Blue Moon

by C. D. Ledbetter

  She wondered what bedroom DeeDee would choose, and her lips curved into a smile. Certainly not the master bedroom! None of the black fabric had been removed, and she was sure DeeDee wouldn't sleep in a bed where someone had died. There was another bedroom downstairs, but it was small. DeeDee would probably take one of the larger ones upstairs. She made a mental note to ask Mr. Nichols about getting somebody to check the electric space heaters on the second floor.

  As she lay in bed, she decided to divide the house into sections and search one room at a time. It was obvious she'd need to work upstairs during the day and downstairs at night. That way she wouldn't have to explain what she was doing. DeeDee could help her look once she finished the research at the library. Ideas raced in and out of her mind as she drifted off to sleep, lulled into a false sense of security by the wine she'd consumed.

  Her nightmares returned with a vengeance. Once again, she was trapped at the bottom of the well, struggling to remain afloat. She woke with a start, her heart pounding. When she'd calmed down enough to get out of bed, she dragged the spread and blanket from the bed and padded into the living room. Wide-awake, she tossed another log on the fire, and pulled her covers closer. Would she never get any sleep? She forced her eyes shut and mentally recited multiplication tables, the most boring thing she could think of.

  The next thing she knew, there was a loud noise outside, and she nearly fell off the couch in her struggle to sit up. The pounding continued, and she realized the workers must have arrived. Time to get dressed. With the blanket tucked securely around her, she stumbled to her room.

  Nichols checked in about thirty minutes later, and explained that their work schedule began at seven am and ended around four. He apologized for any inconvenience that might cause.

  Mary smiled and assured him she was an early riser, and the noise wouldn't bother her. Her lips twitched as she realized that DeeDee, however, would feel quite differently, especially since she often slept until noon. The next few days should prove interesting.

  Before Nichols left, she asked about the space heaters, and he told her he'd arrange for someone to check them that afternoon. After a breakfast of hot oatmeal and fruit, she started her search in the upstairs corner bedroom, the only one without wallpaper. The paneled walls were rough, and as she ran her hands over them, splinters broke off and lodged in her fingers. She paused long enough to grab a pair of tweezers and her driving gloves from downstairs. With the splinters gone, her hands felt much better. She completed her circuit and glanced down at her watch. It was nearly time to leave for the airport. Though disappointed at not having found anything, she reminded herself that there were still plenty of rooms left to search.

  The workers howled and whistled as she walked by. She grinned and cheekily saluted them, then drove off. With all those men around, DeeDee would be in seventh heaven. In a way, it would be nice to have company at night, especially since the house was so big. For once, she was actually looking forward to spending time with her sister.

  The drive wasn't as long as she remembered, and she arrived in town with plenty of time to spare. Since she didn't have a clue who to call for firewood, she stopped by the sheriff's office. In little towns like these, the sheriff usually knew everybody's business and then some. Surely he'd know someone she could call.

  He was typing a report when she arrived, his ample frame crammed into a wood chair. Head down, he used two fingers to pound the keys, muttering under his breath as he reached for the bottle of correction fluid on his desk. When he looked up, she noticed that his eyes were a light blue, nearly the color of his uniform shirt. He waved her to a visitor chair, and once he found out what she needed, he provided the names of several people to call for firewood. She had the feeling he wanted to ask for more information about what she was doing at the house, but their conversation was interrupted when a call came in about an accident on the freeway. Grateful for her reprieve, she made a hasty retreat to her car.

  The plane arrived on time and DeeDee was first to deplane, escorted by the captain. Mary grinned as she watched her sister cajole him into ordering the men to remove her bags from the luggage cart, before everything was loaded onto the rotating carousel. It was all she could do not to laugh when the he actually carried DeeDee's suitcases to the rental car. DeeDee thanked him for his assistance and blew him a kiss as he disappeared into the terminal.

  "Whenever you're through manipulating the male population, we'll be on our way," Mary teased DeeDee as she slid into the passenger seat.

