Music of Death Blues – Chapter 2

“Is there any iced tea left, Jacques?” Dai asked. “I think our guest could use some.”

I snapped my open mouth closed, still flabbergasted at what had happened. Dai’s laughter had been genuine, and finally, I realized it had been our guest’s assumptions she’d found ironically amusing. I returned to the table with three glasses and a pitcher.

Our guest was still staring at Dai, and the latter held a small, impish smile, quite aware she was being looked at.

“Ma’am, would you like sugar in your tea?” I asked our guest, but she didn’t seem to hear the question.

“She definitely should have some, Jacques,” Dai said. “I believe the strain of her ordeal may be catching up to her.”

I noticed our guest seemed to be blinking rapidly off and on, and her hands shook a little where they lay on her lap.

I added several sugar cubes to the first glass and stirred it before coming around the table and presenting it to her, bodily cutting off her view of Dai. It was as if I’d broken an electric connection. Our guest jerked in her chair to look up at me and, hesitating only a moment more, reached for the offered drink. It was gone in moments, so I refilled it when she set it down, served some for Dai and me, and then took my seat.

Her owl-sized eyes watched me with bewilderment as I did so.

“Might you give us your name now?” Dai asked her.

Our guest grabbed the refilled glass and drank half of it down before trying to answer. She would no longer look at Dai directly. “Otelia Stanton, Miss Wu. I apologize for my rudeness earlier.”

“Nonsense, Mrs. Stanton. After the day you’ve had, you have nothing to apologize for.”

I noticed her flinch when Dai referred to her as ‘Mrs. Stanton’ but wasn’t entirely sure why. Had she given us a false name? Or was it the fact Dai addressed her by her family name rather than her first, as they did on the radio programs for all colored characters?

“You’re safe here,” Dai continued. “I want to assure you of that. We are well acquainted with the intolerance of some pertaining to the color of our skin. As you might imagine, I care nothing about such distinctions, and neither do the members of my family.”

Mrs. Stanton shot a veiled glance in my direction. I gave a slight nod. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not. It occurred to me that if she accepted all the falsehoods spread against the Chinese as the ‘Yellow Peril,’ ‘Yellow Menace,’ ‘Yellow Terror,’ or the evil powers of Dr. Fu Manchu, she might think me somehow enslaved to the Wus.

“If your scrapes are clean, Jacques can put iodine on them and wrap them for you until we can get them looked at by a professional. Or, if you prefer, you may use our changing room and do it yourself,” Dai suggested. “I inferred from a remark Jacques made that your dress is torn? If so, we have a sawing kit you can use as well.” She indicated one of the items she’d placed on the table. “The laundry is closed today; otherwise, we’d take the dress downstairs to be cleaned and repaired. Jacques could still have a go at it, though. There should be a robe in the changing room you can use while you wait.”

Our guest sipped the remainder of her tea before answering. Her previous brusque manner had changed to a more cautious, subservient air. “If you don’t mind, I would like to do both things myself, missus. I’ve troubled you kind folks enough already.” She put the cup down and clasped her hands on her lap as if to keep them still. “I really need to be going.”

Dai nodded. “Jacques, would you mind showing her the way?”

I gathered the kit and waited for Mrs. Stanton. She gingerly stood, looking much steadier than previously, which I was glad to see. “This way, please, ma’am.”

It was just a short walk from the breakroom to the changing room, but I went slowly, just in case. I opened the door and entered first so she could see no one else was inside and that she had nothing to fear. After setting the sewing kit on the divan, I retrieved the robe and placed it there as well. Our guest still hovered by the door as if expecting some trick, or perhaps waiting for me to grow additional limbs. Her hands were still clasped tightly before her.

“You’ll be perfectly safe here, Mrs. Stanton. Once I leave, you can lock the door behind me if you wish.” 

 Rather than look reassured, she appeared even more reluctant.

“Do call out if you need anything,” I added.

I left her there, staring after me. The stairs were visible from the breakroom, so I had no worries about her slipping away without our knowledge. As I walked away, though, I got the feeling that I was the one making her feel uncomfortable, but I wasn’t sure how or why.

I found Dai drinking her tea with a pensive look on her face and Prince relaxing at her feet. “A peculiar event, don’t you think?” she asked.

That was one way to put it. “Unexpected, sure.”

“Yes, indeed.” She tilted her head. “Was there anything odd where we found her?”

“Not that I saw. If she had a purse or something else with her, I didn’t catch sight of it. The road was pretty clean, so it’s unlikely we missed anything.” I freshened up Mrs. Stanton’s glass in case she wanted more tea when she returned.

“Good.” She bent her head the other way. “Would you mind ringing Aiden and seeing if she can meet us here? I’d like her to look at Mrs. Stanton. I have a feeling our guest won’t willingly come with us to a clinic or hospital, and even if she did, we’d have no way of knowing whether they would treat her. Unless you know of one that doesn’t practice segregation, or specifically serves their race?”

 I have to admit, I stood stunned for a moment. While I was aware of the segregation practices in the city, it had never occurred to me it would extend into the medical field. If her arm or leg were broken from being thrown to the street by ruffians, would they truly deny her aid due to the color of her skin?

“Jacques?”

Dai’s voice jerked me out of my momentary stupor. “I’ll go call her now.” As I rushed down the hall toward Mr. Wu’s office to use the telephone, I couldn’t help feeling like I was running away with my tail between my legs rather than answering the question.

