“Very well, sir,” Howard said.
“Zack, it’s after nine, it’s closed,” Pearl Ann said.
Zack just smiled and reached into his pocket for the magical, orange ID card Tom had dropped.
“Let’s have a drink,” Dave said, opening the glass door to the bar.
“Oh! nothing for me. It’s too late at night,” Emma Lou said.
“It’s never too late for a cocktail,” Dave said, opening a bottle of champagne that had been iced down. He handed everyone a champagne glass and poured the bubbly.
“To a fun night,” Zack said raising his glass.
All together they raised their glasses and took a sip, except Emma Lou. She gulped all the champagne down. They all looked at her in amazement.
“It’s too late to have a drink?” they all asked simultaneously.
“If you’re going to drink, let’s do it,” as she motioned for Dave to pour another.
The limousine pulled up to the main entrance of the department store. Through the view of the display glass windows, there were few lights on and no one shopping.
“Okay, Mr. Zack, now what?” Emma Lou asked waving her champagne glass.
“Let’s go shopping. Follow me,” Zack said.
One by one they followed Zack like little ducks to the front door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the orange card.
“Isn’t this illegal?” Pearl Ann asked.
“Of course, it is. Isn’t it exciting?” Emma Lou responded.
“I hope you feel the same way when you come down off your champagne high, in a jail cell,” Pearl Ann said.
Zack slipped the card into the slot. “Now watch the magic—020271,” he said, as he pressed the buttons.
As he pushed the last number, all the lights turned on, the light on the box turned green, and the electric doors opened.
“You told me you were a police officer. I’m thinking more like a burglar,” Dave said, walking in the store.
“This is exciting,” Emma Lou said.
“What, breaking into a building?” Dave asked.
“You people worry too much,” Zack said, pulling Dave by the arm.
Emma Lou and Pearl Ann rushed over to the cosmetics counter.
“May I help you, ladies?” Dave asked, popping up from behind the counter with a woman’s wig on.
“That color is very becoming on you, Dave,” Emma Lou said.
“Why, thank you,” Dave said, stroking the wig.
“I was wondering if you had anything to help with these lines under my eyes,” Pearl Ann said.
“I’m not sure if we have it here,” Dave said, looking at the counter. “If not, check with any Ace Hardware store; they carry heavy putty to fill in deep lines.”
Emma Lou grabbed at Dave’s hair, but he ran off and she was left with the wig dangling in her fingers.
“Don’t take it personally,” Dave shouted.
They all wandered over to the sporting goods section, touching everything on the way as children might do. Dave squatted behind a makeshift home plate with a catcher’s mask on and a ball cap turned backward. Emma Lou was at bat, and Zack was pitching.
“Come on, hit the ball,” Pearl Ann shouted.
Zack pitched, Emma Lou swung the bat and missed. Zack threw again, and Emma Lou connected with the ball, sending it four aisles over into the furniture department.
“It’s a home run,” Emma Lou said as she rounded first, touching the golf bags, to second, touching the gun cabinet, and third, knocking over a display of camping gear.
“And she slides into home plate,” Emma Lou shouted.
They were laughing so hard they had to sit down on the lawn furniture for a rest.
“What the hell is going on here?” asked one of the two men who converged on them. One was dressed in a security uniform with a name tag showing his name as Jerry and the other was in plain clothes.
Zack quickly stepped in. “What do you mean?”
“This store is closed; has been for two hours.”
“Sir, we drove up, and the lights were on. So we walked in,” Zack said, gawking at the two guards.
“Sir, what is your name?” Jerry asked.
Zack walked toward the front entrance and motioned to the others to follow him. “I don’t need to give you my name. I’ll take this up with your store manager tomorrow,” Zack repeated as he continued escorting everyone toward the front door.
“Sir! How did you get in?” Jerry asked again.
