Chapter Twenty-three 5 page

“We both want to switch,” she said when Tully returned. “I explained that if we come here, we aren’t admitting that we give up and letting the buttheads at our school win. But we also figure there’s no way Mama’s going for this.”

As if Bailey’s words had conjured Jessica up, Tully’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID before flipping it open, and at first Tully said nothing.

She flipped her hand over and studied her fingernails before she stopped Jessica’s tirade by saying, “We’re on Tulane’s campus touring University High, so no, they’re not in school today either.”

Jessica began screaming and Tully stood and moved to an empty table, not wanting to let the kids hear their mother so out of control.

“Jessica, this has nothing to do with you or who you’re sleeping with. It has to do with what the kids want. They won’t get a great education if all they can concentrate on at your alma mater is how they don’t want to be there.”

“Switch them and I’ll make you pay.”

“Then send me a bill.” Tully hung up.

When they finished enrolling, they drove back to her office, and as she turned into the parking garage, Tully remembered she hadn’t heard from Libby. Considering it was almost lunchtime, she’d have to wait until Monday since Libby didn’t work on weekends.

Tully fully intended to keep her promise to herself to spend more time with the kids, and an idea started to germinate. She and the kids could get away somewhere this weekend, if they agreed to it. It would also give her a respite from everything that was going wrong in her life.

“How about a trip to your grandparents’ place this afternoon? I’ll take you fishing if you want.”

“Really?” Ralph asked.

“I thought you had to work?” Bailey followed up.

“Can’t I do both?”

“Since when?”

“I’m trying, Bailey. You were right that I spend too much time here and not enough time with you. Maybe we can experiment, try some new stuff so we all get what we want.”

“And fishing is what you came up with?”

“How about this, we go fishing today and tomorrow, then Ralph and I will sit at the mall and I’ll give you some money for some fishing of your own.”

Bailey folded her arms and pouted slightly, appearing to rebel. Visiting her grandparents usually bored her, since she wasn’t into fishing, but she wanted attention.

“Okay, I’m in,” she told Tully, and Ralph pumped his fist.

As they entered the lobby from the parking garage, Tully glanced into the coffee shop and was surprised to see Libby at a table behind a pile of books. “You guys go on up and I’ll be there in a minute.” As she spoke, Libby’s head came up and she turned in their direction.

“Did you help Libby yesterday with what she has going on?” Bailey asked. “She’s really nice, really cool, and she actually likes you. Try not to screw it up. You don’t have many friends either, and you could use some. And Libby’s really cool with me and Ralph, so everybody wins.”

“I’m really trying to get the humanitarian of the year award—no problem’s too small for me,” she teased. “Go on up, and try not to harass the staff by telling them we’re related to get them to do your work for you.”

When Ralph appeared to be rooted in place wanting to see Libby, Bailey grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him off.

“Are you trying to avoid me today?” Libby asked as she walked outside to join Tully.

“I was stepping out on you, getting coffee over at Tulane this morning.”

She laughed at Tully’s attempt at humor but kept her eye on her table, not wanting someone to walk off with her notes. “That’s an unforgivable offense in the world of baristas, Counselor.” After punching Tully on the arm, she rested her hand on Tully’s bicep. “I was hoping you weren’t mad at me for walking out on you yesterday after you offered me a job.”

“I’m not mad at you, and I won’t be if you turn me down. Did you at least think about it?”

“Actually, last night as I was trying to stay awake at my second job, it’s all I thought about. I bombed my latest quiz because work has been taking up so much of my time, but I can’t afford the rent without it.” Libby let go of Tully’s arm, and for a long moment she felt lost. “I’ve been on my own for so long now that it’s hard to accept when someone is trying to help me out just for the sake of helping me out. Know what I mean?”

“I know exactly what you mean. Come on upstairs.”

As she had the day before, Tully carried her bag of books like an interested suitor. “I did a little bit of thinking myself last night,” she said once they were inside the elevator.

Libby kept her eyes on the buttons, not trusting herself not to cry. “You changed your mind? That’s cool.”

“I’m more of a nerd than cool. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you in a boss.”

