Hard Eight

two people.”

What she wasn’t expecting was a plus-size black woman bulging out of a tiny yellow skirt.

“This is my partner, Lula,” I said. “She’s good at creating a distraction.”

“No kidding.” Dotty was dressed in jeans and sneakers. She had a bag of groceries on the kitchen table and a two- year-old under her arm.

“This is my problem,” Dotty said. “I have a friend who has no food in the house and can’t go out to get any. I want to take these groceries to her.”

“Is Jeanne Ellen out front?”

“She left about ten minutes ago. She does that. She’ll sit there for hours, and then she’ll go away for a while, but she always comes back.”

“Why don’t you take the groceries to your friend when Jeanne Ellen leaves?”

“You said not to do that. You said even if I didn’t see her she’d follow me.”

“Good point. Okay, here’s the plan. You and I will cut through the back and take my car. And Lula will drive your car. Lula will make sure we’re not followed, and she’ll decoy Jeanne Ellen off, if Jeanne Ellen appears.”

“No good,” Dotty said. “I have to go alone. And I need someone to sit with the kids. My sitter just punked out on me. It’s going to have to be that I cut through the yard and use your car, and you take care of the kids. I won’t be long.”

Lula and I shouted no simultaneously.

“Not a great idea,” I said. “We don’t baby-sit. We don’t actually know anything about kids.” I looked over at Lula. “Do you know anything about kids?”

Lula shook her head vigorously. “I don’t know nothing about kids. I don’t want to know nothing about kids, either.”

“If I don’t get this food to Evelyn she’s going to go out and get it herself. If she’s recognized, she’ll have to move on.”

“Evelyn and Annie can’t stay hidden forever,” I said.

“I know that. I’m trying to straighten things out.”

“By talking to Soder?”

The surprise was obvious on her face. “You were watching me, too.”

“Soder didn’t look happy. What were you arguing about?”

“I can’t tell you. And I need to go. Please let me go.”

“I want to talk to Evelyn on the phone. I need to know she’s okay. If I can talk to her on the phone, I’ll let you go. And Lula and I will baby-sit.”

“Hold on here,” Lula said. “That don’t sound like a deal to me. Kids spook me out.”

“Okay,” Dottie said. “I don’t see where it’ll harm anything to let you talk to Evelyn.”

She went to the living room to dial. There was a brief conversation, Dotty returned, and passed the phone to me.

“Your grandmother is worried,” I told Evelyn. “She’s worried about you and Annie.”

“Tell her we’re alright. And please stop looking for us. You’re just making things more complicated.”

“I’m not the person you have to worry about. Steven’s hired a private investigator, and she’s good at finding people.”

“Dotty told me.”