Secrets of the Weeping Willow

by Kathleen Anastasia

  Chapter 12

  Elizabeth squinted against the bright sunlight as she stepped out of the library, her hand instinctively reaching into the front pouch of her purse for her Jackie-O sunglasses she kept there. Relieved when the dark tint of the glasses cut the glare, as a pleasantly warm breeze lifted a strand of her hair across her cheek, smiling she turned to Leo, “Which way?” she asked more casually than she felt.

  “This way,” he said as he placed a hand on her lower back, applying slight pressure to it as he indicates the direction with his other hand. Elizabeth surprised when a tick of pleasure runs through her with the gesture instead of annoyance, her steps light, as she walked next him for the next couple of blocks in silence, his presence surprisingly comfortable.

  When they finally arrive, Elizabeth is pleased with the feel of the local café that had an inviting shabby chic décor. A worn floral couch, which lined one of the walls, visually invited a person to sit for a moment. Several magazines rested in front of it on a wood coffee table, and just adjacent too that was an old piano with several pictures framed in varied styles sitting on top. Then several small tables and large size leather chairs scattered throughout the rest of room.

  Elizabeth smiled when she saw a small red headed girl around five playing at the feet of a woman with auburn hair pulled into a loose ponytail, her legs crossed, as she sat on the worn piano bench, her arms rested on her raised knee as she leaned forward to talk to an older couple. The couple broke out in laughter at whatever the woman had said to them, the little girl remained watching them in obvious curiosity as the older woman reached down to tousle the girl’s curls.

  Contentedly, Elizabeth followed Leo over to the counter and as her eyes were drawn to the display of homemade bakery, her stomach rumbled at the sight while her mouth watered at the various items. A pang of hunger filled her stomach and reminded her that she hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning. Her eyes then were drawn upward to a chalkboard menu that displayed varies drinks and sandwiches in a variety of playful colors of chalk. When Elizabeth finally made up her mind and placed her order, Leo brushed her money aside, “My invitation, my treat.” He said with a smile.

  Elizabeth smiled in gratitude as she pointed over to the floral couch, “I’ll go grab the sofa for us then.”

  “Sounds good.” Leo said as he looked at Elizabeth with a wink, the gesture made her self-conscious once more from the obvious flirtation.

  Setting her purse on the coffee table, Elizabeth sank down into the soft floral cushions and then chuckled when she saw the little redheaded girl from earlier move away from her mother, her eyes large, as she peaked around a chair at her. Leaning forward, Elizabeth smiled as she waved playfully to her, the action bringing on a barrage of giggles as she hurried back to the woman’s side, the woman absently reaching down to stroke the child’s red curls. The giggles filled the room and Elizabeth’s heart as she watched the girl grip the woman’s leg in obvious security as she smiled back at her.

  “So what do you think of my little treasure?” Leo asked, startling Elizabeth away from the child as she watched him set down their orders.

  “Very quaint.” Elizabeth said as she picked up her coffee, the scent of raspberry pleasant as she sipped from the large mug, smiling as she looked around once more. “Reminds me of a coffee shop not far from my house.”

  “And where may I ask, would that be?” Leo asked casually as he sipped his own drink.

  “A small town in Michigan.” she said, as she set down her cup smiling when she saw him raise an eyebrow in question. “And yes, that is all I’ll say right now.” She said with a chuckle before she continued, “So what about you? Where are you from?”

  “All over, I suppose you could say. I don’t have one specific location I call home.”

  “Now that sounds very mysterious.” She said as she leaned back, her eyes watched as she saw him follow her movement, his obvious attraction filled her with a desire she had never felt before. Pleased, yet slightly nervous with his reaction, she cleared her throat to draw his eyes back up to hers, “Everyone comes from somewhere.” She said with a small smile.

  Leo laughed at the comment, the sound deep and masculine which ran through her like a soothing ripple, “Now, for someone who is so evasive about her own life you sure have a curiosity for mine.” He replied in a friendly note of observation.

