by Marnie Perry
She heard her mother’s voice saying, “Why are you lying awake thinking about that man? A man like that would never be interested in you, why would he be, he’s not blind or mad is he? He’s after your money that’s all, or sex, maybe both.’ Adela heard that course, vulgar laugh she had heard so often directed her way. Her mother was wrong, Sterling Hennessey didn’t know her or anything about her so how would he know about her money, and why would he want anything else from her? He could have any woman he chose, so there mother. She mentally stuck her tongue out at her mother then shook her head and cleared her mind of her words.
Eventually through sheer exhaustion and with his nice name in her head she fell asleep.
In the morning she was up early and after showering and changing into shorts and a blouse then had breakfast washed down with two cups of coffee. After she’d slipped on her trainers, put on her hat and grabbed her backpack she headed out.
She saw the Carters just coming out of their cabin and went over to say good morning. They informed her they were on their way into Gulfport to “do” the beach. The kids had loved it the previous day and wanted to go back and a day lazing on the beach suited their parents just fine.
Adela could not help but think of the previous evening and how Sterling Hennessey had laughed at her joke about "melanoma by the sea." She felt a sharp pang of regret knowing she had ruined the evening by insulting him.
Angela said, ‘are you all right, Adela.’
She swiftly pulled herself back to the present, ‘oh yes, why?’
‘You looked a little distracted there for a moment.’
‘Oh sorry, it’s still very early and I never really wake up properly until at least midday.’ This was untrue but she didn’t want to explain why she had had a restless night.
They laughed and Angela said, ‘I know what you mean, Paul is just the same and the kids take after him, me now, I’m an early bird, can’t sleep beyond 6.30a.m and I’m as bright as a button, aren’t I sleepy head?’ She tousled her husband’s hair and kissed his cheek.
He said, ‘you sure are, honey chops,’
Adela felt a strange sadness wash over here as she witnessed their affection for each other. Unbidden an image of Sterling Hennessey came to her. She mentally shook herself and told herself to stop that this instant. She had heard Sally use this phrase to the kids, it always made her smile.
She said, ‘well I’d better be off. I’m thinking of going into Jackson today, it’s quite a haul so I want to make an early start.’
They said, ‘yes, we’d better be off too,’ she looked towards her two sons who were showing their impatience at the delay in starting their fun day at the beach by punching each other on the arms and head.
Adela laughed, ‘have fun.’
‘Oh we will, you too. Bye.’
‘Bye.’ She called “bye” to the kids and walked up the path to the town.
It was still early so she saw few people about but as she came to Dean Maxwell’s bookshop she saw him just opening up.
He turned and saw her and his smile was bright, ‘well good morning, Adela.’
‘Good morning, Dean. It’s going to be another scorcher by the looks of it.’
‘Yes indeed. And where are you off to today?’
‘I thought about going into Jackson today; see what they have to offer in the way of entertainment.’
‘Really, that’s quite a ways off. Why don’t you try Pascagoula? It’s very nice there and lots to see and do.’
‘Really? I saw that on the map, but I opted for the furthest afield, then I intended to work my way back closer to home. But if you think Pascagoula is worth a visit I might try there instead.’
‘Don’t let me push you into changing your plans.’
‘Oh you won’t, I mean,’ she laughed, ‘you know what I mean.’
He laughed too, ‘well, why don’t you come in for a quick cup of tea before you go?’
‘Yes, I’d love too.’
He unlocked and opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter first saying, 'I’ll just open the shutters but leave the door locked for now so we can enjoy our tea and chat in peace, don’t want all those hoards of folks who come to buy books to disturb us now do we?’
She giggled, ‘certainly not.’
After he had made the tea and they were sitting in the back room where the sofa and chairs were laid out he asked, ‘did you enjoy yourself in Biloxi yesterday?’
‘Oh yes indeed. I went to the Jefferson Davis home and library, it was very interesting and informative.’
‘Yes I’ve been there once or twice.’ He took a sip of tea, ‘I thought you might come back in yesterday on your way back into town.’ He sounded slightly disappointed that she hadn’t.
‘Oh I would have, but something occurred.’ She told him about the diner and the waitress and the trucker man and Sterling Hennessey. He said, what a rude man to speak to you like that. I’m glad this Hennessey guy was there to deal with him.’
‘Yes, met too, especially in that he gave me a lift back to Eden.’
Dean Maxwell looked concerned, ‘you should be careful about who you accept rides from, Adela, there’s some odd people about.’
She smiled, ‘I know, but it turns out he's staying at the Horse and Hind here in Eden. Coincidence or what?’
‘He’s staying here in town?’
‘Yes. We went to dinner at the bar afterwards, since our lunch had been disrupted.’
‘You went to the bar with him?’ Dean asked quietly and Adela noticed a hint of disapproval in his tone.
She said, ‘yes, we had a very nice meal, spicy meatballs with rice cooked by Iris and served by Bob.’
‘I see.’
‘Is something wrong, Dean?’ She asked.
He stared at her for a moment then as if he suddenly realised he was said, ‘oh no, no.’ He stood up quickly and asked, ‘more tea?’
