Sweet Mystery (29 page)

Rae squinted into the distance at the fluffy
white cloud now floating on its way. Sun rays washed the landscape
again with radiance.

“I suppose you’re right. Yes, life is
good.”

* * *

“Good afternoon.” Simon stood awkwardly in
Rae’s back doorway. “I can come back if you want.” He gazed at the
three sets of eyes examining him.

Rae sat with LaMar, Tante Ina, and Andrew in
her kitchen at home. LaMar was about to give them his latest report
when Simon arrived. Rae and Simon had become so comfortable with
each other that he was now used to walking around the back.

Rae shot an anxious glance over her shoulder.
“No, come on in.”

Andrew and Tante Ina wore closed expressions
while LaMar looked curious at the change in atmosphere this
newcomer brought. Though her family had met Simon at the dance
hall, this was the first time any of them had been in such close
contact with him. Andrew had treated him with guarded, stiff
courtesy in public. Rae had no time to caution her relatives to be
polite.

“I’m a little early. I could go take care of
a few errands,” Simon said in a low voice.

“Stop fidgeting.” Rae planted a firm kiss on
his cheek. “Simon, that’s LaMar Zeno. He’s the private investigator
I told you about. You know my sweet Tante Ina and Andrew.”

“Nice to meet you, Andrew, Miss Ina.” Simon
shook hands with the two men and nodded to Tante Ina.

“Sit right here.” Rae pulled out a chair at
the table. She then perched on a kitchen stool next to Simon while
giving her aunt and brother a ‘you better behave’ look.

“How’s your pawpaw and monmon, Simon?” Tante
Ina nodded to him.

“They’re fine, thank you,” he replied.

“Tell Olivia I said hello. I’m gonna try and
be at the Women’s Auxiliary meeting next Tuesday.” Tante Ina
flashed a smile. “That Liv always comes up with the best ideas for
the taste fair.”

Andrew seemed to take her cue. “Big time
party when the dance hall opened, eh? You been all right?”

Simon nodded at him. “Fine, just fine.”

“LaMar was about to tell us some news.” Rae
looked at Tante Ina and Andrew. “I didn’t tell y’all Simon helped
me. He got some information from Mr. Joe that gave LaMar good clues
on where to look.”

“That a fact? Thank ya, man.” Andrew broke
into his familiar, charming smile.

Tante Ina hopped up. “Here, son, have some
cola. I brought teacakes, too.” She ignored protests from Rae that
she should not move. “Pooh, I’m right here at the ice box.”

The tension gripping Rae’s neck began to
ease. Of all people, she’d been afraid that Tante Ina would have
trouble accepting Simon. Yet she now realized her error. Both Tante
Ina and Andrew were the most open, warm people she knew. They were
willing to get to know Simon; not reject him because his name was
St. Cyr. The ultimate proof was Tante Ina fussing over them all,
serving food.

Simon, babe, you’re in.

“Now we fixed up.” Tante Ina checked to make
sure everyone was served at least one teacake and their beverage of
choice. “LaMar, sugar, tell us what you done found out.”

LaMar took a deep breath. “What I’ve
discovered so far isn’t promising or good news.”

Tante Ina leaned forward with both plump arms
resting on her table. “You mean it’s all true? Salleau prie
(doggonit)!”

“You found them?” Rae strained forward. Her
heart thumped at the thought that she might meet the two legends of
Belle Rose.

“Well, I’m pretty sure they bought tickets
for that freighter. I found out that Estelle had an uncle in New
Orleans. Her family goes back to the late eighteenth century in
Creole society.” LaMar unzipped a black, leather portfolio. Inside
was a light green legal pad, filled with notes in his neat
handwriting.

Tante Ina made a rude noise to show what she
thought of Estelle’s family. “Yeah, Estelle and her whole family
was something else. The Fazandes looked down on everybody, even the
Joves.”

“Well, this Uncle Alphonse is the one who
probably helped her get passports. He wasn’t much older than them
and he was considered really eccentric. I can’t find anyone
connected to the ship who might know a way to prove they got on. So
I went on the assumption that since they were never found, they
must have made the trip.” LaMar flipped a page of the notepad.

“But why leave the country?” Andrew scratched
his head.

“The freighter went to South America. There
were countries there that offered more opportunities to people of
color. But here’s the kicker – they could have gone to one of the
Caribbean Islands, too.” LaMar looked at him and nodded slowly.

