The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(16)
Author: Karen White
CHAPTER 6
I took the stairs two at a time, then paused when I was halfway down the hallway, in front of the closed door that led into what I mentally referred to as Mimi’s storage room (I wasn’t sure what she called the bizarre collection of artifacts from unsolved crimes that she stored on endless shelves beyond the locked door). Mimi had the gift of psychometry, which, when she touched objects, gave her insight into what appeared to be unsolvable crimes. Desperate families had come to see Mimi as a last resort, and she’d been able to help many grieving relatives of victims. It wasn’t a room I wanted to see the inside of again. I still had nightmares about the Frozen Charlottes in the curio cabinet against the far wall.
Realizing that I actually did have a headache, I walked to the black and white bathroom next door and plucked out the familiar red and white bottle from the medicine cabinet.
“Nola?”
I jerked back, dropping the bottle into the porcelain sink with a loud clatter. Turning, I saw Sunny standing outside the bathroom door with an apologetic smile.
“I’m so sorry—did I startle you?”
I pressed the heel of my hand against my chest, feeling the heavy pumping of my heart. “No, not at all. Why would you think that sneaking up behind someone and saying their name would be startling?”
“I guess I deserve that. I am so sorry. My parents were light sleepers, so I grew up learning how to move really quietly.”
I gave her points for understanding sarcasm and for her apology. Shaking out two pills into my palm, I said, “Did you need some, too?”
She shook her head. “No. I wanted to speak with you alone. I hope that’s all right.”
I hid my surprise. “Sure.” I closed the medicine cabinet and faced her. “What about?”
“Can we go into my room? Just in case anyone else comes up. I don’t think I want us to be overheard.”
“Okay.” I caught the faint scent of cigarettes as she stood close to me. “You smoke?”
“Yeah. Trying to quit. Again. I actually did stop before the car accident, and then”—she shrugged—“I started again. Please don’t tell Mimi. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
I thought it was an odd request, but I nodded anyway. My mind was so occupied with reasons why she’d need to speak with me that I almost didn’t notice that she was opening the door to the storage room. “Wait—” I stopped at the threshold. Instead of the endless shelves of detritus from broken lives, a mahogany sleigh bed sat against a wall across from a pair of pretty yellow and white toile chairs and matching ottomans. These were placed in front of a fireplace that I hadn’t even noticed during my previous visits to the room. Bright light flooded through the tall windows that had been covered with heavy draperies, obscuring all light. The curio cabinet—thank goodness—was gone.
“That was quick,” I said. “What did they do with all the . . . stuff that was in here?”
“You mean the excess inventory? They moved it to the shop on Royal Street. I’m not really sure why it was here to begin with, except that it’s a big house and they had the space. Mimi’s working really hard to give me a room that I love and has hired a designer. I’ve never worked with a designer before—it wasn’t something my parents ever really considered—but I have to say that I’m having fun with it. Jenny’s pretty cool and has lots of great ideas that fit with my personality. It’s just that . . .”
I waited for her to finish.
With a tight throat, she said, “It’s just that I wish my parents could see it. This house alone would have made my mom swoon.”
For the first time, I felt a connection to this lost-and-found girl, felt bonded by our wandering along the same lonely path, searching for the way home. “I get it. My mom died when I was almost fourteen. She was a musician and taught me everything she knew about playing guitar and writing music. There are still times now when I hear a song or think of a lyric and I turn to say something and realize all over again that she’s not there.”
An odd expression that looked a lot like panic flashed across her face before quickly vanishing. “I want to say I’m sorry, but that’s not really enough, is it?”
I shook my head, liking Sunny Ryan a little bit more. “No. I still have my dad and my stepmother, and a brother and sister. They’re pretty much an answer to a dream I never thought I’d had. And now you have a brother and a grandmother. They’re not a replacement, but they’re a great ‘instead of,’ you know? Even though both your biological parents and adoptive parents are no longer here, you know that you were wanted. And loved.” I hoped she hadn’t heard the hitch in my voice. I hadn’t meant to be talking about myself.
She didn’t smile, only nodded, then led me over to the pair of chairs and sat down in one. As I sat, she looked nervously at the closed door behind me. “Sorry—I just want to make sure that nobody can hear.”
Sunny sat on the edge of her seat and leaned forward, then waited until I’d done the same before she spoke. With a low voice, she said, “I need your help.”
My brows lifted. Of all the things I thought she might say, this wasn’t anywhere near the top twenty. “My help? Doing what?” I looked around at the sparse room. “If it’s decorating ideas, you’re better off sticking with Jenny the designer. Or Jolene. Assuming you want everything monogrammed.”
She smiled briefly. “No, it’s not that. It’s a little more complicated. It’s . . . Beau.”
I thought she might be joking, so I gave a little laugh and said, “Then it can’t be that complicated, right? I mean, he’s a guy. Definitely not any more complicated than a dog. Or cat. As long as their basic needs are met, they’re pretty content.”
I sobered when I saw that she wasn’t laughing. “He wants to find a way to get back at the people who kidnapped me. But Mimi said they’re very dangerous and that he should drop it because I’m back now and it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Okay . . .” I said, thinking about the two similar conversations I’d recently had with both Beau and Sam. “And you think I might be able to persuade him not to?”
“Partly.” She dropped her eyes to stare at the tattoo on her inner wrist. With her gaze still averted, she added, “But I don’t think that would be enough. Which is why I’m asking you to work with me to figure out how to bring them to justice without involving Beau. We can throw him red herrings to keep him busy while we do the real work. I just . . . found him. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him.” Sunny paused, lifted her eyes. “Mimi’s really scared me. But I’m not the kind of person to allow the people responsible to walk free, you know? It’s not right. I just figured that you and I would have a better chance of getting info than Beau. They’re probably waiting for him to do something, so he’s already in their sights. But not us.”