The Queen of Cool (48 page)

Q

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Three days later

Monday night—11:11 p.m.

“
So it
is
you,” Jean-Jean Monquist said. “I told his momma that might
happen.”

A breathing tube down his throat, Sy could
only open and close his eyes at her.

“
It’s that Olga. She…,” she
mumbled. “And… I knew it, I just knew it. If he made it to Renee,
he’d never leave her. He must have had help along the
way.”

She raised her index finger and pointed at
him.

“
Well, you listen to me and
listen good. You’re never going to mention this, not to me, not to
anyone. You’re going to have at least one child and…”

Jean’s eyes welled with tears. As if he was
trying to understand what she was saying, he squinted.

“
I’ll love you like my
nephew, help you, and… You’ll never give his momma even one
indication…”

She wiped her eyes and nodded as if they had
made an agreement. She was almost from the room when she turned
back to him.

“
You’re Cajun now,” she
said. “You better start acting like it.”

She nodded to him and walked out of the
room.

Q

A week and a half later

Monday morning—8:10 a.m.

“
Now
cher
, I don’t understand why you would move that pawn there,”
Sy said to Alisha. He leaned back in his wheelchair as if he
expected an explanation from her.

“
I…” Alisha flushed. “Now
that you say it, I’m not sure why I put that piece there either. It
wasn’t very smart.”

They laughed. Sy had appeared at Lo’s
bedside about a week ago. While they waited for Lo to wake up,
Alisha had taken up the challenge of teaching Sy how to play chess.
They’d met there every morning for a game. Alisha looked at him and
smiled. She was either an amazing teacher or Sy had known how to
play chess and was humoring her. Either way, Alisha was grateful
for his jovial company.

Alisha looked at Lo. Even though the doctors
said she was getting stronger, she was still unconscious, wore a
gown of gauze bandages, and had a breathing tube down her throat.
Her cardiac surgeon said that her heart was healing slowly. He
assured her that Lo’s healing progression was normal. Dr. Evans
said the baby was gaining healthy weight. The plastic surgeon took
out the stitches from her cheek and said she’d never see the scar.
In fact, every doctor repeated the same thing: “Lo is healing; be
patient; she needs the rest.” But as the days wore on, Alisha
couldn’t help but wonder if Lo would ever wake up.

Yazmin flitted in and out like a butterfly.
Amanda spent the afternoons at Lo’s side. Lisa and the kids came at
night. Larry or Mutt took turns staying overnight. The scary old
Granny Olga came and went on her own rhythm. Her Rick brought her
lunch here every day. About a week ago, Simon Monquist had wheeled
into Lo’s room to join their watch. Even Mindy Sue and Manny
stopped by when Manny had appointments in or around the hospital.
Together, they rotated around Lo like sideshows in a three-ring
circus.

She was their center stage.

“
Start over?” Alisha
asked.

“
You don’t want me to win!”
Sy laughed a big Cajun laugh. She saw people outside the room look
up to see what was happening. “Cheater!”

“
You watch what you’re
saying Monquist!” Alisha laughed. “You will not sully the Downs
name.”

Lo’s fingers stretched out.

“
Mom!” Alisha
yelled.

Alisha went around the end of the bed to her
head. Lo gave Alisha a confused look before she smiled. Out of the
corner of her eye, Alisha saw Lo’s hand reach for Sy. When he took
her hand, Lo’s entire body seemed to relax. Lo’s eyes traced
Alisha’s face as her other hand touched Alisha’s sleeve.

The nurse ran into the room. She shooed
Alisha and Sy out and pulled the screen around the bed. They stood
at the window for what seemed like days.

“
She’s very weak,” the
nurse said. “No drama, no tears, think only happy thoughts. The
doctor is on his way. You should know, she’s in terrible pain. He’s
going to want to put her out again.”

The nurse gave Alisha and Sy a stern
look.

“
Oh hell, call Mandy,” the
nurse said. “I’ll wait fifteen minutes before I call the doc.
That’ll give you a half hour or so. But remember, she’s very weak.
Even a note of drama and, so help me, you’re out of her
room.”

