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It would be poor manners to refuse such an invitation, but also I hated to leave Tanner on his own out here without knowing what his current situation was. “Thanks so much. Let me text our friend so he knows where to find us.”
I texted Tanner:Join us when you’re done. We’ve found a friend of Marie’s.
He replied:Will do
“Tell him to come on in. We’re all neighbors here. Y’all have a seat, ladies.” Jean disappeared into the kitchen and there was much banging around until she returned with a tray that held an iced tea pitcher, a bowl of sliced lemons, and a lovely sugar dish with a tiny spoon. Oh, and four glasses.
“How nice, Jean. You said you knew my grandmother, Marie?” Lisa began to serve herself from the offered tray.
Jean smiled at them then. “She was mybestfriend here in the neighborhood. We played a lot of gin rummy together. Marie had some tragedy in her life, you know? Her daughter just up and disappeared one day. But not after she’d had a baby by a low-life scumbag who’d knocked her up and done away with her.”
I tried to stay calm, and I noticed that Lisa’s hand had paused in the stirring of her tea, but she laid her spoon down and looked Jean in the eye. “Well, I’m sorry to say that I’m late in meeting Marie. I’m that baby her daughter gave birth to while she was in college.”
Jean’s eyes grew large and round. “You don’t say?”
“Do you know what happened to Marie? We can’t seem to find her.” Lisa had established a connection, so she continued the conversation.
“Like her daughter, she just up and disappeared. We played rummy on a Tuesday before. Of course she’d recently buried her husband, and she was sad about it. I say, good riddance. Jay was a nosy one. Always up in my business. Didn’t like Marie out of his sight. Never hurt her though that I could tell. Marie said he was a bit possessive was all.”
“So, she disappeared not long after Jay passed? Did you notice anybody hanging around who didn’t belong around that time? Strangers?” I was trying to wade in gently so as not to upset Jean, but she seemed to be our best lead to finding out about Marie so far.
“Marie said there were people asking what she knew about her daughter, Justine. Said Jay had moved her out of her hometown to get away from people asking questions.” Jean stopped for a moment and sighed. “You know what I think upset her the most? It was that nobody would tell her anything. She said she’d tried for years to find out about her girl’s disappearance, but every time she went to the law, they told her Justine had done run away. So, they wouldn’t call it a crime. She finally got them to file her as a missing person, but I don’t think they followed up.”
I had to ask. “Do you believe Marie was afraid of Jay for any reason?”
Jean shook her head. “I don’t think so. But she didn’t act how a wife ought to be with her husband if you ask me. It was like she’d married him to take care of her, you know, to have a man in the house. They didn’t seem real in love, I guess, even though he kept her on a tight leash.”
That was an odd answer. One with no real specific information attached to it. The doorbell rang then. Tanner.
Jean looked up when she heard it and squinted her eyes as if she weren’t wearing her glasses. “Must be your friend. We don’t get many visitors around here.”
“I’ll let him in if that’s okay. His name is Tanner.”
Jean motioned with her hand toward the front door that I should.
Tanner was standing outside and appeared no worse off than when we’d left him. “Hey there. You okay?” I opened the door for him.
“Not much help from the two houses where I stopped.” I could tell there was something else, but we would discuss it later.
I led Tanner toward the seating area where we’d gathered with our tea. “Hello, young man. I’m Miss Jean. Would you like some sweet tea?” Jean welcomed Tanner, a gracious Southern hostess, she was.
Tanner, I could tell, was immediately charmed. “I would be honored.”
Jean motioned for him to sit and join the group. I quickly brought Tanner up to speed as to what he’d missed. Tanner nodded.
“So you’re trying to solve a mystery here, yes?” Jean’s eyes brightened.
Lisa spoke. “I came to Tanner and Carly and asked them to help me find my mother, which would have been Justine, Marie’s daughter. I was adopted at birth and never knew her or Marie. So, this is where it’s led me. I’m so glad we were able to meet you, Miss Jean.”
Jean covered Lisa’s hand with her own. “My kids are long grown and gone from here. There’s nothing a lonely old woman appreciates more than some young people to sit and drink tea with. I hope you find your grandmama, dear. And what happened to your momma.”
“We won’t forget your kindness and your help. And if you think of anything else about Marie or Jay, please let us know.” I handed her one of my new business cards.
We all stood to say our goodbyes. Jean paused a second, as if she weren’t sure whether to speak. “You know, Marie wasn’t that old. She was smart and funny, and knew her mind, but Jay told her all the time that she was speaking nonsense, and nobody would believe her crazy talk about her daughter going missing, so she ought not be going around telling people about that.”
“Sounds like he was gaslighting her.” Tanner kind of muttered this.
“What?” Jean appeared confused.
