Eddy took his fingers off of the keyboard and lit another cigarette. A smattering of applause came from the sharecroppers and their women scattered among the tables at Red's, but mostly the room was filled with the buzz of conversation and the clatter of glasses and bottles. Eddy knew his piano was mainly background music on the nights when Son or Elmore or John Lee headed the bill. Tonight they were there for Bob...that is, if Bob ever got there. Eddy had seen Bob leave Red's in the late afternoon with Polly Cane and a jar of bathtub gin, and Eddy knew Bob would be drunk by now, and probably asleep in Polly's cabin. Eddy put down his smoke and took a deep drink of bourbon, then started the Beale Street Rag. A couple got up and moved around the dance floor, embracing tightly in the steamy room. Sweat dropped from Eddy's forehead and made little beads on the white keys, little beads that were smeared by his fingertips.

The couple on the dance floor suddenly stopped dancing and clapped their hands, the man calling out "Here we go! RL is in the place!" Eddy looked to his left, and saw Bob sliding up a three-legged stool, big grin on his face, his 'evil eye' glittering from the gin. "Evenin' Cotton," he said, and seated the six-string on his lap. Bob pulled a green section of bottle neck out of his coat pocket and slid it up the neck. The rest of the crowd looked up as Johnson began to work the guitar, but Bob kept his music understated, and when Eddy played a rhythm and nodded to Bob for the solo, Bob just shook his head and dropped into a staccato rhythm himself, saying "it your song, Eddy...you walk the dog." Eddy let the stride ride on top of Robert's rhythm, and felt the song take new life. Another guitar jumped into the mix, and Eddy winked at Johnny Shines as he took a seat next to Bob. Now the dance floor was crowded with gyrating figures as Eddy realized the pace of the song had sped up, mainly because Bob was pushing it along. He glanced at Robert, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if to say "wasn't me!"

Eddy took a seat at the table where Louise was sitting, and she immediately asked "so where the hell was Bob?" Eddy grinned and lied "I think he went fishing." Louise laughed bitterly and said "yeah! And I know which fishin hole, too. Was Polly Cane, huh? You know her husband said he'd kill Bob if he found out he was shackin up wit her. Why you let him do it?" Eddy looked at Bob and Johnny as they played Travelin Riverside Blues and said "me? I can't stop Bob from doing what he wants to do. Nobody can. You ought to know that by now, Louise." He glanced into her eyes, seeing if she got the message. "Every body tells Bob he's the best guitarman in the Delta," she said, " but he ain't got no real friends 'cept you and Johnny and that ol hound dog." Eddy smiled and put his hand on hers and said "and only one woman that really loves him, even if he can't see it." She took her hand away and slid a cigarette from his pack. He lit it for her and she said "you hear the news yet?" He shook his head. She breathed a long stream of smoke and said "they found the Greenville Sheriff dead. Somebody cut him up."