Page 104 of The Lady on Esplanade
I thought back to the family photos arranged neatly on the sill of the picture window in Honey’s house, and I recalled that only one of them was a picture of Mark.“Was Mark’s wig dark brown?”
“Yes, it was.It matched his natural color, which was just like our father’s.”There was a lengthy pause.“Oh, dear.Are you thinking the wig hair found in the bloodstain might have belonged to Mark?”
“I don’t know.Not yet.I’m still figuring it out.I’ll call you once I know something.”
I ended the call without saying good-bye, my hand shaking so much that I dropped my phone.It was the comment she’d made about Mark losing his hair and wearing a toupee at a young age.Synthetic hair.
If Mark was dead, possibly murdered, that put a whole new spin on what had happened in the house on Esplanade.What if only Jessica and Lynda were missing?What if they’d gone into hiding to cover up another murder?
I shouted out Sarah’s name, belatedly recalling that she’d left, along with Jolene, my only form of transportation.I thought about calling Jolene and asking her to come back, but I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt her fun, especially if she was having an emotionally hard time at the moment.If anyone deserved a little fun, it was her.
I considered calling Cooper, then immediately dismissed the idea.I wasn’t ready to talk to him.As much as I’d appreciate his problem-solving skills, I was happy to postpone the inevitable conversation about his fiancée.He’d texted me earlier in the day, saying that he’d missed me and he would call as soon as he could.I’d deleted the text without responding.
That left the last person on earth I wanted to ask for help.Beau’s psychic abilities might be useful, but that didn’t override my reluctance to call him.Because we officially worked together, I’d stopped short of deleting him from my contacts—because, like most people my age, I didn’t have anyone’s phone number memorized.I figured texting him might let me remain in neutral territory, whereas a phone call would be an olive branch.Which was why I needed to make sure that he was the one to initiate the call.
Smiling to myself, I began to type.I think Mark was murdered.Call me.And I need a ride.I sat back, pleased with the casualness of my text, and waited for the three dots to appear to let me know Beau was replying.
I was still waiting ten minutes later when I started thinking about a plan B.I considered calling an Uber, but I wasn’t up to going on this trip alone, especially since I was handicapped by my broken ankle and needed assistance to get into and out of a car, as well as up and down steps.
I was staring at my phone when another possibility popped into my head.I opened my contacts and clicked on Felicity’s number.She couldn’t drive, but she could ride in the Uber with me and help get me in and out.I did the thing that no one under thirty did anymore—waited until voice mail answered.
“Hi, Felicity.This is Nola.If you get this in the next half hour, could you please call me?I need to check something out at the house on Esplanade and would welcome your company.Please—”
The call was picked up by a man saying hello.
“Oh, I’m sorry.I’m trying to reach Felicity.I must have dialed the wrong number….”
“No, no, this is her phone.It’s sitting here on the table, and the ringing was distracting me from my game.”
I groaned inwardly as I recognized Henry’s voice.“Sorry,” I said, knowing the sarcasm would be lost on him.“Is Felicity around?”
Electronic shooting noises came through the phone, and I pictured him with his feet up on Mimi’s coffee table while he played a video game.“Probably not, because she didn’t answer her phone.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”I didn’t care if I was being rude.So was he, and besides, he wasn’t paying any attention.I wanted to ask him why he wasn’t at work, but that would involve prolonging our conversation.“Would you mind going to look and giving her the phone?She can’t be far if her phone is there.”
His heavy sigh reminded me of Sarah, but she was only twelve, so it was allowed.“Whatever.Hang on.”I heard a rustling sound as he hoisted himself off of the couch and presumably stood before shouting, “Felicity!Come get your phone!Nola wants to talk with you.”
We both waited for a moment before he spoke again, this time tome.“Nope.She’s not here.And by the way, I want you to tell your friend Trevor that I better have my things that he stole from me returned no later than tomorrow night or I’m going to have him arrested.”
I jerked back from my phone, surprised at his vehemence.“It’s not stolen and it’s not your stuff.”I winced, realizing I’d just admitted Trevor’s being the responsible party.“Look, I’ll make sure everything’s put back the way you left it by tomorrow, all right?”
“You make sure it is or I’ll call the cops.”
I rolled my eyes.“Got it.When you find Felicity, could you please tell her to call me?It’s important.”
He sighed again, as if I’d just asked him to roll a boulder up a mountain.“Yeah, sure.”
“Thank you, Henry.And please—” I stopped, realizing he’d already ended the call.
I went ahead and got dressed so I’d be ready when Felicity called, and when she hadn’t called an hour later, I sat down at the kitchen table again and tried to lose myself in my backlog of paperwork.But my thoughts kept going back to the wig and the doll, and I spent more time checking my phone to make sure I hadn’t somehow not heard it ring and readjusting the volume to ensure that it was loud enough.
My stomach had begun grumbling, alerting me to the lunch hour, but I was reluctant to go into the kitchen and heat something up or make a sandwich in case Felicity called and was ready to go right away.
I was in the process of standing up, with the goal of snagging from the kitchen a plate of cookies to tide me over, when the front doorbell rang.I opened my Ring app and was surprised to find Camille on my doorstep.I hobbled to the top of the steps and shouted down toward the door, “I’ll be right there!”
I’d become a pro at maneuvering myself down to the bottom of the stairway using my arms, rear end, and left foot, so it took me just under two minutes to reach the door, pull myself up, and unlatch it.
“Camille, it’s so nice to see you.”I looked behind her.“Is Felicity with you?”
