Elita leaned forward. “What did you do?”
“After my initial shock wore off, I walked over and sat on the stool next to him. He didn’t turn around or say a word. We stared at each other’s reflection in the mirror behind the ice cream counter. I think we were afraid to look directly into each other’s eyes for fear of what we’d see.”
“How long did that last?”
“Until Mrs. Hebert asked me for my order. Before I could speak, Matt said, ‘Chocolate malt with four scoops of vanilla ice cream. Heavy on the chocolate syrup, light on the malt, whipped cream with nuts, no cherry.’”
“That’s rather specific, isn’t it?”
Virginia smiled. “Matt remembered the way I like my malts. After that, we talked, ate fries, drank our malts, and agreed to meet later at the old horse barn in the woods at the back of my family’s property.”
“I remember that barn. Royce and I sometimes went there to be alone.” Elita couldn’t stop the wash of memories cascading over her. Recollections of the faint, lingering smell of ammonia in vacated horse stalls. Expensive leather saddles left molding in the once pristine tack room. Streamers of light punctuating the decaying roof while straw bayonets poked her back through the blanket Royce had brought them to sit on. To make love on. Using his arm as her pillow, she’d snuggled against him while they listened to the chirps and croaks of the Caddo’s night creatures serenading their mates. As she and Royce watched the diffused twilight fade before a rising moon, they’d play a game—who could spot the first firefly, the first night star, the first sliver of moonlight. Had it all been just a game of youth and first love?
Elita got up, stretched, and walked over to the pecan tree. Her eyes roamed the bank across the cove looking for anything to pull her mind from memories of that damn barn. No movement, yet her scalp tingled a wisp of warning. Was this just another Caddo game or a game she was playing on herself?
“Are you okay, Elita?” Virginia asked.
“Just needed to stretch my back.” She returned to the picnic table. “What happened at the barn?”
“I told Matt everything. The pregnancy, being forced to pick between giving up our baby or getting married, and about Darwin.”
“I doubt he took the news well.”
Virginia chuckled. “That’s an understatement. He wanted revenge, but Father was dead. I wouldn’t stand for him going after Darwin. Susan adored him and that child has been the center of Darwin’s universe since the first time he felt her move inside me.”
“But Uncle Matt couldn’t have been happy with another man married to the woman he loved and raising his daughter.”
“And Matt got more upset when I refused to divorce Darwin and marry him.”
“But if you still loved Uncle Matt—”
“I did still love him. He’s the only man I’ve ever loved.”
“Then why wouldn’t you want to be with him?” Elita’s voice pitched louder than intended.
“Because I wouldn’t break my promise to Darwin.”
“What promise?”
“When Darwin married me, when he saved me and my baby from my father, he asked me for only one thing in return.” Virginia slipped off her pearl clip-on earrings and massaged her earlobes. “He asked me to promise that I’d stay with him and not tell Susan he wasn’t her biological father until she turned eighteen. He feared that when she learned the truth, she’d turn away from him. He needed those years to build the bond between them.”
“You agreed?” Heat rose in Elita’s cheeks. “Knowing those years with Susan belonged to Uncle Matt, you still agreed?”
“Matt was at war. I didn’t know if he was alive or if he’d ever come back to me. I had our baby to protect.” Virginia folded her arms across her abdomen. “Darwin Reed saved us. He didn’t have to. But thanks to him, I didn’t have to marry a stranger.” She brushed away a tear sliding down her cheek. “I’d known Darwin for over five years. He was intelligent, sensitive, gentle, and the only man who wasn’t afraid of my father. Most of all, he was a very kind man. I needed a kind man, not an ambitious one who viewed me as his ticket into the echelons of power at Sutton Oil.”
Elita chewed her bottom lip as she mentally put herself in Virginia’s shoes. What would she have done under the same circumstances and pregnant with Royce’s child? Like quicksilver, her mind answered. She’d have done the exact thing Virginia had done to protect their child.
“You never said how Royce found out about Uncle Matt and Susan?”
