'A hundred dollars? For Old World craftsmanship? The stones alone are worth many times that.'
'Since when is Taiwan the Old World, Mahmud?'
The old man's eyes gleamed. 'Lapis lazuli. The mineral is called 'lazulite.' Very rare. You will not find it in the Far East. This perfect crystal comes only from Madagascar.'
'Does the geography lesson cost extra?'
Mahmud and I exchanged shrugs. 'Even a hurricane eventually passes, leaving the calm,' he said.
Michelle wasn't moved. 'You take American Express?'
Mahmud laughed so hard, tears ran down his face. 'From him?' he said, pointing at me.
Michelle moved in for the kill. 'Okay, so how much of a discount for cash?'
Mahmud moved to center ring, gloves up. 'This necklace is worth one thousand two hundred dollar.'
'Get out of town! Do I look like I'm on medication?'
'You look lovely, as always, Michelle. One thousand two hundred dollar.'
'Four hundred. And you don't have to gift-wrap it.'
'For you, because you are so beautiful, because such a beautiful necklace should have a beautiful home . . . a thousand.'
'It's not for me, you old bandit, it's for Burke. For his girlfriend.'
'This is true?'
I nodded.
'He just brought me along for protection,' Michelle said, smiling sweetly.
'Ah, I see. Eight hundred, then.'
'Did you say five?'
'Seven hundred dollar, and only because I respect your good taste.'
'Can we split the difference?'
'Seven hundred dollar,' the old man said. He meant it.
'Give him the money,' Michelle ordered me.
I handed it over. Mahmud slipped the necklace into a soft leather pouch, handed it to me. 'You take this too,' he said, rummaging around under the counter. He came up with a tiny round wood box. He unscrewed it, holding it out to me. It was filled with a fragrant paste, colorless in the dark wood.
'Jasmine,' he said. 'Just a touch on the lady's finger, then . . . here' - touching his chest. 'The lapis takes its fire from the earth; it will blaze all the brighter if there is fire in the heart.'
I bowed to Mahmud. Michelle gave him a kiss. When we hit the street, it was past six.
80
'Where to?' I asked Michelle.
'Take me back to my hotel. I need to change my clothes before I get to work.'
'Michelle . . . you'll look?'
'I'll do better than that, baby. There's plenty of those little girls out there that know me. Like the Prof would say, if they know me, they owe me.'
'Debts.'
'Debts all come due, Burke. You know I love you. And even if you were still nothing but a rough-off artist like you used to be, I'd still love you.' She lit a smoke, her face dead serious. 'I'd love you because you're right sometimes you have to go down the tunnel even if you don't know what's at the other end.'
She blew the smoke at the windshield. Reached over and squeezed my hand. 'I don't know what you're doing half the time. I don't think you do either. You're a hard man trying to be a hustler, and you don't always make it. I don't know why you went into that house last year - all I did was make a phone call like you asked. I don't know why you started that whole mess.'
'It doesn't matter now,' I said. Thinking of the witch-woman, Strega. 'It's all over now.'
'It doesn't matter why you did it . . . but I know this. You brought me my son. And I'll never forget.'
She leaned over to kiss me as the Plymouth pulled to the curb. 'If it's out there, I'll find it,' she said.
'Michelle . . .'
'What?'
'Use a telescope, okay?'
She just waved a goodbye and moved down the street. Heads turned. Her walk didn't make men want to bite into their palms like Belle's. lt pulled at a different piece, but it pulled just as hard.
81
It was almost seven-thirty by the time I got back to the office. I had the key in the lock when the smell hit me. A hard-sharp smell. I stepped inside. Pansy was at her post, tail wagging, even happier to see me than usual. All the furniture was against one wall. The fake Persian rug was off the wall. The smell was stronger inside.
Belle came in from the back room. Barefoot, wearing only a bra and pants, her hair tied on top of her head, a rag in one hand.
'You came home too early.'
'What in hell is this?'
'It's almost a clean office, honey. Lord, this place was dirty - I damn near had to use a chisel on the floor in the back.'
'Belle . . .'
'I couldn't get that rug up. And you don't have a vacuum - I should've known. It's some kind of plastic, isn't it? I had to scrub it down . . . It's still damp - watch where you put your feet.'
I walked over to the couch. Sat down. Slowly. Pansy leaped onto the cushions, pressing against me. I patted her head.
Belle came over to me. 'That old beast - she followed me around everywhere. Big busybody, poking her nose into everything. She wouldn't hardly let me work.'
''I . . .'
'Honey, don't you like it?'
'Yeah. I mean, it's great. I just . . .'
'Take a look,' she said, reaching out her hand to me. 'Come on.'
The bathroom sparkled, the back window gleamed. The floor glistened. The walls were a color I had never seen before. Even the hot plate looked new.
'Damn!'
'It's good, huh?'
'It's unbelievable.'
'I thought there was another room. Behind the rug on the wall.'
'That's what people are supposed to think,' I said, half to myself. The surfaces of the file cabinets looked like someone had worked them over with a power sander. My old desk was oiled - you could even see the grain in the wood.
'How'd you do all this?'
'I'm a working fool - always have been. I was raised on work.'
'I don't know what to say.' It was the truth.
The big girl moved in against me, sharp sweat-smell blending with her natural juices into something way past sweet. 'Say what I want to hear,' she whispered.
I slipped both hands inside her pants, pulling her tight against me. 'Go take a shower,' I said.
She ground her hips against me. 'That isn't it,' she said.
'Trust me.'
'I do.'
'Well . . .?'
