The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (35 page)

He told her she looked very nice and she lowered her eyes as she thanked him. She obviously was not used to compliments being paid to her by a man, he would remember that. He put his hand on the small of her back as he had when leaving the diner and guided her towards the bar door saying, ‘shall we?’

He held the door for her and she preceded him inside. There were only five other people in the bar, two couples and a man sitting at the bar. One of the couples was eating and the other playing darts. They all stopped what they were doing as she and Hennessey entered. Adela thought wryly that if there had been someone at the piano he would have stopped playing. The women looked at Hennessey with interest but he ignored them and escorted Adela to a cubicle away from prying eyes. He pulled out a chair for her; she thanked him and sat down. He said, ‘what would you like to drink.’

‘Oh, er, a er, lemonade please.’

He smiled, ‘lemonade it is, I won’t be a moment.’ He walked to the bar and asked for the lemonade for Adela and a beer for himself. He knew she had not known what to order, he wondered if she had ever been in a bar, or pub, before and why she had suggested they come here to eat.

He asked for a menu and the barkeeper told him he would bring it over along with their drinks and Hennessey returned to the table.

She looked a little embarrassed as she said, ‘it’s nice in here.’ It was true, it was, it was not like bars she had seen on American T.V. programmes, or read about in books where it was always dimly lit with a jukebox box playing and there were always people playing pool and fighting. This place was brightly lit, and tastefully furnished. Adela felt a little disappointed.

He looked around, ‘yeah, it’s not too bad.’

The barkeeper came over with their drinks and the menu. Adela thanked him and he gave the usual expression of surprise then smiled, ‘you must be the English lady we’ve been hearing about.’

‘Hearing about?’ She smiled mischievously, ‘what, in the papers or on the news do you mean?’

He laughed, ‘no, in here. Although the sheriff did tell us to look out for you. But Dean Maxwell told us you’d been in and bought his entire store, and Annie Bloom said you’d bought a hat from her.’

She laughed, ‘I’m sorry if I’ve put Mr. Maxwell out of business. And Mrs. Bloom sells very nice hats, I couldn’t resist her, I mean it.’

The barkeeper laughed again, ‘well you’re most welcome in Eden, ma’am.’

‘Thank you, and it’s Adela.’

‘Well, that’s a mighty nice name you have there, ma’am, er, Adela.’

She smiled shyly, ‘thank you

He said, ‘I’m Bob, that there is Pete,’ he pointed to the man at the bar, ‘and the two couples are Ginger and Ben, and Sorrell and Max.’

All five people smiled and waved and said, ‘hi there.’

She returned the wave and said, ‘nice to meet you all.’

She looked at Hennessey but he did not offer his name so she said, ‘this is Sterling Hennessey.’

They all said, ‘hi.’

Hennessey smiled back and said “Hi,” because it was expected of him.

Bob said that it was pretty quiet right now, but that later it would fill up after people had finished work and wanted some entertainment. He said the food was nice here but limited in choice, most people ate in one of the diners in town or went into Gulfport or Biloxi. But it was cooked by Iris who was out back right now. Anyway, he would leave them to look at the menu and as soon as they were ready to order he would come back to them.

Hennessey didn’t like the idea of all these people knowing who she was and where she was staying. It was enough that damn cop had personally introduced himself, and the nosy couple with the kids living opposite to her, but almost everyone in town seemed to know her, or at least about her. And now she’d just added six more people to that list. Well what did it matter anyway? As soon as he’d done what he had to do, he would be gone from here, gone from this state and this country and everyone in it. Besides, he might get what he wanted by fair means rather than foul, but if foul is what it took then so be it.

They thanked him and he went back to his bartending. Adela said, ‘everyone is so frightfully nice here, as they were in Alabama too.’

‘Yes,
frightfully
nice.’

She put on a mock hurt expression, ‘are you making fun of my way of speaking by any chance, Mr. Hennessey?’

‘Who, me?’

She laughed and he said, ‘I like the way you speak, it’s,’ he was going to say sexy but thought she might disapprove of that so substituted, ‘unusual.’

‘Not at home it isn’t.’

He laughed, ‘well here it
is
unusual, and very pretty.’

She lowered her eyes again, ‘thank you.’

He couldn’t help but smile at her embarrassment; she was certainly a modest woman.

She looked back at him, ‘I think your accent is fri…very nice too.’

‘Thank
you
.’

‘I love the expressions, you have here, “Have yourself a nice day now” and “Ma’am” and “Y’all” and “Much obliged.”

‘Well maybe I should have said “Much obliged” instead of “Thank you.” I’ll try to remember in future. But you’re right; people in the south are on the whole pretty friendly. And why shouldn’t they be friendly to someone as nice as you. Oh, apart from the hermit of course.’

She frowned not understanding then laughed, ‘oh yes, apart from Jonas Lando.’

‘That’s the hermit’s name?’

‘Yes, why?’

‘I just wondered, if he was so unfriendly why he would tell you his name.’ He wanted to discover how close she and Lando had been.

‘He didn’t, other people did, at the same time that they warned me about him.’

‘Warned you?’

‘Yes, they said he was a little crazy. But I think he just liked living alone with only his wild animals and his dog, which looks more like a wolf anyway, for company.’

‘
Wild
animals?’

‘Oh yes, he had a sort of menagerie, all kinds of animals in a small outhouse. I think he cared for them, took care of their injuries etcetera.

‘A regular Doctor Doolittle. But how do you know about his menagerie? I mean, if he was a recluse why would he let you into his private sanctum?’

She looked shamefaced, ‘again, he didn’t, it was when I was lost and he showed me the way back, we had to walk past his home and he went inside this building and I followed. He was very angry and practically threw me out, but not before I’d seen how the animals swarmed around him, a dear was even eating out of his hand.’

