Deep Dixie (18 page)

“
Like you believe his wild claim.
”
She said it as much for herself as for the trusting old soul beside her.

“
Why not?
”

“
It
’
s just too easy, that
’
s all. Daddy
’
s gone and can
’
t substantiate the story. I mean, I know now that they did meet, Mavis confirmed as much for me, but as to the nature of their talk?
”

Dixie moved to the sofa, a traditional top-of-the-line style that had been the mainstay of the Fulton line for thirty years. The upholstery, called
wheat on white
, looked almost opalescent bathed in the low afternoon sun. It was the kind of piece that reflected well on its owners, suggesting taste, elegance, unchanging style, and uncompromising standards. Dixie wanted to kick it as hard as she could.

Instead, she kicked off her heels. As i
f some dirt and a few scuffmarks more or less would matter
. She swiped at a couple of downy tufts of apricot-colored hair. She plopped down and stretched out on the sofa.

She let her body sink into the thick cushions and sighed.
“
Oh, Miss Lettie, I
’
m so tired and confused. I just feel like... like almost everything in my life is slipping through my grasp, careening wildly away, totally out of my control.
”

“
Well, good.
”

“
Good?
”
She jerked her head around to see if Lettie was even still listening.
“
Those times we step back and say to ourselves that things is out of our hands, that gets us out of the way and gives the Lord some elbow room to start working his wonders.
”

“
You think one of those wonders he can start to work on right away is finding me a new lawyer to help me sort this all out?
”
She laid her head down.

“
Pshaw. What
’
s it take to find a legal man? They
’
s all over! I even got one in
my
family
”

“
You do?
”

“
You think a black man can
’
t be a lawyer man, too? Or is it you think poor ol
’
Lettie can
’
t have her a grandson over in Jackson with a fancy education? I had an education, you know, Founder Fulton seen to it that I had a lot of book learning.
”

“
Yes, I know, ma
’
am. You told me.
”
She rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow.
“
It
’
s just that you so rarely speak of your family. I know you and your daughter, Helen Betty, were estranged before...
”

Lettie
’
s brow crimped as if she had a flash of deep pain.

Dixie let the reference drop.
“
I always assumed your grandson lived far, far away. Now to hear out of the blue like that he is a lawyer and living in Jackson—
”

“
Shoo, that ain
’
t important.
”

Dixie could see the woman
’
s defenses go up. There
’
d be no more talk of grandsons or any of Lettie
’
s relatives tonight. Still, Dixie had a small piece of information she
’
d never had before.

Lettie
’
s grandson lived in Jackson. He was a lawyer. Dixie needed a lawyer. And even if it ended up he wasn
’
t the man for the job, when Dixie walked in as a prospective client he
’
d have to listen to her pitch for a reconciliation with his grandmother. Wouldn
’
t that make the best birthday present of all for her dear Miss Lettie?

“
Besides, Dixie Belle, what you need ain
’
t the law. What you need is--
”

Dixie squeezed her eyes shut so tight they burned.
“
Please don
’
t say I need a man to come rescue me.
”

Lettic chuckled softly.
“
Did I ever tell you that story I love so much?
‘
Bout the man gots caught up in a great flood?
”

“
I think you have.
”
She spoke so softly she knew Lettie could not hear. Even if she did, it would not stop her from telling the story again.

“
See, this man, he saw the waters rising and had no way of escaping them
‘
cept to climb up top of his roof, but the water it just kept a
’
coming. So the man, he took to praying with all his
heart that God have mercy and come and save him.
”
As Lettie spoke, her rocking grew faster, then eased off and slowed down again.

The low creaking of her chair gave off a natural sound effect for the building and ebbing tension of her tale.

“
Pretty soon, came a great peace over the man and he took to mean that God would be coming to his rescue directly.
”

Dixie crossed her ankles then turned her head until the jacquard finish of the sofa cushion chafed lightly at her cheek. She could just barely see Lettie from this vantage.
“
Yes, I know, and then a rowboat came along—
”

“
Am I telling this or are you?
”
Lettie pursed her lips like she
’
d popped a sourball into her mouth and angled her sparse, wiry eyebrows down.

“
You are, ma
’
am.
”
Dixie tried not to show her amusement at seeing the old gal get her ire up. Miss Lettie still had a lot of life in her, and Dixie hoped to draw on her advice and guidance for a while yet to come.

“
Well, like you said,
‘
round come somebody in a rowboat, tells the man to hop in and they
’
ll go on to safety. No, says the man, God is coming directly for me. I
’
m going to wait on him.
”
Lettie waved her hand in the air like she was sending the row- boat away herself.

