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BOON FOLLOWED MARY-Alice as she peered into windows and gently nudged tires with the toe of her sequined sneaker. He scanned the dirt and crushed oyster shells around his feet as he went, in case he caught a glimpse of a stray earring or some other fortunate clue.
As they walked alongside a monstrously tall truck, Mary-Alice stopped suddenly and clapped her dainty hands over her face. Boon nearly bumped into here, wondering what was going on. Half a second later, the smell hit him too.
An unshaven little man in a bundle of stained clothes staggered out from behind the truck.
“Ready to drive your new car home this afternoon?” He slurred. His eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. His lush hair was a contrast to his weathered face.
“We’re just looking,” Mary-Alice said politely.
Boon gripped Mary-Alice’s elbow gently.
“Come along, darlin’, we don’t want to be late now. We can shop for a car another day.”
“I used to work here,” the man said, desperately. Then: “You got a dollar for a newspaper?”
“I believe I do.” Mary-Alice reached into her purse.
“Mary-Alice,” Boon whispered into her ear. “You know he’s just gonna spend it on liquor.”
“If so, that’s on him,” Mary-Alice said in a normal tone of voice for all to hear. “But if I fail to show charity to a stranger on a Sunday, why, that’s on me.”
Mary-Alice handed the man a five-dollar bill.
The man stared at it, and his bleary eyes welled up.
“Thank you, ma’am. Bless you, ma’am. You are kind.”
“You have a lovely Sunday, now.” Mary-Alice turned to go. Boon nodded farewell to the man and they started back across the street.
“They’re not all as kind as you,” the man called after them. “Some of ‘em are mean. ‘Get out of my way you bum. You should be ashamed of yourself. Be a man and get a job!’”
Mary-Alice paused and turned back.
“Mary-Alice,” Boon whispered. “You can’t save everyone, sweetheart.”
“Now just a minute, Boon. Excuse me sir, who said such unkind things to you? You said ‘she’. Was it a woman?”
“Was it a woman?” The man swayed gently, his bloodshot eyes focused on something distant.
Boon gave up on leaving and went to stand next to Mary-Alice amidst the cars and trucks. Boon figured he was a little older than the man, but in better shape. If it came down to having to defend Mary-Alice physically, he supposed he had an even chance.
The man considered Mary-Alice’s question for a moment. “A woman, you ask? Oh, she had the form of a woman. But the soul...the soul of a serpent.”
“Boon, listen,” Mary-Alice whispered. “Does that sound like anyone we know?”
“She kicked me,” the man continued. “I’m over there, in my usual spot, just minding my business, and she kicked me!”
“You poor man.” Mary-Alice shot Boon a sly smile and pulled her phone out of her purse. “Was this her? The woman who kicked you?”
The man peered at the image on Mary-Alice’s phone. His eyes widened, and he staggered back as if struck, sitting down suddenly on the sun-faded hood of the Chevrolet behind him.
“Well now, I believe we’re getting somewhere,” Mary-Alice declared.
“Where did you see her?” Boon was next to Mary-Alice now, and no longer eager to leave Lafitte.
The man glanced over at the bus depot, and then thrust the five-dollar bill back at Mary-Alice.
“I don’t want it,” he said. “She’s evil. Evil.”
“It’s not from her,” Mary-Alice pressed the bill back into the man’s grimy palm. “It’s from me. So you can buy yourself a nice meal. But first, why don’t you tell us all about what happened?”
“No,” the man said mournfully. “I don’t wish to relive it.”
“Sir, may I ask your name?” Mary-Alice asked.
The man only shook his head.
They tried a little more, but they couldn’t get anything else out of him. They left him there, sitting on the hood of the Chevrolet, staring at the five-dollar bill.