Chapter 12

As we entered the crowded club, someone in the band caught Billy's attention immediately. "Hey Billy, it's me, Ray. Come on over!"

Billy held up his bandaged hand as if to say: "not today, Ray", but then the piano player said, "Just one song, Fingers...come on."

Billy looked at me with a grin and shrugged. "I can play one-handed," he assured me.

I nodded at him distractedly. "Yeah, sure you can, buddy." I knew that "one song" to Billy meant he would be there the rest of the night.

"Hey Dix," Billy called back to me. "Tell Lady D that I will play something special for her later on this evening."

"Tell her yourself, do I look like a messenger boy? Have a good time, kiddo."

Turning my attention away from Bill I saw that cousin Gloria was talking to a short fellow over by the bar. She took him by the arm and brought him over to me. It was the same sharply dressed black guy that had been waiting for the kid's shipment down at the wharf. I noted that his dark glasses were gone now.

I tried to keep my smirks to a minimum as they walked over.

"Dixon.…Doctor, I'd like you to meet my business associate Georgy LaMont," Gloria said.

I nodded. "We've met," I informed her evenly.

"How do you do?" Dr. Howard said graciously, shaking Georgy's offered hand.

"A pleasure, Miss," he said with a smile, touching the brim of an invisible hat, and gazing at her with his pretty brown eyes.

"Still looking dapper, Georgy...but you're not so tough without your gun, now are you?" I observed, unable to resist giving him a couple of digs. As I expected he was still as sensitive as ever. What he didn't know was that I was actually beginning to like the guy.

"Look who's talking?" he shot back. "Looks like someone handled you pretty easily, tough guy," he laughed. I shrugged. I knew my face was bruised and not too pretty at the moment, so I let that go.

"Handled? Isn't this the point where I'm supposed to make a crack about your mother?" I asked.

That did it. Georgy took a step toward me. "Listen, fella, I happen to manage this establishment for the new owner, but I'm still happy to take this outside."

Doctor Howard raised her hands in exasperation. "Honestly, is this really necessary? I thought meeting this clairvoyant woman was so important, and here you are acting like a juvenile!"

"She's right, short stuff," I said with a wink to Georgy. "Cool your heels, already," I said.

"Me?! She's talking to you!"

Gloria suddenly grabbed my hand and began whispering in my ear. "Huh?" was the most coherent response I could muster. "Cousin? Oh."

"That's right," Gloria clarified happily. "Georgy's our cousin. Distantly."

Beverly Howard shook her head slowly but said nothing. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, looking around the bar—probably planning an escape.

"Cousin? Are you saying he's related to you too?" Georgy demanded of Gloria while pointing at me.

Gloria grinned. "Can you believe the coincidence?"

I glanced at Gloria, scratching the back of my head. "On your mother's side? Really? Although come to think of it, he does look a little like my great-"

"Mister… Hill," Doctor Howard finally burst out in frustration. "Will you please resume discussing your admittedly unique family tree later? I need to ask you a question." She grabbed my hand and yanked me away from my two cousins.

"Dixon," Gloria called after us. "Georgy and I will talk to the Kid and try and arrange for that meeting."

"Great," I called back to her.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

She halted next to a wall, and turned back to me, letting go of my hand. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?" she demanded. "Because it's working."

I didn't know what to say. In a way I think I was trying to drive her crazy, maybe get under her skin. When I thought a girl was special, that was my way of operating. But she was not the typical woman. I lifted an eyebrow. "Is that what you wanted to ask me?" Man, was she beautiful in that low light. I leaned in closer, and she just eyed me. I'll never know if she would have accepted a kiss from me, or stepped aside and let me fall face first into the wall because just then a club employee walked up and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir...Lady D will see you now."

Beverly stepped past me quickly without another word.


Lady D's office was in the back of the club. Dark red velvet antique curtains served as a barrier between Lady D and those who sought her counsel. Ms. Howard and I stood outside them, unsure of what to do next. We'd been ushered in with a mysterious "Lady D will see you now," from one of the waiters. Now we just continued to stand there silently, waiting for some kind of sign.

"What are you waiting for?" drifted a musical voice. "I've been waiting for you two to arrive."

I nodded at Ms. Howard and held the curtain open for her to enter, and then I followed. I wasn't prepared to see the woman from my dream, sitting in that room, but there she was. She was very beautiful, with dark curls of flowing hair and I found myself staring stupidly, far more interested in real life than I had been in my dream. She beckoned us in and gestured for us to sit down. There were no chairs apart from the one Lady D was sitting in, so we sat down cross-legged in a pile of about twenty mismatched pillows, and tried to remain as dignified as possible. She said nothing, but it became apparent that she was chewing gum.

