Lies Agreed Upon (27 page)

“Noah’s friendship with Desmond was not about mutual enemies but about the mutual respect they had for each other,” insisted Dreux. “That’s why Noah was devastated by De
smond’s maiming in the boat accident. He felt responsible because he was at the helm, no matter how Desmond tried to reassure him. Noah struggled with many demons, but I’m sure guilt was a factor in his death a short time later. Do you know that Noah was a suicide, too?” Dreux trained a solemn, intent gaze on Tess.

“Yes, I heard about Noah’s death from Gloria,” nodded Tess.

“So, shall we leave the tragic past and turn to more pleasant present issues, such as your decision about those acres next to the refinery?” suggested Dreux. He clasped his hands together, placed them on the table, and waited expectantly. His pale eyes held not a wisp of reverie now.

She responded to his question with a question. “Do you recall advising me to show
your paperwork to a legal or real estate counselor, perhaps one familiar with Louisiana property values and laws?”

Dreux give a little pained blink before he pasted on a polite smile and replied, “Certainly, and I’m glad if you took that advice.”

“Well, I asked a legal friend here in New Orleans, Tony Mizzi, to look everything over, and he suggested a few minor changes to the contract. I would like to arrange a second meeting, with Mr. Mizzi present, to see if we can come to an agreement on his proposals,” Tess explained, drawing Tony’s card from her pocket and pushing it toward Dreux.

The old man contemplated the card without
picking it up. “Why didn’t Mr., uh, Misty—”

“Mizzi,” corrected Tess
.

“Ah, yes, so why didn’t Mr.
Mizzi come with you today?” He unclasped his hands and used twiggy fingers to brush the card closer to the table edge so he could read it.

“Oh, everything has been a bit rushed since I decided to come to New Orleans. Mr. Mizzi just sent me his recommendations this morning, but, unfortunately, he was busy today. I know you only come in on Thursdays as a rule, so I didn’t want to cancel our appointment at the last minute. Please talk with Mr. Mizzi and agree on a time and place that is convenient for you both. I’ll accommodate my schedule to your arrangements. After all, I’m the one on vacation,” Tess ended with a placating smile.

The old man eyed her thoughtfully, his right thumb buttressing his chin while his finger tapped softly at his unsmiling upper lip. He finally said. “Do you think it would be possible to meet at my home in the Quarter? I find it hard to come into the office nowadays. Perhaps you, Mr. Mizzi and I can conduct our business over lunch one day at my house.”

“Oh, I really don’t want to inconvenience you further
—” Tess began to protest.

“Nonsense. My housekeeper will be delighted to dust off the good china and serve more than soup and sandwich. I’ll arrange everything with Mr. Mizzi
. I look forward to clearing up any minor differences we may have at our next meeting. Now, let me escort you out,” Dreux said with an emphatic nod, effectively adjourning the meeting.

Opening the door to the lobby, Dreux smiled and bobbed his head in a courtly gesture reminiscent of the long-ago squire of debutantes. “Till we meet again, Miss Parnell,” he said, shooing her out.

Tess drew a relieved breath as she exited the office building into the bustle of the early lunch crowd. She had a dizzy feeling that Dreux had accomplished exactly what he had set out to do, whatever it was. She dialed Tony Mizzi’s office and left a message warning him to expect a call from Phil Dreux to arrange a lunch meeting. Next she checked the messages on her phone. She felt her heartbeat accelerate anxiously as she listened to a voice message from Jon Beauvoir, asking her to call regarding their Friday outing. She immediately returned his call.

“Hello, Tess,” answered Jon, his tone brisk and cool. “Listen, I’m going to be pressed for time on Friday. Is it possible for you to drive out on your own to meet us at your property? Say, by 1 p.m.? Then could you drop Sam back in Tremé?
Aunt Luanne will be there so you don’t have to worry about leaving him alone. I know it’s an imposition, but I’ll otherwise have to postpone.”

“Of course, it’s no problem, Jon.
But give me really good directions because my rental car GPS won’t help me find ‘Tess’s empty lot’ out there,” Tess joked.

