The Rosaries (Crossroads Series) (9 page)

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Elegba
left the house.

Melody carried a basket of laundry downstairs and set it down in the kitchen while she opened windows and made some fresh iced tea. Having been raised in the south she was addicted to both – fresh air and good sweet tea. Since this early in the morning it was still cool enough to
open windows and let some air in, she decided that it was a good day to treat herself to both pleasures. The phone rang and she answered it while she stirred sugar into the tea; it was Olivia, her cousin from New Orleans.

‘Hey Melody, how are you?”

“I’m great, Olivia. What about you? Are you having cold feet yet?”

“Nope. My feet are nice and toasty. I can’t wait! I’ve always wanted to go to
London
, but I never even dreamt that someday I would get married there.”

“I’m so happy for you, Olivia! How’s Graham?”

“Oh, he’s excited, too. It looks more and more that we will be able to arrange for the Spencer House. I’m so excited!

“You should be. A grand wedding in a beautiful British setting – that’s fairytale stuff.”

“Melody, sometimes I wonder if I’m going to wake up and be disappointed that it was just a nice dream.”

“Well, look at it this way, Olivia. I’ve been married to Mario for two years, and I’m still living the dream. I’m sure it will be the same for you and Graham.”

“Dad is beside himself, Melody. He said that he has never been so sad and happy at the same time.”

“Can you blame him Olivia? His little girl is growing up and getting married in
London
. I would be a mess in his place. I think he’s actually holding up quite well, all considered.”

Olivia laughed. “Yeah, of course you’re right. I suppose I shouldn’t worry. I’m just afraid to get hurt. I heard this expression in a song once, and I think it applies to me - sometimes
I am
happier than should be legally possible.”

Olivia’s happiness was nearly tangible and Melody felt it travel through the phone line and touch her own heart. She sighed and inhaled a deep lungful of fresh air coming through the window. Johnny, the new farmhand she hired after Charlie died, must have planted something that put out a strong citrus scent; she resolved to ask him later what kind of plant it was. She could even smell it in the laundry she had begun to sort out and throw in the washing machine while on the phone.

“Stop worrying Olivia. You will marry Graham, the two of you will have a wonderful wedding, and you will live happily ever after.”

“I hope you are right, Melody. Did you already make reservations?”

Melody thought for a moment; she didn’t remember Mario telling her that he did. “I don’t think so, Olivia, but I will ask Mario when he wakes up. He got home very late last night and he is still sleeping. He is working all the time; getting a promotion is not all that it’s cracked up to be. I know he is excited that he is growing in his career, but sometimes I think he was happier when he was a simple detective with the sheriff’s department, rather than a big shot at the SBI.”

“Tell me about it” Olivia answered, “Since I took the new job as assistant manager at the hotel I work at right now, I work constantly. Good were the days when I used to be paid hourly. Being salaried means only one thing – you work like hell and make little money per hour. Last week I worked close to sixty hours. Graham was a bit annoyed with me about it, but he understood I had no choice.”

“I’m afraid Mario hasn’t either. That’s part of the promotion game. How’s your dad, Olivia?”

“He is doing well. I think that excitement is good for him – he looks younger and he has more energy than normal.”

That bit of news did Melody’s heart good. Although she hadn’t known her uncle Paul many years – he had left
North Carolina
and relocated to his native
Louisiana
before Melody was born – she had grown very fond of him the last couple of years. Paul was a good man, and Melody loved to talk to him on the phone. He had a rich southern accent and a baritone’s voice, and he somehow reminded her of a big cuddly bear.

“That’s wonderful to hear, Olivia. Well, I’d better go if I want to get some chores out of the way before lunch.”

“Yeah, same here” replied Olivia, “I need to get ready for work. Take care, and make sure your reservations are secured.”

“Yes Ma’am. Too bad you aren’t here to do it for me.” Melody still remembered how efficient Olivia was at her job when she first met her at the hotel in New Orleans.

“Oh, I can, if you want me to.”

“Olivia! I’m joking. You’ve got plenty more to worry about, with that wedding of yours to plan and prepare for. I’ll let Mario take care of it – he’s just as precise as you are when it comes to things like that.”

The word ‘anal’ had actually come to mind, but Melody didn’t know Olivia that intimately, and didn’t know if her cousin was good at catching hidden humor or if she was easily offended; ‘precise’ had seemed a better choice.

“Take care Olivia, and I will talk to you in the next few days.”

“Sounds great, Melody. Tell Mario I said hello.”

“Will do. Bye, Olivia.”

Melody hung up the phone and went back to her laundry. The wind must have shifted, because she couldn’t smell the scent in the breeze any more. While she waited for the clothes to finish washing she went to straighten out the living room and heard sounds upstairs. Mario was finally up, and Melody rushed to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee for him. She loved when they had a chance to eat breakfast together, so she looked in the refrigerator to find something she could prepare. Melody was not much of a cook, but she had really tried to catch up the last few years. She wished that
Grandmama’s
ghost could come and help her with pots and pans, sometimes – nobody else she knew could cook as good as her grandmother. Mario came into the kitchen and walked up to her from behind; he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck while she was still standing in front of the refrigerator trying to strategize a meal.

“Good morning, Beautiful.”

“Good morning, Honey, did you sleep well?

“Not so well, really. I kept hearing sounds coming from outside, and I even got up one time to make sure nobody was there.”

