AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thanks for having me, Ms. Elise. Sorry about my appearance.” He turned to me as a dog whose owner dressed him up in the most ridiculous costume might. A mixture of shame and embarrassment. “My clothes were soaked.”
“Honey, you look fine. We don’t worry about such things in this house. Can’t have you catching a cold.” But I saw the twinkle in Nana’s eye just before she turned around.
Tanner had fished out the laptop from his backpack and carried it to the table where I’d been pulling out pictures. “What’s all this?”
I explained about the leak in the attic and about all the treasures.
“Can I help with the leak?”
“I don’t think there’s anything to be done until it stops raining. And it’s only in the one spot.”
He nodded. “But please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Nana agreed that she would.
I showed him the photos I’d been going through in answer to his question about what this all was.
“Oh, I haven’t told you the news yet. Your mom was a classmate of Justine Chaffin’s.” “Mom will be here shortly for dinner. We can ask her about Justine when she arrives.”
Nana had heard our conversation. “Yes, Justine was a nice girl. Haven’t heard anything about her in many years. There was some scandal from what I recall.”
Tanner and I looked at each other, and then we both turned toward Nana. “What happened?” Our words were simultaneous.
“Oh, I don’t really remember the particulars. She went off to college somewhere down South. New Orleans. Yes, that was it. Her sweet momma, Marie, worried so about her heading to the big city, you know?”
We nodded. “Do you know what happened to her while she was away at college?” I prodded for Nana to continue.
“Got into a little trouble with a boy as I recall. But I’m not sure how it all turned out. Marie and I were friends, but as soon as Justine had difficulties, she didn’t want to talk about it. Then, not long after, Marie’s husband was killed in an offshore oil rig accident. So tragic. We lost three young men from town in that accident.”
“What about Marie and Justine? Whatever happened to them?” I pushed.
Nana shook her head. “Marie remarried about a year later, and I never heard anything else about Justine. Marie and I never communicated after that.”
Tanner asked Nana, “Do you know where Marie is now?”
“No, I don’t. She and her husband moved to another town not far away, but I’m not sure exactly where. I haven’t heard anything about Marie in years. Not since she moved.” There were a dozen small towns in the area surrounding Cypress Bayou.
But I realized how important this might be, so I stayed with the questions. “Nana, do you know what Marie’s new husband’s last name was?”
“Trichel. He was a transplant and didn’t have family here, which is why they moved later. Most folks in Cypress Bayou stay in the area. But I guess he didn’t have any reason to stay, and when Justine got in trouble and Marie lost her husband, she didn’t want to stay here either. You know how people talk.”
I looked at Tanner and raised my brows. “Should we fill her in since Lisa gave us the okay?” Since we weren’t bound by attorney–client privilege, we had to decide how much to tell people when asking around town. And I knew Nana was trustworthy.
Tanner nodded. “Yes, I think this might be our first break in the case.”
So, I said to Nana, “Somebody came into the office and hired Tanner to find out what happened to Justine.”
“Hmm…may I ask who hired you to find this information?” Nana asked.
I glanced at Tanner, then answered. It felt odd being able to discuss a client so freely. “Her daughter, Lisa. Apparently, she was given up for adoption while Justine was in college. Lisa never knew Justine and wants to find out what happened to her mother. She’s not been able to locate any death information or to find her.”
Nana let out a low whistle. “Sounds like a real mystery.”
Tanner spoke then. “We’re not sure what happened to Justine after Lisa was born, and now we’re wondering who might have some information. Justine didn’t list a father on the birth certificate.”
Nana cut big fat squares of yellow corn bread as she suggested to us both. “You might look for Marie. I know she’s not here in town, but I don’t think she’s far, if she’s still with us. I’m guessing she would know who her daughter was seeing.”
Still with us, meaning not dead.
