She snatched the bag and coffee, then set them up on a nearby laundry-folding table and opened the bag.
“I ordered just what you wanted,” I said, surveying the room. Marco was sitting in the back corner, slouched in his seat with his left leg extended, reading a comic book he must have gotten from a pile of magazines and pamphlets on a nearby table. He was in jeans and the T-shirt he usually wore to mow his grass. He hadn’t shaved, so his jaw had plenty of scruff, and he wore a blue baseball cap on his head. He didn’t acknowledge me.
Louise pulled the sandwich out of the bag and unwrapped it, opening the top to examine the ingredients. She must have been satisfied because she took a bite, then said through a mouthful, “I’m out of quarters. Put some in for me.”
I stared at her for a long moment before pulling my wallet out of my purse and checking the change compartment. “I only have five quarters.”
She reached over and tugged a ten-dollar bill from my wallet. “That’ll do.”
She headed to the change machine and fed it my money. The change spilled out into a tray, and she grabbed fistfuls of quarters and dropped them into a pocket of her cardigan.
Taking some from her pocket, she held out her hand toward me. “Put these in the machines.”
I propped a hand on my hip. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take your clothes out to the creek and wash them on the rocks out there?”
“Don’t be stupid,” she grumbled. “Just put the quarters into the machines.”
I considered telling her to stick them up her ass, but the situation was tenuous, and I still wanted to know what she had to say. So I jammed them into the slots and started the washing machines while Louise sipped her coffee. I had no idea if she had added detergent or if she was washing her clothes in hot or cold water. I didn’t really care.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ve started your laundry and brought you breakfast. Now tell me what you want.”
“Is that any way to be talkin’ to your elders?” she asked in a haughty tone. “Did they not teach you manners up in Michigan?”
“So you know where I’m from. Good for you,” I said, thankful she hadn’t said Texas. “I believe in respecting those who respect me, and so far, I’m seeing absolutely no respect.”
“You sure are a mouthy thing, ain’t ya?” she asked before taking another bite. Then, while chewing, she said, “But you were mouthy during our chat on the phone too. Someday someone’s gonna beat the sass out of you.”
Marco’s face jerked up, fury in his eyes, but Louise’s back was to him.
I asked in a dry tone, “Are you planning to arrange that or just let nature take its course?”
We had a several-second stare-off before she broke into laughter. “I still got plenty of fight in me, but I won’t be the one to take you down unless you cross me.” Her eyes narrowed. “You do not want to get on my bad side. Trust me on that.”
“Is that how you convinced Lula to obey? Did you convince her you’d hurt her if she didn’t do your bidding?”
She snorted. “It don’t take threats to keep that girl in line. All you have to do is dangle some affection and pretty words, and she’ll come to heel.”
I didn’t hide my disgust. “She’s your daughter, not a dog.”
Her shoulders rolled in a lazy shrug as though she didn’t see much difference.
“If she’s so easy to control, why are you here with me and not having Bingham run your errands?”
“Bingham.” She spat on the floor, her expression darkening. “She must have fallen for his big dick.”
“From what I heard, you don’t have firsthand knowledge of that.”
“Not for lack of tryin’,” she snarled.
“Are we here to debate the size of Bingham’s penis or do you actually have something important to discuss?”
To my surprise, she released a short laugh. “So you’re a funny girl.”
“Not particularly, but I’m friends with Lula and it doesn’t seem right to be discussing her husband’s endowments.”
“You think you’re friends with my girl?”
“I’m not here to discuss that either.”
“You’re not here to discuss much, are ya?” she asked in a snotty tone. “Well, aren’t you just all high and mighty.”
I pushed out a frustrated sigh. “I have things to do, so if the next item on your agenda is to continue to insult me, I’ll just head out and get to them.”
“You mean like sit in that stupid library and look up shit on the computers?”
How did she know that?
I gave her a hard look. “You have three seconds to convince me why I should stick around instead of cutting my losses. So far I’m out twenty bucks and about a half hour of my time.”
“You want to take down Bart Drummond?” she asked. “That computer ain’t gonna help you.”
“I never said I was taking down Bart Drummond.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So you don’t want proof he killed Jerry?”
I gasped.
A grin spread across her face. “I might know a thing or two about that.”
But how? She’d just gotten out of prison. Or had she? “How long have you been back?”
“Long enough to know.” She peered over her shoulder at Marco, then turned back to me. “I got at least twenty minutes before I need to move this laundry. Let’s go outside to get some privacy.”
Part of me wanted to walk away. For all I knew, she was stringing me along. It wouldn’t have taken much digging for her to find out that I’d taken Jerry’s death hard. Even Lula knew. But if Lula knew her mother was back, I suspected they hadn’t sat around drinking lemonade and catching up on the town gossip. Not based on the way Lula and Bingham had made themselves scarce lately. But if there was even the slightest chance Louise had evidence that could tie Bart Drummond to Jerry’s murder, I had to find out. She clearly knew that, however she’d learned it, which put me in a terrible bargaining position.
I spun around and walked out the door, leaving her to follow. Louisa trailed after me, chuckling to herself. Marco wouldn’t be pleased with this turn of events, but he was close enough that he could get to me within seconds.
“Got any cigarettes?” she asked, leaning her back against the building.
“Sorry. Don’t smoke.”
“You don’t carry any in your car? Hank always smoked like a chimney.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from her bra. Shaking one out, she removed a lighter from inside the plastic sleeve around the carton and lit up. After taking a drag, she held it in for a long beat, then leaned her head back and blew it out. “Damn, I missed smoking whenever I want.”
I rested my butt against the hood of my car. “What do you know about Jerry?”
“I know he spent most of his life whipped. His wife. His boss. Men like Bingham and Bart Drummond. They feast upon the weak.” She winked and took another drag.
I hated hearing her talk about Jerry like that, but there was no denying he’d been a shell of a man when I met him. “Jerry was a good man. I want to know who ran him off the road.”