The nurse walked slowly back to her
station.

“
You
call,
cherie
,” Sy said.
“I’ll go see how she is.”

Alisha took out her cell phone and dialed
Amanda. Through the curtain, she saw the vague outline of Sy wheel
to the other side of the bed. She saw the outline of his figure
heft onto the bed and lean over. If she didn’t know better, she
would have said that man was kissing her mom! She hurried through
her call with Amanda.

When she entered the room, Sy was back in
his wheelchair holding Lo’s hand. The breathing tube was gone and
Lo’s face was slightly flushed. Unsure of what to do, Alisha
stopped walking.

When Lo smiled, Alisha ran to her. She spoke
in a flurry, saying anything, everything, and nothing all at once.
Lo’s smile for her never dimmed. Amanda and Larry came a few
minutes later. Lisa arrived with Yazmin and Mutt. Rick came to
celebrate. And through all the laughter and joy of Lo rising from
the dead, Simon Monquist held Lo’s hand.

And somehow, that was all right.

Q

A month later

Wednesday morning—11:10 a.m.

“
We’ve been here for three
hours,” Sy said. Using his hands against the table, he pressed to
standing. His mood had soured with each passing minute. “Lo needs
to get back to the hospital and Manny’s fading.”

The big man weaved and sat back down. He,
Lo, and Manny were sitting at a long conference table in a
conference room down in the bowels of the Federal Court building in
Fort Worth. Yazmin and Lisa sat on either side of Lo while Mutt and
Larry sat around Manny. Sy had taken the end of the table next to
Mrs. Williams. They were waiting to give testimony in a preliminary
hearing for Sue Ellen Carr.

While stronger, Lo still wore a breathing
cannula and had an oxygen bottle with her. She looked exhausted.
Manny was suffering the consequences of not taking his pain
medication to be able to testify. His face was ashen and he was
sweating. They were here because they were the nails in Sue Ellen’s
coffin. Today, she would be charged with killing Don and
distributing VX, a weapon of mass destruction.

“
I apologize,” the
Assistant Federal Prosecutor said. “There was some mix up at the
jail and…”

“
Oh no, you’re not blaming
this shit on us,” the Fort Worth Sheriff said. “We had Sue Ellen
Carr ready and waiting for transport at six this morning. Your
delay…”

“
Excuse me,” the tall,
dark-haired man in a dark suit, whom Lo met at Don’s grave, came in
the locked room. “You’re wanted down the hall. It seems your cell
phones don’t work?”

The man in the suit leaned in to say
something to the Sheriff and the Assistant Federal Prosecutor. The
three men rushed out of the room.

“
I don’t like it,” Mutt
said. “I didn’t want to say anything with the fuzz here, but this
whole thing stinks.”

“
Something is very wrong,”
Yazmin said.

The tall, dark-haired man came in the room,
slammed and locked the door. He said something in fast Romani. Mutt
got up and moved toward him.

“
They are barricading the
door,” Yazmin whispered.

“
What…?” Used to his usual
authority, Manny turned toward to door. A slight moan escaped his
lips.

“
He didn’t say,” Yazmin
said. “Larry, Lisa, let’s help them with this table.”

Larry and Lisa took one end of the long
table while Mutt and the man took the other end. Yazmin rolled Lo’s
wheelchair back.

“
What is it?” Lo’s voice
came with whispered breaks.

“
Attempt to…” Yazmin looked
up when the dark-haired man said something in Romani. Yazmin’s
reply was strong and firm. “It’s Sue Ellen’s people. They’ve come
to clean up.”

“
Us?” Manny
asked.

Yazmin nodded. The dark-haired man said
something to Mutt in Romani.

“
Will you speak English?”
Mrs. Williams asked.

Yazmin said something to the dark-haired man
in Romani. He blushed. To cover his embarrassment, he directed them
to move the long conference table to barricade the door.

“
There’s an Army team on
its way here,” he said. “But they won’t get here in time. Sue Ellen
is dead, or will be shortly. The building at Swift Packing Plant
with Don’s clean up facility in the basement has been demolished.
While there is photographic and physical evidence, we all know how
easily evidence can be lost. That means, all that’s left
is…”

“
Us,” Manny said. “Get rid
of us and no one will ever know about this whole fiasco.
Assholes.”

