Bone-a-fied Trouble

by Carolyn Haines

  “What was that?” Roger asked.

  “She wanted to know if I had any relatives in the Delta other than you.”

  Roger cast a quick look at Tabitha. “That is interesting. There are no more relatives. We’re the last of the line.”

  “That’s exactly what I told her.” She looked at Tabitha. “Which is why Roger needs to marry and have children,” Charline said without a whit of shame. “It’s Roger’s place to do that.”

  There was the sound of the front door closing again and a lovely brunette woman in her late forties came into the parlor. She wore expensive clothes and shoes with at least a five-inch heel. “It’s Roger’s obligation to do what?” she asked, walking up to Roger and kissing his cheek though he didn’t look all that pleased to see her. “What is it you’re trying to wrangle my son into doing?”

  “Reproducing, Mother,” Roger said without a shred of affection in his tone. “Aunt Charline and Uncle Roger are thinking of selling me off to the highest bidder to keep the Long line going.”

  “An innovative use for you.” Hannah Long raised her eyebrows. Her eyes moved over Roger as if she were memorizing each plane. She turned to Charline. “Charline, you’re looking good. And this is?” She stopped in front of Tabitha.

  “Tabitha Kingsley, psychic medium,” Roger said with a quirk of his lips. “Play nice, Mother. I heard you were coming for a visit, but may I ask, what brings you to Long Hall?”

  “Money, what else. I’m here to check in so my adoring brother keeps up my allowance. It would be better for us both if he simply turned the money over to me, but he refuses. There’s some awful kind of rumor that I’m not competent with my inheritance. I wonder who promoted that concept.”

  Tabitha wanted to escape the room, but there wasn’t an easy out. This was family business and Hannah had no place airing it in front of a stranger, but that wasn’t going to stop her. Tabitha stood up and made for the door to the kitchen.

  “Not so fast.” Hannah’s hand snaked out and caught her wrist. “What are you up to?”

  A warning shot through Roger’s eyes, but it was too late. He started to intervene, but Charline was quicker.

  “Tabitha is my guest,” Charline said. “She’s been relaying messages from Suellen.”

  “Oh? Suellen is still with us? I always knew the grave couldn’t contain her.”

  “Hannah!” Charline was truly shocked. “I don’t care that you act like a brat but you won’t speak about Suellen in that way. I loved her, even if you didn’t.”

  “It’s hard to love someone to whom you’re a bitter disappointment every single day of your life.” Hannah flipped her hair back. “I’m just so unlike Samuel, the devoted son. You know, the only thing I could do that Samuel couldn’t was reproduce.” She linked her arm through Roger’s. “And what a fine son I have, even if he is a bastard.”

  Chapter Nine

  My, oh, my, that woman is a harridan of the highest order. She’s little better than a fishmonger strolling the streets of old London town. And what a wicked tongue she has! I do believe she needs a bit of a lesson in manners, and I’m just the cat to deliver it. I’ll slink into the room making sure that no one notices. Pluto and Vesta are hanging out in the foyer watching me with wide kitty eyes. One yowl and they’ll come to my rescue, I’m sure. Cats are loyal like that.

  Let’s see if I can sneak behind the old scold. Yes, and she’s wearing that short skirt—perhaps too short for her age--which leaves a perfect target, the back of the knee. I’ll just tickle her a little with my fine black tail and goodness. She has the shriek of a banshee. But Roger appreciates my maneuver. He is laughing and not doing a thing to conceal his amusement. Even Charline is laughing. The only person not amused is Hannah. And she’s aiming a kick at my head.

  Uh-oh, Pluto saw it too, and now he’s tickling the back of her other knee. Down she goes. Those high heels aren’t meant for trying to kick a cat. She’s toppled over. And she is hornet mad! She’s crawling after Pluto. And she just banged her head on the side of the table.

  When Roger reached down to help her, she lashed out at him, which only resulted in the teapot falling on her head. Now she has hot tea all over her. And she is howling mad, so mad she is actually foaming at the mouth. A proper British lady would never find herself in such a shabby display! Poor Charline is trying not to laugh but can’t help herself.

  * * *

  “Hannah, let me help you up,” Charline offered.