She wondered what had come over Dean, he was acting strangely. She said, ‘no thanks, I really ought to be going. I will go to Pascagoula after all I think, it sounds like a good day out.’
‘It is, just avoid diners with inexperienced waitresses and ill mannered truckers.’
She laughed out loud, ‘I will. Thanks for the tea, Dean.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Then speaking quickly he said, ‘the bar where you were last night? Well, they’re having a karaoke night tonight, if you’re interested.’
‘Really? Oh I’ve never been to one of those; I think I might pop in. Everyone was so friendly last night. Even the sheriff came over to speak to us.’
‘He did?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled, ‘I think he was checking out Mr. Hennessey, making sure he was responsible enough to see me home in one piece.’
Dean looked relieved when she mentioned the sheriff and Adela realised that he had been worried that a strange man had taken up with her, but had seemed a little placated when the sheriff had been mentioned.
He smiled brightly, ‘I’ll see you there then. It stars at 8.30, but try to get there early to grab a seat. If I’m there first I’ll save one for you.’
‘Thank you, and vice versa.’
They laughed and Adela left for a day out in Pascagoula.
**********
Hennessey watched Adela’s movements down the street. She was wearing navy blue shorts and a very nice cream coloured blouse with navy blue flowers on the front. Her hair was in the usual plait she seemed to prefer. He wondered what her hair looked like down, he could see it falling from its confines down her back to cover her ass. He wondered what it would feel like; if it felt anything like it looked it would be soft and silky. He admonished himself for letting his fantasises get the better of him, not that there was anything wrong with fantasies; he just didn’t want them clouding his judgement right now. He saw her speak to one or two people then stop and chat to the guy who ran the bookstore then go inside with him.
He couldn’t see them so they must have gone to the ba
ck of the shop. She came out twenty seven minutes later and both she and the guy were laughing. He didn’t like that, the guy was middle aged but handsome and what one would call debonair. From what he knew about her she would like that in a man.
He watched her walk down the street to the cab office. So she wasn’t catching a bus to Jackson but had decided on a cab. Expensive, but he had a feeling she could afford it. He did not believe for one moment that she had bought that old farmhouse she had mentioned with any savings she’d accumulated. She had been a cleaner and as far as he knew cleaners did not earn vast amounts of money, so how had she afforded her farmhouse and this vacation and the private plane for Desi. Plus, he knew for certain that she had drawn £30,000 dollars out of her account a few days earlier. No, this woman had serious money, he was just curious about how and where she had gotten it.
He watched her come out of the cab office with a driver and they got into the cab, she in the front passenger seat, and drive away.
He left his binoculars hanging around his neck, picked up his camera, left his room and walked causally down the street as though out for a stroll in the morning sunshine. He made his way through the woods and to Adela’s cabin hoping the family he had seen her talking to the other day were not sitting out otherwise he would have to wait until later. Worse case scenario was that they could sit there all day lazing about outside their cabin.
But he was lucky, there was no sign of them anywhere or anyone else come to that.
There were seven cabins in all, and he knew two were unoccupied as yet and all but two of the occupied ones faced away from her cabin.
He walked up the few steps and knocked as though he was calling on her. He waited but as he knew there wouldn’t be there was no answer.
He looked casually around and seeing no one he let himself in the same way he had at her other cabin in Alabama.
Once inside he looked around and as before noticed the smell first. Just one odour this time, her own. That flowery odour mixed with her own personal scent.
He looked around for her purse and found it hidden under the bed the strap was wrapped around a small hook sticking out of the wall, so it wouldn’t be easy to snatch he thought, he had to tug at it to get it loose. He noticed it was the same purse she had had with her the previous evening, there was a lot of cash in it, maybe five thousand dollars, some of what she had drawn out obviously. So she had not given all of it to Desi, perhaps because she knew Desi would have to declare anything over ten thousand dollars at customs. So why take out so much? Perhaps she had not known of the law at the time.
He searched through the other contents of the purse, a lipstick, a notepad and the “gaudy” pen she had had with her the night before and a brown purse with gold diamanté all over it, it was full of change. There was also a toothpick, a packet of mints and a small packet of Kleenex. Everything she would need for a small emergency.
He looked for her credit card and withdrawal receipts and immediately found the one for the money in a book by the bed, plus others for clothes and toiletries etcetera. He studied the clothes receipts; they were all before or after Desi had been here. There was no sign of receipts for any clothes for Desi although she must have bought some for her. There was also no sign of a receipt for the plane. She was wise not to keep it, that or anything else pertaining to Desi. Smart girl.
But he did find one thing, a receipt from a jewellers for $15,000 plus tax, unfortunately it did not say what the purchased item was, but $15,000 dollars was quite a sum for a piece of jewellery. He had not seen her wearing anything, nor had he found anything in the cabin that could be worth that much. Interesting. He didn’t find anything else of value to him so he sat on the bed and looked around. He picked up a book and another, all crime novels; she certainly liked her cop stories.