Jon chuckled and then proceeded to give road directions. “After the intersection with Old Mill Road, you’ll see a
gravel turnout on the left-hand side,” he concluded. “You’ll know it’s the right place if you see a path through the brush toward two columns with brick tops. That’s what’s left of the old gate of Alhambra. Anyway, don’t go exploring unless you’re OK with a snake encounter.”

“I’ll wait for you, Jon. I’ve got no interest in untamed nature,” responded Tess. “I’m e
xcited, though. Please let your grandfather know how much I appreciate this.”

Jon’s description of the relic gates of Alhambra fueled a growing anticipation. At last, she would see tangible remains of her family’s legacy
instead of just faded photos and an amateurish painting. The thought of Josephine’s portrait caused her to pause and frown. There was something about the portrait that had flitted through her mind while Dreux was talking, but she could not quite retrieve the thought. Maybe if she looked at the painting again, she would remember.

Since she had time to kill before lunch, Tess decided to visit 1850 House and
hopefully catch the helpful Mimi for a chance to see Josephine’s portrait again. She also itched to clarify the mystery of Lillian’s blighted love affair. Was it Guy Cabrera or Desmond Donovan who broke her heart?

As soon
as Tess entered the museum bookstore, Mimi rewarded her with a delighted smile and a childlike clap. “Tess, dear, how has your stay been going?” she trilled. “Do you have a special reason for stopping by?” Mimi’s eyes were brightly speculative.

Tess hesitated and then answered. “Yes, I have a question to ask, but it i
nvolves Lillian, and if you’re not comfortable giving me an answer, I’ll understand. You mentioned that Lillian had an unhappy romance in her youth. Was she involved with Guy Cabrera or Desmond Donovan?”

Mimi’s smile vanished and she regarded Tess quietly for several heartbeats. “I wondered if you would run across that old story,” she finally said. “Poor Lillian was not quite forthcoming when you asked about her knowledge of your grandfather that afternoon at my house, and I didn’t feel it was my place to press her on that painful subject. I’ll tell you what I know if you promise to keep it secret.” She looked at Tess with stern eyes.

“I promise I won’t repeat what you tell me,” nodded Tess.

Mimi motioned her out of the main shop and over to the stairs lea
ding up to the museum apartment above.

“Lillian knew Desmond, Dylan and Guy socially because of business relationships among their families
,” she began. “As her friend and high school classmate, I also saw all three of those boys from time to time at various parties we attended together. Lillian was always crazy about Guy Cabrera. Your grandfather was a very attractive person—in looks and manner. And Lillian was a pretty social butterfly. That may be hard for you to imagine, but time and disappointment are not kind to anyone’s looks. She and Guy dated in high school, and Lillian was very smitten. But Guy’s interest was more casual. Once he went to college, he was friendly but unromantic. Lillian was desperate to win him back, and I’m afraid she resorted to trying to make him jealous by dating men she knew were his rivals.”

“You mean Desmond?” interrupted Tess.

“At first, and it shows how Lillian’s crush on Guy made her foolish. Frankly, Desmond was not very nice, especially when it came to women. He was handsome and dashing, of course, and he set many silly girls’ hearts aflutter, but I never liked him. When a girl caught his eye, he had this look that was hot and cold at the same time. It reminded me of a hungry animal looking at prey. I can’t say he did anything criminal or immoral, but he was basically arrogant and thoughtless. His twin Dylan was worse. He was outright mean. It was because of something Dylan did that Lillian stopped seeing Desmond and began dating another boy that Guy didn’t like, a rough Cajun boy—”

“Was his name Noah?” blurted Tess.

“Why, yes, Noah Cabirac,” replied a surprised Mimi. “So you’ve heard of him.”

“Yes, I heard about Noah because he was involved in the boat accident that killed Dylan and injured Desmond,” Tess explained. “But how did Lillian get together with Noah? Lillian seems too proud to stoop to a boy from the wrong side of the tracks,” commented Tess.

“As I said, it was because of what Dylan did,” replied Mimi. “It happened at a summer swim party Lillian hosted out on her father’s country estate. If you haven’t guessed, Lillian comes from lots of money. She invited Desmond since they were dating, and Desmond brought along his brother Dylan and buddy Noah. Guy was back from his Texas medical school for a summer visit, and Lillian eagerly asked him to come, too.

