It's Just Lola (41 page)

“Thank God you
’
ve come, Señora
,
” said Rosa when she opened the door.

“I’m glad to see you, too, Rosa.  Are you well?  And Pilar?”

“Yes, Señora, we
’
re all well except...” Rosa
couldn’t finish the sentence
.  If the servants weren
’
t sick, it must not be infectious.

“Rosa,
I’d like to see Father right away.”

“What are you doing here?”  Jacoba jumped from her chair
when Lola appeared.
  “
Coming back to steal from a dying man?  Well, i
t’s too late to get him to change his will now.”

Lola nearly gagged from the smell of filth and sickness.  It took all her will power to answer Jacoba in a calm voice
.  “I haven
’
t come for his will, Jacoba.  He
’
s a sick man, and I
’
m a nurse.”

“We don’t need a nurse.  I haven’t left his side since he got sick.”

“
So I’ve been told, and
I
appreciate your efforts
, but you need to rest.  Go
have
something to eat and get a good night’s sleep.  You’ll do him no good if you’re too tired to move.”  Lola guided Jacoba out the door, ignoring or refuting her objections.  “And you certainly haven’t done him any good in here,” muttered Lola as the door closed.

Within seconds Rosa reappeared.  “Pilar says your supper is almost ready, Señora Lola
.
Would you like coffee or tea while you wait?”

“Neither thank you, Rosa.  What I need first is plenty of hot water and strong soap.” 
Soon
Pilar
brought
hot water and soap
.  T
ogether they
changed the linens and bathed her father’s unconscious body. 
Lola
worked through a cloud of tears at the unhealthy gray color of the skin covering his wasted muscles. 
After they finished, and her father was wrapped warmly, she threw open the windows to air out the room.

“Has a doctor seen him?”

“Yes, but
the doctor
only gave him laudanum for the headaches.”

Lola lifted one of her father’s eyelids and bit her lip at the sight of his pinpoint irises. 
“Where’s the laudanum?” 

Pilar picked up a small bottle.  “This isn’t the first one.”

“I
see.”  Lola pressed one of her father’s fingers below the nail and counted seconds as the color slowly returned to the area. 
“I
want his clothes and linens boiled
and changed
daily. 
Please
bring me boiled sugar water.  I
must
get some liquid into him
, and t
he sugar may give him strength without taxing his digestive system.”

Although her dress was rumpled from being crammed in her bag,
a bath and a good meal made her feel refreshed
. 
Pilar brought coffee when she removed the dinner tray.  “Jacoba made you a cup of her special restorative coffee.  She said it’ll help ease the strain of the long journey.
”

“Since when has Jacoba done anything in the kitchen, other than criticize you?”

Pilar chuckled.  “
She started a
couple of months ago
, I guess
.  She hinted that your father wasn’t the man he
once was, but Rosa and I think Jacoba
’s sour expression
kept him out of her bed
.
  Anyway, the coffee didn’t do much for your poor father.”  Lola saw Pilar’s eyes fill with tears before she turned away.

Lola
sipped the coffee
.
  “Tell me about Papa’s sickness.”

“At first he had headaches, and then he started with diarrhea
and vomiting.  He kept getting weaker, but Jacoba surprised us all by insisting on taking care of him herself.  When he couldn’t drink coffee anymore, she made him tea to settle his stomach.  I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

“And the doctor didn’t know what was wrong?”

“I don’t know.  All I know is this is the only medicine he gave him.”

“Would you mind staying here for a few minutes while I get something from the library?
”
  Lola spent the night spooning sugar water into her father’s mouth and searching medical books for things that had the symptoms Pilar had described.  After a few hours she gave up in frustration.  There were so many things
with
similar symptoms.  She sprawled in the chair and allowed herself to
fall into a light
sleep.
  She woke up to the smell of cinnamon and coffee.

“Good morning, Pilar.  That smells really good.”

“Good morning, Señora Lola.  Jacoba said thank you for giving her the first night’s sleep she’s had in weeks, and sent you more coffee
to restore you
.”

“Since when has Jacoba worried about how I feel?”

“Maybe since you
let
her get some rest.”

“
D
o you really think Jacoba is becoming a nicer person?”

Pilar shrugged. 
“
Maybe.
I
f
her husband started losing interest
in her body, maybe she figured she’d better try something else
.
”

Lola
smile
d
. 
At least the coffee was better than the stuff Maggie made
.
  She spent the morning slowly spooning sugar water into her unconscious father’s mouth.
 
She ignored a small headache, attributing it to the strain of the journey. 
Throughout the morning she felt steadily worse.  By the time Pilar brought her lunch tray,
she
had a
pounding
headache and her stomach was
upset
.

“Pilar, as much as I enjoy your cooking, I think I need to lie down.  Could you be a dear and sit with Father for an hour?”

