Gotta Get Next To You (37 page)

“Please, don’t make me relive those first few
days.” Andrea gave a shudder.

“Like I said, you did a super job finding the
right women and men. Like Jamal.” Katy raised an eyebrow at
her.

Andrea ignored the look Katy gave her.
“Speaking of which, why did he leave a little early today?” This
time she made sure to keep her tone casual.

“He wanted to go by the bank before it
closed. Some-thing he couldn’t handle in the drive-through.” Katy
stood. “Come on, let’s take off.”

“In a minute. I’ve just got a few more ends
that need tying,” Andrea said with a grin.

“Okay. But when Bill and the doctor leave,
you leave with them,” Katy ordered as she shook a forefinger at
Andrea.

“Yes, ma’am.” Andrea sat straight and
saluted.

Katy chuckled. “Good night, boss lady.”

“Good night, and for the gazillionth time,
stop calling me that!” Andrea pretended to be frustrated.

Katy only grinned and waved good-bye. Andrea
smiled with affection. After a time she got up to stretch her legs.
She walked through the clinic and felt pride at what she saw. Bayou
Blue Clinic had decent equipment, clean exam rooms, and a neat
lobby. Yet the turnaround went deeper than appearances. Her health
education classes were now a popular feature. Canceled or missed
appointments were down by 15 percent. Overall, things were going
well. With one exception. Andrea thought about Lee. In her mind the
future of the clinic now rested in one strong set of hands.

“But what in the world is going on?” she
murmured. “Where are you right now?”

***

Lee followed Denny’s battered late-model
Chevy at a safe distance behind a line of traffic. As he’d
suspected, Denny was not going to his grandmother’s house. Instead
he turned right down Hopper Street. Lee glanced around to get his
bearings. Denny parked in front of a brick house surrounded by a
chain-link fence. A BEWARE OF DOG sign warned visitors off. Yet
Denny did not hesitate to open the gate and walk quickly to the
front door. The sound of barking started immediately from the
direction of the backyard. Lee parked a block away between two
other late-model cars. He had a clear view of the house across a
trash-strewn empty lot next to it.

Finally Denny came back onto the open porch.
Ty’Rance was right behind him. The first part of their conversation
was inaudible. Lee moved quietly through the underbrush to get
closer. Denny seemed to be desperately trying to convince Ty’Rance
to do something.

“No, I changed my mind. Just do what I told
ya to do,” Ty’Rance said gruffly.

“But she’s gonna wonder if I show up like
that with some strange dudes. She could—”

“Play your part and bam! We get what we need
and you get paid.”

Denny tried once again. “But Jamal—”

“Screw him. I decided we don’t need some
smart-ass from California. I don’t trust the punk.” Ty’Rance shoved
Denny down the steps. “Wait for my call.” He headed for the front
door.

“Look, Ty, I don’t think we oughta...”
Denny’s voice died away when Ty’Rance turned to face him again, his
cold, dark eyes narrowed to slits.

“You tellin’ me you not gonna do it?”

“N-no.”

“All right then.” Ty’Rance raked him with one
last menacing look before he went back inside the house.

Denny sprinted to his car and peeled off. Lee
remained hidden for several minutes to make sure both were gone.
Then he went back to his car. He unclipped the small cell phone
from his belt and dialed as he got in the car. He scanned the
surroundings, on the alert for members of Ty’Rance’s gang.

“We’ve got a problem. No, we can’t put off
talking to him. We’ve got to do it fast.”

Lee’s heart raced as he explained that
Ty’Rance changed plans. From what he’d heard, they would show up at
the clinic and rob the place. He hung up the phone and pressed the
accelerator. All he could think of was Denny’s reference to a
woman. It had to be Andrea. Lee would find out exactly what was
going on if he had to rip apart every member of that gang.

Streetlights cast shadows through the car as
Lee drove along the narrow streets on the outskirts of Bayou Blue.
They’d met at the strip joint, but stayed only a short time. Denny
had been distracted and nervous, though he tried to hide it. Lee
had suggested they go to the R U Ready, another rough juke joint
favored by local criminals.

Chapter 21

“Say, man, where you taking me?” Denny rubbed
his chin.

“I need to make a stop first. Some guys that
can hook us up. You know, like I was saying before.” Lee glanced at
him sideways before looking ahead again. He steered the car down
the dark highway away from the small city’s lights.