“
It was a perfect afternoon for a swim in the estate’s private lake, not a cloud in the sky. We were all innocently excited,” smiled Mimi and then closed her eyes to the present as she visualized that long-ago summer day.

“Lillian had set up these little portable changing cabanas by the water, two for the girls and two for the boys, with draw curtains for privacy. We were splashing and laughing in the w
ater, and no one was paying any attention to the cabanas. So that wretched Dylan snuck into a cabana and stole Lillian’s clothes. At the end of the afternoon, Lillian went to change, and then she poked her head around the curtain and asked us to look for her clothes in the other cabana. She had taken off her wet bathing suit and was wrapped in a towel, so Dylan saw his chance for a really big stunt. He sneaked up and pushed the little building on its side.

“
Poor Lillian tumbled out through the curtained doorway, pretty much naked. She was crying, and the boys were getting quite an eyeful! Desmond, Dylan and their cronies were busting a gut. Guy was embarrassed but at a loss. Then Noah tore the curtain from the adjacent cabana and held it up behind his back like a shield so Lillian could cover up without anyone getting more of a peep show. After that, Lillian banned Dylan from her parties and broke off with Desmond. She began dating Noah. I guess it was a reward for his gallantry, but she also knew Noah and Guy were rivals.”

“Are you saying that Lillian just used Noah?”
probed Tess.

“Well, I have to say that Noah had a special allure for us romantic girls, including Lill
ian,” Mimi replied with a quick naughty grin. “He was very proud and masculine and so deliciously taboo as far as our parents were concerned. Lillian got quite a bit of female envy by securing his attentions. But she didn’t get Guy’s attention,” Mimi added with a shake of her head. “When he left his medical studies in Texas, he came back with a fiancée. Lillian was crushed. She broke things off with Noah right before that awful boat accident. Lillian always wondered if what she said contributed to the tragedy.”

“What do you mean? What did Lillian say?” asked Tess.

Mimi’s expression was pained as she answered, “She was upset after learning she had lost Guy, that he was getting married. Noah asked what was wrong, and she snapped, I guess. I’m summarizing her words. ‘Did you really think I would replace Guy with someone like you? I only dated you to make Guy jealous,’ she told him.”

“Wow that must have hurt on a number of levels” remarked Tess. “Did Noah love Lill
ian?”

“I don’t know,” acknowledged Mimi. “I think his self-esteem was boosted by a wealthy, educated girl like Lillian. I think he was attracted to her
physically. Love? Maybe. But she wounded him deeply either way. Pride is as fragile as the heart—and not more easily mended once it’s broken.”

“So you think after Lillian’s rejection, Noah confronted Guy during the duck hunting trip? That the confrontation led them both to behave recklessly?” asked Tess.

“Lillian always feared she had been a catalyst in that mess,” Mimi nodded. “I think she overestimated her charms. There were many reasons those young men came to grief, including bad luck.”

“So her disappointment over Guy Cabrera is the reason Lillian identifies with Marie and Muriel,” Tess theorized. “But why did she get so
upset when she was insisting that Ben was ‘ruthless’ in protecting his pride? Did she equate Ben and Guy? I can’t see it. What parallel is there with my grandfather? He married a woman who was less rich, less elite, and maybe even less beautiful than Lillian. How would leaving Lillian serve his self-interest or family pride?”

“Well, I know what Lillian believes,” sighed Mimi. “There’s no way to put this delicately. Basically, Lillian had a reputation. Guy might have been her first true love, but it wasn’t a ‘pure’ love. And he was followed by many others, although Guy was not aware of that until the cabana incident
. That’s when Desmond laughingly told Guy not to be so upset because most of the boys there had seen Lillian in far more compromising poses. Lillian always believed Guy’s hypocritical prudery and pride led him to reject her, that he had used her and tossed her aside.”

“What’s your opinion of my grandfather?” questioned Tess. Did the man described as the gold standard of “nice” have feet of clay?