Threads of steel bayou c.., p.1
Threads of Steel (Bayou Cove), page 1
Copyright 2012 Bayou Books LLC
Published by Bayou Books LLC
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This work is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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CHAPTER ONE
“Elvis Presley slept here, Anna Marie, right here in this hotel.”
Anna Marie LaFaire remembered her mother’s words as she drove down the winding road to the hotel where the King of Rock and Roll stayed in his early years on his road to fame.
“I know who he is,” a young Anna Marie proudly told her mother.
“I know you do, Sweetie. He stayed right here every time he came to the coast, but now rich people stay here, and we have to remember to use the service entrance.”
When she was seven, using the service entrance wasn’t a big deal, but as Anna Marie got older, she understood she wasn’t part of the clientele who made their way to the golf resort. Today, at thirty-four, she was going back to that hotel. It had become her retreat when she returned to her home town of Bayou Cove to visit the only two people here she still kept in touch with.
Tomorrow she would bury one of them.
She drove to the entrance of the renovated 1930’s hotel. Nestled under large oak trees with its back lawn touching the slow moving water of Mossy Bayou, it had a quaintness she loved. White rockers with bright red cushions and baskets of petunias hanging between huge stone columns welcomed guests. Because her mother had worked part-time as a cleaning lady and kitchen help during the peak golf season, Anna Marie was never allowed to sit in these rocking chairs. Things were different now. On her infrequent visits she would sit in one of the rockers and look up, knowing her mom smiled down on her.
Today the peace this resort usually brought to her was nowhere to be found. For a moment she sat alone in the quiet interior of her car, hoping she could handle the emotional ups and downs she was sure to face during this visit.
A tap on her window pulled her out of her reverie.
“Nancy!” she screeched. She threw the door open, then leapt out of the car and threw her arms around her friend. “You’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here. Did you think I’d let you get all melancholy by yourself?”
The two old friends hugged before Anna Marie looked down. “And look at this little darling.” She stooped down to coo at Nancy’s youngest, strapped in an umbrella stroller.
“Harry had plans to meet some of the guys at the Elks Lodge. I didn’t think you’d mind if I dragged along Little Harry. My daughter’s at dance class and both my boys are at ball practice.”
“He’s getting so big and changing every time I see him.” Anna Marie ran her fingers through soft, silky blonde hair. His huge blue eyes were just like Nancy’s. “I think I see both of you in him now.” She stood up. “I’m so glad you brought him. I don’t get to see many babies.”
“Hang around at my house. When my friends visit, we have babies in every shape and every size and every age.” Then Nancy smiled. “It’s great.”
“I’m envious of you and your family. You know that, don’t you?”
Nancy chuckled. “Yeah, sure you are. I can see where you’d want to give up that glamorous life in the city to change diapers, do four loads of laundry a day, and run kids around at their calling.”
Anna Marie grabbed her purse off the seat. “Things are not as glamorous as you think they are.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you checked in, then find some place to sit. I’m pooped.”
Within minutes Anna Marie had her room card, paid a valet to carry her bags up, then followed Nancy out the back door to the wide veranda overlooking a small portion of the black waters of the bayou. The waterway that separated the resort from the coastal cities started at the wide salt water channel leading to the Gulf of Mexico then wound its way into the deep seclusion of inland woods.
“Whew,” Nancy exclaimed, gaping at the view. “Now this is the life.”
Anna Marie smiled. “It is, isn’t it? I love it here.” She’d left the area after her divorce nearly thirteen years ago, and now this secluded hotel provided the escape she needed whenever she came to town.
“What’s not to love?” With a loud sigh Nancy turned, positioned the stroller next to the table, then handed the baby his bottle. “I miss times like this. It’s hard to remember quiet spots actually exist when you have a car full of arguing kids or screaming babies.”
“I understand. My schedule is so hectic I feel the same way, only I don’t have the kids in the car.” Anna Marie watched Nancy help the baby with his bottle and then looked back to the bayou. “I always feel so fortunate when I can get a room here, but I wish I was here for a different reason.”
“I know what you mean. I can’t believe Miss Ellie is actually gone. When I found out about her accident, I sat down and boohooed.” Nancy’s voice softened. “It doesn’t seem possible. I guess in my mind I thought she’d be with us forever.”
Anna Marie nodded. “She never failed us when we needed her, did she? I got a letter from her just last week. She was the only person I ever wrote to by hand. I’ll treasure her letters forever.”
“I saw her a couple weeks ago. She loved for me to bring Little Harry.” She pulled a deep sigh. “I’m glad she went fast and didn’t suffer, but the idea of that man running her over makes me sick. She rode her bicycle everywhere in this town. Everyone knew to watch out for her.”
“Have they figured out who was driving the car?”
Nancy shook her head. “Some out-of-towner, I guess. No one recognized him, and he didn’t have identification on him. Not even a driver’s license. I heard his toxicology screen will be back today, but he had to be drunk. Why else would he run over a poor old lady?”
