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  This was more like the Sean I knew, always ready with a witty retort. He did look better this morning after a good night’s sleep. All he needed now was plenty of good food to put back on some much-needed weight, and he’d be back to normal—physically, at least.

  “Did you have breakfast? When I came down this morning it looked like you’d been up at some point and had something to eat.” I went to the sink for a glass of water.

  “That was a snack about three this morning,” Sean said. “I stopped at a fast-food place just now and had something before I went to the grocery store.” He snapped his fingers, and Dante’s head popped up. “Come on, dog, I think you need to run around in the backyard and burn up some of that restless energy. See you later, Dad.”

  Dante followed Sean toward the door into the hall, and Diesel went with them.

  “Hold on a second, Sean,” I said, and he turned to look back at me. “About lunch. I thought I might take you to one of my favorite places. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here, and we can take the guys with us.”

  “Must be an interesting place if it allows animals,” Sean said. He shrugged. “Sure, why not? When do you want to go?”

  “Eleven,” I said.

  “See you then.” Sean disappeared down the hall with his two companions.

  I finished my glass of water and thought about Sean’s manner toward me. He was polite, but distant. Perhaps I could get him to open up a little more during the walk or over lunch. The more I could get him to relax, the better. I decided I’d read until it was time to leave and went upstairs to my bedroom.

  At eleven Sean met me at the front door with Dante on his leash. “So, where are we going?” Sean asked when we were outside on the front walk.

  “The square. There’s a French bakery there, and the owner, Helen Louise Brady, is an old friend of mine and your mother’s.”

  “Sounds interesting.” Sean glanced at me briefly. “Lunch will be my treat.”

  “Sure. Helen Louise has a limited lunch menu, but everything on it is delicious.” During the walk I told Sean about the job Mr. Delacorte wanted me to do. He whistled when I told him the hourly rate. “That’s more than a lot of lawyers make.”

  “It’s extremely generous, but I didn’t try to argue with him.”

  “What about this family of his?” Sean said. “Do you know any of them?”

  “No, I don’t,” I replied. “And I’ll admit I’m very curious about them. Especially if one of them is stealing books from the collection.”

  “You’d better hope whoever’s doing it doesn’t turn nasty when they find out what you’re doing there.” Sean tugged at Dante’s leash when the poodle stopped to sniff at a shrub.

  “That’s for Mr. Delacorte to handle,” I said firmly.

  A few minutes later we arrived at Helen Louise’s place, and Sean stopped by an empty table on the patio. “If you want to go in first, I’ll stay out here and watch the guys.” He indicated Diesel and Dante with a nod.

  I smiled. “It’s okay. Helen Louise spent some time in Paris. Having animals in the bakery doesn’t bother her.”

  “Isn’t it a violation of the health code here to have them inside?” Sean frowned, looking very stern and lawyerish.

  “Technically, yes, but I take Diesel in with me all the time. So far no one’s raised a fuss about it. And if anyone does, Helen Louise would probably kick them out and not let them back in.” I laughed as I opened the door and motioned for Sean and Dante to precede me and Diesel.

  Sean shrugged. “If you say it’s okay.” Dante, already excited by the delicious smells, strained at his leash.

  I glanced at my watch. Our leisurely walk had taken us twenty minutes, but we were still here well before the usual Saturday lunch crowd. Helen Louise stood behind the counter, chatting with a customer. I approached, Sean right behind me, and waited until Helen Louise finished.

  “Charlie, you sure know how to make a Saturday sparkle. How lovely to see you.” Helen Louise smiled broadly. Then she noticed Sean with me, and she arched one eyebrow. “And who is this très beau young man with you?” She extended a hand across the counter. “You must be Sean.”

  “Merci, mam’selle. Tu est très gentille.” Sean clasped her hand briefly and smiled back at her.

  Sean’s French accent was pretty good, to judge by Helen Louise’s delighted expression. “Et tu est très charmant, m’sieur.”

  Dante jumped up several times, and Helen Louise grinned. “Et le petit chien aussi.”

