Resurrection Blues

by James, Harper

  ‘You don’t mind if I do?’

  ‘It’s your house.’

  ‘I know I shouldn’t. My brother’s always on my back about it. He’s a . . . doctor.’

  He smiled.

  ‘I thought for a minute you were going to say he’s a pain in the ass.’

  She smiled back. Hallelujah.

  ‘Yeah, that too.’

  She lit up as they both sat sharing the what a miserable bunch of spoilsports doctors are moment. Except he wasn’t thinking that at all. She’d hesitated before she said doctor and it wasn’t because she caught herself before she insulted her nagging brother.

  ‘What do you want to know?’ she said, leaning her head back and blowing the strong, acrid smoke at the ceiling.

  ‘Tell me about her parents.’

  ‘Jake and Kristina Kincade. Kristina was my baby sister.’

  ‘Levi told me Lauren’s mother died when she was young.’

  ‘Yeah. Twenty years ago, this year. She was only thirty-five when she died. Jesus, I can’t believe how the time flies. Lauren was ten at the time.’

  ‘How did Kristina die?’

  Eva took a long drag on her cigarette, held it before exhaling.

  ‘He really doesn’t know much about the family, does he?’

  ‘I get the impression it was something of a no-go area,’ Evan said, wondering if she was ever going to answer the question.

  ‘She was killed in a car crash.’

  The feeling of history repeating itself hit Evan like a slap across the face. Eva saw the look on his face. She put a hand on his arm. He hadn’t realized he looked that bad.

  ‘I know, it’s a hell of a coincidence. A tragic coincidence. But it was nothing like what happened to Lauren. It was a head-on collision. Kristina wasn’t wearing her seatbelt.’ Her lips pressed into a hard line again, her eyes unforgiving. ‘The other driver was drunk.’

  They were both silent a few beats. Eva studied the cigarette butt between her fingers. Evan hoped she would volunteer more information, save him from having to ask the next awkward question. His short time spent with her gave him a good idea what her reaction was likely to be when he brought up Lauren’s father.

  He was out of luck.

  ‘Levi told me it was all too much for Lauren’s father.’

  Eva looked up. The look on her face surprised him. Then she laughed, coughing smoke directly in his face.

  ‘What did you say you were? A private-eye? Well, if that doesn’t work out for you, I reckon you’d get a job as a diplomat.’

  Evan wanted to laugh out loud himself. It was the first time anyone had ever accused him of anything other than jumping in with both feet. He was tempted to ask her to give Guillory a call.

  ‘You’re referring to that spineless prick Jake running off, abandoning Lauren.’

  It was a statement, no room for discussion. The mention of Jake also called for more nicotine. She pulled another cigarette from the pack and lit it from the first one, then ground the butt into a big glass ashtray like she wanted to push it through the table. Her brother was right to give her a hard time. Then again, it wasn’t every day a stranger turned up on your doorstep and wanted to talk about all the people in your family who’d died too young. He tried to get a look at how many were left in the packet, see if there were enough left in case they got onto Lauren’s resurrection from the dead.

  ‘Yes. Levi didn’t know much about that either.’

  ‘There’s not a lot to know. Lauren came to stay for the weekend. I got a phone call. She never got to go home.’

  ‘Did you ever hear from him again?’

  Eva shook her head slowly, purposefully, lest there be any mistake about what would happen if she did. The glint in her eyes said he’d be in the ground now if she had.

  ‘Never want to either,’ she said. ‘Good riddance.’

  It was the exact same phrase she’d used about her estranged husband. He wondered how many men fitted in that category in Eva Rivera’s mind.

  ‘Were your husband and Jake Kincade close?’ he said.

  The cigarette that had been on its way to her mouth stalled half-way.

  ‘That’s a strange question.’

  ‘A random thought. You said good riddance about both of them.’

  She nodded. The cigarette resumed its journey towards her eager lips.

  ‘Yeah. They got along. Went to the ball game together, that sort of thing. But they didn’t run off together, if that’s what you’re thinking.’ She suddenly smiled, her whole face lighting up, at the thought. ‘The love that dare not speak its name, you mean? That’s just beautiful.’

