all that I am and I won't be me anymore. Do you understand that?"
I took the steak off the grill. I put it on a plate and stood in the night, looking at her.
She said, "I didn't want to pay that man. I said it doesn't matter. I said no one will care about these things." Her eyes were filling again.
"But Beldon and Sid convinced you."
She nodded.
"They frightened you, and they made you ashamed."
She blinked harder. "God, I'm scared. I don't know what to do."
"Sure, you do."
She looked at me and took more of the scotch.
I said, "Why did you come here, Jodi?"
"I've got two days off before we start shooting the next episode. I want to hire you again. I want you to take me down there. I want to see where I come from, and see who I am. Will you do that for me?"
Lucy Chenier .
"Yes."
She nodded, and neither of us spoke again.
We went inside with the steak. I guess Cabo San Lucas and the billfish would have to wait. The human heart bears greater urgency.
CHAPTER 19
J odi Taylor and I flew to Louisiana the next day, catching the seven A.M. flight through Dallas/Fort Worth and arriving in Baton Rouge just before noon. We rented a gray Ford Thunderbird in my name and drove to Lucy Chenier's office. Jodi wanted to apologize, and I didn't argue. I phoned Lucy's office from the airport and told her assistant that we were on our way. Darlene said, "I didn't think we'd see you again."
"Miracles happen."
Darlene said, "Unh-hunh."
Lucy greeted us pleasantly at the door, offering her hand first to me, then Jodi. I was grinning as wide as a collie in a kibble factory, but Lucy seemed cool and somehow distant, and her handshake was professional. "Hello, Mr. Cole. Hello, Ms. Taylor. Please come in." Like that.
We sat, and Lucy told us that Sid had phoned and that they had discussed what had happened and why, and she said that she would certainly be happy to continue assisting Jodi in whatever way possible. She said it to Jodi and did not once look at or speak to me. I said, "Hi, remember me?"
"Of course. It's nice to see you again." Professional. Lawyerly. She refocused on Jodi.
Jodi said, "I knew Sid was going to phone, but I wanted to personally apologize for what happened. I should've been honest with you, and feel ashamed of myself."
Lucy stood and came around her desk. "Please don't be. Are you going to introduce yourself to Edith Boudreaux?"
Jodi Taylor shook her head and also stood. It seemed as if we had just arrived. "I don't want to meet these people, and I don't want to know them. I guess I just want to see them. Can you understand that?"
Lucy took her hand. "Of course, I can. We all have that curiosity. Seeing her is a way of seeing a part of yourself, even if you have no wish to know her."
Jodi said, "Yes. That's it."
Lucy said, "If there is any way I can help you, even if you just want to talk, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you."
I told Jodi that I would be along in a moment, and she left. Lucy was standing at the door, still not looking at me. I said, "Is there something here that I'm missing?"
"I don't think so."
"Would you join me for dinner tonight?"
"That's very nice, but I can't."
"We could bring Ben."
She shook her head.
"Are you angry?"
"Of course not. I think Jodi is waiting for you."
"You sound angry."
She raised her eyebrows. "If Jodi requires my assistance she may call any time. She has the number."
"I'll tell her. Thank you."
I walked out of the office, and Jodi and I went down to the car. I got in behind the wheel and she climbed into the passenger seat, neither of us speaking. Jodi sat with her knees up and her hands clasped between her legs, staring out the window. She said, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me."
She frowned at me and then she went back to staring out the window.
We crossed the Mississippi River, and pretty soon Baton Rouge was behind us. We made good time past Erwinville and Livonia and Lottie, and, at 1:36 that afternoon, we neared the exit for Eunice. I said, "Edith Boudreaux lives here with her husband and her family. She's married to a man named Jo-el Boudreaux. He's the sheriff. She has a dress shop in the center of town. Her father lives here,