He went into the bathroom and looked around picking up her soap and shower gel and smelling them. Flowery. There was a pair of white socks hanging over the bath, he felt them, they were damp, obviously she had just washed them out that morning. He picked up her hairbrush and pulled out the few hairs that were wound in it; they were so long they reached from sink to floor. He folded them around his fingers and placed them in his pocket then left the bathroom. He looked in her wardrobe; her clothes were nice, not designer labels but not cheap either. He noticed the slacks and blouse she had worn the previous night. Most of her things had little flowers or butterflies or stars printed on them and were all white or pastel colours, pinks and light blues and lilacs. She liked pretty colours.
He rifled through the drawers in the dressing table, her underwear was pretty too. Pale blue or lilac bras and undies, pretty, and sexy too, which surprised him. Same with her nightclothes. He picked up a nightie put it to his nose and breathed in, this one had a different smell, not hers, but he had smelled that scent before. Desi. He smiled to himself.
He gave the kitchen a cursory look, there were lots of bottles of water in the fridge and several boxes of cereal and chocolate bars in the cupboard, so she liked her chocolate did she, he would remember that. There was nothing else of interest to him in the kitchen.
He stood in the middle of the room and cast his gaze over it then looked out of the window to make sure no one was around; he recalled the last time he had let himself out of her cabin in Alabama and Jonas Lando had been waiting for him. He did not think for one moment he could explain his presence in her cabin to the suspicious and hostile sheriff.
Seeing no one around he let himself out locking the door with the pick, he then walked through the woods back to the town.
*********
Adela arrived back in Eden at around 4.30 feeling very happy that she had gone to Pascagoula; she had had a very pleasant day there.
She headed straight for her cabin to rest before getting ready for the karaoke evening at the bar. She had walked an awful lot today and had caught a bus back instead of the cab which she had taken to Pascagoula, and of course there was no obliging handsome man to give her a lift, she didn’t think she could be so lucky two days running.
The Carters were nowhere in sight as she let herself into her cabin. She tossed her backpack onto the table and switched on the kettle, she was desperate for a cup of tea. She had avoided diners or coffee shops today and instead had bought a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice from a small shop in Krebs Lake and had sat and watched the boats sail by.
While she waited for the kettle to boil she went into the bathroom to wash her socks and hung them with the other pair she had washed that morning over the bath. She then made her tea and sat down on the bed with a contented sigh. She went to pick up the book she had been reading the day before but her hand stopped in mid air. She couldn’t describe the feeling that came over her it was just there, a sense that something was different. It wasn’t that the book was not in the same place or anything else on her bedside table come to that, everything was just as she had left it this morning. No, it was, again she didn’t know what it was, it was just an odd feeling.
She put her cup down on the table and looked through the book, she saw the receipt for the clothes and things she had bought and the withdrawal slip for the $30,000 and Euros. She looked under the bed for her handbag; it was there just as she had left it, in the exact same place with the strap wrapped around a little hook that stuck out of the wall near the floor. She had wondered at the time what the hook had been used for. She picked up the bag and opened it; everything was there, her purse, notepad and pen, everything. She looked around the room but nothing seemed to have been disturbed yet still the strange feeling of intrusion remained.
She sat back against the headboard and picked up her tea again. It was being alone she supposed she was just a little paranoid, after all, she had been here for almost three days and nothing had happened, no one had come calling asking questions. She thought of the sheriff and Dean Maxwell and Bob and the Carters, people who liked her and would she knew look out for anything untoward happening. She mentally shook herself and beg
an to read, she always felt better when reading about her favourite hero’s adventures.
She read for about an hour then made herself a salad for dinner. By the time she had finished her meal it was almost 7.00 clock. She showered making sure not to get her hair wet, it took ages to dry and she didn’t have time for that.
From her wardrobe she took a turquoise calf length skirt with sequinned embroiderer along the bottom and a white short sleeved blouse with frills around the neckline and a camisole underneath.
She applied her make up, brushed her teeth, put on some lipstick and finished her titivating with her favourite perfume. She contemplated having her hair down, but it sometimes got in the way. And anyway, it would look to Dean as if she had worn it down for him, so instead she took it out of the plait and pulled it back in a ponytail high on top of her head so that it swung back and forth when she turned her head.
By this time it was almost 7.45 so she picked up her bag and left the cabin. The Carters were not around so they were either inside for the evening having worn themselves out at the beach…or rather the kids had worn them out…or they had not yet returned. She met no one as she made her way to the town and the bar. She felt very nervous about going into the bar alone. At home she would never dream of going to a pub by herself, she wished now she had asked Dean Maxwell to meet her outside or at his bookshop. But if she was honest with herself, she had not wanted it to seem as though this was a date. He had definitely been disappointed that she had not called in for more tea after arriving back from Biloxi the evening before. And she had seen how he had reacted to her accepting a lift from Sterling Hennessey and having dinner with him at the bar, he hadn’t liked it at all. So she did not want to give him the wrong impression by asking him to arrive at the bar with her.
She was just walking past the Horse and Hind where Sterling Hennessey was staying and wondering what he had been doing with his day, when as if her imagination had conjured him up he came out of the hotel door and almost collided with her.