CJ used his key to let himself and Sebastian into his aunt’s house. They were in the parlor before anyone knew they were their. When Ursula saw Sebastian she rose from her chair as though Jesus himself had called her from the tomb. All of the exuberance and joy that had charmed Sebastian the previous afternoon was gone now. As he might have guessed, Ursula was not one to cry, not even to weep. Her eyes were brighter and shinier, but not from tears. This woman might have been the model for a guided missile launcher, if not the missile itself. She was precision steel with laser sharpness awaiting a target to calibrate into her guidance program.
“Sebastian, sweetheart, it is so kind of you to come. At times like these I need to surround myself with strong people.” She paused as her eyes swept the room. was in yesterday’s clothes, except for her diamonds. Presumably they were resting in her handbag. Her make-up was smeared from crying and resting her head on Charles’ chest. As for Charles, true to his pedigree was barely rumpled, except for the patch of dampness created by Gigi’s tears. When he saw the younger men, his shoulders automatically squared. “As you can see, boys, you’re leading a rather rag-tag militia.”
Sebastian stepped forward intending to put his arms around Ursula, but she stepped back in a defensive move. “Sebastian, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your being here, but we can’t all just sit here wallowing in grief. I want to find the person, the fiend who did this to our beloved Suzette. I want him punished and I want it to be swift. Now, why don’t the two of you have a seat. Would you like coffee or anything?”
“No, thank you, Ursula. I’m fine.”
“CJ?”
“Nothing for me Aunt.”
Sebastian had been studying the room and trying not to appear rude. “Ursula, you have a lovely home and lots of interesting things. May I inquire about the photos you have on the mantle? Are they relatives?”
Gigi managed to get up and walked over to the fireplace to get them for Sebastian. She bore an ironic smile as she presented to him to view. “You might say they’re relatives, Sebastian. They’re us. See? That Ursula in the middle. That sweet innocent looking girl on her right is yours truly. That’s Suzette is on the left.”
“How pretty you all are! Were you going to a party?”
“Yes, it was our first time to go out with lipstick on. We thought we were so grown up. We were, well, Ursula was sixteen, Suzette was fifteen, and I was the baby of the group at one month shy of my fifteenth birthday. Since I was so close to being old enough, Momma let me go since I’d be with Ursula.”
“You know, there’s a strong resemblance between you two girls, I should say ladies. Are you related?”
“We’re cousins, Sebastian,” Ursula answered. “Our mothers were sisters.”
“Where does Suzette figure in? She was obviously a pretty girl, too, but she’s not like you two at all. There’s something about her though.” Sebastian paused as he studied the photos. “Do you have other photos, Ursula? Of Suzette, I mean. Perhaps in her later teens or twenties even?”
“I’m sure I must. CJ, be a dear and go upstairs to my room. There are a couple albums in the trunk at the foot of my bed. Would you bring them down so Sebastian can look through them?”
“Of course, Aunt. I’ll be right back.”
“What do you think, Sebastian? Did you see something in the pictures you think might be important?”
“Actually yes, Ursula, I did. Tell me, though, how you and Gigi met Suzette. Were Suzette’s parent form around here? Were your parents all friends?”
Gigi gasped and shot Ursula a look. “No, Sebastian. It wasn’t like that,” Gigi finally replied, looking to Ursula to take over.
“Suzette was adopted, Sebastian. Her mother —” Charles began.
“Died in childbirth and her father couldn’t raise he on his own, so—” Gigi interrupted.
“Gigi! Charles! Stop it! If Sebastian is willing to help us to find Suzette’s killer, we owe him the truth.”
“But Ursula, we swore we’d never talk about —,” Gigi pleaded.
“Sebastian, the truth is, we never knew for sure where Suzette where came from. Suzette’s father, the man she called her father was the late Edward Deauville. He found early one morning when he came home from working at the shipyards. He was the night watchman. She was on his stoop without so much as a blanket or a diaper. The year before, his wife had told him she was pregnant and then mysteriously disappeared.”
“Police couldn’t find any proof of an abduction. No ransom demand or anything like that. Word got around she had run off with another man,” Charles added.
“You can imagine the scandal. Anyway, a year later this baby girl turns up on his doorstep. He figured she belong to Marguerite, that was his wife’s name, but the time was all wrong for him to have been the child’s father. He had some friends down at the courthouse who helped him to legally adopt the baby. He named her Suzette for his mother. Of course, in time the little girl became the very image of Marguerite so that doubt was permanently removed. No one ever did find out who the father might have been. Marguerite hasn’t been seen or heard from to this day,” Ursula explained. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason in particular. It’s just —”
“Are these the photo albums you wanted, Aunt?” CJ presented them for inspection.
“Yes, those are them. Here, Sebastian, take a look through these and see if you find what you’re looking for.”
“Let me ask you this. Was there ever a 1920’s high school dance y’all went to? Something where you might have dressed like flappers?”
“Why, yes! Our senior prom, Suzette’s and mine. Ursula went as our chaperone.”
Charles chuckled at the memory of it. “Talk about putting a kid in charge of a candy shop! You girls had your mothers completely duped about that night!”
“Charles Eponnaire! Who wound you up and told you to speak?” Ursula chided. “I’m sure there are pictures from that night. We had so much fun! I think they’re in this other book, Sebastian,” she continued as she quickly turned the pages. “Yes, here we are!” she announced with a sigh. “I had forgotten just how young we were.”
Sebastian never had what would be called a poker face. When he saw Suzette dressed as a flapper, he had the answers to a couple questions. The most important one being the identity of the mysterious reflection he had seen in the mirror the day before. The photo also hinted to him why he had seen it. Niether of these details he felt ready to share.
“CJ, would you mind taking a walk with me?”
“Great idea!” Ursula agreed. “Let me change me shoes and I’ll go with you.”
“No offense, Ursula, but want to be alone with CJ.”
“Well, how can I mind that! You boys go on and do whatever it is you need to do. Is there anything you need the rest of us to do while you’re gone?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, call Doctor Strauss and give her permission to let me visit Suzette. Since I’m not family or police there could be—”
“Not to worry, Sebastian. Consider it done. Anything else?”
“That’s plenty for now. We won’t be gone too long. I imagine CJ here will be ready for some lunch when we get back. If I’m not being too forward, might I invite myself to a little bit later?”
“You? Forward? Honey-boy, I already have my picture on that page in the dictionary! Gigi and I will lay out a luncheon you won’t soon forget! We’ll look for you back here around one. How’s that?”
“Perfect, sweet lady. Just perfect.”
Once they two men were in the car, CJ smiled at Sebastian and said, “You’re cool, man.”
“Cool?”
“You know what I’m saying. The innocent act won’t work on me. You’re also quite a therapist, getting the ladies to focus on preparing a meal instead of the circumstances —.”
“All part of getting to be friends, isn’t it, CJ?”
“Is that what we’re doing? Becoming friends?”
“I thought so.”CJ
“Can I tell you something I think is amazing about you, Sebastian?”
“I love when people think I’m amazing, so go ahead and tell me.”
“Here you are in the midst of your own grief helping my aunt and us with ours. You’re a special guy to be able to do that.” CJ had a look on his face that told Sebastian to get ready to be kissed by an ex-marine firefighter. He wasn’t ready for that, so he made a joke instead.
“For a free lunch! Are you kidding?”
CJ got the message and took it in stride. “Okay, let’s rock. Where to first?”
“I’d like to meet your friend Suzette.”
“South Broad Street it is.”
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