A Cold Day in Hell (30 page)

P
ushing the door to Poke Around open with a shoulder, Eileen staggered in under the weight of the fresh turkey Sam, at Sadie and Sam’s, had produced like a magician the moment he saw her. Also in the box were all the fixings for the rest of Eileen’s Christmas meal. The pies were still in the van because she couldn’t carry any more.

She could hardly think about the homemade cookies Sadie had produced, flapping away Eileen’s protests and thanks. “You’re having a hard time,” Sadie had said. “This is what neighbors do.” And a Yule log got added to the collection.

Sam had asked Eileen to tell Sonny and Aaron he’d be glad to see them back at the store just as soon as their lives calmed down.

Christmas music and the tinkle of bells on many trees met her the moment she was inside her shop.

“Eileen!” Suky-Jo all but shrieked. “You shouldn’t be here but I’m so glad you’re looking better. You don’t have to worry about a thing here. We’ve got everything under control.”

A small woman with oversize blue eyes and a lot of very curly black hair emerged from the stock room, saw Eileen and came at a trot. “You’re in one piece! Yay!” Aurelie Board said. “This town specializes in colorful stories. I was expecting a headless woman.”

Eileen laughed and slid her burden onto one of the café tables near her red Cadillac espresso machine. The array of fresh goodies in the case beneath didn’t go unnoticed. This shop—her baby—was clicking over quite nicely without her.

Customers laughed and chatted among baskets heaped with eye-catching merchandise. Eileen prided herself on stocking things rarely found elsewhere, and at Christmas she went wild.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Aurelie. “I wasn’t sure you and Nick were getting back in time for Christmas.”

Aurelie and Nick Board had married the previous year, a love match that had seemed too dangerous to pursue at the outset. Aurelie was a lawyer but while going through a disenchanted period, she’d worked for Eileen at the store.

“I’m having a ball,” Aurelie said. “Nick’s out at Place Lafource, smoothing Delia’s feathers because we were so late getting back from our vacation. I’m not opening my office until after the New Year, so when I heard what was happening, I came over to help Suky-Jo.” She grinned. “And to buy everything in the place because I haven’t had time to shop.”

The music that blared abruptly from the salon next door sounded like a heavy-metal version of “Silent Night” and Eileen winced. “Where does that stuff come from?”

She didn’t get an answer.

“I’ve got to run an errand down to Rusty’s place before I go home and this is my entire Christmas dinner. Turkey, the lot. If Sadie and Sam hadn’t put it together, we’d be eating Spam sandwiches. I love Spam sandwiches, especially with chili sauce on ’em, but they aren’t exactly Christmas.”

Suky-Jo and Aurelie shook their heads. “We’ve got the big doings out at Delia’s,” Aurelie said.

“I’ll be at Ona’s for a while with the kids and families, tomorrow,” Suky-Jo said. “Then we’re having dinner at my place. Lynette’s coming and we’re going to make up something for Frances at the clinic. That Betty Sims is a hoot. She said she wants Bailey’s coffee through a straw.”

Eileen rolled her eyes. “Will all this fit in the refrigerator?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Suky-Jo said. “We’ll make sure it all stays cold.”

“Did Betty’s family show up?” Eileen asked, suddenly remembering the woman’s comments.

“Her son did. Nice enough guy but a bit of a wimp,” Suky-Jo said. “He didn’t seem keen on taking her home when Dr. Mitch told him she’d need a lot of care for a few weeks. Said his wife’s not strong.”

“Won’t it cost a fortune for her to stay at the clinic?”

Aurelie started unpacking Eileen’s box. “Easier to fit in this way. When Betty’s ready, she’ll go out to Place Lafource with Delia. According to Lynette, Angel wanted her at his place but Delia’s got Sabine and they can take care of things better.”

She left the store and the complex. A call to Aaron and Sonny gave her the news that Delia had been out there with all kinds of food and so had Angel. Apparently Delia had taken on the town’s woes and decided it was her responsibility to ease them.

The boys and Locum were coming home for dinner tonight.

