it was; it helped heal some of the pain of losing Gus and a lot of what she’d carried around ever since the doctor told her she’d never be a mother.
After Angel had been with Erlene only a little while, during some of those moments when they’d curl up on the couch in front of the fireplace and watch a movie, Angel started to open up a little and told Erlene some of the terrible things that had happened to her. That’s when Erlene knew she was right. She knew Gus—or God—had sent Angel to her. She didn’t really care which. Angel was the daughter she never had. She was meant to take care of her.
The girls showed up between four and four fifteen.
Erlene told them to sit at the bar. As soon as Julie dragged in—late, as usual—Erlene stood on the other side of the bar and gave them a little speech.
”There was a detective from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation here around noon. He was asking about a murder. He had a picture of the man who was killed, and he thinks the man was here last night. He may even think one of us had something to do with it.”
Erlene paused for a skinny minute and looked at their faces. She set such high standards for her girls.
They had to dress a certain way when they came into the club and Erlene was real particular about their makeup and the way they wore their hair.
When Erlene mentioned murder, the girls’ mouths dropped open and they started looking at one another.
”Is that the murder they’ve been talking about on the radio?” Heather said. ”They’re saying the man was a preacher. It made me think of that guy last night who was spouting—”
Erlene held up her hand.
”I haven’t heard anything on the radio,” she said,
”but I want all of you to forget about that man last night. He wasn’t here. I want every one of you to look at me, right now, and listen real carefully to what I’m saying. He wasn’t here. When the TBI man comes back here or if he comes to your place and starts asking you questions, he’s going to show you a picture. And you’re going to tell him that the man in the picture was not here . Do all of you understand that?”
Everybody but Julie nodded. Julie looked at Erlene and said, ”So you’re telling us to lie to a cop about a murder? Isn’t that illegal or something?”
Julie had become a problem again. A gorgeous green-eyed redhead was great for business, but she was back on the cocaine and she was getting worse by the day. She was always late, always distracted, and she did outrageous, vulgar things sometimes when she danced.
Julie had also had a huge crush on Gus, even though he was old enough to be her granddaddy, and she was jealous. Erlene finally had to fire her last year after she caught her snorting cocaine in one of the storage rooms. Julie made a huge, ugly scene and was hollering at the top of her lungs when she stormed out of the club. Erlene didn’t hear a word from her for eight months, and then maybe two months ago she called Erlene up, all sweet and apologetic. Julie told Erlene how sorry she was about Gus and said she was clean as a whistle and wanted to come back to work. She was in Texas at the time, and Erlene’s head told her to let Julie stay in Texas, but her heart said Julie was just a lost young girl who needed a job. And she was good for business.
”Nothing will happen if we stick together,” Erlene told them. ”Do you girls have any idea what getting caught up in a big murder would do to this business? People would stay away from this place in droves. We’d all wind up on the street, including you, Miss Julie. All that money you’ve been making? Gone.
”Besides, I’m sure nobody in this room killed that gentleman, and I doubt very seriously if any of you has any information that would help the police. The man was a drunken fool. Every one of you saw the way he acted. He probably went somewhere else after he left here and ran into somebody who wasn’t as tolerant of his behavior as we
After Angel had been with Erlene only a little while, during some of those moments when they’d curl up on the couch in front of the fireplace and watch a movie, Angel started to open up a little and told Erlene some of the terrible things that had happened to her. That’s when Erlene knew she was right. She knew Gus—or God—had sent Angel to her. She didn’t really care which. Angel was the daughter she never had. She was meant to take care of her.
The girls showed up between four and four fifteen.
Erlene told them to sit at the bar. As soon as Julie dragged in—late, as usual—Erlene stood on the other side of the bar and gave them a little speech.
”There was a detective from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation here around noon. He was asking about a murder. He had a picture of the man who was killed, and he thinks the man was here last night. He may even think one of us had something to do with it.”
Erlene paused for a skinny minute and looked at their faces. She set such high standards for her girls.
They had to dress a certain way when they came into the club and Erlene was real particular about their makeup and the way they wore their hair.
When Erlene mentioned murder, the girls’ mouths dropped open and they started looking at one another.
”Is that the murder they’ve been talking about on the radio?” Heather said. ”They’re saying the man was a preacher. It made me think of that guy last night who was spouting—”
Erlene held up her hand.
”I haven’t heard anything on the radio,” she said,
”but I want all of you to forget about that man last night. He wasn’t here. I want every one of you to look at me, right now, and listen real carefully to what I’m saying. He wasn’t here. When the TBI man comes back here or if he comes to your place and starts asking you questions, he’s going to show you a picture. And you’re going to tell him that the man in the picture was not here . Do all of you understand that?”
Everybody but Julie nodded. Julie looked at Erlene and said, ”So you’re telling us to lie to a cop about a murder? Isn’t that illegal or something?”
Julie had become a problem again. A gorgeous green-eyed redhead was great for business, but she was back on the cocaine and she was getting worse by the day. She was always late, always distracted, and she did outrageous, vulgar things sometimes when she danced.
Julie had also had a huge crush on Gus, even though he was old enough to be her granddaddy, and she was jealous. Erlene finally had to fire her last year after she caught her snorting cocaine in one of the storage rooms. Julie made a huge, ugly scene and was hollering at the top of her lungs when she stormed out of the club. Erlene didn’t hear a word from her for eight months, and then maybe two months ago she called Erlene up, all sweet and apologetic. Julie told Erlene how sorry she was about Gus and said she was clean as a whistle and wanted to come back to work. She was in Texas at the time, and Erlene’s head told her to let Julie stay in Texas, but her heart said Julie was just a lost young girl who needed a job. And she was good for business.
”Nothing will happen if we stick together,” Erlene told them. ”Do you girls have any idea what getting caught up in a big murder would do to this business? People would stay away from this place in droves. We’d all wind up on the street, including you, Miss Julie. All that money you’ve been making? Gone.
”Besides, I’m sure nobody in this room killed that gentleman, and I doubt very seriously if any of you has any information that would help the police. The man was a drunken fool. Every one of you saw the way he acted. He probably went somewhere else after he left here and ran into somebody who wasn’t as tolerant of his behavior as we
Similar Books
