Sweet Mystery (33 page)

“Not enough to have you charged with a crime
you didn’t commit.” Marcelle’s eyes glittered with defiance. “And
just let them try. My cousin Phillip in Baton Rouge is one of the
best darn lawyers around.”

“Great, now we’re lining up my defense team.”
Rae shook her head. “Lucien, you got me into this fix, so you
better help get me out.” She gazed around as though expecting her
handsome, rebel father to appear. A series of loud thunderous
knocks, like wood being hit, caused both women to jump and grab
each other’s hands.

“W-what was that?” Marcelle whispered.

Andrew appeared from around a corner of the
dance hall with a couple of the carpenters. The men waved at them.
Rae and Marcelle exchanged a glance and then burst out
laughing.

“Girl, we’re losin’ our minds.” Marcelle
gasped for air and wiped tears from her eyes.

“You should have seen the look on your face,”
Rae spluttered, before becoming incoherent as giggling took control
again.

Marcelle took a deep breath. “Me? Your eyes
were big as plates.”

Rae patted her face with a tissue from the
dispenser in the car. “I must be crazy laughing at a time like
this.”

“Lord have mercy, it’s the stress.” Marcelle
fanned herself.

“If you say so.” Rae shook her head with a
slight smile.

“And I’ll tell you what, we’re gonna beat
this, just like we beat all the tongue waggin’ before. You wait and
see.” She reached over to hug Rae’s neck.

“Did I ever say how lucky I am to have you
for a friend? You’ve always been right there when I needed you
most.” Rae held onto to her a while longer before pulling away.

Marcelle chuckled. “Shoot, I wasn’t gonna
miss all the fun.”

Rae got out of the car and waved goodbye to
her friend as she drove off. As usual, Marcelle had helped to lift
her up when she was slipping down into dejection.

Andrew was beaming at her. “Hey, little
sister, we got good news.”

“Good. I could use some.” Rae greeted the
other two men.

“We figure it’ll take a week, tops, to rip
out the burned wood and put in some new. In fact, Kirk here thinks
we’ll come out better.”

Kirk nodded. “Yeah, we gotta buy lumber, so
we can put up that patio overlooking the bayou. Won’t cost hardly
more than a few deals extra since we buyin’ a big load.”

“That’ll be great for private parties,”
Andrew added, “and now we don’t have to wait.”

“If the insurance pays.” Rae looked glum.

“Thanks guys.” Andrew waited until the two
carpenters had gone back to work before speaking again. “Let’s get
on with the work.”

“You kidding? Andrew, I don’t have the
money.” Rae threw up both hands.

“I talked to Neville and he agrees. I’ve got
three thousand I’m willing to invest; Tante Ina and Uncle David got
money, too. We’re goin’ ahead.”

Rae felt a swell of emotion. “I can’t ask you
to do that. You’re risking everything you have.”

“It’s our decision. And the insurance company
is gonna pay up.” Andrew spoke with confidence.

“That’s not what Tony says.”

Andrew looked around and lowered his voice
even though it was obvious they were alone. “Kirk’s
brother-in-law’s cousin is a mechanic at Pop’s Garage. He the only
one knows how to work on the fire truck. He told Kirk he overheard
some of the firemen talkin’. They say it’s gonna be hard provin’ it
is arson, let alone who did it.”

“Really?” Rae’s hope flared and then went out
with a puff. “Hold up, this is third or fourth-hand information.
Until we hear it from Harold or Tony, don’t count on anything.”

“I’m tellin’ you, the insurance company is
gonna cough up in the end. We got it made.”

“Maybe.” Rae felt a flicker of optimism.
Harold was a smart man, not likely to jump to conclusions.

“Truth is I don’t think Harold is dumb enough
to believe you’d burn this place down. He smells a rat.” Andrew
nodded as he gazed at the dance hall.

Rae studied her brother for a few seconds.
“You’re ready to make a stand.”

Andrew looked at her with a sober expression.
“Even if the insurance doesn’t pay, we’re going to rebuild. We
can’t let them wipe their feet on us, Rae.”

