on the planet; and she was stickin’ it to Laws, too? I mean, it’s almost like she’d fuck a cactus if the wind blew one her way.”
I still said nothing. As wild as that scene was, I couldn’t imagine Thea being involved with Laws—not after Kendrick, who was so damn handsome you broke into a sweat just looking at him. I simply didn’t believe it.
“Think they’ll find who put Laws out?” Bert asked, still gazing down the avenue. The sun was in her eyes and she was sweating heavily.
chapter twelve
D ad was practicing downstairs when I came in. I went up to my room, stepped out of my sweaty clothes, and filled the tub with rose-scented bubble bath. What I really needed was to run naked at midnight into a crashing surf and then float on my back gazing up at the stars above the St. Croix landscape.
But that had been last summer, with Tad waiting on the beach, laughing as I waded back to him, telling me how crazy I was and how much he loved my craziness.
I needed to feel wet sand under my feet again, rubbing the stony calluses away from my sole. Or soul. Or both.
Right now, the man was as inaccessible as St. Croix. And there was no surf here in the city, so the warm bath and a Tina Turner CD would have to do.
I slid into the tub and rested my head back, feelingthe bubbles dissolve against my skin. I closed my eyes and naturally the phone rang, and naturally I reached for it quickly, hoping it would be Tad calling to say that he was on his way home, or better yet that he was already home and waiting for me. Dreams are like that.
It was Teddi Lovette finally getting around to doing what she’d promised to do several days ago.
“Mali. Sorry I couldn’t get to you before now. We’ve been rehearsing pretty hard and—”
“Listen,” I said, cutting into her apology. “I’d like to know what’s going on. Why that thing about my joining the group? Why am I all of a sudden living in Brooklyn? What’s going on?”
“Look, Mali. I’m sorry I had to do that to you. My mother—well, I’m having a problem with her. Or I should say, she has a problem.”
“Let me guess. Anything to do with black folks?”
There was a pause in which I heard the intake of breath and then a light sigh. “I can’t answer that.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t answer because I don’t
have
an answer. Not yet, anyway.”
“Does your mother know about Kendrick?”
“She met him, yes.”
“Does she know … how you feel about him?”
“Well, I …”
“Come on, Teddi. It’s all over your face. If I can see it, surely Mom can see it. The lady’s no fool.”
There was another silence and I knew I had hit a nerve.
“Well, I … Listen: this isn’t why I called you. Idon’t want to discuss my feelings for Kendrick. Not now, at least. I need to know something about Thea.”
“But Thea’s dead. She’s gone. How can she—”
“I still need some information.” There was another pause before she said, “I’ll pay you to deliver it.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“I can’t tell you that. The only thing I can say right now is that I need to know as much about her as I can.”
“Like what?”
“Personal stuff. History. Things like that.”
“What do you intend to do with it?”
“Nothing that’ll hurt her, I can promise you that.”
“How can you hurt a dead person?”
She didn’t answer, but said, “I can also promise you twenty thousand if you get it for me.”
“Dollars?”
“If that’s not enough, let me know. I know it’s going to be hard. Folks will say, ‘Let the dead bury the dead,’ but I need this.”
“Damn.”
“Will you do it, Mali? I hate to put a dollar amount on something like this, but it’s the only way I know to help Kendrick.”
“Why don’t you get a private investigator?”
“I don’t trust them. Sometimes they take your money and then go over to the other side.”
“What other side?”
She did not answer again, but went on as if I’d
I still said nothing. As wild as that scene was, I couldn’t imagine Thea being involved with Laws—not after Kendrick, who was so damn handsome you broke into a sweat just looking at him. I simply didn’t believe it.
“Think they’ll find who put Laws out?” Bert asked, still gazing down the avenue. The sun was in her eyes and she was sweating heavily.
chapter twelve
D ad was practicing downstairs when I came in. I went up to my room, stepped out of my sweaty clothes, and filled the tub with rose-scented bubble bath. What I really needed was to run naked at midnight into a crashing surf and then float on my back gazing up at the stars above the St. Croix landscape.
But that had been last summer, with Tad waiting on the beach, laughing as I waded back to him, telling me how crazy I was and how much he loved my craziness.
I needed to feel wet sand under my feet again, rubbing the stony calluses away from my sole. Or soul. Or both.
Right now, the man was as inaccessible as St. Croix. And there was no surf here in the city, so the warm bath and a Tina Turner CD would have to do.
I slid into the tub and rested my head back, feelingthe bubbles dissolve against my skin. I closed my eyes and naturally the phone rang, and naturally I reached for it quickly, hoping it would be Tad calling to say that he was on his way home, or better yet that he was already home and waiting for me. Dreams are like that.
It was Teddi Lovette finally getting around to doing what she’d promised to do several days ago.
“Mali. Sorry I couldn’t get to you before now. We’ve been rehearsing pretty hard and—”
“Listen,” I said, cutting into her apology. “I’d like to know what’s going on. Why that thing about my joining the group? Why am I all of a sudden living in Brooklyn? What’s going on?”
“Look, Mali. I’m sorry I had to do that to you. My mother—well, I’m having a problem with her. Or I should say, she has a problem.”
“Let me guess. Anything to do with black folks?”
There was a pause in which I heard the intake of breath and then a light sigh. “I can’t answer that.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t answer because I don’t
have
an answer. Not yet, anyway.”
“Does your mother know about Kendrick?”
“She met him, yes.”
“Does she know … how you feel about him?”
“Well, I …”
“Come on, Teddi. It’s all over your face. If I can see it, surely Mom can see it. The lady’s no fool.”
There was another silence and I knew I had hit a nerve.
“Well, I … Listen: this isn’t why I called you. Idon’t want to discuss my feelings for Kendrick. Not now, at least. I need to know something about Thea.”
“But Thea’s dead. She’s gone. How can she—”
“I still need some information.” There was another pause before she said, “I’ll pay you to deliver it.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“I can’t tell you that. The only thing I can say right now is that I need to know as much about her as I can.”
“Like what?”
“Personal stuff. History. Things like that.”
“What do you intend to do with it?”
“Nothing that’ll hurt her, I can promise you that.”
“How can you hurt a dead person?”
She didn’t answer, but said, “I can also promise you twenty thousand if you get it for me.”
“Dollars?”
“If that’s not enough, let me know. I know it’s going to be hard. Folks will say, ‘Let the dead bury the dead,’ but I need this.”
“Damn.”
“Will you do it, Mali? I hate to put a dollar amount on something like this, but it’s the only way I know to help Kendrick.”
“Why don’t you get a private investigator?”
“I don’t trust them. Sometimes they take your money and then go over to the other side.”
“What other side?”
She did not answer again, but went on as if I’d
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