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Tex left and I stayed where I was.
“Do you know how old that guy is?” Duke asked.
“Old…ish?” I answered the question with a question.
Duke didn’t reply but instead he said, “Do you know he’s an ex-con?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you know he hasn’t had a job since he got back from ’Nam?”
I opened my eyes and looked at Duke. “No.”
“Totally dropped out. So dropped out that he makes me look like a soccer mom. Even before he went to prison and definitely after.”
Yikes.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“Hank came by.”
I nodded and closed my eyes again.
“He makes great coffee. Everyone’s talkin’ about it,” Duke said.
Finally, arealpiece of good news.
When Duke spoke again, his gravelly voice sounded from right above me, and my eyes popped open again.
“You’re doin’ a good thing by him. No man can live his life surrounded by cats, never leavin’ his block.”
I nodded again and said, “Outside of the gunshot wound, he’s fit as a fiddle. He threw me through a window and you saw what he did on stage at BJ’s. He’s in good shape, at least physically. Mentally is still up for debate.”
“Yeah,” Duke replied then looked out the window. “Ain’t none of my concern, but I gotta tell you, it’s good to see you and Lee aren’t circlin’ each other anymore. Your grandmother used to say that you were two souls separated in heaven. She mainly meant you were both trouble and deserved each other.”
Great.
Duke went on, “She’d be fuckin’ thrilled if she was still alive.”
I felt my throat close up. When it reopened, I said quietly, “Thanks, Duke.”
“When we close, I’m walkin’ you home.”
It wasn’t a question. I did, of course, have Chowleena with me, but I didn’t think bad guys would be scared off by a Chow with fur chaps and attitude.
“Okay,” I agreed.
* * *
When I got home,I called Marianne and set up a time to meet at The Hornet. Then I called Lee to tell him I was home. He was at the hospital checking on Luke. I was glad I didn’t have a ride-along on that one or my Denial Zone would be obliterated.
I gave Chowleena some kibbles and water. She put her nose up at the kibbles so I gave her a doggie biscuit. Then she gave me her pathetic look so I gave her another one. Then she pranced into the living room, curly tail swaying in the air, jumped up on my new couch, circled about twenty times, flopped down and settled in.
I jumped into the shower and did my Indy ‘Out for the Night Preparations,’ complete with leg shave. I didn’t really feel up to it. I was tired and hadn’t had a Disco Nap. However, there was a possibility Lee was going to meet us at The Hornet and his receptionist looked like she stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. I thought it best to put some effort into it.
I grabbed my dress that was just a thick band of stretchy black from which fell a swath of olive-green gauzy material swirled through with cream and black. The band fit above my breasts, the gauze fell in a scarf-like hem to above the knee. I put on a droopy black belt with a big circular silver buckle and bloused the dress over it, making it mini. I fluffed out my hair, pawed through the dregs at the back of my makeup drawer and slapped on some makeup, put on a pair of big silver hoop earrings, a bunch of bangles on my wrist, a bunch of silver rings on my fingers and pulled on my black cowboy boots. I shoved some stuff into a black purse and headed out the door.
I walked to The Hornet, which was only four blocks away, and I didn’t waste any time. Rosie was found. Pepper Rick and Sandy Pete were out of the picture and the hit man was behind bars. I was likely relatively safe, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.
