Out of the Easy

Patrick is playing the piano for a group of women and goes to Josie when he sees her. They say they are leaving. Elizabeth tries to talk to Patrick and Mrs. Lockwood tells him she needs to visit his shop because they “love books and have quite a large library” (80). Patrick quips that Candace Kinkaid is popular in his shop. Josie thanks Mrs. Lockwell but Mrs. Lockwell calls her the wrong name. Charlotte apologizes to them again for her family’s behavior. A woman starts to cry, complaining about her husband’s affair. Josie’s stops when she hears the woman mention Forrest Hearne. Charlotte tells Josie she will send her information about Smith. In the driveway, Patrick and Josie meet Richard, Elizabeth’s brother. He says he saw Patrick on New Year’s Eve with his friend and asks Patrick, “Is that what you consider fun?” (82). He tells Elizabeth to stay away from him.

Patrick and Josie walk away and are picked up by Cokie driving Mariah. Cokie asks about the party and tells them that rich people are not happy because “they soul broke” (83). Patrick agrees with him, lamenting over their “shelves of books they’ve never read” (83). Josie, however, offers their framed family photos as evidence they are not soul broke. Cokie tells them to stay away from Richard because he kills cats. Josie thinks about how rich women incorrectly blame the Quarter for their husband’s actions. She disagrees with what Cokie said: She believes her mom is also soul broke.

Josie sees Jesse on her way to Willie’s house in the morning. She buys flowers from him, and he tells her she looks nice. She remembers a time when she was eleven and he threw water on her mother after her mother slapped her in public for all to see. He tells her that he has started college and asks if she will too now that her mother is gone. She wonders how he knows that.

At Willie’s, Josie sees a newspaper headline stating Hearne died from a heart attack. She brings Willie her coffee and Willie demands to know when Josie’s mother left. She says Josie is the only one who did not tell her about it and says, “don’t you ever think I’m too stupid to know when you’re lying to me” (88). She says Josie’s mother is a liar and Josie needs to forget about her. She yells at Josie for not cleaning her guns for her, and for “letting people make fun of [her] at Uptown parties” (89) instead. Willie breaks a cup and yells at Evangeline and Sweety in the doorway. Evangeline tells Josie she wants her mother’s room, but to clean it first. Josie wonders if people have really been making fun of her and decides, “I [have] to get out of New Orleans. I [have] to get into Smith” (89).

In her mother’s old room, Josie begins to clean and finds the police report from the time Cincinnati beat up her mother; she never filed it. On it, she lied about her age and said she had no children. Dora appears and asks if Josie is okay after her fight with Willie. Josie says she does not know why her mom loves Cincinnati. Dora explains that he makes women “feel sexy” but also “comes into money from time to time” (92). Josie agrees that her mother loves money; she shows Dora a coin purse of savings that her mom stole from her. Dora tells Josie that she is different and “Willie knows that” (92). Josie says she wants to go to college and Dora is not sure if that will be possible. She advises Josie to forget about her mother. She asks her to put her mother’s things in a box for Evangeline to “steal” to keep her away from her room. Dora leaves and Josie finds a sock under her mother’s bed. Inside is a gold watch with the initials F. L. Hearne.

In the bookshop, Josie cuts out a square hole in a ruined copy of A Passage to India and hides Hearne’s watch in it. She took the watch instead of giving it to Willie, which she had never done before. Now she hears the ticking in her head all day. She tells herself that it is “just by luck that Mother found it” (94). She hides the book with the watch inside in a case that only she has a key to.

Josie takes a walk to throw away the rest of the book and sees Frankie. She asks him where her mother was on New Year’s Eve. He tells her she had drinks with some tourists at the Roosevelt but will not answer her question as to whether her mother was at the club where Hearne died. She passes a dress shop and remembers the time as a child that was sick and threw up in front of it, and Charlie had to come get her. The owner said her parents should be ashamed, but Josie felt “the shame was all on [her]” (97).

Josie sees Cokie who tells her Willie is taking Josie to Shady Grove, Willie’s house in the countryside. He gives her a newspaper with a headline about Hearne’s death. Josie is very happy and goes to the bookshop to tell Patrick she must leave. Patrick’s friend from New Year’s Eve, James, is there. Patrick tells her he will be fine running the shop while she is gone. She takes a glance at A Passage to India locked in its case.

Cokie drives Josie to Willie’s house where she runs into Mr. Lockwell, saying goodbye to Evangeline. Josie lies and tells him she is there delivering books to Willie. He is dismissive of her and treats her like “someone he could wave away with his handkerchief like a foul smell” (102). This makes her mad, so she tells him she heard his conversation with Evangeline, and she wants him to write her a letter of recommendation to Smith. She suggests she goes to his house to discuss it. He gives her his card and says to call his office.

