Jewell (A Second Chance Novel Book 2)

by Tina DeSalvo

  “You’re a pathetic softy.”

  “No,” he said, denying what he knew was the truth. “It’s better to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. At least until you figure out if they are your enemies. I don’t think we should confront Jewell yet. We need more information. We need to be prepared for whatever excuses or stories she tells us when we do confront her. Besides,” he moved away from Mignon and motioned for Ben to follow him. “You know that addendum with the generational trust and special clauses we had to high step around when we executed the will for you and Elli to inherit Sugar Mill Plantation?” Ben nodded. “Remember how no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t connect all of the dots in that trust from two generations ago?” Ben nodded again. Beau looked at Mignon and blew out a breath. “Well, it’s possible we’re looking at a dot.”

  “Or the expert researcher has figured out a way to contrive a dot.”

  Beau nodded. “Yes, indeed, cuz. Yes, indeed. The granddaughter might be running a confidence game for her biggest theft yet.”

  ***

  “I’m glad you’re taking the job to clear the barn properly,” Elli said, placing her teacup on the matching saucer. “I’ll be nearby or just a phone call away if you need anything.” She smiled a soft smile. “I’ll be busy completing preparations before this big budget movie can be filmed here. I won’t be here for the set carpenters when they arrive to start early construction, but I’ve had several meetings with them. Everything is organized for their arrival. They are a relatively small group. I’ll be here for the larger crews to get situated on the property, so they'll be the least disruptive as possible to the kennel. They’ll be bringing in the heavier equipment, trailers. Ben has to continue working with the search and rescue dogs that are in a critical stage of training. He has contractual obligations to deliver the dogs ready for service in just weeks.” She took a sip of tea before continuing. “I can’t believe he agreed to let them film such a huge production here when he has to get the dogs ready for graduation at the same time.” She smiled. “I know he’d prefer not to have the distraction but he’s doing it for me and Joey. He knows how much we enjoy having movies filmed here.”

  Elli placed her hands flat on the rough-hewn cypress plank table. Jewell figured that four or five generations ago, this table had been crafted by slaves or free men of color on the plantation. She wondered for a moment if Elli knew that. Had she looked on the underside for the initials or markings of the craftsman who created the centerpiece for the kitchen? Had the current Bienvenu family ever considered how their ancestors or their long-ago workers had prepared meals on this table or what topics of conversations were shared around it?

  Would future generations wonder what the current Bienvenus did around this very table? God, Jewell loved history, the connections that existed between today and yesterday.

  “Our seven-year-old son, Joey, is at Boy Scout camp,” Elli continued, and Jewell refocused her attention on the conversation with this happy, content and confident woman. “When he gets back, we’re going to take him to the beach for fall break. He's very disappointed he’ll be in school most of the time the production crew is setting up. He loves the behind-the-scenes stuff. Me, I love the orchestrating, the gathering of all the best components to bring it together to create something spectacular.”

  “Are you producing movies again?”

  “No. I’m just dabbling in one little piece of the big puzzle.” Elli laughed. “It’s all I really want to do now. I get to bring amazing directors and producers here to Sugar Mill where they can let their imaginations create movie magic. This is a magical place, you know?”

  “Yes, I do.” Jewell looked up at the wavy lead glass kitchen window, knowing exactly how difficult and remarkable it was for that to be created in the 1800s. Yes, she understood how magical this place was down to its foundation. “You and Ben are blessed to live here. It’s nice that you share your home with the movie industry and therefore the world.”

  Elli smiled and took a sip of her tea. “You know, my husband gets that. He’s a perceptive and sensitive guy even though he has a snarling bark from time to time. It’s just like the flash and blasts in a movie.” She laughed. “It looks intimidating, but it isn’t real. He’s so fair-minded…such a softy. He’s darling.”

  Jewell actually heard Elli sigh. Wow. She'd heard her mom sigh over a guy once, but she'd done it in front of the man who drove a brand new red Ferrari. And, she'd faked it. This was the real deal. She didn’t know women actually sighed like that for real.

