He
knows where we can find Eric. I'm certain. Once we do
this for him, he has to tell us"
"Why?" She glared up at me defiantly.
"Quid pro quo," I said. "Quid pro quo.
She frowned.
I explained. "Tit for tat. You wash my back; I'll wash
yours °"
She blew out through her carefully painted lips and
eyed her manicured nails apprehensively. She arched an
eyebrow. "All right, but you owe me"
In ten minutes, we had cleared the tables, knotted the
bags, and I had helped the bartender deposit them out
back in the alley.
He grinned at me. "Hey, pal, I appreciate the help. You
didn't have to do all that for me. Come back inside, and
I'll treat you to a beer"
"Thanks, I'm on the wagon, but like I said, I need to
find my cousin. You don't have any idea where I could
look, do you?"
He studied me a moment, then shrugged. "Why not?
You did me a favor. See this alley? It runs seven blocks down to the access road to the Interstate. This is where
Eric Lavern's been living for the last five years"
I rolled my eyes. Another John Roney Boudreaux.
"Thanks"
We went out the front and circled the building to the
alley. "Here we are," I announced.
Janice looked around and frowned. "Where?"
"Our pal the bartender said Eric lives in this alley"
Her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding. There's
nothing here but dumpsters and garbage"
"Maybe so. That means we have seven blocks of dumpsters and garbage to look through" I looked down at her
with a crooked grin. "Well, are you up to it?"
She set her jaw. "If you can do it, so can I"
I could have married her at that moment.
We found Eric in a cardboard box behind a dumpster in
the second block. He lay on his back sleeping, with only
his head sticking out of the box. At first we weren't sure
it was Eric and compared him to the wedding picture. If
that pitiful excuse for a human was Eric Lavern, he had
lost fifty pounds.
Staring down at him, at his gaunt, unshaven face, his
rotting teeth, the drool running from the side of his open
mouth down his cheek, the grime on his forehead, I figured he was down to his last few hundred brain cells. I
doubted if he would be of any help.
Was I ever surprised.
While Janice looked on with obvious distaste, I knelt
by the snoring man and shook him awake.
"Huh? What?" His words were slurred. He tried to slap
my hand away, but missed. "Go away. G'way."
"Wake up" I shook him again.
He grunted.
"You're not going to wake that one," Janice observed.
"No?" I climbed to my feet and peered into the dumpster. I pulled out a plastic bag and tore it open. I poured
the dregs of beer into a single can until it was about a third
full. Then I went back to Eric and shook him again. "Hey,
Eric. Wake up. I got a beer for you"
That's all it took. He tried unsuccessfully to sit up, so I
helped him, then handed him the beer, which he promptly
turned up and drained. He spat and puckered his lips.
"Hey, there was a cigarette butt in that can"
"Sorry, Eric. I'll get you another. In fact, I'll give you
twenty bucks if you'll just answer a few questions"
He blinked several times and tried to focus his bleary
eyes on me. "Twenty bucks? Sure. Whatever. Where is it?
Let me have it" He stuck out his hand.
I glanced up at Janice who was staring at him in shock.
This had been an eye-opening day for her. While those in
her stratum of society knew Eric's level existed, they had
no concept of the odious reality of that existence. "Not
now, not yet, Eric. Answer some questions first"
Hung over and still not fully sober, he became belligerent. "I ain't answering nothing 'til I get the money."
I stood up. "Okay by me. You don't get the money."
He grabbed at my leg with bony fingers. "No, no, I'm
sorry. I'm sorry. Don't go. I'll tell you whatever you
want"
I squatted. "All right. Ten years ago, you worked with
Don Landreth to get Albert Hastings elected governor.
Hastings was murdered. You remember that?"
-- - - -- - - - - - - --
knows where we can find Eric. I'm certain. Once we do
this for him, he has to tell us"
"Why?" She glared up at me defiantly.
"Quid pro quo," I said. "Quid pro quo.
She frowned.
I explained. "Tit for tat. You wash my back; I'll wash
yours °"
She blew out through her carefully painted lips and
eyed her manicured nails apprehensively. She arched an
eyebrow. "All right, but you owe me"
In ten minutes, we had cleared the tables, knotted the
bags, and I had helped the bartender deposit them out
back in the alley.
He grinned at me. "Hey, pal, I appreciate the help. You
didn't have to do all that for me. Come back inside, and
I'll treat you to a beer"
"Thanks, I'm on the wagon, but like I said, I need to
find my cousin. You don't have any idea where I could
look, do you?"
He studied me a moment, then shrugged. "Why not?
You did me a favor. See this alley? It runs seven blocks down to the access road to the Interstate. This is where
Eric Lavern's been living for the last five years"
I rolled my eyes. Another John Roney Boudreaux.
"Thanks"
We went out the front and circled the building to the
alley. "Here we are," I announced.
Janice looked around and frowned. "Where?"
"Our pal the bartender said Eric lives in this alley"
Her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding. There's
nothing here but dumpsters and garbage"
"Maybe so. That means we have seven blocks of dumpsters and garbage to look through" I looked down at her
with a crooked grin. "Well, are you up to it?"
She set her jaw. "If you can do it, so can I"
I could have married her at that moment.
We found Eric in a cardboard box behind a dumpster in
the second block. He lay on his back sleeping, with only
his head sticking out of the box. At first we weren't sure
it was Eric and compared him to the wedding picture. If
that pitiful excuse for a human was Eric Lavern, he had
lost fifty pounds.
Staring down at him, at his gaunt, unshaven face, his
rotting teeth, the drool running from the side of his open
mouth down his cheek, the grime on his forehead, I figured he was down to his last few hundred brain cells. I
doubted if he would be of any help.
Was I ever surprised.
While Janice looked on with obvious distaste, I knelt
by the snoring man and shook him awake.
"Huh? What?" His words were slurred. He tried to slap
my hand away, but missed. "Go away. G'way."
"Wake up" I shook him again.
He grunted.
"You're not going to wake that one," Janice observed.
"No?" I climbed to my feet and peered into the dumpster. I pulled out a plastic bag and tore it open. I poured
the dregs of beer into a single can until it was about a third
full. Then I went back to Eric and shook him again. "Hey,
Eric. Wake up. I got a beer for you"
That's all it took. He tried unsuccessfully to sit up, so I
helped him, then handed him the beer, which he promptly
turned up and drained. He spat and puckered his lips.
"Hey, there was a cigarette butt in that can"
"Sorry, Eric. I'll get you another. In fact, I'll give you
twenty bucks if you'll just answer a few questions"
He blinked several times and tried to focus his bleary
eyes on me. "Twenty bucks? Sure. Whatever. Where is it?
Let me have it" He stuck out his hand.
I glanced up at Janice who was staring at him in shock.
This had been an eye-opening day for her. While those in
her stratum of society knew Eric's level existed, they had
no concept of the odious reality of that existence. "Not
now, not yet, Eric. Answer some questions first"
Hung over and still not fully sober, he became belligerent. "I ain't answering nothing 'til I get the money."
I stood up. "Okay by me. You don't get the money."
He grabbed at my leg with bony fingers. "No, no, I'm
sorry. I'm sorry. Don't go. I'll tell you whatever you
want"
I squatted. "All right. Ten years ago, you worked with
Don Landreth to get Albert Hastings elected governor.
Hastings was murdered. You remember that?"
-- - - -- - - - - - - --
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