Finders Keepers (24 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Finders Keepers
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“I'm not sleepy. I'm not hungry. When I look in the mirror I see my mother. When your parents die there are no buffers between you and mortality. I have no other family. It's just me.”
“You have me, Sophie. I consider you my sister. I hope you look on me the same way. We always said that's the way it was. This tragedy will put it to the test. You have to be strong.”
“I can't handle all this bullshit, Jessie. It's all so fucking complicated. There are corporations within corporations. There are holding companies and shipping companies and all kinds of stuff. A person would have to be a wizard to have a handle on all of it. Furthermore, I don't want to handle it.”
“Then appoint someone to handle it for you. Everything seems to be running smoothly with the people in charge. Hire one of those big-name law firms to oversee everything. They'll send you financial reports every month. You shouldn't have to deal with all that right now. Your mother didn't concern herself with the working end of things. I assume she had a bank account she drew on. It will pass on to you and . . .”
“And?”
“You bank the money I guess. There's a lot of good you could do with the fortune you just inherited. Now isn't the time to dwell on all of this.”
“Now is the time. How in the hell am I going to explain all of this to Jack?”
“My advice would be to tell him rather than explain. You can't change things, Sophie. It is what it is.”
“Your favorite saying, it is what it is. I'll never know if I spooked her or not by telling her I was getting married.”
“That had nothing to do with her death. It's not your fault. Do not try to assume the blame, Sophie. I will not allow you to do that. Do you hear me?”
“Of course I hear you. I don't even know what she owned. I don't know anything. How can I go back to the States and leave things in the hands of strangers?”
“You have to go back because Jack is waiting for you. You have bridges to build.”
“I guess that means you want to return to Washington.”
“Only if you want to go back, Sophie. The only thing waiting for me in Washington are my classes for the last semester. Classes don't start for another two weeks. I quit my job, remember?”
“What about Tanner?”
“He calls every day. That surprises me. The senator called yesterday and asked me something that was so silly I snapped at him. How am I supposed to know where he left his galoshes? I think he just wanted to see how I was. Resa called twice. I'm surprised that Irene hasn't called.”
“Let's go home. You go back to Washington, and I'll go back to New Orleans.”
“See, you made a decision. It wasn't so hard after all.”
“Let's go to Spain first so you can see your parents. Don't look at me like that, Jessie. I would give anything to have been able to see my mother one last time. I didn't see her for five years. That's not right. Life is very fragile, as I just found out. I don't want you to have any regrets later on. We'll stop, say hello, have a meal with them and leave. It is the kind, decent thing to do, Jessie.”
Jessie's stomach knotted itself into a tight fist. What Sophie said was true. The difference was, Sophie had loved her mother whereas she had never loved hers. The kind, decent thing to do. She nodded. “A few hours. That's it. Do they know about your mother?”
“Not to my knowledge. I'Il tell your mother. They were best friends at one time. For some reason I think my mother worked hard at staying in touch with your parents. This is just a wild guess on my part, but I think she viewed your mother as a respectable, genteel, Southern lady. I think she might want to know. As most people age they tend to mellow out. For both our sakes let's hope it's true in regard to your parents. Did you ever touch the trust fund?”
“No.”
Sophie sighed. “Let's make arrangements and pack. I've had it with all this sunshine, and these goddamn flowers are starting to make me ill. You're right, this is good shrimp. I'd kill for a nice juicy hot dog right now. I have some calls to make. We'll be back in the good old U. S. of A. by tomorrow night.”
Jessie's heart fluttered in her chest. Sophie was back among the living. Maybe Tanner would travel to Washington to see her. On the other hand, he might be fed up with her by now. She would not think about her parents. She absolutely would not. Instead she would think about throwing herself into Tanner's arms and what would come afterward.
 
“We have”—Sophie looked at her watch—“exactly two and one half hours until we have to leave for the airport. We can cut that down to an hour and a half if it looks like it's getting to you. Just tug on your ear, and I'll pick up the ball. We'll walk around to the back. The housekeeper said both your parents are in the garden. I wonder why they picked Barcelona to live. It doesn't compute.”
Jessie's face was grim. “I know.” What was she doing here? “I should have brought something. I was taught never to go anywhere empty-handed.”
“Pick a flower,” Sophie snapped. Jessie did.
“That's Jack Daniel's and Bombay gin on the table. They're drinking. It's only ten o'clock. My mother doesn't drink. She sips sherry on Christmas Day.”
Sophie wrinkled her nose, then rolled her eyes. “They'll be wasted by noon and take a nap for the afternoon. Everyone takes a nap in the afternoon to get ready for a heavy dinner and more drinking. According to my mother that's the European way. That's what my mother used to do. Give them a memory to hold on to, Jessie. It can't hurt since you'll be leaving, and they'll be staying on.”
Jessie stared at Sophie. No matter how sharp her tongue, no matter how angry her eyes, Sophie Ashwood was grieving. She realized at that moment she would do anything to make Sophie happy. She nodded.
Jessie took a moment to view the surroundings and compare them to the garden back in Charleston. She finally decided there was no comparison. She inched her sunglasses down over the bridge of her nose and immediately shoved them back into place. The sunshine was blinding. The rainbow of flowers in hanging baskets, in clay pots, and crawling up trellises made her gasp. Intricate, lacy, wrought-iron furniture nestled under umbrellas as multihued as the array of flowers. A knee-high deep green hedge separated the patio from the rest of the garden. She looked down to see her reflection in the Italian marble.