“I can’t think of anything more tragic. I can’t wait until his name is spread across the newspapers. What a shame the town can’t string him up by his toes.”
“I’m sure his name will be all over the front pages, but don’t count on stringing him up. I hear he’s on life-support while they figure out who he is. Doesn’t look good for him either. After he ran over her bicycle, he ran smack into a telephone pole.”
Anna Marie grimaced. “I didn’t know he was dying. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why? Everyone in town feels the same way.” Nancy threw her head back and changed the subject. “I feel like my body belongs to someone else.”
“You might be dead tired, girlfriend, but you look great. I don’t know how you keep up with four kids and still manage to keep a husband happy.”
Nancy’s blonde, bobbed hair partially covered her face as she leaned over to wipe a drool off of Little Harry’s chin. “Running kids around takes a lot of energy, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to keep a bunch of kids happy.” Smiling, she brushed a finger across the chin of the baby, then added softly. “Keeping a husband happy is another matter.”
“Now that doesn’t sound too good.”
Nancy played with the baby’s bib before answering. “Oh, it’s not bad. Just, uh, not perfect.”
Anna Marie touched her arm. “That’s not what I want to hear. You and Harry are the epitome of the perfect family. In fact, your marriage is the only good one I know.”
Nancy laughed. “Humph, watch who you put on that pedestal. It can be real unsteady up there.” Her laughter died and she shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Things are fine with us. I’m tired today. That’s all.”
“Of course that’s all.” Anna Marie wasn’t sure she believed her own words. She and Nancy talked often on the phone, but it had been quite some time since she’d actually sat down with her. The black circles under her eyes and lines of fatigue hadn’t been there the last time they’d visited. Could her friend’s marriage really be in trouble?
“Guess who I saw last week?” Nancy asked, apparently eager to get past the awkward moment.
Just as glad to change the topic, Anna Marie shrugged.
“Doti. Doti Smith Daniels.”
Anna Marie’s breath hitched. “I really don’t want to hear about Doti.”
Nancy waggled her eyebrows and leaned forward, elbows propped on the table. Her eyes twinkled and her face became animated as she forged into her story.
Anna Marie groaned. She knew the signs of Nancy’s gossip mode. She’d hear the story whether she wanted to or not.
“I had Billy at the doctor’s office with tonsillitis—again. I almost ran into Doti coming out of the office across the hall, an oncologist’s office. She looks awful. She said she had a bad cold, but I could tell it was worse than that, and she wouldn’t have been at that office with just a cold. She looked thin and pale—almost gray. You know, like she’d been sick a long time, and, I swear, I think she was wearing a wig.”
Anna Marie frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Is that all she said?”
“Yeah.” Nancy sat up straight and squinted. “If I were a betting woman, I’d bet she has something awful.”
Anna Marie let that thought settle. “Doti’s had a pretty tough life. She’s still dealing cards at the casinos, isn’t she?”
“Oh yeah. I think she’s worked at every casino on the coast. You know Doti, still looking for greener grass.”
Anna Marie knew all too well how her former friend searched for greener pastures in her job—and in her men—but there was no need to rehash what they both already knew. “Doesn’t surprise me, but, still, I don’t want her to be sick.”
Little Harry yawned and stretched his chubby arms overhead.
“Can I pick him up before he falls asleep?”
“Anna Marie! Don’t try to change the subject.”
“I’m not changing the subject. I want to hold him, but you’re right. I don’t want to talk about Doti.”
Nancy unstrapped Little Harry. “You still hate her, don’t you?”
“Hate? No, I don’t hate her. I hate what she did. Now I simply don’t think about it.”
“Oh sure. You’re kidding yourself. I know you too well to think you’ve forgotten about that night. You need to let it go. Forgive her.”
Anna Marie reached out to take Little Harry, but stopped. “Forgive her for taking my husband? That’s easier said than done. Had it been Harry she lured into that hotel room, could you have forgiven her?”
“But it wasn’t my Harry. It was Ronnie.” Nancy snuggled Little Harry closer to her body and stared at Anna Marie. “Maybe she didn’t lure him. Maybe he lured her.”
Anna Marie opened her mouth to answer, but what could she say? Ronnie wasn’t an angel. Still, Doti hadn’t been tied up and taken to that room against her will. She’d been a twenty-three-year old, grown woman who knew exactly what she was doing, a woman who was supposed to be her good friend.
Some friend.
But now wasn’t the time to rehash it. She tried to calm her thumping heart before answering.
“I’m not angry with either of them anymore. I simply don’t want to have anything to do with them.”
Nancy’s eyes narrowed. “I think you wouldn’t hurt so much inside if you forgave her.”
Anna Marie raised her hand. “Enough already. I didn’t come down here to talk about them.” She took Little Harry. “Come here to Aunt Anna.” She let the scent of baby powder and baby lotion take her away from the sordid subject of Ronnie and Doti. “You must’ve just bathed him. He smells so clean.”