Josie drives Willie and herself to Shady Grove while she thinks about her interaction with Mr. Lockwell. She blames her pride for her behavior, and is worried he will tell Evangeline, who will tell him the truth about her. Then Charlotte may find out. She thinks, “I [hate] New Orleans. No, New Orleans [hates] me” (103). Willie confronts Josie about her college plans, telling her she must go to college in New Orleans. Josie silently disagrees, thinking about the life she wants. Willie tells Josie not to think her life will be a fairy tale. She says she will pay for her to attend college in New Orleans and accuses Josie of pretending to want to go away so Willie will pay for her schooling.

Josie relaxes at Shady Grove and enjoys being away from the city. It is peaceful and quiet there, with no other houses within half a mile. Ray and Frieda, the nearest neighbors, stay in their car all night because they are afraid of the dark. Josie and Willie do not talk much over the days until they go shooting. Josie hits the target and says she is pretending it is Cincinnati. They discuss how Cincinnati robbed Patrick’s house, but how Patrick does not know yet who did it. Josie blames herself for the robbery because she told her mother about the nice things in the house. Cincinnati beat Charlie leading to a month-long hospital stay. Willie says when she shot at Cincinnati and Josie burned him with coffee, it was more in retaliation for what he did to Charlie than what he did to her mother. Her mother knew Charlie was already having mental problems and told Cincinnati to do it. Josie cannot believe it when Willie says her mom was there for the beating. In anger, she shoots down all the cans and continues to fire at the fence. When Willie asks her, “What do you think those East Coast petits fours would say about that?” Josie replies, “Pretty salty” (108). They drive into town and call Willie’s house. Dora says Patrick keeps calling and needs to talk to Josie about something important.

Back at Willie’s house, Willie inspects the girls for the night. Dora says Evangeline is mad her “big spender” (111) has not come by, and Josie knows the man is Mr. Lockwell. Josie walks to the bookshop, and outside her room finds a package from Charlotte and a note from Patrick saying, “Please come to the house. It’s Charlie” (111). At his house, Patrick and the house are a mess. Patrick will not open a window because he does not want neighbors to hear Charlie’s constant screaming. He says the piano is not soothing him and he cannot find the rest of his medicine. He says Charlie gets hysterical when Patrick goes in his room, so Josie slowly eases her way in. It is filthy and has a terrible smell. Charlie is in his underwear and holding the heart-shaped box. He repeats the name “Lucy.” Josie cleans his room until he falls asleep.

Patrick tells Josie that Lucy is Charlie’s long-dead aunt. Josie encourages him by suggesting that Willie can help them get medicine and that it will be fine. Patrick gets emotional and questions if that is true. Josie calls Willie who says she will send Cokie. Patrick confesses to Josie that Charlie’s current state is his fault because he left Charlie alone for too long. She asks where he was and he “glance[s] down at his feet. ‘I had some business’” (115). Josie recommends he spend less time buying books next time. Patrick expresses how much she helps him and that he wants to tell her something without scaring her away. Josie says it would not because of all he knows about her. She recounts running into Mr. Lockwell and her plot to get a recommendation from him, which Patrick loves. When she asks him what he wanted to say before, he no longer wants to talk about it.

Cokie arrives while Patrick sleeps on the couch. He hands Josie the medicine along with some groceries and admits that he has been gambling when she asks him about the chalk on his fingers. There are two bottles of medicine, one for “if he gets real real bad” (117). After placing them in front of Patrick, Josie kisses his forehead and leaves.

Inside a package from Charlotte is an application to Smith along with catalog and brochures and a copy of Rogue Betrayal, the sequel to Rogue Desire, included as a joke. Charlotte also sent her college photo, which Josie displays on her desk. Tired from getting up early to work and check on Charlie, Josie checks the outfit she has to go to Mr. Lockwell’s office. She is wearing a faded dress and scuffed shoes and does not have gloves to wear.

As she rides the elevator to the eighth floor of his well-known office building, she gets nervous remembering the way Mr. Lockwell looks down on her. She reminds herself about “Willie’s shotgun in [her] arms, fierce and strong. Holes in the fence [...] Salted peanuts” (119). The receptionist questions Josie for being there, but calls Mr. Lockwell when Josie says she is “a friend of the family” (119). After an hour of waiting, the receptionist relays Josie’s message that she will go to his house later that night instead; Mr. Lockwell quickly emerges after hearing this.

