counseling and show up for Sunday worship, and then there are
those who want revenge. We had a guy come to church and kiss and
hug people after he had informed everyone that he had AIDS. In his
ignorance he thought he would give it to us all—we hadn’t done
anything to him, but yet to him that was a justification. He hadn’t
wanted AIDS and by using a dirty needle he had contracted it so he
felt if he gave it to others who didn’t want it he was fulfilling
his need for revenge.”
“Sad, because if he gave my family AIDS I
would want revenge on him.”
“But don’t you see –that is just what he
wanted. Then someone from his family would want revenge and then
someone from your family would want revenge and before you know
it…”
There were squirrels in the tree jumping from
limb to limb. LeOmi had some peanuts in her back pack. She pulled
out one and stuck it in the crook of a limb. The squirrel promptly
came down, grabbed the nut and perched a few branches above them
toward the trunk, watching them as he ate.
“Some people’s hearts remain evil and the
only thing they want is to not get caught. Those don’t usually even
have the gumption to set foot on the church grounds, unless of
course it is to cause as much havoc as possible.”
She gave the file back to him. He took out
the picture of the knife. “I need to know why your mom had a
priceless hand-forged antique dagger. It seemed to be part of her
wardrobe the way she carried it around. I don’t think she used it
to clean her nails. So I need to know if she expected something bad
to happen, if she had been threatened in some way. Or was it just a
fashion statement, some people wear huge diamond rings or drive
cars that are worth a fortune. I wonder if she knew how much it was
worth.”
“I have no idea where she got it Sergeant,
probably from her boyfriend. I know my father couldn’t afford
anything like that. Remember, I come from a poor military
household.”
“How about your grandmother? She is loaded,
could she have given it to her?”
“I doubt if she would have given her
anything. They had not been speaking to each other for years.”
“Huh. Yet she came back to New Orleans.
Why?”
“It is the last place I thought she would be
Sergeant.”
“Yet she was here. Was it for Compton? Was it
because of her mom? Yet you say there was no love loss there, or
was it for something else? Did she know anyone else in New
Orleans?”
“I’m sure she did. She grew up here. I had
never heard her speak of anyone. She briefly talked about
grandmother and Hannah and I have seldom if ever heard her speak of
her father or any other relatives, as I said, she never volunteered
information. You should talk to Grand-Mère or even my father. They
may have some information about any other friends or family.”
“It is amazing how some people are so
secretive, even to their own family.”
The squirrel was back and he had brought a
few friends. LeOmi pulled out several more peanuts and as she
placed them the squirrels didn’t even wait for her to move before
they were un-tucking and chewing off the outer shell and dropping
it below, some pieces landing on Sergeant Polaris shoulder and
shoes. He did not seem to notice, or care. He blew the smoke from
his cigar and they scurried up to other portions of the tree.
“Well from what you have told me, and what my
research has established, it seems that your mom could disappear
whenever she wanted to. There is not much on the books about her
living in New Orleans at all. Not just recently either, there is
hardly anything from when she was growing up. She has always had
her passport up to date, even when she was a child, but there were
no documented travels. The only thing I found was a marriage
certificate to your dad. There is no birth certificate on file for
her, your grandmother or your grandfather for that matter. I
couldn’t even find a death certificate for your grandfather. Do you
know anything about
those who want revenge. We had a guy come to church and kiss and
hug people after he had informed everyone that he had AIDS. In his
ignorance he thought he would give it to us all—we hadn’t done
anything to him, but yet to him that was a justification. He hadn’t
wanted AIDS and by using a dirty needle he had contracted it so he
felt if he gave it to others who didn’t want it he was fulfilling
his need for revenge.”
“Sad, because if he gave my family AIDS I
would want revenge on him.”
“But don’t you see –that is just what he
wanted. Then someone from his family would want revenge and then
someone from your family would want revenge and before you know
it…”
There were squirrels in the tree jumping from
limb to limb. LeOmi had some peanuts in her back pack. She pulled
out one and stuck it in the crook of a limb. The squirrel promptly
came down, grabbed the nut and perched a few branches above them
toward the trunk, watching them as he ate.
“Some people’s hearts remain evil and the
only thing they want is to not get caught. Those don’t usually even
have the gumption to set foot on the church grounds, unless of
course it is to cause as much havoc as possible.”
She gave the file back to him. He took out
the picture of the knife. “I need to know why your mom had a
priceless hand-forged antique dagger. It seemed to be part of her
wardrobe the way she carried it around. I don’t think she used it
to clean her nails. So I need to know if she expected something bad
to happen, if she had been threatened in some way. Or was it just a
fashion statement, some people wear huge diamond rings or drive
cars that are worth a fortune. I wonder if she knew how much it was
worth.”
“I have no idea where she got it Sergeant,
probably from her boyfriend. I know my father couldn’t afford
anything like that. Remember, I come from a poor military
household.”
“How about your grandmother? She is loaded,
could she have given it to her?”
“I doubt if she would have given her
anything. They had not been speaking to each other for years.”
“Huh. Yet she came back to New Orleans.
Why?”
“It is the last place I thought she would be
Sergeant.”
“Yet she was here. Was it for Compton? Was it
because of her mom? Yet you say there was no love loss there, or
was it for something else? Did she know anyone else in New
Orleans?”
“I’m sure she did. She grew up here. I had
never heard her speak of anyone. She briefly talked about
grandmother and Hannah and I have seldom if ever heard her speak of
her father or any other relatives, as I said, she never volunteered
information. You should talk to Grand-Mère or even my father. They
may have some information about any other friends or family.”
“It is amazing how some people are so
secretive, even to their own family.”
The squirrel was back and he had brought a
few friends. LeOmi pulled out several more peanuts and as she
placed them the squirrels didn’t even wait for her to move before
they were un-tucking and chewing off the outer shell and dropping
it below, some pieces landing on Sergeant Polaris shoulder and
shoes. He did not seem to notice, or care. He blew the smoke from
his cigar and they scurried up to other portions of the tree.
“Well from what you have told me, and what my
research has established, it seems that your mom could disappear
whenever she wanted to. There is not much on the books about her
living in New Orleans at all. Not just recently either, there is
hardly anything from when she was growing up. She has always had
her passport up to date, even when she was a child, but there were
no documented travels. The only thing I found was a marriage
certificate to your dad. There is no birth certificate on file for
her, your grandmother or your grandfather for that matter. I
couldn’t even find a death certificate for your grandfather. Do you
know anything about
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