FORTY-EIGHT
"WHAT THE FUCK am I running here," Tedy Sapp said when I sat down, "a family crisis center?"
"You're my closest friend in Georgia," I said.
We were at Sapp's table near the door. Pud was in the back room with Cord, and SueSue and Stonie.
"First, Cord Wyatt comes in here like an orphan in the storm and says you sent him. Then you show up with the rest of the fucking family. What do we do when Delroy finds out they're here?"
"Maybe he won't find out," I said.
"I'm a bouncer, not a fucking commando. Delroy's got twelve, fifteen people he can put in here with automatic weapons. What's wrong with the Clive girls?"
"I don't know for sure. They've apparently been prisoners in the house since their father died. I don't know why. They're either traumatized or drugged or both, and it's like talking to a couple of shy children."
"Nice haircuts," Sapp said.
"You homosexuals are so fashion-conscious," I said.
"Yeah. I wonder why they cut their hair that way?"
"Maybe it wasn't their idea," I said. "Or the white pajamas."
"So what do you want from me?"
"I want you to look out for them, Cord and Pud too, while I figure out what's going on."
"And how long do you expect that to take?" Sapp said.
"Given my track record," I said, "about twenty more years."
"Becker will work with you," Sapp said. "If you get him something he can take to court."
"That's my plan," I said.
"Glad to hear you got one. What are you going to do about Delroy?"
"I'm hoping to bust his chops," I said.
"You figure he's the one?" Sapp said.
"He's at least one of the ones," I said.
"Delroy's a jerk," Sapp said. "But he's a mean dangerous jerk."
"The perfect combination," I said.
Sapp reached under the table and came out with a Colt.45 semiautomatic pistol, and put it on the table.
"On the other hand," Sapp said, "you and me ain't a couple of йclairs either."
"A valid point," I said. "Can you sit on things here while I go up to Saratoga?"
"Saratoga?"
"Yep. I want to see Penny."
"So, I'll bunk all the Clive castoffs here," Sapp said.
"And feed and clothe them, and watch out for them, supply bath towels, and clean sheets, and shoot it out with Security South as needed. And you'll go up to Saratoga."
"Yeah."
"That's your plan?"
"You got a better one?"
"I don't need a better one," Sapp said. "I can just walk away from it."
"You going to?"
"No."
"Then what are we talking about?" I said.
"It was a grand day for me," Sapp said, "when you wandered in here."
"Shows I'm not homophobic."
"Too bad," Sapp said. "Can any of these people shoot?"
"You got a shotgun?" I said.
"Sure."
"Almost anyone can use a shotgun," I said.
"If they will."
"Ay, there's the rub."