The New Iberia Blues (Dave Robicheaux 22)

“I told you what I know. Axel thought he was gonna be in the movies. He got to eat his baton instead. Maybe they’ll do that for you.”

“The movie people are going to hurt me?”

“Maybe it’s those guys out of Jersey. The ones backing the casinos. Guys who knew Nicky Scarfo. You think the Indians run their show? The wiseguys wouldn’t wipe their ass on them.”

“The foster father of Lucinda Arceneaux lives a few hundred yards from here. Did you know her?”

“Saw her around. She thought her shit didn’t stink.”

I got to my feet. My knees were weak, my eyes stinging with sweat.

“Tell me something,” he said.

“What?”

“Did you get into her bread?”

“Whose bread?”

“Bella Delahoussaye’s. She fucked my brains out. You ought to give it a try, if you haven’t already.” He was grinning. Two of his teeth were broken off. He spat a clot of blood onto the floor and laughed to himself.

“I’ve got to give it to you,” I said.

“For what?” he replied.

“I never met a worse cop. You give shit a bad name.”

I filled a water glass that was on the wash basin and placed it in his hand. I stared at him a long time, until he had to look away.

“What?” he said.

“I killed Asian men I had nothing against,” I said. “Speak disrespectfully of Miss Bella again, and what happened here tonight will be just a tune-up.”

I took the glass from his hand and threw the water in his face.

Chapter Eighteen

CLETE AND ALAFAIR were both back from Arizona, but I told neither of them about my troubles with Frenchie Lautrec. Clete came to my house Monday night. “I saw Bella Delahoussaye at the Winn-Dixie. She said this creep Lautrec smeared you with some photographs on the Internet. The message was supposed to be racial.”

“That sounds right,” I replied.

“What happened?”

“I dropped by his house.”

“And did what?”

“Maybe he swallowed some camera parts. A couple of teeth, too.”

“He didn’t dime you?”

“I heard he took sick leave. He’s a dirty cop. He can’t afford to dime anybody.”

“He photographed you getting it on with Bella?”

“Her son was being gang-raped at Angola. I tried to comfort her.”

“Horizontally?” he said.