“Oh, yeah!” I said.

  * * * *

  I rolled over and pulled Alex close to me as we lay diagonally across the bed.

  “Do root beer floats always get you so riled up?” Alex said.

  “The first time I had sex was right after having a root beer float. My dad had fixed my friend Freddy and me floats for all the work we’d done in the yard, then he left for a boy’s night out. Freddy was spending the night; and… well, the rest is history as they say.”

  “Layton, didn’t Andrew seem overly mad with his nephew about the floats for the workers?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I noticed that too, but I figured it was mostly nerves from everything he’s up to with the statues. Root beer floats are harmless enough, except for the calories. We’d better get up and check out The Treasure Trove.” I hopped out of bed and gave Alex a hand up. We kissed before adjourning to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

  Moments later, we were downstairs exploring The Treasure Trove, which was large. I’d called Buck and Sassy and told them to rest a while before the dance later tonight. The Treasure Trove had numerous aisles of various items, as well as an open second story area.

  “Can I help you gentlemen with anything?” A friendly blonde woman dressed in a white blouse and black jeans said.

  “We’re just looking for now, thank you,” I said.

  “Alright, but if you do need help, don’t hesitate to ask,” she said, before going back to her desk.

  “Should we question her some more?” Alex said.

  “In a bit,” I said. “Let’s look around first, maybe we’ll find something to help us without even needing to ask.”

  I walked around with Alex, picking up the occasional dusty object while slowly making my way to the stairs leading to the upper section. The section contained more shelves filled with the same paraphernalia as on the first floor. The downstairs phone rang while Alex and I were looking through a box of old photographs. Our friendly blonde answered it, and her conversation perked my ears up.

  “Mr. Farwell said to tell you to come by around ten tonight, he’s arranged for a demonstration of what the object can do. Alright, I’ll tell him. Have a nice day.”

  Alex had been listening too and turned my way. I looked at him and put a finger to my lips so he wouldn’t speak.

  “Those old photos look nice, Alex, let’s say we buy a few.” I winked at him, he quickly picked out some old photos, and we went back downstairs to pay at the front register. The blonde smiled at us as she rang up the photos.

  “I love these old photographs,” she said. “It’s nice to see someone else appreciate them too.

  I looked at her name tag before responding.

  “They’re great, aren’t they, Amy? I’m Layton; my partner Alex is a professional photographer. He just had a successful exhibit in New Orleans, and wanted to check out this area for possible future subject matter.”

  “How exciting,” Amy said. “What do you think of the area so far, Alex?”

  “It’s very nice with a lot of possibilities, especially the Mt Ore area. But to be honest, I was looking for something a little more… how should I put this… unique? I mostly photograph people like you, but I was looking to do something different… pose them with something special that was found only in this area.”

  “Well, the baker up the street has specialty desserts that you could photograph people with—we have a lot of wild and different items right here in the store; and the soda shop would be a great backdrop for pictures.”

  “Those are all great suggestions,” Alex said.

  I was impressed with his technique of dragging things out, making it not seem so obvious that he was after something. Amy had a half starstruck, half deer blinded by headlights look in her eyes, which told me she was taking the bait.

  “Won’t any of them work for you?” Amy said.

  “The problem is those ideas have already been done before by others,” Alex said. “I need something that sets me apart from them.”

  Amy leaned across the counter, so she could be closer to us, then spoke in a whisper.

  “We have just what you need, only it’s not here right now.”

  “What is it?” Alex asked.

  “My boss owns one of the actual green-eyed lady statues, and it even has the real emerald eyes.”

  “That’s perfect,” Alex said, trying to keep from getting too excited. “Do you think your boss would sell it to us, or even just let us borrow it?”

  “He’s willing to sell, but the price is very high,” Amy said. “So high he didn’t tell me; and he told me not to even mention that the statue is here, because he’s got some interested buyers coming by tonight to look at it. Maybe, if you think you can make him a counter-offer, he’ll take it. But I figure he must be asking for an amount in at least the six figure range. He’s greedy that way.”

