Page 86 of The House on Prytania
“Then why had Antoine been looking for the door and any other evidence that might be related to Jeanne’s murder if he didn’t know the truth?”
“But that’s just it, don’t you see? First Mimi’s best friend is murdered, and then four decades later her granddaughter is abducted. The trauma of it all probably messed with her brain a little bit. That happens a lot in cases like this. It’s the brain’s way of making sense of a difficult situation.”
“So what you’re saying is that Mimi made it all up. To try to explain two tragedies four decades apart.”
Sunny gave me a sympathetic smile and even reached out to touch my arm. “We both know and love Mimi, and it’s hard to reconcile any sort of mental confusion with someone who is otherwise so strong and smart. But it happens.”
We started walking again. “Have you ever seen Mimi read an object?”
“A couple of times. At the shop. Why?”
“What did you think?”
She shrugged narrow shoulders. “Well, if I were desperate and needed to believe that someone could channel my loved one’s last moments by simply touching an object, I would definitely see the random observations as more specific than they actually are. Like fortune tellers. They make a guess and wait for the reaction before making the next guess.”
“Are you saying that Mimi is a liar?”
“Not at all,” Sunny said, looking insulted. “I’m just saying that if she believes in what she’s doing, and the person receiving the reading believes, it’s a match made in fantasy heaven. And what harm is done if Mimi can offer some kind of peace? I mean, even Beau doesn’t believe it’s real. I was listening to his archived podcasts the other day and I heard the one about psychometry. He debunked it right there on his show.”
Sunny stopped walking and I looked around, surprised that we’d already reached my apartment. I faced her again. “But how do you explain your kidnapping?”
“Well, I think it was simply a crime of convenience. Someone was driving by the house and spotted me alone in the driveway and saw an opportunity.”
“But it was a crime against you and your family. Don’t you want whoever was responsible punished?”
“Why? It was so long ago. I just want to live my life now. To move forward and not be forced to recall any of the awfulness that happened so long ago that I don’t even remember it. All I know is that I was raised by a loving mother and father and given a wonderful life. And now I have my real family back and I just want to be left alone to be a family again.”
I shook my head, feeling momentarily suspended, undecided as to which side of the fence I should fall on. “Unfortunately, I understandyour position. But I also understand Beau’s. And even Mimi’s, which seems to be firmly planted between the two.” I blinked, trying to clear my head. “I’m going to spend the weekend with the Sabatiers and get to know them, and you will ask Mimi to invite them to her fund-raiser. Beyond that, I don’t have a clue. I hope Sam does, because I’m fresh out of ideas.”
Sunny helped me carry my bike through the door and lean it against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. “And don’t forget, if you discover anything—which I doubt you will—it needs to be shared with Sam and me and not Beau. Just make sure you practice first in a mirror before you lie to him. You have a pretty glaring ‘tell’ when you lie. Most people probably wouldn’t notice. But Beau would. He notices everything about you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”
She stared at me with the look Melanie gave JJ when he told her he’d already brushed his teeth.
Ignoring it, I said, “I wasn’t aware that I was a habitual liar.”
“You’re not. But even when you’re just skirting around the truth, I know.”
Crossing my arms, I said, “Okay. What’s my ‘tell’?”
“You put your fingers on your throat. To others it looks like you’re thinking, but I’ve learned that you’re thinking of a more palatable way to phrase something. Like the other day when we were all at your house and Thibaut asked if you’d minded that he’d finished fixing the plaster in the upstairs bedrooms and you said no.”
My eyes widened. “Oh. Wow. That’s amazing.”
She grinned. “Thank you. Because I was a backstage costume person throughout my high school career, I learned a lot about acting just by watching. Like I’ve said, I’m a quick study.”
“Impressive,” I said, heading up the stairs. I paused halfway up, remembering something. “You said you were looking for me—was there anything you needed?”
“Yeah. Two things, actually. Sarah mentioned that she was going through the clientele book again. Now, personally, I think nothing’sturned up yet because there isn’t anything there. But until we start working on the Esplanade house, I have some free time, so I wanted to offer my help, even if it’s just to disprove the theory that my dad hid all those items in your house. I highly doubt that they hold some clue to either mystery, but I’m happy to look.”
I continued up the stairs, Sunny right behind me. “All right,” I said. “Sarah’s pretty possessive, so I’m not sure if she’s ready to relinquish it yet, but you’re welcome to ask. What’s the second thing?”
“I’m missing a purple hair ribbon, and I was wondering if you’d seen it. I think I lost it when your parents were visiting and you were showing them your house. It’s not valuable or anything—it’s just that it perfectly matches a cute sweaterdress I bought and I’m not sure if I could find another.”
“Oh, yeah. I picked it up and shoved it in my pocket. I—” I made the mistake of opening the door at the top of the stairs and was immediately attacked by a gray and white ball of fur carrying a stuffed Eeyore in his mouth. He quickly dropped the toy to assault my face with a pink tongue.
Jolene came out of her bedroom, dressed for work, the familiar scent of perfume and hair spray wafting around her. Seeing Eeyore, she said, “I was looking for that all morning and finally found it under Nola’s bed—along with all the dirty laundry she hides there. Mardi does love that toy, Sunny, but I swear, I spend half my days looking for it.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “And now I’ve got to go tell Beau I’m late because I couldn’t find Mardi’s ass.”