  “Well, I’m setting up the bunkhouse down the road by the kennel nice and cozy for us,” Elli continued. “Joey is thrilled we’ll be staying there. He says it’ll be better than Boy Scout camp. The reality is this movie will make it almost impossible to live in the house.” Elli shrugged her shoulders. “I hope staying in the bunkhouse will keep my husband sane. He’ll be happier closer to his dogs with so many people around. I’m having his recliner moved to the bunkhouse, too. He’ll get a kick out of that.” She smiled a sweet, gentle smile that made her blue eyes shine.

  “I've worked on a few movie sets in New Orleans and around the area,” Jewell said, “as an antiquities consultant, to make sure the scenes were set correctly or that certain props were handled in the right manner.” She laughed thinking about how little the last set designer knew about cooking on the plantation in the 1860s. She wanted the scene to be set with slaves cooking inside the big house, when all cooking had actually been done in yard kitchens in that era. “I totally understand the disruptions. There are so many people rushing around, so much equipment, too.”

  “Exactly.” She placed her hands flat on the table. Jewell felt it was a signal that she was bracing for a more businesslike discussion. “The movie carpenters and crew preparing for the shoot at the end of next week will start arriving before the weekend. Maybe even midweek. That’s when we’re scheduled to leave. I’m sorry I won’t be here.”

  “Don’t be. I have a lot of experience leading projects. Just tell me what you need.”

  She smiled. “This must seem like a little thing compared to the important investigations and expeditions you’ve led.”

  “Not at all. Each site holds its own intrigue no matter how much or what is there.”

  “What an interesting life you have.” Jewell liked hearing the esteem in Elli’s tone. She hadn’t felt that in some time. “The plan is for the carpenters to start building sets in tents on-site but they’ll have to get into the barn to stage everything sooner rather than later. Are you certain you can clean the barn in just one week?”

  Jewell nodded. She would do it if it required her to stay up 24-7. “I do what I say I’m going to do, Elli.”

  “And, you don’t mind staying in your camper?”

  “No. I told you. It's home away from home for Mimi and me. It’s familiar and comfortable for her and for me, too.

  “I want to make sure you understand some things too, Elli.” Jewell’s heart was racing. She felt full disclosure was necessary with her new employer although she wouldn’t let her legal problems and Mimi’s dementia affect her performance. “I’ve already mentioned Mimi’s behavior and my need to keep her close to me.” Elli nodded, reached across the table and squeezed Jewell’s hand in a show of understanding. It made what she wanted to tell her about being charged with felony theft so much harder.

  She didn’t want this kind, generous, open person to think poorly of her. She liked Elli. It felt good to see that she liked her back. That was a rare thing since she had been accused of being a criminal. What difference did having friends matter if she ended up in prison anyway? Oh, God. She couldn’t let her mind drift to negative thoughts of being imprisoned. She had to shut that down before it drowned her in a wave of despair.

  She pulled her hand from Elli’s. The absence of human contact made her feel every bit as alone as she actually was. “Elli, I respect you and feel you should know...”

  Beau and Ben walked int
o the room. Jewell stopped speaking. Both men were frowning. It set off alarm bells for her.

  “Is Mimi okay?” She stood and started to walk out. Elli grabbed her hand. It oddly eased her racing heart but she still wanted to rush to check on her grand-mère.

  “How’s Mignon?” Elli asked the men, looking at Jewell.

  “Sleeping like a baby,” Beau said with a smile, then thumbed his finger at Ben. “In his chair.” Jewell let out the breath she was holding and sat in the kitchen chair. Her head felt light, her knees weak. She really had to learn to control her anxiety, her worry that something terrible could happen to Mimi. If she didn’t, how would she deal with it if they were forced apart by the judicial system or when her grand-mère reached the inevitable end of her life?

  Elli and Beau laughed. Jewell looked at them confused and remembered the comment made about Ben’s recliner. She really should just leave now. But the unsigned contract on the table anchored her to her seat.