Looking at her brother, she felt a strange
tingle. It was as though Lucien was speaking through his son. She
had never thought of Andrew as taking anything too seriously. Nor
had she ever thought of Lucien as heroic. But she was wrong. Just
as she’d been wrong in thinking that Neville had nothing but
contempt for their father and would never help her revive his
dreams.

Rae clapped her hands together and smiled.
“Then let’s get moving, man. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”

When Andrew put his arm around her shoulder,
she felt all her misgivings shrink to nothing. They talked about
lumber, wiring and other details as they walked to where the
carpenters were working.

In the back of Rae’s mind was the thought of
seeing Simon again. He’d been right to be disgusted with her
behavior. She would apologize for making a scene. Rae savored the
anticipation of feeling warm and loved in his arms. In spite of all
that had happened, she still had reason to hope she could make a
life here.

Chapter 16

That evening, Rae sat on her front porch
thinking about the ugly confrontation with Toya earlier, and
putting things in perspective. Marcelle was right – it was natural
for Miss Elda to be upset at such a difficult time. Rae was amazed
and then thrilled when she got home to find over a dozen phone
calls from folks, expressing support for her to reopen the dance
hall. She had reason to see a distant light at the end of this dark
tunnel. When Simon drove up, she sprang from her rocking chair,
feeling renewed.

“Hi babe.” Rae met him halfway as he walked
across the front yard, and pecked him on the check. He did not
smile or lean toward her.

“Hi.” Simon followed her onto the porch.
After refusing a drink of tea or soda, he sat down.

After several minutes of awkward silence, Rae
spoke up. “That breeze feels good. Nice end to a hot day.”

“There’s more than one reason to be glad this
day is over.” Simon seemed intent on some far-off object.

“Listen, Simon, about what happened... I’m
sorry for letting Toya push me over the edge. The witch got the
better of me, and that hasn’t happened often.” Rae lifted a
shoulder.

“Is that a fact?” Simon continued to look
straight ahead.

“Sure.” Rae wore a slight smile. “I’ve turned
getting back at old Toya into a fine art since seventh grade.”

“I see.”

“Damn straight. Toya went out of her way to
treat me like garbage. She and her girlfriends would stand in a
group making jokes about me. Even after she went to that fancy
private school, when she came home for the holidays it was the same
thing.”

“So you learned to get back at her?” Simon
asked in a quiet voice.

“I did stuff that drove her nuts.” Rae gave a
short laugh. “This one time I–”

Simon cut her off. “Is that what I am? Your
adult version of payback?”

Rae stared at him with a puzzled expression.
“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about what you said to Toya. It
sounded to me like your main motivation for seeing me was to get
revenge. Is that why you were so... friendly when we first met?
Because I was Toya’s ex-husband?” Simon looked at her directly for
the first time.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Rae tried to smile,
but it faded at the anger that made his dark brown eyes sparkle.
“Look, I admit that making Toya crazy with jealousy is fun, but
once I got to know what kind of person you are–”

“And how long did it take, Rae? The first
time we made love or the second?” Simon’s knuckles stood out as he
gripped the arm of the rocking chair. “Just when did I become a
person to you?”

“That’s not what I meant. Stop twisting all
this around,” Rae said in exasperation.

“Explain it to me then,” Simon insisted.

“Okay, so I despise Toya. Big surprise,
considering what her family has done to mine for fifty years! Yes,
I enjoyed how seeing us together made her miserable. I plead
guilty.”

“I thought you were different from what
people said about you. She’s selfish and loves to break rules just
for the hell of it, is what I was told; a user who will do anything
to get what she wants.” Simon gazed at her without a hint of
warmth.

“One fight with Toya and this is what I get?”
Rae shook her head. A ball of hot fury burned in her chest. “No, I
don’t buy it. What’s this really about, Simon?”

“I don’t have a hidden agenda. But it seems
to me that in a moment of anger the truth slipped out.” Simon did
not raise his voice. “More than you intended.”

Rae jumped from her chair. “I’ve seen you
petting up Toya for the last month or so, Mr. Righteous! I see
through your game.”

“What game?”

“You’re using this as an excuse to pick a
fight, just like you’ve been visiting Mr. Henry as an excuse to see
Toya.”