  The sound of DeeDee's laughter filled the car. "Hey, it beats waiting around all afternoon for your luggage to get dumped on that awful carousel." She clicked the seatbelt into place. "Besides, someday I might need a free plane ticket."

  Mary chuckled and eased the car onto the highway, driving slowly so DeeDee could get a good look at the cypress-laden swamps and bayous. Instead of appreciating the area's unusual beauty, DeeDee took one look at the swamps on either side of the road and grimaced. "This is what you've been raving about the past few weeks? It's awful. What on earth do these people do for entertainment?"

  Mary frowned and counted to ten. Maybe this visit wasn't such a good idea after all. "If you take the time to look, the swamps are beautiful, in their own way."

  DeeDee brushed back a lock of her curly hair. "I'll take cement and blacktop any day. I don't think I'll be staying very long in this dump." She took one look at Mary's face and changed the subject. "Have you found anything?"

  "Not yet." They turned onto the drive and Mary pointed to the large shape looming ahead. "Wait till you see the house. It's going to be beautiful, just like it used to be. The men have made a good start, and they're nearly finished removing the rotted boards. They start on the actual woodwork sometime next week."

  DeeDee stared out the window and yawned, but perked up at the mentioned of a work crew. "Construction guys? Are any of them cute?"

  Mary's car crunched to a stop on the gravel drive. "I don't know. You can check them out for yourself. They're over on the right."

  DeeDee tugged a comb through her unruly curls. "Come on, let's go see." She jumped out and walked over toward the house. Before Mary had time to open the trunk, she was already surrounded by five or six men. They escorted her to the front of the house and pointed out details, chattering excitedly.

  Mary smiled. DeeDee was good--she had to give her that. Those poor guys wouldn't know what hit them. She carried the suitcases inside and dumped them at the foot of the stairs. DeeDee could carry them upstairs later.

  The clatter of heels on the wooden floors announced DeeDee's arrival long before she wandered into the drawing room. Mary glanced up and noted the grin spread across her sister's face.

  "There might be one or two possibilities, but I'm not sure." DeeDee flopped on the couch and sighed. "Don't men have any idea how boring construction talk is? Geez, I thought they'd never shut up."

  Mary laughed. "Serves you right for batting your long eyelashes at them." She gestured to the hallway. "How about a tour?"

  "All right, if we have to. Which room is mine?"

  "You can take your pick. There are two bedrooms downstairs and several on the second floor. Did the guys tell you they start at seven each morning? You might want to take that into consideration when you select a room."

  DeeDee's smile turned into a frown. "I knew this place was uncivilized. Why did I let you talk me into coming here?"

  Mary grinned and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour."

  DeeDee remained unmoved by beauty of the house as Mary pointed out detail after detail. By the time they'd toured the entire second floor, she called a halt to the tour, and flopped down on one of the beds.

  "Since this room is the furthest from the front, I'll take it," she announced ungraciously. She peeped at Mary from under her lashes. "I don't suppose you'd bring up my suitcases for me, would you?"

  "Certainly not. If you want them, you can go get them. I'm not your own
personal maid, DeeDee. If you think I'm going to spend all my time waiting on you hand and foot, you better think again."

  DeeDee's frown turned into a pout. "Well, if you're going to be that way about it, I'll go get them myself."

  Mary escorted her downstairs. "While you're unpacking, I'll start dinner. How does steak, baked potato, and salad sound?"

  DeeDee wrinkled her nose. "If that's all you have, I guess it's okay. I was kinda hoping for some good seafood, but we can always go out to eat later this week."

  After dinner, Mary chose a chair by the fireplace and propped her feet up on an ottoman. She watched the flames cast shadows on the faded wallpaper for several minutes, then glanced over at her sister. "You're awfully quiet."

  DeeDee yawned and stretched out her long legs. "I'm bored stiff. Isn't there anything fun to do around this place?"