  “Did you take a picture of Mrs. Mignon in Ben’s chair?” Elli asked. “I want to send it to the family.” She looked at Jewell. “No one sits in Ben’s chair, except Tante Izzy.”

  “Oh,” Jewell turned to Ben, who was smiling instead of frowning as she’d thought he would. “I’ll get her out of your chair.”

  He shrugged. “I guess if I let one old lady take a nap in it, there isn’t a problem with another one.”

  “You're so lucky that first old lady isn’t around to hear you call her that,” Elli laughed. “Tante Izzy is his aunt. She's the Bienvenu matriarch and keeper of all the family secrets. And, if you aren’t careful, she's a self-appointed matchmaker, too. Except, somehow Beau has managed to stay away from her hocus pocus tricks.”

  Beau grabbed a MoonPie off the plate on the table, and smiled a boyish grin.

  Ben hugged Elli. “Well, we stayed out of her clutches too, chère.” He kissed her on the cheek. “We did just fine without her love potions.”

  Elli laughed. “She tried to give us some kind of spider spit concoction,” she told Jewell.

  “This is Isaure Claudette Bienvenu you are speaking about, right?”

  Beau looked at her, his eyes steady. He was studying her like she would study a new document she'd discovered. Did he not like her asking about Isaure Claudette? Did he wonder why she’d asked about her? Jewell didn’t really care what he thought. It didn’t affect her, her work or her search for Twinnie one bit. It was his problem to sort. Not hers.

  “We are certainly speaking of Tante Izzy,” Elli answered. “And if you value your ear drums, don’t call her Isaure in her presence.” Elli laughed. “I guarantee, if she wasn’t out of town right now, she’d be interrogating you to find out who you are, who your people are, and who’s your momma?”

  Jewell’s mouth went dry. Best she stay away from Tante Izzy. Of course, the matriarch might very well be exactly who she needed to speak to for some answers—or at least some leads in finding Twinnie or in eliminating the claim of Twinnie’s existence in Cane. If she was as much a busybody as they said, the woman probably knew the history of the people of Cane and nearby towns. She’d know if someone named Twinnie had ever lived around there.

  “How do you know of Tante Izzy?” Beau asked, shoving the last of the MoonPie into his mouth.

  “I always research the properties where I work.”

  He grunted, looked at Ben, and then turned his attention back to her. “Even when you haven’t been hired yet?”

  “It’s good business,” Elli said, saving her from having to respond. “You always go into an interview with a potential employer prepared.”

  Jewell smiled at Elli. Yes, she did that and more. She wanted to know everything for professional knowledge and because of her insatiable curiosity. In this instance, however, she also had researched Isaure and the others in the family from the same generation as Mimi for more personal reasons. From what she’d discovered in her investigation on the family lineage there were three Bienvenu siblings—Martine Louise, Isaure Claudette and Benjamin Aguste. Ben’s grandfather, Benjamin, was deceased. She couldn’t find any current information or a local address on Martine. So, Isaure would be the easiest one for Jewell to interview by default. If speaking with Isaure turned up nothing, then she’d find Martine or other people of that same generation to question.

  Besides looking for people to interview about Twinnie, she had to consider if they were actually Twinnie. Jewell had looked into the possibility that Martine or Isaure was Twinnie. The fact that their last names didn’t match any of Mimi’s familiar names or were called Twinnie made either one an unlikely match.

  Isaure’s age wasn’t a match either. She was about eight years younger and Twinnie had to be about the same age as Mimi according to her stories. But, Martine’s age did match. Not that having the age connection revealed anything. Thousands of women were born the same year Mimi was in Louisiana—if Twinnie was even born in Louisiana. Following that thread now meant there were millions of age appropriate possibilities in the world.

  If Jewell was to scale it back and limit it to people who lived on sugar plantations that existed or once existed in Louisiana, then she would only be looking at a mere fifteen hundred of them. Geez. That would take years of research. Dementia wouldn’t give Mimi years. At best, she had months to find Twinnie if Mimi was going to recognize her…and with her trial so fast approaching, she didn’t even have that.

