Tell Me Something Good (27 page)

“Damn it. I’ll get rid of the idiot.” Noel
quickly re-arranged his clothes with angry, jerky movements. “Don’t
move.”

Lyrissa scrambled into her pantyhose and
shoes. After checking her hair in a mirror, she went to the
landing. Noel looked back at her and licked his lips. A series of
hard knocks rattled the wooden door. He growled and went down the
stairs. Moments later she heard the door open.

“What are you doing here?” Noel said.

Julie stared at him through her designer
sunglasses. “Keisha mentioned you wanted the keys to this house. I
thought maybe you were showing it to a prospective tenant. You
might need my help, since I know a lot about the property.” She
peered around him into the house.

“I don’t need help,” Noel said in a short
tone. “Thanks anyway.”

“I see.” Julie took off the sunglasses and
stared over his shoulder. “Hello, Ms. Rideau.”

Lyrissa cleared her throat. “Hi.”

“What’s going on?” Julie stared at Noel.

“We’re planning a show of the collection,”
Lyrissa said. She tugged at her skirt, and then stopped when Julie
looked at her.

“I stored the old furniture and worked with
Keisha on instructions to the man who restored the house.”

Julie tried to walk past Noel into the
foyer.

He shifted to block her entrance. “We really
haven’t gotten very far yet, Julie. I’ll let you know when we
do.”

“Can I speak to you privately?” Julie asked
in a taut voice.

“I’ll just have a look around the rest of the
house,” Lyrissa said. She went down the hall and gently pulled a
door closed. She could hear their muffled voices.

Minutes later she heard the staccato sound of
high heels across the wooden floor of the porch. Noel opened the
door.

“She’s gone,” he said, his expression
grim.

“We should leave, too.”

“We didn’t finish our... talk. Let’s see more
of the house.” Noel crossed the space between them in two long
strides.

“Maybe her arrival was a sign we shouldn’t
finish.” Lyrissa blushed at the way he gazed at her body.

“Bull.” He nuzzled her neck.

Lyrissa moved away fast, afraid she’d give
in. “We’d better go, or we’ll set off the fire alarm,” she
teased.

“Then come to my apartment tonight.” Noel
held her hand. “I’ll cook us dinner.”

“We’ll see. I—”

“No excuses.” Noel jerked her into his arms.
“Please, baby.” He sealed her fate by licking her bottom lip with
the tip of his tongue.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“There has to be something else!” Julie burst
out in exasperation. The report landed on her desk with a thump
when she threw it down.

The mild-mannered private investigator
shrugged.

“Sorry, it’s the usual stuff. Her parents had
problems with too much partying and drinking. You can’t blame her
for that. The mother died when she was three, the father when she
turned seven.”

Julie glared at him but said nothing. They
were in her office. Everyone except Carlton had gone home. The
usually busy offices of Tremé Corporation were quiet for a change.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by an occasional phone
ringing in the background. The man gazed back at her with an
impassive expression.

“Mr. Hausey, I was told Crescent City
Investigations was the best.”

He nodded. “You were told right.”

“Then why is this damn report—” Julie took a
deep breath and let it out. She seemed to call up her charm school
lessons. “Sorry. There doesn’t seem to be a lot here, Mr.
Hausey.”

“You paid for a background check. Then you
asked us to expand our research to her family tree. We don’t
guarantee we’ll find compromising information you can use.”
“But—”

“Ms. Duval, you weren’t specific about what
we should look for,” Mr. Hausey broke in.

“Yes, yes. I know.” Julie rapped a fist on
the arm of her chair.

“We did the usual criminal background check,
credit history, and work history, and even poked into her old
school records. You have the names of her great-great- grandparents
and a little information on them,” he went on in a cold, logical
voice.

Julie didn’t want logic. This was emotional
and personal for her. She rocked forward in her chair. “Great.
Maybe her nana was a kleptomaniac. How does that help me?”

Mr. Hausey stood and buttoned the jacket of
his suit. “I suggest you read the report thoroughly, Miss Duval.
You just might find something useful.”

Her upper-class good manners slipped again.
“Like you care. You’ve been paid,” she muttered low.

“My report is very comprehensive. But if you
get a lead on a particular avenue, call me.” Mr. Hausey spoke like
a man used to dealing with unreasonable clients. “Goodbye,” Julie
said with a sour expression.

