by Emery, Lynn
“Don’t be no fool,” LaMar said. “You ain’t gonna win an argument with him.”
Sly-Man lowered the gun. “Sure, Pookie. We cool.”
LaMar crossed quickly to Simon, who was leaning against the car fender. “You gonna be okay, bro. Take it easy.”
*
“I haven’t talked to LaMar for two days. We won’t ever find out what really happened to PawPaw Vincent. I’ve gone about everything all wrong, Mama.” Rae’s mood was in contrast to the bright morning sunshine. “And I’m telling you, the dance hall won’t make it.”
“Rae, this is my money. I know what I’m doin’.” Aletha put both hands on her hips. “Now me, Neville and Andy want to see this dance hall open again.”
Aletha had come over for dinner while George attended a Masons meeting in town. They were in Rae’s kitchen, cleaning up. The argument that started over desert continued. Rae felt defeated. Tony Baranco was still delaying payment on the insurance policy and the bills were piling up fast. Her savings were dwindling.
“We’re gonna make it, baby. Long as we stick together. Now I paid your electric, gas and water bills for this month.” Aletha took the dish cloth from Rae’s hand and started wiping the kitchen cabinet top. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”
“Mama, you shouldn’t have done that. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.” Rae knew her voice sounded weak, but she did not have the energy to be angry.
“You’re goin’ to pay us back. I know you will. Nothin’ wrong with acceptin’ help.”
“I just don’t know anymore.” Rae sagged down onto a chair at the table. “By the time I’m through, we’ll all be broke.”
Aletha sat down beside her. “What’s really eatin’ at you is Simon St. Cyr. Call him.”
“No,” Rae blurted out.
“Pride won’t comfort you in the midnight hour, sugar.” Aletha’s dark brown eyebrows arched. “You love that man – don’t bother to deny it,” she said, cutting off any protest.
“Yes, but it’s not enough. You ought to know that.”
Aletha sighed. She glanced around at what used to be her kitchen years ago. “Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision. Not that I don’t love George. He’s been mighty good to me,” she added quickly. “A part of me never stopped lovin’ Lucien. Maybe he wouldn’t have let his health get so rundown if I had stayed. Took me bein’ gone for almost ten years to realize Lucien loved me. He woulda never left me for another woman.”
Rae took her mother’s hand. “But you couldn’t put up with his rages or the times he did more than flirt. There are things that just can’t be fixed between two people.” She thought of Simon talking to Toya; their heads close together.
“Maybe, maybe not…”
Rae shook her head to clear away any painful thoughts of Simon. “Anyway, looks like losing the dance hall won’t be my only failure. LaMar has just about given up on finding out what happened to Pawpaw Vincent.”
“I’m gonna tell you somethin’ I ain’t never told nobody, not even George.” Aletha’s voice dropped so that Rae leaned forward as a reflex action.
Rae had never seen such an expression in her light brown eyes. “Mama, what is it?”
“Lucien and me wasn’t gettin’ along good at all by the time you was a teenager. One night his Monmon was at the house. Humph, she was always at the house, seem like.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Monmon Marie didn’t help none. I think she wanted Lucien all to herself. One night Lucien came in with liquor on his breath. I was fussin’ an’ he just went on to bed without payin’ me no mind.”
“I remember how he could be once he’d been drinking.” Rae did not need to be told how Lucien thought of little but himself at those times.
“Me, I started talkin’ ‘bout how he was no good. His Monmon got furious. Monmon Marie flung it in my face that Lucien coulda done better than me. Said I was lucky to have him, so I should shut my mouth.” Aletha twisted the towel in her hands. “Then she said, ‘I took care of one that tried to hurt my children. I’ll do it again if need be.’”
“I don’t understand.”
“I thought about how Mr. Vincent just disappeared with not a bit of him left. Rae, if you coulda seen the look in her eyes when she said it. Right in this room,” Aletha said in a shaky voice. She looked around, as though afraid the old woman would appear, conjured up from the dead.
“My God!” Rae gasped, unable to believe what she’d just heard. “You can’t be serious?”