‘Really? But how rude to throw you out like that.’

‘Oh I don’t blame him, he was quite right to; I should never have invaded his privacy.
I
was in the wrong, not him.’

‘You’re very understanding. But still it sounds as though the townsfolk of, wherever it was you stayed, were right, he sounds crazy to me.’

She looked disapproving, ‘I don’t think he’s crazy, he just likes to be left alone. All of us have a need for peace and quiet sometimes; maybe he just needs it more than most. We none of us know what goes on in someone else’s mind, in someone else’s heart. We shouldn’t criticise others because they happen to be different. He’s not a murderer or child molester or any vile creature like that, he’s just…different.’

He was amazed at her vehemence, and he had felt a jolt under his ribs when she had said, “He’s not a murderer or some vile creature like that.”  “Vile creature.” Like him. Except that Jonas Lando was, if not a murderer, at least a killer. But he left her with her ideals.

He said, ‘well if this Lando guy ever gets into trouble with the law he would have an excellent advocate in you.’

She looked at him still wearing that disapproving expression but there was suspicion there now too, she was wondering if he was making fun of her. But then she smiled, ‘well, I’ll certainly give him a good character reference; he did save me from the swamp after all.’

Hennessey wondered if she had taken a fancy to Mr. Jonas Lando. Like the women who found dangerous men sexy, some women might find a morose recluse sexy too. Maybe these women thought it was within their power to change a man like that.

He said, ‘have you decided what you’re having?’

‘Oh yes, I think I’ll have the spicy meatballs with rice.’

‘Good choice, I’ll join you.’

She smiled at him then looked once more at the menu and wrinkled her nose. He asked, ‘something wrong?’

‘Oh no, it’s just that it says they have crawfish, I know it’s popular here in the south, but I just can’t imagine eating anything like that. They look so horrible when they’re alive; it boggles the mind to think what they must look like dead.’

He laughed, ‘in some places they're called Mudbugs.' At Adela's expression he chuckled, 'I’ve never been a huge fan of them either, although my grandfather used to catch them in the stream after a big rain, and my mother would cook them often at home. You squeeze the tail and the stuff comes out of their heads. Seafood is plentiful here because we’re right by the Gulf of Mexico of course. I stood out as the only one not to enjoy seafood of any kind.’

He did not know where that had come from, he had actually done something he had not done in a long time, mentioned his mother. In fact he was saying things today he knew he should not have; taking risks he knew he should not take. He had told her his real first name. He had told her he had been born here in Mississippi and also that he had moved to Louisiana when he was seven, and even about the marines. But she had a way with her, a quiet calm that took him by surprise and caused him to be indiscreet. He would have to be more careful. Besides, he had invited her out to talk about her, not him.

Before he could say anything she asked, ‘where in Mississippi were you born.’

He didn’t speak before he thought this time and lied, ‘Hattiesburg.’

‘Oh, I saw that and thought how lovely it sounded I put it on my list but it’s quite a way from here. Is it worth the travel time?’

‘It’s okay, it was a long time ago, I don’t remember too much about it.’ He looked over at the bar and gestured to Bob that they were ready to order. Bob came hurrying over and Hennessey told him what they wanted. Bob smiled and told them that they would not be disappointed in their choice. Spicy meatballs were Iris’s speciality.

Hennessey had used this distraction to change the subject. ‘So, what’s next on your itinerary, what’s your next stop?’

She was taking a sip of her drink and swallowed quickly then reached for her bag which she had draped over the back of the chair. She took out a map and notepad with a picture of a Chinese lady on the front, and a shiny red pen covered with gold flowers and leaves. She opened the pad. ‘I thought about going to Gulfport one day before I move on, I also want to visit Fort Massachusetts, it looks very interesting.’ She made a dot on her map with her pen, which was already covered in blue dots. ‘But tomorrow I want to go to Jackson as I’ve said, but that’s quite a way so I’ll need all day for that one.’

She related some of the things that she would like see to whilst in Jackson. ‘Then I thought I would head to Pascagoula one day for no other reason than that is sounds nice.’ She smiled and he returned it. ‘I thought Crystal Springs sounded nice too.’

He tensed and his fingers tightened on his glass. She noticed and thankfully misconstrued its meaning and said, ‘I’m sorry, that’s more information than you asked for, I get carried away with my plans sometimes. I forget that not everyone is as interested in this country as I am.’

‘No, I
am
interested in your plans, honestly.’ This time he was very sincere.

Nevertheless she picked up her map and notepad and put them back in her bag.

He knew she was embarrassed and wanted to distract her thoughts, so as she reached for her pen he picked it up saying, ‘that’s some pen.

She laughed, ‘I know, my sister in law says it’s ugly, gaudy she calls it.’

‘Gaudy doesn’t necessarily mean ugly.’

‘I think in this case it does, but it caught my eye. Plus, I’ll never lose it, and if I did no one else would keep it.’

He laughed and so did she. Just then Bob returned with their meals, it smelt lovely and Adela told him so.

Whilst they ate he said, ‘so, it seems as though you have a full vacation planned. But I thought a vacation was a time to kick back, relax and unwind.’

‘To me this
is
relaxing. I’ve never been one for lazing about on beaches, or sitting around a pool reading or dozing in the sun.’

‘You’re not a beach bum then?’

She laughed, ‘beach bum? No, I can’t understand why people enjoy that kind of holiday when there’s so much to do and see. Why go away just to sit on your, er, rear end all day and drink yourself stupid at night, that’s boring. Besides, sitting in the sun all day is not good for you. Some people call it soaking in the sun; I call it Melanoma by the sea.’

Hennessey almost choked on his food as he laughed. She said with concern, ‘are you all right.’

He nodded picked up his beer and took a deep swallow.