How would she get the turkey cooked in time?

Hating to do it, she called the shop and got Aurelie. “I’m embarrassed but I’ve got to get that turkey cooked and I don’t have time to take it home,” she said. “Can you think of anywhere around where an oven isn’t being used?”

“Leave it to me,” Aurelie said. “I know of several ovens that aren’t being used. Bye.”

Eileen vowed never to have another crazy Christmas like this one. If necessary, she’d leave town. No, she couldn’t do that because of the shop.

She headed south toward Rusty’s house. She absolutely hated the idea of going to visit Gracie when she had no idea what the woman wanted, especially on Christmas Eve. Getting away without telling Angel had been easy and she hadn’t lied. She had gone to Poke Around. Now she had to get through here and get back or he would think something was wrong.

When Angel called Poke Around, Aurelie Board answered.

“Aurelie? What are you doing there?” he asked.

“Enjoying myself,” she said. “That’s all you have to know. And, yes, Nick and I have been away, but we got back yesterday.”

He digested that and said, “Okay. Great. Is Eileen there? I’m upstairs at the Mansion. Just got into Duhon’s and there’s nothing going on here. You’d think we were running a rest home. I thought I’d see what Eileen’s up to.”

“She’s running errands,” Aurelie said. She thought Angel was a dish and the perfect match for Eileen. “She’ll have to come back here because your dinner’s here. You are eating with Eileen and the boys, aren’t you?” She gritted her teeth at her own audacity.

“Yes,” he said and she heard laughter in his voice. “Maybe I’d better come down and get the turkey. We’ll be eating at midnight otherwise.”

What a man!
“Eileen thought of everything. The people at the patisserie next door have finished baking for the day so they put your turkey in one of their ovens. Nothing to worry about.”

Eileen waited while Gracie closed the front door at Rusty’s.

“When does he get to sleep?” she asked Gracie, more to make conversation than because she wanted to know.

“He usually gets home in the early hours of the morning and goes right to bed,” Gracie said. “At least, I think he does. I get home and pass out.”

“Two jobs is one too many,” Eileen said. She followed Gracie into a neat apartment that barely looked lived in. The galley kitchen was to the left and she supposed that in daylight the view over the bayou would be nice.

“It’s more comfortable in my bedroom,” Gracie said. “Sounds funny, I guess, but when you live on your own you tend to make a nest and it’s in here for me.”

The first item Eileen noticed was a tiny, artificial Christmas tree on a chest of drawers. The bed was only double-sized, a small TV stood on a wheeled cart pressed against the bottom of the bed and there were two comfortable-looking blue chairs with a polished but scarred table between them.

Gracie waved her into one of the chairs and excused herself. She returned with a carafe of what smelled like excellent coffee and two mugs. “Do you take cream?”

“No, thanks.” Eileen wanted Gracie to get to the point.

The woman set down the mugs and poured coffee. She put one mug in front of Eileen. “This isn’t going to be easy,” she said. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a long time, but I always lose my nerve.”

There seemed nothing for Eileen to say.

“Please let me finish what I need to say,” Gracie said. “It’s going to sound really bad at first, but everything that involves me happened years ago and it’s been over a long time. I want to come clean.”

“Okay.” Hair prickled on the back of Eileen’s neck. She saw how Gracie’s hands shook. The other room would have been much better for whatever this conversation turned out to be.

Rather than sit down, Gracie held her mug between both hands and paced. She’d tried to wash off some makeup that accidentally spattered on the bodice of the pink sundress but had only managed to make more of a mess.

“I had an affair with Chuck before he left Pointe Judah.” She didn’t glance at Eileen. It was Chuck’s fault she had to do this. He’d gone too far and now she intended to make sure Eileen never took him back. “He left because I threatened to break up your marriage by telling you. He never wanted a divorce, but I pushed him to go ahead with it. I never told anyone about us because there was nothing to gain. He’s back now because he wants to get back into your life—and get your money. That’s why he’s been pushing you to marry him again.”

