House of Blues Read Online Free PDF Page B

from there? That was the only sane thing to do, but she hadn't
thought of it; hadn't thought anything at the time, had simply been
the burden her feet were carrying. But it now occurred to her that
she wouldn't have known anything about the car if she had, not its
color or model or license number, all of which she knew now.
    So I must be doing the right thing.
    She neither believed that nor disbelieved it. It was
just something to think while she drove.
    They were near Bayou St. John, she noticed.
    She thought: This isn't right. What the hell are we
doing here? She realized that she thought she understood why Sally
had been taken, but a place like this didn't begin to enter into it.
Gentilly. The posh, nouveau part, about two blocks from near-slums.
    The Tercel stopped in front of an enormous house, an
absurdly huge house, as big as any on St. Charles Avenue, built of
gray stone and surrounded by a fence of iron bars standing dignified
as deacons. A group of men walked out of the gate and turned left on
the sidewalk.
    The Tercel driver got out of the car and, clutching
Sally, raced to the gate, now being closed by a man in a suit who
still managed somehow to look like a servant. Sally was screaming:
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
    Reed certainly wasn't going to bother to park. She
simply abandoned her car in the street. As she rounded it, she found
herself staring straight into the eyes of one of the men in the
little group, who had all turned toward the screams.
    It was Bruce Smallwood, whom she knew from her
pleadings before the casino board. With him was Lafayette Goodyear,
another member of the board, and she thought a third was Barron
Piggott, a colleague of theirs, but she couldn't be sure.
    Thank God.
    She closed her eyes for a second, in relief or silent
prayer.
    "Bruce! Lafayette! Help!"
    None of them moved.
    Men she had been to lunch with, sat across a table
from.
    Smiled for.
    Barron had even tried to grab her thigh, but she'd
seen it coming and crossed her legs.
    The kidnapper was screaming above Sally: "Goddammit,
let me in. Get Mo. Tell Mo I'm here, goddammit. Who the fuck do you
think you are?"
    The entire group of able-bodied men, civic leaders,
stood as if nailed to the spot, looking as frightened as she was.
    If her child were to be rescued, it was up to her.
    She reached for Sally, but the kidnappers body was in
the way. She closed her fists and began beating that body as hard as
she could—the shoulders, the back, the kidneys, she hoped. But she
didn't feel the slightest yield.
    "Give her back to me, goddammit! Sally, baby,
it's okay. Mommy's here. Everything's going to be—" She
couldn't get the last word out. She had intended to say "fine,"
but she was out of breath. And besides, she hadn't the heart. She
didn't believe it. Woefully, she looked again at the group of men.
    One had broken from the group, Lafayette, the only
black one, who was running toward her, finally moving his fucking
ass. But the gate swung open and the kidnapper fell away from Reed. .
    Startled, she swiveled and
saw that two men had pulled the kidnapper through the gate, Sally
kicking as hard as she could. They pulled Reed in too.
    * * *
    Grady drove his mother to Dennis and Reed's, Sugar
sitting quietly instead of running her mouth as usual, eyes facing
front; no drama. That puzzled him, but he was thoroughly undone when
she climbed the stairs without a word and retreated, dazed, to one of
the guest rooms. Following with her hastily packed bag, he watched
her turn on the television and lie down on the bed, all her clothes
on and no expression in her eyes. He had never seen her like that,
and the shock moved him to solicitude.
    " Mother? Mother, can I get you anything?"
His voice sounded oddly meek to his own ears.
    Sugar didn't answer.
    She wasn't the sort who had to be cajoled. She wanted
what she wanted, and it was always the same thing—lots of
attention, someone to listen to her, to rant to even if they finally
yelled back. She would