Chapter 16 #2
Cooper approached with an outstretched hand.
“Good to see you again, Mr. Kobylt.” They’d met when my family had come down to visit for fall break, and I mentally gave Cooper ten extra bonus points for not only remembering Thibaut’s last name but also for knowing that my contractor deserved the show of respect of adding “Mr.” to his name.
“Likewise.” Thibaut reached out for Cooper’s hand, and I might have winced when I saw them shake.
Cooper grimaced as Thibaut squeezed his hand, but he was stoic and didn’t pull away.
“Nola keeps telling me that you’re the best contractor in New Orleans.
I figure you’d have to be for her to allow you within a mile of her house with a hammer or saw.
Glad to have you on board, working on my house. ”
“It’s not yours yet,” Thibaut said as he continued squeezing Cooper’s hand.
“No, sir. Not yet.”
“Thibaut,” I said, looking down at their hands; I could see the tips of Cooper’s fingers turning a pale pink from lack of blood flow. “I don’t…”
Ignoring me, Thibaut said, “I need you to understand something, young man, so listen up. You hurt Miss Nola, you answer to me. I’ve already been to prison, and I ain’t afraid of going back.
And I know about swamps ’round here where they ain’t never going to find what’s left of your body once I get through with you. ”
Thibaut dropped Cooper’s hand and I silently applauded Cooper’s stoicism, but I did see him flex his fingers to restore blood flow and movement.
“Yes, sir. You’d have to wait in line behind Jack Trenholm, though.
He gets first dibs on anyone who hurts his daughter.
He throws around the words ‘castration’ and ‘disembowelment’ whenever he can, so I’m well aware of the consequences.
” His face became serious. “But I promise you that I have no intentions of ever hurting her again.”
Thibaut’s brow creased up to the crown of his bald head.
I moved to stand between them. “That was a long time ago—when I was in high school. We were both young and stupid. Water under the bridge. We’re just good friends now.”
“Hmm.” Thibaut considered Cooper with narrowed eyes. “Nola tells me you’re interested in buying this house. You have a degree in historic preservation or something similar?”
“No, sir. Not even close.”
“Good. We got enough of them types swarming around Nola’s house already.” He gave me a wink that, coupled with his bald head and tattoos, made him look more than a little bit like a pirate.
“I’d rather rely on professionals,” Cooper said, still flexing his fingers.
“If I need brain surgery, I’ll ask a brain surgeon instead of trying to do it myself.
Same with restoring an old house. I’d prefer to trust an experienced contractor to do the job.
I don’t think rewiring an entire house should be left to anyone else. ”
Thibaut clapped Cooper on the back, making the younger man jerk forward, but he held his ground. “I think we’ll get along just fine. And just call me Thibaut. No need for ‘Mr.’ Any friend of Nola’s is a friend of mine.”
“Good to know,” Cooper said, looking relieved.
“So, what have you found?” I asked, resisting the impulse to cross my fingers behind my back.
“Knob and tube wiring, which we expected, and which is fixable. Also lead pipes in the plumbing, which will need to be replaced. But no mold and no asbestos—which already puts us way ahead of your house.” He gave a little chuckle but quickly sobered when he noticed I wasn’t laughing.
Cooper nodded. “So basically a straightforward renovation involving updates for current living and maybe a little reconfiguring of the floor plan.” At my pointed look, he added, “With a sensitivity to the historical character of the house.”
“Yes, sir. And hold your hands over your ears while I say this, Miss Nola, but there’s an old house on Moss Street that’s been condemned for multiple code violations, and they’re getting ready to tear it down.”
“Couldn’t they save it?” Cooper asked.
“Nope. It’s not located within a local historic district and it’s not a local landmark, so they didn’t need to get demolition approval from the Historic District Landmarks Commission.
It’s a darned shame. As soon as they announced the scheduled demolition, scavengers with crowbars began circling it for the transoms, millwork, cypress built-ins, and iron fireplace grates.
I’d rather see those things reused in other buildings than in a dumpster—that’s for sure.
But it’ll be like clowns at a wig sale, so I’m gonna head over there as soon as we’re done here.
I’ll admit to having jimmied a door to get a better look inside, and there are some beautiful crystal doorknobs and porcelain sinks that you might want for this house or Nola’s. ”
“Thanks,” I said. “But I’m glad you didn’t get arrested for trespassing.”
“Like the New Orleans police don’t have anything better to do than stopping a person from salvaging what’s left of a condemned property. If you ask my opinion, I think they should be holding open the door and helping carry stuff out.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. Just be careful. I have no idea what I’d do without you.”
His smile softened his harsh features, allowing me to see his inner teddy bear. “Don’t worry. I’m careful. I’ve got eyes in the back of my head. It’s one of the many things I learned while in prison, along with carpentry and electrical systems.”
“Good to know.”
We said our good-byes, and then Cooper and I made our way downstairs, pausing in the bedroom, where the door to the armoire remained open. “Hang on,” I said, going to close it.
The little mirrored door inside, where I’d found the creepy doll, was closed, the key protruding from the keyhole.
I considered just closing the main door and walking away, but I was too much like my father to leave a potential clue to a mystery unexamined.
I turned the key, then took a deep breath before tugging the door open.
I screamed as a hand touched my shoulder.
“Sorry—I didn’t mean to startle you.” Cooper’s expression was apologetic, but it still took me a few moments to find my breath to speak.
“That’s all right. It’s just that I was half expecting to find that doll in here. It keeps…appearing where it’s not supposed to be.”
