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Lisa and Iheaded directly to Cypress General from Nana’s house. We took separate cars because our schedules later in the day might diverge. Today was a potentially big day because we hoped to finally learn something about what really happened to Justine Chaffin, Lisa’s birth mother and Marie’s daughter.
Tanner was meeting us there. DA Litrell had sent confirmation that Lisa now had been granted emergency guardianship of Marie until it could be officially determined that Marie was fit mentally and medically to handle her own decisions. This should happen quickly now that she’d been evaluated by several medical personnel and the legal wheels were in motion.
There was a uniformed officer sitting in a chair right outside Marie’s hospital room this morning, same as yesterday when I’d left. He nodded to us as we entered.
Marie was sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed when we entered her room. She was dressed in clothes Lisa had brought over to her at some point yesterday afternoon after I’d left to go back to the office. I reminded myself to share the name of Nana’s hairdresser in town.
“Good morning, Marie.” Lisa wasted no time getting to her grandmother’s side and offering her the lovely flowers from Nana. “These are from Ms. Elise’s garden. She hoped you would like them. How are you feeling today?”
“How nice of her. I’m a darn sight better now that I’ve had a good night’s sleep with a guard outside. That guy’s a real giant, isn’t he?”
“He is impressive, for sure.” I had to laugh at the confidence the officer’s size instilled in Marie. I guess I couldn’t blame her for feeling like his bigness would keep anyone from causing her harm.
Tanner arrived then, making the room feel much smaller upon entering. He smiled at us all, but I saw something in his eyes when he got to me. A spark of interest. Had it always been there, and I hadn’t noticed?
“Good morning, all. I hope everyone had a good night.” His well-fitting jeans were paired with a crisp blue button-down shirt and the boots he normally wore.
“Are we having a meeting now?” Marie asked. “Because I’m ready to tell you what I know. I’ve been kept quiet for a long time.”
Tanner nodded. “Wearehaving a meeting, Marie. Do you mind if I record our conversation?”
“Not at all. I have worries that somebody will try to come in and stop me before I have my say.” Marie darted her eyes all around.
“We can relax. Our friend Clyde, who is watching the door, has been given instructions that nobody is to interrupt us, so let’s get comfortable, shall we?” Tanner reassured us all.
There was a seat that ran alongside the window, so Lisa and I sat there. Marie moved back to the bed so Tanner could sit in the chair beside her and record her responses. He began by noting the date of interview, and prefacing notes regarding Marie’s identity, et cetera.
“Marie, can you describe what you remember regarding your daughter Justine Chaffin’s time after she left Cypress Bayou for college in New Orleans and enrolled at the University of New Orleans?”
“She was a sweet girl, you know? So excited to leave this small town and head off to college. She was majoring in graphic design because she was so artistic. She could draw anything. She was in her third year of college when I noticed she wasn’t responding when I called her. She rarely came home as it was, and I asked her what was going on when we finally did speak.”
“What did Justine tell you?” Tanner’s voice was kind.
“It took her a minute, but she finally admitted she’d gotten pregnant by a young man she’d been seeing. And when I asked what she’d planned to do with the baby, she said she was keeping it. When I asked who the father was, she said she didn’t want to share his name because it was someone I knew from our hometown, but he’d just started law school. You can imagine my worry…”
I tensed immediately and looked over at Tanner. “Did she ever say who it was?” Lisa asked then.
“Well, before that, when we’d speak, she’d mention a group of friends that included people I knew from Cypress Bayou. I’m sorry to say that group included your parents, Tanner, Arthur Keller, and a fellow, last name of Henry, and his wife from New Orleans. Back in those days, young people got married while they were still in school.”
“Did you say a Henry couple?” Lisa’s voice had a strangled sound to it.
“Yes, I don’t remember their first names, but Justine seemed to really like them. They cooked out and spent a lot of time together if I remember correctly.”
“Vivian and Hayes Henry?” Lisa asked Marie.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Justine called her Viv.”
“Excuse me a moment.” Lisa stood and exited the room.
“Is everything okay?” Marie asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Let’s take a short break.” Tanner was frowning and likely putting pieces of a puzzle together, like me.
I excused myself to go and check on Lisa. She was sitting on a small bench in the hallway. “Are you all right?”
She shook her head. “My parents knew Justine and Carson and Judge Keller back when Justine gave birth to me and when Justine disappeared.”
I nodded. “Yes. That’s more than a little suspicious.” I only imagined the dark places her mind was going and wished there was something I could do to ease her pain and anxiety. “It sounds like you’re going to need to have a conversation with them before all this hits the fan.”
