Sweet Mystery (39 page)

“We ain’t stupid,” Simon said, doing his best
imitation of the gang members he’d watched in the movie Boys from
the Hood. But he could feel the little energy he had left draining
away.

“Aw, damn!” Sly-Man had the look of a deer
caught in the headlights of an eighteen wheeler.

“I’m here to get my merchandise, Sly. You
know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.”

“I just had me some delays. I got the money,
man. And the shipment.” Sly-man’s eyes were wide. “First I got
to–”

“Nah, we gonna do our deal now. No more
waitin’.” Pookie spoke in a calm tone that was loaded with
danger.

LaMar stood up slowly. “He doesn’t know...
yet. Give it up and you live,” he whispered.

“What you sayin’?” Sly-Man mumbled. He darted
a fearful glance over his shoulder.

LaMar made sure Pookie and his boys had not
moved any closer. “I haven’t told my cousin how you’ve been
skimming extra profit for yourself,” he said in a low voice.

Sly-Man gaped at him.Large drops of sweat
dripped down his face.

“We ain’t gonna hang out here all night.”
Pookie started toward Sly-Man.

“He just got a little sidetracked,” LaMar
called out. “But he’s straight now. Ain’t that right?” He looked at
Sly-Man.

“Pookie, man, you know me.” Sly-Man’s voice
was strained.

“I’ll do what I have to.” LaMar had a look of
cold, hard steel. “Me and my pal are leaving. Handle your
business.”

Sly-Man opened his mouth to protest.

“Naw, cuz. Sly-Man ain’t got time to fight
you. He’s gotta take me to my merchandise and my money. Right?”
Pookie stopped four feet from Sly-man.

“I, uh...” Sly-Man looked around, as though
seeking some means of escape.

“Don’t be no fool,” LaMar said. “You ain’t
gonna win an argument with him.”

Sly-Man lowered the gun. “Sure, Pookie. We
cool.”

LaMar crossed quickly to Simon, who was
leaning against the car fender. “You gonna be okay, bro. Take it
easy.”

* * *

“I haven’t talked to LaMar for two days. We
won’t ever find out what really happened to PawPaw Vincent. I’ve
gone about everything all wrong, Mama.” Rae’s mood was in contrast
to the bright morning sunshine. “And I’m telling you, the dance
hall won’t make it.”

“Rae, this is my money. I know what I’m
doin’.” Aletha put both hands on her hips. “Now me, Neville and
Andy want to see this dance hall open again.”

Aletha had come over for dinner while George
attended a Masons meeting in town. They were in Rae’s kitchen,
cleaning up. The argument that started over desert continued. Rae
felt defeated. Tony Baranco was still delaying payment on the
insurance policy and the bills were piling up fast. Her savings
were dwindling.

“We’re gonna make it, baby. Long as we stick
together. Now I paid your electric, gas and water bills for this
month.” Aletha took the dish cloth from Rae’s hand and started
wiping the kitchen cabinet top. “We’ll take it one day at a
time.”

“Mama, you shouldn’t have done that. I’m a
grown woman. I can take care of myself.” Rae knew her voice sounded
weak, but she did not have the energy to be angry.

“You’re goin’ to pay us back. I know you
will. Nothin’ wrong with acceptin’ help.”

“I just don’t know anymore.” Rae sagged down
onto a chair at the table. “By the time I’m through, we’ll all be
broke.”

Aletha sat down beside her. “What’s really
eatin’ at you is Simon St. Cyr. Call him.”

“No,” Rae blurted out.

“Pride won’t comfort you in the midnight
hour, sugar.” Aletha’s dark brown eyebrows arched. “You love that
man – don’t bother to deny it,” she said, cutting off any
protest.

“Yes, but it’s not enough. You ought to know
that.”

Aletha sighed. She glanced around at what
used to be her kitchen years ago. “Sometimes I wonder if I made the
right decision. Not that I don’t love George. He’s been mighty good
to me,” she added quickly. “A part of me never stopped lovin’
Lucien. Maybe he wouldn’t have let his health get so rundown if I
had stayed. Took me bein’ gone for almost ten years to realize
Lucien loved me. He woulda never left me for another woman.”

Rae took her mother’s hand. “But you couldn’t
put up with his rages or the times he did more than flirt. There
are things that just can’t be fixed between two people.” She
thought of Simon talking to Toya; their heads close together.