  “Now that you’ve officially shown off how cosmopolitan you both are, can we talk about lunch?” I smiled to show that I was teasing, and Sean laughed along with Helen Louise.

  “Certainment, mon cher. What would you like?” Helen Louise thought a moment. “We have fresh quiche, au gruyère or sausage, cheese, and onion. There’s also salade niçoise or a spring mix salad with my special dressing.”

  Sean grimaced at the mention of the first salad choice. He didn’t care for tuna and anchovies any more than I did. “I’ll have the sausage, cheese, and onion quiche with the spring mix salad. And still water.” He turned to me. “Dad?”

  “I’ll go for the same. Thanks, son. And be sure to save room for dessert. You won’t regret it.” I patted my stomach.

  “You two have a seat over there.” Helen Louise indicated a table in the corner near the cash register. “I’ll have your food out in a few minutes, and then you can fill me in on what you’ve been up to lately. It seems like forever since I’ve seen you.”

  “It’s a deal.” I smiled as Helen Louise whisked away.

  Sean and I made ourselves comfortable, and Dante and Diesel settled down beneath the table, almost nose to nose. I was glad to see they were still getting along so well.

  True to her word, Helen Louise was back in less than five minutes. She set our salads, quiches, and water before us with a flourish. She had also brought two bowls and extra bottles of water for her four-legged guests. While Helen Louise went back to fetch some coffee for herself, Sean and I gave the boys their water first and then dug into our food with gusto. I was hungrier than I realized.

  A shrill voice interrupted my concentration and startled both Sean and me.

  “What are those filthy animals doing in here?”

  Sean and I turned at the same time. Standing not three feet from our table was a rotund little robin of a woman with red hair teased into an upswept hairdo that must have added six inches to her height. Hands on hips, body a-tremble, she regarded Diesel and Dante with an expression of horror.

  “They aren’t bothering anyone.” Sean stood and glared down at the woman. “They are minding their own business.”

  “That’s as may be.” The woman’s tone in response was as acid as Sean’s was sarcastic. “They are still filthy animals, and they have no business in a place where people are eating.”

  Before either Sean or I could respond, Helen Louise entered the fray, coffee cup in hand. She tapped the woman on the shoulder with her free hand, and she turned to face Helen Louise, obviously annoyed by the interruption.

  Helen Louise didn’t give her a chance to speak.

  “Mary Anna Milligan, I’d like to know who gave you the right to call anybody a filthy animal. Do the words edible panties ring any bells with you?”

  The transformation of Mrs. Milligan was astonishing. Her face outshone her hair in redness, and I swear her beehive deflated at least an inch. Her mouth flopped open but not a sound came out.

  “I’ll thank you to remember that this is my place of business, and I’d sooner have that dog and cat in here than some people I could name.” Helen Louise had the light of battle in her eye, and it would have taken a troop of Amazons at this point to make her back down.

  Mary Anna Milligan was apparently not tough enough. She muttered something as she whirled away and practically ran out of the bakery. Several other customers who had evidently overheard the whole exchange laughed, and one woman clapped and called out, �
�That’s telling her, honey.”

  Sean had dropped back into his chair, and from his expression I could tell he was as taken aback by the whole scene as I was. I checked under the table, and Diesel and Dante didn’t seem to have paid much attention to the human fracas. Diesel was cleaning a paw, and Dante was gnawing on his leash.

  Helen Louise, grinning broadly, sat down across from me.

  “Who the heck was that?” Sean almost sputtered the words, because he was laughing now. “You really gave her what for.”

  “You certainly did.” I laughed. “Remind me never to annoy you, my friend.”

  Helen Louise grinned impishly. “You’d do well to remember this.” She sipped at her coffee.

  Sean leaned closer to Helen Louise and spoke in an undertone. “So what’s the story with the edible panties?”

  I confess I was rather curious myself.

  Helen Louise arched an eyebrow as she regarded us. “Well, it’s like this. Mary Anna Milligan is about as self-righteous a pillar of the community as you can find, always telling the rest of the world how to run their lives and be as upstanding and fine as she and her husband are.” She paused, deliberately, I’m sure, knowing how interested we were in this titillating bit of gossip.