Tully lost her balance and fell into the wall of the elevator when Libby threw herself at her in a bear hug.

“I didn’t change my mind.”

“What were you thinking about, then?” Tully asked as the doors opened and they moved away from the elevators.

The office was much livelier than the day before; the associates were hard at work at their computers and only glanced up briefly as Tully and Libby walked to her office.

“What’s going on?” Libby asked.

“We picked up a new client yesterday, which usually fires up the staff. But this one has them more than energized.” Tully gestured to Roxanne to stay seated. “They want to win this one as a favor to me.”

“Should I call you the Gipper?”

“Not unless you want me to put you on bathroom cleanup duty.” She opened the door to her office and put her hand up, stopping one of the associates from coming any closer. “This one is a little different, even for me. I’d thought I’d experienced every kind of case in my field of law, but this case comes with a list of complications that started me thinking last night.”

“Anything I can help you with?”

“This is a good case for you to begin on, and we’ll get to your duties after we get you squared away. As a free bonus you’ll learn an invaluable lesson from this case once we’re done. A lesson we’ll both learn together, the more I think about it.”

Libby helped herself to the legal pad Tully kept on the coffee table and flipped it to a new page. If Tully was willing to take a chance on her, she wasn’t going to disappoint. “I thought about what you said too and realized the practical experience would be invaluable.”

“You have the job, Libby, no need to suck up,” Tully joked. “The experience is just one aspect, but it’s not the lesson I just mentioned. That deals with how to keep your personal life separate from your job for the good of your client, even when the two collide in ways you couldn’t imagine even if you were a fiction writer.”

Though Libby usually found Tully’s pacing distracting, she now focused more on the part of the story Tully hadn’t told her. “Does that happen often? Keeping them separate, I mean.”

“I’ve practiced for years now, and this is a first.” Tully described the case and its players. From what she’d read, the Heberts’ account of what had happened seemed accurate, and it was backed up by the medical records.

Evangeline had gone into surgery for the placement of a port just below her rib cage. Kara Nicolas was the surgeon on hand who’d performed the routine procedure, and by all accounts that was exactly what it should have been—routine. But what had happened to Evangeline Hebert, what had really happened, was missing from the record. After the surgery notes, the attending in recovery had made just one entry.

Patient expired at 2019 hours.

A life so new and fragile ended in one short sentence, with no explanation why. Tully told Libby that after reading the first part of the report and seeing Kara Nicolas’s name, she had flipped to the very back, looking for the ending of Evangeline’s story. Like reading a novel, she could peruse the middle at her leisure, but the end drove Tully to see if there was a tale at all. And incredibly, by some convenient mix-up at the hospital morgue, Evangeline’s body had been sent off for cremation. Whatever secrets her body held were lost forever in an urn of ashes.

Libby glanced down at the notes she’d taken, wondering why cases like this one were never in the books she had to study in school. “Let me see if I understand you.”

“My ex’s new plaything performed a procedure on this kid and she died,” Tully said succinctly.

“Do they know about your relationship with this woman?”

“Relationship? I’m not screwing around with her. Jessica is.” Tully sounded glib, but her tone still had a bite. “Sorry, I’m trying to be nice, but my face hurts too much to pull it off.”

“Is it even ethical for you to take this case?”

Tully ran her hands over her face and sighed. “If the world were fair and I’d married Jessica and the state recognized our union, then I’m sure they’d do everything they could to have me removed. Even if our relationship was sanctioned, I’d still fight to stay on, though. I’m suing the hospital for something Kara Nicolas, not Jessica Badeaux, did. Also, this incident happened before I became aware of Nicolas’s existence, but I’m sure they’ll still try to have me removed.”

“I want in, so where do I start?”

“Roxanne will do your internship paperwork and show you your desk.” Tully summoned Roxanne, who entered a moment later with some forms.

“You need to sign these papers, Tully, so we can start on discovery.” Roxanne handed Tully an official-looking folded paper. “This request arrived this morning while you were out.”

Tully scanned the document briefly. “Jessica wants to come get her clothes.” She took out a cigarette by rote to calm herself. The building had a no-smoking policy, but she ignored it on occasion.

