Electric Blue (12 page)

I sure hoped not. I lifted my shoulders rather than answering.

“Should I be going with you?” She pressed a hand to one cheek. “Oh, I don’t want to.”

I didn’t figure they wanted her, either, so I said, “Why don’t I ask them?”

“Tell them I’ll be in my room. Will you come right back? As soon as you’re done?”

“Sure.”

She visibly relaxed and sank back into her couch. She was wearing a similar outfit to yesterday’s, this one a cranberry color, and it folded in on itself the same way, making her seem small and squashed.

I headed toward the door.

“Thank you, Eileen,” she said on a contented sigh. “Come right back when you’re done.”

They were all assembled by the time I entered the main salon. Luckily Logan wasn’t there, but then neither was Jazz yet. Garrett and Satin sat on the green and gold divan again; James was in a ladder-backed chair that was straight enough to be a form of torture; Roderick lounged in the fawn wingback, his ankle propped on his opposite knee; Dahlia was in another chair across from him, frowning, looking like she might scoot her chair next to his; Benjamin had arranged himself in the window seat, his limbs loose and tucked like a cat; and Cammie burst in right behind me with a fair-haired girl in tow. This must be Rosalie, I recalled, as I moved to one side. Her face was pulled into a pout and Cammie had to push her forward a few times to get her in far enough to close the door behind them both.

“Damn traffic,” Cammie said darkly, settling on the love seat. Rosalie wriggled from her arms.

Garrett didn’t actually check his watch but I could tell he was annoyed at our tardiness. He said to me, “I thought James said to come right in. That we were having a meeting.”

“He said half an hour. I checked on Orchid first.” I propped my back against a wall, wanting them all in my sights, nobody behind me.

Dahlia waved an impatient hand. “Let’s just get on with it. She hasn’t signed the papers yet. Maybe she won’t. Jane told her not to.”

Their accusatory gazes swept my way. Defensively, I said, “I told her to call her lawyer. Aren’t you supposed to have witnesses for those things? Don’t you want it legal? I don’t know what the proper procedure is here, but Jerome Neusmeyer will.”

“You know Neusmeyer?” Garrett snapped.

And how
…I’d damn near ralphed up lunch after his breast squeezing. “I understand he’s the family estate lawyer.”

“Do we need him?” Dahlia demanded, gazing at Garrett.

“We need mother to comply. And we
don’t
need interference.”

Cammie said, “Nana doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“And my dear wife thinks her mother’s faking it,” Roderick put in lazily. He seemed to be enjoying this proceeding as if it were comic art.

“Well, she seems to, half the time,” Dahlia defended.

Cammie looked exasperated. Her eyes followed Rosalie’s progress as she headed toward the window and Benjamin. The little girl wanted to crawl up there with him, but he froze her out with a cold shoulder. Cammie said, “I’m just glad Eileen’s gone. I’m tired of feeling like everybody’s stealing our money.”

“It’s not
ours
yet, darling,” Roderick pointed out, amused.

“And it won’t ever be, unless we stop Nana from giving it all away! Rosalie, come over here.” Cammie patted the love seat cushion beside her.

“No!” Rosalie’s pout increased.

“Stop bothering Benjamin.” She got to her feet and headed for Rosalie, who started screeching and running away. Cammie caught her on the fly. Rosalie’s limbs flailed and she bucked for all she was worth, but Cammie held her tightly, her mouth grim. Rosalie collapsed into a limp, wailing rag and Cammie settled her on her lap. She made cooing noises and petted Rosalie’s head until the little girl stuck her thumb in her mouth and subsided into hiccups, tiny teardrops standing on her cheeks as if they were glued there. Cammie’s hard gaze softened and she looked down at her daughter with love. A kind of scary love, actually. Something possessive in it that fractured my attention for a moment.

“Can’t we be witnesses?” James asked. “Dahlia, you’re the person we’ve chosen. What’s it called?”

“The agent or attorney in fact.”