“Unbeknownst to us, Royce was in the hayloft playing with a litter of kittens. He overheard everything we said. It was a terrible secret to ask a young boy to keep, but we had no choice. So many lives, including Susan’s, would be turned upside down.” Virginia popped her last mint into her mouth. “I could see our pictures plastered on TV screens and the newspaper’s headline, ‘Sutton Oil Heiress Caught in Lurid Love Triangle.’” Virginia snapped her earrings back on. “Royce gave us his word he’d never tell anyone about us or Susan, and he’s kept it. Please don’t hold that against him now.”
“I was upset at first, but as I said earlier, I’m glad he didn’t tell me. But you should’ve told me about the business. Royce knew how concerned I was about Uncle Matt.”
“Yes, we should have trusted you.”
“There’s a lot of distrust going around,” Elita said. “I certainly added to the quota.”
Virginia looked at her watch. “I have to go. Matt and I are meeting Darwin at the hospital. After checking on Cliff, we’re going to dinner to discuss how to tell Susan about Matt.”
“Did Darwin know you two were seeing each other while you were still married to him?”
“He knew and was glad Matt and I had found each other again.” Virginia rose. “Darwin’s never wanted anything but happiness for me. ‘Trust the love’ is his favorite saying.”
Elita’s eyes widened. “I doubt other husbands would’ve been so understanding. Frankly, I’m surprised Uncle Matt accepted the arrangement.”
Virginia came around the table. “Darwin, Susan, and I have been a family in the best definition of the word for eighteen years. He dotes on Susan, and she thinks he hung the moon. He has been my cheerleader, protector, and best friend through tragedy, triumph, and tummy aches. We love each other as deeply as any brother and sister could.”
“But he was your husband, not your brother.”
“The day I told Darwin my secret, he shared his secret with me.” Virginia leaned in close. “Darwin is homosexual. You’ve never noticed anything?”
Memories of the few times she’d been around Royce’s uncle scrolled across her mind. “At Susan’s party, we talked about the garden. I noticed he didn’t laugh at your guests’ jokes, and Royce once said his uncle couldn’t sell a canteen of water in the Sahara Desert.”
“Darwin doesn’t know how to schmooze or massage inflated egos. To him, dumb jokes are just that—dumb.” Virginia picked up her glass, sipped a drink. “His jokes usually have to do with mathematics and no one gets them except Susan. She’s a math whiz too.”
“So you and he were never—?”
“We were never intimate.” Virginia checked her watch again. “Got to run. I know I can trust you with Darwin’s secret.”
“Of course.”
“Want to ride over with me to visit Cliff?” Virginia asked.
“It’s getting late and I need to get the laundry in. I have some errands to run tomorrow, so please tell Cliff I’ll stop by then.”
Virginia slipped on her jacket, pulled her car keys out of the pocket. “I’ll make sure your name is on the approved visitor’s list.”
“Thanks. By the way, I thought of a local place that might work for the business.”
“Where?”
“My family’s land. The trailer house is gone, but the shop and garage are still there. They need some repairs and fresh paint, but they’ll work until a warehouse is built. Having the utilities already in place will save time and money.
”
“It’d be convenient for the locals he wants to hire too, but are you sure you want to sell your family land?”
“I want to give it to Uncle Matt.”
“Elita, I know you are sorry about thinking your uncle was growing marijuana, but—”
“This has nothing to do with that. If I’m getting money from the business, I have to contribute. This could be the perfect solution.”
“You may want to build a house there after you graduate college.”
“I might not come back to the Caddo. There are more job opportunities in Chicago.”
Virginia tilted her head and frowned. “But what about you and Royce? You’re having some difficulties now, but you’ll work through them.”
Elita’s befuddled mind and broken heart didn’t want to reflect on her fractured relationship with Royce, much less discuss it with his aunt. “Is four acres enough land for Uncle Matt’s plans?”
“Yes, but your uncle won’t accept your land for free. College is expensive and—”
“I have a scholarship.”