“Ah, ya know, I think I changed my mind. Just
drop me off somewhere. I don’t feel like going to the club.”

“C’mon, relax and jam awhile. The meeting
won’t take long.” Lee punched Denny’s left arm playfully. “You’ll
make money enough to pay for lots of special performances.” He gave
a coarse laugh, but Denny didn’t share in the joke.

“Look, man, I don’t want to cross Ty’Rance.
Besides, he’s already asking questions about you.”

“Such as?” Lee kept his tone level.

“Just the usual stuff with him,” Denny said
quickly. “These guys are real suspicious.”

“So he’s checking me out?”

“I dunno. I guess. Say, stop at Club Hot.
I’ll catch you later.”

“Don’t punk out on me, man. This won’t take a
minute.” Lee continued to drive.

“I’m not feeling too good.”

“What’s wrong with you? Anything happen with
Ty’Rance I should know about?”

“No, no. Uh-uh.” Denny fell silent and stared
out the window.

Lee drove for three more miles before he came
to Houma. Denny was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn’t
pay attention to where they were. They turned down a street and
parked in front of a plain brown building.

“Hey, man. This better not be a setup,” Denny
opened the car door and looked around without getting out.

“Relax.”

“I hope these guys know what they’re doing.”
Denny continued to dart nervous glances to his left and right.

“We wouldn’t be here if they didn’t,” Lee
said with a dry laugh that scratched his throat. “Come on. Stop
looking like a scared chicken or you’ll get them all jumpy.”

Lee knocked four times and the door opened.
Deputy

Tullier stood dressed in a tan T-shirt and
blue jeans. He nodded them in without speaking. Lee led Denny down
a short hall to the first room on their left. Sheriff Boudreaux and
two other men dressed casually sat in a circle around a small
table. One of men rose quickly to face Denny.

“Arms up son,” he said gruffly.

“What the fu—” Denny blinked rapidly.

“Just do it,” Ted barked loudly.

When Denny raised his arms, the man frisked
him from his chest down to his ankles. “He’s clean,” he said to
Ted.

“Ty’Rance was right! You’re a damn cop!”
Denny spun around to leave, but Deputy Tullier’s towering frame
blocked his exit.

‘Take it easy, son,” Sheriff Boudreaux said
in a calm voice.

Sweat rolled down Denny’s face. He looked
around frantically in search of a way out. “Forget you, man. I
ain’t sayin’ nothin’!”

Deputy Tullier pushed a chair into the back
of Denny’s knees. “Sit down,” he growled.

“I’m not staying,” Denny said. “You can’t
arrest me ’cause I haven’t done anything.”

“What about theft?” Sheriff Boudreaux
said.

“You can’t prove I stole nuthin’ from that
clinic!” Denny shot back. “I’m not the only one that works
there.”

“Who said we were talking about the clinic?”
Deputy Tullier put in.

“Not real smart,” one of the men sitting next
to Sheriff Boudreaux said.

Denny looked at Lee. His eyes sparkled with
hostility. “I was stupid to trust you. I should have known better.
My good pal! You’re no different from—” He broke off and swallowed
hard.

Lee knew Denny’s background. Denny was no
doubt thinking of the father who had mistreated his mother and
abandoned him. Lee met his gaze without flinching. He had to focus,
to numb his emotions. The danger was all too real for Denny. Still,
the sting of guilt was sharp.

“I’m trying to save your ass!” Lee snapped.
“You think you got a bright future with Ty'Rance and his kind?”

“Only two ways to go with him, prison or the
cemetery.” Deputy Tullier folded his arms across his chest.

Denny glanced from Lee to Deputy Tullier.
“Brothers doing the white man’s dirty work,” he spat at them.

“Don’t give me that bull! Ty’Rance has killed
more brothers than any cop around here,” Deputy Tullier barked.
“Just so he can sell crack to our kids and kill more.”

Denny glared at him. “At least he’s for
real.”

“Don’t be such an idiot!” Deputy Tullier took
a step toward him.

Lee put a hand to the big man’s chest. “All
right, enough of that. Look, I know you don’t want Ty Rance’s foot
on your neck. You want a way out. We can help you.”

“That good cop, bad cop routine is so old
it’s on crutches.” Denny slumped in his chair with a sullen,
defiant expression. “Shove it.”