“Maybe, maybe not…”

Rae shook her head to clear away any painful
thoughts of Simon. “Anyway, looks like losing the dance hall won’t
be my only failure. LaMar has just about given up on finding out
what happened to Pawpaw Vincent.”

“I’m gonna tell you somethin’ I ain’t never
told nobody, not even George.” Aletha’s voice dropped so that Rae
leaned forward as a reflex action.

Rae had never seen such an expression in her
light brown eyes. “Mama, what is it?”

“Lucien and me wasn’t gettin’ along good at
all by the time you was a teenager. One night his Monmon was at the
house. Humph, she was always at the house, seem like.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Monmon Marie didn’t help none. I think she
wanted Lucien all to herself. One night Lucien came in with liquor
on his breath. I was fussin’ an’ he just went on to bed without
payin’ me no mind.”

“I remember how he could be once he’d been
drinking.” Rae did not need to be told how Lucien thought of little
but himself at those times.

“Me, I started talkin’ ‘bout how he was no
good. His Monmon got furious. Monmon Marie flung it in my face that
Lucien coulda done better than me. Said I was lucky to have him, so
I should shut my mouth.” Aletha twisted the towel in her hands.
“Then she said, ‘I took care of one that tried to hurt my children.
I’ll do it again if need be.’”

“I don’t understand.”

“I thought about how Mr. Vincent just
disappeared with not a bit of him left. Rae, if you coulda seen the
look in her eyes when she said it. Right in this room,” Aletha said
in a shaky voice. She looked around, as though afraid the old woman
would appear, conjured up from the dead.

“My God!” Rae gasped, unable to believe what
she’d just heard. “You can’t be serious?”

“More than once they say she threatened to
kill Mr. Vincent and any woman she ever caught him with.” Aletha
looked at her hands. “I could never work up the nerve to breathe
this to another livin’ soul.”

“But that’s incredible. Monmon Marie was so
quiet.” Rae felt her all ready upside-down world tilt even
more.

“You went off to college and the next year I
left.” Aletha smoothed out the dish cloth and began to fold it
carefully on the table. “I knew Lucien would just go down, but I
left anyway. Between his wild ways and Monmon Marie, it got so I
hated bein’ in this house.”

“You can’t blame yourself for Daddy’s
drinkin’. He was all ready out of control. We both know it. Even he
knew it.” Rae put an arm around her mother’s shoulders.

“Monmon Marie fed that bitterness in him from
the time he was a little boy, Rae. She poisoned him. But I was
weak. By the time I met George, it was too late. We both had our
own lives.”

“But if Monmon Marie killed them both... No,
they were seen in New Orleans.” Rae felt a kind of giddy relief.
“Mama, listen to me. They were seen after that night they
disappeared. Monmon Marie had slapped Estelle once for running
around with Pawpaw Vincent. That had to be all she meant.”

Aletha did not look satisfied with her
explanation. “If you think so, but the way she said it...” She
shivered as though a winter breeze had blown across her.

“LaMar investigated. We’ve gone over old
newspaper articles and papers at least ten times.” Rae kissed
Aletha on the cheek. “You’ve been worrying all these years for no
reason.”

“But–”

“Daddy said he had only himself to blame for
not living his life right.” Rae rested her head on Aletha’s
shoulder. “He even said he was glad you were happy.”

“Oh, Lucien, even with all your faults you
were one of a kind.” Aletha spoke in a soft voice. “A good man. And
you got a good man in Simon.”

“Now let’s not go back to that.” Rae jumped
up and started to put away dishes.

“Listen to me, Rae. Simon has a fine
character. Everybody knows it.” Aletha snatched a plastic tumbler
from her hands. “So do you.”

“Oh, sure. Fine character, moonlight and
roses, soft music, great s–” Rae bit off her words and looked at
her mother.

“Uh-huh. Good lovin’ is somethin’ every woman
wants.” Aletha wore a knowing half-smile that made Rae squirm in
embarrassment.

Rae got busy, wiping the counter, even though
it was spotless. “It’s not enough, Mama. We’re from two different
worlds. Besides, I wouldn’t want to spend years apologizing for who
I am.”

“Didn’t seem like he was expectin’ you to. I
saw the look in his eyes. He loves every bit of who you are, cher.”
Aletha brushed back Rae’s hair.

“You didn’t hear him talking that last time
we saw each other.” Rae took a long time to hang first the dish
cloth and then the dish towel on the wire arm over the kitchen
sink. “He’s listening to his family and the Joves these days.”

