“You should have seen it, Sarge,” Monte said through a mouth full of pastry. “My man was riding that beat old school. Rhyming like Nelly on speed, boy. I never had so much fun losing a bet in my life!”
At the stove, Marquita said, “Now I begin to wonder if there is anything our Mr. Jones can’t do.”
Hannibal smiled, shook his head, and bit into another of the powdered sensations, even as he listened to more sizzling in a big skillet in front of Marquita. She flipped the little pastries in a couple of inches of oil as they floated to the surface, then fished them out and laid them on paper towels. She called them beignets, and they filled the suite with a sweet scent. They tasted like powdered donuts without holes, only lighter than anything he’d ever gotten from Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme. And the fact that he, Sarge and Monte were sucking them down as quickly as she could pull them out of the pan and powder them meant they were still warm as he chewed and washed them down with hot, fresh coffee.
“Oh, he has his limits, Markie,” Sarge said, at the table in his undershirt. “Boy can’t dance a lick. Can’t cook for squat. And don’t get him for a partner in pinochle.”
“Thanks for the support, pal,” Hannibal said, delivering a playful punch to Sarge’s shoulder. “Like everybody else I just do what I can. Now Marquita here, she can cook.”
“There is more I could do,” she said, ladling the last of the beignets out of the pan.
“What else?” Hannibal asked with a shrug. “You put up with me calling at a ridiculous hour after I picked up Monte last night, because I forgot to check in and let you know we were okay until I was getting ready for bed myself. You made us this super breakfast. You hung around here an extra day when I know you’d rather be as far from Rod Mantooth as possible. What else could you possibly do?”
“I could testify,” she said, and Hannibal felt the chill that raced through her body as those words flew out. “I could go to court and testify. If you could get Anita to talk about Rod beating her, between us I bet we could get him thrown into jail.”
Sarge reached her in three long strides and wrapped his beefy arms around her. For a moment she shook within his embrace. “You,” Sarge said in a soft voice, close to her ear, “are a very brave woman.”
“Yes, that would call for a great deal of courage,” Hannibal said. “You and Anita would have to explain your history with Rod to the police. And you would have to make them understand why you did certain things.” Hannibal’s eyes cut to Monte, who seemed to understand that this was no time to be asking questions. He filled his mouth with a beignet as if to assure his own silence.
“Yeah, baby, then you’d have to face the whole thing again in open court,” Sarge said.
“If you got through it all, Rod probably would end up in jail for a few years.” Hannibal said. “A strong, direct approach. But we’re not going to do it that way. It doesn’t fulfill my mission, and I have an idea that will.”
Sarge stepped away from Marquita, as if he did not want to spatter her with his anger. “What do you mean, your mission?” What’s more important than getting this guy off the street?”
Hannibal counted to ten in his head. Then he asked Sarge a question that seemed irrelevant. “When you see a guy being loud and abusive with his girl and you’re working as a bouncer, what’s your first priority? Protect the girl from harm? If it is, I assume you separate them.”
Sarge backed off a step. “Well, my job’s to maintain order in the house. I generally just tell the jerk to take it somewhere else. But this…”
“Is no different,” Hannibal said. “I need to recover that formula. I have to make Anita whole. Besides, nobody wants Rod to be able to come back in three or four years and sell this formula for a fortune and live happily every after. Right?”
“Okay,” Sarge said. “Didn’t you say Rod’s out of town today? Maybe we should go up to his house and toss the joint until we find the formula.”
“Naw. Breaking and entering’s not one of my strong points, and his alarms looked pretty sophisticated. I’m planning to make him think I’ve already got it.”
“But, how can you make him think that?” Marquita asked.
“That all depends on you,” Hannibal said, leaning back. “I’m convinced that the disc you saw Rod get so excited about during your little cruise contained his big break. If you remember it well enough for me to make an accurate copy, and if I set up the situation just right, we might just con the con man.”
