I shake my head and let him see that tonight’s errand is far more serious. “I need to question somebody, Kirk. And he’s not going to like it.”

He nods slowly. “Like a field interrogation?”

“You could call it that.”

“Tough guy?”

“Not exactly. He’s probably over eighty.”

“What?”

“But he might have some people with him that I wouldn’t want to have to handle on my own.”

“I get you. Do I know him?”

“Brody Royal.”

Kirk whistles long and low. “Whoa, brah. Hey, we just heard his daughter was in the hospital.”

“That’s right.”

The marine’s eyes widen. “Don’t tell me you had something to do with that.”

“No comment.”

He makes a sound I cannot decipher. “Well … I’ll help you, but there’s one little problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Royal owns the Royal Cotton Bank, and I’ve got an outstanding note there on my dozer. He sees me working as muscle for you, he’s liable to call my note tomorrow.”

“How much is left on the note?”

“About twenty grand.”

Less than I figured. “Tell you what. If Royal calls the note, I’ll pay the balance, and you can pay me if and when you get the money.”

The silence lasts a few seconds. “This is some serious shit, huh.”

“Yep. That’s the second part of this conversation. Brody’s son-in-law is a real bastard. A killer, Kirk. He attacked me in a restaurant at lunch, and Caitlin had to shoot at him earlier tonight to keep him off her.”

“And you need me to keep him in line?”

“Discreet backup, let’s say. But things could get violent fast.”

He shrugs, then rolls his enormous shoulders with fluid grace. “Sounds better than watching Sex and the freakin’ City with Nancy.”

“This isn’t diving the Jericho Hole. Brody Royal’s tied in with the Double Eagles and some corrupt state cops in Louisiana. There’s drugs involved, and God knows what. They’ve killed a lot of people.”

“You’re shitting me. I thought Royal was like a model citizen.”

“As far from that as you can imagine. That guy whose bones you brought up yesterday? Him and his buddy Jimmy Revels were both in the service. One army, the other navy. Before Brody’s thugs killed them, they sliced off their service tattoos and tanned them as trophies.”

Kirk’s left fist flexes and unflexes on the console of my Audi. “Brody Royal was behind that?”

“Yep. I’ll tell you something else. Most of the Double Eagles were bastards, but at least they served their country. Brody Royal had mob connections who fixed it so he could stay home during the war and rake in black market money while everybody else risked their ass overseas.”

“I’m starting to look forward to this.” Boisseau sniffs and gives me a nonchalant look. “Where’s this friendly conversation likely to take place?”