Page 86 of The Lady on Esplanade
Ignoring their dubious expressions, I began my trip to the kitchen, followed closely by Felicity and Sarah.“It takes me fifteen minutes because I always pause to see what else Jolene left for me in the fridge.I mastered opening the fridge without falling over in the first hour.”I happily demonstrated by opening it and pulling out a mystery tin with a lid on it.
I closed the door with my head, then scooted over to the nearest counter to drop the tin and pry it open.Smells of sugar and chocolate wafted toward me.“Jolene’s famous peanut butter balls!I should do fifteen extra laps to burn off the calories, but it will be worth it.”
“Should I put some on a plate?”Sarah asked.
“Nah.Just bring the whole tin and put it on the coffee table.”
“So,” Felicity said, “Mimi said that Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow will be small, which makes sense under the circumstances, but I’ll be happy to come back and bring you food.”
“Please don’t,” I said, scooting over to the freezer and flinging open the door.Foil-covered dishes in all different shapes and sizes had been stacked inside like blocks in a game of Tetris.“We haven’t evengone through everything she left in the fridge yet.I think she was planning on the world ending.So we don’t need any food, but thank you.Actually, would you like to take some with you?”
Felicity laughed.“Nah, I think we’re good.Friends and neighbors have been bringing over casseroles ever since Adele was identified.”
I didn’t question why she didn’t refer to Adele as her mother.I’d been calling Melanie Mother for a long time, and when I thought of the mother who’d given birth to me, I thought of her only as Bonnie.It wasn’t an either-or thing but more of a before-and-after.I’d long since realized that the human heart was big enough to contain all the love from the succession of important people in our lives, but the human mind was much more limited.We made up hierarchies to help our hearts cope with loss.
“I’m sure,” I said.“How was the funeral?How are Mimi and Beau holding up?”
“They’re doing well, considering.There were so many people there to support the family.And a lot of press, too, as you can imagine.They’re calling her ‘the last Katrina victim.’Although whether that’s true or not remains to be seen.”
“Speaking of which—did Mimi mention the rings?We have them, and you’re welcome to take them back with you.”
Felicity shook her head.“She didn’t ask, so if you don’t mind keeping them here for a little bit longer…”
“It’s fine.For me, anyway.But I’m sure you’d like some answers before you head back to New York.”
“Yeah, well, my return is sort of open-ended right now.My boss is pretty understanding, and he told me to take as much time as I need.My mom and Michael have been living in New York to be with me, but I know they both want to come back to New Orleans.The house on Audubon Place has been rented for a year, and they have until the end of the lease to decide what to do.With my dad’s trial pushing them into the spotlight, it just got ridiculous.But this is theirhome.Michael’s been running the Sabatier Group from New York, but he’d be much more effective if he were here.”
“So you think you might move back?”
She shrugged.“I doubt it.This isn’t home to me.And I have a life in New York.New Orleans will always be the place where my mom died, and where my dad disappeared.”
“I get that.Charleston will always be my home, but New Orleans is home now, too.I don’t think there’s a rule written anywhere that says you can have only one.Unless you’re Jolene, who is more Mississippi than the river.”
Felicity gave me a lopsided grin.“Yes, well, I’ll remember that.And thanks.I’m glad to know I have at least one friend here in New Orleans.You have to promise me that you’ll show me your cottage before I leave.I’m not going to step on Jolene’s toes, but I know a thing or two about interiors.It comes from working estate sales for the auction house for so long.I know everything from Mafia gaudy to Jackie Kennedy Parisian chic.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”Her smile vanished, and she looked so sad that I wished I had two good ankles so I could stand up and hug her.
“Are you going to hog those peanut butter balls all for yourself, or can I have one?”Sarah reached for the tin and I let her have it, ignoring Melanie’s voice in my head reminding me to make sure that Sarah didn’t gorge herself on junk food.Sarah’s love for sweets was a surprise to no one.
After Felicity and Sarah resettled me on the sofa, I noticed that Henry was missing and must still be in the bathroom.Sarah caught my gaze and made another gagging pantomime with her finger in her mouth.
Felicity sighed.“I have no idea what Camille sees in him.There’s only so much a pretty face can compensate for before the jerk inside shines through.”Turning toward the closed bathroom door, she shouted, “Henry—it’s time to go!”
Henry emerged from Jolene’s bedroom.“Sorry—I didn’t have time to really look at all of Jolene’s collectibles.Some of them might be worth something.Please let her know that if she is up to selling anything, I’d love to talk.”
“Sure,” I said, “but I doubt she’ll want to part with any of them.”I shivered, suddenly aware that the temperature in the room had dropped.Felicity noticed and grabbed a blanket that Jolene had placed on the back of the couch and settled it around me.
“Feels like there’s a window open,” she said.“It’s been pretty windy—maybe one of the casement windows in the back room got blown open.”
“I opened the bathroom window to air it out,” Henry said without embarrassment.“But the door’s closed, so it’s probably not that.”
“I’ll go check,” Sarah said with rounded eyes, then disappeared into the back hallway, the air in the room warming as soon as she left.
I watched Felicity’s expression change, as if she’d noticed, too.
“We’ll let ourselves out,” she said.“Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything at all, and definitely let me know when you’re planning to head to the Esplanade house.”
“Will do.Speaking of which, has Beau said anything about the bloodstain they found in the upstairs room?”
