Page 12 of The Lady on Esplanade
“Probably because Nola is one of the few people who could actually knock some sense into you and make you listen.”Cooper foldedhis hands on the table and smiled.The server cautiously approached the table again and delivered a second round of drinks, but now she stood next to Cooper instead of Beau.“Ready to order?”
Beau glowered at her.Instead of asking her to come back again, even though we hadn’t yet opened our menus except to look at the drinks, I gathered them up and handed them to her.“We’ll all have today’s lunch special.And water for the table.”I gave her my friendliest smile as she backed away from the table and headed toward the kitchen.
Beau took a sip from his drink.“So, what did this Madame Zoe say?”
Unable to meet his eyes, I studied the paisley pattern beneath the glass table topper.“She said you’d need my counsel after hearing what she has to say.I don’t have a clue what this is all about.All Idoknow is that Sunny’s been found but your mom’s still here.We all believed that was the reason why Adele was hanging around, but we were wrong.I’m guessing Adele’s still being here has something to do with your dad.If she has information on what happened to him, or if he’s still alive, don’t you want to know?”
Glancing up, I met his eyes but had to look away quickly.His expression was too much like that of a lost child who suddenly found himself alone in the middle of a city sidewalk.“For the record, Grandmother Sarah called my sister to impart the same information about you going to see the fortune teller.I’m thinking that maybe we should go talk to Madame Zoe.”
“ ‘We’?”
I shrugged.“Grandmother Sarah and Madame Zoe’s idea, not mine.You can go it alone if you want, but she said you’re stubborn, like your dad, so if I have to drag you, I will.You’re kinda big, but I bet if I need help, Cooper will be happy to volunteer to assist me.”
Cooper gave me a lopsided grin.“Anything I can do to help, Nola.”
The waitress, still leery of Beau’s glowering expression, appearedwith the soup course.We ate in silence until Beau cleared his throat and slid papers out of the satchel he’d brought from his truck.“So, if the two of you are done ganging up on me, let’s talk about the house on Esplanade and the renovations.I’ve got a lot of great ideas but would welcome your input.”He paused, then looked up at Cooper.“From both of you, assuming you’re serious about buying it.”
“As a heart attack,” Cooper said, meeting Beau’s eyes.
“Fine.And for the record, Louisiana law doesn’t require me to tell you that there was a death on the property, but you seem to be already aware.Just Google the address if you want to know all the sordid details.”
“I already did.There’s a great site called DeathInHouse.com.It’s only eleven dollars and ninety-nine cents per search.Didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.Except…”
“Except?”
“The running feet.Nola said it’s a little boy, but the child who’s been missing since the murder was a girl.”
Beau nodded.“Yep.My guess is that whoever the boy is predates the murder.You might be able to find out more from the previous owners, Joan Wenzel and Honey Meggison.The house has been in their family since it was built.They might have an idea.”
“I just might do that,” Cooper said.He slid back his chair.“If you’ll excuse me just for a moment, I need to visit the restroom before we get into this.I don’t want to interrupt once we get started.”
After he had left the table, Beau turned to me.He seemed to be waiting for something.
“What is it?”I asked.
He paused as if measuring his words.“Can I ask you something?”
For reasons I couldn’t explain and didn’t want to examine closely, my cheeks flushed.“That depends.About what?”
“Cooper.”
“Cooper?”
“Yes.How well do you know him?”
I narrowed my eyes.“Why?Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?”
I decided to overlook the hidden insult in his question.“His sister is one of my best friends and she tells me everything, so I’d say I know him pretty well.We also dated for a minute when I was in high school and he was at the Citadel.”
Beau’s eyes shifted from me to the direction in which Cooper had headed.“Does his sister really tell you everything, or just what Cooper has told her?”
“I guess.I mean, Alston and Cooper were pretty close growing up, so I imagine he tells her everything.”I sat back in my chair, feeling an uneasiness creeping over me.“What are you getting at?”
His gaze moved to a spot behind me.“Did she ever mention if Cooper had a significant other?”
“Like a girlfriend?”