“You’re treating us like we’re some criminals,” Zack said, walking right up to him with a blank stare on his face, waiting for him to glance away. That’s when he knew he had him, an old cop trick.
“Who locked this place up?” Zack sternly asked.
“He did,” Jerry said, pointing at the other guard.
“Then you two better get on the same page. Because when we got here, the doors were open.”
Zack walked his friends out the front door.
Jerry turned to his partner. “You did lock up?”
“Yeah, I thought I did,” he said. “But now I’m confused.”
“You either closed the doors, and the lights went out, or you didn’t,” Jerry shouted.
“Yes, I locked up. There must have been some malfunction,” the guard said with a puzzling look on his face as the two of them watched Zack and his friends walk away.
Zack stopped and turned back to the guards. “Look, I’ve been on the police force for many years. I’m not going to report you, but you need to be more careful. You guys have a good night.” Zack winked at them and followed Dave into the limousine.
Dave quickly made everyone a drink. They put the windows down, and three leaned out. Zack stood up through the sunroof and toasted the two security guards.
“Great security system,” Zack shouted, taking a sip of his drink.
“See you later, sucker!” Emma Lou yelled as she took a big gulp of her drink.
“Did you have a jolly time, folks?” Howard asked as he drove with no directions to where they might be going.
“We jolly did, Howard,” Emma Lou said, laughing at herself.
“Are you ready to turn in, sir, or would you like to continue to party?”
“Party!” they all chanted.
“Well, I don’t know if you’re up to this, but I have some tickets to the IGF charity party. Mr. Stein is a huge supporter but never goes to the event. He gives the tickets to me, and I distribute them to my friends. It should be in full bloom about now. It’s an outdoor festivity but the attire is casual dress, some might even have costumes,” Howard said, looking at the rearview mirror for a response.
“Well, jolly good. Let’s do it,” Zack said as he was getting silly from his drinks.
“Why not? We don’t have to work tomorrow,” Emma Lou said, grabbing Zack by the arm. “I need some more bubbly.”
“Very well, we’re off to the IGF charity party,” Howard said as he stepped on the gas.
It didn’t take long for the limousine to get to the IGF party. It was in the Garden District where they held most of the charity fundraisers. As they turned onto St. Charles Avenue, the traffic backed up at the entrance of the New Orleans Audubon Zoo, the main parking lot used for general parking filled up first. It was a beautiful park surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes. On the front lawn of the zoo were three, big, white tents with spotlights shining on them. From blocks away, people could see them lighting up the night. The cars moved slowly down the street when Howard spotted a sign for gold members.
“We’re in luck, we have private parking passes for gold members,” Howard said, showing Zack and his group the tickets.
“Anything to get us to the party faster,” Emma Lou said with a smile, toasting with her glass.
Zack turned to Dave. “This is a side of Emma Lou I’ve never seen, and I like it.”
“Yeah, and what are you going to do? Take advantage of me?” Emma Lou asked with a slight slur and a sparkle in her
eyes.
“Emma Lou! That’s a little forward, isn’t it?” Pearl Ann suggested.
“It sure is; Zack needs the direct approach,” she said.
“That sounds like an offer you might not be able to handle,” Dave said snickering.
“Speak for yourself, buddy,” Zack was quick to say.
The limousine came to a stop, and Howard put the window down. “Good evening, officer,” Howard said to the police officer on horseback.
“May I see your tickets?” he asked.
Howard waved the gold cards, and the officer told him to drive forward to the main entrance. He drove up the long, curving street leading to the main tent. As the limousine drew closer, Howard could see a big banner stretched across the entrance.
“Here we are,” Howard said.
Zack was first to react. “This just tops off the night.”
He opened the sunroof, and he and Emma Lou squeezed through. Dave and Pearl Ann looked out the window to get a better look.
“I don’t have my glasses on; what does it say?” Pearl Ann asked.
“Welcome to IGF,” Dave said.
“No, the small print under that,” she said.
