Chapter 14 #2
Mimi had picked up the newspaper, her eyes drawn to the photographs of the building and the rings.
Her hands shook and a mewling sound, like that of a wounded kitten, came from deep in her chest; it was a sound I’d never heard before and didn’t want to hear ever again.
Her knees wobbled, but Christopher held her steady while I set a chair behind her.
She sat down and, the paper held tightly against her chest, began to rock back and forth, keening softly.
I wanted to tell her that she could scream.
That for this it was more than okay to scream until there was nothing left.
“I’ll get her some water,” I said, turning to go.
Camille held me back, her expression one of alarm. “What’s happened?”
“I think they’ve found Adele. The remains are skeletonized, but they’re wearing Adele’s wedding rings.”
She jerked back as if I’d slapped her. “But it might not be her, right? I mean, they’ll need to check the dental records to be sure, won’t they?”
Camille’s face had gone red, and tears began to pool in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. I touched her arm for reassurance. “Of course. There’s still a chance it’s not her.”
She nodded, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her eyes. “I think I’ve begun to accept that she’s no longer alive. But to have proof…” She shook her head, then moved to kneel next to Mimi and put her arms around her.
Feeling redundant, I turned to Christopher.
“I’ll call Beau and tell him to get here as soon as he can.
” Then I headed toward the kitchen to get a glass of water, pausing in the hallway to pull out my phone.
I hit Beau’s number and let it ring eight times before dialing again, telling myself that he and Sam were busy eating grillades and grits and not doing anything else that would prevent him from picking up his phone.
Giving up after the second try, I sent him a text, using all caps like Melanie, but I was doing it on purpose.
URGENT. MIMI NEEDS YOU.
I stared at my screen for a full minute, waiting to see the dots in a bubble indicating that Beau was texting me back. When the screen remained blank, I shoved my phone back in my pocket, then pushed open the kitchen door.
A large covered pot on the stove frothed under its lid and bubbled over.
I reduced the flame, then reached toward the cabinet where I knew the glasses were kept.
A muffled sob from behind me spun me around.
Trevor stood by the refrigerator, his arms hugging his middle as he struggled to hold back tears.
I went to him and put my hands on his shoulders. “Trevor? What’s wrong?”
“Beau’s mama. She’s dead, ain’t she?”
I dropped to my knees. My heart hurt at this street-smart kid crying over someone else’s pain. I nodded. “I think we’ve known it for a while, but now we might have proof.”
He looked away to wipe at his face with the heels of his hands, then turned back to me. “My granddaddy and uncle ain’t never been found, neither. Or they be buried but nobody knows who they are. They be gone, but Meemaw likes to pretend they comin’ home soon.”
His body was stiff as I put my arms around him.
I held on until I felt the shift in his spine, and his arms came around me as his head lowered onto my shoulders and he began to sob out loud.
The waves of hurt and destruction from Hurricane Katrina continued to be as real and solid throughout the city as if it had happened yesterday, affecting even those who hadn’t yet been born when the storm decimated the city.
Despite all the strides in the redevelopment and rebuilding of New Orleans that had transpired over the last two decades, shadows of loss haunted the streets and people. Katrina was a wound that refused to heal long after the levees were rebuilt and the last victim was claimed.
I waited until Trevor’s sobs subsided and he pulled back before I stood, being careful to ignore his reddened eyes and the wet spot on my shoulder.
“You gonna call Sunny now? Beau and Miss Mimi gonna need her back.”
Yet again, I was amazed at the astuteness of this twelve-year-old.
I wasn’t sure that even my brother, JJ, who was the same age, would have thought the same thing.
“Yeah, that’s my next phone call.” I moved to the sink, where I soaked a paper towel in cool water, then filled a glass from the bottled-water dispenser.
No one drank New Orleans tap water, even in times of distress.
“Here,” I said, handing them both to Trevor. “Wipe your face, and then go give this glass to Miss Mimi, all right?”
He nodded. “Do I have to talk to Henry?”
“No. Are you mad because he wouldn’t let you play video games?”
“And because he lies.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah? Like, about what?”