Nancy scrunched her lips. “Okay, we’ll change the subject. We won’t talk about them even though I think we should.” She stopped, touched her baby and smiled. “I did just bathe him. I always love to smell my babies after their baths.”
The bottle and the afternoon sun had his eyes partially closed, and as soon as he settled in her arms, he cuddled next to her chest. With the fingers on one hand clutching her blouse and his mouth making a sucking motion, he stole Anna Marie’s heart.
The two women sat in the afternoon warmth, savoring the joy that only a baby can bring.
Finally, Nancy leaned back in her chair. “I have some other news. You’re not going to like this one.” The twinkle had returned to her eyes. “I heard through the grapevine that he’s going to be at the funeral.”
“He?” Realization struck. “Ronnie? Ronnie’s coming to town for the funeral? Damn, Nancy. Why would he do that?” She shook her head. “No, that was a stupid question. He has as much right to be there as I do, but I’m not even sure he liked Miss Ellie. She was always on our side, especially when she found out what they were doing behind your back.”
“Yeah, when Miss Ellie heard about their escapades, she used language I didn’t know a little Southern lady knew.” Nancy stood and took Little Harry.
Anna Marie nodded. Her words came out soft and low. “Maybe this is his way to make amends.”
The two friends stood for a moment with nothing but the whirr of a distant outboard motor as a boat raced through the channel.
Finally Nancy let out a loud breath. “Come on, Anna. I have kids to pick up.”
“Can we get together tomorrow?” she asked as she helped Nancy put Little Harry into the stroller. “Maybe we can grab lunch someplace.”
Nancy wrinkled her nose. “I can’t. I volunteered to chaperone one of Samantha’s field trips. We’re going to the Emporium in Mobile.”
“That’s okay. I’ll have an excuse to play golf.”
They walked through the lobby on deep padded, red carpet. Paintings of magnolias, oak trees, and bayou scenes hung above side tables adorned with vases of deep red roses.
As they neared the desk, the clerk looked up. “Would either of you be Ms. LaFaire?”
“Yes, sir, I am.”
The man reached into a box of paper while Anna Marie walked up to the desk.
Nancy followed close behind then leaned on the counter just inches from her. “Who’d try to contact you here and not call your cell phone?”
She shrugged. “It must be someone from here who doesn’t have my cell number.”
“I took the call for you before you arrived,” the clerk exclaimed. “Sorry I missed you when you checked in.” He handed an envelope to her. “Enjoy your stay at the resort, Ms. LaFaire.”
Anna Marie took the envelope, smiled her thank you and headed toward the door.
“Wait.” Nancy touched her arm. “Aren’t you going to read it? Like you said, it’s got to be someone from around here.”
Anna Marie held the envelope close to her body. She itched to know what it said and who it was from, but hesitated opening it here.
Nancy gripped her arm when they stepped on the sidewalk. “You might as well open it. I’m not leaving until we see who it is.” Her eyes twinkled with excitement.
Anna Marie wished she could be as enthusiastic as Nancy, but she had a feeling this wasn’t anything good. She lifted the envelope to the light as if she could see the message without opening it.
“Oh, good grief, Anna. Open it before I do.”
Finally she ripped the envelope. With Nancy hanging over her shoulder, she read, “Your partner in New Orleans said you’d be here today. It’s time to talk. Call me. Doti.” A phone number was written below the name.
Both women stood silent. Anna Marie gripped the piece of paper, her heart pounding.
Nancy grabbed her arm. “Oh, my gawd, she wants to talk to you! Can you believe that? After all these years, Doti wants to talk.”
Stunned by the message, Anna Marie nodded but hardly registered Nancy’s words.
Nancy put her free hand on Anna Marie’s arm. “You okay, Anna?”
She pulled herself together and inhaled deeply. “Sure, Nancy, I’m just hunky-dory. With the woman who stole my husband wanting to talk with me and my ex at the funeral of the woman who was like my second mother, why wouldn’t I be okay? All this should make for an interesting few days.”
“But you can handle it.”
Nancy looked so sincere that Anna Marie grabbed her and hugged her hard. “If you’ll be by my side, I certainly can. Now go get your kids.”
Anna Marie watched Nancy drive away from the hotel. True friendship had a way of bonding people together no matter how different their worlds were.
Her chest tightened as she looked down at the message in her hand. Doti had once been like a sister to Nancy and her. Anna Marie tried hard, really hard, to remember the happy times in their lives instead of the hurt she felt each time she thought about Doti and Ronnie.
It didn’t work. Even though she tried to deny it, the stab of betrayal from over a decade ago was as strong today as it was then.
“Damn it, Doti. How can you expect me to pick up the phone and call you?”
She dropped the message in her purse, then headed toward the country club to sign up for a tee time tomorrow morning. She’d have most of the day to herself before having to go to the funeral home tomorrow night, and there was no reason not to take advantage of the hotel’s golf course, one of the finest in the area.
She was here to bury Miss Ellie, but she’d thrown her golf bag into the car at the last moment. How long had it been since she’d enjoyed a game of golf?