Tante Ina waved a hand. “This is gettin’
crazier by the day.”

Rae blinked at him. “Don’t tell me the ship
made stops at the islands?”

LaMar turned to her. “You got it. They
stopped at Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Jamaica; then went on down the
coast of South America, ending up in Bolivia.”

“So he did run off with Estelle.” Andrew sat
back in his chair. “That old rascal.”

“He wasn’t old when he did it, Andy,” Rae
said. Still, she understood what he meant. She, too, had grown up
with the image of an older man, like the grandfathers they knew in
other families.

“It looks that way.” LaMar looked at his
notes again. “And they would have needed more than a few dollars to
do it. I hate to say this but...”

“Yeah, I’m thinkin’ exactly what everybody in
town was thinkin’ back then.” Andrew folded his arms across his
chest. He looked at Tante Ina and Rae. “An’ they didn’t know as
much as we do now.”

“Looks like they had it right all along,”
Tante Ina said in a small voice. “Even though I suspected it, deep
down I always hoped it wasn’t true. Mama never said a word, but she
was so bitter.”

“Of course, you won’t know for sure unless
you find out exactly where they went,” Simon put in cautiously. “I
mean, they should get a chance to tell their side.”

“What are they gonna say? Love made it
right?” Andrew made a grunting sound to show what he thought of
that statement.

“I’m just saying that, although it’s a long
shot, there could be another explanation.” Simon shrugged. “You
never know.”

Tante Ina patted his hand. “Thanks, cher. But
I gotta agree with Andrew. Rae, quit throwin’ good money after bad.
Looks like we got our answer.”

“Simon is right. I, at least, want to hear
what they have to say.” Rae’s full mouth was set in a determined
line.

“Sugar, you done what Lucien asked. He wanted
you to find out the truth. Now I know this ain’t what he would have
wanted to hear. Shoot, he probably wouldn’t have believed it. But
you can’t spend all your money,” Tante Ina said.

“But–”

“Tante Ina is right, Rae. We got to think
about the dance hall now. Let’s at least build that up for this
family.” Andrew looked at her.

Simon took Rae’s hand. “LaMar, what do you
think?”

“Well…” LaMar rubbed his chin for several
seconds. “I have to be honest; this little mystery has led me down
more than a few intriguing paths. But I have to agree with Miss Ina
and Andrew. The logical thing to do, based on circumstantial
evidence, would be to end the investigation.”

“I hear a ‘but’ in your voice.” Rae sat
forward. “Come on, LaMar, spill it.”

“Maybe I’m imagining things, but it’s all
too... neat, I guess is the word.” LaMar pushed his notes aside.
“Look, two lovers in a fit of passion plan their getaway. They
steal money and dash off one hot summer night.”

“You could write one of them romance books,
cher.” Tante Ina grinned at him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” LaMar chuckled.
“Anyway, they get to New Orleans, get on board a ship and, poof,
they’re gone forever. The trail is clear up to a certain point. Why
didn’t more people see them? It was in the newspapers at the
time.”

“They were careful. Maybe they had friends
helping them along the way,” Rae put in.

“And not one of them talked? No neighbors
noticed anything?” LaMar shook his head. “Somebody always talks in
my experience. Even career criminals slip and tell somebody.”

Simon wore a slight frown of concentration as
he digested his words. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Another thing,
there was a reward offered of five hundred dollars for
information.”

“You right,” Tante Ina put in. “I remember
that now. But none of the tips they got turned out to be worth
much.”

“Papa Joe said it was mostly folks who didn’t
really know anything, but were just after the money,” Simon
said.

“Mais, yeah. Five hundred dollars could get
you a car and down payment on a house back then,” Tante Ina
added.

“But didn’t Mr. Henry’s daddy withdraw that
reward only a month later, or so?” Andrew gazed around the
table.

“What?” LaMar’s head jerked up.

“Daddy always said that’s one thing that made
him real suspicious. If you lose ten thousand dollars, why would
you offer a reward and then cancel it?” Andrew lifted a shoulder.
“Course I hear the old man was stingy.”

“Not only that, he wouldn’t have given two
pennies for Estelle,” Tante Ina retorted. “For all her fine family,
old man Jove and especially Henry’s mama didn’t think much of
her.”

“Papa Joe said they weren’t happy with Mr.
Henry’s choice of wife at all,” Simon put in.

