“It wasn’t much different. But in some ways I loved it.”
“Okay, now you sound crazy,” Sam said. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well…my whole life, I just felt kind of…unsafe, like there was nothing to cushion me if I fell, and that I was very likely to fall, like it was almost inevitable. Where I grew up, there was always someone hurting someone else. Robbing them, or attacking them, whatever. Life around me was always eventful but in the worst ways. Sirens went off constantly, cops came to arrest people at all hours, kids stole cars, fought, dealt drugs. There was always stuff happening, illegal, frightening stuff, always something for my mom to gossip about. She took delight in all the drama, was energized by it while I just hated it all.”
“I can imagine,” Sam said softly. “You feel things deeply. You’re sensitive. I know some people say that as an insult, but I don’t mean it that way. I mean it as a compliment. I think it’s a good thing.”
Roxy smiled at him. “Thanks. Not many people see it that way. Even me, at times. Sometimes I’d love a thicker skin.”
“So after all that, you craved security and safety,” Sam said, “so you got the most boring, most stable job possible. It makes sense.”
“Yes,” said Roxy. “Except I traded everything for safety. That place was dull, my boss was a bully, I had coworkers who couldn’t stand me, and deep down, I knew I wasn’t fulfilling my potential. I was restless but stuck and lacking in courage.”
Sam nodded. “I know what you mean. I hate that feeling. That’s what keeps me chopping and changing what I’m doing all the time. My father calls me a flake, a dabbler.” He laughed. “Maybe I am, although I like to think I’m a polymath.”
“A what?”
“It’s a person who loves learning different things and who has skills in multiple areas. Others call it being multi-passionate. Perhaps that’s a better word.”
“I couldn’t imagine any father not being proud of you. Maybe he is underneath.”
“I doubt it,” Sam said. “But thank you, though. That’s a kind thing to say.”
“What makes you so sure he’s not proud?”
“He hates entrepreneurs and business owners. Thinks they’re lower class, unethical money-grubbers. And some of them are.”
“What does he do?” Roxy asked.
“He’s a plastic surgeon, a very accomplished one. He works on all sorts of complex cases, disaster victims, burns, unique cases. He doesn’t simply do cosmetic work, although he does that too. He’s something of a hero in his field, a pioneer in new techniques. When he realized I wasn’t going to medical school, he encouraged me into investment banking, but it just didn’t suit me. I’m not that kind of detail-oriented, super-intense person. I like ideas and grand schemes and making new things happen! I want to have a big impact too, but in a different way from my father.”
Roxy smiled. “Did you ever decide to implement the idea you had about training homeless people and giving them jobs?”
“Yeah, I did. I’ve got a couple of guys visiting the West Coast right now. They’re visiting with an organization out there that does a similar thing with ex-offenders. They’ll come back and give me a viability report on what they think, and I’ll go from there. I’ve always wanted to help people. I just want to make sure it’s the right thing—responsible, respectful, not patronizing, you know?”
“You do help people,” said Roxy. “You’re kind to everyone, and you already employ tons of people at the laundry. Your business helps them support their families and lead happier lives.”
“But I want to do something on a grander scale,” Sam said. “I want to make a difference. A big one.”
“Wait! Is that Charles?” Roxy pointed out a man walking with a dog. “Why’s he got a dog with him?” Sam slowed the car again and as they drove past, Roxy turned to see the man’s face. It wasn’t Charles. “I’m starting to get really worried now.” She bit her nails, something she hadn’t done for a long time. “Maybe that’s why Charles disappeared. Maybe his memories were too painful, and he’s gone and…Oh, I don’t know! I just wish he’d come back!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“I THINK WE’D better head back,” said Roxy.
“Yes,” said Sam with a sigh. “It looks that way.”
Sam and Roxy had driven around New Orleans for hours, but there was no sign of Charles anywhere. It had gotten dark, and the rain was pouring so heavily they could barely see out of the car windows. The windshield wipers were pounding back and forth on the highest setting, but the rain still obliterated their view for all but a second. Seeing out of the side windows was impossible.