“You mean that disc that cost Mariah a beating?” Marquita’s eyes moved up and left as she searched her memory. “I know it was gold colored, with a white label and numbers on it. 4-9-3 maybe? Not so sure. Then words like base line formulae or something of the sort, in a very small, fine handwriting.”
“That’s excellent,” Hannibal said, watching Marquita light up again, as she did whenever she received the slightest praise. “Now I propose that we all check out and head back up north. I’ll go to the source of the disc, since I’m pretty sure Anita wrote all the labels, and get an apparent duplicate made. Then I’ll come back down here tomorrow, attend this big party, and find out if I’m slick enough to skin this cat.”
For Hannibal, the drive back to Washington was like a day in his office, if his office had been moved to an MTV sound studio. Before they reached the Virginia Beach city limits Monte had shoved a CD into the machine. Huge had given him a collection of discs he had either performed on or produced. Hannibal waited until the end of the first head-splitting rap tune before shutting it off, explaining that he had some work to do.
“Hey man, don’t you want to hear your greatest hit?” Monte asked, waving a disc at Hannibal.
“Is that what Huge made when I was in the booth?”
“Yep. This one’s mine. He sent one for you too.”
“Yeah, well, maybe later when I’m too drunk to be embarrassed,” Hannibal said. Now chill while I make a few calls.”
First he called Anita to make sure that no unexpected health problems had arisen. Mother Washington was sitting with her, so he learned that she was eating well and feeling better since Mother Washington had called in a hairdresser to get her back to looking normal. She still had bruising around her nose and seemed depressed much of the time. They would be there when he arrived to talk about whatever he could do to get her stolen property back.
He then called Cindy’s number, got no answer, and left a message on her machine. On a guess he called her office number. Again no answer. Hoping for information he tried the main number. A receptionist answered, which even on Saturday was not really a surprise. She explained that Ms. Santiago had already been in the office that morning and would be back soon. He asked to be switched back into her voicemail and left a message for her to call him as soon as she was free.
Then he gritted his teeth, focused on the rolling road ahead, and let Monte have his way with the CD player.
By the time he pulled up in front of Anita Cooper’s home, Hannibal had a crick in his neck and a persistent headache dancing behind his eyes from driving into the sun. He shut off the engine, deciding to sit for a moment and enjoy the quiet. He had followed Sarge back to their building and dropped Monte off across the street before proceeding to Anita’s. Along the way he had tried Cindy’s home and cell phone numbers, before leaving another message at her office. Missing her was probably contributing to his headache.
At the door Hannibal tried to keep the pain out of his smile. When Mother Washington opened the door he knew his plan wasn’t working.
“Oh, child, are you all right?”
“It’s just a headache, ma’am,” he said, stepping through the doorway. “Anita?”
“Downstairs waiting for you. Now you be kind, you hear? She’s not looking her best.”
At the bottom of the stairs Hannibal discovered that Mother Washington had been both right and very wrong. Physically, Anita did not look her best. The pale bruising under her eyes made her look jaundiced, and her right cheek was swollen just enough to make her face appear lopsided. Her nose was also still a little bigger than it should have been, swollen during its healing process. Her lower lip looked as if she had split it, maybe by smiling too much or crying too much. It was healing, but the red line down the middle told him that doctors had removed the stitch too soon.
On the other hand, her eyes were bright and lively, and her posture a tiny bit more erect than before. She was holding her head up. This last beating may have given her strength, he thought, or maybe it freed her from Rod Mantooth for good.
“Why are you looking at me so funny?”
“Sorry,” Hannibal said, smiling. “I just didn’t expect you to look so good.”
Anita flushed crimson at his remark. “You’re so full of stuff. But, listen, Mother Washington said something about you having an idea on how to get Daddy’s formula back. Did you actually, I mean, have you seen Rod?”
“Yes, we’ve met now,” Hannibal said, avoiding her eyes as he walked toward the computer desk. “And I know he hasn’t sold your father’s formula yet, but he will soon, unless I can trick him into showing me where he stashed it. What he has is on a gold CD-Rom.”
