Chapter Twenty-eight

The next morning they almost had to crowbar each other out of the small shower, but they managed. By the time Bailey, Ralph, and Chase arrived to bring them breakfast, they had changed the sheets and were having coffee on the boat’s deck.

“Mom, you go, girl,” Bailey said as she sat on Tully’s lap.

“Go where?” Tully asked, and everyone laughed.

“It’s an expression that means you did good, goober,” Bailey said with a roll of her eyes.

“I knew that. I was just testing you.”

“Sure you were, and I was talking about the hickey on your neck,” Bailey said, making Libby and Tully blush.

“Don’t get any ideas, Chase,” Tully said, adding one more blusher to the crowd. “I’m going to start doing thorough examinations of Bailey’s neck.” She held Bailey to keep her from getting up. “Just kidding, Bailey Bean, so wipe that scowl off your face.”

“Can we go fishing today, Mom?” Ralph asked.

“Sure, we can take the boat out, just not too far. I’m not sure what kind of debris is out there and don’t want to sink on my first trip out. That would give your uncles fodder for years to come.”

A car door slammed behind them as a deputy who appeared to need a diet got out of the driver’s side.

“Tyler, how’s life treating you?” Tully asked, letting Bailey up. The visiting officer was her cousin Tyler, but she hadn’t seen him in a while.

“Can’t complain much except for the size of my waistline.” He took off his sunglasses and put his boot on the side of the boat. “Got a minute, cousin?”

Tully leaned against the squad car and after some conversation said, “Part of me wants to hear that you’re kidding.” She rubbed her chin and released a long breath. “And part of me wants videotape.”

“That’s part of our procedure now.” Tyler wrapped his fingers around his utility belt as if it was getting ready to fall off. “That’s not the reason I’m here, though.”

“Of course not.” Tully laughed. “I figure my mother’s been filling you in on my personal life lately, and you sound like you’re just getting started on your story.”

“Aunt Alma told me just a little of what’s going on with you. That’s why I figured you’d want to know Jessica was in the car with this woman.”

“Okay.” Tully dragged out the word. “Once more from the top.”

“The car was doing ninety on Highway 1 along Bayou Terrebonne, which is just crazy. We fished the Cheost boy out of there last month after looking for him for a week.”

Tully laughed again. “Let’s focus, buddy.”

“Sorry. It took us about ten miles to get the driver to slow down and another ten for her to pull over. Herby thought the woman was intoxicated, so he tried to administer a sobriety test.”

“You’ve been practicing, I see.” She raised her thumb in approval. “If you were testifying in court, I’d say you did your job or, I should say, Herby did his job. What was his basis for the field test?”

“This woman”—he flipped through the notebook he took out of his shirt pocket—“Kara Nicolas fell out of the car when Herby opened her door after she refused to get out. He said he thought she would’ve gotten violent if Jessica hadn’t been there to keep things calm.”

“Did she pass?”

“No, and she refused the breathalyzer test so we had the right to take her in. From what Herby said, she couldn’t walk a straight line if her life depended on it.”

“I doubt you would’ve found something even if she’d agreed to it. Drinking isn’t her problem. Where is she now?” Tully fell back against the car feeling as if she’d run a mile as fast as she could.

“Down at the local lockup. The sheriff is about to ship her off to the middle of the Gulf if she keeps on threatening to sue everyone in sight.” He was close enough to Tully that their conversation stayed private. “I offered to call you for Jessica, but she turned me down.”

“Imagine that. She would’ve probably rather run her hand through a table saw than have you call me. Where is she now?”

“Down at Mrs. Robichaux’s bed and breakfast place. She’s been trying to find an attorney, but she hasn’t had much luck with everything going on. We didn’t have the damage that New Orleans did, but the farther south you go the worse it gets.” He glanced down the waterway at Gaston’s boat. “How’d Uncle Gaston and the boys make out?”

“They lost all their nets and some rigging on their boats, but mostly okay.” Tully smiled at Libby but didn’t move. “Think you can arrange for me to see Kara? You can even call Jessica to be there if you want.”

“You thinking of representing her?”

“Right after I join a cult that worships buffalo that wear leis made out of artichokes.”

Tyler almost pushed Tully over after he started laughing. “Still a smart-ass, I see.”