“I have no idea how we’re going to sleep tonight,” Roxy said. “We’ll all be beside ourselves with worry.”
“You need your rest,” said Sam. “Do you want me to come in and take care of everything for the night, so you can sleep? I can lock up, take out the trash and get set up for tomorrow?”
“No, it’s fine,” said Roxy, smiling at him. He was so kind.
“Nat and George will need a lot of rest, too, they have been walking all day,” Sam said.
“They’re probably soaked.”
Roxy was right. They drove back to the Funky Cat and found Nat and George trudging up the alleyway. They looked like drowned rats.
“Oh no!” Roxy said. She rushed from the car in the pouring rain and unlocked the front door. “Come in, come in! Come out of the rain.” She waved goodbye to Sam, and he reversed back out onto the street. There wasn’t enough room for him to turn the big car around.
Nat and George were so wet that their hair was plastered to their heads. Nat’s mascara was running down her face in black watery streaks. George was shivering. They made squelching noises as they walked and left wet footprints behind them.
“No luck,” George said. “We couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“Neither could we,” said Roxy. “I’m so sorry, George. We can start again tomorrow.”
George shook his head. “No. I’ll eat dinner, shower, and go back out when it stops raining. I’ll look all night if I have to.” He was so exhausted he had to steady himself against the wall.
“You need to rest,” Roxy said gently. “And there are places that are not safe in New Orleans at night. You don’t know where they are and might stumble into them unawares.”
“I don’t care,” he said, his voice strong despite his obvious exhaustion. “I don’t care about rest or danger. I have to find Charles.”
“Okay,” Roxy said soothingly, calming him. She didn’t object further, but the last thing she wanted was George out at night, lost or getting hurt, too. “Let’s call Johnson, see if he’s made any progress. Or done anything at all.”
“Okay, could you do that? My head is spinning,” said George. “I can’t see straight, and I can’t think at all.”
“Come and sit down in the lounge for a moment,” Roxy said kindly. “I’ll make you a hot drink and put together something hearty for you to eat.” She secretly hoped he’d fall asleep and give up on his idea of going out again.
“I’ll soak the chair,” he said shaking his head. “Thank you but I’ll go upstairs, shower and change.”
“Are you sure you can manage?” Roxy said. “If you’re dizzy it might not be safe to shower.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
“Okay. What drink would you like?”
“A sweet milky coffee would keep me awake so I can head out again soon,” he said.
“And you, Nat?”
“I could use a warm brandy punch.”
“Coming up. I’ll see you guys in a minute.”
All of a sudden, the hotel seemed so empty with just the three of them. Evangeline rarely came over now, having tutored Nat in cooking skills so well that sometimes it was impossible to tell her crawfish pie from her mentor’s. Now, Evangeline only cooked for them when they needed an extra pair of hands or help with a specialty dish. Roxy wished she’d asked Sam to stay b
ut she didn’t want to call him back—he’d been driving around all afternoon and was probably just as exhausted as they all were. Elijah would be early to bed in preparation for his oh-dark-thirty shift the next morning, and Sage would still be at the botanica. Put your big girl panties on, Roxy.
She went about fixing the drinks and an extensive exploration of the fridge uncovered some Andouille sausage gumbo. Roxy warmed it up and served it on plates alongside some of that day’s New Orleans French bread from Elijah’s Bakery, its fluffy center and crispy crust the perfect counterpoint to the soft and spicy gumbo.
She walked back into the lounge with a tray containing George’s sweet milky coffee and a warm brandy punch for Nat, two bowls of gumbo and bread, and a plate of the white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies Elijah had given her earlier.
“Charles!” she screamed in shock, then, “Charles!” again, this time overjoyed, nearly dropping the food all over the lounge’s expensive antique rug.
