Though This Be Madness

by Penny Richards

  The woman who came to the door was younger than Patricia but older than either of her daughters, a plump, pretty woman with a toddler on her hip. “May I help you?” she asked with a pleasant smile.

  Cade showed her his Pinkerton badge and introduced himself. “This is Miss Long, my associate. We understand that Henri Ducharme and your mother were married at one time. Is that right?”

  The woman couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes. “Yes, they were. Is he in some sort of trouble?”

  “Not at all,” Cade said, which was the truth at this point. “May we come in?” He softened the request with one of the rare smiles that was guaranteed to make the woman’s heart flutter.

  “Oh, of course.” She stepped aside for them to enter the small parlor.

  When they were seated and the baby was bouncing on her knee, Cade spun the lie. “We represent a client who has left Dr. Ducharme a fairly substantial sum of money.”

  The ends justify the means. Reminding herself of Allan Pinkerton’s favorite saying made the falsehood a little easier for Lilly.

  Corinne Chambers looked relieved.

  “You look as if you were expecting a problem of some sort,” Cade said.

  “Well, I was only twelve when he married Mama, but even to me, it seemed that wherever Henri went trouble followed.”

  “How so?”

  “He was a divorced man when he got engaged with my mother, and my aunt was very much against their marriage. She was afraid Mama’s reputation would be in ruins. Divorce was really frowned upon back then.”

  And still was, Lilly thought, recalling how difficult it had been to find an attorney who was willing to handle her divorce from Timothy.

  “Divorced? Really?” Cade was saying, playing his role to the hilt. “Do you know who the woman was?”

  “Everyone knew, because his wife’s family was none other than the high-falutin’ Roswells. Henri was married to the judge’s youngest daughter, Sophia.”

  Cade and Lilly exchanged a look of feigned surprise. It seemed as if they were about to get a few details on that first marriage.

  “What happened?”

  “Oh, she’d already had a previous relationship and a child by some misfit the judge didn’t think was good enough for his little girl. When he pitched a fit, she and her lover ran off. I’ve heard the judge spent two years looking for her. When he found her, he brought her back home and then sent her to the country.”

  “You remember a lot for a twelve-year-old,” Lilly commented, wondering if they were being led down a rabbit trail.

  “Oh, I picked up a lot of this through the years. It’s one of those stories people loved to talk about. Still do.”

  “What happened between Sophia and the man? Did they divorce?”

  Corinne bounced the baby on her knee. “I’m not sure they ever married.”

  “Does anyone know how she met Henri?” Cade asked.

  “Well, the story is that Sophia was in the country when she went into labor, and Henri was the closest doctor. He delivered the child, a boy, and over the course of a few months the two fell in love. They married, but the judge didn’t like Henri any more than he did the first guy.” She glanced from Cade to Lilly and gave a disdainful sniff. “You know how rich people are. If someone isn’t from their world, they always suspect they’re after their money.”

  Which was too often true, Lilly thought, as their current investigation proved.

  Cade nodded in understanding. “So they divorced and he later married your mother.”

  “Yes, rumor has it that the judge paid Henri a huge sum of money if he’d take Sophia’s bastard baby and get out of her life for good.”

  “Are you saying that when he married your mother, he brought Sophia’s illegitimate son to the marriage?” Lilly asked, appalled by the notion, and hoping she’d misunderstood. What kind of woman would allow her father to talk her into giving up her child? A cold dose of common sense told her that in all likelihood, Sophia had had little say in the matter, since the Roswell family name was at stake.

  “That’s my understanding, but my sister and I never saw him. Henri must have left him in the care of a relative or someone.”

  Interesting.

  “And you haven’t seen Ducharme since your mother’s death?” Cade stated.

  “No, my sister, Delia, and I went to live with our aunt.”

  “Do you think she would have any idea about Henri’s whereabouts?” Lilly asked, casting a look at Cade.

