DEADLY HOPE a gripping detective mystery full of twists and turns

by Jack Parker

  "Miss Luci," A young man with shaggy blonde hair and a black uniform smiled as he approached the table. "It's wonderful to see you again." He smiled at me and nodded. "Hello. My name is Connor. I will be taking care of you tonight." His words dripped a sugar that left a worst aftertaste than artificial sweetener. Connor desperately wanted to please us, to earn our favor, and if I'd been a cat, my hackles would have raised at his presence.

  "Connor, this is Lauren Danes." Luci intervened, eyebrow raised in question as I stared down the ever so helpful young man.

  "It's a pleasure, Lauren." He filled our water glasses and then turned expectantly towards Luci. "Have you decided on anything yet, Miss Luci?"

  "We'll start with the brie. It's absolutely wonderful." She smiled up at him, and I swore he shivered at her attention.

  "Excellent choice, ladies. Anything else to drink, some wine perhaps?"

  I shook my head. "No thank you, Connor." Luci answered and then waited for him to scurry towards the kitchen before speaking again. "Has anything peeked your attention?" She wiggled her menu at mine.

  "Uhh, I haven't even looked." And then I did. "Luci, this place is so expensive, and I don't even know what half of these things are." Luci sat her menu on the table, and instead of a stare of condescension that I expected, she smiled and then nodded.

  "Of the things you do recognize, which do you think you'd enjoy?" Her blue silk soothed my growing anxiety of being so out of my element, and I leaned back in my chair. My voice still refused to formulate the words in my brain, so she continued. "If you prefer red meat, the filet is excellent. If you'd prefer something lighter, the butter and herb salmon cakes may be a better choice. Both are accompanied by wonderful cheese stuffed mushrooms and fresh sautéed vegetables."

  Connor returned a few moments later with Luci's brie, and I still had come no closer to a decision. Luci waited patiently, and Connor seemed irritated at my indecision. Finally, I blurted out that I'd have the salmon cakes. Connor snorted silently and then turned to Luci, whose demeanor abruptly changed from patient to furious in a matter of seconds. Her shoulders stiffened, back painfully straight, and an aura of fury permeated the air around me. Her anger was breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Wondering if I'd caused her ire, I held my breath and waited.

  "Connor, the salmon cakes sound absolutely divine tonight." Her words were sweet and well-formed, but a hardened edge slipped into her voice. That red silk took over, and poor Connor swallowed roughly, nodded, collected our menus and then scurried off. He knew immediately that he'd messed up and said nothing else to incriminate himself. I chuckled, and Luci grinned at my delight.

  "Pretentious prick." The foul language falling from Luci's lips sounded oddly strange and normal simultaneously, and her shoulders relaxed as she released her anger.

  "You didn't have to do that." But I was glad she had. Luci had money, but that obviously was not a factor when she chose her friends. Was I her friend? She lifted one toned shoulder in response and sipped her water.

  "Honestly, I felt more comfortable at Barb's today than I ever have in the presence of the fake kindness floating about in here. Cara, the young woman who seated us, may be the only genuine soul in this establishment." The candidness of her statement surprised me and endeared me towards her all the more. Luci Pravitas was nothing less than a conundrum.

  "So, why did you really come to the diner today? You obviously ain't interested in burgers and fries." She cut into the round block of brie, and I wondered exactly what brie was. It was thick and creamy and covered in walnuts and some type of red sauce. I hesitantly accepted the small piece of bread covered in the thick cream that she offered.

  "What is it?" I turned the cracker at different angles in the low light, trying to decipher the sticky mess in front of me.

  "It's warm cheese with raspberry sauce. It's delicious. Try it." My eyebrows crinkled together as I obediently popped the concoction into my mouth and prayed that I wouldn't spit it out in disgust. I did no such thing. The sweetness of the sauce and the warm salty cheese slid wonderfully over my taste buds, and if anyone had asked me if I'd moaned at the flavor, I'd have fervently denied it until I died. Luci chewed smaller bites until her first piece had disappeared and then prepared two more two more pieces.

