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Hilly Lee appeared a moment later and looked at him, smiling. “A girl?” When her gaze caught on DuBose she turned to her son with a stunned expression. “Robert?”
“Momma, this is Desiree DuBose. She’s a lawyer. She’s going to be helping me on the Jerome Washington case.”
“Can’t she take the whole thing on?” said Hilly hopefully.
“No. We’re... partners on this.”
“Francis?” Hilly called over her shoulder.
Frank Lee appeared a few moments later. “Jack? I was gonna call you about that... thing you asked me to do and—” He saw DuBose.
“This is Desiree DuBose. My new co-counsel on Jerome’s case.”
“Well, um... ain’t that good,” remarked Frank with an anxious glance at his wife.
“We just came from Pearl Washington’s house. Miss Jessup was there. She told us about the man that came by to see Mr. Randolph and how he got angry.”
“What man?” asked Hilly.
Jack looked at his mother. “Just something to do with the case.”
“I—” His mother suddenly noted her son’s injuries as he turned more into the light coming from the house. “Oh my God, what happened to you?” she exclaimed.
“It’s nothing, Momma.”
“When you end up dead, will it be nothing?” She shot DuBose an angry look.
Jack said, “I’ll be fine. Now Daddy, I would like to find out what else Miss Jessup told you. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it in front of Pearl.”
“So that’s where you went, Francis?” said Hilly.
“Yes, Hilly, that’s where I went.” He turned to his son and DuBose. “Why don’t y’all come out to the garage? I’m working on that engine job.” He shot DuBose a glance. “If you don’t mind?”
“My father works on the delivery trucks for Marshall Field’s in Chicago.”
“I sure heard ’a them,” said Frank appreciatively.
“I wanted to work on trucks, too, but my father wanted me to focus on my education.”
Hilly grudgingly gave her an impressed look and said, “Smart man.”
“Oh,” said Jack. “Miss Jessup told me to tell you hello.”
His mother gazed at him without speaking long enough for Jack to draw two breaths. “I’ll be here with Lucy. Robert, you take care of yourself, honey. Y’all can just walk around the house to the garage, fastest way.” She closed and locked the door.
Frank said uncomfortably, “Hilly’s right. That’ll save time—”
“—and trouble,” his son finished for him.
As they walked to the garage DuBose said, “Why does she call you Robert?”
“It’s a long story and not one worth telling.”
In the garage Frank pulled up a wooden chair and wiped it off for DuBose to sit in before he commenced working on the engine.
DuBose watched him and said, “My father has forearms like you, Mr. Lee.”
“Comes with the territory. But the aches and pains do, too.”