  Elizabeth chuckled as she nodded her head in agreement, “Touché.” She said playfully, “I guess we could fill this little coffee interlude with mindless, non-judgmental, elusive conversation, instead.”

  Leo smiled with a wink as he spread his arms wide dramatically. “No, no, no. Darling, I am an open book, full of hidden knowledge to be discovered. You may just ask and the knowledge shall be yours.”

  The comical gesture and words filled Elizabeth with a relaxed openness she had only felt with one other person, Aurora. Surprised at how comfortable he made her feel. “Okay, then.” She said with a laugh, still hesitant on how to react to his playful carefree attitude. “Where did you grow up?” she asked.

  “No specific locations. My father was a military man, so we moved quite often when I was growing up.” He said with a shrug.

  “Did you like it?”

  “It was fine, I suppose, haven’t really thought much about it. Although, I went into the service myself when I was old enough to enlist so that would imply I liked it. That is, until recently, I have kind of settled down here. I built a place just outside the city. Mostly for tax purposes but I’m starting to like it.”

  “Are you still in the military then?”

  “No, retired I suppose you could say.”

  “So if you are no longer in the military. What kind of job do you do that allows you to move all over the country?”

  Leo sat back as he smiled at her, “Investigative work.”

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in interest. “Really. What type?”

  “Depends on what I’m hired for,” He said as he leaned back forward. “Which brings us back to you. What are you researching?”

  Elizabeth laughed at the sly change of subject. “Well... now that is information I’m not quite ready to share.” she said with a smile as she picked her sandwich up, gauging his reaction.

  “Why?” He asked simply. No pressure or urgency in his voice.

  Elizabeth took in a deep breath as she thought about that simple question, her eyes watching him, his beautiful golden-green fleck eyes revealing very little to her. Yet, her instincts trusted this stranger, even as the gypsy’s words that she would meet someone when she needed them the most, someone who would help her discover that which she could not find or see, filled her thoughts. If she was ever going to figure out her veiled past, she then needed to start trusting her instincts and with how overwhelmed she had felt at the library and how lost she had felt with the volume of information she needed to go through, she knew she needed help. If nothing else, that was the one thing she had discovered when she had been at the library. Besides, really, what was the big deal? Maybe, he could give her a different perspective on what little she knew. Or, maybe her instincts could be totally off and he was some sadistically handsome madman. If you look at most serial killers, they are all good looking. That is how they get gullible girls to trust them. But, then again, what are the chances that she would be kidnapped twice in her life? Although, her original kidnappers were never caught. Which, is another issue in itself that she did not want to dwell on at this moment. She had too much to figure out first without attempting to figure out that whole mess.

  Or, maybe he was who he said he was. Maybe, just maybe, she was putting too much into everything. Don’t they say it’s easier sometimes for someone removed from the whole situation to understand although, who they are, is still a bit of a mystery. Chuckling Elizabeth shook her head at her own inner rambling. Looking back once more at Leo who had an eyebrow raised in
an amused puzzlement, “You look like your mind is running a hundred miles an hour.” He said with a chuckle.

  “Is that a professional observation?” Elizabeth asked with an absent smile, her heart within her throat at the thought of letting him see who she truly was, that which she hid from the world.

  “No, just an observation.” He said with smile.

  Elizabeth chuckled, if only he knew what she had been thinking, what would he think then, she thought as she looked back out to the room. The room of people now only a backdrop of noise and activity, her mind too distracted to comprehend as she weighed the pros and cons of her current situation, wondering if this was fate after all.

  “What are you thinking, Elizabeth?” Leo asked, startling her away from her internal dilemma. Elizabeth sighed as she leaned back, loving how he said her name with a hint of an accent, not a specific accent, more of a mismatch of an accent, so that her name just seemed to roll off of his tongue, with a bit of a lift. “I was thinking I have to stop thinking so much.” She said, as she started to let her guard down.

