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I owe Jerome my life. I wish I could thank him.
He arrived on the fourth floor and walked to Apartment D. He set his bags down and rapped on the door, taking another moment to adjust his tie and cuffs. He saw the peephole and wondered if the woman could bring herself to ever look through one again.
When he heard two discrete sets of footsteps coming, his breath quickened along with his pulse.
The speech he had prepared simply drifted from his mind. He was flying by the seat of his pants, just like always.
When the door opened, she looked back at him.
Desiree DuBose looked thinner and her features were drawn. But her eyes brightened at the sight of him, and her mouth eased to a wide smile. Next to her was Queenie. The other pair of footsteps he had heard were actually the dog’s claws on the hardwood floors. She barked in greeting and sniffed Jack’s hand, perhaps to make sure it was really him. Then she licked his fingers as if to say, It’s good to see you again, friend.
“Jack? What in the world are you doing here?”
As he stroked Queenie’s ears he said, “You talked about Chicago so much I thought I’d have to see it for myself.”
“You look all healed.”
“Pretty much.”
She ushered him in and he set his bags down. “Nice place,” he said.
“I like it.”
“How about Queenie?”
“She loves running up the stairs, and the cooler weather suits her.”
“Been traveling much? I know you said you had those cases to work on.”
“Yes, I just got back last week from another one in Mississippi. I have a neighbor who takes care of Queenie while I’m gone. Older woman who just loves animals, and Queenie loves her. Almost makes me jealous.”
They sat in the front room, he in a chair, she on the couch, and Queenie on the floor between them, sighing contentedly with her gaze darting back and forth.
“I heard that Judge Ambrose pretty much disappeared,” said Jack. “After an exposé by my friend Cheryl Miller came out about his Klan past. Did you have anything to do with that?”
A smile playing over her lips, DuBose said, “I plead the Fifth.” Then her expression turned serious. “I didn’t leave town until they told me you were out of danger, Jack.”
He nodded and then looked down. “I know.”
“And I wrote and called your mother. She kept me up to date.”
He glanced up at her. “But you didn’t call or write me.”
Now she looked down for a moment. “No, no, I didn’t.”
They gazed awkwardly at each other.
She said briskly, “So, you came for a visit? You can stay here if you want. I have a spare room. You put me up once. It’s only fair I reciprocate.” She tacked on a smile.
“Actually, I’m moving here. Going to start looking for a place. If you have any recommendations? But keep it on the cheap side. I’m not a rich man.”
She stared at him, obviously trying to process this. “You’re moving to Chicago?”
“Hell, I needed to see something other than Freeman County for once in my life.”
“What will you do?”
He opened his briefcase and held the sign up for her to see.