Virginia tapped her index finger against her pursed lips. “What if Matt leases your land for one hundred dollars a month for three years with an option to renew? Plus, he’ll pay all taxes, insurance, and maintenance.”
“Make it ten dollars a month and it’s a deal.”
Virginia hugged her. “I can’t wait to tell Matt. This will be a big worry off his mind.”
Elita watched Virginia’s Lincoln pull out of the driveway. She placed the empty glassware and tray on top of the folded sheets, picked up the basket, and scanned the other bank again. There was enough daylight left for her to paddle over and check for tracks.
The screen door slammed. Her grandmother stood on the back porch, waving for her to come there. “Get in here, Baby Girl. These beds won’t make themselves.”
No use in arguing with Mamaw. Elita picked up the laundry and headed for the house, still unable to shake the feeling of being watched.
CHAPTER 26
Elita parked in the side lot of the sheriff’s annex in Oil City. She mulled over her decision to report the marijuana plants she’d found growing on Tadpole Island. How would she explain not reporting her find for two months? She couldn’t say she’d been silly enough to suspect her uncle. The anger and disappointment at not being trusted to keep the secret of Uncle Matt’s business swelled in her chest.
“Coming or going, Miss Dupree?”
Elita looked up into the hazel eyes of Deputy Hagar. “Coming . . . I guess.” She grabbed her purse, got out of the car.
“How are you today, Elita?” He closed the car door for her. “Mind if I call you Elita?”
“No, Deputy Hagar.”
“Mark, remember?”
“Sorry. I’m usually good at remembering names.”
“Getting arrested for something you didn’t do can rattle anyone.”
Being back at the place where she’d been handcuffed and locked in a cell unnerved her. “Well, Mark, I’d rather not talk about that night.” She moved past him and headed for the office door.
“Don’t blame you.” He caught up to her. “When I saw you at the parade, you said you were heading back to Chicago. Changed your mind, did you?”
“Just postponed my trip a few days due to the fire and explosion.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“No, but some friends did. I wanted to be sure they were going to be okay before I left.”
“That stands to reason. What brings you here today?”
Elita took a side-ways glance at Deputy Hagar. Trim and fit, not a blond hair out of place, and a smile on his good-looking face. Friendly. Maybe too friendly. “I have an appointment with Sheriff Glover.”
“What about?” he asked, as they rounded the corner of the building.
“I found something on one of the islands that the sheriff needs to know about.”
Hagar grabbed her forearm, stopping her. “What exactly did you find?” No longer smiling, he tightened his grip. “Which island?” His once casual tone now chilling.
She jerked her arm free. Bewildered, she stared at his eyes, now squinted hard. His breathing deepened. Beads of sweat dotted his furrowed brow.
“Elita,” a woman called. “Come see what we’ve got.”
She turned to find Grandma Mouton’s granddaughter, Bonnie, holding a squirming cocoon of blue blankets. A tall, muscular man stood next to her, his protective arm around her shoulders. Elita recognized him immediately. Randy Dugas—a former star athlete in high school football, her classmate from the first grade, and Bonnie’s husband. An odd sense of relief surged through her.
“Let me see that baby.” Elita moved toward the happy couple and away from Hagar’s reach. “How old is he?”
Bonnie pulled back the blankets. “He’s two weeks old. Weighs ten pounds, two ounces.”
“He’s a big little fellow.” Elita smiled at the beaming father. “Must take after Randy’s side of the family.”
Both parents nodded.
Elita feather-brushed her index finger across the bald infant’s pink cheek. “He’s gorgeous. What’s his name?”
“Remy.” Bonnie shifted him from one arm to the other. “We brought him by to show Sheriff Glover and my coworkers. Come see my baby, Mark.”
“All babies look the same.”
“They most certainly do not,” the women protested in unison.
Hagar looked at Bonnie and then locked eyes with Elita. “Just remembered I left some papers in my squad car. Better get them.” He pivoted and disappeared around the corner of the building.