Roxy put the tray down on the table and threw her arms around Charles’ neck, even though he was soaking wet. Charles was wearing a light windbreaker, beige slacks the fabric of which was dark and wet down his thighs, and a pair of scruffy tennis shoes. He peered through his glasses that were spotted with raindrops and partially misted. His face and head were shiny with moisture while the little hair that he had hung down over his ears. He looked tired and cold.
Charles’ attempt at reciprocating Roxy’s hug was half-hearted. “Hello, Roxy,” he said wearily. “How long have I been gone?”
Roxy struggled to answer. It felt like a week. “A day…I think? We went to Bramwell’s and the Palace of Spirits last night. We haven’t seen you since you went upstairs to bed when we got back.”
Charles sank into a chair. “Thank goodness for that. I thought it had been three or four days. I completely lost track of time. You weren’t too worried, were you?”
“Actually, we’ve been out looking for you all day, since we discovered your bed hadn’t been slept in. Are you all right? Where were you? Where did you go?”
Just then, Nefertiti cantered into the room from the lobby. It was as though she’d heard Roxy’s exclamations and wanted to see for herself what was going on. As soon as she saw Roxy, she stopped and then proceeded to stalk across the room before effortlessly launching herself up to her favorite spot, the chaise longue, where she watched Charles and Roxy with her piercing blue eyes.
“I’m sorry I worried you.” Charles shook his head in disbelief. “It was all so strange.” He clasped his hands in front of him as if in prayer and brought them to his lips.
Roxy was very curious, but Charles looked so disturbed that she didn’t want to press further. “I’m just relieved you’re safe and well. Do you want a drink?” She gestured to the tray she had brought for George and Nat. “Warm brandy punch? Coffee? Tea?”
“The punch sounds like a good idea.”
Roxy passed him Nat’s drink. “You just sit here and drink that.” She reached over and handed him a deep orange throw that lay across the back of the sofa. “I’ll bring you some towels. Nat and George are upstairs showering. They’ll be delighted to see you. You won’t disappear while I’m gone, will you?”
Charles gave her a weak smile and shook his head. “I’ll take my drink upstairs. I’m going to change my clothes. I won’t be long. I’ll come back down, I promise. You all deserve an explanation.”
Roxy rushed into the kitchen to make another punch for Nat, and because she felt she needed one too now, she fixed one for herself. She came back into the lounge with two warm brandy punches at the same time as Nat and George.
“He’s back!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“WHO? CHARLES?” GEORGE said, his face lighting up.
At that moment, there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs, and they turned to see Charles walking slowly down toward them.
George launched himself at Charles with some force. “Charles!” he said, a grin lighting his face. He hugged Charles tightly.
When George released him from his grasp, Charles looked at him with a grin. “Hi, George. I heard I worried you all. I’m very sorry about that.”
“You did, you did,” said George, his voice wobbling as though he were about to cry again. “I…I thought you were dead. That whoever had gotten Meredith had gotten you, too. I couldn’t bear to lose both of you so close together. What a relief to see you.”
“I didn’t mean to make you worry,” said Charles. “I don’t quite know what happened. Shortly after we came back from the Palace of Spirits, something came over me. I had some kind of break with reality. I walked out of the hotel in the middle of the night and walked to Audubon Park. It was almost dawn when I got there, and it was just what I needed. I walked around it by myself, sheltering from the rain under the trees, watching the people and the wildlife. Do you know there are so very many species of birds there?” Charles wearily sat down next to Nefertiti who jumped away and re-settled herself in an armchair nearby. “I don’t even know why, it was like I wasn’t choosing to do these things, I just did them. I have no memory of how I got to the park and when I tried to find my way back, I got lost. I’ve been wandering the streets for hours.”
“Why didn’t you ask for directions?”
“I—I couldn’t bring myself to speak to anyone.”
“Like a spirit was controlling you?” George said. His eyes were wide and color was returning to his cheeks. “A dark, negative one?”
Charles shook his head. “I’m not certain. Going to the Palace of Spirits last night disturbed me, for sure. I was hearing voices. They made no sense, just words, and there were noises, screams, and the wind. I couldn’t tell what was in my head and what was real. It was terrifying. Meredith had spoken of such things in the past, but I’d never experienced them myself until now. I felt like I was in a different world.”
