Dickce almost collided with Jackson, hurrying in the same direction, but she managed to swerve just in time. Jackson scuttled over to the wall near the front door and flipped several switches. Light flooded the dark night outside.
Dickce heard loud footsteps on the stairs before she stepped onto the verandah.
“What the hell is going on?” Horace Mims demanded. He pushed past Dickce and the others to stride out the door. He grabbed Estelle and shook her lightly. “What are you screaming about?”
“That.” Estelle pointed into the front yard, now brightly lit by floodlights set around the yard and on the front of the house.
“Oh my lord,” Horace muttered.
Trey pushed past his father and ran down the steps. He lost his balance and went stumbling onto his hands and knees on the wet lawn.
Dickce stared at the body, a huddled mass, that lay about twenty feet from the verandah, near the center of the yard. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that Sondra really wasn’t dead, that Benjy had been mistaken.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that Trey was on his feet again, moving more cautiously now. Within seconds he reached the body, and everyone heard his frantic orders to Sondra to wake up and get up off the ground.
There was no response.
By now Horace had reached his son, and he put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. Dickce moved to the railing to hear what was being said.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do for her now, son,” Horace said.
Estelle turned to Dickce and An’gel, who had joined her sister at the railing.
“I tried to warn everyone, but nobody would listen to me.” Her expression alarmed Dickce. The woman looked almost triumphant.
“What do you mean?” An’gel demanded.
Estelle flung out her arm and pointed. “That out there. Sondra. Lying there dead, just like Melusine Devereux all those years ago. The mighty storm last night took Sondra up and threw her to the ground, the way it did Melusine. Sondra went out on the balcony to see the storm, and the wind took her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Dickce snapped, and An’gel echoed her.
Estelle’s eyes narrowed. “If you think it’s so ridiculous, then why is Sondra lying out there dead in her bridal gown? Just like Melusine Devereux.”
Dickce realized that there was little point in trying to reason with the woman, she was so obviously convinced that she was right. Dickce admitted to herself that the circumstances of Sondra’s death appeared to be similar to those of Melusine Devereux, but that had to be nothing more than bizarre coincidence.
“I’ve called 911. The ambulance is on its way, along with the police.”
Dickce turned to see Richmond Thurston step onto the verandah, cell phone in hand. He came to stand beside Dickce and An’gel and stared at Horace and Trey, still beside Sondra’s body. Horace was trying to pull his son away from the body, but Trey refused to go.
Dickce was struck by the young man’s devotion to Sondra. Perhaps he really had been in love with her. She sighed. Then another thought struck her.
What if his actions now were signs of remorse? According to what An’gel told her, he had made threats yesterday. What if he had argued with Sondra during the storm and thrown her out the window in a rage?
Dickce wanted to pull An’gel aside to talk to her about it, but an interruption put an end to her speculations.
“Whewe is Mommy?” a little voice inquired. “I’m hungwy. I want a dwink of water.”
The poor baby, Dickce thought. She mustn’t be allowed to see her mother’s body out there on the lawn. She moved quickly to intercept Tippy, along with An’gel. Dickce moved in front of the child and bent her face toward Tippy’s. “Hi, Tippy. We haven’t met yet, but I’m your granny’s cousin Dickce, and this is my sister An’gel. Why don’t you come with us, and we’ll find you something to eat and a glass of water, okay?”
Tippy, still dressed in pajamas and dragging a stuffed bear by the ear, regarded the sisters with a frown.
“Okay,” she said after a moment. “I guess that would be okay. Mommy must be busy getting weady for de wedding tomowwow anyway.” She turned and headed for the kitchen.
Dickce and An’gel hurried along behind her, exchanging glances as they went.
Dickce breathed a bit more easily once they were in the kitchen. Tippy walked over to the table in the corner and climbed into one of the chairs. She settled the bear in the chair next to her.
“What would you like to eat, Tippy?” An’gel asked.
“I want ceweal,” she said. “And a banana and owange juice.”
Relieved that the child’s choices should be simple ones to fulfill, Dickce started hunting through the cabinets to find cereal and a bowl. An’gel went to the refrigerator and rooted around for milk and orange juice. In short order, they gave Tippy her cereal and orange juice, then Dickce found a banana and peeled it.
“Would you like me to cut it up for you, dear?” she asked.
Tippy nodded. “Yes, pwease.” She scooped cereal and milk into her mouth and chewed.
While Dickce cut up the banana, An’gel found a half-full pot of coffee, and she poured cups for herself and Dickce.
Dickce accepted her coffee with a quick smile. She pulled out a chair across from Tippy and sat. An’gel chose a seat at the end of the table, to Dickce’s left. They watched the child eat for a moment. Tippy seemed content as she continued to work her way through the bowl of cereal.
Dickce glanced at her watch and realized to her surprise that it was nearly nine o’clock. Why was the child out of bed at this hour? Surely she went to bed earlier than this. Perhaps, Dickce reflected, Estelle’s screaming woke her. She certainly didn’t appear to be affected by the storm that had passed over.
Dickce noticed that An’gel was fidgeting with her coffee. That meant An’gel was restless, and Dickce knew her sister was anxious to go back to the scene at the front of the house. “Why don’t you go check on Benjy?” she suggested. “He might need help.”
An’gel stood quickly. “Good idea. You don’t mind staying here?”
“Not at all,” Dickce said. She loved small children, whereas An’gel felt uneasy around them. She was as curious as An’gel about what was going on out front, but she knew Tippy needed an adult with her and was content to watch her.
An’gel hurried out of the kitchen, and Dickce watched Tippy eat. The child finished her cereal and pushed the bowl away. She reached for the saucer with the pieces of banana and examined them carefully before she chose a piece to pop into her mouth.
“You haven’t introduced me to your friend.” Dickce nodded at the bear in the chair beside Tippy. “I’d like to say hello to him, but I don’t know his name.”
“He can’t tawk.” Tippy stared at her for a moment. “But if you want to say hewwo to him, his name is Wance.” She stuck another slice of fruit in her mouth and chewed.
Dickce was in a quandary. Was the bear’s name really Wance? With the child’s lisp, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps his name was Lance instead.
“Oh, is he named after your mommy’s friend Lance?” Dickce asked.
Tippy giggled. “Yes, Wance is siwwy wike my bear, and that’s why I named him Wance.” She regarded the bear with affection. “Siwwy bear.” She went back to eating her banana slices.
What a dear little thing she is. Dickce’s heart ached at the thought of having to explain to the child that her mother was gone and wouldn’t ever come back. She knew it was not her place to do it, but unless Jacqueline returned soon, she didn’t know who would.