Page 9 of The Guests on South Battery
“We’ve discovered a cistern in the backyard. But it’s all bricks—no walls. I don’t think they’re connected. Maybe there’s another Melanie.”
My mother stared back at me unblinkingly. “Regardless, you should call Rebecca and thank her. I know you don’t get along, but she’s still family.”
Nola made a gagging noise, then pretended to cough.
“I will. And since you’re here, I’ve got some good news to share. I think I’ve found a nanny. She has to pass inspection with everybody here first, of course, and I’m going to ask Detective Riley for a background check, but I have a good feeling about her. We share the same views on child-rearing at least.”
“That’s wonderful news! Not that I don’t mind babysitting, but it will be nice for you all to have a regular routine and for the children to have consistent caregiving. I’m afraid Amelia and I are too much the doting grandmothers and err on the side of spoiling them.”
I didn’t protest or attempt to correct her, because she was absolutely right. And that was one of the reasons I needed a nanny. “Yes, well, her name’s Jayne Smith and she walked into my office today to ask for my help in selling a house she’s inherited and buying a new one, and it just so happens that she’s a professional nanny.”
“How lucky—for both of you.”
“Actually, I was going to call you about her. She’s inherited Button Pinckney’s house.”
Ginette stilled, an odd expression on her face. “Button was a friend of mine. Amelia and I went to her funeral just last month.”
“I know. That’s what I wanted to ask you about—if she’d ever mentioned Jayne or if you knew if Button had any family. Jayne’s fromBirmingham and never even heard of Button until the lawyers found her to tell her she’d inherited the entire estate.”
She looked down at her gloves for a long moment. “There was no one. She never married. She did have an older brother—Sumter. He married Anna Chisolm Hasell, another classmate of Amelia’s and mine. They had a daughter, I believe, but she was sickly. She died when she was still a child. Anna and Sumter divorced shortly afterward, but Anna remained in the house with Button. She died about ten years later.”
“That’s so sad. What about Sumter? Did he ever remarry or have more children?”
After a slight pause, she said, “No. He’d always wanted to be a mover and shaker on Wall Street and moved to New York after his divorce. Just a couple of years after I left Charleston to pursue my music career.” She sent me an apologetic glance, a brief acknowledgment that when she’d left Charleston, she’d left me behind, too.
“I’m not sure if he ever came back, but Button told me he’d died of a heart attack. He was only fifty-three.” She gave me a lopsided smile. “Button adored him. I don’t think she ever got over it. That’s when she started taking in strays—animals and people alike. She’d pluck them from the streets and give them a room and money for as long as they needed it. I feel she got taken advantage of more often than not, but she said it made her happy to help others. That’s probably how she found your Jayne.”
“Possibly. Jayne grew up in foster care in Birmingham. Maybe someone who knew Jayne came into contact with Button at some point and that’s the connection.”
“Could be,” she said as she stood. “I must get home—James will be waiting.” Her cheeks pinkened and I tried not to think of my parents—recently remarried to each other—as having a healthy romantic relationship that included physical contact, but there it was when she merely mentioned his name. I should have been thrilled that my parents were madly in love with each other after all these years, but I was still their daughter and it made me a little queasy sometimes if I thought too much about it.
She said good night to Nola and I walked her to the door, pausing just for a moment in the alcove to face me. “Why does Jayne want to sell the house?”
“She doesn’t like old houses.”
She frowned, her eyes meeting mine. “Hopefully you can change her mind. Button wouldn’t have left it to her if she didn’t mean for her to keep it. Button was a wonderful person. The best kind of person. We should do our best to honor her request. Maybe you should tell Jayne what Mr. Vanderhorst told you.”
“It’s a piece of history you can hold in your hand,” I said softly.
“Yes. And that sometimes the best gifts in life are the unexpected ones. Including old houses.”
She put on her cape, then opened the door to allow in a frigid blast of cold air. She kissed my cheek and pulled up her hood. As she tucked her hair inside, I said, “I don’t want to lie to her.”
“But would you be? Good night, Mellie.” She smiled and then walked down the piazza to the front door and let herself out.
The large wrought-iron porch lights on either side of the door behind me grew brighter and brighter, humming with an unseen energy that made the lights pulsate twice before each bulb exploded one by one, leaving me in total darkness.
CHAPTER 4
Two days later when I left the house to go to work, Jack looked a little worried despite his terse assurances that he was fine with watching the children while he finished up his book revisions. I thought there was a trace of panic in his eyes when I told him I might be home a little later because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to go through the Pinckney house with Sophie and Jayne. It wasn’t the sort of thing that could be rushed, especially if there were any water issues, a fallen ceiling, rotted floors, or restless spirits—any of which could ruin my day.
Despite reassurances from Mrs. Houlihan that she was still taking my dry cleaning to the same cleaners we’d always used, I’d been forced to wear yet another maternity dress, but had broken down the day before and bought several new pairs of heels at Bob Ellis. I’d called Sophie about the possibility of the newly renovated closet giving off fumes that might shrink leather, but there had only been a long silence on the other end of the phone as if she didn’t understand my question. Regardless, my new shoes were a full size larger, and I was pleasantly surprised when my toes were able to spread out when I walked.
Still, I had only made it to Broad Street when my feet required meto hail a pedicab to take me to Glazed, the gourmet doughnut shop on Upper King Street. I was meeting Detective Thomas Riley there to discuss the background check on Jayne Smith. Since he was a cop, I thought it appropriate to have our meeting in a doughnut shop. Plus, it would help me avoid the look of disapproval on Ruth’s face as she handed over my bag of doughnuts—which she’d only reluctantly done when I brought in the twins the previous day so she could see them and remind me again how much they looked like Jack. When I’d finally opened the bag back at my desk, I realized there was only one doughnut inside, along with one of those horrible healthy wraps, and the doughnut looked as if it might have been made with wheat flour and baked. It was like eating white chocolate or a vanilla Oreo—completely pointless—and I’d thrown it away after only two bites.
Thomas was already sitting at one of the small tables across from the counter, two coffees and a pink-and-white-striped bag already waiting on the table. He stood as I entered, and gave me a warm hug in greeting. “It’s been too long,” he said as he helped me out of my coat and pulled out my chair for me, making me appreciate Charleston-bred men all over again.
He slid the coffee toward me. “Lots of cream and sugar—and since I got here early, I took the liberty of ordering our doughnuts. There’s not a bad doughnut on the menu, so I got two purple goats—berry and goat cheese filling with lavender icing—a tiramisu doughnut, and a maple bacon. I’m rather partial to the maple bacon, but if you want it, it’s yours.”