“I’d expect a comment like that from that jerk Todd,” Bonnie said. “But Mark has always been such a nice guy to work with.”
“Some guys get nervous around babies because they’re so little. You worry about breaking them.” Randy slipped his hands under the baby and lifted the yawning child into his arms. “I did, until it was my own.”
Bonnie nodded. “We’d better go. I promised Mrs. Hebert I’d stop by the drugstore and show her the baby.” She tucked the blankets around her son. “Why don’t you and Royce come for supper Saturday? Once Royce sees how happy we are, maybe he’ll finally pop the question. You could have your own baby by this time next year.”
Elita winced.
“For gosh sakes, Bonnie, you’ve embarrassed Elita.”
“Didn’t mean to. It’s just some men need a little push now and then.”
“I’m going home to Chicago soon.” Even after five years, the words home and Chicago coupled together still sounded like an oxymoron to her.
Bonnie fired questions at her. “Are you coming back? Is Royce going with you? Are you getting married in Chicago?”
“No.”
“No, you’re not coming back?”
Elita’s back muscles tensed. She didn’t want to have this conversation with anyone, especially while standing in front of the Caddo Parish Sheriff annex. “I’ve got another year of college in Chicago and Royce’s business is here.” She hoped her simple statement of fact would be enough explanation for the new mother.
“Aren’t you two getting married? Everyone always figured you and Royce would get hitched one day. Did you two break up again?”
Elita sighed. Luther Boudreaux was the king of gossip in Caddo Parish, but Bonnie could be in the running for queen.
“Enough questions, Bonnie Louise.” Randy shifted the baby to his left arm and pulled the door to the sheriff’s office open. “Were you going inside?”
“Yes. I have an appointment.” Elita quickly entered the office. “Congratulations on your beautiful baby.” She closed the door before Bonnie could ask her next question. Elita approached the counter and saw Sergeant Foley, another reminder of her night in jail.
“Can I help you, Miss?”
“Elita Dupree. I have an appointment with Sheriff Glover.”
“He’s on the phone right now.”
A muffled shouting came from t
he back office.
Foley pointed at a row of chairs. “Why don’t you take a seat, Miss? The sheriff may be awhile.”
“I can come back later if he’s busy now.”
The door to the back office banged open. Sheriff Glover stomped to the counter. “Foley, where the hell is Hagar?”
“He left on patrol around seven this morning.”
“Did he say anything to you about getting a call yesterday from the Texas Rangers?”
“Not a word. Why? Did something break in the case?”
“Damn sure did. The Rangers . . . .” The sheriff stopped. “Didn’t see you there, Elita.”
“I saw Mark Hagar in the parking lot. He walked with me to the door, but said he’d forgotten some papers in his car.” Elita rose. “You’re busy. This can wait until later.”
“Now’s okay. I need a few minutes to calm my blood pressure anyway.” He rapped his knuckles on the counter, leaned closer to Foley. “Make damn sure Hagar doesn’t leave until I talk to him, and call the Shreveport office. Ask Gail for the phone number of those two Dallas FBI agents who came by last week. Tell her not to mention it to anyone. I’m buttoning this damn place up.” Glover headed down the hall. “Come on back, Elita.”
She followed him into his office and closed the door behind her.
He grabbed a gun-metal gray armless chair, plunked it down near his desk. “Have a seat.”
She laid her purse on his desk and sat. Elita folded her arms across her chest. Deciding that looked too defensive, she laced her fingers together and placed them in her lap.
“What can I do for you today, Elita?”
“Awhile back, I went out to Tadpole Island to chop sassafras root for Mamaw—”
“How is your grandmother these days?” Glover interrupted.
“She’s well. Ornery as ever.”
He chuckled. “I like Pearl. You always know where you stand with her.”
Elita nodded. “Anyway, while on Tadpole Island, I found a patch of marijuana plants.”
Shadows of Home: A Woman with Questions. A Man with Secrets. A Bayou without Mercy Page 26