Black Cherry Blues (Dave Robicheaux 3)

“No, thanks. I think I’ll just take a drive somewhere, maybe eat a steak.”

“You’ve been lucky so far, Clete. Walk away from it.”

“You ought to come up to the Nine Mile House at Alberton with me. They’ve got steaks you can cut with a spoon. Watch out for that schoolteacher. Those kind will marry you.”

I watched him drive away in the darkness. I went into the kitchen and put the folded sheaf of bills from my pocket on the table. Then I looked at the bills again and counted them. Some of the bills were fifties, not twenties. He had given me over six hundred dollars.

Later that night, Dixie came home with a black-and-white television set that he had bought for ten dollars, and was watching a late show on the couch in his underwear when the phone rang. I sat up sleepily on the edge of the bed and looked out at him in the lighted hallway as he answered the phone. His hairy stomach protruded over the elastic of his candy-striped shorts. He put his hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver.

“It’s that DEA Polack in Great Falls,” he said. “You want me to tell him you’re bombed out?”

“That’s all right,” I said, took the phone from him, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.

“What’s up, Dan?” I said.

“I’m just glad to find you home.”

“I’m glad to be home, too. My watch says it’s one in the morning.”

“An hour ago, somebody took a shot at Sally Dee. They damn near got him, too. The sheriff over there is going to have you high up on his list.”

“Give him a call in the morning, will you, and tell him what time you got ahold of me. I don’t want any more dealings with that guy.”

“Sure. Hey, the deputy who called me said Sal’s real shook up. The shooter got up on the knoll above the house and parked a big one right through the kitchen window while Sal was drinking a glass of milk and eating cookies at the table. It blew glass and parts of a flowerpot all over him. Guess who wants police protection now?”

“What do they have so far?”

“Not much. They know about where the shot came from. That’s about it.”

“No witnesses?”

“Not so far. You got some ideas?”

“Put it this way. How many people wouldn’t like to see him cooled out?”

“No, no, let’s be a little more candid here.”

“My speculations aren’t of much value these days.”

“We’re talking about Purcel.”

“He was here earlier tonight.”

“How much earlier?”

“Three hours.”

“That’d give him time to get up there, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, it would.”

“You think he did it, don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, ole Sal’s on the other end of the stick now. I wonder how he’s going to handle it.”

“He’ll bring in some more of his hired shitheads. I’m real tired, Dan. Is there anything else?”