  “I might be willing to try a counteroffer,” Alex said. When and where will he be meeting with the other interested party?”

  “Here, sometime after ten.”

  “Is there any chance we can get a peek at it before then?” I said. “To make sure we think it’s worth it.”

  “Sorry,” Amy said. “Mr. Farwell doesn’t keep it here at the store, or in our safe. And he hasn’t told a soul where it is, not even Jerome.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “We may stop by tonight and put in our offer on the statue.”

  I paid for the photos, and Alex and I went outside for a walk, so I could make a call to Miss Lucy. Once we were halfway up the street, I called her and caught her up on the situation.

  “What are the orders from above?” I said. “How quietly does Leticia and the organization want this dealt with… do they pay, or do we try and snag it? The other group after the statue has to be the one with connections to Sandoval Marchand.”

  “Without a doubt, and that’s why we’re gonna try and cut a deal with Mr. Farwell… one too sweet for him to refuse. Leticia wants us to try to deal with things in a businesslike way; but if all else fails, our priority is to secure and destroy all the statues—no matter what it takes.”

  -31-

  Boogie Woogie Zombie Boy

  Alex and I were in our room dressing in khakis, polo shirts, and deck shoes when I took a minute to kiss and hug him.

  “You did good down there in the store, kid,” I said.

  “Thanks, boss,” Alex said. “Amy didn’t really know a whole lot, though. I wish she could’ve told us where to find the statue.”

  “She told us exactly what Andrew told her to say… nothing more and nothing less.”

  “You mean it’s a setup?” Alex said. “Are Sandoval’s men behind it?”

  “Probably not,” I said. “I think Andrew’s just a greedy man wanting all interested parties together in order to get the highest price for what he’s selling. That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down, though… understand?”

  “Yeah,” Alex said.

  I didn’t like his response—it wasn’t serious enough in its tone. I put my hands firmly on his shoulders and made him look me in the eyes.

  “Alex, I’m going to be completely honest and blunt with you for a minute. If things go down badly… you’re my biggest weak spot.”

  “Gee, thanks, Layton.”

  “Be serious, Alex. I love you, and will do anything to keep you safe. Worrying about you can be a distraction and make me lose my edge.”

  Alex put his head down sadly… I lifted his chin back up and kissed him before talking again.

  “If anything bad goes down, you get somewhere safe and out of harm’s way. It’ll help me keep my mind on the matters at hand, knowing you’re not in danger’s way. Agreed?”

  “Yes,” Alex said. “I agree to stay safe.” He patted my chest and straightened my collar. Time to go downstairs for the dance—and no more root beer floats for you tonight.”

  “Yes, Sir,” I said, giving him a mock salute.

  He grabbed his camera and we headed out the door.

  * * * *

  Once we were downstairs, we could hear the swing music coming from The Soda Shop, and the sound of a small crowd of people. Upon entering the shop, I scanned the room for the others in our party. Sassy was sitting on a stool with a drink, and Buck was standing behind her. Both of them were dressed to the hilt in swing appropriate attire. Buck was wearing a gray newsboy cap, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a gray waistcoat, tie, and—.

  “Layton,” Alex said, “check out Buck’s shoes, they’re black and white wingtips… look at the white scrollwork on the front. He’s serious about his swing dancing.”

  Buck was bobbing around to the music while Sassy was nursing her drink. She was no slouch in the dressing department either. Her red halter dress with its heart-shaped neckline was sure to get Andrew’s attention. The large white fabric carnation on the left strap was a nice touch, and the wide white belt she wore broke up the sea of white polka dots on the fabric, which hung loose and swingy at the skirt. It was highly appropriate for the theme of the dance. She also had a red rose in her hair, which was pulled back on the sides. Matching red platform heels with ankle straps seductively completed her look. As I scanned the crowd some more, I noticed Nichelle and J.P., part of my back up from the park, sitting in a booth against the wall. Even they had dressed up for tonight. J.P. was wearing a white fedora and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up like Buck. His wingtip shoes were completely white, and he wore dark red slacks with a matching vest. Nichelle had her hair styled to the side with a red flower in it. She was also dressed in red, but much more conservatively than Sassy. Her dress featured quarter-length sleeves, a high V-neck neckline, matching red belt, and a knee-length skirt. Low-heeled red pumps completed her look. My cousin Vanessa would be so proud of me for remembering all the fashion lessons she’d given me. I walked over to Buck and Sassy, and Alex followed.

