Lousiana Hotshot

mama’s intuition at work.
    “I don’t know. I guess I’m paranoid— Eddie got run over today.”
    Miz Clara tried for composure, but Talba heard her gasp. “He all right?”
    “I hope so, Mama. He’s in surgery.”
    “You say Darryl’s with you?”
    She was exhausted all of a sudden. “St. Darryl’s right here.”
    “What’s that, girl?”
    “I’m kind of tired, Mama.”
    “You watch yourself, Sandra.” Everybody seemed to be telling her that.
    Sometime in the night, she found peace. She woke up in full sunlight, tucked into Darryl’s armpit, leg flung over him. He was trying to extricate himself.
    “No,” she said. This was way too good to give up.
    “Got to go to school. You sleep some more.”
    She slept two more hours and woke up with the strength of ten women.
Eddie!
she thought, and called the hospital.
    He was in “guarded” condition. She didn’t like the sound of it but it beat “deceased.” She ordered him some flowers and made some oatmeal.
    When she had eaten it, she called Skip Langdon. “Hey, Skip. Talba. How’s it going? You got anything for me?”
    “I’m going to turn you over to Sergeant Aucoin on that.” The cop spoke in a clipped, distant voice. No, “hey, Baroness,” no ‘Your Grace,” no nothin’. Talba might as well be speaking to a stranger.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Sergeant Aucoin is coordinating that case. Would you like his phone number?”
    “Uh, yeah. Sure. Certainly.” She was so disoriented, trying so hard to recover her equilibrium she wasn’t sure she was getting the words right. Finally, she managed to break through it. “Can’t you tell me anything?” She knew she was whining.
    Skip’s voice was low, hardly more than a whisper. “Your man has alibis for every minute since the second he was born.”
    “I’m starting to get it. Alibis and connections.”
    Skip said, “Glad I could help,” as if someone was listening.
    “Wait. Listen. Hold it.”
    “I’ve got another call.”
    “What about the girls? Can’t you protect them?”
    “It’s not in the cards, Baroness. I’m as sorry as I can be.” Talba could almost see her swiping curls off her forehead, cupping her head in frustration. Something was going on here.
    She called Sergerant Aucoin, who made a big show out of using Ebonics and calling her “sister.” She had a mental picture of him: forty-fiveish, portly, and possibly bald; as dark as she was, conservative dresser; the kind of man who went to church, but tried too hard and sweated too much.
Smarmy,
she thought.
    “Sergeant Aucoin, I gave Officer Langdon some information.”
    “Yes ma’am. How can I help ya, Ms. Wallis?”
    “I’d like to come in and talk about it, maybe fill in some details for you.”
    “Sister, I don’t think that’s gon’ be necessary. We got everything under control. You don’t need to worry about nothin’. We the po-lice here.”
    She thought,
Try scaring me with that po-lice shit.
    “I have reason to believe two teenage girls are in danger.”
    “From Mr. Toledano?” He came right out with it.
    “I think they could be.”
    “Well, you ain’ got nothin’ to fear from that quarter. Now, don’t you worry about a thing. We ‘bout to get this thing handled. Mighty nice of you to call, though.”
    “Anything new on Aziza Scott?”
    “Lots of things. We developin’ a case. But we can’t discuss it with the public, ya understand? We got it under control, Ms. Wallis. We got it under control.”
    She asked him if he knew Eddie, tried a few more ploys to try to get through, but every time came up against a blank wall.
Or a closed door,
she thought.
Something is very wrong here.
    She could see what the thing was, too. She saw its reverse all the time. She saw rich white people get away with things. She saw them exercise power and get smug behind it. This was a city where black people could do it, if they were rich enough and powerful enough.
    And dishonest enough.
    Toes was all three, it would seem. Or his brother the Baron was. Power was happening here. Male, monied power. It was making her mad.
    But it was scaring her too. Someone had to look out for the girls.
    She closed her eyes and felt tears of anger squeeze out of them.
Eddie, I swear to God I won’t let anything happen to those girls. And I will get that bastard. Single-handedly. I promise you I will.
    She was so mad there was no question in her mind she was going to make good on the promise or die in the attempt. She had