“It’s part of my charm.”

“I’ll head back to the office and see if the queen of whine is up for visitors. If you’re part of some lawsuit against her, I can’t imagine she’d be up for it, but I live to be surprised.”

“What’s going on, honey?” Libby asked when Tully joined them again.

Tully gave her the rundown on what Tyler had said and finished by telling her she wanted to visit Kara. Libby didn’t agree with the idea of Tully going alone, but nodded anyway.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so once I leave, but I have a couple of phone calls to make first,” Tully said.

“To whom?”

“It might be a problem, but I need to see if I can get in touch with Neil before I do anything about Kara. As the administrator of the hospital, he should be informed about what’s happened and know that I’ll have a videotape before the end of business today.”

“I thought the phones weren’t working.”

“They’re not, but I want to try. It’s time to finish this.” Tully moved closer and put her arms around Libby. “You don’t agree with me?”

“I’m more than ready, but I don’t see how you’re going to go to court anytime soon. From the news we’re getting out of the city, and after seeing it firsthand, we won’t be back to normal for a long time.”

“Let me start with going to see Kara Nicolas. After that, things should just fall into place.”

Libby kissed her over her heart. “That’s what I love about you, baby. Your optimism.”

“I’m really optimistic about getting lucky when I get home,” Tully said softly.

“That’s not a real stretch, Counselor.”

“Mom?” Bailey put her hand on Tully’s back. “They didn’t put Mama in jail too, did they?” Bailey had obviously overheard most of their conversation.

“Just the driver, babe, and in this case it was Kara.”

“Where is she, then?” Bailey asked in a tone tainted with disappointment.

“She’s staying at the bed and breakfast down the road,” Tully said.

“When were you planning on telling us?” Bailey sounded like she was starting to get angry.

“Didn’t you see me over there talking to Tyler? I just found out and I’m telling you.” Tully let Libby go and took Bailey in her arms. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Bailey didn’t have enough strength to get away from her and began to cry.

In a show of support Ralph came up and put his arm around Bailey’s waist. “I think I know what’s wrong, Mom.”

Tully started walking backward, not letting go of Bailey until the backs of her knees hit the chair they’d been sitting in. The sudden outburst of emotion from Bailey took Tully by surprise since she thought they had created a relationship that had lifted Bailey’s spirits along with her self-esteem.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Tully asked.

“If Mama stayed, why didn’t she stay with us?” Ralph appeared as broken as Bailey. “It’s like her new girlfriend is more important than anything or anybody in her life.”

Ralph had uttered the truth that Tully had tried to ignore. She had dealt with Jessica’s abandonment in her own way, finding her second chance with Libby, but had glossed over what it had done to her children. As much as she wanted to be enough for both of them, she knew they missed their mother. Jessica’s actions had cut deep, and Tully felt she hadn’t done enough to make up for that loss, especially at this difficult time in their lives when love had to be proven over and over again, like the simplest tasks being taught to an addle-minded person.

Tully had to tell them the harsh truth, because Jessica refused to. “Is that what’s wrong?” she asked Bailey, who nodded. “I don’t know why your mama did what she did. Leaving me was one thing, and I somewhat understand her motivations there, but honestly I don’t understand when it comes to you two.”

“She doesn’t care, she never did,” Bailey said.

“Bailey, you know that’s not true, and I know this is going to make you angry”—Tully glanced up at Ralph so he’d know she meant him as well—“but you need to wait on that judgment.”

“I don’t need to wait to figure out what I already know,” Bailey got out between sniffles. “Some crankhead is more important than me and Ralph. Those are the facts, as you love to say.”

“Okay, I’ll concede that point because I don’t have a counterargument, but I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” both Ralph and Bailey asked.

“Right now you have every right to be angry, and no one should try to convince you otherwise, but one day you might want to listen to her side of the story. That might be tomorrow or a couple of years down the line. Whenever it might be, don’t let your anger get in the way of a relationship that could be important to you.”

Bailey sat up and wiped her face with the tissue Libby handed her. “You’re not going to make me change my mind?”

