travel through my breasts to my heart.
I actually was sorry when he rose and returned to the settee. I heard him settle in, and then I turned to look at him. For a moment we just stared at each other through the dim light of the kerosene lamp.
'Night,' he whispered.
'Good night.'
I turned over and thought for a moment before I realized why I was suddenly anxious. I patted the bed and searched with my hand.
Jack heard me moving about. 'What is it, Pearl?'
'Jack,' I said. 'The mojo.'
'What about it?'
'It's gone!'
12
Hatred Is as Slow as Poison
If Mommy was in the house during the night, she was gone or well hidden by morning. Jack and I searched the studio, the kitchen, and even the pantries more vigorously than we had the first time, but there was no sign of her, and she didn't respond to my continuous calling and pleading for her to show herself.
'She's just not here,' Jack finally said. 'She must have gone someplace else during the night. Do you have any other ideas where she might go?'
'The only people I know are my aunt Jeanne and uncle James. My mother likes Aunt Jeanne. They've stayed in touch all these years.'
'Maybe she finally went there, then. We can call them,' Jack suggested.
'I'll just go see them,' I said. 'But I do want to call Daddy first.'
'And you should eat some breakfast. You're running on an empty tank.'
'I'll go into town and—'
'No, you won't. Let's go to the trailer,' he insisted.
Most of the other riggers had already arrived by the time we drove over to the trailer. Heads spun and eyes widened when we got out of my car.
'Pick up a new helper, Jack?' someone shouted, and the others laughed.
'Just ignore them,' Jack mumbled, keeping his eyes straight ahead and his head stiff.
When we entered the trailer, Bart LaCroix, the foreman, looked up from the small kitchen table where he was having coffee and a cruller. There was another rigger with him, a man about his age, only taller with a full head of dark brown curly hair.
'What's this?' Bart asked, surprised to see me.
'Mademoiselle Andreas has returned to continue her search for her mother,' Jack explained. 'It looks as if her mother was here during the night.'
'Don't say. During the night? This ain't a place to be wandering around during the night.'
'No one's wandering around,' Jack retorted.
Bart grunted, gulped some coffee, and gobbled the rest of his cruller. 'Billy says we're having a problem with the pump jack on thirty-three. Stop by and give it a look-see, hear?'
'Right. How about some coffee, Pearl?' Jack asked.
'Thank you,' I said. The taller man stood up and pulled a chair away from the table for me. 'Thank you.'
'Your father here, too?' Bart asked.
'No, monsieur.'
Bart raised his eyebrows and then looked at the other man, who stood waiting for an introduction. 'Oh, Lefty, this here is Mademoiselle Andreas. Pearl. Number twenty-two.'
'Number twenty-two? Oh,' Lefty said, impressed. I sat down.
'How about a cruller?' Bart offered. 'Picked 'em up fresh on the way in today. We got a pretty good baker here. Bet he compares favorably with your Cafe du Monde.'
'Thank you,' I said and tried one. I smiled and nodded. 'He does compare favorably,' I said.
'Well, we better get shaking, Lefty. We got oil to pump,' he said eyeing Jack, who pretended not to hear as he poured thick, black Cajun coffee. Bart and Lefty put on their helmets and left the trailer.
'You like a little cream with that?' Jack asked nodding at my cup.
'Please. I didn't mean to cause you any embarrassment with your fellow workers,' I said.
'Don't think a second time about it,' he said firmly. 'Most of them are just jealous. I can make you eggs, if you like.'