  “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Hannah jerked away from Charline’s outstretched hand.

  Roger felt the blood pounding in his temple, a sure sign his temper was about to get the better of him. Because of the numerous scenes he’d grown up witnessing, Roger hated to lose control, but no one could push him to the edge like Hannah Long. “Mother, no one did a thing to you. You did every bit of this yourself with your awful temper. You want to know why Samuel doesn’t trust you with money, look at yourself, crawling around the floor and wrecking furniture.” Roger had no tolerance in his face or voice. “You are an embarrassment. I hope Uncle Samuel gives you your check and you leave. Tonight.”

  “Just as soon as I get my monthly allotment,” Hannah said. She used a chair to gain her feet. Tea dripped from her hair all over her expensive outfit. “I came here with the best of intentions, and then this…this happens. You all hate me, I know it. You control my money and you and Samuel have stolen my son from me.” Hannah rounded on Charline like she was the enemy. “There is a price to pay for what you’ve done to me.”

  Roger grasped his mother’s arm none too gently. “You are a fool, Mother. Charline and Samuel gave me the only stability I’ve ever known. They gave me a job and a career. They’ve loved me without demanding a price for their love. Now clean yourself up before Samuel gets here or I swear, I’ll tell him how horrible you behaved. I’ll ask him to take legal action to freeze your money.” He thrust her arm away from him and turned his back on her.

  “I am your mother,” she said. For a split second, her fury was mixed with sadness. “You will not turn your back on me.” She picked up a leaded crystal candy dish from the coffee table and drew back to throw it. Before she could, Tabitha grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t do that,” Tabitha said softly. “You’ll only regret it.”

  “Take your hands off me.”

  Tabitha released her arm, but the moment to strike Roger in the back with the dish was past. He was facing his mother, eyeing the dish in her hand and clearly reading what she’d intended to do.

  “Mother, understand this. If you ever raise a hand to me again, I’ll have you arrested. I put up with your abuse when I was a kid, but no longer. And don’t test me on this.” He swallowed. “Aunt Charline, if you’ll excuse me and Tabitha, I’ve promised to show her the plant.”

  “I’ll make some more tea for your mother and once she’s changed, we’ll have a chat until Samuel gets here.”

  “I don’t want tea. But I’ve brought a guest of my own.” She went to the front door and threw it open. “Antoine, please come inside.”

  A tall, well-dressed, middle-aged man had obviously been waiting on the porch. He stepped into the foyer and then made a slight bow in the direction of Charline and Roger. “Antoine Lafitte,” he said, walking forward and extending his hand. He shook Roger’s, kissed Charline’s, and made to kiss Tabitha’s, but she backed away.

  “Antoine is my…fiancé.” Hannah smirked. “Darling, wait for me upstairs. My suite is on the second floor to the right at the end of the hall.”

  “Shall I gather the bags?” Antoine asked.

  “That would be lovely.”

  He gave the room a little bow and went back outside. In ten minutes he was back with two bags. He carried them upstairs.

  “I’m glad you’ve found someone to care about,” Charline said to Hannah. “He’s very handsome.”

  Roger could only marvel at his aunt’s compassion and kindness. She should have made Hannah wait on the s
teps. He kissed his aunt’s cheek and motioned for Tabitha to precede him from the house. When they gained the yard and the cool breeze, he leaned against his truck. “I’m sorry you witnessed that.”

  “Family.” Tabitha shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. My mother didn’t have the best taste in men, and trust me, none were as well dressed as Antoine.” She smiled. “Trudy and I have been on our own for a long time. You’re lucky to have Charline and Samuel.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  They saw the front door open and the three cats ran out into the sunshine.

  “Can you believe those black cats?” Roger was smiling. “It’s as if they sensed the ill will that is my mother.”

  “It looked calculated to me,” Tabitha said.

  Roger chuckled. “The psychic and her familiars.”

  “That’s witches and their familiars,” Tabitha teased.

  Roger opened the truck door for the cats to load up. “Psychics, witches, cats, or toads. If they can help us find your sister, that’s where we should focus our energy. Mother will be gone as soon as she gets her money, and good riddance to her.”

  “What’s the story with Antoine?” Tabitha asked. “He’s very smooth and courtly.”