“Oh, one of these,” Anita said. She slid a storage case forward on a shelf and blew dust from its top before opening it. The case held two rows of CDs. Light glinted off them, stabbing into Hannibal’s eyes, sparking the pain again. He forced himself to look at the labels.
“Marquita remembers seeing one of these in Rod’s possession. She says it had a white label that said something like formula.”
“Right.” Anita flipped through the discs, all of which bore white labels. She moved slowly through the stack, and then turned to Hannibal with a crooked smile that twisted his heart. It had to hurt her to smile.
“One of the formula set is missing. It’s number 4-9-3.”
“That is exactly what Marquita said. Wow, that writing is so precise. Did you make all the labels yourself?”
“Of course,” Anita said. “Daddy’s writing was atrocious and we never could figure out how to print the labels so they’d come out even.”
Hannibal lowered himself slowly into the desk chair. This was being too easy. “It’s the bait I need. Can you make me a duplicate of the missing disc?”
Anita’s eyes flashed and he could almost hear her pulse quicken. “Will it help you to get Daddy’s real disc back?” When Hannibal nodded, she said, “I will make it exactly like the one he took. We’re going to get my legacy back.”
Five minutes later Hannibal and Anita went upstairs, drawn by the aroma of chicken and the inviting crackle of oil in a deep pan. When they entered the kitchen Mother Washington spoke without turning.
“Child, could you get my pills from my pocketbook? I left it up in the guest room.”
Anita nodded and headed up the stairs. Mother Washington waved Hannibal toward her. He stood beside her, watching the chicken turning golden almost as if she were willing it to do so. She pushed pieces around with a slotted spoon and spoke in a lower tone.
“This man, this Rod Mantooth, you met him?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“He a monster,” she said as if she’d known him all her life.
“Yes ma’am.”
“You take care of him, you hear me? You stop him.”
“What would you have me do?” Hannibal asked, looking at Mother Washington’s matronly face. “Want me to shoot him? Or just drop him down a well?”
Her eyes shot fire at him, and her breathing grew deep and labored. Hannibal could clearly see that she saw nothing funny in this situation. “That child will never be right. That man hurt her in ways only a woman can be hurt. You just make sure he don’t do it no more, you hear? The Lord loves all his children, but sometimes I don’t understand it.”
Hannibal’s street was quiet when he pulled into his traditional parking space, across the street from his building. Not much movement for a Saturday afternoon, not even kids running up and down the street. It was even too hot for troublemakers that day.
Stepping out of the White Tornado he could smell the heat rising from the asphalt. The humidity pasted his clothes to his body, but he paused a moment to listen to an unfamiliar tapping sound. Three doors down, a lone workman was hammering at a windowsill, putting a flower box in place. Wilson had been working on upgrades there for a few weeks. During the week he patrolled the many parks in the District. The park police got little respect but they did get a steady paycheck and on the weekend, pride of ownership pushed him to keep improving his home. Hannibal thought Wilson was a good addition and wondered if he was a sign that the neighborhood was coming back, or just one step in the cycle of gain and loss that had haunted Southeast Washington for the better part of a century.
Inside he wasted no time losing his jacket and tie and rolling up his sleeves. Then he filled the coffee pot basket with the Hawaiian Kona coffee beans that he special ordered from a supplier in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware called The Coffee Mill. He filled the reservoir with filtered water from the refrigerator. He listened to the grinder do its thing and stood by long enough to fill his lungs with the aroma at the start of the brewing process. That done, he grabbed the disc he had gotten from Anita and went upstairs.
His knock at Sarge’s door prompted some physical shuffling on the other side, and what Hannibal would swear sounded like clothes being readjusted. He took a step backward, grinning as he imagined Sarge’s embarrassment. He didn’t have to imagine for long. When Sarge pulled the door open, wearing jeans and an undershirt, Hannibal could see extra color in his mahogany face and his smile was much broader than usual.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Oh, you didn’t interrupt anything,” Sarge hastened to say.
“Whatever, man. Want me to come back later?”