“Have a nice evening,” Mr. Hausey replied
without a trace of sarcasm and left.

“Here’s your nice evening.” Julie made a rude
gesture as the door clicked shut

Almost immediately Carlton stuck his head in.
“Sorry I got tied up on the phone. What did he say?”

“He said to read his useless report” Julie
barked out. She flipped the pages with a muttered profanity.

Carlton strolled over to stand at her
shoulder. He read a few lines, and then sat down on the edge of her
desk. “Told you so. Money wasted.”

“You wait until I see Giselle! Best in the
business, my ass!” Julie slapped another page flat.

“GiGi Babin, huh? She gutted her ex-husband
like he was a fish.”

“Which is why I trusted her recommendation,”
Julie exclaimed.

“GiGi doesn’t have the brains of a cucumber.
Her father got the goods on poor Brandon.” Carlton shook his head
in sympathy.

“Crescent City Investigations did the
digging. But I got nothing, nothing.” She yanked another page
open.

“Too bad. Now I’ll have to keep pretending to
respect Noel’s opinions. At least for a while longer.” Carlton made
a face at the prospect.

“You mean until Miss Georgina is ... out of
the way.”

“Of course not,” he said quickly “I meant
until everyone sees I’m right. I’ll be in control once he falls on
his face.”

“He won’t. Noel is an astute businessman.”
Julie grimaced.

“Why does everyone heap praise on him?”
Carlton complained with a morose frown.

“Noel could build his own company from the
ground up the same way his grandparents made Tremé so profitable.”
Julie clenched her hands. “That Rideau woman has interfered with
his work.”

“He’s not complaining, and I can see why,”
Carlton added quietly with a wistful sigh.

Julie didn’t hear his comment. She was too
intent on the puzzle of Noel’s attraction to Lyrissa. Her eyes
narrowed to slits. “She’s so obvious. I can’t believe he doesn’t
see through her.”

Carlton pointed to the open report. “Well, if
you didn’t get ammunition from that, I guess you’re out of
options.” “Damn it! Totally useless piece of sh—” Julie froze in
the act of tossing it aside. “Wait a minute.”

“What? Did she get a parking ticket?” Carlton
chuckled. “There’s something here that rings a bell.” Julie waved
him to silence with one hand. She continued to read as he ignored
her signal.

“You’ve lost perspective on this thing,
Julie. Too much emotion wrapped up in the outcome,” Carlton said.
“Typically female.”

Julie looked up at him. Her eyes glittered
with triumph. “Is that right? Well, this typical female just might
be on to something that you typical males missed!”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,
girlfriend.” Ebony crossed her arms and stared hard at Lyrissa.
They were in her apartment for a night of watching old movies.

“Listen, I couldn’t stop the art show.
Besides, Julie is prowling around like an alley cat. At least this
way I can keep an eye on things.”

“What if an art expert sees your painting and
blurts out how much it’s worth?” Ebony plopped down on her
sofa.

“Most experts have to be familiar with an
artist’s work to fix a value. None would toss out a figure at first
glance. Besides, not many specialize in eighteenth century New
Orleans Creole paintings.”

Ebony munched on a cheese curl while she
mulled over Lyrissa’s argument. “Okay, so now you have your
family’s old letters, journals from Noel’s archives, and letters
you found at the Louisiana State Museum.”

Lyrissa pointed a forefinger in the air.
“Exactly. They even went to court. Now if I can find the trial
minutes from 1822 when Gustave’s son was sued by Jules’s widow,
we’ll have it made.”

“Leave well enough alone, girl. Make your
getaway.” Ebony wore a worried expression.

“I was nervous about it, too. But the show
gives me an excuse to hang around, Ebony. I’m almost through with
the appraisal. I need more time.”

“I was talking about this thing with you and
Noel, Lyrissa. Have you gone out with him again?” Ebony squinted at
her.

“We had to talk about the show” Lyrissa
avoided looking at her.

Ebony shook her head. “Girl, you’re in deep
trouble.” “Don’t jump to conclusions.” Lyrissa chewed hard on a
corn chip.

“I know you.” Ebony pointed a cheese curl at
her. “Are you going to tell him about the painting?”

“No way! I know what would happen.”