  It wasn’t what he was thinking at all, but it sure as hell amused her.

  ‘No. Definitely not. Jake ran off a long time before my husband. I haven’t really helped much, have I?’

  Evan shrugged. Maybe not, but she’d given him plenty to think about.

  ‘That’s because there isn’t anything to tell,’ Eva continued. ‘I don’t suppose Levi is going to feel as if he knows his wife any better now.’

  Evan suddenly remembered Levi’s reaction when they’d discussed Lauren’s funeral. Something had crossed his mind and he’d pretended it was nothing.

  ‘What was Lauren’s funeral like?’

  ‘It was—did you say Lauren? I thought we were talking about Kristina.’

  ‘Sorry, we were. The mention of Levi made me think of Lauren.’

  Eva took a deep breath. All the amusement from the thought of her husband and Jake running off together had drained away.

  ‘It was very sad.’

  She blinked rapidly a couple times, swallowed thickly. He felt a lance of guilt pierce him for bringing it up.

  ‘So few people. It was . . . I don’t know, I can’t explain it.’

  ‘Did anything unusual happen?’

  Her forehead creased.

  ‘What sort of unusual? She didn’t rise up from the dead if that’s what you mean.’

  Not then she didn’t.

  He felt a little slimy, given the knowledge he now had. But something told him it wasn’t the time to share it with Aunt Eva. Not until he’d looked into things further.

  ‘I wondered if Jake Kincade maybe showed up?’

  Her face went through a range of emotions, surprised by the question. She concentrated as she considered the possibility, settling on outrage. Now that she came to think of it, he didn’t even attend his own daughter’s funeral. Evan expected another flood of invective, but he was wrong.

  ‘No,’ was all she said, maybe because she knew once she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

  He got up. There was nothing more for him here. Not in this room. He was suddenly anxious to get into the hallway, to feed the hot little worm of excitement that had been twisting in his stomach ever since he followed Eva into the kitchen.

  But she had a surprise for him. She rested her hand on his arm again.

  ‘That story you made up about Levi was a complete crock. But I can see the part about your own wife was true. That part about wondering if you ever really knew her. That’s why I talked to you. I don’t know why Levi suddenly wants to know about Lauren’—he felt very slimy now as he held his tongue—‘but that’s nothing to do with me.’

  They walked towards the front door. Halfway down the hallway he stopped in front of a slim table against the wall. A pile of unopened mail sat at one end. It wasn’t the table or the mail that interested him. It was the framed photograph on the wall above it that he’d noticed on his way in.

  He leaned forward, studied it more closely. It showed a group of men and women standing on a floating jetty, arms around each other's shoulders. Behind them was a vintage seaplane. He studied their faces trying to spot a younger version of the woman standing next to him.

  ‘You’re not in it,’ he said.

  ‘No. That’s Kristina there,’ she said pointing at one of the women in the group. She was standing next to an older man, his arm curled
protectively around her shoulders. From the look on her face she wasn’t happy about something.

  Evan’s heartbeat picked up as he looked at the man standing next to Kristina. He pointed to him.

  ‘That’s Jake is it?’

  ‘No. That’s Jake, there.’

  His eyes followed her finger to a man standing at the other end of the group. He stared dumbly at the top of the man’s head. Eva laughed.

  ‘Typical. I don’t think I ever saw a photograph of Jake when he wasn’t looking down or away or hidden behind someone else. You’d think he was some undercover secret agent whose life depended on there being no pictures of him.’

  ‘So who’s that?’

  He pointed at the man standing beside Kristina.

  Eva pursed her lips, tilted her head to the side. As if people are easier to recognize when viewed at an angle of twenty degrees.

  ‘I can’t remember his name. That photograph was taken over thirty years ago. It was before Lauren was even born. And that’s David Eckert’—she said it a little too brightly—‘Jake’s business partner.’

  ‘Lauren worked for him.’

  Eva nodded.

  ‘At least Levi knew something about his wife.’

