But now the man was sliding off his stool and coming Earl’s way. This was Ray Tarvis, the owner. Earl was sure of it.
The man pulled a chair close to his.
Tarvis said nothing at first. Then he nudged Earl to get his attention. “Hey!” he said.
“Who’s there?” Earl asked.
“I’m the owner of this place,” Tarvis said. “I noticed you’re not interested in my girls dancing for you. You’re not here to drink. I’m wondering to myself just what the hell a blind man gets from spending twenty bucks for water.”
“I like the music!” Earl said, swaying his head in time to the beat.
“Yeah, well, you can get music a number of places, pop. But I don’t allow cameras in my club.”
“Don’t intend to take no pictures,” Earl said. “How could I?”
“Then what are you doing with it?”
“Was a present from my sister. A little joke among us. I like the way it feels.”
“Uh-huh. Well, we don’t allow dogs neither. I think you best go.”
“You mean you don’t allow Negroes.”
“If you weren’t fucking blind you’d see I keep a number of young black girls in my employ. I’m trying to be nice.”
“Nice would be allowing me to stay,” Earl said, not backing down.
“All right!” Tarvis said; his patience had run out. He rose to his feet, dragging Earl up by the elbow. “You can take your water with you. Just get out!”
Melon suddenly came out from under Earl’s chair, baring his teeth and issuing a deep, sustained growl at the voice that had become threatening.
“It’s okay, boy,” Earl said. “We’ve worn out our welcome, as usual.”
Earl extended his cane and moved off toward the exit, tapping his way between the rows of tables and chairs. Melon fell into formation at his cuff and together they left the club.
Tarvis followed them all the way through the door. He stopped just outside the entrance, next to the bouncer, and watched until Earl and his dog were inside the taxi and its door was closed. Then he smacked his bouncer upside the head and turned and went back in.
Loretta was slumped far down in her seat behind the wheel. “He gone?” she asked.
“He went inside,” Earl said.
Loretta straightened. “Man told me if he ever saw me near his club again he’d kill me, no questions asked, and I believe him.”
“He reminds me why I didn’t come back to this town,” Earl said.
“Why I should be gettin’ out myself. No luck finding little India, huh?”
“I didn’t see her.”
Loretta turned worried eyes on him in the mirror. “Friday night, there’s only one other place she could be.”
“Where’s that?”
“The Atlanta boys’ club,” she said.
“Boys’ club?” Earl repeated.
Loretta threw a quick glance at the bouncer near the entrance, then turned to look at Earl directly across the seat. “I didn’t want to tell you this till I was sure . . . but I been worried she might not be here.”
“Why do you say that? And why do you —”
“Care?” Loretta said, finishing his thought for him.
Earl studied Loretta’s eyes, the woman inside them. She was harboring pain, he could see it now. “It was you,” he said. “You were the one who sent the last letter, not my granddaughter. But how would you know . . .”
Loretta lowered her gaze.
“You’re . . .”
“Don’t matter who I am!” she snapped, her eyes coming back to challenge his.
Earl examined the woman he’d only just met but now believed to be his daughter. He saw her in a somewhat different light than he had before. More determined than pathetic. More feral than beaten. “Where’s India?” he said.
“They’s a house out in Walton County, a cabin twenty miles from here, tucked way back in the trees. I was hoping we’d find India at Bo Peep’s, and everythin’d be all right. But now my worst fear is she’s out there with them.”
“Them who?”
“The boys. They got this little club, see. An appreciation-of-little-black-girls club. Five of them, including Ray Tarvis. But they ain’t throwing no charity benefit out there, huh-uh! They’re mean and cruel and like to take their aggressions out on sweet young black females.” She avoided looking at him.
“How do you know all this?”
Loretta brought her eyes to his now. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. “Kept me out there for nearly a year once.”
Earl felt his heart cave in. The anguish in her eyes was born of deeply guarded pain. Melon stirred on the seat next to him.