* * *Big Jim Perkins was hosing suds off the Suzy Q's foredeck and listening to slack-key guitar buzzing from the ruptured speaker of his radio when he saw Neal on the harbor walkway. "Eyyy brah!" he yelled out. "Ain't seen your ass in a while."
"Over two weeks," Neal said. "How'd we survive?"
Perkins hung the hose over the bow rail. "Turn off the water for me and...come aboard."
Neal cranked the faucet closed. A long step took him from the walkway to the stern of the Suzy Q. "So, howzit yourself, Large James?"
Perkins wiped his hands on his tattered cut-offs and turned down the radio. "It is okay." He scratched at the mat of hair on his chest. "Where's the chick? My main woman?"
"The chick has split."
Perkins stopped scratching. "Split?" His furry shoulders sagged. "When