  ‘He told me you introduced her to Eckert.’

  ‘Yes. I knew David from way back. We stayed in touch. Things weren’t good between me and Arturo. I think David was trying to get in my good books by taking Lauren on.’

  She gave him a small, coquettish smile. He felt like pointing out pride was one of the seven deadly sins.

  ‘Maybe not such a favor after all. Levi said Eckert took advantage of Lauren, didn’t pay her enough.’

  Eva gave a dismissive flick of the hand.

  ‘I don’t know anything about that. You’d have to ask him.’

  ‘Do you have a number for him? An address?’

  ‘I think so. Wait there.’

  She went back into the kitchen to find her phone. Evan looked down at the pile of mail on the table. He glanced at the door to the kitchen, then flipped quickly through the mail. He wasn’t expecting to find anything. A letter addressed to her under a different name perhaps? There was nothing out of the ordinary. He pulled his own phone out, opened up the camera. From the kitchen, he heard her rummaging around in her bag. Then the sound of a match striking. Thank God for heavy smokers he thought to himself as he took a snap of the photograph on the wall.

  He’d have taken more, some close-ups, but Eva came out of the kitchen sooner than he expected. Head down, a cigarette held to her lips with one hand, phone in the other, scrolling through her contacts with her thumb. He quickly stuffed his own phone back in his pocket before she looked up, hoping he didn’t look as guilty as he felt.

  ‘I’ve only got his business details,’ she said.

  He got his phone out again. The phone gremlins had been busy at work. The photo gallery was still open. He must have accidentally swiped backwards one frame, the equivalent of butt-dialling. The image on display was the one of Levi’s wife and the man Waits, sheltering under his umbrella.

  Eva glanced up from her phone to see if Evan was ready to take Eckert’s details.

  ‘You ready,’ she said, leaning in a little closer than was necessary.

  Evan had been fast closing the image gallery, but not fast enough. He caught the slight hitch in her breath as she briefly saw the image. At least it wasn’t the other one, the one showing Lauren’s face. Whatever she’d seen, she didn’t say anything.

  ‘Go ahead,’ Evan said and entered Eckert’s details as she read them out.

  Despite coming away with a number of leads to pursue—looking into Kristina Kincade’s fatal car crash, seeing if he could find any trace of her husband Jake, amongst others—he couldn’t shake the feeling as he walked away from Eva Rivera’s house that he’d given away more than he’d gotten.

  Chapter 28

  EVAN SAT IN HIS CAR and called Levi as soon as he got out of Eva Rivera’s house. He leaned forward, resting on the steering wheel, keeping an eye on the house as they talked.

  ‘Did you ever meet Lauren’s father, Jake?’

  ‘No, never. He was long gone by the time we met. Why?’

  ‘Humor me. Have you got a photograph?’

  Levi gave it some thought.

  ‘I’m pretty sure there’s one with all the rest of Lauren’s stuff. I can dig it out if you want. What’s this about?’

  ‘I was thinking about those guys looking for Lauren—’

  Levi sent a sharp bark of a laugh down the line.

  ‘You’re not thinking one of them is her father?’

  ‘No. Not that he’s one of them. Maybe he’s connected in some way. There are too many coincidences. He runs off. She fakes her own death and disappears. Now somebody is looking for her.’

  He felt Levi’s head shaking on the other end of the line.

  ‘No way.’

  ‘What about uncle Arturo? He seems to have disappeared at about the same time Lauren did.’

  ‘No. I’ve met him. I know what he looks like. He wasn’t one of the guys in the van. He was okay.’

  ‘Auntie Eva doesn’t think so.’

  ‘That’s a vote for him in my book then.’

  It wasn’t worth digging into what might be behind Levi’s dislike of Eva. She’d rub anybody the wrong way.

  A quick flash of movement caught his eye from the direction of Eva’s house. He saw a curtain fall back into place. Eva was watching him. He’d put money on her being on the phone. For the hell of it, he pushed open the door and climbed back out. He leaned against the front fender so he was facing the house. Who knows, something might shake loose.