It must be a sturdy tile
, she thought crazily, knowing Sophie's house in Atlanta was full of the shiny Italian marble. She sniffed at the fragrant air from the colorful blooms. The intoxicating scent made her feel light-headed. She stared at two fat bumblebees sipping at the center of a luscious crimson bloom. Ice tea, the ice melted, sat in an exquisite cut-glass pitcher on one of the little tables, along with a plate of cookies. A clear crystal dome protected them from insects. Neither looked like they'd been touched. On another table was a bottle of Jack Daniel's and one of Bombay gin along with several packages of cigarettes.
Six steps down from the patio a magnificent blue-crystal pool shimmered in the blazing sun. Beyond the pool a tennis court beckoned. Jessie blinked behind the dark sunglasses. Who used these things? As far as she knew her parents neither swam nor played tennis.
“Mama? Daddy?”
“Jessie, is it really you? Barnes, our sweet baby is here. Jessie, love, come here and give Mama a big kiss and hug. Say hello to Daddy. I knew you'd come to us. I knew it. Didn't I say she would come, Barnes? I prayed every day. Oh, you sweet child, Mama loves you so much. Kiss Daddy and then come and sit with me. I want you next to me. You won't leave again will you? Oh, is that flower for me? Did you pick it from the garden? Did it remind you of me? You were always a thoughtful child. Dear God, I missed you so much.”
Jessie felt her entire body stiffen as Thea's clawlike hands reached for her, dragging her down to the chair where she smothered her face with wet kisses. The sour smell of gin and her mother's cigarette breath made her gag. “I can't breathe, Mother. Please, you're smothering me. Let me go.
LET ME GO!
” Jessie struggled as she forced herself backward, her breathing ragged, her face full of panic. Thea started to cry, the tears making trails through the thick powder on her cheeks. Panting, Jessie continued to move backward until she was standing next to her father's chair. She bent over to kiss him lightly on the cheek as she tried to bring her breathing under control.
“Calm down, honey. Your mother just got carried away for a moment. I was just thinking about you yesterday, Jessie. You look well. Are you happy?”
“Yes, Daddy, I am happy.”
“What brings you to Spain? Sophie, sit down. It's so nice to have you two girls here with us. Thea, ring for some ice tea for these pretty young women.”
Sniffling, Thea reached for a tiny silver bell on the table next to her chair.
“Mrs. Ashwood passed away. She was killed in an auto accident right before New Year's. I didn't want Sophie to have to go through that alone, so I came with her. We're on our way home now.”
“You've been here since before New Year's, and you just now came to visit?” Thea whined. “Come here, Jessie, sit by Mama so I can tell you how much I missed you. Give us your phone number and tell us where you live.”
“No, Thea. Hush now.”
“Mama, did you hear what I said? Mrs. Ashwood
died.
”
“Of course I heard you. She was here right before Thanksgiving. She had some young man with her who hadn't even shaved yet. She looked ghastly, didn't she, Barnes? She was wearing one of those short leather dresses.
Leather
, mind you. At first I thought the boy was her chauffeur, but it turns out he was her lover. He kept pawing her all through dinner. It made me ill. I'm sorry, Sophie, but your mother was a slut.”
Sophie wilted in front of Jessie's eyes.
“That's enough, Thea!” Barnes barked. “Not another word,” he barked a second time. Thea shriveled into the padded lounge chair.
Sophie finally gathered her wits about her. She turned to address Barnes. “Mr. Roland, did my mother say anything about me?”
Never a liar by nature, Barnes correctly interpreted his daughter's imploring gaze. “My dear, she talked about you all through dinner. She was so excited about giving you a Greek island for a Christmas present. She told us you were getting married and she thought it would be a wonderful place to honeymoon. She told a little fib, though. She told the young man she was with that you were only seventeen. She had every intention of going to Atlanta for Christmas, Sophie. She was looking forward to it. Then it was around the tenth of December I believe, she called and said she wouldn't be going to the States after all. She said she had to have some serious, as she put it, female surgery. She did recover because she called us Christmas Day. She said she tried for hours to call you, Sophie, but she couldn't get through.”
Jessie hugged her father and whispered,
Thank you for doing that.”
Sophie wept openly.
Thea was out of her chair and heading for Jessie, her arms outstretched in a pleading gesture, tears streaming down her cheeks. Barnes was on his feet a second later. He stiff-armed his wife. “I'm going to show the girls our garden, Thea. Have Dolores prepare something tasty for lunch.”
Thea sat back down. “Will you sit next to me, Jessie? You've grown even more beautiful, hasn't she Barnes?”
“Yes, Thea, she has. Jessie and Sophie are the two prettiest girls I've ever seen. I am so sorry about your mother, Sophie. If I had known of her passing, I would have gone to the funeral. Janice loved life.”
“And men. And boys,” Thea snapped.
Sophie ignored Thea. “There wasn't a funeral. Just a service. Mr. Mendenares said Mother wanted to be cremated, so that's what we did. I have to figure out a way to handle all . . . everything.”
“For the time being, child, let things be. The people on your mother's payroll are the best of the best. She always said her holdings were in capable hands. Those hands will not change with you at the helm. That's why Janice was able to travel and do all the things she did. She trusted everyone, and that trust, as far as I know, was never abused.”

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