“More than once they say she threatened to kill Mr. Vincent and any woman she ever caught him with.” Aletha looked at her hands. “I could never work up the nerve to breathe this to another livin’ soul.”
“But that’s incredible. Monmon Marie was so quiet.” Rae felt her all ready upside-down world tilt even more.
“You went off to college and the next year I left.” Aletha smoothed out the dish cloth and began to fold it carefully on the table. “I knew Lucien would just go down, but I left anyway. Between his wild ways and Monmon Marie, it got so I hated bein’ in this house.”
“You can’t blame yourself for Daddy’s drinkin’. He was all ready out of control. We both know it. Even he knew it.” Rae put an arm around her mother’s shoulders.
“Monmon Marie fed that bitterness in him from the time he was a little boy, Rae. She poisoned him. But I was weak. By the time I met George, it was too late. We both had our own lives.”
“But if Monmon Marie killed them both… No, they were seen in New Orleans.” Rae felt a kind of giddy relief. “Mama, listen to me. They were seen after that night they disappeared. Monmon Marie had slapped Estelle once for running around with Pawpaw Vincent. That had to be all she meant.”
Aletha did not look satisfied with her explanation. “If you think so, but the way she said it…” She shivered as though a winter breeze had blown across her.
“LaMar investigated. We’ve gone over old newspaper articles and papers at least ten times.” Rae kissed Aletha on the cheek. “You’ve been worrying all these years for no reason.”
“But–”
“Daddy said he had only himself to blame for not living his life right.” Rae rested her head on Aletha’s shoulder. “He even said he was glad you were happy.”
“Oh, Lucien, even with all your faults you were one of a kind.” Aletha spoke in a soft voice. “A good man. And you got a good man in Simon.”
“Now let’s not go back to that.” Rae jumped up and started to put away dishes.
“Listen to me, Rae. Simon has a fine character. Everybody knows it.” Aletha snatched a plastic tumbler from her hands. “So do you.”
“Oh, sure. Fine character, moonlight and roses, soft music, great s–” Rae bit off her words and looked at her mother.
“Uh-huh. Good lovin’ is somethin’ every woman wants.” Aletha wore a knowing half-smile that made Rae squirm in embarrassment.
Rae got busy, wiping the counter, even though it was spotless. “It’s not enough, Mama. We’re from two different worlds. Besides, I wouldn’t want to spend years apologizing for who I am.”
“Didn’t seem like he was expectin’ you to. I saw the look in his eyes. He loves every bit of who you are, cher.” Aletha brushed back Rae’s hair.
“You didn’t hear him talking that last time we saw each other.” Rae took a long time to hang first the dish cloth and then the dish towel on the wire arm over the kitchen sink. “He’s listening to his family and the Joves these days.”
“You mean Toya, don’t ya? He didn’t look to be that kind when I met him.”
Rae turned around with an angry look. “Trust me, he is. You know how those uppity Creoles act.” She was working up a head of steam to stave off the return of aching loss.
“You tryin’ too hard to hate him, cher. But I’m not sayin’ anything else about it.” Aletha held up one hand.
“Good.”
“Not another word. No, ma’am.” Aletha smo
othed down the skirt of her sun dress.”
“Perfect.”
Aletha shrugged. “If you wanna live out here all alone, in pain for that handsome man – long empty nights without his arms to hold you – well, that’s your business.”
“Mama, let it go,” Rae said through clenched teeth. In truth, Aletha’s words exactly described how she’d been feeling, making her even more aggravated with her mother.
“I’m not sayin’ another word about it.” Aletha’s expression said the subject was far from closed.
Later, Tante Ina came by, and the women spent the evening listening to music and chattering away. Rae let them do most of the talking while she turned over all that her mother had said. She pushed thoughts of Simon out of her mind, or at least to a deeper part. I’ll be up all night if I get to remembering.
Rae decided to think about her future instead: how would she pay back her family? The thought of letting them down filled her with dread. All her energy had to center on making a go of the business now. No more chasing old ghosts or impossible relationships. Once again, she swore not to think of Simon or what might have been. It would never happen and she had to let it go.
