Page 9 of The Lady on Esplanade
“It’s a red 1967 Mustang convertible.Fully restored.”She sounded like I’d just won the lottery.
Cradling the phone between my shoulder and my ear, and being careful not to scratch the polished surface of the armoire, I used the flat head of the screwdriver to pry open the doors.The wood protested with a short creak and moan as the doors swung open, a scent of stale perfume billowing out like an exhaled breath.
“Nola?You still there?”
“Right.Sorry.The car sounds old.And expensive.You know I can’t afford—”
“It’s free!You just need to transfer the title and get it insured, and it’s all yours.Grandmama got it from Ida Peacock when her husband, Dew, passed on.He loved that car more than anything else—including Ida, according to her and just about everybody in town—and he wanted to be buried in it.Ida didn’t want to go to the expense for ‘that damn car’—those are her words, not my grandmama’s, who doesn’t cuss—and she didn’t want it sitting in her garage and acting like a slap in the face every time she saw it, so she just gave it to Grandmama to offset the funeral costs.But Grandmama said she’s too old to be driving a red car and offered it to me.”
“Then you take it,” I said distractedly as my gaze traveled over the interior of the armoire, taking in a small, mirrored door with yetanother empty keyhole.The mirror was head height, making me think it had been meant for knotting a tie or combing hair.The door was shut fast with no knob, making me guess that the absent key doubled as the knob, and when I tried to insert the flat head of the screwdriver it was clear that this particular door was locked.
Squatting, I reached into the back recesses of the armoire in search of a key, but instead of finding one, my fingers touched cool, hard glass.I recalled the sound of something falling when I pried open the door, and when I drew out my hand I found myself holding an old bottle of perfume.The dark brown, viscous contents were half-gone, and when I pulled off the brass cap the spray nozzle was clogged and sticky.I lifted the bottle to my nose, the lingering scent vaguely familiar.
“I can’t accept a new car, Nola.Bubba would never forgive me.It would be like having an affair, and I’m not a cheater.”
I closed my eyes, trying to place the scent, only partially listening to Jolene.“You’re not married, so that wouldn’t count as cheating.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.And are you even listening?I’m offering you a free car—and not just a free car but a really cool vintage Mustang in mint condition.All you need to do is drive down with me to Mississippi to collect it, and it’s all yours!”
The sound of small running feet rumbled in the adjacent room.My head jerked up, smacking the bottom of the top shelf of the armoire, making the hangers shimmy.“Cooper?”I called, even though I knew it couldn’t have been him running in the next room.I’d heard the sound of bare feet against wooden floors.Bare, small feet that didn’t belong to Cooper.I’d heard them before—the first time I’d been to the house with Beau.
“Nola?”Jolene’s worried voice called through the phone.“Is everything all right?”
“Hang on a sec.”I tiptoed to the door, then peered out into the adjacent room.As I turned to go back into the bedroom, I stepped on something.Lifting my foot, I spotted a stubby brass key—an old-fashioned kind usually found with antique furniture.Like an armoire.
“Thank you,” I said to the emptiness.
“You’re welcome,” Jolene replied.“I’m thinking the best time would be Thanksgiving.You can bring your laptop and work in the car on the way down….”
I tuned her voice out to concentrate on jabbing the key into the keyhole inside the armoire.The lock turned without any resistance.Gently pulling on the key, I opened the door and looked inside, blinking twice to register what it was I was seeing.A pair of lifeless blue eyes in a pale round face met my gaze.The object the eyes were connected to fell forward, somersaulting off the shelf upon which it had been resting, then hit my foot with a soft thud.It rolled forward, coming to rest at my feet, the sightless eyes staring up at me in silent supplication.
CHAPTER 4
I must have screamed, but I was so preoccupied with getting out of the room as quickly as possible that I couldn’t say for sure.Only the pain from my forehead—I hit the doorframe on my way out—was proof of my panicked state.I’d made it to the kitchen before I collided with a large, solid human body—a body with two strong arms that immediately wrapped around me.
I buried my face in the broad chest, a familiar male scent breaking through my fear with a mixture of comfort and rightness.“Beau?”I muttered into his chest, unable to open my eyes.
“It’s me,” he said, instinctively patting my back and not asking for an explanation.This was the way it was between us; there was an unspoken understanding that was as comforting as it was confounding.
“Is everything okay?I thought I heard a scream.”
Beau’s arms dropped to his sides as I pulled away, not completely sure why I felt guilty.We both turned to see Cooper standing in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen.
“Yes,” I said.“There was…” I jerked my head in the direction of the back bedroom, not yet able to form coherent thoughts.
Beau took my hand in a solid grasp and began leading me toward the rear of the house, my forehead pounding where I’d smacked it.We stopped inside the second bedroom, taking in the open armoire and my purse, which I didn’t remember dropping.
Cooper walked past us, then stopped in the middle of the room.“What’s this?”He picked up the object of my terror and held it up.
I stayed back as Beau joined Cooper.“Looks like an antique doll,” Beau said.“My grandmother has an impressive collection at the store.”He took it from Cooper’s hand and flipped the doll over before lifting the strawlike hair from the nape.“I can tell from the markings that it’s a Madame Alexander doll, and definitely post-1940, since the dolls weren’t marked before then, just their clothes.”
“So you still play with dolls?”Cooper asked.
“Funny.Nola didn’t tell me you were a comedian.”
Cooper slid his gaze to me.“Nice to know she talks about me.The list of all my good points must have been too long.”
Beau took his time smoothing down the doll’s dress before turning it around to face us.“Actually, I can’t say that she’s ever mentioned your name once in the years I’ve known her.”