“Do you want Libby to start with anything in particular?”

“Put her with Jo first. She’s working on Dr. Nicolas’s background.”

“I’ll do that, and you put that cigarette down.”

Tully glanced down at the unlit cigarette.

“Do it, or I’m calling your mother.”

Libby laughed at the banter before she followed Roxanne out with a small wave. Her afternoon passed quickly, broken only by a late lunch with Tully and the kids in Tully’s office. Later, Tully surprised her by taking away her files and pointing to her book bag.

“Your workday’s done, but I expect you to study from now until five.” Tully stood by Libby’s workstation. “I’m sure Rox pointed out that clause in your job description.”

“You’re going to pay me to study?”

“You may think you’re getting a lot of money now, but when you’re an associate here after you pass the bar, you’ll think you sold your soul for it.” Tully spoke with a serious tone, but Libby could tell she was joking by the wink at the end.

An hour later, Libby raised her head from her book to see Roxanne lift her phone, then slam it down with a little too much force. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing having a bus hit Jessica wouldn’t cure.” Roxanne stood and smoothed out her skirt. “Sorry, she’s just not one of my favorite people at the moment, and she’s back.”

Within seconds, Tully stormed out of her office, so focused that she didn’t even glance in Libby’s direction.

Libby could see by the set of Tully’s shoulders that she was upset. In the two years since she’d first encountered Tully, Libby had come to notice a lot of things about her, and not just how she liked her coffee. How her face came alive when she explained certain concepts of the law and saw that Libby understood what she was saying. How she used her hands when she talked, and how very generous she was, not only with her money but with herself. And how her smile widened every time Libby found some excuse to touch her. Tully was in a relationship and would’ve never have pursued anyone, but Libby could tell she liked the closeness. It might not come to anything, but with Jessica’s colossal screwup, Libby felt like fate had handed her a beautifully gift-wrapped chance at a life that up to then had been impossible.

As Tully slammed the door, Libby promised herself that in the coming months she would try to support Tully. “You deserve to be happy, Tully, and I’ll do my best to see that you are,” she said softly to the empty room. By helping Tully, she figured she might find happiness. She was tired of being alone.

Chapter Ten

“Before you say no, I want you to listen to me,” Tully said with her hands up. “Your mother’s here and asking to see you again.”

“And what part of no didn’t she get yesterday?” Bailey asked.

“Guys, I know she upset you with how she handled things, but I’m asking you to just meet with her for a few minutes.”

“Why are you being so nice to her?”

“This has nothing to do with nice, Bailey. It’s got to do with simplifying our lives.” She put her hands up again when Bailey started to ask something else. “You can’t go the rest of your life without seeing her.”

“Until I’m eighteen and I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“True, but you have another couple of years before that magical birthday, so please do me this favor since I’ll be paying for your tuition and the apartment you hope to have once you turn eighteen and only want to talk to me about money.” Tully dropped into an empty chair and rubbed her temples. “You know how much I love going to court, but I want to come to some agreement without someone in a robe making us.”

“You think Mama would take you to court?” Ralph asked.

“Eventually, if I keep saying no, but even then, don’t worry about it, buddy.” After leaning forward and placing her hand on Ralph’s shoulder, she turned to Bailey. “You don’t have to talk or act like everything’s okay. Just let her see that I’m not beating you and am actually feeding you on occasion.”

“That’s it?” Bailey asked.

“That’s it. Then you can go home, lock yourself in your room, and listen to music I find objectionable.”

Bailey cracked a smile. “Can we leave when we’re done?”

“Sure, I’m sure your grandmother will be thrilled to see us early.” Tully squeezed Ralph’s shoulder, then stood up. “Just remember that I’m a call away if you need anything.”

“We’ll be testing that claim, trust me,” Bailey said as they walked to the conference room.

Jessica Badeaux sat alone in the firm’s expensive-looking conference room and stared through the wall of glass across from her. Tully had always joked that the opulent furnishings were intended more to intimidate than to make a fashion statement. Sort of a message to visiting attorneys that the firm of Barnes, Corey, and Badeaux made a living by eating the competition before they even realized they were on the menu. Their high success rate allowed them to afford the trappings.

