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“Nobody knows he’s dead,” she whispered.
Her father nodded slowly. “Juste deux vieux hommes.” She knew what he was referring to; only two old men would ever know…himself and Old Man River. He was still as sharp as a tack.
Just then, her mother stepped into the room. “Oh, Sylvie...you came.”
Before Sylvie turned away from her father, she put her finger to her lips. He understood that too – he wouldn’t tell Ouida; she didn’t need to know.
“Of course I did, Maw. Happy wedding anniversary.”
Ouida laughed. “It’s been one to remember…that’s for sure.”
The door to Pierre’s room opened, and Gator appeared, his tall frame filling the doorway.
Ouida looked up at him, her eyes widening. “Oh là là,” she exclaimed without thinking.
“Gator, you found me,” Sylvie said, a wide smile breaking across her face as she jumped up and ran into his arms.
As Gator held her, he looked over her shoulder at Pierre, who waggled his eyebrows and smiled. Gator winked and smiled back.
Ouida rose from the chair she’d been sitting in, and it looked like she wanted a hug too. So, when Sylvie finally let go and stepped back to introduce him, Gator moved forward and wrapped her up in his arms, planting a gentle kiss on top of her head.
Sylvie had experienced a whirlwind of emotions in recent days, and now she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For once, she was surrounded by so much love all at once that she could hardly breathe – but it felt amazing.
When Ouida finally let go of Gator, Sylvie said, “Maw…Paw… this is Gaston Guidry.”
Gator laughed, and Ouida inhaled sharply, looking as if she might faint.
“My God,” Pierre said. “Look what happened to that little boy.”
Pierre and Ouida had only seen Gaston a few times back when Sylvie used to babysit him. Before Sylvie got her own transportation, they would drop her off at the Guidry house and she’d always get a lift back home from Marvin.
Gator and Sylvie spent another hour with her parents, their laughter and love filling the hospital room. Nothing was said about Sylvie and Gator’s relationship – it wasn’t needed. Her parents could see the obvious love they had for one another already.
As Sylvie and Gator finally walked out the door to head home, Pierre said to Ouida, “We could be in for another celebration. You up to it?”
22
As Baptiste stoodin the dimly lit room, looking down at the body of Sylvie’s ex, he knew he had to act fast to protect Sylvie and Gator from the fallout of Marvin’s demise. His eyes fell on Marvin’s phone, which lay on the floor a couple of feet from his lifeless body. The impact from the blow to his head and the fall had thrown it where none of the others had noticed. A plan began to form in his mind. He picked it up, and before he helped Gator wrap up the body in plastic he used Marvin’s finger to unlock it.
He was acutely aware of the time running out as he navigated the device, resetting the password and ensuring it worked. Now, with access to Marvin’s text messages and emails, he could maintain the illusion that Marvin was still alive after the time of his death. No one would be able to implicate any of them if Marvin appeared to be alive long after that fateful day.
As Baptiste delved deeper into Marvin’s digital life, he realized the additional benefits this access could bring. For one, Sylvie could finally sell the house she co-owned with Marvin, severing the last tangible tie between them. The trove of valuable information stored on the phone and in the cloud allowed Baptiste to copy Marvin’s signature with ease, making the process of offloading Marvin Turner’s curse from Sylvie’s life almost effortless.
* * *
Gator had toldSylvie she could shift everything to his place until she had a chance to sort through it all. She’d sold her house, and they only had a month to clear it out before the new owners wanted to move in. Sylvie felt a mix of nostalgia and relief as she thought about leaving the place behind. The later years had brought more bad memories than good, but she tried to focus on the positive aspects of life, even now after all she’d been through.
The old shed on the property looked like a hoarder’s paradise. Sylvie never ventured inside, as it was almost impossible to do so. It was overflowing with items, but every time Marvin came back to the house, he would go inside and be gone for a long time. Sylvie often wondered what he was doing or what he might be hiding, but she just didn’t want to know.
Now, as she and Gator removed the shed’s contents, she was getting a better look at Marvin’s life from a perspective she hadn’t seen before. Most of the stuff in the shed ended up in the dumpsters they’d had delivered to the property. Anything she didn’t want, that wasn’t junk, she donated to the local charity shop. Some good had to come from the bad.
It was when they discovered a rusty old safe that her curiosity was piqued.
“What’s this?” Gator asked.
She furrowed her brow. “I have no idea,” she told him. “I’ve never seen it and I wouldn’t know how to get into it.”
The safe had a dial on it to open it, but she couldn’t even hazard a guess as to what the combination would be. The air felt heavy with anticipation.