  "You could help me search the rooms if you want. I'm working downstairs at night so I don't have to explain anything to the construction guys."

  "I guess that beats doing nothing. What exactly are we looking for?"

  Mary ran a hand through her hair as she rose from the upholstered chair. "Well, to be honest, I don't know. I remember Jean-Pierre telling Magdalene about hidden panels, but I can't remember where they're located. Which means I have to search every room." She waved DeeDee forward, and led the way to the smallest downstairs bedroom.

  A fine layer of dust covered most of the furniture. Mary pulled on her gloves and turned to face DeeDee, who lounged lazily against an iron double bed. "What you need to do is run your hands over all the walls and closets, looking for a hidden release." She bent over and demonstrated the process, running her hands lightly over the faded wallpaper. "It's slow and tedious, but if we find a hidden panel, it'll be worth it. I finished one bedroom today, but didn't find anything."

  "You've got to be kidding. This is some kind of joke, right?"

  She shook her head. "This is the only way I'm going to find anything. Do you want to help me or not?"

  DeeDee stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. Mary watched her half-hearted attempts to search the walls, then turned away before she said something nasty. Some help DeeDee was turning out to be. If that was the way DeeDee was going to search, she'd be better off doing it by herself. She worked steadily for about an hour, without any success. When she turned to check on her sister's progress, she noted with disgust that DeeDee was stretched out across the knobby bedspread, watching her do all the work. "Why aren't you looking?"

  "Sorry, sis, but this has to be the most boring thing I've ever done. I'm through for the night."

  "But we still have a lot of rooms left to cover."

  DeeDee propped herself up on one elbow. "Correction, sweetie. You have a lot of rooms left. I'm through with this search mission. It's too boring." She got up and stood in the doorway. "I'm going to take a long, hot bath. We do have running water, I take it?"

  Mary bit back her first response. "Of course there's running water."

  DeeDee waved. "I'll start on the library research in the morning. See ya."

  So much for helpful assistance. She'd assumed DeeDee would want to help search the house. She should've known better. Whenever physical work was involved, DeeDee usually disappeared. Always had, and probably always would. The sound of water running through the pipes echoed through the halls, and she bit her lip in frustration as she turned her attention back to the wall in front of her.

  When the clock on the mantle chimed midnight, she quit. Her neck and shoulders hurt from leaning over, and the muscles in the upper part of her left arm twinged from being swept back and forth across the walls. A familiar snore drifted down the hallway, and she peeked into DeeDee's room to make sure the heater had been turned on. DeeDee was sound asleep, her body curled around two fashion magazines. She moved the magazines, pulled the covers across her sister's shoulders, and switched off the overhead light.

  The fire in her room was still burning, so she stirred the logs with a poker, then padded over to the bed. This late at night the house was completely still, except for the ticking of the grandfather clock and the echo of DeeDee's snores. She smothered a yawn as she got into bed and pulled the covers around her neck. The waves of warmth emanating from the fireplace felt good against her cold skin, and she was glad she'd taken the time to move her bed so it faced the fireplace. Having her own bedroom fireplace was luxury she'd miss when she left.

  A numbing chill invaded her bones, rousing her from a restful sleep. Had she left the east window open? Throwing back the covers, she pulled on her slippers and padded over to the window. She pulled the drapes apart and moonlight flooded the room, gleaming on the silver window locks. Puzzled, she turned and encountered a familiar presence at the foot of the bed.

  Magdalene! Unafraid, Mary grabbed the quilt from the top of the bed and wrapped it around her, waiting for Magdalene to make the first move.

  The image held out its hands. "Mary, help me, please."

  "I am, Magdalene. I'm searching the house to find the key to what happened." She took a deep breath. "Will I find what I'm looking for here?"

  Magdalene nodded, then faded into the darkness.

  Thrilled by Magdalene's response, Mary climbed back into bed and tucked the covers around her chin. At least she was on the right track. She wondered how many rooms she'd have to search until she solved the mystery of Magdalene's disappearance. According to Magdalene, the key to what happened was here. All she had to do was find it.