That conversation felt like a lifetime ago, a lifetime that had included her perfect family and loving partner. A lifetime she’d traded so easily for a chance with Kara Nicolas, but she wouldn’t change what she’d done. For once she felt like the rebel her parents never allowed her to be, and forgetting that perfect life had made her skin tingle when Kara peered at her with such desire in her eyes.

Sitting there alone, Jessica felt as if the trade-off that had jump-started her libido would reveal the true meaning of this room. The Tully who had served her strawberries every year for Valentine’s Day would be replaced by the Tully who strove to win. This room reflected her competitive nature, and nothing in their past would make a difference.

“Mama?” Ralph stood at the door with his hand on the knob, obviously waiting for Jessica to acknowledge them. Bailey shoved him inside.

Seeing only the two of them, Jessica relaxed and stood with her arms out. Both children rebuffed her silent request for a hug and just sat.

“Where’s your mom?” she asked.

“If you want to meet with her, I suggest you get Roxanne in here,” Bailey said, taking her usual combative pose, arms folded across her chest.

“I came to see you guys, so please give me a chance, Bailey, before we waste our time together.”

“We had time together two days ago.” Bailey snapped her fingers as if suddenly remembering something. “Oh, wait, you threw us out at the curb.”

“What I did was a mistake on so many levels. You’re right. I’m sorry for that.”

Ralph leaned forward like he’d suddenly taken an interest in the conversation. “You’re coming back?”

“Not anytime soon.” Jessica shook her head. “I just meant that I should’ve told your mom sooner that I wasn’t happy with our relationship.”

“Yeah. I’m sure that whole girlfriend situation was a real drag when you’re supposed to be faithful and all.” Bailey wiped her palms on her jeans in a gesture that made Jessica know she was nervous and trying to control the urge to get up and leave. “You’ve seen us and I’m sure we’ll hook up whenever Mom says we have to, but right now this is a waste of time.”

“I’ve been here less than five minutes.”

“Look, Mama, I’m sure you’re here to make things right and to make yourself feel better, but you don’t have to worry.” Bailey stood up. “Everything’s fine, and we’ll see you when we do. If that’s all you wanted, we’re done.” She left, glancing at Ralph as she stalked out.

“Ralph, I’m sorry.” Jessica tried one last time to salvage something.

“Like Bailey said, no problem.” His departure wasn’t as smooth as Bailey’s, but he followed her quickly.

When they were done, Tully walked in and leaned against the door.

Jessica stared at her, trying to remember the very last time they’d been intimate. However, she couldn’t see past the haze of passion that Kara induced in her.

“Tully, listen—”

“I need to know when you want to get your things out of the house.” Tully’s voice was devoid of emotion. “This weekend might be a good time. I’m taking the kids to see my parents.”

“Alma will be thrilled to hear about my fall from grace.”

“Have whoever is going to represent you contact me about separating our assets.” Tully ignored the shot at her mother. “This isn’t a divorce in the eyes of the law, but we do have a partnership of sorts that needs to be dissolved.”

“What about the kids?”

“I’ve enrolled them, at their request, at University High. They start Monday. As for their care, I’ll take full responsibility for the time being.”

Jessica closed her eyes long enough to center herself. She didn’t want to lash out and make things worse. “Whatever happened between us, we need to make our major decisions together. I don’t think changing something as important as their school is the right thing to do right now.”

“The only other matter we need to discuss is how Dr. Nicolas will fit into my children’s lives when they spend time with you. Once you have the particulars on all that, call Roxanne and schedule an appointment.”

After the slam of the door left her alone, Jessica let the tears roll. She wouldn’t be able to return to the safety she’d known for so long.

Chapter Eleven

Alma Badeaux wiped her hands on the bottom of her apron, emblazoned with “Kiss the Cook or Else.” She’d just finished preparing her chicken stew in her favorite pot and was studying the long driveway from the road as if she could make Tully and her grandchildren materialize sooner.

