Free No Daughter of the South by Cynthia Webb

something, but he won’t say what.” He drawled the sentence out for everything it was worth giving it the full measure of ridicule.
    Josh looked interested. “Investigating what? Are you a c… a police woman?”
    My brothers all howled with laughter. “A cop? Laurie? She hates guns, don’t even get her started on that. The only way she could get a criminal to surrender would be to argue him into submission. And believe me, once she got started talking, it’s the criminal I’d feel sorry for.”
    My father chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
    The commercial was over, and their attention was immediately focused on the screen. Momma sailed in with her tray, handing out sandwiches, careful not to get in their line of vision. They grunted acknowledgements.
    Next commercial, Josh asked me what it was I was investigating.
    Before I could answer, Walter spoke for me. “She writes something for some little newspaper. I bet maybe its drugs, right? The Florida-New York drug pipeline?”
    My father said, “They wouldn’t send a secretary down on something like that.”
    I forced myself to let it pass, and turned to Walter. “What made you think of drugs? Guilty conscience?”
    “See, we warned you about her,” he said to Josh. Then he said to me, “There’s been a whole lot of stuff in the papers about all these drug investigations lately. We’ve just had a couple of big-time busts around here, too.”
    “You mean to tell me people are still doing drugs around here?” Somehow I thought the flourishing drug trade had been limited to my own high school and college years.
    “You thought you were the entire market, Baby? Sure. The coastline is still here, and law enforcement can’t keep their eyes on every single fishing boat. And we’ve still got all that flat pasture land a few miles inland, perfect for landing small planes. And there’s not the federal presence here that there is over in Miami.”
    Daniel broke in, “What, you think New York has a monopoly on everything, Baby Sister? Anything you got up there, we got better right here. Am I right, Seth?”
    Seth was the only member of my family who had ever been to visit me in the city. He gave a good-natured grin. “I don’t know, boys. I told you about that Halloween parade she took me to. In Green-witch Village. Don’t think we’ve got anything that can compete with that.”
    The others laughed. Daniel jumped right in. “Ooo-wee. That’s right. That’s one thing they got up there in the big city that we don’t. All them queers. I don’t know how you could walk around up there with them all around, Seth. Weren’t you afraid you’d get raped or something? Goddamned perverts. Be afraid to bend over and tie your shoe, place like that.”
    Seth gave me a look that meant he was sorry he’d brought it up. I shrugged. In another moment, the commercial was over and they were all staring again, transfixed, at the screen.
    Having thoroughly reacquainted myself with the male side of my family, I stood up to leave. As I walked out, Daddy said, without taking his eyes off the screen, “You know, Baby Sister, we’ve got a fishing trip leaving out of here about daybreak tomorrow morning.” For a moment I thought he was going to invite me to go fishing with him. There was a time when my brothers got old enough to enjoy sleeping late more than fishing, that Daddy would take me with him on his Sunday morning fishing trips. We’d leave the house before dawn, come back a few hours later with a stringer full of fish, have fried fish and grits for breakfast. Instead, he said, “Your momma, bless her little heart, is gonna be up early fixing us breakfast and sandwiches to take along. You know, that woman works so hard I worry about her. I’d sure appreciate it if you could get up and give her a little help. Your momma would love it if you’d spend a little time with her.”
    He didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer, so I kept walking.
    In the kitchen, Momma was