  "Frankly, I wanted the company," she said thoughtfully. "My house staff has not yet arrived, and Carver is much too large for only one person alone to comfortably reside." She handed me another piece of the wonderfully sticky cheese and bread.

  "You have a staff?" I was too shocked to be embarrassed by my outburst even though a few other guests in the dining room blatantly stared for a few moments. Luci failed to notice, or if she had, she ignored them.

  "Yes, a small one. They have been with me for years, and I miss them more than I had anticipated. Unfortunately, I trusted no one else to oversee the restoration and felt it unfair to require them to live in temporary lodgings while the heating systems and windows were installed." Her eyes glazed over as she bit into her brie, like she saw images of her loyal staff perfectly in her mind but lacked the ability to make them corporeal.

  "I can't imagine living in a house that big." I wondered exactly what Luci's profession could be. She'd have to be nearly a billionaire in order to buy and restore Carver without drying up her bank account.

  "It is the realization of a dream. Victorian Gothic Architecture is so very rich with imagination and life. Each room tells a story, and every hand carved mantle portrays the character and personality of its master. It is quite beautiful when one can piece together those intricacies, like a finely-penned novel." Her cheeks flushed and a wild excitement filled her eyes as she spoke about her mansion. I quietly chewed my appetizer and observed her moment of unguarded emotion rather than comment.

  "Do you enjoy reading, Lauren?" She asked suddenly, and I nearly choked on my brie.

  "I guess so. I'm not too good at it. My mom used to read to me a lot when I was little. She loved books. I guess I inherited her love but not her talent with words." Luci offered me half a smile and leaned back thoughtfully.

  "I shall lend you some of my library to discuss during our next meeting. If you find that agreeable, that is." Her hopeful tone and bright expectant eyes froze my hands, and the slippery cheese slid from the little knife before I spread it on the bread.

  The gesture cemented my bizarre attraction to the anomalous stranger. No wanted to discuss literature with me, not even in English class during high school. The teacher just skipped me while reading aloud or blatantly ignored my raised hand if I attempted to answer a question. I knew that I wasn't as intelligent as some of my classmates who quickly and smoothly recited the selected passages, but my mother had often reminded me that an education would create an opportunity for me to escape this town. She used to read to me nearly every day, Greek mythology mostly, when I crashed through the front door after school and cried upon my bed because I felt stupid and slow. Lilly, my sister, never struggled like that. She was always the smart one, and I was pretty.

  Despite my intellectual insecurities, I'd devoured every single book my mother had left behind since then. They ranged from trashy love novels to Jane Austen, and every one helped me feel closer to her, like telepathic communication. When I found myself lost in the world of one of her books, I pretended that she'd left those words behind to give me strength and comfort. I'd never met someone who loved literature as much as my mom until I met Luci. I struggled with most novels and I had no doubt that Luci would soon tire of my incomprehension, but for the moment, I pretended that I could actually hold an intellectual discussion with her.

  I never understood my struggle. Teachers always told me that I would improve with every word that I read, but I never improved. My heart thumped wildly in my chest the few occasions I was called upon in class to read aloud, and like so many of my classmates, the teachers pushed me through the system in order to graduate, despite the fact I still struggled with "easy" books like Charl
otte's Web and Number the Stars. I'm not sure they knew how to help us, so the least they could do was allow us to graduate, making us eligible for jobs that required a diploma.

  "Alright, Darling?" Luci asked, head cocked slightly to one side as she sought the thoughts behind my eyes. I nodded and forced my shaking hands to reclaim the dropped cheese.

  "I'm just not that smart. I mean, I have to read stuff at the diner all the time, but I have most of the prices memorized and Barb and Ashley taught me abbreviations for all of the orders I have to write if I bother to write them down at all. Sometimes I just keep them in my head and have Ashley write 'em for me. I wouldn't want you to be disappointed when I didn't understand the books you gave me. That's all."

