The Black Jester (Episode One, Kings of New Orleans Series)

CHAPTER FOUR: PERCY

  “Dad, when are you going to stop doing this?”

  The blind man’s heart warms when he hears the familiar voice. He smiles broadly and reaches out his hand, happy to feel his son’s strong warm palm slide into his. He squeezes it and returns his son’s loving hug. He starts to stand from the crate he’s been sitting on, but his son places a hand on his shoulder.

  “Don’t get up, Dad,” he says as he seats himself on the crate beside his father.

  The blind man angles his body towards his son. “Now you know this is exactly where I need to be, son,” he says with a smile. “How else can I keep my ear to the ground?”

  “I know, Dad.”

  “How’s work in the hospital going?”

  “It’s fine, Dad. Actually, they want to promote me to Chief of Emergency Medicine.”

  “Well, it’s about time!”

  Doctor Percy laughs gently. “Yeah, it’s a great thing. But I don’t know, Dad. That might be more than I can handle right now.”

  “You can handle anything, son. Ain’t no one else ever been able to take on what you do.”

  “I don’t know about that,” he says humbly.

  “I do! I remember when you made it to medical school. You got that football scholarship and worked your way through college, then won that other scholarship to get you into medical school.” Mr. Percy laughs fondly. “My, my, sometimes I still can’t believe I got a Doctor for a son!”

  “I was fortunate, Pops,” Doctor Percy says, reminiscing about his family’s early struggles. His mother passed away when he was twelve from cancer, and a rare disease caused his father to go blind shortly after. As the oldest of five children, he felt obligated to provide for the family when his father’s disability prevented him from working, causing him to take to the streets to beg for money. It was always a struggle to put food on the table, and the college scholarships were a godsend. His ascent into the medical field enabled him to fully care for his father and siblings, although his father kept his job as a street beggar mostly because he actually liked running into different kinds of people each day. That, and to hear the whispering in the city about what’s been going on.

  “You doing okay, Dad? What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Mr. Percy’s proud smile fades, and his demeanor turns serious. He leans in towards his son to prevent potential eavesdroppers from hearing him. “There was a detective asking questions,” he begins.

  Dr. Percy looks at his father’s concerned expression, partially hidden by the opaque sunglasses. “When?”

  “Earlier this week. The bodies are piling up, and he wants to know who’s behind it.”

  Dr. Percy sighs. “I know, Dad. The bodies come to my hospital’s morgue. All of them.”

  “I just want you to be safe, son,” he says gently. “There’s a lot of bad people in this town. Please, just be careful.”

  “I’m always careful, Dad,” he reassures the worried old man. He picks up his father’s wrinkled hand covered in age spots and pats it. “It’s going to be all right. Just try to avoid talking to that detective. He’ll figure things out soon enough, but he needs to leave you alone in the process.”

  “He ain’t getting’ nothin’ outta me, son. Ain’t no way,” he says stubbornly.

  Dr. Percy chuckles. “That I can count on. Look, I’ve got to get back to work, or they’re going to wonder where their top doctor is!”

  “All right then, you go and work hard now!”

  The two exchange another warm hug. “You keep that cell phone on you, at all times, right, Dad?”

  “Of course, Son.”

  “All right. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll see you soon.”