All Eileen felt was cold. She was supposed to react, but she didn’t feel anything. Gracie was telling the sordid truth; Eileen was certain of that. “Is that all?” she said. She didn’t want to touch the coffee or anything else here.

Gracie stopped pacing and stood a few feet from Eileen. “I shouldn’t have done what I did to you. I feel responsible.”

“You shouldn’t,” Eileen said. “He’s the one who committed adultery. Or are you married, too? Were you?”

Dull red swept into Gracie’s face. “No, never.” Her mouth twisted. “I was never lucky enough.”

“You must have had your chances. Or do you only date married men?”

Gracie opened her mouth as if she would snap back, but stopped and averted her face. “Do you think this is easy for me?”

“I don’t know why you’re telling me at all. It doesn’t mean anything to me now.”

“Of course it does.” Gracie actually sounded petulant. “You can’t believe Chuck made such a fool of you.”

Eileen couldn’t speak.

Gracie began to fear what Chuck might try when he found out she’d betrayed him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something to himself when he finds out what I’ve told you. Maybe you’d better pretend you don’t know.”

Slowly, on legs that shook, Eileen stood. “How dare you? Chuck loves himself too much to deliberately cause himself pain.” She walked toward the door as steadily as she could, grateful that her anger held back any tears.

“You always were a prissy bitch,” Gracie said behind her.

Eileen kept on walking, until Gracie, her fingers tangled in Eileen’s hair, yanked her backward and tripped her. She fell awkwardly, her head turned to one side. Gracie tightened the punishing hold.

Punching out with her feet and fists, Eileen strained to make contact. Gracie, always athletic, fought as if she’d done it more than a time or two before. Dropping to her knees, she pulled Eileen’s left arm behind her back, forced it up until she finally got what she wanted: Eileen cried out.

“Why are you doing this?” she gasped between pants. “I’m no threat to you. I don’t care about you and Chuck. He’s nothing to me.”

Gracie spat in Eileen’s face. Eileen shut her mouth tightly. Her stomach burned. She screamed. Every attempt to struggle tore at her shoulder.

“I hate you,” Gracie said. “I’ve always hated you. You do
too
care about Chuck. You’ve managed to keep him on the hook. I never knew how until a little while ago. You knew you were coming into money and once he left you, you used it to keep him hanging around. You taunted him, told him you’d marry him again and you’d share everything with him.”

There was nothing sane about this. “Did Chuck tell you that?” She had to be careful if she hoped to get out of here.

Gracie pushed her onto her face. Eileen heard the distinctive sound of duct tape unrolling before Gracie wound tape around Eileen’s forearm and upper arm, trussing the limb behind her back like a dead chicken.

“Don’t do this,” Eileen sobbed. She couldn’t move. Her shoulder felt as if it would pop her arm free at any moment. She could hardly think past the pain.

Kicks pounded her sides. Over and over, Gracie kicked her, stomped on the backs of her legs. “You bitch!” Gracie screamed. “You ruined my life. I lost my baby because of you.”

Grayness wound around the edges of Eileen’s mind. She heard the words but couldn’t concentrate.

A kick to the kidney left her gasping.

“It’s your turn to suffer,” Gracie hissed. She sounded out of breath. “That baby was Chuck’s and mine but he couldn’t be a husband to me or a father to our baby because of you. My baby had to die. How would I bring up a kid on my own, working the kind of jobs I do?”

“That’s sad,” Eileen mumbled.

“Don’t you feel sorry for me.” A kick punctuated each word. “You’re never going to get a chance to feel sorry for me again.”

Gracie jumped up and ran to the windows. When she lowered the blinds they cracked against the windowsills.

Then she was back, her fingers in Eileen’s hair again, twisting, tearing. “Get up,” she said. “Time for your last walk.”

Angel left the Oakdale Center and rode south on his bike.

If he hadn’t called back to the shop and spoken to Aurelie, he still wouldn’t know Eileen had gone down to Rusty’s. For the third time he called Eileen’s phone, and for the third time he got her answering message.