  “One of my girlfriends has a brother who likes to visit what you might call businesses with a very unusual kind of stock in Memphis. Understand what I’m talking about?” Helen Louise smiled.

  Sean and I exchanged glances and quickly looked away. I was sure we both knew what Helen Louise was talking about.

  She continued, “Well, my friend’s brother was in one of those stores about four months ago, looking around, and lo and behold, who should come in but Mary Anna and her fine upstanding husband, Raymond. And guess what they were looking for?” She had another sip of coffee.

  “And I suppose you were just waiting for the appropriate moment to mention that little bit of knowledge to Mrs. Milligan?” I tried to keep the amusement out of my voice. Helen Louise never could resist taking the mickey out of someone like Mrs. Milligan.

  “Of course.” Helen Louise’s expression was smug. “I knew sooner or later she’d annoy me enough that I’d come out with it. She’ll never show her face in here again, and that’s fine with me.” She nodded in the direction of Sean’s half-empty plate.

  “What do you think?” she asked as both Sean and I resumed eating.

  “Magnifique.” Sean enunciated carefully between mouthfuls of quiche.

  Helen Louise beamed at him. She already knew I loved her food. She waited until I finished about half my quiche before continuing.

  “It’s quiet enough for the moment, and Debbie can handle things. So talk, Charlie. What have you been up to lately? I was afraid I wasn’t going to see you today, and that would about have ruined my Saturday.”

  I felt a little self-conscious with Helen Louise carrying on like this in front of Sean. She and I had known each other since high school, and she had always been a flirt. The thing was, lately I was starting to believe she meant it where I was concerned. She was a very attractive woman, and I was sometimes tempted to find out if she really was interested in me. I simply wasn’t sure I was ready to date again.

  “Sean here popped up for a visit,” I said, “and I’m delighted to see him, of course. Other than that, it’s pretty much been work as usual.”

  “Charlie’s talked a lot about you,” Helen Louise said to Sean. “I know how proud he is of you.”

  Sean looked uncomfortable and didn’t respond.

  I spoke to cover the strained pause. “I had a meeting with James Delacorte this morning. Which was a surprise, since I only know him through his visits to the library. Do you know him?”

  Helen Louise shrugged. “Not much better than you, probably. He comes in here once a week, regular as clockwork, and orders the same thing. A dozen of my cinnamon rolls, two dozen croissants, and my special gâteau au chocolat.”

  “Sounds like a man with a definite sweet tooth,” I commented. “But I can’t say I blame him. Your pastries and cakes are out of this world.”

  Helen Louise beamed at the praise. She reached over and clasped my arm briefly. Turning to Sean, she said, “See why I adore this man? He’s such a charmer.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Sean said. Then, in an obvious effort to redirect the conversation, he continued, “Dad’s going to be working for Mr. Delacorte.”

  “Really? Do tell.” Helen Louise was agog with curiosity.

  I explained briefly the job Mr. Delacorte wanted me to do, leaving out the bit about potentially stolen items. “I’m going over this afternoon at four to have tea with him and his family. Do you know any of them?”

  “Unfortunately.” Helen Louise grimaced. “Pure poison, the lot of them.” She shrugged. “But if you want to know more about the Delacorte clan, why don’t you ask Azalea?”

  FIVE

  “Azalea?” I stared blankly at Helen Louise, startled by the sudden mention of my housekeeper. “How does Azalea know anything about them?”

  “How do you think?” Helen Louise shook her head at my slowness. “She worked for them years ago, before she started working for your aunt.” She laughed. “But she didn’t stay there long. Only about three months, I seem to remember.”

  “I had no idea. But there’s a lot I don’t know about Azalea, of course.” I had a sip of water. Diesel rubbed against my leg, and I reached down to stroke his head.

  “If you ask her the right way, I’m sure she’ll tell you about them.” Helen Louise drained her cup and set it down. “And they’re not too fond of the head of the family, that’s for sure.”