He shrugged. “Stuff at the shop. Like, I’ll put something in the stockroom, and when Christopher can’t find it Henry blames me because he’s moved it.”
“I’m sorry. Would you like me to talk to Christopher about it?”
He thought for a moment and looked up at the corner of the room before shaking his head. “No. Christopher says that I need to learn how to fight my own battles. So I’ll do it. Just gotta make sure Henry isn’t listening.” He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “He likes to spy on people.”
“That’s not good. Let me know if you need an adult to step in.”
After a brief hesitation, he nodded, then left the kitchen, headed for the study.
I pulled out my phone again and opened the contacts app.
I had yet to permanently delete Michael Hebert’s contact info, although I’d blocked his number more than once.
We had had the opportunity to talk amicably at his parents’ beach house in Mississippi the previous month, but that had been before I’d discovered the truth about his family’s involvement in Sunny’s kidnapping.
We hadn’t spoken since he and Felicity/Sunny had escaped to New York City, where Felicity had been living before she’d discovered her true identity.
My thumb remained poised over his number while I gathered courage; then I quickly tapped on it before I could talk myself out of it. He answered in the middle of the second ring.
“Nola.”
“Hello, Michael.” I waited for him to say something. When he didn’t, I said, “I need to speak with Sunny.”
“She still goes by Felicity. And why do you need to speak with her?”
I decided that being direct would be the most efficient way to get what I needed. “Because we’re pretty sure her mother’s body has been found. I don’t know any of the details yet, but I know there will be a funeral after the coroner releases the remains. Beau and Mimi need her here.”
There was a pause, and then: “Hold on. Let me get her.”
I heard muffled voices in the background, and then a female voice came on the phone.
“This is Felicity Hebert,” she said, her voice almost confrontational.
Not that I blamed her. She’d been lied to her entire life and probably wasn’t sure whom she should be angry with.
She might even blame me for my role in her adoptive father’s incarceration and the family’s turmoil and stress over his upcoming trial for kidnapping and related charges.
“Hello, Felicity. This is Nola Trenholm. We didn’t get a chance to speak when you were here—”
“I know who you are. Please tell Mimi that I will be there as soon as I can. Can I send you my flight details? I don’t want to burden Mimi right now.”
“Of course. I’ll even pick you up at the airport.” I didn’t consider how I didn’t have a car until the words were already said. Maybe Jolene could drive. Or Cooper. I’d think about it later.
“Thank you. I’ll have Michael give me your number so it’s on my phone.”
“Okay. And please give me yours—” I stopped because she’d already disconnected the call.
I texted Christopher to let him know that Felicity would be coming and I’d keep him posted, and then I headed to the front door to call an Uber.
After ordering my ride, I followed the sounds of the video game and the regular outbursts from Henry, who was still sitting on top of the coffee table.
I was debating whether I should let him know about the drama unfolding in the library when I caught sight of a reflection on the floor next to the Aubusson rug in the parlor.
It was a small puddle of water in the perfect shape of a woman’s footprint and it faced into the room.
I looked down to see a trail of fading footprints leading from the hallway where I’d just been and stopping in the threshold of the room where Henry was oblivious to everything except his game.
Even to the scrutiny of a curious ghost.
Adele was still here. I could feel her right here in the foyer, where the temperature had suddenly plummeted. I watched as Henry shivered, his only motion beside his frenetic movements on the game controller.
If only I could speak with Adele, I’d get the answers now.
But I wasn’t the one with the gift. I could ask, but I wouldn’t be able to hear her answers.
But Beau could. When Beau had asked Madame Zoe if she could ask his mother where Buddy was, the fortune teller had told him no, but that Beau could.
I didn’t know if he had, but I doubted it.
I tiptoed across the foyer, remembering something else that Madame Zoe had said.
Something about how Beau needed to find his father before others, who intended Buddy harm, did.
I clenched my eyes, feeling exhaustion in every limb.
I was way too tired to consider the implications of what Zoe might have meant. I’d think about that later.
I quietly let myself out of the house, then headed toward the gate to wait for my ride. I held on to the iron hourglass as I shut the gate softly behind me.