Dixie smiled.

“
The water keeps on rising. Soon enough another rowboat comes along and the man does the same thing.
”
Lettie waved again.
“
Then one-a-them helicopters comes over, and even though the water is about to overtake him, lah, if that fool don
’
t send that helicopter on its way too. Then you know what happens?
”

“
The man drowns and goes to heaven.
”

Lettie slapped her hands together.
“
The man drowns and goes to heaven! And when he gets there he asks the Lord why the Lord didn
’
t come to the rescue and the Lord says—
”

Dixie joined in.
“
I sent you two rowboats and a helicopter, what more did you want?
”

A steely silence greeted her.

“
I cotton, for somebody so smart…
”
Lettie shot Dixie a look that could have blistered paint,
“
I
’
d think you
’
d have sense enough to consider that this Walker man just might be—
”

“
Oh no.
”
Dixie held her hand up, not wanting Miss Lettie to even finish that thought.

If Lettie had any more to add, Dixie did not know. And she never would since Peachie Too came bursting into the room, barking like a record played too fast or a dog breathing a tank full of helium. The animal snarled and bared its teeth at no one in particular. Then, catching sight of its tail poking out from beneath the tartan plaid fitted cape Aunt Sis had wriggled onto the dog this morning, it began to chase its hind end in a whirl of activity that made Dixie dizzy just to watch.

“
Oh, my Sis is home.
”
Dixie sat up.
“
The Judge can
’
t be far behind, and here I haven
’
t even thought about what to fix for dinner.
”

Aunt Sis
’
s perfume wafted into the room before her footsteps even reached the threshold.
“
You
’
ll just never guess who I ran into just outside my meeting of the Commemoration Day steering committee asking directions for a hotel and a nice place to eat tonight.
”

Dixie wriggled her toes and ran her fingers through her hair, sending her hair bouncing over her face and shoulders.
“
As long as you didn
’
t offer to put them up here and invite them home for supper, I don
’
t really care Aunt Sis.
”

“
Oh, but I did, dear.
”

“
So we meet again, Miss Fulton-Leigh.
”

That mocking masculine voice went through her like a shard of glass. She stopped mid toe-wiggle and dared to lift just enough of the brunette veil from her eyes to confirm her greatest fear.

Riley Walker stood in the doorway of her home, big as life, grinning like he
’
d just won the Kentucky Derby without a horse!

“
You
!
”
Dixie seethed the word out through horror-clenched teeth.

“
You mean you already know Mr. Walker, Dixie?
”
Aunt Sis tittered out a nervous laugh.

Dixie just sat there, her hands in her hair, her legs sticking straight out, and her shoeless feet extended at odd angles.

Riley stepped into the room.

“
Well, don
’
t just sit there with your jaw hanging open, Dixie Belle.
”
Lettie
’
s rocker fell into a quiet rhythm with the ever ticking clock.
“
Get yourself up and do something. I do believe your rowboat has arrived.
”

Chapter Eight

“
The only reason I agreed to your help in getting supper ready is so there wouldn
’
t be any witnesses.
”
Dixie let the swinging kitchen door fall shut with a
whoosh
that just barely missed her unexpected guest
’
s backside.

He didn
’
t even flinch.
“
I
’
m not too worried about witnesses, Miss Fulton-Leigh.
”

He very slowly laced one arm over the other across his chest, which looked somehow even broader than she remembered. Probably because of the starkness of his white shirt and the absence of his elegant tie, which had lent a civilizing effect to all that brawn.

“
Anything happens to me I reckon you know you
’
d be the prime suspect, witnesses or not.
”
He dipped his chin and a lock of his curly black hair fell forward onto his tanned forehead.
“
Seeing as you
’
re the only person I know who isn
’
t utterly dazzled by my exceptional wit and charm—and my uncommon humility, of course.
”

Brawn tempered by a gentle good nature that she could see twinkling in his dark eyes, and which brought a genuine warmth to that rakish grin. Dixie wished she could just—

“
Spare me the nonsense, Mr. Walker. The truth is I brought you in here because I don
’
t want anyone to overhear what I have to say to you.
”

“
Hmmm. Strange that you didn
’
t have that fear when you tried to discuss our new business partnership in the drugstore earlier today.
”

“
We don
’
t
have
a business partnership, and that is something I will discuss openly and often with anyone who cares to lend an ear.
”
She swept her gaze upward over the pale yellow walls of the small kitchen, a modern marvel for the late eighteen hundreds when it was built.