  The café was a reminder of another time, another place, in which she had felt safe and secure. Elizabeth knew if she closed her eyes she would be able to smell the wood of the log home her friend, Aurora, grew up in. She would remember cold winter nights when she sat on a stool at a granite island holding a warm mug of hot chocolate between chilled fingers as the steam warmed her. Frustrated and insecure with life, she had spoken to the only people in her life that somewhat understood and knew some of her history. They were kind and non-judgmental towards her while they listened to her desire to face a past her mother chose to bury.

  Elizabeth cleared her throat as she shook herself back to the present and smiled over at Leo, her hands now warmed by the large mug that held her raspberry latte, the fragrant pleasant as it filtered through her just before she sipped. Her decision made. “So what do you charge?”

  Leo chuckled as he raised his eyebrow in question, “For what?”

  Elizabeth smiled at the question, “Sorry for the change in subject. I have a terrible habit of doing that without any warning and expecting the other person to know what I was just thinking.” She said with an apologetic shrug, “I guess my thoughts have a tendency of getting ahead of my words…Anyway, what I was thinking is that I might have a job for you, if you’re looking for work. It’s not a large job. But, I have some information I’m looking for. The only problem is I don’t have a whole lot of funds to pay you.”

  Leo smiled as he leaned forward, his eyes kind and warm as they looked into hers. “For you, I’ll do it pro bono.”

  “Really?” Elizabeth asked her eyebrows raised suspiciously. “Pro bono? Now, that is very generous and very unnecessary.” She said as she leaned forward her voice dropping as she continued. “Because, from my personal experience in life, nothing is truly free.”

  Leo smiled as he leaned forward also. “True. Very few things are free.” He said casually before his voice dropped down to Elizabeth’s volume as he continued. “But...you see. I kind of like you. So I guess the price for me is…the pleasure of your company as we work out this mystery of yours.” He said, with a wink as he leaned back.

  A startled laugh escaped Elizabeth, as her face grew warm in pleasure. “I don’t know.” She said teasingly. “That seems like an awfully steep price.” She said with a flirtation note. Then realizing what she was doing she hesitated in confusion. Doubt filled her as she looked into his eyes which seemed to smile from within as he watched her. Her mother’s teaching filled her as she wondered that else Leo was after and the thought made her falter with a hesitant insecurity, as she attempted to collect her thoughts together once more as she cleared her throat. “I mean…I appreciate the offer. But, really it isn’t necessary, I can pay you something.” She said coolly, the lightness of the conversation gone from her voice.

  “I guess that is totally up to you.” He said as the smile faded from his eyes. “But, it really wouldn’t be necessary, I would love to help you in any way I can.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate the offer.” She said with sincere appreciation, disappointed with her insecurities that ended the flirtatious play of words they had started earlier and how light it had made her feel. Now all she really wanted back was that moment before she doubted herself and Leo’s intensions. However, she wasn’t quite sure how to reverse that which she had started.

  “If you like, we could get started now.” Leo said, his voice deep and neutral as he crossed his legs and lifted his arm onto the arm of the sofa, his posture casual. “We could begin with you giving me a little bit of general information on what you are looking for.”

  “Oh.” Elizabeth said, startled back to reality as she realized she really didn’t think this out quite enough before she asked. Not knowing what to tell him as she looked back over, “I guess you would, wouldn’t you?” She said with a small smile. Her mind was trying to think of what she actually did know, which wasn’t much at all. As a matter of fact, she knew nothing and that was the problem in a nutshell. She bit the corner of her lower lip self-consciously as she looked back up hesitantly. Her shoulders lifted then fell as she let out an exasperated breath before she began. “I’ve never had to do this before. What sort of background do you need?”

  “Whatever you’re looking for? Such as, are you looking for… a mother, father, sister, brother, cat, dog…lost fortune? I just need more of an idea what information you are looking for.”