  “Oh, no. We lost track of him long ago.”

  Corinne seemed to be answering honestly, but it never hurt to press a little. “Do you have any idea who else might know something about where we might find him?”

  “Well, they probably won’t be happy about dragging up the past, but I’m sure the Roswells can tell you a lot more than I know.”

  * * *

  “What do you think?” Cade asked Lilly as he helped her into the buggy.

  “I didn’t get the feeling she was hiding anything, did you?”

  “No, in fact, she seemed pretty adamant that Delia knew nothing. Do you think she’s keeping her relationship with Henri a secret from Corinne?”

  “Nothing would surprise me at this point.” Lilly gave a shake of her head. “My brain is spinning just trying to keep all those relationships and marriages straight.

  Cade laughed, one of the few genuine expressions of emotion she’d seen from him.

  “Maybe we should write it down when we get home.”

  “Maybe we should,” she agreed.

  * * *

  The Roswell mansion was located east of town. There were no similarities between it and the small, cozy home of Corinne Chambers. The huge three-story structure was a perfect example of Queen Anne architecture.

  “What if the judge is in court?”

  “I’m sure he’s retired by now,” Cade said. “All this happened a long time ago.”

  “You’re right.”

  A black-frocked maid greeted them. Cade told her they were making inquiries about his former son-in-law, and after checking with the master of the house, she bade them come inside. She led the way to the library, where an unsmiling gray-haired man with a tidy beard and wire spectacles sat behind a desk, working over some sort of ledger. He stood when his guests entered the room.

  “Come in,” he said, coming around the desk to shake hands. “I’m Ethan Roswell.”

  “Andrew Cadence McShane, Pinkerton National Detective Agency.” He gestured toward Lilly. “My colleague, Miss Long.”

  With the social niceties satisfied, the judge invited them to have a seat on the camelback sofa while he settled in a large paisley wingback chair. He ordered coffee brought, and after the maid left the room, he said, “I confess that I’ve been in the business of law for many years, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a visit from the Pinkertons or worked with them in any way.”

  “We promise not to take up too much of your time,” Cade said.

  Their host drummed his fingertips on the arm of his chair, and his face wore an amused expression. “Why is it that I feel you’re here about Dr. Henri Ducharme?”

  Wanting to find out everything they could about Henri’s past, Cade and Lilly chose a different tack with the judge than they had with Corinne Chambers. Truth all the way.

  “We are. Would you like to explain things to the judge, Miss Long?”

  She was a little taken aback by the unexpected move, but quickly donned a professional persona and launched into all the happenings leading to Patricia’s confinement in the asylum, as well as what had transpired since they’d been at the Fontenot home.

  After contemplating what he’d just heard, Roswell said, “It doesn’t sound as if he’s changed much.”

  “Do you mind elaborating, sir?” Lilly asked.

  “Well, it’s been my experience that his kind never vary too much from their basic strategy. Meet a woman with money, woo her, marry her, and then get all he can get.”
/>   Though Lilly was not, and never would be, wealthy, that is exactly what Timothy had done to her. Taken every last dime of her savings.

  “So this sounds like something he’d do?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Do you think he’s capable of worse?”

  Roswell’s smile was without doubt jaded. “If you’re asking in a roundabout way if I think he would have his wife declared mentally incompetent to get his hands on the Fontenot money, I’d say yes. He’s just the type. Everyone thinks I’m paranoid, but I have a fair amount of experience with this sort of thing, and I can spot his kind a mile away.”

  “Are you referring to Sophia’s first husband?” Cade stated.

  “Gregory?” Frowning, Roswell nodded. “There was nothing smooth or polished about him, but he had a charismatic personality and was exceptionally good-looking. I think it was that rough-around-the-edges quality that intrigued Sophia. He was so different from the young men in our social circle. Of course I recognized him for what he was the first time I set eyes on him, so I made the fatal mistake that many parents make: I forbade her to see him, and she repaid me by running away with him.”

