The Unknown Woman

by Laurie Paige

  “The salt is many feet thick, formed in the marsh over thousands of years,” Terrence explained. “It’s been reinforced with concrete pillars, so it’s safe.”

  He opened three bottles for further sampling. The wines were French and had been laid down in a vintage season several years ago. “We have one case of each left. I want your opinion. Are they still drinkable?”

  The first one had gone to vinegar. Matt and Terrence laughed as Kerry grimaced upon tasting it.

  “I think we can rule this one out,” Terrence said.

  The other two were fine. Matt noted that Kerry took only the tiniest sip of each one. He poured the remainder of each wine into the waste receptacle, and she did the same. After that, they returned to the dining room, where bananas Foster were prepared at the table.

  Kerry, her eyes shining, was served first and invited to give her opinion of the rich dessert. She tried a bite and pronounced it “perfect.”

  When the waiter brought more wine, Kerry laid her fingers over her glass to indicate she’d had enough.

  Matt remembered the story of her uncle, who’d shown what could come from excessive drinking. She was practicing what her family had preached, he realized.

  In two days, he’d shared more with Kerry than with women he’d known for a much longer time. She’d told him about the cousin who’d committed suicide, and he’d talked about the death of his sister. It didn’t even seem odd.

  Would this closeness disappear when they returned to their respective homes?

  While he contemplated this, a small orchestra began playing. Many couples rose and headed for the dance floor.

  “Would you excuse us?” Matt said to the others, taking Kerry’s hand. Whether it was wise or not, he had to have her in his arms. Now.

  He led her to the dance floor and she gazed up at him, a smile on her lips and in her eyes, as they began to move to the slow rhythm of a love song.

  “You’re incredibly beautiful,” he said.

  Her smile widened. “Thank you, kind sir.”

  Her voice held laughter…and secrets…and promises that would never be broken.

  Something fierce grabbed his heart and wouldn’t let go. He wanted to hold her close, but the difference in their heights precluded it. If they had been alone, he would simply have lifted her off her feet.

  Realizing she was a very good dancer, he changed up their steps, spinning her around, bringing her to his side so they faced the same direction, then spinning her out again. She followed effortlessly, and he increased the intricacy of their movements.

  “You like to dance,” she said in delight. “And you’re good. Every woman here will be hoping you’ll ask them next.”

  He shook his head. “There’s only one woman I want.”

  She caught her lower lip between her teeth for a second as if suppressing a gasp, then she gave him a mock frown.

  “You shouldn’t say things like that,” she murmured, then added, “when we’re in a crowd.”

  When she looked up at him and laughed, he saw the impish gleam in those verdant depths. The giant fist squeezed his heart again.

  At the end of the dance, he pushed a pager in his pocket that would alert their driver, checked his notes with Terrence, told the others he’d been very pleased to have met them and escorted Kerry out of the building. The town car stopped just as they reached the portico.

  “How did he know we were ready?” she asked.

  Matt grinned. “Magic.”

  On the twenty-minute drive to the hotel, Kerry snuggled into Matt’s side, her head against his arm. She yawned.

  “I had a wonderful time, Matt,” she murmured sleepily.

  “Are you falling asleep on me?” he asked. “I should have monitored your wine intake more closely.”

  “Three glasses,” she said. “And one cocktail. I kept count. One glass an hour maximum.” She yawned again.

  “Good girl.”

  “You’re bigger than I am, so your body can process more in a shorter time. But not too much more,” she lectured.

  “Right,” he said, laughter in his voice.

  He laid his cheek on her head and looped his arm around her shoulders. Beneath the cool silk of the scarf, he could feel the warmth of her skin. Heat spread in waves from every point where they touched. He allowed himself to enjoy the sensations.

  At the hotel, he kept his arm around her as they made their way through the lobby and across the softly lit courtyard. It was after midnight, but there was a couple near the pool, and a few others scattered in the shadows under the potted palms, their conversations muted.

  Inside Kerry’s patio, Matt held her while she felt around in her evening purse for the key. He took it from her and opened the door, then realized he wasn’t ready to let her go, not just yet.

  “Kerry,” he said.

  She looked up at him. The moonlight shone in her eyes while a slight smile curved her mouth into enticing lines. “Yes,” she whispered, as if answering a question.

  The temptation was too great. He took her into his arms and claimed the treasure of her mouth, devouring all the sweetness within until he was lost to reason.

  “Oh, Matt,” she said when he kissed along her cheek to her ear. “I’ve thought of this….”

  “So have I.”

  “Let’s go inside,” she said with practical good sense.

  He stepped over the threshold and gave the door a push with his foot. Soft music played. The lamp was on beside the bed. The covers were turned down, ready to welcome the weary traveler to rest.

  But he wasn’t weary and it wasn’t rest he wanted.

  Neither did she.

  “That feels so good,” she said as he stroked along her back, his hands careful on the beaded top. The scarf had slipped down so that it draped to her waist, held in place by the crook of her elbows.

  He tossed it on a chair. Placing an arm behind her knees, he lifted her and sat down on the bed, holding her in his lap. She pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders and down his arms. He tossed it toward the chair, too. His tie followed.