Rae gazed out into the night. Now, if I can just shut off these memories.
*
“No, don’t tell her.” Simon’s jaw jutted out in a stubborn frown and he grimaced at the sharp pain that moving his arm caused.
“Be still,” the chief nurse cautioned. She lifted the bandage with care. A plastic tag on her blouse pocket said ‘Connie Rideau, RN.’ “It looks good.”
“Oh yeah, I love having a hole in my body,” Simon grumbled.
LaMar leaned against the white-painted wall of the hospital room, inside the small Lafayette General Hospital. It was where he’d brought Simon once they left Pookie to deal with Sly-man and the others.
“You’ll be just fine. No permanent damage, the doctor said, but it’ll be stiff for some months, even after the bandage comes off.” Nurse Connie gave him a crisp, professional smile. “Now I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Look, Rae is going to find out sooner or later. What about your family and your employees? You’ve got to explain being gone somehow.” LaMar picked up a piece of bacon left on Simon’s breakfast tray. “You gonna eat this?”
“No. And it wouldn’t be a problem if I don’t have to stay in here another night. I’ve all ready called Nola.”
“I suppose nobody is going to wonder why you’re all banged up and bandaged? You could have gotten yourself killed, you know.” LaMar sat down to munch off his plate. He sipped the coffee and frowned.
“Getting kicked around wasn’t in the plan,” Simon said, with more irritation for himself than anyone else. “After Toya made that little slip of the tongue, I started thinking. I figured I’d follow Marius and then let Sheriff Thibodeaux know what I found out.”
“Yeah, well, next time leave it to the professionals. Mmm, these eggs are not bad.” LaMar dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
“Point taken.” Simon moved his arm gingerly.
“But that was great work for an amateur. Not bad with your hands either.” LaMar winked at him.
“Sure, I had them shaking with terror.” Simon grinned at him.
“You left your mark on ‘em, sport. You done good. Thanks for saving my rear end, too.”
“Same to you. Lucky for me you’re such a good private eye.” Simon held out his hand and LaMar clasped it.
“I do my best.” LaMar went back to eating Simon’s breakfast. “Rae is going to be happy when she hears how you helped save the day.”
Simon’s smile vanished and his stubborn look came back. “I don’t want you to mention anything about me. Just tell her you followed Marius and got the goods on him. You would have without me, anyway.”
“You’re wrong to hide this from Rae. She cares about you a whole lot.”
“Really?” Simon glanced at him with a gleam in his eyes that quickly died. “I don’t want her back because she feels obligated. Besides, we said some pretty nasty things and… Look, just forget it.”
“You’re making a mistake, man. But it’s not my business to interfere. It’s forgotten.” LaMar waved a hand, as if to make the subject vanish.
Simon settled back against the pillow. “What happens now? I mean about the arson.”
“I’ve taken care of it. Sheriff Thibodeaux has the info he needs to arrest those two clowns. I told him where to find the evidence they planned to plant on Rae’s property.” LaMar grinned. “They are in deep doo-doo, to say the least.”
“And eager to spread some on Marius I’ll bet.”
“You know it. Things are about to heat up in Belle Rose.” LaMar took a swig of orange juice.
“That’s the truth.” Simon looked thoughtful. “A lot of people were willing to believe the worst about Rae. Now they’ll have to eat their words.” He took a deep breath.
He wanted to tell Rae how sorry he was for being such a judgmental snob. Maybe they would not be able to make a relationship work, but he at least owed her respect.
LaMar studied him in silence for several moments. “Well, I think Rae will understand. We all make mistakes. She said even she is a quick to fly off the handle and… What am I doing? I’m dipping in your business again.” The corner of his mouth lifted when he saw Simon’s faraway expression.
“People should at least tell her they’re sorry,” Simon mumbled to himself.
“Uh-huh.” LaMar smiled. “Things are going to pop in the old town more than you know.”
Simon blinked at him. “What does that mean?”
