by Smith, Julie
That was fun. It was the first good thing she’d gotten out of knowing what she knew. Just because you knew it didn’t mean you could change it. Richard said she could only change herself, and she’d tried; she’d wanted to be a person who didn’t have to live with these people. And now she didn’t; her mother was going to jail and her father was metamorphosing right before her eyes. Richard didn’t know every damn thing.
Her dad had said, “So that makes me a control freak, huh?”
She’d said, “Just a wimp, Daddy.” And they’d laughed together like they were used to it.
After the cemetery service, suffering the hugs and murmurings of dozens of powdered, sweaty, perfumed adults she didn’t care about, she thought she’d faint; only the memory of how unpleasant that was kept her upright.
She wanted to be alone, she told herself, but at the same time she was thrilled that these people were here for Ham—the mayor, everyone from Uptown, every music figure in town, and that meant plenty of nationwide importance. And lots and lots of people she didn’t know, and that Ham probably hadn’t known. People who appreciated his work, probably. She was proud of her brother.
People were there for her too—Joel; Dr. Richard; Flip and Blair; even that nice cop, that Skip. She knew the cop was there for her, she sensed it, and she felt loved, protected by her presence, though they didn’t really know each other and probably never would.
The band for the funeral had probably been assembled from lots of bands—that was her guess anyway. The Olympia Brass Band, the Magnificent Seven Brass Band, Dejan’s, Pin Stripe, the Young Tuxedos; some of the Boucrees were marching in it, and she knew they were there for her too.
As they left the cemetery, the band played “The Saints,” and when they got warmed up, they swung into “Didn’t He Ramble,” and for the first time that day Melody cried. She thought it ironic that she’d gotten through the dirges fine, but the happy songs made her sad. It was because they reminded her of Ham, because they celebrated his “bad life,” his earthly life, brought back the Ham she’d loved. He wouldn’t hear these songs again; he wouldn’t ramble and he wouldn’t march. That was what hurt.
But it was a sweet hurt, for the songs also celebrated the release of his soul.
And mine. The sad part of my life is over. With these songs it’s over.
She said it like an incantation and was tempted to add, “Begone!” as if she were banishing a demon.
She knew how pathetic she looked to the world; she had seen the look on Richard’s face. Her brother was in the ground, her mother in jail, Ti-Belle in trouble.
She missed Ham already, like she’d miss a hand or a foot. In spite of everything, she was going to miss her mother.
But she wouldn’t miss her childhood, and she was saying good-bye to that. Today she was like a saint: marching in.
THE END
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks to the endlessly patient and generous people who helped piece this thing together, offering everything from medical and musical advice to much-needed company for walks on the wild side: Betsy Petersen, Chris Wiltz, Jim Colbert, Kit and Billy Wohl, Becky Alexander, Terrell Corley, Liz Scott, Chris Smither, Ed Becker, Steve Holtz, Michael Goodwin, Greg Peterson, Jamie Howell, Chris Smith, Captain Linda Buczek and Officer Joe Costanza of the New Orleans Police Department; Judy LaBorde and Paul Henkels of Covenant House; and the kids at Country Day, especially Marigny Pecot and the three musicians, William Petersen, Langley Garoutte, and Justin Rubin.
The next Skip Langdon mystery is DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOK (formerly NEW ORLEANS BEAT) . Find out about it at WWW.BOOKSBNIMBLE.COM OR WWW.JULIESMITHBOOKS.COM
What they said about DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOK:
“Compelling…a first class mystery…” – Santa Barbara News-Press
“A peek into the sometimes dangerous world of the computer obsessed…with just the right dose of Suthern humor.”
–USA Today
“Smith does her usual excellent job of capturing the feel of New Orleans.”
– New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Skip Langdon Series (in order of publication)
NEW ORLEANS MOURNING
THE AXEMAN’S JAZZ
JAZZ FUNERAL
DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOK (formerly NEW ORLEANS BEAT)
HOUSE OF BLUES
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
CRESCENT CITY CONNECTION (formerly CRESCENT CITY KILL)
82 DESIRE
MEAN WOMAN BLUES
Also by Julie Smith:
The Rebecca Schwartz Series
DEATH TURNS A TRICK
THE SOURDOUGH WARS
TOURIST TRAP
DEAD IN THE WATER
OTHER PEOPLE’S SKELETONS
The Paul MacDonald Series
TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE
HUCKLEBERRY FIEND
The Talba Wallis Series
LOUISIANA HOTSHOT
LOUISIANA BIGSHOT
LOUISIANA LAMENT
P.I. ON A HOT TIN ROOF
As well as:
WRITING YOUR WAY: THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL TRACK
NEW ORLEANS NOIR (ed.)
And don’t miss ALWAYS OTHELLO, a Skip Langdon story, as well as the brand new short story, PRIVATE CHICK, which asks the question, “Is this country ready for a drag queen detective?” More info at www.booksBnimble.com.
If you enjoyed this book, let us keep you up-to-date on all our forthcoming mysteries. Sign up for our mailing list at www.booksbnimble.com
About the Author
Julie Smith is a New Orleans writer and former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Times-Picayune. New Orleans Mourning, her first novel featuring New Orleans cop Skip Langdon, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, and she has since published eight more highly acclaimed books in the series, plus spun off a second New Orleans series featuring PI and poet Talba Wallis.
She is also the author of the Rebecca Schwartz series and the Paul Mcdonald series, plus the YA novels CURSEBUSTERS! and EXPOSED. In addition to her novels, she’s also written numerous essays and short stories and is the editor of NEW ORLEANS NOIR, an anthology of dark stories, each set in a different New Orleans neighborhood.