“You were,” George said knowingly. “In some hellish realm, it sounds like.”
“Sure was,” said Charles. “I still feel a little strange now. Is there something I can do, George? To make me feel better, more stable? I don’t want to take drugs, but I truly feel like I have been going mad.”
“Sage has remedies,” said Roxy. “All kinds and for all kinds of things. I’m sure she’ll be able to help get you into a better state of mind.”
“Speaking to her might be very useful.”
“Do you want me to call her?” Roxy offered.
“Yes, please. I’ve got a terrible headache and would love to lie down, but I’m frightened to close my eyes. Will she come to talk to me?”
“I’m sure she’d be glad to,” said Roxy. “She’ll be relieved you’re okay. In fact, I’d better call everyone. They won’t bother you, but we’ve been worried about you, and they’ll be so glad to know you’re safe.”
Charles drained his glass of punch. “Aaahhhh! That was just what I needed. I’m going to take a soak in the tub, then change into my nightclothes. You’ll send Sage up when she comes?”
“Yes,” said Roxy. “I’ll make sure she’s the only one who disturbs you. She has such a warm, loving, motherly way about her, doesn’t she? She’ll put the world to rights for you. Everything seems okay when she’s around.”
Charles gave her a small smile. “Yes. Very much so. Well, goodnight then. And,” Charles hesitated, a small shudder rippling through his body, “I’m sorry again for what I put you through.”
“Goodnight, Charles,” George said. He gave Charles another hug, a more restrained one this time.
When Charles had disappeared upstairs, Nat, George, and Roxy all flopped on the sofa and sighed with relief.
“Thank goodness for that,” said Nat.
“Yes,” said George. “I’m so glad he’s back, although his story is troubling. There are clearly many dark forces around at the moment.”
“You’re probably right,” Roxy said softly, “but let’s not think about that for now. Let’s get cozy with our drinks, and have
a relaxing evening. Maybe we could play cards, or checkers, or something. Anything to relax and unwind after the day we’ve had.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts. She needed to call people.
“Cards! Yes!” said Nat. “We never play cards. I’m always meaning to.” She rushed to the bookcase to pull out a card deck. “What’s your favorite game, George?”
“Can’t say I know any very well, except Snap.”
“Oh, come on!” said Nat, digging him in the ribs and laughing. “That’s baby stuff! Let’s play poker.”
“Oh, no,” said Roxy. “Too intense. What about Cheat?”
“Cheat!” said Nat. “Yes, that’s a great game!”
“How do we play?” said George.
Nat set about explaining while Roxy called Sage.
“Hi, Roxy!” Sage sounded cheerful.
“Charles’s here, safe and well!” Roxy said into her phone, equally cheerful.
“Thank goodness for that,” said Sage.
“He’s feeling well, but a little weird. He’s gone to his room and said he’d like to see you.”
There were some muffled sounds of talking as Sage spoke to someone in the background. “They’ve released Dr. Jack. He’s here, but he too needs peace and quiet. I’ll be right over, honey, once I’ve got him settled.”
Roxy called Sam. “That’s fantastic! Shall I come over?” he said immediately.
“That would be lovely, but aren’t you exhausted after today?”
“Yeah, but I’m feeling a little lonesome and it sounds a lot more fun at your place.”
Roxy called Elijah. “Would you like to come over? Or is it too late for you? We’re playing Cheat. Sam’s coming.”
“Why not? The more, the merrier! I can sleep when I’m dead.”
With no small feeling of anxiety, Roxy called Johnson to let him know about Charles’ reappearance. The detective wasn’t in the office and his phone rang through to reception. Roxy left a message with the officer on duty, a small blessing that Roxy appreciated. She made up another batch of warm brandy punch while Nat patiently played a practice hand of Cheat with George.
3 Louisiana Lies Page 14