His brows rose. “Interesting” was all he said, which made me like him even more. He peered around me into the armoire. “Empty,” he said. “Except for the perfume smell.” He indicated the stoppered bottle on the bottom shelf. “Did you want to leave that in here?”
“Yes. Leaving it gives me one less inanimate object to worry about.”
“Got it.” He closed the small door and turned the key, then closed and latched the main door. “Do you have time to walk through the rest of the house with me?”
I checked my watch. “We have two hours before Sunny’s plane lands, and it’s only about thirty minutes to the airport, so we’re good.”
“And it’s a small house,” Cooper said as he gently placed his hand on my lower back to guide me out of the room.
After a quick tour, during which we paused in the kitchen to determine which of the vintage appliances still worked, we exited the house and stopped again on the neutral ground to view the house.
I turned to Cooper, trying not to notice the scar on his chin. “So, what do you think? Of course you’ll want to have your own inspection before you sign anything, but I believe you’re aware of most of the kinks.”
“And the things that go bump in the night.”
“Those, too.” I bit my lip. “Remember, you don’t have to do anything right away. Most people would want to wait until the reno is complete, because there’s no real way of knowing right now what sort of unforeseen costs might still be hidden.”
He nodded, his gaze focused on the house. “I’m well aware.” He was silent a moment before turning to me. “Maybe you’ll understand this better than most, but when I first saw this house, I had the strangest feeling that it had picked me, you know?”
A spark of mutual understanding arced between us as our eyes met. “I know exactly. Come termites or failing roofs, we’re in it for the long haul. I think it’s like finding the person who’s the right fit, where you can imagine spending your entire lives together.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Exactly.”
I leaned forward and kissed him gently on the mouth, then immediately pulled back, watching him.
I had once loved Cooper with my whole young heart.
My feelings had softened over the years, leaving me with a deep affection for him that could possibly turn into something more.
Someday. I couldn’t deny that there were sparks—remembered or new—regardless of whether I wanted there to be.
I only hoped that Cooper wasn’t a mental self-defense to distract me from my unreconciled feelings for Beau.
Because that was a truly horrifying thought.
Cooper leaned down and cupped my head in his hands, bringing me closer for a deeper kiss. I had just closed my eyes when a car drove past and someone shouted from its open window, “Get a room!”
Embarrassed, I stepped back. “We should get going,” I said, taking hold of Cooper’s arm and heading toward the car.
He held the driver’s door open for me. I shook my head. “No. Not on the interstate. I’m not ready.”
“Yes, you are. You’ve got lots of experience driving around town.
You know all the rules. It’s just a matter of building up your confidence.
Think of all the things you’ve accomplished, Nola.
By the sheer force of your will. Like getting sober.
Nobody did that but you. And I imagine that was a whole lot harder than driving is. And I’m here—right next to you.”
“Yeah. And I saw you clutching the door handle, too.”
“Sorry. I won’t do that again. I think your nervousness fed my own and vice versa, so that you became even more nervous.”
“But it’s your new car—”
“With every safety feature available today. You’re safer in my car than in just about any other car around.”
“Except for Bubba.”
He considered that for a moment before nodding. “Except for Bubba. But that’s only because he’s a nearly swimming pool–sized block of steel. Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of cars like that still on the road today. Imagine the damage.”
“I don’t have to imagine. I’ve seen what Jolene can do to a mailbox.”
I slid behind the steering wheel. Cooper closed the door and walked around to the passenger side while I buckled up and readjusted my seat and side mirrors a couple of times, then experimented with the lumbar support and heated-seat settings just to be sure they hadn’t changed.
I was more nervous about driving on the interstate than I wanted to admit.
I waited until Cooper was buckled up before pressing the ignition button.
I remembered to turn on my blinker to alert oncoming traffic that I was pulling out, then looked up to double-check the rearview mirror.
For the second time that morning, I screamed.
The familiar blank stare of the antique doll met my gaze. Cooper reached behind and snatched it from the backseat, the movement making it say “Mama.” He held it away from him. “I think that sound might be even more terrifying than finding it in my backseat. Behind locked doors.”
“Are you sure they were locked?” I asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately, yes. I heard the beep after I hit the button on the key fob. If a door had been opened without the key, it would have set off the alarm and we would have heard it.”
I sighed. “You couldn’t have lied to me just this once, huh? Because I’d be happy thinking some sick individual had placed the doll in your backseat—or even Beau, for reasons I can’t fathom. Anything except…what it is.”
Cooper tucked the doll beneath his seat, being careful not to tip it forward, so that it remained silent. “I would never lie to you, Nola.”
I almost asked him then about the woman, and about the scar on his chin. I knew from his reaction when I’d first asked about the scar that the two things were related. But I needed to focus on driving, so now wasn’t the time. But later. Definitely later.
“What do you think it means?” he asked. “Does Beau have any ideas?”
“No. We keep attempting to give it to Mimi for a value appraisal and so she can use her psychometry on it. But it keeps…escaping.”
Cooper nodded slowly. “I’m wondering…is there any rhyme or reason to its appearances?”
I thought for a moment, trying to recall the many—too many—appearances of the doll. “Not that I can tell. It seems like it just wants me to see it. And Beau, too. We seem to be only a few of a handful of people lucky enough to be graced by its presence.”
“Interesting.” He programmed his GPS app so that it displayed directions to the airport on the screen in front of me. “You ready?”
I nodded. Then, after checking all my mirrors twice, I pulled out onto the road and headed toward the interstate.