“Of course, Lamb, you must be tired from the journey and sitting up all night.  No one
’
ll miss me for an hour or two.  I can
re
heat your food later.”  Pilar settled into Lola’s chair.  “By the way, Juan sends his thanks and says he’ll come by
late this afternoon
.  Poor
man
’s been run ragged do
ing
his job and your father’s as well.
”
 

Lola lay down on her bed
and closed her eyes
.  She
couldn’t help
her father if she succumbed to
the same thing that
caused his headache and diarrhea. 
Wait—it wasn’t infectious.  H
er eyes flew open.  She
knew
. 
She ran back to her father’s room. 

“Stop!”  Pilar’s hand froze with the coffee cup halfway to her mouth.  “Don’t drink that.”

“I’m sorry, Señora Lola, I didn’t think you’d mind. 
C
offee doesn’t reheat well.”

Lola reached under the bed for the chamber pot.  “Pour it in here.”  Pilar did as she was told.  “Jacoba hasn’t changed, Pilar.  She’s just as mean and even more
devious.”

It took Pilar a few seconds before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. 
“I played right into her hands
.
”
Lola could almost see the guilt as Pilar’s body
began to shake
with sobs.  She knelt in front of the older woman and put her head in her lap.  She had to let her work through
her tears
before they could talk.

“Don’t worry, Pilar
. 
Now that we know, we have the
advantage.
”

“How?”

“I’m not sure yet, but tell Jacoba I enjoy her coffee—and keep
some of the coffee hidden in a safe place.  Empty
the chamber pot before Dolores notices it smells like coffee. 
No one, including
Rosa and Dolores
,
must know.  I’ll
talk to Juan
.”  Pilar nodded.

Lola’s headache did not disappear, but it was easier to bear. 
She picked up the medical books that were still next to her.  By the time Juan came to visit, Lola had half a dozen medical books with bits of paper marking passages she thought were relevant. 

“I’m so happy to see you,” said Juan.  “I had little hope you’d get here in time.  How
did
you get here so quickly?”

“I took the first train from Lima, and then I rented the fastest horse in the stable.  I still feel bruised from the ride.”

“Your father looks better already.”

“He’s clean, and the opiate
’
s wearing off.”

“What’re you reading?”

Lola showed Juan the passages she had marked.  “I have no proof, but every symptom he has could be explained by arsenic poisoning.  Of course, they could be explained by other things, too.  That’s what make
s
arsenic poisoning so hard to detect.”
 
Juan nodded
, and his face showed no surprise
. 

“
Can I go back to the doctor for different medicine
?” asked Juan.

“I can’t find any treatments.  The body tries to expel the poison naturally.  We have to get as much fluid into him as possible to prevent dehydration.  One old book said garlic sometimes helps.  I can’t say I put much faith in it, but it can’t hurt.”

The
re
was
a moan
from the bed.  Juan helped Lola prop her father up with pillows.  Even though he still
seemed
unaware of what was happening, Enrique managed to sip from a glass held to his lips. 

Feeling hopeful for the first time since she arrived, Lola began asking Juan about what was happening on the plantation.  She still felt guilty about the way James had deceived her father when they left. 

“I think he knew you weren’t coming back,” said Juan
. 
Rapid footsteps interrupted their conversation. 

“Juan.”  They heard Rosa’s voice before she appeared.  “Someone named Filipe is in the kitchen saying you sent for him.  He won’t speak to anyone else.”

Juan nearly knocked his chair over as he jumped to his feet.  “Tell him I’ll be down in five minutes.”  Rosa nodded to both of them and left.
 
Juan looked at the still figure on the bed.  Satisfied that Enrique was not conscious, he continued in a low voice.  “Do you remember the letter I showed you when...
uh...
before Señor Atkins took you away?” 

Lola searched her memory.  “About Pepe,
the gardener named Gardener?”

“Good, you remember.  When I wrote asking you to come, I thought...we
all
thought your father was dying.  It terrified me to think about what would happen to the plantation if Jacoba did not have your father to restrain her.  I needed to know for sure if my suspicions were true.  I wrote a letter
to
Pepe’s son, Filipe, telling him that his father was dead and there was foul play involved.  I said that if he came here, we might be able to bring the killer to justice.”

“But what if you‘re wrong and JJ isn’t Jacoba?”

“Then we can breathe a little easier, and Filipe can see that we buried Pepe in the family cemetery with respect and honor.”

“
Even if she is JJ, that doesn’t prove she killed Pepe.
”

“
Everyone liked Pepe.  She was the only one with a motive.  Excuse me, but
I
have to
go down and talk to Filipe.”

“No.  Now
we
have to
go down and talk to Filipe.  I will go as my father’s surrogate.”  Juan nodded.

“Filipe,” Lola extended her hand as she entered the kitchen.  “I apologize that my father is too ill to see you.  We extend our deepest condolences for the loss o
f your father, and we regret that your letter was only recently rediscovered
.  “I am sure you’re anxious to see your father’s final resting place.  If you’re not too tired from your journey?”

“Thank you, Señora.”

Lola swept out of the room,
before Filipe could say anything about Juan’s letter.  The men
followed.  Once they were outside, she walk
ed
alongside Filipe.  “Pepe did not talk about his family, and we didn’t know he had children.  Tell me about your family.”