“You mean Toya, don’t ya? He didn’t look to
be that kind when I met him.”

Rae turned around with an angry look. “Trust
me, he is. You know how those uppity Creoles act.” She was working
up a head of steam to stave off the return of aching loss.

“You tryin’ too hard to hate him, cher. But
I’m not sayin’ anything else about it.” Aletha held up one
hand.

“Good.”

“Not another word. No, ma’am.” Aletha
smoothed down the skirt of her sun dress.”

“Perfect.”

Aletha shrugged. “If you wanna live out here
all alone, in pain for that handsome man – long empty nights
without his arms to hold you – well, that’s your business.”

“Mama, let it go,” Rae said through clenched
teeth. In truth, Aletha’s words exactly described how she’d been
feeling, making her even more aggravated with her mother.

“I’m not sayin’ another word about it.”
Aletha’s expression said the subject was far from closed.

Later, Tante Ina came by, and the women spent
the evening listening to music and chattering away. Rae let them do
most of the talking while she turned over all that her mother had
said. She pushed thoughts of Simon out of her mind, or at least to
a deeper part. I’ll be up all night if I get to remembering.

Rae decided to think about her future
instead: how would she pay back her family? The thought of letting
them down filled her with dread. All her energy had to center on
making a go of the business now. No more chasing old ghosts or
impossible relationships. Once again, she swore not to think of
Simon or what might have been. It would never happen and she had to
let it go.

Rae gazed out into the night
. Now, if I
can just shut off these memories
.

* * *

“No, don’t tell her.” Simon’s jaw jutted out
in a stubborn frown and he grimaced at the sharp pain that moving
his arm caused.

“Be still,” the chief nurse cautioned. She
lifted the bandage with care. A plastic tag on her blouse pocket
said ‘Connie Rideau, RN.’ “It looks good.”

“Oh yeah, I love having a hole in my body,”
Simon grumbled.

LaMar leaned against the white-painted wall
of the hospital room, inside the small Lafayette General Hospital.
It was where he’d brought Simon once they left Pookie to deal with
Sly-man and the others.

“You’ll be just fine. No permanent damage,
the doctor said, but it’ll be stiff for some months, even after the
bandage comes off.” Nurse Connie gave him a crisp, professional
smile. “Now I’ll be back to check on you later.”

“Look, Rae is going to find out sooner or
later. What about your family and your employees? You’ve got to
explain being gone somehow.” LaMar picked up a piece of bacon left
on Simon’s breakfast tray. “You gonna eat this?”

“No. And it wouldn’t be a problem if I don’t
have to stay in here another night. I’ve all ready called
Nola.”

“I suppose nobody is going to wonder why
you’re all banged up and bandaged? You could have gotten yourself
killed, you know.” LaMar sat down to munch off his plate. He sipped
the coffee and frowned.

“Getting kicked around wasn’t in the plan,”
Simon said, with more irritation for himself than anyone else.
“After Toya made that little slip of the tongue, I started
thinking. I figured I’d follow Marius and then let Sheriff
Thibodeaux know what I found out.”

“Yeah, well, next time leave it to the
professionals. Mmm, these eggs are not bad.” LaMar dabbed his mouth
with a napkin.

“Point taken.” Simon moved his arm
gingerly.

“But that was great work for an amateur. Not
bad with your hands either.” LaMar winked at him.

“Sure, I had them shaking with terror.” Simon
grinned at him.

“You left your mark on ‘em, sport. You done
good. Thanks for saving my rear end, too.”

“Same to you. Lucky for me you’re such a good
private eye.” Simon held out his hand and LaMar clasped it.

“I do my best.” LaMar went back to eating
Simon’s breakfast. “Rae is going to be happy when she hears how you
helped save the day.”

Simon’s smile vanished and his stubborn look
came back. “I don’t want you to mention anything about me. Just
tell her you followed Marius and got the goods on him. You would
have without me, anyway.”

“You’re wrong to hide this from Rae. She
cares about you a whole lot.”

“Really?” Simon glanced at him with a gleam
in his eyes that quickly died. “I don’t want her back because she
feels obligated. Besides, we said some pretty nasty things and...
Look, just forget it.”

“You’re making a mistake, man. But it’s not
my business to interfere. It’s forgotten.” LaMar waved a hand, as
if to make the subject vanish.