s some real decent money attached.” She usually paid him fifty dollars.
    “Five hundred dollars.”
    “What?”
    “That’s what I’d consider decent money. Take it or leave it.”
    “L. J., it’s four o’clock and I’m asking you to get me in at nine o’clock tomorrow—”
    “They start at eight.”
    “Okay, eight. You think I’d ask you to do it for any less? You want five hundred dollars, you got it.”
    “Six hundred.”
    “Five hundred’s what I’ve got.”
    “Uh-uh. That was too easy, Baroness. You got five, you gotta have six.”
    She sighed. “Dammit, L. J. Six.” She hoped Eddie wouldn’t kill her.
    L. J. picked up the phone.
    “And by the way, I’m Claudia Snipes.”
    He nodded, to show that he’d heard. “Hey, Leona. Got some good news for ya. I think I might be able to replace Philip after all.” He gave Talba a sly grin.
    She said, “You’re gettin’ too big for your britches, L. J.,” and deeply regretted she couldn’t stalk out before he got off the phone. But she had to stick around and find out who her supervisor was.

Chapter Twenty-Five
    Eddie’s plan was to run a sting. He’d spent hours working it out, more hours pulling it together, and it was a thing of the most exquisite beauty. Truly one of his finest creations.
    It was big, it was elaborate, it was a little