“Now you’re twisting things.” Simon stood up.
“Everything that’s happened – this fight with Toya, rushing to get
the dance hall open – it’s all to show up everybody, right? To
thumb your nose at the society folks.” Though he still did not
raise his voice, his words were amplified. They seemed to bounce
off the trees, echoing with condemnation.

“Yes! Is that what you wanted to hear? I want
to rub their noses in the fact that a Dalcour beat them at their
own game!”

“You’re no different from Toya, you know
that? All bitterness and spite.” Simon pronounced a harsh judgment
in a dry, hard tone.

“And I suppose you believe all the talk about
me setting fire to the dance hall, too?” Rae’s tenuous hold on her
temper snapped.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to; it’s all over your
face.” Rae jabbed a finger in the air between them.

“I talked to Oliver Ardoin about the
electrical work he did. The man cut some corners and he says you
knew it.”

“So that offer to help was an excuse to
investigate me. I guess Sheriff Thibodeaux will pull up, lights
flashing, and take me away in handcuffs right about now!” Rae felt
dizzy with fury. “You’re good; I have to hand it to you.”

“I wanted to help you get open again so you
could hold onto your father’s dream and keep your promise. I
thought that’s what was really important to you. Not getting back
at the Joves.”

“Sure you want to help me. I’ve been feeling
the glow since you got here,” Rae shot back.

“I don’t believe for a minute that you set
that fire,” Simon said.

“Oh okay, you think I got somebody else to do
it.” Rae managed to keep her voice steady. She was not going to let
him see how much pain he was causing her. She would not!

“No,” Simon blurted out, “of course not. But
you might have made a mistake letting Ardoin use wiring made
overseas.”

“So I’m not a criminal, just negligent. Well
that makes all the difference in the world,” Rae spat.

Simon shook his head. “You didn’t realize or
take the time to check with me.”

Rae glared at him for several seconds before
answering. “I’m not a contractor, but after working on stages for
the past seven years, I do know something about wiring. Oliver
Ardoin is a jerk who tried to increase his profit margin by using
materials made in South America somewhere. But I caught it. That
wiring is by the same company as the stuff used in stage sound and
lighting systems. It meets most safety standards,” she said in a
voice as cold as steel.

“It could have been better.” Simon stared at
her and then turned away. “Listen, I guess we’ve both said too much
today.”

“Understatement of the year,” Rae muttered to
herself. She gazed at him. “I don’t much feel like having dinner
now. You better leave.”

“So that’s it? I’m dismissed without any of
my questions being answered?” He turned to face her again.

Rae walked up to him. “You come over here and
insult me, and then demand answers. Who the hell do you think you
are anyway?”

“You’ve had an attitude for the last few
weeks,” he shouted back. “Every time you’ve seen me with Toya, you
started sniping. I tried to put up with it. Let it slide.”

“Don’t do me any favors,” Rae shot back.

“I should have seen it before.” Simon scoured
her with a head to toe look that said he was repelled by what he
saw.

“Maybe she’s more your kind than I am. You
deserve each other.” Rae was breathing hard with the effort to keep
the tears from falling. “Get off my property. Now!” She kicked open
the screen door.

“So this is the Rae Dalcour everyone tried to
warn me about,” Simon said in bitter voice. He went through the
open door without looking back.

Rae watched him stride across her front yard
to his truck. His long, powerful legs moved fast, as though he
couldn’t wait to put distance between them. She wanted to scream
some stinging last remark so he wouldn’t have the last word. Yet
her throat seemed to have rope wrapped around it, choking off any
speech. Part of her was still angry; another part was all ready in
mourning for what she’d lost. The realization hit her like a blow
in the mid-section: Simon was out of her life.

“I was stupid for jumping into something with
the guy anyway,” Rae mumbled to herself. “He wasn’t my type.
Bourgeoisie, lame creep.” She tried to make herself believe, but
there was no heat behind the words. Her voice broke and the tears
finally came.

* * *

“I tell you, Harold, this is somethin’ else.”
Sheriff Thibodeaux threw his pen down in disgust. “We hardly have a
petty theft in months and then Belle Rose gets a crime wave within
two weeks.”

“Yep, we seem to have hit an upswing in the
last few weeks. Looks like life is gonna be interesting for a
while.” Harold eased down into the chair opposite the sheriff’s
desk.