Page 20 of Lord Have Mercy Part Four: Big Son

“You sound like you’re speaking from personal experience,” Maggie said.

His cheeks colored in the exact same way that Mercy’s did when he blushed. He swiped a hand through the air. “That’s not the point: I’m telling you, nobody can go up the front steps and ring the doorbell. We have to figure out who to talk to.”

“I could check with Dandridge,” Alex offered.

“Because a cop’s going to tell us how to get into a brothel?” Ava asked.

“Cops pay for hookers all the time,” he argued.

“We’ll call Bob,” Maggie said. “The Dogs will know every illegal thing going on here.”

“Bob doesn’t know you guys are in New Orleans,” Reese pointed out.

“Colin will call him,” Maggie said. “Mercy won’t care that he’s in town.”

Colin sighed. “That feels good to know. But yeah. I’ll call him.”

~*~

“I can’t get ahold of him,” Bob said twenty minutes later, on speakerphone, back in Ava and Maggie’s hotel room. “He’s out deep in the swamp and there’s no cell coverage there. The boat’s got a radio, but no one’s picking up.”

Ava had expected as much, but Bob, upon learning that Colin was in town and looking for intel, had insisted on givingMercy a heads up. He hadn’t reached Mercy, but just hearing about him, knowing for a fact that Bob had seen him, and hugged him, and given him a reliable, well-equipped boat, left Ava’s eyes burning with gratitude.

“That’s alright,” Colin said. The rest of them hovered around him, silent; the story was that Colin had come alone. “But listen, Bob, I’ve got a lead I want to check out – alone, if I can, so it’s not suspicious – but I need your help.”

Tenny had made cue cards with a Sharpie and hotel stationary, but Colin waved him off and gave Bob the quick rundown without notes.

Bob whistled when he was done. “Shit.”

“Yeah. I need to get into Sun House. Can you tell me who to contact.”

“I can, yeah. But don’t you want backup?”

“No,” Colin said, too fast, then backtracked. “Not to start with, at least. I’ll let you know. I don’t want to spook her.”

“Yeah, that’s a good call. I’ll text you the number. Ask for Lawrence. Tell him you want to place an order for flowers: pink peonies.”

Tenny grinned, and Ava wrinkled her nose.

Colin thanked him, promised to call if he needed assistance, and asked Bob to let him be the one to break the news of Regina’s existence to Mercy. Bob agreed, wished him luck, and hung up.

“I’ll make the call,” Tenny said.

Colin lifted his brows and opened his mouth to argue.

“That’s a good idea,” Ava said.

“But–”

“He’s used to doing undercover work. Not to mention he can do accents, and no one in this city knows him. Also, he’s not the spitting image of Remy Lécuyer.” She pointed at Colin, who finally shut his mouth, and nodded.

Then she turned to Tenny. “I wanna go with you.”

His lips pressed together into a thin, frustrated line. “How did I know you’d say that. But here’s the thing: no.”

She folded her arms. “Dee never had a photo of me. Regina won’t recognize me. And besides: couples go to working girls together all the time.”

“Yeah, sometimes, which is why if you want to send a couple, you can send us.” He gestured to Reese. “Or I can go by myself.”

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