“So you’re falling for him, but you don’t
trust him. Trouble, girl, big trouble. You’re in the fast lane on
the highway to heartbreak.” Ebony shook her head again.

“I didn’t say Noel would do something
sneaky,” Lyrissa said defensively. “His family might, though.”

“Right. He’s a genetic anomaly, nothing like
his long line of cutthroat relatives.” Ebony wore a skeptical
frown. “And I haven’t mentioned his rep with women.”

“He’s not like that.” Lyrissa pounded a throw
pillow. “Noel is very active in raising funds for charity. He puts
in long hours at the company and still finds time to help the
community.”

“I’ll give him a good citizen certificate
after we get the painting back,” Ebony said dryly.

“Cynical lawyer,” Lyrissa retorted.

“So you’re going to see him?” Ebony stared at
her. “Like I said—”

“You have to finish the appraisal and work on
the exhibit,” Ebony finished for her. “Yeah, right. And y’all have
to work at his apartment.”

“Oh, hell!” Lyrissa gave up trying to fool
her best friend. “Why does he have to be so ...”

“Fine, sexy, and a boy scout, too?” Ebony
finished.

“I tried to stay out of his way, I really
did.”

“He’s hot for you, too. If he’s a good guy,
then he’ll do the right thing.”

Lyrissa punched the pillow harder. “It’s not
just up to him. Besides, I’m not so sure he’s that good. You know
how they are.”

“Right, close ranks and protect what’s
theirs. But you said he’s different.”

“I can’t afford to risk everything on what I
feel. I’m not thinking too clearly about him these days,” Lyrissa
confessed.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Ebony shrugged when
Lyrissa glared at her. “Hey, you said it first.”

“The Stroll means more to our family than
money. I have to deal with him.” Lyrissa moaned at the thought of
giving up his kisses.

“Yeah, but can you deal with you?" Ebony
said.

“I’ll be okay. Let’s watch a movie.” Lyrissa
jumped up and went to the VCR. “Something with lots of action. I’m
definitely not in the mood for a love story. That stuff is too far
from real life.”

Lyrissa shifted in the chair behind her desk.
The day had dragged on and on. Mr. Taylor scurried around between
projects, but managed to drive her crazy in between. At least work
kept her mind off Noel most of the time.

Mr. Taylor dashed into her office. “I’m going
insane. I can’t find the insurance file on the sculptures from
Hobart’s Fine Art.” He raked his gray hair with one hand.

“Here, you gave it to me this morning.
Everything is in order. The coverage is for $250,000.” Lyrissa
handed him the folder.

“Thank God!” Mr. Taylor clutched it to his
chest. “I don’t know why I’m stressing myself out. Things are going
well for us these days.”

“Yeah, just dandy,” Lyrissa muttered.

“What’s with the gloomy face?” he asked.

“Nothing much. My stupid car is in the shop
again, and look at this!” Lyrissa held up a wad of pink phone
message slips.

“Uncle Shelton can help,” he said in a
sympathetic voice. “I’ll return these calls. Hmm, all from Darlene
Bracotta.”

“The woman can’t make up her mind,” Lyrissa
said with disgust.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. I’ll handle
her.” Mr. Taylor patted her arm paternally.

“Thanks.” Lyrissa’s expression didn’t
lighten.

“Are you sure there isn’t something else?”
Mr. Taylor sat on the edge of her desk.

Lyrissa sighed and shook her head. “I’m okay,
just having one of those days.”

“I’m only a few feet away if you need me.” He
beamed at her and left.

Lyrissa tried to concentrate on the invoices,
but the numbers danced around like jumping beans. More than once
she stared off into space. Her mind kept wandering back to Noel.
Maybe she should tell him about the painting. He might understand.
Then she thought about the St. Denis family.

“Yeah, right. And pigs might fly around the
Garden District, too,” she muttered to herself.

“Hi.”

Lyrissa looked up to find Noel smiling at
her. The familiar shiver went down her spine at the sight of him.
He wore a charcoal gray suit with a light blue shirt.

“Hi. What are you doing here?”

He came in and closed the door. “You backed
out on me last night and I want to know why.”

“I thought it was best. I really was busy
anyway.” Lyrissa avoided his gaze.

“I was on my way to the office after a
meeting when something bizarre happened.” His expression was
serious.