“Hmm, that’s odd…I didn’t hear anything. Maybe it was a raccoon, Grandpapa Henry always complained about them.”

In reality it wasn’t too odd – Melody usually slept like a rock.

She turned toward Mario to kiss him back and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

“Oh my…you really didn’t sleep, did you? You look very tired.”

“I
am
tired, exhausted really, but unfortunately I have to run. I have a meeting at eleven.”

“Will you be home for dinner?”

“I’ll try -- that’s the best I can give you at the moment.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes and reached out to touch her face; she laid her head in the palm of his hand.

“I’m sorry, Melody. I promise this won’t last forever. We have a big case that we have been trying to crack for months. We finally seem to be on the right track, so I have to be there. I will make it up to you.”

Melody smiled at him. “I know. I don’t mean to sound so needy. It’s just that I miss you, that’s all.”

“Don’t forget we are going to
London
in just a few weeks. Nobody will be able to stop us from having a blast together then.”

Melody flashed him a huge smile. “I can’t wait! I was just talking to Olivia a little while ago, and she was wondering if we have already confirmed our reservations. I told her that you are in charge.”

“Everything is confirmed already. I’m going to pick up the plane tickets within two weeks. In fact, it’s good that you brought it up, because we have to really get started on the paperwork to renew passports; I think we can do that by mail. Any chance you can look into that?”

“Sure. I will check on the procedures in a little while.”

“You are a jewel. How did I get that lucky?” He pulled her toward himself and squeezed her affectionately. Melody giggled.

“Hmmm…everybody gets a strike of good luck in life. You were just smart enough to see your chance passing by and you jumped on the wagon before it was gone.”

“Well, I’d better hurry on.”

“Oh, wait, I am making coffee.”

Mario glimpsed at his watch. “Can I take that to go?”

“Coming up.” Melody opened one of the cupboards and took out a travel mug. She filled it with coffee and handed it to him. “Here you go. Have a great day, Honey.”

Mario took the mug and brushed her lips with a kiss. “You too. I love you.” And with that he was gone.

Melody poured a cup of coffee for herself and walked outside on the porch. It was a glorious morning, warm and peaceful. She sat on one of the rockers, took a sip, then looked around the front yard. Mario had mentioned hearing noises last night. Was someone here? And if they were, what could they want? She thought about Charlie, the old farmhand who was senselessly killed by a vagrant after Charlie caught him sleeping in the barn two years before. She focused her attention on the steaming cup in her hands. If someone was looking for something at the farm, she wasn’t going to worry about it this morning. Right now she just wanted to enjoy the peace
and know that everything was well in her world, even if she knew in her heart that the peaceful feeling wasn’t going to last much longer.

Chapter Six

Lakeisha
Jackson walked into the small post office near the
Bouvier
house, and hoped it was the right one. Since she didn’t have a car, she wasn’t fond of venturing across town if she had a choice in the matter. The post office was situated in an old house, and she found comfort in the fact that the postal workers standing behind the counter looked about as ancient as the building itself. She appreciated the wisdom of old people, and felt that if decisions were left more to the elderly we would live in a better world – definitely a more peaceful one. No other patrons were inside when she walked in, so she headed straight to the counter, holding the small silver key in her hand.

“Good morning Ma’am” The silver-haired gentleman nodded politely from behind the counter, “can I help you?”

“Yes. My niece sent me this key and asked me to go retrieve her mail, but I forgot what location she told me. You know how young people are…I hate to ask her again.”

The man nodded in understanding, as if
Lakeisha
had spoken an undeniable truth.

“Could you tell me which post office would have this box, just by looking at the key?”

He took the key from
Lakeisha
and looked at the number.

“You are in luck, Miss. It’s at this location.”

Lakeisha
was relieved. “For real? Oh, that’s wonderful! Now I don’t have to take the bus or catch a cab just to fetch my niece’s mail. Where are the boxes located?”

The gentleman pointed at the hallway around the corner from the counter. “Right that way, Ma’am. You just need to find the one with a number that matches your key. Simple as pie.”

Lakeisha
nodded her head in respect. “Thank you so much, Sir.”

He nodded and went back to weighing some packages stacked up on the side of his work station.

She walked toward the boxes and looked at the key to see the number. The matching box was to her left, so she inserted the key in the lock and turned it until the box opened to reveal a postcard from London and a travel magazine. Strangely enough, the photo on the cover of the magazine featured the London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel situated near the Thames River in London. Two apparently unrelated items indicating London…could it be coincidence?
Lakeisha
felt suddenly nervous. She sensed that something bigger than her was at work and she hoped it was something she could handle. She shook her head the moment doubt crossed her mind. If God put her in charge of a certain task, then she was pretty sure she also had the means to take care of it – they didn’t make mistakes in their recruiting department up there. What could be happening in London? Was she supposed to go there? And if so, why? She took both the postcard and the magazine and quickly stuffed them in her handbag; then she left.

It was a beautiful morning, sunny and slightly breezy – a change of pace and a welcome relief from the muggy days of late – and
Lakeisha
would have loved to take a walk, but she was eager to go back home and message Sister Justine. The old Sister would surely know if going to
London
was what
Lakeisha
was being guided to do. She walked up the uneven sidewalk, feeling under her feet the roots of the centuries-old trees that lined the street on both sides, the Spanish moss dripping from their branches a charming reminder that although she was quite far from New Orleans she was still in the south.