“Don’t be silly, brother,” Sarge said, waving his friend inside. “Want some coffee?”
“Not that sludge you make,” Hannibal said, following Sarge into the kitchen. “I got the real stuff brewing downstairs.”
Sarge pulled out two large mugs bearing a globe and anchor and, ignoring Hannibal, poured two cups of coffee. “You know, I been thinking about this plan of yours, Hannibal. I think it’s got one big hole in it.”
“Really?” Hannibal dropped the disc on the table to pick up his cup. “Well I’m always willing to listen, buddy. What did I miss?”
“Your exit strategy’s weak,” Sarge said, leaning back against the sink and taking a big swallow of coffee. “What if you get busted after you’ve scored the prize? You could find yourself cornered and outnumbered, know what I mean?”
“I think I do,” Hannibal said, suppressing a smile.
“Now what you need,” Sarge said, completely serious, “is some backup. I figure if I follow you down there and hang back, outside…”
Hannibal sipped, and fought screwing up his face at the bitter taste. “Damn, that coffee is awful…” When Sarge raised his eyebrows, Hannibal added, “Good. Awful good. But man, I have a sneaking suspicion that all you really want is to get close enough to get your hands on Rod Mantooth. I don’t know if I want to put you in that…”
“Mon Dieu!” Marquita, having just stepped into the kitchen, stood with one hand raised to her mouth. Hannibal and Sarge turned toward her, not sure what had caused her reaction until they followed her eyes down to the table.
“It is the disc,” she said. “That is the one Rod had on the boat.”
Hannibal smiled, scooping up the CD-Rom. “That’s what I needed to hear, Marquita. This is the duplicate I had Anita make and it sounds like she got it just about right.”
Hannibal’s smile faded in the face of Marquita’s reaction. The golden disc pulled her eyes like a magnet, and as she stared her lower lip began to quiver. Although it was just a copy, the object in his hand was, for her, a physical object with a direct connection to the depraved and demeaning treatment Rod gave his willing followers. He quickly pushed it behind his back.
“Well, listen, thanks for all your help,” he said on his way toward the door. “I’m going to go downstairs and get myself together for tomorrow. And get myself a decent cup of coffee. See you guys.”
Hannibal watched his car clock tick over to six pm before he turned the key from ACC to off to save the battery. Some merciful clouds had blown into place and his daylong headache had faded at last. Parked down the block from Cindy’s Alexandria townhouse he watched the river darken by slow degrees as the sun dropped behind the city in his rearview mirror. People were slowly filtering into Oronoco Park in anticipation of the cooler temperatures that come with sunset. He sipped hot, strong coffee from his travel cup. His friends at The Coffee Mill had convinced him to try a Costa Rican coffee they imported and it was a winner. These beans had been darker with a fierce aroma. The nutty flavor of the brew blunted his irritation at waiting. After all, a guy should not have to stake out his girlfriend’s house.
He had called Cindy a couple more times before deciding that the woman had to go home some time, and he would meet her there. He pulled out his cell phone, planning to try the three numbers one more time. As he did he remembered another call he should be making. Checking the slip of paper in his pocket, he punched in the numbers Mariah had given him. After just two rings, a low husky voice answered.
“This is her? Who’s this?’ “Smoke, baby,” Hannibal said. “What up with your beautiful self?”
Pause. “Oh, hey, I can probably get that for you. Let me call you back in a minute, okay?”
Hannibal muttered agreement into an already dead phone. He figured he must have called at a bad time. Shrugging, he tried Cindy’s cell phone again, and again found it turned off. As soon as he hung up, his phone rang.
“Smoke honey, is that you?” Mariah’s voice was more breathy this time, dripping with exaggerated sexiness. There was also a faint echo, as if she had moved to a smaller room. Maybe she had slipped into the bathroom for this conversation. Hannibal pulled on his street voice, like an uncomfortable shirt that was nonetheless right in style.
“Yeah, baby. Just wanted to know what was going on with that party tomorrow. Your boy don’t play none of that redneck shit, do he? I’m ready to get crunk.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, panting as if in anticipation. “I’ll make sure you get your party on. And Rod will have the dance tracks booming, loud and heavy.”