Mr. Lockwell brings Josie into his large office and offers her a drink. Instead, Josie crafts him a martini which greatly impresses him. In response to his repeated request that she drink with him, Josie declines and presents him with a piece of paper for her recommendation. He wants to know if Charlotte is aware Josie saw him at Willie’s house, and Josie quips she has not “had the opportunity yet” (121) to tell her. He suggests she get her father to write the recommendation since he does not know her; Josie wryly says that her dad is “no longer with us” (121). Mr. Lockwell accuses Josie of hustling him and says he has known since they met that something was off. Mr. Lockwell saw Patrick in church during the day, remarking that it is something sinners do, and this information surprises Josie. The pair banters back and forth, with Josie threatening to visit his wife. Mr. Lockwell is concerned that after the recommendation Josie will just want money. Josie does not want his money, just his recognizable name on a recommendation. She eyes his family photos in silver frames. They agree that if he writes the letter, he will never see her again; his secretary will type it and send it to the bookshop. On Josie’s way out of the building, she is stopped by a police officer who tells her to come with him.

Josie waits in the police station, humming to herself. Darleen, Dora’s sister, wants to know if Josie’s mother is there. Darleen walks off when Detective Langley invites Josie into his office. Josie simply nods at his comment that Patrick told him where to find her. She watched how little Frankie and Willie say to police and knows to act the same way. He questions her about Hearne’s death, and she reveals little. She remembers he was from Memphis and in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl; he bought Keats and Dickens. She observes that the detective is only “what Willie called a Paper Joe” (127) and feels less threatened. However, his statement that Hearne’s wife is missing his watch causes a ticking sound to “[pulse] through [her] head” (128). She admits she noticed his watch and that it looked expensive. She informs him that Hearne did not seem sick at the bookshop.

A colleague interrupts Detective Langley due to a shooting. Detective Langley apologizes to Josie for the interrogation. He states that Hearne’s widow is looking for Hearne’s watch as well as some missing money. Josie leaves, nervous about possessing the watch but resolved in what she must do next.

Josie examines Hearne’s watch, saddened that she cannot keep it, before putting it in her purse and leaving home. She walks through the wet night until Jesse flags her down. She lies, saying she is headed to see a friend. He invites her into the soda shop, and she agrees to quickly stop in. They joke about a hex Jesse’s grandmother is trying to perform. Jesse sits closely to Josie and Josie is drawn to his scent. She does not want to answer his question about whether she plans to leave New Orleans. Jesse wants to leave and believes that “this town will eat you up if you’re not careful” (133). He is the first in his family to go to college; his dad is in and out of prison.

Two blonde girls try to converse with Jesse, but he is only focused on Josie, telling them he is “trying to woo this gal here” (134). This makes Josie laugh, and she climbs onto Jesse’s lap to mockingly offer up her stool to Fran, the most persistent of the two blondes. Fran asks Jesse about the car he is repairing, and Josie shocks them by naming specific car parts. Jesse tells Fran that Josie is from Detroit and Fran jealously mocks “Jo from Detroit and Jesse from Dauphine” (134). Jesse states he is from Alabama and Josie makes a suggestive joke. The girls finally leave, and Jesse is amused by Josie’s behavior. He thinks, however, that the girls do not truly like him. Josie refers to him as “the handsome flower vendor” (135) and Jesse teases her for calling him handsome and makes her blush. He inquires if she is meeting Patrick, and although she wants to tell him the truth about Hearne and his watch, she lies and says yes. Jesse pays for their sodas and wants to escort her, but she declines.

Josie walks down the dark streets to the riverbank. She feels Hearne’s watch in her purse, running her fingers over the inscription from his wife. She does not want to throw the watch in the water. She thinks about David Copperfield, Hearne, and everyone else she knows, and she cries.

Josie has a dream that her mom is the operator of an elevator that Josie tries to take to the eighth floor. Her mom’s mouth is scabbed and bloody. She tells Josie, “no eighth floor for you” (139) and sends the elevator crashing down while she laughs. Josie wakes up screaming, and all morning she cannot get the sound out of her head. She also hears Hearne’s watch ticking, which she has hidden again in A Passage to India. She wonders if her mom is okay in California and cannot help but wish she would hear from her.

Downstairs in the bookshop, Josie catches up with Patrick when Frankie, Willie’s lookout, comes in the door. He wants to know if the police asked Josie about her mother when they questioned her the day before. Josie replies that they only discussed Hearne’s death. Frankie implies there is something she should tell Willie, and “guilt [crawls] over [her] again” (143) because she knows she should not be keeping Hearne’s watch a secret from Willie. She lies and says she has no information. Frankie teases her about dating Jesse which is news to Patrick; she denies that she is dating him. Before Frankie leaves, she asks about her mother. He only reveals that “she’s been seen here and there” (143) and advises her to stick with Willie. Patrick questions her more about Jesse and then informs her that Miss Paulsen, a professor and friend of the family, went to Smith. Patrick tells her that she will come to the shop soon to discuss Smith with Josie. Josie is thrilled and embraces him.