  “How do you know them?” Sean played with his bottle cap, spinning it on its side on the table. “Fill us in on what you can until Dad has a chance to talk to Azalea. You have to know something juicy, surely.”

  Helen Louise leaned back as she grinned at Sean’s wheedling tone. “They go to my church. I don’t think his sister, Daphne Morris, ever misses a service.” She snorted. “She’s such a good Christian—except when it comes to actually doing something, like helping in the soup kitchen or working on one of the committees. She’s terribly delicate, you see.”

  The withering scorn in her voice left little doubt about her feelings. I could understand them. Helen Louise, despite the demands of running her own business, spent a lot of her so-called free time doing charitable work.

  “Who else is there besides his sister?” I put my hand over Sean’s to stop his twiddling with the bottle cap. He’d always been a fidgety child, and he was now a fidgety adult. He rolled his eyes at me, but he let go of the bottle cap.

  Helen Louise observed this interaction with another grin. “Let’s see.” She held up a hand and began ticking off names on her fingers. “There’s Daphne’s son, Hubert, who has a vastly overinflated sense of his own worth. Eloise, Hubert’s wife, is one of those rich daddy’s girls from the delta. You know, like Carolyn Haines writes about in her ‘Bones’ books.” Helen Louise and I shared a fondness for mysteries, and Haines was a great favorite.

  “They sound charming.” Sean sounded utterly sincere, but his expression belied his tone. “Can’t wait to meet them.”

  “Be prepared if you meet Eloise.” Helen Louise laughed. “I hear tell she’s crazy as a betsy bug these days.”

  I hadn’t heard that expression in a while. I decided not to press Helen Louise for more details on Eloise. “Anybody else?”

  “There’s a great-niece, the granddaughter of one of the Delacorte brothers. Her name is Cynthia, and she’s a nurse at the hospital. Don’t know much about her, other than you could get freezer burn talking to her. I hope I never have to rely on her looking after me if I’m in the hospital.” Helen Louise shook her head. “The last one is a great-nephew, Stewart Delacorte, grandson of the final brother. He teaches chemistry at Athena College.” She winked at Sean again. “He’ll love meeting you, I’m sure. He has an eye for an attractive man.”

  Sea
n blushed. Helen Louise laughed and reached over to pat his arm. “Don’t pay any attention to me, honey. Your dad will tell you I can’t resist teasing people.”

  “No problem.” Sean offered a strained smile.

  “Neither of those two Delacorte brothers is still living?” I decided to get the conversation back on track.

  “No, only Daphne is left now. She’s the youngest, and James was the oldest.” Helen Louise paused. “He’s in his mid-eighties, I’d guess.”

  “He doesn’t look it, really.” I would have said he was around seventy. “You said earlier that his family isn’t too fond of him. Why?”

  “He has millions, and they all want money. I’ve heard Daphne and Hubert moaning about it enough at church, when their minds should have been on other things.” Helen Louise was clearly disgusted. “Apparently James Delacorte has the old-fashioned idea that anyone able to work should do just that and not live like a leech on someone with money. But I’ve also heard he can be really cheap. I think the family has always had trouble keeping staff because he refuses to pay much.”

  “What about his sister? Does the son take care of her?” Sean was as curious as I about the family.

  “Not hardly,” Helen Louise said. “Daphne’s late and very unlamented husband was as big an idiot when it came to business as her son is now. He left her basically penniless, and James Delacorte took her in. I don’t think he counted on taking in Hubert and Eloise as well. But Hubert can’t seem to hold down a job, and I heard Eloise’s brother cut off her allowance after their daddy died a few years ago. If it weren’t for James, they’d all be out on the street.”

  “You said the niece and nephew work, though.” I drank the last of my water as I waited for Helen Louise’s response.

  “They do, but I’d be willing to bet you they’ll quit the minute they inherit some of those millions.” She laughed. “Unless they’re in for a nasty surprise. Mr. Delacorte may leave all his money to the college or some charity. It would serve them all right if he did.”

  “What a family.” Sean shook his head. “Sounds like something right out of Agatha Christie.”