“You little—” Sheriff Boudreaux began, but
stopped when Lee raised a hand.

Lee leaned down until his face was a few
inches from Denny’s. “I’ll get to the point. They’ve got enough to
put you in jail. But they’re willing to cut a deal.”

“If I turn informant, right? Like I said,
shove it,”

Denny broke in before he could continue. He
wore a stubborn frown.

“This isn’t an invitation to a party you can
refuse,” Lee shot back. “You’ll be tossed in jail and Ty’Rance will
think you talked.”

“I hear the guy is paranoid as hell,” one of
the other officers said mildly.

“Yep,” the other man said.

“Killed two guys by the time he was fifteen.
Served juvenile time for one. Never could prove he did the other
dude,” Deputy Tullier added.

Denny licked dry tips. “Y’all need to work on
this act. I’m not buyin’ it.” His voice wavered in spite of what he
said.

“With Ty’Rance as a ‘friend,’ you don’t need
us as enemies. I could have let them take you down right along with
him, Denny.” Lee stared at him.

“I can’t believe this shit.” Denny closed his
eyes.

“Think!” Lee yelled. “They’ve traced the
stolen sup-plies to you. But they want more than a petty theft
conviction. They want Ty’Rance off the streets,” Lee said.

“So the little fish get ground up so they can
catch the big fish,” Denny said bitterly. “Like you care what
hap-pens to me.”

“I could have gone along and let them get you
on drug trafficking. Minimum sentencing for conspiracy applies;
life without parole.” Lee had to punch through to him with grim
facts. “Who’s going to take care of your grandmother, Denny?”

Denny covered his face with one hand. “Aw,
damn!”

“Either way you were going to be arrested,
but our way, you could get probation. Take the chance to be there
for her.” Lee stood back again.

“I need time to think. Give me a day or two.”
Denny rubbed his eyes with both fists.

“No, you make a decision before you walk out
of here. Either get with the plan or go to jail,” Sheriff Boudreaux
said.

Denny looked up at Lee. “Did you tell them I
stole stuff from the clinic? Is that how they found out?” Before
Lee could answer, Deputy Tullier spoke up. “We suspected you long
before that.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to be straight with
him,” Lee said. “You were one of several strong suspects. I helped
narrow it down. I don’t want to see you in prison for the rest of
your life, Denny.”

They stared at each other for several
minutes. The other men waited without intruding on the silent
communication between them. Denny heaved a deep sigh. “All right. I
don’t have a choice anyway,” he said. “No, but maybe after this is
over you’ll have better choices for your life,” Lee said.

“Yeah, right.” Denny looked away from
him.

Lee knew full well how the young man felt.
Denny had only bad experiences behind him. That kind of childhood
made it hard to expect anything good. Lee had gone down that
lonely, bumpy road for too long. Yet for a brief time he had not
been alone. He thought of Andrea as the others took over talking to
Denny.

***

“So you’ve gotten all settled in, I see,”
Charlene said with a smile. She glanced around Andrea’s
apartment.

Andrea gazed at her for a second or two. She
could read Charlene like a book. “Go on; tell me how the decor
could be improved.”

“It looks just fine. I love that sofa and
chair.” Charlene looked distracted even though her smile
remained.

“Thank you,” Andrea replied, surprised.
“What’s wrong?”

“Does anything have to be wrong for me to
visit you?” Charlene twisted the strap of her leather-trimmed straw
summer purse.

“You talked to Gran.” Andrea gazed at her.
“Now you know I know.”

“She had no right to tell you,” Charlene
blurted out, frowning angrily. “Louis drank a bit, but really you
know how Mama can be. Stray an inch from the path of righteousness
and ...” She lifted a shoulder. “You get that from her, being
judgmental, I mean.”

Andrea ignored the dig. “You should have told
me about Daddy years ago, Charlene. Daddy did more than ‘drink a
bit.’ Tell me the truth for once. I can take it.”

“It wasn’t all that bad,” Charlene protested.
She sighed. “Louis was under a lot of stress.”

“He died because he was driving drunk,”
Andrea said. The words rang out cold and sharp. Charlene winced.
“Isn’t that right?”

Charlene covered her face with both hands.
When she took them down, her expression was pinched. She seemed to
have aged in an instant. “It wasn’t all his fault,” she said. Her
voice was so low Andrea leaned forward.