Tully and the kids hadn’t come for a visit since the holidays, but she understood how busy everyone was. Something had changed in those sixty days, though, which made her anxious to spot Tully’s car. She was so intent on seeing the white Land Rover that she almost didn’t recognize the driver of a Ford Explorer.

Though Bailey was usually reluctant to spend time in the small town of Montegut, she fell easily into Alma’s arms.

“We thought we’d surprise you by being early for a change, instead of three hours late,” Tully said when it was her turn to hug Alma.

“Your father’s going to be upset he isn’t here to meet you.”

When Gaston came home with an ice chest of jumbo shrimp they were having for lunch the next day, they repeated the whole exchange of hugs. Alma didn’t get Tully alone until the dishes were done and the kids were in bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s not too late for you to go to detective school, you know,” Tully said. Since they were sitting outside, she took out her pack of cigarettes and lit one.

Just as quickly Alma snatched it away and put it out. “You don’t need to imitate a chimney to tell me about what’s going on.”

Tully laughed before she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the tops of her legs. Though she left out the part about how she found out Jessica was cheating, she did tell Alma why they were separating.

“My mama always preached to me about how God closed some doors in our lives only to open certain others,” Alma said. “You might take that message to heart, my love. Just remember to look for those new doors.”

“I won’t miss them.” Tully kissed her mother’s cheek. “Now go on inside and get to bed.” That was the only way she’d get to smoke the cigarette she craved.

Later, sitting on her father’s dock across the road from the house, she propped her feet against the hull of the Alma Mae. The old boat creaked as it gently bobbed with the outgoing tide, but the cypress it was constructed of felt solid.

“When I was little—” The sudden sound of Bailey’s voice scared Tully so badly she fell out of her chair. “Sorry.”

Tully watched her cigarette roll off the edge of the dock and figured she was the victim of a conspiracy. “You’re supposed to be in bed, not crossing the highway by yourself.” She straightened her lawn chair and unfolded another for Bailey so they could sit side by side. “You were saying?”

“I remember you holding me when Granddad took us out fishing. You told me stories about the stuff that lived in the water and how, if I looked hard enough, I’d see mermaids.” Bailey sat and expelled a long sigh. “They were only dolphins.”

“But wasn’t it nice to pretend, just for a little while, that mermaids existed? Bailey Bean, I told you things like that to fire your imagination. You might not think it’s important, but having a good one can make you a success at whatever you do. I want you to find a little of that imagination you had when you were small enough for me to hold.” She tugged their chairs even closer and put her arm around Bailey. “Life is hard enough. You need to have a little fun and just take some things on faith.”

“Is that why you’re out here, trying to find your faith?”

Tully thought maybe Bailey’s question showed she missed times like this with her mom.

“I’m out here trying to relive my youth, thank you very much. Those days when I stepped off this boat and could see my feet.” She patted her stomach to finish the joke.

“Stop making fun of yourself to make me feel better.” Bailey bumped shoulders with her and stayed close. “Are you going to tell me what exactly happened with Mama?”

“Why do you really have to know?” Tully held tight when Bailey started to turn away. “I’m not trying to blow you off, honey. But it’s like you’re looking for a reason to hate your mother and want me to hand you one.”

“I’d’ve thought you’d jump at the chance.”

“Then I’m sorry for giving you that impression. I may not want to live with your mom, but I’d never go out of my way for you guys to hate her.” She paused to try and erase the mental image of Kara Nicolas with Jessica. “If I did, I’d be cheating you of an important relationship, even though it doesn’t seem like that right now.”

A faint splash came from the other side of the boat, and Tully pulled Bailey up to investigate. Something seemed to be trying to break free of the water.

“What is it?” Bailey asked.

“I need to get you out here more often.” Tully retrieved something out of one of the storage boxes on the boat. “Every Cajun kid can spot shrimp feeding on the surface just from the noise.”

With balance Bailey didn’t realize Tully had, she stood on the rail of the boat with a cast net in her hand. Completely open, the circle of net was about eight feet across, with a row of weights tied along the bottom. She held the top rope in one hand and grabbed just a bit of the bottom with her other. Bailey thought about holding Tully when she started swaying, but she was just building momentum for her throw. When she released the net, it resembled a large cobweb heading for the water.