  So, with the odds so stacked against them, she had decided to ask Mimi directly if Martine was Twinnie. Another iffy proposition, again because of the dementia. Mimi hadn’t hesitated. She flat-out said no.

  Dead end. Until Mimi opened the secret nook and pulled out the footstool. Was it possible another plantation had the same kind of hidden nook and a similar footstool inside?

  “You know, we all prepare thoroughly for our work, too,” Elli said, still discussing Jewell researching the Bienvenus before she even secured the job. “You, Beau, are the worst or best of us all.”

  They started teasing each other over who was the most OCD with their work. As they laughed, recanting stories of excess, Jewell thought about how her quest had changed in an instant right in front of the handsome Bienvenu dynamic duo.

  Then the conversation circled back to Isaure. “The one person who is never prepared, but always manages her way through things, is Tante Izzy,” Beau said, his eyes twinkling with pleasure.

  “Well, I look forward to meeting Tante Izzy,” Jewell said, not really meaning it, thinking of all of the reasons she should stay away from her. She looked at Beau. His dark, pensive earlier expression had told her that he wouldn’t like hearing her say that. His brows were furrowed now, and she found a little pleasure in teasing him about it. “Where is she?”

  “Oh, she's with the quilting club on a casino bus trip to Shreveport.” Elli laughed. “She’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Enjoy the quiet and calm,” Ben said, leaning over to scratch the big bloodhound behind its ear.

  Jewell didn’t give voice to the fact that life with Mimi was never quiet and calm.

  Beau leaned against the kitchen cabinet and crossed his arms over his chest. Jewell suspected that even though this man exhibited quiet and calm right now, he wasn’t really any closer to that than Izzy and Mimi were.

  “Ben, Jewell will begin work in the morning.”

  Beau stood up straight but didn’t say a word. His body language said enough of how he didn’t like hearing that news. Elli picked up the pen Jewell had placed next to the three-page contract on the table when they first sat down to meet. “Can you and Beau help her hook up her camper to a good power source near the barn?

  Ben nodded, then lifted the refrigerator door up and open. He pulled out four bottles of water and placed them on the table. Then, as an afterthought, he handed one to Jewell.

  “Thank you.” She was moved at his gesture of hospitality.

  Elli started to read the contract when Beau moved in closer to her. “Do you mind if I look it
over?” He pulled a chair next to her.

  “I guess it doesn’t hurt to have another pair of eyes review it. Besides you are my attorney.” Elli looked at Jewell. “Beau practices law here in Cane. He has a lot of us Bienvenus as clients.” She laughed. “He has a lot of others from the area, too. He’s got a nice-sized practice, a diverse one, too. Right, Beau? Contracts, family law, real estate and whatever legal dealings come into your office.”

  “Oh, I’m just your run-of-the-mill good ol’ country attorney,” he answered, not looking up from the contract he was reading. “That’s me. I get paid with chickens, fish and pats on the back.”

  Elli laughed. “Hardly.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s very good.”

  Jewell forced herself to relax her tense shoulders and pasted a smile on her face. She didn’t care what Beau did for a living. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She wouldn’t have cared if he was a carpenter or beekeeper. The fact that he was an attorney, a very good attorney, gave her pause. Her contract was simple, honest. Yet, having an attorney studying it with intense focus made her more nervous and anxious than she already was. She needed this job. She didn’t need an overzealous country lawyer messing things up for her.

  Elli flipped the pages as she read through the document and lifted the pen to sign the contract but Beau stopped her. Jewell’s heart skipped a beat. Oh, no, she prayed, please don’t let him ruin this.

  “I don’t think your out-clause is strong enough,” he told Elli.

  “I’m fine with this, Beau.” Elli frowned. “We're only talking about having her clear out the old equipment barn, and catalog, value and sell the items in there. Everything is clearly stated in this contract. Any additional work will be negotiated and if necessary an addendum agreed upon by both parties will be added.”

  Ben walked up to the table. “Do y’all have to do this, now?” he asked. “Can it wait until the morning? Maybe Elli and I can discuss it.”