“International Gay Federation, and to put it over the top, it’s in rainbow colors,” Dave said.
“Oh, my god! You brought us to a gay bar?” Pearl Ann asked.
“It’s just a party; there will be straight and gay people,” Howard said.
“This is fantastic,” Emma Lou said, hugging Zack.
“So far it’s pretty good for me too,” Zack said, grabbing Emma Lou a little tighter.
The limousine pulled up to the entrance, and a man dressed in a white suit, a white shirt, pink bow tie, and blue large-frame eyeglasses opened the door.
“Welcome to IGF. My name is Dijon. You have one obligation tonight,” he said, “have fun!” He hugged Emma Lou, wrapping both arms around her, and then went toward Zack before he stepped aside.
“I have gold members here; let’s get them to their table. Chop chop,” he said motioning to his assistant.
Dijon’s assistant walked them into the tent to their table. It was a beautifully decorated table with all the New Orleans flare one could imagine.
The tent was decorated like a grand ballroom of a fancy hotel. Flowers and ice sculptures enhanced the food stations neatly setting on tables in the corners of the tent. Lined around the hardwood dance floor were dining tables with white tablecloths and a small flower bouquet in the center.
They took their seats at the assigned table, and a waiter appeared out of nowhere with a tray of glasses filled with champagne.
“Just what we need,” Dave said as the waiter handed everyone a glass.
“Good, my buzz is starting to wear off,” Emma Lou said as she took a sip.
People filled their plates from the food stations, while a nine-piece band played dinner music. The menu ranged from cheese and fruit to full course meals, including lamb chops, stuffed lobster tails, charbroiled oysters, and a selection of Louisiana seafood, all elegantly prepared.
“I have no idea how I can eat this late at night, but I’m starving,” Emma Lou said as she took a bite of a lamb chop. “Maybe that glass of champagne made me hungry?”
“Glass?” Dave asked jokingly.
“Well I might have had more than one,” she added.
The room was getting crowded, and some people wore costumes. Ladies dressed in traditional clothes from the 1800s, including hats and elbow-length gloves.
“It looks like Mardi Gras,” Emma Lou said.
“It sure does. Look, at that lady dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She has a little dog too,” Pearl Ann said.
“The Wizard of Oz is a dude,” Zack said with a big smile.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Emma Lou whispered in her ear, and Zack confirmed it, shaking his head up and down.
“A dude; I worked the French Quarter for many years. The lady is a guy.”
The lights went down, and a spotlight was centered on Dijon, holding a microphone, on the dance floor.
“May I have your attention?” Dijon announced. The tent was silent; people could no longer hear the clanking of dishes or others talking.
“Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. I would like to introduce our chairman, Mr. Jacque Robert, all the way from Paris,” Dijon announced, giving the microphone to Jacque. The people gave a standing ovation, flashes from cameras went off, and some individuals even whistled.
“Let’s settle down. Thank you so much. And thank you, New Orleans, for embracing me this week,” he shouted as the room broke into another round of applause.
“Let’s party!” he said as the music played and he and Dijon danced.
“Oh, dear, they’re dancing,” Pearl Ann said to Emma Lou.
“Yes, Pearl Ann, they do dance,” Emma Lou said.
“Do they have to do it together?” she replied.
Emma Lou gave Pearl Ann her usual “You have no clue” look and just dropped the subject. She had battled with Pearl Ann for years on the gay issue. The room was bursting with excitement; the dance floor was packed.
“I sure would like to dance,” Pearl Ann said to Zack.
“I’ve got two left feet, but I’ll give it a try,” he said as he took her hand.
“Doesn’t everyone look nice? Except for that guy dressed like a cowboy,” Pearl Ann said as they all looked for him on the dance floor. “He’s dancing with the guy dressed as the Lone Ranger.”
“Pearl Ann! It’s a gay party. They dance together; they party together, and who knows what else. Get with it,” Emma Lou said. “Come on, Zack.” She took his hand and they walked to the dance floor.
