Thrown-away Child

are going to lay out his options. Wouldn’t you say, Hock?”
    “Sounds right.”
    “And I’d certainly say the church members are all behind Perry.”
    “There’s still Ava LaRue. She’s Hippo’s heir, and I imagine at least some of the estate’s tied to Tilton.“
    “Miss LaRue’s a wealthy lady, but I don’t think she’s the greedy type.” Ruby looked out the airplane window for a second or two, taking a couple of deep breaths, as if she were suddenly dizzy. She turned back to me and said, “Even if she was, can’t you see Perry’s lawyers pointing out the bad percentages of a woman in her position making a profit off a church full of poor black folks?”
    “Perry dealing with lawyers, that’s hard to compute.”
    We flew along saying nothing for a while. I read an article in the airline magazine about the carefree life of New Orleans. Also I made a final decision not likely to make for a carefree life back in New York.
    “What about you?” Ruby asked. “How’s life going to change for you?”
    “It won’t. I just decided to turn down Davy Mo-gaill’s offer of partnership. I’m staying with the department, King Kong or no. I’ll still be pressing my complaint against him, and doing whatever else it takes to get him off the force.”
    “I bet myself you wouldn’t quit, Hock. I just won.“
    “I have to tell you, for a while there I thought I’d quit.”
    “Oh, sure. Then what would we do? Move to Coconuts, Florida, with all the rest of the retired New York cops and their tin wives?”
    “Not for us, Ruby. I guess I’ll be a cop until I croak.
    If I get to heaven somehow, then I’ll retire. The whole idea of heaven is that there isn’t a cop in the place.“
    “So you think when we get home, life’s going to be pretty much the same?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “Guess again, Irish.” Ruby put both hands on her stomach, which had a rise to it I had not noticed until now. “What would you think about a little Hockaday?”