  “Well, don’t you two look spiffy,” I said. “And for the record, Buck, the line you used at the camp isn’t appropriate here either.”

  Buck gave me a look, which made me laugh before I patted him on the back.

  “Seriously, Buck, you look great,” I said, then leaned in real close to whisper in his ear. “And highly fuckable too.” I slapped his ass and winked at him. He gave me a completely confused look, which made me laugh again.

  “I’m screwing with you, man,” I said. “Don’t take it too seriously.”

  He looked at me, then Alex, who smiled.

  “He’s just having fun, Buck,” Alex said.

  “You guys don’t think I look good, then?” Buck said.

  “You look good enough to fuck, if I wasn’t already taken,” I said, before getting a slap to the back of my head from Alex. “Hey, I said I was taken.”

  “That’s what saved you from my full wrath,” Alex said.

  I directed my attention to Sassy. “You look fanfreakintastic, Sassy.”

  “Don’t I look fuckable too?” she said.

  “If I was straight, I’d do you,” I said.

  “Damn straight you would,” Sassy said.

  Andrew walked into the room and the music stopped. He was dressed like Buck and J.P., only in blue pants, a blue vest, a fedora, and black wingtips.

  “Hi, everybody. Looks like we have a good turnout for tonight’s dance. Be sure to ask the soda jerks what our food specials for this gig are, but more importantly, have a swinging good time.”

  I spoke in a whisper to Buck and Sassy.

  “Things are going down sometime around ten in The Treasure Trove. Till then have a good time and keep your eyes open.”

  “Let’s go show ‘em how it’s done, Buck,” Sassy said, holding her hand out toward Buck, who helped her off the stool and walked her to the dance floor.

  The song Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy filled the air, and they began to dance. Instantly, they had the crowd’s attention, and mine, as Buck twirled Sassy around with one hand while bouncing around on his feet and raising his knees high. They danced side by side and around one another, then Buck had his right hand on Sassy’s mid back and her hand in his free hand. At times, he was leaning down or she was in the air as they rocked back and took steps forward. The crowd went nuts when he lifted her high in the air, swung her around, then down between his legs, and back up again.

  “I can’t believe it!” Alex said. “They’re really good.”

  Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

  “Care to dance, soldier?”

  The voice was unmistakable. I turned and saw Miss Lucy, who was dressed in a vintage style knee-length blue dress with polka dots. Her hair was rolled up in back, and she had a large matching bow in her hair.

  “Excuse, me,” I said to Alex, noticing that Angie from the bakery was with Miss Lucy and wearing a red dress with a white sailor collar; her red hair pulled back with curls piled high on top of her head. She also had a bow that matched her dress. Miss Lucy dragged me onto the dance floor before I could say anything. She was bouncing around like Buck, and I tried my best to follow along. She spun me around—guess she was leading, and I looked at the large bag she carried on one arm.

  “I never go anywhere without my special lady in tow,” Miss Lucy said, patting her bag. “Where’s yours?”

  “In my truck till needed,” I said, twirling Miss Lucy around and watching Alex, who’d just escorted Angie onto the dance floor.

  “Looking good, girl,” Miss Lucy said as she waved to Sassy.

  “You too,” Sassy said.

  Both women were talking and moving closer to one another.

  “How’s about we do a lil shimmy shake for the crowd?” Miss Lucy said to Sassy.