It hit with a small splash, and Tully yanked on the rope to make the weights come together and close the bottom. She dumped out a small bucketful of shrimp captured inside. “Big enough for bait if you want to go fishing with me,” she offered.

“Can I try? Will you teach me, I mean?” Bailey asked, referring to the cast net.

It was late before she finally got the hang of releasing the net so that it would open and not just hit the water and sink. The shrimp had fled by then, but it didn’t matter. As they walked back to the house with the shrimp Tully had caught, Bailey basked in the attention her mom had paid her, which beat the hell out of catching any bait.

They drove back early on Sunday morning loaded with fresh fish and shrimp Alma had packed. The kids hadn’t had the heart to tell their grandmother Tully would probably just freeze the stuff since she didn’t know how to cook.

They were kidding about her lack of culinary skills as they drove up to their house, and Tully threw Ralph the keys to unlock the door while she walked to the mailbox. When Bailey screamed, Tully dropped the mail and ran to the back door.

“Mom, we’ve been robbed.”

The dining room table and chairs were gone, as were a few more pieces of furniture the kids always remembered being in the house. They were all family heirlooms that Jessica had inherited from her favorite grandmother.

“More like your mama coming by for her stuff, babe.” Hands on her thighs, Tully was bent over trying to catch her breath. “This gives us a good excuse to go out and eat.”

Ralph stood next to his sister, his eyes riveted to the empty spot where the table had been. “I guess she was serious about not coming back.”

“Buddy, when she gets a new place, she’ll need all this stuff you’re missing to make it feel like home.”

As soon as the words left Tully’s mouth, Ralph ran to his room and slammed the door.

“What?” she asked when Bailey shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Thank God you aren’t this clueless at work or we’d starve. Saying that to him is like packing our bags and shipping us off.”

When Tully tried to defend herself, Bailey held her hands up. “I know you won’t send us away, but Ralph obviously doesn’t, so I suggest damage control.”

It took Tully over an hour to get Ralph to the same level of enlightenment as Bailey, and when she stepped out into the hall she smelled dinner. If Bailey cooked this well, maybe the kid was correct that she was totally clueless. Tully heard conversation and was surprised to enter the kitchen and find Libby not only talking to Bailey, but also cooking. “So coffee isn’t your only specialty, huh?”

“Bailey said it’d be all right.” Libby stopped chopping broccoli to answer.

“Then Bailey gets a raise in her allowance for being so astute. Were you out looking for a downtrodden family to cook for?” Tully popped a broccoli floret into her mouth.

“I was making a delivery for Josephine, and your ice chest of fish inspired me,” Libby retorted. “I really am sorry if I’m intruding. My kitchen is so tiny this was a treat for me.”

“You’re not intruding, and you’re more than welcome to cook for us whenever the mood strikes you.” Another piece of broccoli disappeared before Libby moved the cutting board out of Tully’s reach.

“Bailey mentioned another table outside.” Libby pointed to the empty space, having heard the story earlier.

Considering it was her house, Tully took the dismissal well and called Ralph to help her wipe down the lawn furniture. It was a little warm outside, but everyone was too busy enjoying the broiled fish topped with shrimp cream sauce to complain about the heat.

Without thought at the end of dinner, Tully produced the pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket and was about to light up when Libby blew out her match and said, “I’ll make a bet with you.”

“Why do I feel this cigarette isn’t in my future?”

Libby laughed and moved closer to nab the cigarette. “Not necessarily. If you can walk around the block at a fairly good pace and not cough once, it’s all yours.”

“A block?” Tully snapped her fingers. “That should be a cinch.”

After telling the kids where they were going, Tully bowed and let Libby walk ahead of her. They turned left at the end of the drive, wanting to enjoy the slight breeze that was keeping the mosquitoes at bay. Tully started wheezing before they reached the corner, and at the stop sign she started coughing.

Libby stopped and waited until the fit subsided, then pointed back to the house. Not only had they walked less than a block, they weren’t even four houses from where they’d started. “Learn something, Counselor?”

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 511