The Big Crazy by Julie Smith

Author:Julie Smith [Smith, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Calibre
Published: 2018-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

21

“Look, I promised this kid. His uncle’s got an infection and can’t... you know… be exposed to all the chemicals and crap in the water…”

Skip could almost see Adam wincing. “Yeah. I heard that.”

After a day in the hell of St. Claude Avenue, she just had this one last thing to do before walking Angel and collapsing. She was on the phone, pleading with Abasolo and Conrad to go get Billy’s aunt and uncle before they quit for the day. They had to be exhausted. She knew it was way too much to ask and it was stressing her out to argue with them.

Things had gotten hotter and nastier and more stressful on the streets, with the massive task of evacuating everyone who was left in the city and feeding them in the meantime. The National Guard had started to move in. Buses commandeered by the governor from all over the state were scheduled to move thousands of people out, but so far few seemed to be rolling yet. The roar of hundreds of Coast Guard helicopters plucking people off rooftops was both ominous and hopeful— as well as irritating as hell. Everyone was hungry, thirsty, hot, scared, and worst of all, mad.

They thought they’d been deserted by the government and they were losing hope that help was coming. The early panic when they’d realized their predicament had given way to despair and, in many cases, aggression.

She’d had her hands full all day and so had every cop who bothered to come to work. She hated doing this to A.A. and Conrad, but if you couldn't help a friend, what was the point of being a cop?

Adam said, “How do you even know this kid?” And she realized she hadn't even seen him since the storm except for breakfast with Conrad. How had she managed not to tell them her Katrina-night adventures?

She told him now, just hitting the high spots, with heavy emphasis on Billy and also Ollie, whom he knew and liked, with a little about the animals, especially Iggy’s attempt to maim Breesy. She was pretty sure that was good for a laugh.

“So the kid ran out on you, and then turned up again begging for help? Huh? Everybody needs help! Why’d you make a promise to him?”

“He’s a good kid, Adam. He helped me all night, even when Ollie went to sleep. Hey, you know about him! He’s the one whose mama took a hostage over at Charity. He’s had it rough, and I feel bad for him.”

“Dr. Bordelon was very impressed with him.”

“Ummm. Dr. Bordelon…”

She let it hang there, waiting for him to answer, while she continued pacing, the way she was getting through this call, wandering aimlessly from one room to another, straightening obsessively as she went. She’d already rearranged the cheerful throw pillows on Jimmy Dee’s leather sofa, all the while nagging as hard as she could.

Turning to the desk, which had three dirty glasses on it, she happened to notice the drawer was slightly open— the drawer where she’d put everyone’s gun the night of the storm.

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