  Chapter 29

  Francois Duchette leaned back in his wooden chair, rubbed his manicured fingernails on the side of his pants, then held them up for inspection. Moments later, he turned his attention back to his visitor.

  Nicole Martine held on to her temper. It wasn't like Francois to ignore her. Philippe must have insulted him again. She realized she'd have to undo the damage before she could pump Francois for information. She leaned across the oak desk and placed one hand on his arm. "Francois, darling, I've come to apologize for that idiot I'm married to. I know he insulted you the other day, and I am truly sorry."

  He raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.

  She tried again. "I've come to take you to lunch at the club, if you're not too busy. To celebrate your selling the plantation so quickly. I don't know of any other realtor who could have closed escrow in ten days. You are a true genius."

  Still no response. Damn that Philippe! She flashed Francois her most coquettish smile. "Come now, Francois, aren't we friends anymore? Surely you don't blame me for Philippe's rudeness?"

  He sniffed and turned his head. "I work my fingers to the bone for your husband, and what does he do? Tells me my fee is his thanks for selling the plantation." He sighed dramatically. "I don't know how you live with that, that uncouth imbecile. The next time you have a piece of property to sell, take it to another realtor. I do not need this type of insult."

  She walked around the desk and placed a gloved hand on his arm. "You're right. He's a moron compared to you." Her fur hat slipped back on her head as she angled her face to peep at him from under her eyelashes. "Please, Francois, let me make it up to you. You must tell me how you outwitted the Boston attorney at the negotiating table." She brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. "Imagine the nerve of that stupid man, thinking he could pull something over on Louisiana's premier realtor." She patted his arm and smiled. "You must give me all the details of your triumph, so I can share them with my bridge club tomorrow."

  A slow smile spread across his face. "But of course, Cherie. You cannot be held responsible for the actions of that idiot. I apologize for my rudeness. I will go to lunch with you and tell you all about my latest real estate coup."

  He reached for his cashmere coat and she smiled triumphantly. Men were so stupid. All she had to do was flatter their pitiful egos and they became putty in her hands. There wasn't a man born who could resist her charms.

  "Are you ready, Cherie?"

  She nodded and he held open the
door. While they waited for his car, he stared at her perfectly matched fur hat and coat. "Have I told you that you are one of the few women who look exquisite draped in fur?"

  "You're such a charmer." She tried to steer the conversation into more productive channels. "Tell me, Francois, whatever did that woman want with the plantation? Is she planning to live there?"

  He took the keys from the parking attendant and held open the door for her to get in. "I will tell you everything in due time, Cherie. But first we must eat. It is already half past twelve, and I make it a point to always eat before one o'clock."

  Francois and his silly rituals. She'd known him long enough to realize that he wouldn't tell her anything about the sale until after lunch. Damn. She'd have to endure his egotistical ramblings for another hour and a half. She'd hoped she could get her information quickly and leave, but that wasn't going to be the case.

  A waitress escorted them to a secluded table in the mammoth dining room. Even though the room was crowded, both male waiters hovered around their table, catering to Nicole's every whim. She could tell Francois was becoming annoyed by all the attention she was receiving, so she reached over and grasped his hand. "I'm so glad you decided to come, Francois. It's such a pleasure to eat lunch with a real man for a change."

  Mollified, he puffed up like a rooster and shook his head. "That husband of yours is an uncouth bore. I don't understand how such a beautiful creature as you can stand to be married to him."

  "He's very rich, Francois, and does have his uses."

  He grinned and detached his hand. "It is as I suspected. You are like the pedigree feline, are you not? You must always have the best of everything at your fingertips, and woe to those who defy your wishes." He laughed. "You do not know it, but we are much alike, Cherie. It's a shame I don't have a bank account worthy of you. Otherwise, I would offer to take you away from him."