“
Where I come from, we call
it something stronger than that,” Sy chuckled.

“
Can you help?” Yazmin
asked Mutt.

He easily lifted Lo from her wheelchair and
carried her to the far corner of the room. Larry helped Sy. Lisa
took Manny’s arms and led him to the corner where Mutt had set Lo.
Yazmin helped Mrs. Williams across the room. Sy and Manny sat with
their backs against the wall.

“
No one leaves until this
is over,” the dark-haired man said.

He began using the chairs to add to the
barrier in front of the door. Mutt and Larry went to help him.
Yazmin and Lisa dropped down to the floor beside Lo. Yazmin hugged
Lo.

“
Lorraina!” Yazmin
said.

“
I didn’t want to say
anything,” Lo said. “Everyone is already so upset.”

“
He is too early,” Yazmin
said.

“
Dr. Evans said he could
come any day,” Lo said. “Because of me being sick and
stuff.”

“
Lo’s in labor?” Lisa
asked.

Yazmin and Lisa shared a look. Lisa took off
her jacket and put it under Lo’s head.

“
How long?” Lisa
asked.

“
This morning. Before I
left the hospital,” Lo said in breaths of air. “I thought we’d get
through the hearing and…”

“
That’s why you’re speaking
like that,” Yazmin said.

Lo nodded. Lisa hugged her.

“
What is it?” Manny
asked.

“
Lo’s in labor,” Lisa said.
“Has been since this morning.”

“
People talk about being in
labor for hours, days,” Lo’s eyes pleaded for understanding. “I
figured…”

“
You must hate
that woman something fierce,
cher
,” Sy
laughed.

“
Just a little bit more
than that,” Lo said.

“
I’m just behind Lo,”
Yazmin said.

“
Me too,” Lisa
said.

They nodded in agreement.

“
Well, I’ve had three
babies and I’ll have a fourth soon enough,” Lisa said. “I’m no
doctor but I’ll help.”

“
I coached Mindy Sue both
times,” Manny said. “I’m almost an expert.”

“
I’ve had five, delivered
two of my sister’s, and been to at least a dozen,” Mrs. Williams
said. “It’s hard to believe now, but women used to have babies
without the fuss of doctors and hospitals.”

“
See, Lo, we can do this,”
Lisa said.

“
What’s going on?” Larry
walked toward them.

“
We’re going to have a
baby,” Yazmin said.

“
Anyone have any pain
meds?” Manny asked.

“
Lorraina is tough,” Yazmin
said. “She doesn’t need such poison for this.”

“
For me,” Manny
said.

“
Your meds are in my
purse,” Lo said. “Mindy Sue gave them to me in the car.”

“
Matthew, get Lorraina’s
purse,” Yazmin said. “And some water from that machine.”

The man in the dark suit said something in
Romani. Yazmin glared at him. Mutt gave Manny his pain medication
and the water. The man in the dark suit said something to Yazmin
and she nodded.

“
Lorraina, this is Bo
Evans,” Yazmin helped Lo sit up. “He is Evelyn’s oldest son, Vera’s
uncle. He’s been trying to find this VX for…”

“
A very long time,” Bo
said. “Army CID. We’ve been looking since they made their first
sale. Mrs. Williams’s husband is the one who tipped us that the VX
was here.”

“
Dr. Evans, his mother,
said she would be available by phone.” Yazmin said, “In case
anything happened, but now we know there’s no reception down
here.”

Yazmin grabbed Lo’s hand and leaned into her
face.

“
Can you do this?” Yazmin
asked.

Lo nodded. Just then they heard gunshots in
the hallway.

“
Shh,” Bo said and flicked
off the lights.

The men ducked down near the women in the
corner of the room. In the dark, they stared at the door to see if
it would hold. Someone rattled the door and tried to push it in.
They heard a fast conversation and a shout. Heavy footfall of at
least three people went down the hallway.