Page 54 of The House on Prytania
“Because she’s our secret weapon. I have no idea if there are any lingering spirits at their beach house, but if there are, they might have something to tell Sarah.”
“She might not want to go if I tell her we’re using her as bait.”
“Just don’t tell her.”
I sent Sam a withering glare. “You don’t have sisters, do you?”
She shook her head.
“I figured. I once found a snake in my bed because I ate all the Kit Kat bars from Sarah’s Halloween candy. I didn’t even eat processed sugar back then, but I couldn’t resist. I thought she’d blame it on Melanie, but I wasn’t smart enough to hide the empty wrappers.”
“A snake? But she looks so sweet.”
“Yes, well, looks can be deceiving. It was a harmless garter snake, and she’d had JJ do it for her, but still. I don’t want to make her mad.”
“Well, then. You should ask her. Just don’t let her say no.”
“Right. That would be as effective as me telling you to stop biting your fingernails.”
“Funny,” she said. “Just keep me posted, okay? I’m really excited about this new development. This might be a lot easier than I’d hoped.”
Sam waltzed down the rest of the stairs humming “The Blue Danube.” I followed slowly behind her, feeling on the back of my neck a sting from the portrait’s eyes following me as I entered the parlor. Everyone had already stood, preparing to leave and saying their good-byes as the telltale scent of pipe tobacco followed them to the door.
CHAPTER 19
When Jolene and Cooper had dropped off my family at the Hotel Peter & Paul the night before, I’d handed them each an itinerary for the following day. It had been met with various facial expressions and exclamations, but Melanie had immediately shushed them and told me how proud she was.
“I made the fonts pretty and designed the borders,” Jolene said as she pointed out the red beans, Mardi Gras beads, and crawfish dancing around the edges of the page. “But Nola did all the hard work of organizing and getting tickets.”
“Why is there a pair of red Dorothy shoes at the bottom? I thought Dorothy was from Kansas,” Sarah said.
“That’s right,” Jolene said. “But there’s always a spot for Dorothy’s shoes, don’t you think?” Before anybody had a chance to think, I hurriedly said good night to everyone, then climbed into Bubba.
When we opened the apartment door a muffled bark came from upstairs, causing Sarah to break into a run. She loved Porgy and Bess, but still missed General Lee and was thrilled that Mardi looked just like him. She said it felt a little bit like having him back and sent me daily texts to remind me to send photos of Mardi. This fueled Jolene’screativity and inspired her to dress Mardi in a new outfit every day. Jolene and Sarah were delighted. Mardi and I barely tolerated it.
“Mardi!” she shouted, running up the steps.
“He’s in the bathroom,” I said. We’d had to resort to putting him there when we left, because otherwise he’d drag everything he could find to the front door, including his water bowl, which meant a massive shove was required to open the door, and then cleanup was necessary. In the bathroom, we left a soft bed, toys, comfy towels, and a water bowl to keep him contained yet happy.
Sarah had reached the dining room when she stopped suddenly, letting out a shattering scream. I pulled out my phone to dial 9-1-1 while Jolene quickly flipped on the lights.
I started laughing. The disembodied Barbie doll head, dressed in all her Mardi Gras finery, sat in the middle of the table like some barbaric sacrifice, but with perfect makeup.
“Whatisthat?” Sarah demanded, slowly approaching the table.
“It’s just a Barbie head,” Jolene said. “For two smart women with an excellent education, I must say that there was an important part left out of your schooling.”
“I think it’s the surprise element,” I explained. “Maybe next time you should give a warning.”
“If there is a next time,” Jolene said, sounding as if she’d just been accused of wearing white before Easter or after Labor Day.
Sarah rushed to the bathroom to open the door and was completely bowled over by the gray and white fur ball that was Mardi. She lay on the floor where he’d knocked her, and she giggled as he left doggie kisses all over her face, head, and neck. I picked him up to give her a chance to breathe, but she immediately stood and asked me to hand him to her. She cradled him in her arms so that all four of his paws were in the air, just like she’d once held General Lee, and I watched as he rested his head against her shoulder while casually licking the underside of her chin.
“I think he likes you,” I said.
“Good. Because I like him, too.” She placed a kiss on his nose,and I thought that Mardi might swoon with pleasure. She caught sight of the princess phone on the desk. “What’s that?”
“You’re kidding, right? I know you’ve never used one, but surely you’ve seen one.”
