Morrie Rich."
She nudged my arm with her elbow. "Look at him
there. Just meditating like a Krishna what he's going to do to me
once you leave." She laughed grimly. "You're going to cost
me a black eye, mister. Doesn't that make you feel good?"
I started to volunteer some help, but Coral gave me a
quick furious look, full of family pride and short temper.
"Don't," she said simply. "Not if you
want to get out of here in one piece. Just leave it alone. I don't
know about that girl. Neither does he, even though he'd die and take
you and me with him before he told you that. But the people he gets
those pictures from do a lot of business over in Newport. You might
try over there."
"What kind of business do they do?"
Coral shook her head.
"I've said enough. Now why don't you just get the hell out of
here before he comes out of that trance and kills you."
***
I was halfway across the desolate front yard when I
heard someone coming up behind me. It gave me a start, the way
Coral's scream had startled me. I'd already drawn my pistol before I
realized it was the girl and not Abel Jones. She glanced scornfully
at the gun in my hand.
"You and Abel aren't as different as I thought,"
she said.
I tucked the gun in my pocket. "Yes, we are,"
I said.
She didn't believe me. And, for a brief second, I
wanted to tell her why she was wrong.
I liked Coral. She was tough, handsome, and honest,
and she deserved better than the likes of Abel Jones. The sad part
was that the Abel Joneses of this world were precisely the ones she
would always end up with. She'd always be that wrong about her men,
always mistake petty cowardice for a tender heart and cruelty for
strength. And she'd always be too damn hopeful to undo the mistake.
I wanted to tell her that, but I didn't.
"I only came out here to get away from him,"
she said, brushing a strand of black hair from her face. "He'll
go upstairs in awhile and fall asleep again. And if I'm lucky, he
won't remember much of it when he wakes up."
She shaded her eyes and stared up at the embankment,
where the steep green hills came down on the west side of River Road.
The sun was dropping behind them, now, and behind us, the river was
all golden to the Kentucky shore. "Must be close to five,"
she said and looked shyly toward me.
"What is it, Coral?" I said. "What do
you want to tell me?"
"I'm going to be leaving here soon," she
said. "Just pick up and go. Let the house, if anybody'll have
it." She looked back at the porch. "That's my inheritance.
That's all I got left, holding me here."
"Maybe Jones'll come with you," I said.
She smiled sadly. "No. I don't think so. But
it's good of you to say it. He'll stay on, probably. He wouldn't know
what to do without his liquor and his friends." Coral took a
deep breath. "I guess what I came out here to do was to say all
of that to you. It's kind of like saying goodbye, without saying it
face to face."
I nodded. "Glad I could help."
She straightened up and pulled at her shift where it
had bunched at her waist. Then her dark face turned red, and she
looked down at the marl. I had the feeling that, having said goodbye
to Abel, she'd suddenly remembered that she was an attractive woman
and that I was a man. And it had embarrassed her, as if she'd done
something wicked behind Jones's back.
"He really doesn't know about that girl,"
she said, changing the subject. "They never tell him the names."
"Why do they need to get rid of the pictures at
all?"
"I couldn't say. He just gets 'em. And sometimes
he throws them out and sometimes he sells them."
"What kind of business do they run?"
"A rough one. I guess I can tell you that much.
It sure doesn't pay to be on the wrong side of that girl."
"Laurie Jellicoe?" I said.
Her eyes darted to my face. "If you knew that
name, why'd you come here?"
"Because that name is all I know. All I'm trying
to do is find out what they're doing with the girl. Whether it's
pornography or something more."
"Look, mister," she said
She nudged my arm with her elbow. "Look at him
there. Just meditating like a Krishna what he's going to do to me
once you leave." She laughed grimly. "You're going to cost
me a black eye, mister. Doesn't that make you feel good?"
I started to volunteer some help, but Coral gave me a
quick furious look, full of family pride and short temper.
"Don't," she said simply. "Not if you
want to get out of here in one piece. Just leave it alone. I don't
know about that girl. Neither does he, even though he'd die and take
you and me with him before he told you that. But the people he gets
those pictures from do a lot of business over in Newport. You might
try over there."
"What kind of business do they do?"
Coral shook her head.
"I've said enough. Now why don't you just get the hell out of
here before he comes out of that trance and kills you."
***
I was halfway across the desolate front yard when I
heard someone coming up behind me. It gave me a start, the way
Coral's scream had startled me. I'd already drawn my pistol before I
realized it was the girl and not Abel Jones. She glanced scornfully
at the gun in my hand.
"You and Abel aren't as different as I thought,"
she said.
I tucked the gun in my pocket. "Yes, we are,"
I said.
She didn't believe me. And, for a brief second, I
wanted to tell her why she was wrong.
I liked Coral. She was tough, handsome, and honest,
and she deserved better than the likes of Abel Jones. The sad part
was that the Abel Joneses of this world were precisely the ones she
would always end up with. She'd always be that wrong about her men,
always mistake petty cowardice for a tender heart and cruelty for
strength. And she'd always be too damn hopeful to undo the mistake.
I wanted to tell her that, but I didn't.
"I only came out here to get away from him,"
she said, brushing a strand of black hair from her face. "He'll
go upstairs in awhile and fall asleep again. And if I'm lucky, he
won't remember much of it when he wakes up."
She shaded her eyes and stared up at the embankment,
where the steep green hills came down on the west side of River Road.
The sun was dropping behind them, now, and behind us, the river was
all golden to the Kentucky shore. "Must be close to five,"
she said and looked shyly toward me.
"What is it, Coral?" I said. "What do
you want to tell me?"
"I'm going to be leaving here soon," she
said. "Just pick up and go. Let the house, if anybody'll have
it." She looked back at the porch. "That's my inheritance.
That's all I got left, holding me here."
"Maybe Jones'll come with you," I said.
She smiled sadly. "No. I don't think so. But
it's good of you to say it. He'll stay on, probably. He wouldn't know
what to do without his liquor and his friends." Coral took a
deep breath. "I guess what I came out here to do was to say all
of that to you. It's kind of like saying goodbye, without saying it
face to face."
I nodded. "Glad I could help."
She straightened up and pulled at her shift where it
had bunched at her waist. Then her dark face turned red, and she
looked down at the marl. I had the feeling that, having said goodbye
to Abel, she'd suddenly remembered that she was an attractive woman
and that I was a man. And it had embarrassed her, as if she'd done
something wicked behind Jones's back.
"He really doesn't know about that girl,"
she said, changing the subject. "They never tell him the names."
"Why do they need to get rid of the pictures at
all?"
"I couldn't say. He just gets 'em. And sometimes
he throws them out and sometimes he sells them."
"What kind of business do they run?"
"A rough one. I guess I can tell you that much.
It sure doesn't pay to be on the wrong side of that girl."
"Laurie Jellicoe?" I said.
Her eyes darted to my face. "If you knew that
name, why'd you come here?"
"Because that name is all I know. All I'm trying
to do is find out what they're doing with the girl. Whether it's
pornography or something more."
"Look, mister," she said
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