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spiffy.
    “What I want an overcoat for?”
    “Because, Momma, I got this investigator man coming here and I don’t want your titties hanging all out, come on. I need you
     to put something on.”
    “You don’t need to worry about my titties hanging nowhere. You need to worry about yours. And an investigator; what you got
     an investigator coming in here for?”
    “Momma, please, why you asking me so many questions?”
    “ ’Cause, you don’t know what you doing. You just so fast, that’s what’s wrong with you now.”
    No she’s not, no she’s not getting ready to start with me about how I make my money.
    “Messing with all these crazy men, and you talking to private investigators. It ain’t nothing but trouble. You need to get
     your life together, Daisy Mae. You need Jesus. Jesus saves, did you know that?”
    “Yes, you’ve told me before.”
    “Well, you need to let him save you. And what you got an investigator for? You looking for a missing person or something?”
    “No, Momma, I’m helping out a friend. It’s just a favor, that’s all.”
    “Favor, favor, ain’t no helping here if I got to talk to no investigator. What kind of mess you done got into now.”
    “Nothing.”
    “Well, then don’t do it. Don’t say nothing to no investigator without getting yourself a lawyer first. They got commercials
     now. I think you better call ’em.”
    “Momma, I don’t need no lawyer, I ain’t in no trouble. Come on, put this robe on, please.”
    “Mmm-hmm, I don’t want to. I want to go in my room. I don’t want no investigator looking at me. Next thing you know I’ll be
     some kind of suspect and all messed up. No, sir, I’ll go in my room and close my door.”
    Daisy’s mother stood up but looked as if she was about to fall back down. Daisy grabbed her right arm, holding her up.
    “You okay?” she asked.
    “Okay, as okay can get, but I still don’t want you getting in no trouble.”
    “Momma, I ain’t getting in no trouble, please don’t worry about me. Did you take your medication?”
    “Yeah, but I been feeling a little funny. You know, just feel like I’m out of myself, like my body’s over there and I’m somewhere
     over here looking for it. And my foot’s been sleeping all day. I tried to shake it, but it still got them pins and needle
     feeling in it.”
    “Don’t worry, when I’m done with the investigator, I’ll come in and rub you down.”
    “Yeah, you good at them massages. At least you good for something. Now, that you can do,” said Daisy’s mother as Daisy helped
     her sit on the edge of the bed. “You just be careful, Daisy. Just be careful, baby.”
    “I will, Momma, I will.”
    Just then the buzzer to the downstairs intercom rang. Daisy closed the door behind her mother, spoke into the intercom, and
     buzzed in the investigator. To her surprise it was all quite simple. The investigator simply showed her a photo of Nard and
     asked was she sure he was in the bar with her. She answered yes, gave him a simple time frame, and signed a witness statement.
     That was it. After he left, she paged Sticks, and sure enough, within twenty minutes he was downstairs sitting in front of
     her building in his green E Class. He counted out two thousand dollars, handed it to her, and told her he’d call her later.
     Daisy couldn’t believe it. It was like somebody else had been blessed and passed it on to her.
    She thanked Sticks and hurried back upstairs. She opened the apartment door.
    “Momma, it’s me,” she yelled out and then went into her room. She closed the door and counted out her money again.
Boy oh boy, the sun sure will come out tomorrow.
With two thousand dollars in her pocket you could bet your bottom dollar and hers. Daisy sat there making a mental list of
     all the things she could do. It didn’t dawn on her that her mother hadn’t responded. Daisy was too preoccupied with all that
     her small fortune would be doing for her—hair, nails, clothes,