  "I have entertained that thought in regards to food my entire life, a skill you have hone," Luci slapped away my insecurities with that one sentence. "I have always yearned to learn that particular craft. My cook, Berta, attempted to teach me once when I was a child.

  Luci kicked her heels on the wooden cabinet as she perched on the counter and watched Berta chop and stir and grate. The older woman had always been so kind to Luci, allowed her to take up counter space to watch her day after day as she prepared meals for the family. Her hands were always so warm when she lifted Luci onto the counter, and Luci wondered what new smell she'd catch on them when her cook/nanny patted her on the cheek and told her she was a good girl before she turned to the vegetables and herbs. Berta always patted her cheek, and today she smelled like lemons.

  "Berta, where do lemons come from?" Luci asked suddenly, and the cook glanced up at her and wiped sweat on her forearm. The old kitchen needed better ventilation, but Berta never complained and Luci vowed to update it for if Berta stayed with her after she became an adult.

  "They grow on trees, Liebling." Luci smiled at the foreign term of endearment and hopped from the counter.

  "Why do they taste so good with fish?" Berta held her hand to the young girl, and Luci scurried to her side.

  "Don't ask me questions I don't know the answer to," Berta scolded playfully, positioning Luci in front of her. The girl giggled as her mentor reached over her shoulders to guide her hands to the red peppers on the cutting board.

  "How do I know you don't know the answer unless I ask you?" Berta clicked her tongue and put the knife in Luci's small hand and then covered it with her own.

  "Pay attention." Luci sobered immediately and squinted at the vegetable she cleaned, green and red peppers.

  "Cut the white parts out. Get all the seeds." Luci settled into the rhythm of the knife, and before she realized it, Berta released her grip on the handle and allowed Luci to chop and slice independently.

  "You have a talent with this knife, Liebling." Berta nuzzled her hair and blew a raspberry into Luci's neck. Luci giggled and then beamed up at her teacher.

  "What do I do now?"

  Berta held up a finger and practically sashayed to the stove. Berta always cooked with so much enthusiasm, especially when Luci took a particular interest in her craft. Berta loved teaching her things, and sometimes Luci pretended that Berta was her mother because their hair shone the same bright yellow and their eyes were blue. She was the same age as Luci's mother, but her mother had brown hair and brown eyes and she never taught Luci anything.

  "Bring them here, Honey Bee." Berta instructed and poured some type of oil into the cast iron skillet. Luci deposited her cleanly sliced pieces of pepper into the skillet and then accepted the long match Berta offered.

  "Hold that underneath. Today you learn how to light a burner. Just like that. Now turn that knob there." Luci followed the instruction and twisted the knob quickly. Berta wrapped her arm around Luci's face when she realized what the young child had done, but her hands felt the flames shooting from beneath the pan as the gas released too quickly onto the lit match. Luci cried out, and Berta pulled her to the sink and stuck her hand beneath cold water.

  "Berta, you're hurt, too." Tears streaked Luci's brave face, but she grabbed Berta's arm that had protected her face and held it under the stream beside her injured hand. Berta sighed in relief as the water temporarily soothed the burn blister that had already formed.

  "What the hell is happening in my kitchen?" Berta gasped and jerked away from the sink as the rumbling voice of Luci's angry father boomed through the kitchen.

  "Sir, I was teaching Luci how to cook." Berta's hands trembled as she held them behind her back. Luci grew angry and confused when Berta hung her head in shame as her master took a few raging steps into the kitchen.

  "Daddy stop. It was my fault." Luci's voice and body shook as she pressed herself into the counter. Sometimes he failed to control his anger, and today was a bad day.

  "What happened to your hand, Baby?" He asked gently, and Luci held it out for his examination. It was only a small red spot, not like Berta's.