  ‘Have you got a number for Arturo?’ Evan said.

  ‘I think so. I know I had it. I’ll text it to you if I’ve still got it. What do you want to speak to him about?’

  ‘To get a different take on things. When I asked Eva about Lauren’s funeral she made a strange comment—she didn’t rise up from the dead—that made me think maybe she knew Lauren wasn’t dead all along. Talking of the funeral, when I asked you about it you looked like I’d stuck a cattle prod up your ass. As if you’d remembered something important. Then you denied it. I was wondering if you saw Lauren’s father there. Maybe hiding at the back, trying to keep out of sight.’

  An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.

  ‘No,’ Levi said eventually, stretching the word out. ‘I don’t think it was him. You remember when I first told you about the guys coming to the house? One of them stayed outside but I saw his face. When you asked about the funeral something fell into place. He reminded me of a man who was there. I don’t know who he was. Nobody spoke to him or went near him. But everybody knew who he was except me.’

  ‘Did he say anything to you?’

  Levi hesitated.

  ‘No.’

  ‘You don’t sound very sure.’

  ‘I think he wanted to. But Arturo stopped him. I remember it now. He was walking towards me. Arturo stepped in front of him, put his hand flat on his chest. It was a strange thing to do at a funeral, disrespectful. The guy just stared at Arturo’s hand until he dropped it, then turned and walked away.’

  ‘Did Arturo say anything about it?’

  ‘No. He left as well. I asked Eva if she knew who it was, why Arturo did what he did. She said she had no idea. It was obviously a lie, but what are you gonna do? At a funeral.’

  Evan stopped dead, mid-stride. He felt a sudden lightness in his chest, his mouth dry.

  ‘I’m going to send you a picture. Let me know if the man you’re talking about is in it.’

  They disconnected. Evan found the clandestine copy he’d taken of the framed photograph on Eva Rivera’s wall, the one including Jake and Kristina Kincade as well as the man with his arm around Kristina, the man Eva Rivera claimed she didn’t know. Seemed like there were a lot of people Eva Rivera didn’t know. Or maybe it was only one. He sent it to Levi.

 
A couple seconds later he got a text back. He read it, kicked the front tire of his car. Damn. It wasn’t a reply to his message, it was only Arturo Rivera’s cell phone number.

  Rather than wait for Levi’s response to the photo, he called Arturo immediately. It went straight to voicemail. At least it was still in service. He hesitated a moment, then hung up without leaving a message. He wouldn’t be able to meet with him today anyway. He had an engagement he was going to be late for if he wasn’t careful. Engagement wasn’t really the right word. Interrogation would be better.

  He took one last look at Eva Rivera’s house, gave a little wave in case she was still watching and got in the car. Then he stomped on the gas and burned rubber all the way down the road. That’d give her something to talk about on the church steps next Sunday.

  Except by the time next Sunday came around she’d have a lot more to talk about than a grown man acting like a little boy in his fancy car.

  Chapter 29

  ‘WHERE’S KATH?’ Evan’s sister Charlotte said as she opened the door. She pushed him to the side and looked behind him as if Guillory might be hiding there.

  ‘You mean Kate?’

  ‘That’s what I said.’

  Evan stepped into the house. Three separate things hit him in quick succession. First was the smell of pot roast coming from the kitchen, closely followed by his nephew Kyle and their border collie, Max. Evan hoped the combined assault and the ensuing bedlam would be sufficient to derail Charlotte’s questions.

  Fat chance.

  ‘Where is she?’

  She said it like he might be hiding her in his pocket.

  ‘She couldn’t make it.’

  Charlotte’s nostrils flared, her breath exiting noisily. She pushed her sleeves up her arms in case there might be somebody needed hitting very soon—which there would be if he didn’t admit it was just a joke in very poor taste and Guillory would be joining them as soon as she’d finished fixing her makeup in the car mirror.

  Max chose that moment to leap at Evan while Kyle tried to twist his arm up behind his back. Evan raised his free hand to ward off Max’s drooling tongue, usefully shielding his face from Charlotte’s glare at the same time.