She reached out and offered us a stick. "Please, take some gum. It comes out of the fee," she added in the same mysterious voice but chewing noisily. Ms. Howard looked somewhat disgusted, but I took a piece of gum, wondering if it was part of some important ritual. Doctor Howard, however, was completely suspicious.

"I suppose you've come to me thinking I know all the answers," said Lady D.

"Well, we'd hoped you could help us out," I said slowly while chewing the refreshing gum. "You see there are some bad things happening to the people of this city-"

Beverly leaned back against the pillows. "Why have us talk at all? Can't you just read our minds, like it's advertised outside? Then we won't have to tell you every little detail."

Lady D smiled. "I see...a skeptic."

"Well, can you read our minds?" Ms. Howard demanded.

"We have the ten dollars," I said, trailing off. I was still having a hard time not staring at Lady D. After a moment, I felt Beverly staring at the side of my head, and I so I cleared my throat, and returned to a more distant expression.

"For starters, I can tell you how you are feeling... what kind of mood you're in," said Lady D. "But only if you want to know, of course."

I laughed. "Tell us how we feel? So then, you can't actually read our minds?"

"Well, what use is that?" Beverly demanded.

Lady D nodded. "Hmm... I get that question a lot." She took out her gum and dropped it in an elegant silver bowl next to her with a resounding clang that echoed through the room.

She smiled craftily at us. "Let's see what your ten dollars will get you. I could have charged you twenty, but I allow the occasional group rate, and I can see you two are a couple."

I smiled broadly, even as Beverly elbowed me. I winced at the reminder that nearly every inch of my body was sore.

"We certainly are not," Beverly corrected her.

Lady D's eyes narrowed briefly. "Right...did William tell you I can foretell the future as well?"

I shrugged and didn't bother to ask her how she knew Billy had sent us there. "Actually, yes. This was all his bright idea."

She smiled and adjusted her flowing dress. "Yes, I'm sure. Well...so it seems you don't want to discuss your feelings, are afraid of the future, and terrified of the present. In other words, you are both just like everyone else who comes to see me." I couldn't tell if she had just insulted us or not. She shut her eyes and I took the opportunity to stare openly at her. Her skin was absolutely glowing. Billy was a lucky man.

I heard a sharp frustrated exhale and looked to my right. Beverly pursed her lips. "Could you be any more obvious?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"You're staring at her..."

"And that bothers you?" I broke into a slow grin.

"You think she's jealous, but she actually just doesn't like the way you objectify women." Lady D's eyes were open now, and she was speaking with the same serene, musical voice.

"I what?"

"Do you want a full discussion about gender politics or do you want me to do some mind reading? It's up to you," Lady D replied smoothly.

I glanced at Beverly, who was trying not to laugh. "Um...the second choice," I said, still not entirely aware of the first choice, or why I was being laughed at. Good thing I could always take a good ribbing.

Lady D took a sip of water and then moved from her chair to sit cross-legged directly across from us. Suddenly she threw her hands up dramatically in the air, causing us both to jerk backward in surprise. slowly, as though floating she lowered her arms and let her hands rest on her knees. "You want to know what has been happening to the people of this city. You believe them to be disappearing." Her eyes snapped open and she stared pointedly at Doctor Howard. "One of you knows more than you would like to reveal."

I glanced curiously at Beverly, but she refused to meet my eyes.

I glanced away from her, not willing to let her know yet, that I knew. But there was suddenly burning in the back of my brain. She's been lying to me this whole time.

Lady D closed her eyes and continued. "You both want to stop this phenomenon, but are not sure how to accomplish this." Suddenly Lady D got to her feet abruptly. "The people you believe have disappeared are still here. You simply fail to see them. You will need to trust each other to resolve your dilemma."

I got to my feet. "Wait a minute, Lady D...are you trying to tell me that this is all in our heads?"

"I didn't say that. Not that collective hallucination is out of the question..."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Lady D drew her robe around her and shivered, even though it was easily eight-eight degrees in that room. I was wearing a suit and tie and drowning in pillows. "Have you considered that someone is influencing you and your friends? Someone has set the rules and so you each see what he wants you to see. Of course, it's just a possibility." She gave a strange bow. "Best wishes..."