  Cade leaned forward. “You eventually found them.”

  “I did, but only two years later, after Sophia contacted me.” He offered them a weary smile. “I didn’t use the Pinkertons, you see.”

  The maid brought in a sterling silver coffee tray. Roswell excused her and asked if Lilly minded pouring. For the next few moments they busied themselves with pouring the steaming brew and selecting cookies from an enticing array.

  “So she contacted you?” Cade said, in an attempt to get the conversation back on track.

  “Yes, she sent me a telegram telling me where she was. I believe she was tired of living hand to mouth and wanted to come home. Of course, Gregory wanted that, too. I believe he thought I’d be so happy to have my daughter back that I would accept him as one of the family with open arms.”

  “I wonder why he hadn’t already married her?” Lilly asked.

  Roswell shrugged. “I assume he thought there was no reason to since she was cut off from her family and the money, but when she tried to make amends with us, he changed his tune.”

  “Did they ever marry?”

  “No, I wouldn’t stand for it, even though she was expecting his child by then.”

  “That’s a very unusual position for a father to take,” Cade said. “Most fathers would be happy for a proposal.”

  “Not this father. I learned a long time ago that two wrongs never make a right, Detective. And during the time they were gone, I’d found out he had a little sideline. Forgery.”

  Cade and Lilly exchanged surprised looks. This case got stranger and stranger.

  “I told him I knew all about it and if he didn’t go somewhere far, far away, I’d have him thrown into jail for rape and kidnapping. He tried to hold out for money, but I told him it was a train ticket to Boston or jail. He took the ticket.”

  “Have you ever heard from him?” Cade asked.

  “I like to stay on top of things, Agent McShane, so I’ve made it a point to keep tabs on him. A few years ago, he was picked up for forging some bearer bonds and sent to the state penitentiary. He died there a month or so ago.”

  “And after he left, you sent Sophia to the country until the gossip died down.”

  “And she met Henri there, and they married,” their host said, nodding.

  Lilly’s head was whirling. “Do you mind my asking how you managed to get rid of Henri?”

  His smile was rueful. “There are several advantages to having money, Miss Long. It really wasn’t that hard. I simply asked him how much it would take to get him out of my daughter’s life. He was a little smarter than Gregory, and to my knowledge he hadn’t committed any crime against Sophia, so I had to count on his greed.

  “He turned down my first offer, so I sweetened the pot. I offered him a large sum of money to sign the divorce papers and told him that if he’d take Gregory Easterling’s son when he went, I’d make a deposit into an account for him every month.” Once again, Roswell’s lips curved upward into a bitter smile. “He couldn’t sign fast enough.”

  Lilly felt her world shift and several of the missing puzzle pieces slipped into place. As Pierce always said: There was no such thing as coincidence.

  “Easterling?” Lilly and Cade repeated in almost perfect synchronization.

  “Yes, Gregory Easterling. The child’s name was Preston.”

  * * *

  Though they could hardly wait to get away and talk over what they’d learned, Lilly and Cade finished their coffee, thanked Roswell for the information, and told him they needed to get back so they wouldn’t miss the evening train to New Orleans.

  They didn’t speak until they were in the buggy and rolling down the road. Cade turned to her and said, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “I don’t know. I’m thinking that Henri and Preston are in on it together.”

  “Exactly. I’ll even go so far as to speculate that Preston inherited his father’s skill with a pen and learned his trade.”

  “Oh! I hadn’t made that connection,” Lilly said. “But now that you have, I’ll go out on a limb and say that Henri’s medical degree from Ohio came from the Easterling School of Forgery.”

  Cade actually laughed. “My thoughts exactly.”

  They rode in silence for several minutes while they each tried to absorb the flood of information they’d received from Corinne and the judge.

  Lilly was first to break the silence. “Do you think Henri means to get rid of Patricia somehow? Permanently?”