“Honey,” said Libby, “I think your mom knows she’d have better luck trying to get you to join a convent than change your mind about something like this. If you were about to do something harmful, then she’d pull out all the stops to get you to reconsider, but not on something like this.” Libby put her hand on Bailey’s cheek and wiped away the last of her tears. “Just try to talk to either of us before it eats you up inside. Because by now I hope you know, when it comes to you and Ralph, neither of us is going anywhere.”

Bailey pointed at Tully with her thumb. “Just remind her of that when she tries to make me do something I don’t want to.”

“Sometimes I wish I had that luxury,” Tully said. She kissed Bailey’s forehead before opening her free arm to embrace Ralph and repeating the action. “The last thing I want to do is waste my time visiting Kara Nicolas, but that’s exactly what I have to do so let me get going.”

Please Keep All Your Clothes On When Visiting The Inmates! The sign in the waiting room of the local jail always made Tully laugh. She could only imagine what the guards had seen to make them put it up in the first place.

“Tully, she’s in room three,” the guard behind the Plexiglas window said before pressing the buzzer that released the door lock.

Being in this confined space, though it was cleaner than most jails, made Tully glad she hadn’t picked criminal practice. She could still count on one hand the number of times she’d had reason to visit places like this.

“You woke me up from a nap for this?” Kara asked when she stopped in front of the glass. “I thought the idiot was kidding when he said you wanted to see me.” She pointed at the guard.

“You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. As a matter of record, I need to inform you that you should actually have your counsel present before we exchange another word.”

“Hell, you’re the first attorney who agreed to come, so why the hell not. It’s not like I’m going to suddenly break down and confess to something I didn’t do.” Kara dropped into her seat and casually lounged back.

“You do realize I can’t represent you. If you’ve forgotten with all the trouble you’ve gotten into since the storm, I’m suing you on behalf of the Hebert family.”

“Still don’t know the definition of ‘accident,’ do you?” Kara pressed her fist against the glass. “Considering how Jessica talks about you, I wouldn’t hire you to represent me for the traffic ticket this is going to result in.”

“It’s my understanding it’s a little more complicated than speeding, but no matter. I don’t see Jessica whipping out any miracles for you. Don’t believe everything someone tells you just because she’s willing to sleep with you.”

“She couldn’t have been that bad if you’re still wearing your wedding ring.” Kara’s eyes dropped down to Tully’s hand.

Tully glanced down as well. The gold of the band felt warm against her thumb. “I met Jessica in college and thought for the longest time that she would help me improve those parts of myself that refused to let go of the kid raised by a hardworking fisherman and a housewife. I believed I had to abandon that part of myself for her to be proud of me.”

“Should I have tears in my eyes by now?” A laugh dripping with sarcasm bubbled out of Kara’s chest. “When I started tapping Jessica, I’d feel sorry for you sometimes. You think us fucking on your bed was a mistake?” She laughed again. “She did it because she knew you’d never figure it out. And here you are still pining away. Jessica was right, you’re pathetic.”

“Thanks for sharing. I see that this is a complete waste of my time.”

The policeman sitting with Kara stood when she punched the glass hard enough to make it rattle as Tully rose to leave. “Hit too close to home?” she taunted.

“I didn’t come for you to try to provoke me on dead subjects.”

“What’s that mean?”

“To the Hebert couple you’ll always be the person who killed their child.” Tully leaned forward and pressed her fists into the small counter. “No matter what I think of someone personally, professionally before I move ahead with my plans I like to see if they still have any redeeming quality, any remorse for the misery they’ve brought other people. I came to get a sense of where I need to head next.”

“Does that road lead you to hell?”

“When the Heberts came to me, at first I thought of them as grieving parents who couldn’t accept that their child had lost a fight to cancer and that this was just a senseless tragedy.”

Because Tully was still standing and the guard had forced Kara back into her chair, she had to crane her neck up. “That’s all you’ll ever have because that’s what happened. You’re only pushing this case because of Jessica.”

“If anything, I’m willing to cut you some slack because of Jessica. Not because of what you think, but because I owe you my thanks for putting that last much-talked-about nail in the coffin of the relationship we had.”

“You think I’m falling for this?”

When Tully placed her hand against the glass, the ring Libby had given her clicked against it. “Jessica gave me twenty-two years of her life, and two children. And she and the Heberts brought you into my life. But she never gave me a ring. That came from the woman who I plan to spend the rest of my life with.”