“The skeleton they found is from a very prominent person’s closet.” LaMar’s eyes shone brightly at the prospect of being at the center of action again.
“Say what?” Simon leaned forward without feeling the sharp jab that the movement caused.
“Those bones are fifty years old. I think we’ve found Vincent Dalcour. At least that’s what I told the sheriff.”
Simon let out a long, low whistle. “Damn! Does Rae know?”
“Not yet, but I need to tell her soon. You know how fast news travels around that parish, much less the town.”
“Now I know I’ve got to get out of here. She’ll need me.” Simon pressed the button to call a nurse. “That doctor has got to release me.” He pushed back the sheets and swung his legs down.
“Say man, Doc Vidrine should be here any minute. He’ll probably let you go. Just take it easy.” LaMar moved to the closet to get Simon’s clothes.
A pretty nurse with café au lait skin entered the room. “What you need now, cher?”
Simon wrestled with his pants. “To go home.”
Chapter 19
Rae stood inside the dance hall. Work was going well, she was receiving encouragement from her suppliers and even getting cards from customers expressing hope that Rockin’ Good Times would be back soon.
It was a gorgeous day. She and Andy were making plans to open in just a couple of weeks. Tony, her insurance agent, had even called to say her claim would go forward. Still, Rae did not feel the soaring joy that she should. It seemed a hollow victory, despite all the good news. With a sigh, she went out to sit on the porch.
Andrew gave a satisfied sigh as he sat down in the rocking chair next to her. “Looks like we’re right on schedule, darlin’. Things are movin’ along real fine.”
“Yeah.” Rae stared out at the bright green leaves waving in the warm air. She barely noticed the rainbow of colors of the wild flowers that normally brought her pleasure.
“And Jamal and Wes are going to be here to kick it off. That compact disc y’all put out is doin’ well. We can sell some of those.”
“Um-humm, you’re right,” Rae said in a listless voice.
“Lord, you look like you lost your best friend. Cheer up,” Andrew said and then grimaced. “Sorry. My mouth works faster than my brain sometimes.”
“Forget it. I’m just tired, that’s all. A lot has
happened in the last couple of weeks.” Rae gave a brief, half-hearted smile, which faded quickly.
“You could call him.” Andrew stopped writing and put his clipboard down on the small table between them.
“Not after the things I said. The worst part is he was right. I did plan to use him to get back at Toya.” Rae pressed her lips together. “It’s my fault.”
What she had not foreseen was the strong love that would grow with every hour she spent with Simon. That was her punishment then: to know the ecstasy of a love so true and potent, only to lose it because she could not let go of bitterness. A harsh sentence indeed, yet one she deserved. Rae thought she was following in Lucien’s footsteps when it came to destroying relationships.
Andrew rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I think you’re beatin’ yourself up too hard, cher.”
“I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life, Andy. This was just one more.” Rae’s voice trembled. “But you’re right. I shouldn’t sit around feeling sorry for myself. Come on, let’s get the bar set up.” She went back inside with a grim look.
“Nah, that can wait until later,” Andrew called after her. He grinned widely, adding, “Much later.”
“What? Get your butt in here, Andrew Vincent Dalcour! We’ve got a million things to do.” Rae stomped out onto the porch again with both hands on her hips. “If you think you’re going fishing today–” She came to a sudden halt at the sight of Simon standing in the sunshine.
He gazed at her with a mixture of caution and desire. “Hello.”
Rae could feel her heart speeding up. “Hello. How’ve you been?”
“Good.”
LaMar strolled up. “Except for that flesh wound from a gunshot. Oops, I wasn’t supposed to mention that.” He did not look the least bit sorry.
Rae noticed the white bandage wrapped around Simon’s upper left arm. “My God! You were shot? How? When?” She rushed down and gently put her arms around him.
“He was just solving the crime that someone tried to pin on you by tracking down the real arsonist. Right?” LaMar smiled in spite of the dark look Simon gave him.
“LaMar really did the hard work. I just sort of bumbled into things.” Simon shrugged and then grimaced at the movement.