“Good deal,” Hannibal said. “Between you and Sheryl this ought to be a hell of a party.” He needed to know what kind of story Sheryl and Derek had come up with.
“Yeah, she told me you were all that,” Mariah said. “From what she said, I want to make sure I get my turn. And we won’t have to worry about her getting in the way.”
“What, you beat her down or something?”
“No, silly,” Mariah giggled, surprising him by sounding very young for a moment. “You must have turned her out, cause Derek was scared of losing her. He collared her last night. Replaced that braided leather piece of shit choker with a real nice silver band. So now she does what he says, and I know one thing he won’t say she can do is you.”
Hannibal’s mind snapped back to the hidden collars he had found in the last few days and the looks on Anita’s and Marquita’s faces when confronted with them. Now Mariah sounded quite casual as she dropped this news into his ear. Was that funny? Should he laugh? Should he care? What was the right response? Before Hannibal had time to gather his answer, Mariah rushed into his silence.
“Hey, don’t you worry about that. I’m twice as good as Sheryl. I know stuff she never thought about, and do stuff she’s afraid of. And I can take a hell of a lot more.”
He knew the right answer now. “Like to walk right up to the edge, eh? Well all right then. But dig, I don’t want to get in no pissing contest with the big dog. If Rod and me rumble, I’ll have to put him down hard.”
“Rod will be busy with the newbie,” Mariah said, with an edge in her voice. “While he’s training her, we can be upstairs. He won’t even care.”
Right, Hannibal thought. That was why she was hiding in the bathroom. Well, whatever the punishment was for straying off the preserve, she probably enjoyed that too. Aloud he said, “All right, Shorty. I’ll slide in around, what, eight o’clock? Then we’ll see how well the big dog trained you.”
Mariah whispered, “Yes Sir,” and her words surprised him as much as the soft tone in which she said them.
By the end of that conversation Hannibal felt tired. The sun had disappeared while they talked, and he leaned back in his seat to consider the next night in more detail. With his eyes closed he could picture Rod’s summerhouse and imagine all the players and where they would be.
Hannibal jerked upright at the tapping on his window. Cindy stood on the other side of the glass in a green velvet sweat suit that fit like it was painted on. Her smile implied total ignorance of his frustration at trying to contact her. He pushed a button, rolling the window down.
“How long have you been sitting out here?” Cindy asked. Hannibal’s stern expression pushed her face back a few inches. “What are you doing out here?”
“Waiting for you to come home,” Hannibal said. “I couldn’t imagine where you were.”
“Oh honey, I was in the office all day. This IPO is really taking off and if I do this right…”
“I called the office. No answer, no response to my message. No answer at the house, no answer on your cell.”
“Oh, babe.” Cindy pulled the car door open, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry. I never checked for messages at the office all day. And I thought I told you I don’t carry that cell anymore. Why didn’t you ‘berry me?”
Hannibal powered his window closed and stepped out of the car, stretching. “Bury you?”
“My Blackberry, silly,” she said, trying a tentative hug. “That’s the only place I check for messages anymore. You could leave a voicemail, or you can text me or drop an e-mail. I know I gave you the number.”
Of course she had, but he had never entered it into his cell phone. Standing there under the streetlamp, feeling her arms around him made all his irritation drain off into the ground. Her cologne reminded him how much he had missed her.
“I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Well, it’s not too late,” she said. “I’ve got a pork roast upstairs and I was thinking of making that mojo pork you like.”
“With the Papaya Mango Salsa?”
“Well sure, if you’ll help me chop up all the stuff.” Their embrace tightened and, for a moment, their mutual obsessions with their professions faded into the warm night breeze. He pressed his mouth to her ear, delivered a soft kiss, and whispered.
“I have an idea how to spend the time while the roast cooks.”
“Ooooh, stop.” But as they moved toward the door with his arm around her, they both knew she meant just the opposite.