Tully laughed when she saw the shocked expression on Kara’s face, but shook her head when Kara balled her hands into fists. Since she knew that Kara’s first response to anything was violence, Tully looked forward to getting her out of their lives as soon as possible.

“I wish you the best when it comes to Jessica. If you need my blessing, you have it. Turns out the best thing I could have changed in my life to be happy was the girl.”

“You aren’t kidding, are you?”

“I only tell tales when I come home from fishing.”

“Wait!” The chair scraped a little wax off the industrial tile when Tully pushed it back into place, but Kara kept her seat. “What are you planning to do?”

“So many things that I don’t have time to list them all. If you’re worried I’ll forget you, you’re definitely in the top five of my things to do.” At a nod from Tully, the guard moved to the door to unlock it for her. “Enjoy your stay and I’ll see you soon.”

“The sheriff’s ready to see you,” the guard said as he showed Tully out.

Walking across the waiting room toward the sheriff’s office, Tully slowed only when she saw Jessica sitting under the only window staring down at her shoes. Her wrinkled blue scrubs appeared to be the same ones she’d come to town in.

“You need a minute, Tully?” the patrolman asked.

“Just with Carl.” Tully kept walking.

A huge moose head hung over the sheriff’s desk with a plaque that proudly announced where and when Carl had killed it.

“How in the hell did you find a judge in New Orleans to sign this?” Carl asked, holding up a court order. “And in less than twenty minutes after you found out about it?”

“You always told me when you have your prey in the scope, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger.” She picked up the videocassette he slid over. “This isn’t the kill shot, but it’s good bait to line up my trophy.” She pointed up to the moose head.

“This going to put an end to Evangeline’s case?”

“With any luck, yes.”

“Herby will be ready if you need him to testify. Those folks have suffered enough, and they deserve the justice you’re going to give them.”

“You got it, Sheriff.” She tapped the tape. “And thanks for this.”

“Does this mean you won?” Jessica asked as Tully headed for the exit.

“The sad thing is that you’re the only one who doesn’t see that she needs help.” Tully stopped with her hand on the doorknob.

“Just let it go, Tully.”

“For old times’ sake, huh?”

“For once, prove to me that you have a heart.”

“My proving days are over, and you lost the right to ask me for anything a long time ago.”

Jessica stood up when the guard called her name, but her attention stayed on Tully. “You bitch.”

“When it comes to certain things I guess you’re right, but you knew that already. I haven’t changed all that much since you left or from the time we met.” The heat from outside warmed Tully’s legs and side as she opened the door wider. “I just had a conversation with Dr. Nicolas, and I’ll tell you what I told her. If you need my blessing for a life together, you have it. I really do want you to be happy, Jessica, no matter what your opinion of me is. If it’s with Kara Nicolas, then so be it; only find the strength to help her make the hard decisions.”

“There’s no going back for you, is there?”

“You taught me something with all this, so no.”

Jessica put her hand up to her forehead and shaded the sun streaming through the door Tully was holding open. “You’re going to tell me I taught you how to hate me?”

“You taught me that you weren’t enough for me anymore, and that’s okay because I wasn’t enough for you either.”

“Of course she’s enough for you. She’s, like, ten years old. How hard is she to keep happy?”

“Libby isn’t up for discussion. Not now and not ever, so try and remember that. I realized I had only so much time to make up to Bailey and Ralph what I had neglected for too long.” She paused as if to let her words sink in. “I don’t want them to think they were an afterthought in both our lives. They deserve better than that.”

“I’m sure you’ve had ample time to warp their feelings for me.”

“You can’t have forgotten that much about me already. Your relationship with them will have nothing to do with me.”

Jessica let out a short laugh. “Just like everything in my life, what I make of it will have nothing to do with you.”

“Finally we agree to agree on something. You’re on your own, darlin’. Try and make the best of it.”

With that final bit of advice, Tully walked out and left Jessica to her visit. Tully was sure that Jessica felt the storm surge had washed away any concerns and consequences resulting from Kara’s arrest and disrupted law enforcement to the point of chaos.

And she was partially correct. Tully was a good lawyer, but she knew the rules had changed in this post-Katrina world. She had lost her arena. The courthouse at Tulane and Broad Street where she had slain her dragons had been deluged by six feet of water.