“Then, can’t we witness Mom’s signature? Does it have to be someone outside the family?”

“We can witness it,” Garrett said positively. “She just has to
sign
it. What part of that aren’t you getting?”

James flushed and subsided into silence. Benjamin, who was already giving us his back, stiffened and stared fixedly out the window.

I wasn’t sure what the truth was. I didn’t much care. All I knew was that I was beginning to feel protective of Orchid, and I didn’t like the way the rest of the family seemed to think so little about her as a person.

There was a soft rap on the door. Everyone looked at the panels expectantly. Since I was closest, I answered the knock. Reyna’s assistant came in with a tray of tiny, powdery cakes and a teapot. My mouth watered at the sight of it. So, they did do afternoon tea. I couldn’t believe my wish had come true.

Garrett flapped a hand at her. “Put it on the table, Carlotta. Thank you.”

She hurriedly did as she was bidden and disappeared, softly closing the doors behind her.

Nobody jumped on the food. I wondered if I could just step forward and help myself. I had a feeling that no, that would not be okay. I was the help, after all.

To underscore this Garrett turned to me and said, “I know Jazz hired you as Mother’s caretaker in some capacity. Frankly, I’m surprised you took the job. I thought you were a private investigator. In any case, we won’t tolerate interference. And I think we’re perfectly capable of taking care of her ourselves. My wife would be happy to keep Mother company.”

Satin’s eyes widened in surprise. I got the feeling this was not okay. She instantly bent her head and began playing with her fingernails again as if it were an Olympic sport.

Dahlia regarded her brother with disgust. “Oh, Garrett. We need somebody outside the family.”

I’d been a bit surprised that Dahlia was the one chosen for power of attorney. I’d expected it to be Garrett. Now, I saw why. Garrett’s ham-fisted way of handling all things Orchid had put her off—and probably everyone else in the family as well. Dahlia was the next choice, and she was a better one.

And Jazz had said his grandmother didn’t trust men.

“I don’t see why,” he huffed.

“She doesn’t really listen to me,” Satin said softly.

Garrett’s nostrils flared. “If you’d just try a little harder, it would be fine. If everyone would just
step up
this would be resolved.”

I reached in my pocket for my cell phone, more to finger it like a talisman than any urgency to call anyone. It wasn’t there. I lost my focus on the conversation for a moment as I was sure I’d taken it out of my purse. Nobody seemed to notice my attention lapse, nobody but Rosalie anyway. She stared blankly at me through huge blue eyes. Kinda creeped me out anew.

There was a lively discussion about whether to bring in Neusmeyer now, or try to coerce Orchid into signing first. I kind of blanked out. I thought about Binkster in the car. She would probably need another potty trip soon. I thought of Orchid upstairs waiting and decided my cell phone had dropped out when I’d comforted her on the couch. I wondered if I could make a quick stop at her room to check, or if I would get wrangled into staying on, an idea that seemed distinctly unpleasant. I was tired of the family after just one day.

I also wondered if Dwayne had called me while I was phoneless. Or maybe Jazz? This momentarily lifted my spirits. Momentarily, because this job was bound to be short. No more money and maybe no more Jazz.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as shadows lengthened outside the windows. Soon there was out and out darkness. But the Purcells just kept talking. I finally decided I’d had enough. I mean, was I even getting paid for this? I was about to simply up and leave when the family meeting finally broke up though there was no resolution in sight. I murmured a good-bye and raced outside before they could buttonhole me. Binks was curled into a ball, asleep, but when I opened the door she popped up. I clipped on her leash and took her for a stroll in the opposite direction from the playhouse. When we were finished and I was on my way back to my car, Reyna appeared at the back door, her dark brows an anxious line.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“Mrs. Orchid is missing.”

“What? Missing? What does that mean?”

“She is not in her room.”

“Well, she has to be,” I insisted, though there was really no good reason to feel that way. “Does she ever leave? I got the impression she was pretty much confined to her room. By choice, mostly.”