 

 

 ***

 

 

Much to my relief, I found Dr. Campbell at home and willing to join us. Aiden was one of the bright points that had come of sticking our noses into the business of murder when it had dropped into our laps earlier in the year. A large woman, especially when compared to Dai’s diminutive size, she was extremely shy and very endearing. Dai had found a kindred spirit in the pathologist, and they quickly became the best of friends. I also counted her as one of mine, and hoped the feeling was mutual.

She turned down my offer to fetch her in the Ford, as it would take longer than using the streetcars. I made a quick call home to inform the Wus that Dai and I would be running late, but gave no specifics. Dai’s parents weren’t aware of our extracurricular activities. Something we meant to keep to ourselves at all costs if I wanted to keep breathing.

Rather than return immediately to the breakroom, I pulled out a copy of the Dallas City Directory. Aside from the Colored Infants Association under ‘Hospitals and Dispensaries,’ I couldn’t quickly find what I was looking for. I knew Dai was waiting, so I put the directory away, knowing it would take too long to search further. Perhaps Mrs. Stanton could answer the question if she decided to refuse Aiden’s help.

“She’s on her way,” I told Dai as I reentered the breakroom.

“Excellent,” Dai said. “I admit, I am very interested to find out why Mrs. Stanton was taken and dumped here. My curiosity is quite piqued.”

I was well acquainted with that tone of rising excitement, even if it only happened infrequently. Surely there was a simple explanation, I told myself, and we wouldn’t need to get involved. But even as I thought it, I knew it was likely a vain hope.

Mrs. Stanton still hadn’t rejoined us by the time I heard a knock downstairs. I hurried down to answer it.

“Thank you for coming,” I said warmly as I moved aside to let Aiden come inside. “I hope this wasn’t too inconvenient for you.” From her attire, I must have caught her right after she returned home from church. She tended to wear dark, neutral colors for work, but today she wore a rather fetching pale green and gray-colored dress. The touch of rouge on her cheeks and her rose-colored lipstick did much to soften her rugged features. Despite her short, blocky form, I found her demure stance quite appealing. Her shy, ice-blue eyes, partially hidden beneath the short veil of her cloche hat, seemed to sparkle.

“I’m always happy to help.”

I closed the door behind her and escorted her upstairs.

“Still no sign of Mrs. Stanton?” I asked Dai as we arrived.

“Not a peep. But Prince doesn’t seem concerned, so I think she’s all right.” She flashed a bright smile in Aiden’s direction. “You took my advice. Excellent!”

I threw a surprised glance in Aiden’s direction and saw her blush. She settled a leather bag on the table. Though I’d seen it when she came in, I’d thought nothing of it, her large hands making it seem smaller than it was. But now that it was on the table, I realized it was a fine leather Gladstone bag—a doctor’s medical bag. It was so new, the leathery smell couldn’t be missed.

“What advice was that?” I asked.

Dai threw me a mischievous smile. “I suggested it might be helpful for her to have a medical bag. That there might be occasions when it could come in handy. And here we are!”

I groaned inside. What other deviltry had she concocted to facilitate sticking her dainty nose into other people’s business? I’d voiced ad nauseam how looking into criminal matters exposed the family to unnecessary danger. With the way society viewed the Chinese at the moment, any excuse to cause them into trouble would do. I sometimes despaired of ever getting her to understand the razor’s edge she sometimes danced on. It was like trying to teach table manners to a mountain.

I sent Aiden an apologetic look, wondering when Dai had found the opportunity to badger her into this. Yet the doctor’s pleased expression at Dai’s praise spoke volumes about Aiden’s eagerness to do things for her friend—so badgering had likely not been necessary. They were like two peas in a pod.

Prince gave a soft bark, alerting us to Mrs. Stanton’s exit from the freshening room. She cautiously entered the breakroom with her canine escort, and it was as if we were meeting an entirely different person. The veiled hat now sat as it should, covering most of Mrs. Stanton’s short, tightly curled black-and-gray hair. The tear in her dress had disappeared, clear evidence of her sewing skills. She’d even taken the time to wipe away the dust and grime, further erasing any hints of something having gone amiss. With the dress straightened and properly placed, it hid most of the scrapes and minor cuts she’d acquired. But the most significant transformation was in the woman herself.

Entirely gone were any signs of the spit and fire we’d witnessed when we first met. Instead, what we found before us was a servile creature, her eyes downcast and not looking or even glancing at any of us directly. Yet her comportment was such that an air of repressed strength and dignity seemed to hover just behind this new façade. She clasped and unclasped her hands, giving me the idea that there was something bothering her beyond the act of being thrown into an alley.

“I’m awful sorry for having put you to any trouble, sir and madams.” Mrs. Stanton’s words were soft and self-deprecating. “I’m just a silly ol’ nana causing no end o’trouble. I won’t be forgetting you all’s kindness, but I don’t wanna put ya t’any more bother than I done already. So I thank ya, but I’ll be a-goin’ now as I have place to be. Thank ya again.”

Bowing her head, she turned to go, still not making eye contact. I was too flabbergasted to say anything, but luckily, Dai was not.

“Mrs. Otelia Stanton!”

The older woman flinched again; it just wasn’t clear whether it was due to Dai’s unamused tone or her use of her full name and honorific.

“Honestly, Mrs. Stanton! It’s a little late to act like some illiterate slave on a plantation. Even if, for some insane reason, you continue to think that I am the evil leader of some secret triad bent on corrupting America,” Dai said with unexpected heat, “my friend has come—at some inconvenience, I might add—to make sure you’re in good health. The least you could do is drop all this unnecessary silliness and let her look you over.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing stunned silence.