  Roger glanced at her. It seemed that Tabitha had sensed something amiss with the polished gigolo. His mother had a talent for attracting men who enjoyed helping her spend her “allowance.”

  “One in a long line of parasites,” he said with resignation. “My mother is lonely, but she never ends up with a man who cares about her. They care about her inheritance, the family wealth. She’s home to try to force Samuel and Charline to give her a lump sum payout instead of an allowance. Old story, repeated again and again.”

  Tabitha’s hand grasped his arm and squeezed. “Let’s check out the cotton.”

  * * *

  Tabitha settled into the truck seat with the cats sprawled across her lap and the seat as Roger drove. They both had a lot on their minds. Tabitha knew what it felt like to be embarrassed by the behavior of family, and Hannah Long had certainly shown her posterior. How could Hannah have such anger at Charline and Samuel, who were two of the kindest people she’d ever met? But Hannah had been a late in life child and one that always felt like an intruder. That was hard, too. The Longs had plenty of money but the same troubles that everyone else had.

  Roger drove past the business and kept going. “Let’s get that dating DVD made. It’s a local company and our best clue. I’ll drop you off to submit your profile and I need to give Dirk Cotwell a call. He’s another farmer that used the G9-14 cotton. I’ll be curious to see what he called about.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “I hadn’t given this a lot of thought, but you should know, Dirk had an interest in Trudy.”

  Tabitha was instantly alert. “What kind of interest?”

  “He asked me if she was single. He thought she was pretty. I didn’t put much stock in it because Dirk’s engaged to Martin Kennedy’s daughter, Lily. They’re to be married in the fall. The Kennedys are the wealthiest family in the region, and Lily is a beautiful woman. Dirk isn’t stupid enough to mess that up.”

  There was something in Roger’s voice that caught Tabitha’s attention. “Lily is wealthy and beautiful. Sounds perfect. Why would Dirk be interested in my sister?”

  “Dirk is a womanizer. Always has been. And Lily is the perfect Southern belle cliché. Iron fist in the velvet glove. Dirk may be the head of the Kennedy lands, but only in title. Lily will always have the final say. That can wear on a man.”

  Tabitha sat forward in the truck seat, dislodging the cats. “You think he might have been seeing Trudy on the side? Could he be Trudy’s mystery man?”

  Roger sighed. “Felicity said something about the two of them having fun together. I wouldn’t have thought it. Dirk’s always been a flirt. Even as a kid, he could turn that charm on and make young girls and old ladies feel special. But he and Lily are serious. He really seems to care about her. And there’s a huge inheritance riding on his appropriate behavior. He’s not a stupid man. In this world, you don’t get your cake and eat it too.”

  “Do you think he might know anything about Trudy’s disappearance?”

  “I’ll find out. That’s a promise.”

  * * *

  Pluto and I agree. Dirk Cotwell is a lead that must be followed. Strange that Roger didn’t mention Dirk’s interest in Trudy before now. And he’s tense. I attributed that to his crazy Mama’s behavior. Drama Queen of the highest order. But I detect there is something else going on. And Pluto agrees. Which is why we’ll split up. I’ll stick with Tabitha, and Pluto is going to hang with Roger. It’s a good thing Sarah Booth Delaney is out of town with the sheriff, which gives Pluto a little more latitude. But he is something of a celebrity in town and his movements are more restricted than mine.

  He was delighted to spend a bit of time with his ladylove, Vesta. She’s safe and being well treated in Long Hall, and that’s the best he can hope for until Trudy is found. Now the game is truly afoot. I hope soon to be able to say, “Elementary, my dear Watson,” and find the trail to the missing Trudy Wells.

  Chapter Ten

  Roger dropped Tabitha at the dating service and headed to DayzSeed and Chemical, Pluto the cat riding shotgun in his truck. He’d pay his condolences about Lisa and see if he could glean any information about what she was up to. On the way, he called Dirk Cotwell.

  “You left a message to call. What’s up, Dirk?” he asked.