“She never wants to leave. The only time was when Eileen was not coming back. Then she said she would go, but she stayed.”

“Well, when
was
the last time she left the house?”

“A month…maybe…leetle more? Doctor’s appointment.”

“Then, I suspect she’s around here somewhere. We were all here all afternoon. She could be on the grounds.” My inner eye saw the drop-off at the front of the house and my heart clutched a little.

“Carlotta and I were in the kitchen except when we go downstairs.” She looked even more worried.

“What’s downstairs?”

“Linens. Food supplies…” She cupped her chin in her hand. I could practically hear her thinking. I sensed that Reyna and Carlotta might have been gone for a while. Reyna was clearly afraid she would be blamed for Orchid’s disappearance.

“She’s got to be here,” I assured her. “I was just going to check on her.”

I put Binks back in the car and went up to Orchid’s rooms myself. True to Reyna’s fears, Orchid was nowhere to be found though I walked through all four rooms of her suite, checked the closets and even under the beds. A long shot, but stranger things have happened. I half-expected her to be playing hide-and-seek.

In the main room—the living room of her domain—I stood by the satellite blue couch and called, “Orchid? Nana? It’s Jane Kelly.” When that didn’t work, I said, “It’s Eileen, Nana. Where are you?”

No answer.

I could feel the lines form between my brows. I didn’t like it one bit. It had only been a couple of hours since I’d seen her—though the Purcell meeting felt like an eternity—but the plain truth was: Orchid was gone.

Before I left, I dug through the couch cushions. My cell phone was tucked behind one, right where I’d expected to find it. For that I sent up a small prayer.

Slipping the phone in my pocket, I headed out of Orchid’s suite. There was another bedroom at this end of the gallery and I twisted the knob and peeked inside. I was met by the faint scent of cloves. Further exploration revealed a series of candles, unlit, emitting the scent. There was a lived-in feel to the room though it now looked abandoned. I surmised it had been Eileen’s room. I searched it quickly and thoroughly, but there was no one hiding inside, and there was nothing of a personal nature within it other than the candles.

Crossing the gallery, I sent a glance down to the entry hall where Purcell members were saying good-bye to those leaving—which basically was Cammie and Rosalie. James looked upward and I waved. They clearly didn’t know Orchid was missing, yet.

There were three doors on the south end of the gallery. James’s rooms faced east, toward the river. I know because I’d gotten a quick look when the door had been ajar earlier in the day. James had been standing in the aperture, and I’d smiled and said I was acquainting myself with the house. He’d simply blocked any further view, and I hadn’t deemed it important to snoop. Now, I tested the knob and found it locked.

Dahlia and Roderick’s rooms were at the end of the hall, done in the same green and gold as the salon. They’d moved in hastily, clothes strewn about. There was an adjoining door to a smaller room which must be Benjamin’s, though I thought he was kind of old to be moving around with Mom and Dad.

“Temporary,” I reminded myself. They’d all come home to roost for Nana.

Both Dahlia and Roderick and Benjamin’s bedrooms had a bathroom attached, a modernization that also extended to the suite of rooms behind the third and last hallway door. I pushed it open and entered an alcove with sloping ceilings that looked like they could take out unsuspecting visitors. I could imagine smacking my forehead into one and going out cold.

These rooms were occupied by Garrett and Satin, and one door led to another room and to another, and then the bathroom. Dormers allowed just enough headroom to make them livable. I walked through the rooms, opening each door and closing it behind me as I went. The first room was a bedroom done in white and blue, the second room was a sitting room with an ancient chaise longue. I hesitated a moment, imagining Lilac Grace lying on its dusty gold brocade surface, writing stories in a language only she understood, then I hurriedly opened the door to the next room, which was full of dolls in varying outfits: red, blue, purple, black, ecru, chartreuse…you name it. I stood in frozen horror in the doorway. I’m sure I must have played with dolls at least once, as a kid, but faced with all their little painted faces, I felt my heartbeat thunk hard against my chest and my palms sweat.