Hallowed Bones by Carolyn Haines Page B
Authors: Carolyn Haines
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Women Private Investigators, Single Women, Crimes against, Children, Mississippi, Women Healers, Delaney; Sarah Booth (Fictitious Character), Women Plantation Owners, Delaney; Sarah Booth (Fictitious Charater)
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up with. I led each one to understand that another was the father. And none of them knew the other men in my life."
"Were you in love with any of them?" I asked.
Again, the secret smile touched her lips. "All of them," she said. "Love is what I do. It is my special gift."
7
IT WASNEARLYLEVEN O'CLOCK WHENI WALKED OUT OF THE courthouse and into the most gorgeous October morning that had ever been created. My mind was whirling with the angles of my new case, and for the first time in weeks, I felt as if my life was moving forward.
Doreen was on her way to
New Orleans
, and I was headed to the bakery to pick up some cheese Danish and coffee. Lucky for me my close personal friend, Cece Dee Falcon, society editor of the Zinnia Dispatch, was a workaholic with a looming deadline. I needed to talk to Cece, but I also needed access to the newspaper files. Sunday was the perfect time to look--without the scrutiny of the rest of the newspaper staff.
Bribe in hand, I went to Cece's office window and peeped in. The pale light of her computer screen highlighted her classic profile and tawny hair. Her perfect nails were a blur on the keyboard.
Before Cece became society editor and long before she became my source for historical
Sunflower
County
facts, Cece was Cecil. We'd gone to high school together. The weather put me in mind of a few Friday night football games where we'd huddled beneath the bleachers drinking Wild Turkey and Coca-Cola, talking about our futures. I had wanted to be an actress, and Cecil had wanted to be a girl. My trip to
New York
was daring, but Cecil's trip to
Sweden
was the bravest single act I knew.
I tapped on the window and then walked around to the front door as she unlocked it.
"Dahling," Cece said, reaching for the bakery bag. "These are so fresh they're still warm." We walked back to her office.
I put a cup of coffee in front of her. Three creams, two sugars. Just the way she liked it.
She took a bite of the pastry, revealing her strong white teeth, and I had time to identify the Little Red Riding Hood nail polish that was the hit of the season. She was dressed in a mocha turtleneck and brown suede pants that hugged her lean hips perfectly. I frowned at her. "If you were a real woman, you'd have wider hips."
She licked a bit of frosting off her perfect lips and smiled. "Don't be a bitch, Sarah Booth, just because you have improper distribution of fat deposits. That old 'more to love' crap is just that--crap."
I laughed out loud. Cece was hard to best.
"What brings you to the newspaper on a beautiful Sunday?" she asked. "Something about Doreen Mallory?"
"Tinkie and I are helping her."
"Did she kill her own baby?" Cece asked, suddenly still. She was on the scent of a story.
"She says no." I was careful.
"And what do you believe, Sarah Booth?"
"I believe I have a lot of work to do to find out the truth." Incredible as it seemed, I was beginning to believe that the spiritual healer/sex therapist actually had not killed her own baby.
"And somehow I'm going to play a role in this truth-finding, right?" Cece was always willing to jump into the middle of a good case.
"Absolutely." I grinned. "I need to look up Lillith Lucas. See if there are any stories about her in the paper."
Cece lifted one eyebrow in a way that was strictly predatory. She licked her fingers. The Danish was gone. "I heard the rumor that Doreen is her daughter. I also heard that Lillith had over fifty thousand dollars in the bank when she died. Doreen is the sole heir."
Cece's sources were often as good as my own, but I had the scoop on her this time. "There's a brother," I said, watching her take it in. "He may or may not be alive."
"Boy, that Lillith. Talk about 'do as I say, not as I do.' Didn't she ever hear about 'practice what you preach'? Remember the night we left the junior prom early and stopped at the Revolving Root Beer? She was hiding in the bushes and jumped out at us. 'Sex is the Devil's highway.' That's
"Were you in love with any of them?" I asked.
Again, the secret smile touched her lips. "All of them," she said. "Love is what I do. It is my special gift."
7
IT WASNEARLYLEVEN O'CLOCK WHENI WALKED OUT OF THE courthouse and into the most gorgeous October morning that had ever been created. My mind was whirling with the angles of my new case, and for the first time in weeks, I felt as if my life was moving forward.
Doreen was on her way to
New Orleans
, and I was headed to the bakery to pick up some cheese Danish and coffee. Lucky for me my close personal friend, Cece Dee Falcon, society editor of the Zinnia Dispatch, was a workaholic with a looming deadline. I needed to talk to Cece, but I also needed access to the newspaper files. Sunday was the perfect time to look--without the scrutiny of the rest of the newspaper staff.
Bribe in hand, I went to Cece's office window and peeped in. The pale light of her computer screen highlighted her classic profile and tawny hair. Her perfect nails were a blur on the keyboard.
Before Cece became society editor and long before she became my source for historical
Sunflower
County
facts, Cece was Cecil. We'd gone to high school together. The weather put me in mind of a few Friday night football games where we'd huddled beneath the bleachers drinking Wild Turkey and Coca-Cola, talking about our futures. I had wanted to be an actress, and Cecil had wanted to be a girl. My trip to
New York
was daring, but Cecil's trip to
Sweden
was the bravest single act I knew.
I tapped on the window and then walked around to the front door as she unlocked it.
"Dahling," Cece said, reaching for the bakery bag. "These are so fresh they're still warm." We walked back to her office.
I put a cup of coffee in front of her. Three creams, two sugars. Just the way she liked it.
She took a bite of the pastry, revealing her strong white teeth, and I had time to identify the Little Red Riding Hood nail polish that was the hit of the season. She was dressed in a mocha turtleneck and brown suede pants that hugged her lean hips perfectly. I frowned at her. "If you were a real woman, you'd have wider hips."
She licked a bit of frosting off her perfect lips and smiled. "Don't be a bitch, Sarah Booth, just because you have improper distribution of fat deposits. That old 'more to love' crap is just that--crap."
I laughed out loud. Cece was hard to best.
"What brings you to the newspaper on a beautiful Sunday?" she asked. "Something about Doreen Mallory?"
"Tinkie and I are helping her."
"Did she kill her own baby?" Cece asked, suddenly still. She was on the scent of a story.
"She says no." I was careful.
"And what do you believe, Sarah Booth?"
"I believe I have a lot of work to do to find out the truth." Incredible as it seemed, I was beginning to believe that the spiritual healer/sex therapist actually had not killed her own baby.
"And somehow I'm going to play a role in this truth-finding, right?" Cece was always willing to jump into the middle of a good case.
"Absolutely." I grinned. "I need to look up Lillith Lucas. See if there are any stories about her in the paper."
Cece lifted one eyebrow in a way that was strictly predatory. She licked her fingers. The Danish was gone. "I heard the rumor that Doreen is her daughter. I also heard that Lillith had over fifty thousand dollars in the bank when she died. Doreen is the sole heir."
Cece's sources were often as good as my own, but I had the scoop on her this time. "There's a brother," I said, watching her take it in. "He may or may not be alive."
"Boy, that Lillith. Talk about 'do as I say, not as I do.' Didn't she ever hear about 'practice what you preach'? Remember the night we left the junior prom early and stopped at the Revolving Root Beer? She was hiding in the bushes and jumped out at us. 'Sex is the Devil's highway.' That's
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