“Then that could be the explanation.” Andrew
looked at everyone. “Right?”

Several seconds ticked by as they all
pondered the tangle of facts. LaMar had done a great job of tracing
what seemed an invisible trail. There was no conclusive answer to
all the questions. Yet everything they knew pointed to a likely
explanation.

Rae slumped in her chair. “Yes. It
could.”

“Babe, it’s up to you. How badly do you want
to find out the whole story?” Simon put an arm around her
chair.

Tante Ina sighed. “Yeah, cher. I gotta admit
that it sure is interestin’ to find all this out after wonderin’
about it for the last fifty years. But the only mystery left is
where they went and what happened to ‘em since then.”

“True. Do we wanna find a man who maybe
doesn’t wanna hear from us?” Andrew asked.

“Daddy wanted me to find out the whole truth.
Seems to me we right back where we started.” Rae tapped the table
top with her forefinger. “I want to keep searching, LaMar.”

“Tell you what, I’ve got to go down to St.
George’s on another case. It’s just a short hop to Trinidad from
there. So the entire cost won’t be charged to you,” LaMar said.

“Thanks, LaMar. Anything else you need to do,
do it.” Rae said.

“I’ll check with you before proceeding in any
way that will exceed my daily rate.” LaMar zipped his portfolio and
stood up. “I’ll send you an itemized list of expenses for my trip.
Y’all have a good evening.”

“Sounds good.” Rae walked him to the back
door.

“Well, that’s that. We’re gonna go after the
facts.” Andrew smiled. “I feel like I’m in one of those mystery
movies on the late, late show.”

Tante Ina did not share his humor. “I got a
bad feelin’. My grandmama used to say watch out when you get a
shiver up your spine on a hot day. Somethin’ bad gonna happen.” She
looked grim.

“Aw, come on now.” Andrew pinched his
great-aunt’s plump cheek. “Just cause they found somebody’s bones
and Pawpaw Vincent might be a thief, no need to get
superstitious.”

“Is that your idea of lifting our spirits,
Andy?” Rae teased.

Andrew’s wide, boyish smile beamed. “Look,
business is great and it’s a beautiful Wednesday evening. Y’all
gotta quit lookin’ for reasons to have a long face.”

Tante Ina gave his ear a pull. “You and your
happy face can take me on home, Andrew Paul Dalcour. Let’s leave
these lovebirds alone.” She rose from her chair.

“Y’all don’t have to rush off,” Simon
protested with a blush.

“That’s right. Stay and chat a while,” Rae
added.

“No, my club is meetin’ this evenin’ at
six-thirty over to Bea’s house. Goodness, it’s almost five. Come on
here, Andrew.” Tante Marie gave Rae a hasty peck on her check. “Bye
y’all. I got finger sandwiches to fix.”

“I’ll get you home in plenty of time, Tante.”
Andrew followed her out of the door with his long-legged
stride.

“If you thinkin’ ‘bout speedin’, think again.
Wonder you ain’t wrapped your fool self around some tree...” Tante
Ina’s strong voice trailed off.

As they walked down the side of the building,
their voices could be heard in a good-natured argument.

Simon put an arm around Rae’s neck.
“Satisfied with your decision?”

“Truth is I’m beginning to wonder if I want
to know the whole story. It could be worse than any of us
imagined.” She leaned on him for emotional as well as physical
support.

It was disturbing to think that her
grandfather was not at all the man Lucien kept alive in memory. Her
father had been insistent that his children listen to happy stories
about the ‘big, handsome man.’ Yet Lucien had only been seven years
old when Vincent disappeared. A child’s idealized image of the
father he adored could be far from the reality.

“Who was the real Vincent Dalcour? That’s as
big a mystery as what happened to him,” Simon mused.

“Yes. Deep down, I believed Daddy’s view of
him all these years. And now...” Rae shook her head.

“Well, Mr. Henry sure does go on about him.
Toya says...” Simon’s voice trailed off at the look Rae gave
him.

“How is Miss Center of the Universe these
days?” she snapped.

“Come on now.” Simon wriggled under her hard
stare. “Visiting Mr. Henry, I’m bound to see her. He’s her
grandfather, you know.”

“Hmm. Just why are you always over there
anyway? Yeah, yeah, I know you got along with the man and still do,
but it’s not like he’s your grandfather.” Rae knew she might sound
childish, but the thought of Toya prancing around Simon irritated
her, no end.