  Then he returned to her lips, consumed by the lush taste he found there.

  “Mmm, mmm, mmm,” she said, planting kisses all over his face, then his neck. She opened buttons and licked along his skin, setting fires wherever she touched. Her hands skimmed his flesh when she pushed his shirt aside.

  He found the zipper to her top and disposed of it. Her breasts gleamed in the lamplight like the finest marble, but warm…so warm…

  By mutual unspoken consent, they lay back on the broad bed, the need urgent and hot between them. She moved against him, her nipples barely brushing his chest.

  Easing down, he kissed each delicate peak and laved them with his tongue, smiling as they contracted more.

  “Make love to me,” she said in a dreamy tone, her eyes alight with need.

  And the wine she’d consumed? some wary, and perhaps more honorable, part of him wondered.

  With a sigh, he knew he couldn’t risk that possibility. Somehow this was too important. “Not tonight,” he said, lifting himself up on his elbow so he could gaze into her face.

  She looked so disappointed, he almost forgot his reservation. “Another time?” she asked in the sweet, earnest manner that he found so endearing.

  He laughed softly. “You better believe it, but not when you’ve had three glasses of wine and a cocktail. I want to make sure you remember every detail.”

  “I will,” she vowed.

  He kissed her forehead, her nose, her mouth. “So will I, honey, and that’s a fact.”

  Then he got himself out of there, the door safely closed and locked behind him, before he could change his mind.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  KERRY PUT ON her dark glasses and a lacy-brimmed hat before joining Matt for breakfast on his patio.

  He opened the gate for her, gazed into her face, then burst into laughter. “Do you need a dose of the hair of the dog that bit you?”


  “No! No more wine for me,” she declared, taking the seat he held out for her, one that was deeper in the shade, she noted. The morning light exacerbated the headache pinging behind her eyes. “Not ever.”

  He chuckled again, a sound so alluring, she had a hard time keeping her hands off him.

  “Your problem is most likely dehydration. I should have told you to drink a full glass of water and take a multiple vitamin last night before you went to bed.”

  She nodded. “This seems to be a habit with us,” she began warily, “but I think I owe you an apology this morning for, uh, my actions last night.”

  “Not at all. To coin a phrase, ‘A pleasant time was had by all.’ Especially by me,” he added in a sensuous voice that reached right down and caressed a place inside her heart. He poured her a cup of coffee.

  “I had a lovely evening, Matt,” she told him in the most sincere manner she could muster at this early hour.

  Which was actually ten o’clock.

  “I took the liberty of ordering some breakfast rolls and muffins when I heard your shower come on. Do you mind?”

  “No. That was thoughtful of you.” She took a tiny sip of coffee, found it didn’t make her queasy and took another. “You were right last night. I was more…”

  She tried to think of a word that didn’t make her sound like a lush.

  “Happy,” he supplied.

  “I was much happier than I realized,” she admitted ruefully. Nothing like making a fool of oneself in front of a man who was probably used to the most sophisticated women in the world. She mentally groaned.

  The waiter knocked on the post next to the gate, then entered, a smile on his face. “The hair of the dog,” he said, placing a tall glass of tomato juice in front of Kerry. “The chef said this would fix you right up.”

  “Does everyone know how happy I was last night?” she demanded after the waiter placed two baskets of rolls on the table, then departed.

  “I was the only one with that privilege,” Matt told her with an intimate glance as he poured more coffee. “However, I asked the waiter what might be soothing when a person consumed a tad more wine than usual.”

  “Ah, all becomes clear,” she said, adopting his playful tone. Actually she did feel better.

  Kerry found the tomato juice, laced with lemon and a drop of Louisiana hot sauce, really was just the thing to revitalize her appetite. She drank half of it before replacing the glass on the table and selecting a warm croissant from one of the baskets.

  “Charlotte Marchand stopped by this morning,” he continued. “We had a chat about Patti and the vandalism on Saturday. Apparently it was very minor—nothing valuable was stolen. She seemed to have a lot on her mind, but things have quieted down since the blackout, she said. I’m sure she was relieved Patti’s death was accidental and the investigation over.”

  That reminded Kerry of her mission. “The detective gave me a number to call at the medical examiner’s office. He said the secretary could tell me what would happen to Patti. I meant to call at eight on the dot, before the office got too busy.”

  “Call now,” he urged.

  She fished the business card and her cell phone out of her purse. The number answered on the first ring.

  “Office of the Medical Examiner,” a crisp feminine voice said.

  Kerry explained who she was and how she got the number. “I’m a friend of Patti Ruoui. She was brought in Saturday night—”

  “I have her paperwork on my desk,” the woman said, sounding efficient and busy. “There’s no next of kin listed. Are you a relative?”

  Kerry felt the sudden hot press of tears as she thought of Patti’s lack of family. “No, a friend.”

  Matt laid a hand over hers and nodded encouragement.

  “Would we be allowed to arrange a cremation? Patti was a follower of the Spirit of Healing and—”

  “I understand,” the woman broke in. “You would have to get clearance from a judge. You’ll need it today or in the morning at the latest. She’s scheduled to be removed from the morgue for burial tomorrow.”

