by Karl Tutt
Chapter 12
He dropped me off at the office. I don’t want to tell you this, but I cried. When I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, I realized that yes . . . I was in love with S, Sterling, George . . . whatever the hell you wanted to call him. I let the agony flow for a minute just like a child who was taunted in the playground. Then I tried to collect myself and wondered what to do with the rest of the day. I still hadn’t heard from Ricky.
I called my old boss, Captain Sullivan, at the precinct on the off chance he had heard from Ricky. No luck. I explained what had happened, leaving out a few details, and what I was thinking. He listened. When I mentioned Bijet, his ears perked up.
“Oh hell, Dee. My pal, Delain. I hope you guys aren’t mixed up with that thug. He has a sheet as long as my arm. You name it, he’s done it. Very dangerous character, but keeps himself layered with miles of cheap-ass lackeys and some damned good legal advice. Bottom line, our boy doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“I kind of figured that out,” I said, “but I’m sitting on an ace.”
“Yeah . . . well, sit tight and let me see if I can get the latest. It’s too early for an official missing persons report, but I’ll do what I can and get back to you. I know you can take care of yourself, but, for God sakes, make sure you’re armed at all times.”
Captain Sullivan would be good for his word. He’d always liked Ricky. We made clean arrests and helped him take some of the bad guys off the streets. And I’m not gonna be shy. He loved Diabla. He even got me reinstated. I would have gone except for Ricky. Now I just had to find him.
Evelyn finally returned my call. Ricky and Henri had stayed at her place over night. She had fixed lasagna with homemade noodles, a nice Caesar salad and chocolate cake for dessert. The combination was a little weird, but a good time was had by all. After an early bowl of Rice Krispies, Ricky had left to take Henri to school. That was the last she’d seen of either of them. She made me promise to call if I heard anything.
It was now 1:30. I decided to wait until two to panic. It wasn’t like Ricky to stay incommunicado for that long. I tried both his numbers. No answer. Then I called Grace. She hadn’t seen Henri. He had called last night. He was safe and having one lovely time. “Dose people very nice to me, Momma.” She assumed he was at school. I didn’t tell her anything. I damned sure didn’t want to alarm her. I asked her to call when he got home. She agreed and hung up.
About three-thirty, the phone rang. I was afraid to pick it up. I stared at the receiver and reluctantly put it to my ear. Henri was home. Ricky had dropped him off in front of the school, then driven off. He told her he had taken the bus home. I listened to Grace. She was happy and seemed unconcerned. Henri assured her he had been good, even made an A on a math test. I listened, but something didn’t register. I was guessing, but Henri’s story didn’t make sense. Ricky was missing and as far as I knew, Henri was the last person to see him. I hate to talk about hunches. The word smacks of bullshit, so let me politely call it intuition. I asked Grace if I could come by and talk to Henri.
Evelyn wanted to go, but as far as I was concerned, she was a civilian. And those people often just get in the way.
“Ev, I understand you’re worried, but I can handle this alone,” I said as delicately as I could.
“I know what you’re thinking, Dee. But there are some things you don’t know. Believe me, I can be very helpful in a crisis. Pick me up in ten minutes. I’ll be ready. I’ll tell you about it on the way over to Henri’s.
She got in the car, looking quite dazzling . . . as usual, but her face was gray and taut. She clutched her Coach handbag like it held something she couldn’t live without. Maybe it did. She started slowly.
“I’ve always been a CPA, but I worked for another agency for several years. You’ve heard of them. The Secret Service. I was a financial analyst, but my primary job, like everybody else, was to protect the President and carry a gun.”
She raised her hand and patted the handbag. Then she raised the bag and placed her palm on something very hard, and I suspected, very deadly.
“You will probably remember the incident. It happened a few years back. I was at the White House when some lunatic scaled the fence. He got by the agent at the front door and wandered around before someone finally shot him. That someone was me. Our crazy was DOA. Fortunately, the President had left earlier in the day on Air Force One. There was a virulent discussion about undue use of force. The guy had recently been an outpatient at a mental health clinic in Maryland. Wasn’t taking his meds. His family went ballistic. I wasn’t told, but I think the Feds paid them off to shut up and go away. Next thing I knew I had a nice severance package and I was looking for work. Fortunately, I still had a few friends at the agency. One of them made a call and presto. I was offered a cushy position at a well-respected firm a long way from Washington. It was simple. Do my job, keep my lips tightly sealed and everything would be just hunky dory. It’s been working nicely for quite a while.”
“Damn it, Evelyn.”
“There was no need for you to know before now. But this isn’t about us, it’s about Ricky. You have to find him and I can help.”
It got real quiet in the car, but soon we were parked in front of Grace’s apartment.
She opened the door before we got to the top step of the porch. Henri was standing behind her, almost hiding in her shadow. She showed us in and offered coffee. Henri sat on the worn sofa and Evelyn and I sat across from him in a couple of wingbacks with thread-bare arm rests. I wanted my voice to be gentle, but firm.
“Henri, I know your mom has always told you how important it is to be truthful, especially when times are tough. This is one of those times. You know Ricky is missing. He is your friend. He has tried to protect you. He loves you, and we are worried about him.”
Grace came in with three cups and a carafe on a plastic tray. She poured for both of us and offered sugar and creamer. The coffee was hot and dark. The pungent smell had a deep measure of comfort in it, but my hands were still unsteady. Ev spoke.
“So Henri, tell us about school today.”
“I no go. De Ju Ju’s grab me dis morning. Ricky, too.” He was holding back tears, but that wouldn’t last. “I don’ know where. Dey blindfold us. Take me into a room, like an office. Bijet talk to me.”
“What did he say? Tell them, Henri,” Grace instructed.
“He say, ‘I love you, Henri. I loved yur brother, but we must all find our place. Yurs is wit us,’ He want me join de Ju Ju D’s. He promise to protect me and my momma. Say no harm come while he look over us. He give me dis.”
Henri reached in his pocket and pulled out a twisted red bandanna. There were five silver dollars in a lump within the folds. They gleamed in the palm of his black hand.
“He promise much more if I be wit dem. Do what dey say. I ask him, my momma be safe? He smile, put his hand on my shoulder . . . ‘Yes, you are now our family,’ he tell me. I am now Ju Ju D, Momma. You no haf to worry. Dey don’ hurt you.” He nodded to Grace. She had covered her face in her hands. The tears crept from between her fingers. Her lips formed words we weren’t meant to hear. Henri put his head in her lap and whispered softly to her, “Don’ cry.”
I walked over to the sofa and took his hand. He stood. I held him to me. He looked up sadly, his golden eyes misted over. “You find Ricky?” he pleaded.
“Yes, Evelyn and I will find him and it will all be okay.”
I forced those words out of my mouth. I desperately wanted them to be true. We thanked Grace and left. I told Evelyn we were going to take a little detour by the local Publix. She looked at me like I was slightly deranged. Hey . . . not the first time that’s happened.