Chapter Sixteen: As the twanging sound of “How chould’ja?” trailed behind Miss Ida Mae, she stepped out the door, pushing her toward the Round House to visit Lester. She found the desk sergeant, but shame tightened her voice, strangling it into a whisper as she asked about him. When they brought Lester to her, his heart thumped like the bass beneath Earl Hooker’s moaning on the radio she had left behind at 2510. Between Lester’s resonant thumps, he squeezed out his bluesy phrasing, keeping it in time with Miss Ida Mae’s vibes.