  Their shimmy shake routine left Buck and me dancing side by side. He was oblivious to the fact that Sassy was next to Lucy now as he continued dancing and twirling a finger in the air. When he noticed his partner wasn’t by his side, he grabbed my arms and started swinging me to and fro. The crowd, led by Alex, started clapping for us, which got Buck excited enough that he lifted me in the air like he’d done with Sassy and tried to slide me between his legs. Not being as good a dancer as he or Sassy, I essentially sat on the floor and tried to slide. Buck caught onto the fact that I was having problems and just danced right over me and back to Sassy, who was waiting. Alex helped me up with a big smile on his face.

  “I gotta hand it to you for giving it the old college try,” Alex said.

  That’s when screams filled the air, and zombie Jerome appeared from the side entrance.

  “That fool!” Andrew said. “My sister’s gonna kill me for this!”

  The zombie started heading for one of the ladies when Angie, J.P., and Nichelle began shooting at him. I looked around for Andrew, who was heading out of The Soda Shop.

  “Stay safe, Alex—that’s an order,” I said, before heading after Andrew with Miss Lucy and Sassy close behind.

  We followed him into The Treasure Trove, where he was picking up a long sword.

  “Give that knife to Sassy, boy,” Miss Lucy said. “We’re here to negotiate a deal.”

  Sassy took the knife from him.

  “Give that to Buck, he’ll know what to do with it,” I said.

  Sassy left and headed back to The Soda Shop.

  “So, what’s your offer,” Andrew said. “Can it beat what the island boys are offering me?”

  “Oh, I think it can,” Miss Lucy said. “It’s my understanding that the three green-eyed lady statues when placed together will produce a fortune in emeralds just ripe for the picking.”

  “That’s the truth,” Andrew said. “According to what my daddy used to say, they’ll produce enough emeralds to make a man rich enough to not be beholding to anyone. With just one, you can only get a handful of the stones.”

  Miss Lucy took the second statue out of her bag and showed it to Andrew, making sure to keep it out of his reach.

  “OK,” Andrew said. “With two statues I get two handfuls of emeralds, still not the jackpot I’m after.”

  “And what do you get with three in your possession for a short… and I do mean short… amount of time?” Miss Lucy said.

  “With three, I’m a happy and satisfied man, as long as I have enough time to fill my bags with the stones.”

  “And here I was thinking you’d need time to grieve over your zombie nephew,” I said.

  “I told him not to drink any of that root beer I made for the construction workers. Hopefully, he didn’t take it to them ahead of time.”

  The lights suddenly went out, and I heard screams coming from The Soda Shop. All I could think was stay safe Alex, before focusing again on matters at hand. Seconds later the lights came back on, and I saw six black men in jeans and T-shirts standing straight ahead of us in front of the street entrance.

  “Hello, Alex,” the man in front with long braids, said with a slight island accent.

  I heard a gasp from behind me and turned around to see Buck and Alex behind Miss Lucy and me.

  “Hello, Darnel,” Alex said.

  “I hear your boyfriend is the man who killed my cousin,” Darnel said.

  I started to speak, but Darnel held his hand up.

  “It’s cool, detective. I didn’t like the man much… he wasn’t too smart. Now, I’m in his place working for Sandoval. And I never did care for those sisters of yours and their religion, Alex. So, this ain’t about revenge or anything. We were hired to keep an eye on the detective, but I think old Sandoval will want to get a hold of these statues, seeing as how he’s dying and all, and the statues can bring people back to life.”

  “Only for a short time,” I said. “Which means, they’re no good to him.”

  “Hell, Sandoval and his woman know all kinds of magic they can use to work these statues to their advantage, and when they find out about them, they’ll pay me a nice big reward,” Darnel said.

  The lights went out again, and this time I heard loud groaning sounds and glass breaking.

  “We’ve got company!” Miss Lucy said.

  I turned back toward the side entrance into the hotel and saw several pairs of glowing green eyes headed our way. This was turning out to be one hell of a negotiation.

 

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