  Cade glanced over at her. “I do, but he’s smart enough to know that it can’t be too soon. With everything that’s happened to the family, he has to be very careful or the whole setup will look fishy to the authorities.”

  “Good heavens!” Lilly said as a new and terrifying thought leaped into her mind.

  “What?”

  She looked at him with horrified eyes. “Do you think Henri and Preston had anything to do with Suzannah’s death?”

  He didn’t reply for long seconds. Finally, he said, “After what we’ve heard this afternoon, I wouldn’t put anything past either of them.”

  Silence reigned once more.

  “The Fontenot family has amassed a lot of money and property through the years,” he said at last. “It’s pretty much a given that Henri married Patricia to get his hands on her money, and I’ll give you two-to-one odds that Preston married Cassandra for the same reason.”

  “No bet.”

  They were almost at the train station when Lilly’s fertile imagination came up with yet another possibility. There was a bleak expression in her eyes when she said, “Cade, I’ve been thinking about how Mrs. Fontenot’s illness comes and goes, and how distrustful Lamartine is of the doctor and his remedies. You don’t think he’s been giving her something harmful, do you?”

  “Harmful? Like poison?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

  “Holy mother of pearl!” he said, using Robbie’s favorite phrase. His blue eyes were filled with a sudden revelation of horror. “I think they mean to get rid of all the Fontenot women. Every single one of them.”

  * * *

  Dusk was creeping through the trees and melding with the shadows when the hired hack dropped off Lilly and Cade at the house on Rampart Street. Since Henri had no idea that they were on to him, they doubted that he would make any overt moves, but they wanted to confront him before he had a chance to do anything else to the women.

  When Amos and Bernard saw them dressed in their fancier clothes, they looked surprised but didn’t say anything.

  “Is Henri here?” Cade asked, his intensity unmistakable.

  Amos looked from one of them to the other. “Yes.”

  “Where’s Robbie?” Lilly asked Bernard.

  “He went to sit with Mrs. Fontenot a bit.”

  “What’s the mat
ter, Bran?” Amos asked, confused and troubled by this new and very different side of his friend.

  “We think the doctor plans to harm Mrs. Fontenot,” Cade said. He took Lilly’s arm and started for the house, not waiting to see Amos’s reaction.

  They entered the kitchen door and found Lamartine in the wide foyer, listening at the door. Like Amos, she looked surprised to see how Cade and Lilly were dressed. Henri was talking to someone, and if the tone of his voice was any indication, he was not happy.

  Putting a finger to his lips, Cade guided the cook back to the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

  Lamartine wrung her hands. “Dr. Ducharme came in and started in on Mrs. Fontenot.” She gestured toward the stove, where the pots still sat, filled with food. “They haven’t even had supper yet.”

  “What’s he so angry about?” Lilly asked.

  “I’ve just been hearing bits and pieces, so I’m not sure. All I know is that something happened at the asylum yesterday and he is not happy about it.”

  Cade and Lilly knew exactly what had happened. Henri had found out about the visiting alienist he was supposed to have sent.

  “Stay here,” Cade said, giving Lamartine a comforting pat on the shoulder. Taking Lilly’s elbow, he started toward the swinging door to the dining room.

  “You aren’t going to go in there, are you?”

  “We have to,” Lilly said.

  “This isn’t any of our business, Brona. You’ll be fired for sure.”

  Lilly just smiled. The pocket doors leading to the parlor were open, enabling them to see what was happening. Mrs. Fontenot was seated on one of the small settees, Lucifer curled in her lap. Robbie sat beside her, a belligerent expression on his face, and wonder of wonders, he was stroking the ferocious feline. Henri stood a few feet away, glaring at them as he threw curses and accusations their way.

  Together, Lilly and Cade made their way around the large dining room table toward the confrontation. Henri noticed them before they got to the doorway. It was impossible for him to hide his surprise, not only at their mode of dress, but their audacity in daring to interrupt.