“I guess that is my clue to dance. Let’s dance, Pearl Ann,” Dave said. The music continued throughout the night, song after song. Zack and Emma Lou danced and became more comfortable in each other’s arms.
“You know, Zack, I have not been this close to a man in many years.”
“It’s like riding a bike, you never forget,” Zack said.
“I’m not talking about dancing,” she said.
“I’m not either,” Zack said with a smile as Emma Lou put her head on his shoulder for the last dance of the night.
The music ended, and Dijon expressed his gratitude for all the donations. “I hope everyone enjoyed our event, and I’ll see you next year. Thanks again.”
The houselights came up, and people filed out of the tent and walked to the parking lot. Zack, Emma Lou, Dave, and Pearl Ann met Howard at the entrance and got into the limousine.
“Did you have a jolly good time?” Howard asked.
“Very jolly and extra good,” Emma Lou said.
Zack opened the sliding panel between the driver and the passengers. “Howard, I don’t know how I can ever repay you and Mr. Stein for such a fantastic night.”
“Mr. Stein said it was his pleasure, and anytime you need, just call. That goes for me too. It was my pleasure showing you a great time tonight.”
“Oh, my god, it’s two-thirty in the morning,” Emma Lou said.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Zack said.
“And I sure did,” Emma Lou said as she rested her head on Zack’s shoulder.
The street was deserted and they quietly made the ride back to the house. Howard pulled the limousine up to the front of the house and quickly ran around to open the door at curbside. He put his hand out and helped Emma Lou and Pearl Ann out of the car.
“Howard, old boy, it’s been a jolly good night,” Emma Lou said, putting her arms around him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Pearl Ann did the same, and Dave shook his hand, thanking him for a great night.
Zack pushed money into his coat pocket. “Thank you, my friend. We had an excellent time.”
“That is very generous of you, sir. But Mr. Stein will not allow me to take any money from you.”
“Last time I c
hecked, he’s not here,” Zack said as he smiled. “Take it; you earned it.”
The four quietly walked up the stairs to the front door, only to find it was locked. They tapped on the glass and the night security guard opened the door.
“What the hell are you people doing out at this time of night?” she asked.
“Well, first, we broke into a shopping mall, knocked down a few bottles of champagne, and then we went to a party with some gay friends,” Emma Lou said.
“Yep, that’s how it went,” Zack said, grinning as they walked off to their rooms.
Chapter 7
Tom Nelson had spent the past five weeks in Houston. The journey was almost over, for Patty’s treatment was ending. It had been an awful experience through his eyes, and he could only imagine the pain Patty suffered. The chemotherapy treatment from day one left her weak, vomiting, not wanting to eat or sleep. As little as she slept, it was her best pastime.
The second week was the same, plus she lost weight and her hair. Just twisting her head on the pillow would leave clumps of hair on the bed sheets. Finally, Patty asked Tom to shave her head; it was only a matter of time before it would all fall out anyway, so she advanced the process. She put on her pink cap that Zack had sent her, when going to and from treatment. Wearing the pink cap while in the hospital was tolerable, but she often wondered how she would handle it in public when she got home. The disease is bad enough without worry and the pressure of society. Since childhood, Patty’s clothes had to be perfect, her fingernails impeccably painted, and if she had a bad hair day, it set the tone for the rest of the day.
When she first learned of her cancer, she had good days and bad days like most cancer victims. Tom would reinforce her confidence by telling her, “You’ll beat cancer, just take one day at a time.”
By the third week, she received a new drug, but it was very expensive. Her doctor gave her a free sample to see if it would help. A pill was taken one day before treatment and lasted the entire week. By the third day of therapy, she could see results. She slept for long periods of time; she wasn’t sick after the treatment, and her appetite returned. The new drug was critical to her recovery.
True Blue Detective Page 7
