LITMIR.BIZ

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family hired him. Apparently, they’re quite unsatisfied with the progress being made through police channels.”

      Montgomery showing up here like he had gave further credence to what Della had seen. Yet it still wasn’t enough for Book to open an official case. Unofficial, he could manage. “I suppose I should talk to him.”

      Again, Della leaned forward. “You had the chance, you know. Before you ran the poor man out of here.”

      “I don’t like the thought of you becoming a victim. Of you being exploited.” He didn’t like the idea of a lot of things when it came to Della Brazille. The biggest one being the way he hadn’t yet harnessed his balls and told her how important she was to him. “Finding Montgomery here on top of finding that headline this morning has not made for the best start to the day.”

      “I know what you need.”

      Oh, but she had no idea. It always left him stymied, how she could see violent crimes but never the soft spot in his heart.

      Still, he shifted in his chair so that no personal space remained between them, so that when he breathed in, it was her scent filling his lungs.

      “Yeah? What’s that?” he asked, his heart beating so hard in his throat he couldn’t even swallow.

      “You need brunch.” She patted his knee as if he were a child, then got up to finish cooking.

      All he could do was sit there and battle the urge to walk out the door.

      WHAT PERRY WANTED most of all was for Jack to go away. He disturbed her, and she did not like being disturbed. Especially when, after living a rather disturbing life, she was finally feeling the calm of things going her way.

      She stood at the register in Sugar Blues, having just rung up a customer. It seemed a good place to stay, what with the long, glass-topped counter between her and Jack. Because now that the two of them were alone, her senses were ringing high and loud.

      He closed the book on Reiki training through which he’d been leafing and made his way to the rear of the shop. Of course, she had to notice his walk, how he moved, all lanky and long and loose. She wasn’t supposed to notice that about him, and she sure wasn’t supposed to like it.

      She sighed, obviously having listened too much to Sugar singing the blues, waxing eloquent about the handsome men who’d broken her heart. Jack stopped at the counter and picked up a tiny gold incense burner. Funny how he always had to have his hands on something, stroking, fondling.

      Perry groaned, catching the forward progression of her thoughts one stroke too late. “If you break it, you’ve bought it.”

      “Yeah,” he said, running his thumb over the Buddha’s belly. “I saw the sign on the door. Do you really sell enough of this crap to stay in business?”

      “Do you insult everyone you meet or is this special treatment only for me?”

      “I just say what comes to me.”

      “Open mouth, insert foot?”

      He shrugged. “Guess that’s one way of looking at it.”

      She barely managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes. “But not your way.”

      “Sorry, no,” he said, returning the burner to the counter and reaching for her blue-plumed pen.

      She moved it out of his reach before he could grab it. “Do you think you could limit your touchy-feely habit to items you’re going to buy?”

      He laughed then, the sound deep and resonant like that of a bass guitar, one that vibrated through her, tickling, taunting, one she knew she was going to have a problem with if he stayed around for long.

      Or not, she amended moments later, when he said, “There’s nothing about this place that I buy. Horoscopes and healings and protection charms? What a bunch of—”

      “A bunch of what?” She bristled further, not quite sure why she was letting him get to her when his opinion was one she’d run up against too many times to count. “A bunch of crap? A bunch of, what did you call it earlier, hocus-pocus?”

      “You’re going to tell me it’s not? That you believe—” he glanced at the cover of the book and read the copy “—I can learn how to create an electromagnetic balance all the way to the cellular level in the physical body? Just by taking a couple of classes?”

      She pruned her lips, then forced them to relax. “I believe there are many things not easily explained by conventional reasoning.”

      “Let me guess. You’re a big X-Files fan.”

      This time she gave in, rolling her eyes. “Just my luck, stuck entertaining a smart-ass.”

      “Smart enough to know the difference between what’s real and what isn’t,” he said, a brow going up and drawing her gaze to his lashes again.

      “You think Detective Franklin would be here if Della’s visions were fabricated? If he didn’t have proof that what she sees is real?” Gah, but she hated finding intelligent minds closed.

      “You tell me.”

      “What, and waste my breath? I think I’d rather show you,” she said, having heard the faint croon of a female voice drifting down the stairs behind her.

      He snorted. “I’ve been around the block, sister. I’ve pretty much seen it all.”

      “Ah, but have you listened to it?”

      “Listened to what?”

      Perry narrowed her gaze. “If I let you come around here, do you think you can keep your hands to yourself?”

      The words left her mouth before she could stop them.

      His eyes flashed, specks of silver bright in the deep dark gray. He let his gaze drop from her face to her shoulders before she glared and moved behind the cash register to hide.

      He laughed again, shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and walked his lazy, loose and lanky way around to where she stood.

      “Better?” he asked, once he was close enough to touch…if only she had the guts to reach out.

      What would be better would be to start this day over and not have him show up to disturb her. “Yes. Now listen.”

      She backed toward the staircase and motioned him forward. Wariness in his expression, he did as she asked, stopping when she held up one hand.

      “Listen,” she whispered, standing on one side of the stairwell opening as he stood on the other. “Tell me what you hear.”

      He propped a shoulder against the wall and hung his head; she leaned into the corner, her hands stacked behind her.

      The days just ain’t the same…

      The walls of the stairwell that rose to the second floor were brick, and on them hung framed photos of Sugar. At clubs in the old Storyville district, performing with Jelly Roll Morton and Johnny Dodds.

      The sun hangs low and hangs dark…

      More Sugar Babin memorabilia remained stored in the attic. LPs and costumes. Even her famous gold cigarette case and gnarled walking stick.

      The nights never end, never fade…

      Perry didn’t know how Jack—how anyone—could deny the interaction between this world and those that lay beyond, when hearing Sugar sing.

      Black is the color of my heart…

      Nor did she understand why he wasn’t saying anything. “Well?”

      Still staring down at the floor, he shrugged. “Your aunt left a radio playing?”

      “No.” Perry shook her head. “That’s Sugar.”

      “Another aunt?”

      “This

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