  Elizabeth cringed knowing she was going to sound like an idiot before the words ever came out. “Well you see… that is a lot of my problem. I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for.”

  “What do you mean?” He asked with a puzzled look.

  “Well what I’m really looking for is a...feeling”, she said hesitantly then continued quickly when he raised his eyebrows, puzzled. “Well, more then a feeling, I guess. More like a man. But I don’t know his name or even what he looks like.”

  A deep chuckle escaped Leo as he smiled. “Okay, Well this is going to be an easy assignment then. Because what you are looking for is in front of you.”

  Elizabeth breath caught at the implication, as she realized she was doing a terrible job explaining as she waved her hands in front of her. “No, no, that is not what I mean.”

  “It isn’t?” He asked with a wink.

  “No.” Elizabeth said with a laugh, “I’m not looking for…a guy for…oh forget it. I can tell by that smirk that you know that was not what I meant.” Relief surged through her at his casual tone and the easy way it made her feel. Pleased that she had not totally blown what had started earlier between, confused with her thoughts and how they made her feel. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided at that moment to just let happen what will happen. A new concept for her indeed, but this was a trip about discoveries, was it not?

  “You’re right.. So, how about you start at the beginning then.”

  “The beginning…well, I guess you can say the beginning would be when I was twelve.” She said, with a nervous shrug as she began to tell him her bizarre life and how she lost her memory. Her story coming out in a hesitant self-conscious rush at first, as she heard from her own lips a life that seemed more like a lifetime channel movie than her own reality. But, the more she spoke, the less self-conscious she felt as a desperate need overshadowed any doubt she had begun with. She left out very little, only bits of information which she didn’t feel was necessary for his help, then proceeded to tell him how she had felt an overwhelming desire to come to New Orleans after she saw a television special which elicited emotions she thought she had forgotten. She described her sense of confirmation when she had arrived in this strange city to an onslaught of emotions, nightmare and what she believed was a flash of memory.

  Elizabeth only stopped periodically to take sips of her coffee and bites of her sandwich. Finding the flood of words pour from her like a recently br
oken dam, she was unable to contain the knowledge of her bizarre life any longer, so by the time she had finished, her throat was raw and her mind numb. A overwhelmed feeling of relief consumed her as she looked up and around her surroundings, surprised when she found the café now void of the people from earlier, not remembering when they had left and new people had arrived. The light beyond the window was dusky as the sun had started to set for the night. Elizabeth chuckled at how long she must have been talking, her palms damp with a nervous tension as she rubbed them against her legs before she finally let them come to rest on her knees, hesitant too look back over at Leo.

  She became startled away from her own inner self-incrimination when she felt his warm fingers grip hers, the warmth of them seeping down into her skin to take away the chill that had settled into her body, his voice strong, gentle, “Elizabeth?”

  Hesitant, she lifted her eyes to his, a reflection of sympathy, not disbelief filled the golden green-flecked irises. The sight filled her with an overwhelming sadness as tears started to collect at the corner of her eyes, her throat closing in. “Oh, don’t feel sorry for me. I can’t handle it when people are sad for me.” She said as she looked away to collect her emotions, needing to change the subject quickly before she broke down in front of him. “So did I give you enough information that you can help me?”

  “Yes, darling you did.”

  She frowned in confusion at the endearment, the simple word, made her feel vulnerable and comfortable all at once. The conflict filled her with uncertainty as she felt a need to take back control of her emotions, her smile falsely wide as she jumped up from the sofa. “Good, then we should go. It’s getting late and I’m sure Aurora is starting to wonder what has happened to me-- again.” She said with a forced laugh as she looked back over to Leo in an attempt to show she was fine as her eyes pleaded with him not to ask anything further, as she continued, “You see, we look out for each other, Aurora and I. ‘This day and age, you can never be too careful’ as my mother always said.”