  “Oh—oh, I see,” Kerry said.

  “Ask what judge,” Matt murmured, his temple touching hers as he listened in.

  Kerry got the information, repeating it aloud while he wrote down names and numbers.

  “That’s all I can tell you,” the secretary told her. In a kinder tone she added, “I’ll make a note to hold things here until tomorrow afternoon. That’s all the time I’ll be able to give you without a court order.”

  “Thank you. I’m sure we can get something done by then. Thank you so very much.” She hung up. “What’s the judge’s number?”

  Matt held the notebook up so she could see.

  After thirty minutes of being transferred from one person to another or put on hold with elevator music to listen to, Kerry found out the judge wouldn’t be in his office until the following day.

  “He has court in the morning starting at nine,” she reported. “It’s a long case and he’ll be tied up all day.”

  “Let’s think this through,” Matt said. After a moment, he murmured, “I have an idea.”

  He pulled out his cell phone and flipped through the notebook. In less than a minute he dialed a number. He grimaced when he got an answering machine, but left his name and number.

  Next he called Claude Pichante, Jason’s father. Again he had to leave a message.

  Matt muttered an expletive when he hung up. “If we don’t hear from one of them in an hour, we’ll go to Plan B,” he told her.

  Her spirits perked up. “What is Plan B?”

  He gave her a wry grin. “We have an hour to figure it out. I thought we could start with Detective Rothberg.”

  “Good thinking,” she said.

  The hour ticked by. Matt talked to the detective in the interim but got no ideas from him. Just as Kerry gave up hope, Matt’s cell phone rang.

  “Matt Anderson,” he said into the phone. “Claude, good of you to return my call.”

  He explained their problem to Claude Pichante while Kerry prayed he could be of help with the bureaucracy of local government.

  After a brief conversation, Matt thanked the man and hung up. “He just finished a round of golf and is heading for the clubhouse for lunch. He saw a judge from Superior Court on the golf course earlier. He’ll try to locate him and see if he can help us.”

  She laid a hand on his arm. “Oh, Matt, thank you. You are just wonderful—”

  He leaned close, his breath fanning her lips as he spoke. “Keep looking at me like that and we’ll end up spending the day in bed,” he warned huskily.

  She was so spellbound she couldn’t look away.

  “Ah, honey,” he said on a low groan, “you make it hard to remember I’m a gentleman.”

  Kerry thought maybe she wanted him to forget, but she controlled the longing to ignore common sense—she was not going to lose her head during a one-week vacation—and pointed to the telephone to remind both of them of their goal.

  “Would you like to explore the Quarter while we wait for his call?” she asked.

  He let out a gusty sigh as if he’d gotten past a terrible temptation. “Sure.”

  They strolled along the busy streets and checked out the churches, museums and shops in the Vieux Carré for over two hours before heading back to the hotel and taking a break on her patio.

  Kerry was beginning to feel despondent. Time was running out on the chance to give Patti a healing ceremony and lay her spirit to rest. It had probably been a hopeless and ridiculous idea from the start.

  In fact, she was so sure it wasn’t going to happen that she was startled when Matt’s phone buzzed.

  He grabbed it from his pocket and answered. “It’s kind of you to take my call, your honor,” he said after identifying himself.

  He patiently went over the situation, then answered several questions. Kerry’s name was mentioned as a friend of the deceased when Matt explained what she wanted to do a
nd why.

  After writing some info down, he thanked the judge and finally hung up. “We got it,” he said.

  “What?”

  “The judge’s okay. He’s not the judge whose name you were given, but he can also give the permission we need. He’s calling his office now. His legal assistant will cut the order and he’ll stop by and sign it in about thirty minutes. The forms can be picked up by the crematorium staff so they can collect the remains. He gave me the number of one that’s reliable and said we could use his name when we contacted them.”

  Kerry clutched his arm. “I’m so relieved. I’d almost given up.”

  Matt gave her a smile that warmed her heart. “I’ll call now.” In another minute he was speaking to the director of the crematorium. “Could you make it this afternoon?” he asked and explained the time crunch. “Thanks. That’s a big relief to us. When can we get the, uh…”

  Matt glanced at Kerry. She knew he was trying not to say “ashes” in front of her.

  “Yes, an urn would be fine,” Matt continued. “Does it have a cover? Okay. Yes. After nine in the morning. Is a credit card okay? Good. We’ll see you then.” He hung up.

  “How much is it going to cost?” she asked, worrying about her credit limit.

  He told her. “We’ll split it. I want to,” he added when she started to protest that it was her idea.

  A large warm hand touched her chin and brought her face up. “I can’t stand it when you look so sad,” Matt said.

  Tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t stop them. “I keep thinking of all that potential. Wasted. All that Patti could have been, gone. It was the same with my cousin. She was lovely and talented and a straight-A student. Patti seems to have been the same.”

  “I know.”

  “Apparently she was studying to be a healer under the old queen. I think she must have been a very caring person.”

  Her throat closed and she couldn’t go on. Matt pushed his chair back and drew her into his arms, settling her in his lap. “Go ahead and cry,” he whispered.