  “I was hoping you could tell me where Trudy Wells has disappeared to,” Dirk said. “We were supposed to meet for dinner a couple of weeks ago. She never showed. I’ve left calls and messages for her at home and at Long Ag, but she doesn’t respond. I called your offices today and they said she hadn’t been into work for two weeks. Any idea what’s going on with her?”

  “She did quit coming to work.” Roger tried to keep the details to a minimum without lying. If Dirk was somehow involved, Roger didn’t want to arouse his suspicions. It was probably a silly precaution, but since he didn’t know what had really happened to Trudy, he was playing his cards close to his vest.

  “Why’d she quit?” Dirk asked.

  “I don’t know. She didn’t say. She just stopped showing up.”

  “Do you know where she went?”

  Dirk’s question could truly be that of a man who had a romantic interest in Trudy—or it could be something more sinister. “I’m at a loss,” Roger said. “Did she mention anything to you? Any troubles with anyone? I heard you’d taken her to dinner a couple of times.” He couldn’t hide the disapproval in his voice.

  “Yeah, we went to Memphis for some barbecue and then dancing at the local blues club a couple of times. She’s a fun girl. I’d hoped to spend a little more time with her.”

  “Maybe she had a family illness or something,” Roger said. “Did she mention any family to you? I’d really like to know she’s okay and put that worry out of my head. She was showing real promise at her job, but if she isn’t coming back, I need to replace her.”

  “She never said a word about family. All I know is that she was from a good New Orleans family that fell on hard times. Degree from Tulane. She was smart, but kind of a tumbleweed. She liked the finer things in life, but she was willing to work to have them. I mean she wasn’t spoiled, like some debutantes.”

  Roger realized two things--that Dirk’s knowledge of Trudy came from her dating video and that Lily Kennedy, for all of her assets was wearing thin. Dirk Cotwell was, technically, single. And he did farm a vast track of land, though it was a combination of the Cotwell land and the Kennedy property—belonging to the family of his fiancée. Everyone in the Delta knew Dirk had asked Lily Kennedy to marry him, and that he was “marrying up” in Delta society. “Dirk, I have to ask. Why were you dating Trudy when you’re obligated to Lily?”

  Dirk laughed. “Lily knows I’m not the kind of man to settle down. Besides, I’m just sowing a few wild oats
before the bracelets are slapped on me.” He paused, then continued. “Lily’s family wants the marriage, and I’m happy to oblige. I’m not going to change who I am. I’ve been honest about that.”

  “Were you honest with Trudy?” Roger drove down the straight Delta farm roads that cut through the fields. Corn, soybeans, cotton—it was all coming up. So far the perfect weather had worked in favor of all farmers. How long would that last? No one knew.

  “I never led her to expect more than an evening’s pleasure.” Dirk was beginning to sound a little testy. “I like my fun but I’m not a cad.”

  Reading between the lines, Roger knew exactly how Dirk had played his hand. He’d wowed Trudy with fun dates but never intimated that he was interested in more than momentary fun. He’d never pressure her for more than she would willingly offer. To give the devil his due, Dirk had never pretended to be other than what he was—a hardworking farmer with a broad streak of partying. Roger didn’t judge Dirk’s choices, but there was more on the line than how Dirk led his life. A young woman was missing, and Roger had to admit—if only to himself—that he cared that Tabitha wasn’t hurt. “Did you tell Trudy you were engaged?”

  “Didn’t have to. The gossips in Sunflower County were happy to oblige. She knew. Trust me, she knew and she didn’t care anymore than I did.”

  “So, Trudy knew.” But Roger was willing to bet Lily didn’t. Delta society closed around young women to protect them from “the harsh realities of life.” While people might tell Trudy the score about Dirk’s playboy ways, it was probable they’d held their tongues around Lily Kennedy and her family. “Is it possible Trudy felt she was getting too emotionally involved with you and decided to leave on her own?”

  “I know you don’t approve of my behavior, Roger, but the girl knew the score. I never led her on. If she took off for greener pastures, it wasn’t because she understood our relationship wasn’t going anywhere. What we had was casual and fun. A few bands and bars, some dinners…nothing more. Trudy came across as…easy, but that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t a floozy and we only had fun, not an intimate relationship. Hell, she wanted to talk about cotton all the time. So don’t start building scenarios in your head where I harmed that girl for any reason.”