Chapter 19 #3
“There are a million possible explanations as to what happened, none of them involving Buddy doing harm to Adele. I don’t believe we should speculate until we have the facts.
I think Mimi and Beau have accepted that they might never know what happened.
And I’d like to leave it at that until we know more—for their sakes. ”
“Of course,” Camille said, her head dipped low like a scolded child’s. Her demeanor made me want to apologize, but I couldn’t imagine what I needed to be sorry for. “Excuse me,” she said. “I’m going to go tidy up the kitchen.” She left the room before I could think of something to say.
Sarah’s phone rang with the theme song from Ghostbusters.
“It’s Mom,” she announced as she hit the red End Call button on her screen.
She waited a moment before receiving the ding of an incoming text.
After she read it, her fingers quickly tapped on the screen before she replaced the phone on her lap with a satisfied smile.
“There. All good. Mom wanted to know if I’d given Jolene’s mother the sweetgrass basket she sent as a hostess gift, and I told her I hadn’t delivered it yet because Jolene had stuff to do, so we were still in New Orleans—which is all true, so she won’t yell at me later for lying. ”
“Now, Sarah,” Jolene said, “either you or Nola has to tell Melanie what’s happened.”
“I will,” I said. “Promise. I’m just waiting for the right time.”
The doorbell rang before Jolene could say anything else. “That should be Cooper,” I said.
“I’ll get it!” Sarah announced.
“No, you won’t, missy,” Jolene said. “You stay right here and quit jostling your sister, you hear? I’ll be right back.”
Looking properly chastened, Sarah took a sip of her tomato soup. “Cooper is so hot,” she said. “And so is Beau. I don’t know how you’re going to choose.”
“Choose? There’s no choosing here. Cooper and I are just friends, and Beau is practically engaged. Besides, I’ve got enough going on in my life right now and don’t have time for a romantic relationship.”
“Right,” she said, looking so much like Jack after I’d told him I was going to bed early while planning to exit through my bedroom window.
She rolled her eyes. “And this house isn’t haunted.
” She snapped the rubber band on her wrist twice while looking over my shoulder and into the foyer, where the portrait of Mimi’s husband, Charles, hung on the wall.
“It seems to me that they both need reminders, even if you think that you don’t.
But I’m prepared, and so far they’re both nice.
As for your situation, I suggest you cut off all your hair and stop bathing to avoid trouble. And don’t brush your teeth for a week.”
“On what planet have you been living to think that’s a suitable solution for a woman who’s not interested in anything but her recovery and restoring old houses?”
Sarah thought for a moment. “Nothing I can quote exactly, but Mom and I watch a lot of the Housewives shows.” She peered out into the foyer again. “And who’s the woman hanging around Cooper?”
A sharp wave of goose bumps rippled across my skin. “The woman?”
“Yeah. The angry woman. She wants to tell him something. Should I ask her what it is?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know who it is, so I don’t think that’s a good idea. You shouldn’t be opening yourself up to just anybody.”
“I know. But, well, she’s with Cooper, so I thought it might be okay.”
“Beau saw her, too. He said she was angry, but I haven’t had a chance to ask Cooper about any dead woman who might be mad at him.”
Sarah frowned. “She’s not dead.”
I stared at my sister as goose bumps erupted over my scalp and down my legs. “What do you mean? If you and Beau are seeing her, doesn’t that mean…”
She shrugged. “I’m telling you all I know.”
The front door shut, and then Cooper, carrying a bouquet of red roses, entered the parlor with a blast of cold outside air.
Dark circles sat beneath his eyes, and he looked exhausted even though he was clean-shaven and wore a suit and tie in preparation for the meetings that would immediately follow his flight.
The new scratches the airbag had caused on his nose and forehead were scabbed over and, along with the old scar on his chin, made him look more like a prizefighter than like a businessman.
He placed the bouquet on the coffee table before leaning over to kiss my cheek.
As he straightened, I saw Sarah’s I told you so expression.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m okay. But you look exhausted. I hope you can sleep on the plane.”
“I’ll be fine. Seeing you smile will get me through the long flight.”
I ignored Sarah’s double thumbs-up behind Cooper.
Sensing movement, he turned, but his attention was grabbed by something he could see from the window.
From my perch on the sofa, I saw Mimi and her two grandchildren as well as the large, familiar figure of Uncle Bernie approaching the house from the front walk.
I studied their faces, vainly looking for any indication of the outcome of the meeting. “I hope this means that Adele can be at peace now.”
Sarah cleared her throat. “I don’t think so.” I followed her gaze to a set of wet footprints in front of the window facing Prytania, as if someone else was watching the small group’s approach.
“What do you think this means?” Cooper asked.
“Maybe Adele’s waiting until after her funeral,” I suggested, embarrassed by the way I ended the sentence with an inflection usually reserved for a question.
“No.” Sarah shook her head, her gaze fixed on the spot by the window. “Her words are…” She stopped, frowned.
“Garbled,” I finished, remembering the last time Adele had tried to communicate with Sarah. “Like she’s underwater.”
“No,” she said again. “I can hear her clearly now. Like…she’s now above water.” She closed her eyes and inclined her head as if in prayer. “She’s talking too fast and I can’t…” Sarah tilted her chin, her eyes still closed. “I can make out the name ‘Buddy.’ And…something else.”
Jolene, Cooper, and I held our collective breath, waiting for whatever came next.
Sarah’s eyes popped open, her head pivoting to look at me. “Danger. She’s saying we’re all in danger.”