PI On A Hot Tin Roof

she got the words out. “Definitely. She’ll always be Daddy’s Little Girl—so far as he’s concerned. And he’s a
ruthless
bastard.”
    This,
Talba thought,
from a mob prince.
    He smiled. “Gonna get me an ugly woman next time.” Like beauty made you mean.
    But this was no time for a feminist lecture. “Make sure she’s poor, too,” Talba said. “Then you’ve got your bases covered.”

Chapter 18
    “Eddie, you up for a drink?” Ms. Wallis had a bottle of wine with her, waving it around with a couple of glasses like some movie seducer.
    He slid his spectacles down in a vain attempt to hide his eye bags, but it didn’t work. “You’re aubergine today,” she pronounced.
    “Hell, I don’t even know that word.”
    “’Scuse your French.”
    “I’m gonna need a drink, right? Is that what this is about?”
    “Well, I do, anyhow. Had a pretty interesting afternoon.”
    “Ya got any bourbon?”
    “No, but you do. In the back room.” And she went to get it.
    When she returned, she poured generously and told him yet another outrageous story. Hell, if he did half the things she said she did, he’d be out of business—and he figured there was plenty she didn’t tell him. But she could make the infernal machine sing and that was what made life in the office worth living. That and her butterscotch voice. Damn beautiful voice the woman had.
    It was the things she used it for that gave him pause. She’d just point blank asked Truelove if his ex-wife was crazy. Now if it was Eddie, he’d have had a drink with him, worked the subject around—the guy wouldn’t even have known he was being interviewed. But somehow, she’d gotten away with it. “Interesting family,” he said.
    “Yeah, but the jury’s still out on them. And furthermore I don’t see where any of this is getting us. What I want to know is, what was that scene with LaGarde and Bob the shrimper all about?”
    “There’s somethin’ funny about it. They’ve gotta pay the fisherman when he unloads the boat. I don’t see how Buddy could have owed him money.”
    “Well, I could ask him, but I don’t know how to find him.”
    “Thought that was ya specialty, Ms. Wallis.”
    “I’m kind of stuck. There’s a Louisiana Shrimp Association, but from what I gather it’s not exactly a trade union. And anyhow, the guy’s name is Bob—pretty hard to figure out which Bob, even if he’s a member and they’ve got a roster and they’d be willing to show it to me. I was thinking about a shortcut.”
    Eddie didn’t like the sound of this. “Like what?”
    “Well, I’ve got to ask somebody. I just can’t think up a good lie. Thought you might be able to help.”
    “’Cause I’m so good at lying.”
    She shrugged. “Well, that’s your story.”
    It was, actually. He didn’t really have an answer for that. He thought about it. “Who’d know who the guy is?”
    “Royce or Leitner, but they’re still a little disturbed about my maid act. They’re not going to cooperate.”
    “Okay, let’s think. It goes like this, am I right? Buddy was the shrimpers’ friend, but the shrimpers don’t like LaGarde—or at least Bob doesn’t. Wonder if Kristin hates her father as much as he hates her.”
    “Omigod. Eddie, that’s it. You
are
a genius.”
    “Yeah, you mentioned that. What’s your big idea?”
    “You don’t want to know.”
    It occurred to him that she was thoroughly and completely correct. “Ya right about that, Ms. Wallis. It’s the last thing I want to know—ya goin’ home or what?”
    “Yeah. Or what. Good Night, Moon.”
    He kind of liked that. It reminded him of when he used to read to Angie.
    “Hey,” he said. “How’d the kid like the cat?”
    “Let’s put it this way. I’m still her least favorite person.”
    And she left to go get the damned cat, feeling somewhat mortified about the whole incident. As she was driving across the bridge, her cell phone rang. She checked her caller ID and saw that it was a call she had to take. “Hey, Luce, how’re you doing?”
    “Terrible.” The girl was crying. “I hate my life. I wish I’d never been born.”
    Hoo boy,
Talba thought.
    “Something bad’s wrong with Royce. Suzanne and Mommo took him to the hospital.”
    “You’re alone there?”
    “Yeah. He called Suzanne to come get him at the marina, and she yelled at him on the phone. God, why do people who hate each other get married?”
    “He got hurt at the marina?”
    “I guess so. And then