Page 34 of Beau

Helen Boyette ascended the steps ahead of them and worked the combination on the lockbox hanging on the doorknob. Once open, she extracted the key from inside and handed the key to Beau. “I’ll let you do da honors. I’ve already seen da inside.”

Beau fit the key into the lock, twisted and then pushed open the door. He stepped back and allowed Aurelie to enter first.

As she stepped across the threshold, she was met with the same musty smell she’d encountered when she’d first walked into her cottage. She’d purchased her house from an 80-year-old woman who’d decided to move in with her daughter in Atlanta. This home, like hers, had to be between seventy and eighty years old and just needed a little TLC to brighten it up to date. And like Helen had said, the furniture was dated but in surprisingly good shape.

Helen flipped a light switch, and an overhead light blinked on. “Dey left the utilities on, so you should have water and electricity. I know dere’s a washer and dryer in the laundry room, and Mr. Pearson had a dishwasher installed in da kitchen a couple o’ years ago.”

“That will be nice,” Aurelie said. At least she wouldn’t have to find a laundromat to do her laundry. Again, she didn’t plan on staying there long. Hopefully, the sheriff would have some news for them soon regarding who had attacked her at the château. She was interested in seeing the video footage they would be reviewing from the cameras posted around the exterior of the château.

In the meantime, she had to come up with more clothes to wear besides her costume and Beau’s boxer briefs. Hopefully, she could get into her house soon to see whether she could salvage her clothing.

Helen walked with them through the house, pointing out the different things that needed to be sorted and either donated to a thrift store or taken to the dump. “You might set all da photographs and any jewelry or memorabilia aside for da family to go t’rough. But dey didn’t want to keep his clothing, bedding or furniture for dat matter.”

“I do have a day job,” Aurelie said. “But I’ll do what I can in the evenings. Please thank the Pearsons for their hospitality.”

“I will,” Helen said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a showing of a business on Main Street I need ta get to get ready for.”

“Thank you, Maman.” Beau kissed his mother’s cheek. “I knew you could help.”

His mother stared up into his eyes. “Now that the other children are not around, perhaps you can tell me what’s going on…?”

Beau lifted his chin toward Aurelie. “Miss Anderson was attacked at the château last night, and her house in Bayou Miste was ransacked.” He held out his hand toward Aurelie.

She placed her palm in his. “What your son is not saying is that he rescued me from the bayou and now feels responsible for me.”

Helen Boyette smiled. “He’s a good man like his father.” She patted him on his arm. “I’m sorry to hear about da attack, and I’m glad you’re OK. Stick with Beau. He’ll take good care of you.”

Beau’s lips twisted. “Thanks for the vote confidence.”

“You can pay me back by cleaning the gutters on my house dis coming weekend,” his mother said with a grin. She winked at Aurelie. “Be careful. If you need anything, you know where I live.”

Helen left the cottage, climbed into her SUV and drove to her next showing.

Aurelie stood in the middle of the little living room with the floral couch bearing shades of burnt orange and brown and said, “It’s really nice of your mother to find this for me. But I’d much rather be in my own place.”

“Like you said, it shouldn’t be for long.” He entered the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. It was empty. “You’ll need a few groceries to last a couple of days at least. Can you cook?”

Aurelie chuckled. “Most things I burn. Even water.”

Beau shot a glance her way, his eyebrows rising up his forehead. “You burn water?”

Aurelie grimaced. “I was actually boiling water and forgot that I was boiling water.”

He shook his head. “All the water burned out of the pan, right?”.

“Pretty much.” She entered the kitchen with him and opened what appeared to be a pantry door. Inside were a few cans of soup and several canisters labeled flour, sugar, cornmeal, and coffee. Half a bag of dog food lay on the floor.

Aurelie frowned. “I wonder what happened to Mr. Pearson’s dog. Do you think it passed before he did? And if not, did the family take it? Or did they dump it at a shelter?”

Beau lifted the bag of dog food. “I’d like to think the family adopted it.”

Aurelie pointed to the half of a bag of dog food. “If they took the dog, why didn’t they take the dog’s food?”

“Good question. I’ll ask my mother to check with the family.” He met her gaze. “Now that we have established a place for you to stay, let’s see about getting our phones restored.”

Aurelie nodded. “You don’t realize how much we rely on our phones until we don’t have them. Like, I feel naked without mine.” Her lips twisted. “And at the same time, I feel free. Since last night, I haven’t received a single death threat.”

Beau escorted her to the door. “Do you want to keep the key, or do you want me to hold onto it?”

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