  Luci screamed when Berta crashed into the center island from the force of his backhand and pushed at her father's hips in vain. She hadn't meant to attack her father, but Berta deserved no punishment for her mistake. Berta held a hand to her mouth and shook her head fervently at the young girl. Luci's father grabbed his daughter by the shoulders and squeezed roughly.

  "Luci, do you want to be punished, too?" Luci shook her head, eyes wide with fear. "Then tell me who is at fault for this? Did you grab something hot?" Luci shook her head. "Did you get burned because of Berta?" Luci glanced back and forth between her mentor and her father so quickly that she made herself dizzy. She never intended to cause Berta harm, and by admitting Berta's involvement in her injury, she ensured further injury to the kind cook.

  "Sir, it was my fault," Berta blurted suddenly and stood, head held high despite the fear in her eyes. Her master released his daughter and grabbed Berta's hand. She barely resisted as he dragged her bodily to the stove and held her hand over the hot skillet. She winced and waited for the scalding heat to strip the skin from her hand, but it never came.

  "If you ever teach my daughter something beneath her station again, I shall do far worse than burn your hand. It would be very difficult to cook with only one or speak with no tongue." He jerked her to the floor and then turned to his daughter. "You must teach them their place, Baby, or they will take advantage of you every time."

  He knelt and caressed Luci's face gently and then pulled her into an embrace. Luci stared at Berta over his shoulder, but the cook turned her face away when Luci's father pressed a kiss to Luci's lips and then her cheek and then her neck. He nuzzled his nose into his daughter's hair and hummed contentedly and then stalked from the kitchen. Luci ground her teeth together against the conflicting emotions that her childish mind failed to understand and slowly approached Berta.

  "Why didn't you tell him that it was my fault, Berta?" Luci knelt on both knees in front of her only friend and caretaker. Berta opened her arms for the young girl, and Luci immediately squirreled into Berta's side.

  "Because, Liebling, you always protect those closest to you. If you learn nothing from me, always remember that." She pressed a kiss to Luci's head and held the small, innocent body tightly as she finally shed the tears of fear she'd been fighting.

  I stared at Luci for a long moment after she finished her story. She sipped her water calmly and raised an eyebrow at me. She recounted the tale so distantly, like she'd made peace with the events of her life. I longed for that solace; maybe when I've lived as long as Luci, I will have found that clarity somewhere along the way.

  "Holy crap," I finally responded. "Your dad sounds as bad as mine. How can you just talk about it so freely? Doesn't it still bother you?" I silently prayed for her guidance. The damaged inflicted by our parents when we're tiny followed us into adulthood. Her thin shoulders raised and dropped slightly.

  "That was nearly thirty-five years ago, Lauren. You may find in such time that you've accepted the events of your life as learning experiences." And she had. Her eyes weren't sad, perhaps slightly haunted, but the pain had faded over the years.


  "I don't know if I could ever make my peace with it like you have." I fiddled with my napkin as images of my father's rage flooded my mind. Like Berta, I'd protected those who were important to me and ended up completely alone like the mysterious woman before me. Luci's head leaned to one side as she studied my sudden sadness, but her crystalline orbs suddenly shifted as they tracked something across the room.

  I held my breath as Connor approached with our dinners and silently thanked Luci for holding all comments as he hovered over the table for a moment. He reached for the half-eaten brie, and I put my hand over the plate, thwarting its removal. Some of the other patrons glanced our way, and poor Conner nearly had a conniption. I assumed it was customary in fine dining to remove the previous course when you brought the second, but I wasn't finished and silently told custom to kiss my ass. Luci smirked and hid her amusement under the guise of sipping her water, but those mischievous eyes twinkled. If she found my abrasiveness endearing, I worried nothing of the thoughts of anyone else.

  "I'm not finished with that. Come back in a few minutes," I ordered Connor. I felt a little guilty for being rude to someone in the same profession as me, but he'd pissed me off the entire evening and after Luci's story, I was emotionally raw and had enough of his snobbery. I knew that I didn't belong in this world along with everyone else in this room, but they'd get over it eventually.