“Why you take her?”
“Wanda-we’ve been through this. Rain is helping me. We followed-up on her lead, then I dropped her off at JR’s.”
“What you do after that?”
I laughed. “I really don’t like being interrogated, counselor, but if you want me to account for my whereabouts, fine. After I dropped her off, I got a picture of her brother and then I went to Monika’s. Then I hit a few stops.” Wanda doesn’t like Monika. She swears something is goi
ng on between us, so I know she won’t call her for any reason.
“What you go to Monika for?”
“She’s helping me with Zakiya’s murder, too. She was having an affair with a married man whose on-line name is Nice N. Slow. The e-mails were sent from a computer at JR’s. I think that Rain’s brother Miles sent them. That’s why I got his picture, so I could show it to the staff at Paradise tomorrow.”
That was my plan for the day.
I got out of bed, took a shower, and was at Paradise by one. The place was packed. I made eye contact with Tasheka and took a seat. When things quieted down a little, Tasheka came to the table with some lemonade for me. “How are you doin’, Nick?”
“I’m doin’ fine, Tasheka. How about you?”
“Tired; need a better job. But other than that, I’m fine.”
And she was; fine as hell.
“Have seat, Tasheka, I got something I want you to take a look at.”
Tasheka sat down and I handed her the picture that I had taken of Miles. She looked at the picture and shook her head. “That’s him. That’s the guy she used to meet here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure am,” she said. “Shameka, come here.”
“Don’t you see I’m busy?” Shameka shouted back.
“I can’t stand her ass sometimes,” Tasheka frowned. “That’s why I need a new job.”
Tasheka got up. She took the pictures behind the counter to show Shameka. She looked at the pictures and came from behind the counter.
“That’s him,” Shameka said as soon as she got to the table.
“When they were here together, how did they act?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did they seem happy with each other? Did they argue?”
“They looked like they were in love. You know, sitting on the same side in the booth, all hugged up with each other. Holding hands, stuff like that.”
She handed me back the pictures and asked if I was hungry. “Starvin’.”
“What you want? You want some chicken, you want some fish?”
“Got any shrimp?”
“Of course: some big jumbo joints.”
“Bring me some shrimp and chicken.”
“You want fries with that?”