Death Tidies Up. Barbara Colley

and make it stick—but we’ve been after Vince for years.”

      “But just because you believe the father is shady,” she argued, “that doesn’t necessarily mean that the son is part of it.”

      “Not just shady, Charlotte. Corrupt! Through and through. As for his son, he’s nothing but a rich-boy hoodlum. He already has a juvy record. And if you ask me, I say a rotten apple never falls too far from the tree.”

      “Guilt by association,” she challenged.

      “Well,” he drawled, “you know the old saying about birds of a feather.”

      “That’s ridiculous. Todd can’t help what his father is.”

      “No—no, he can’t, but there’s another saying too, something about children learning what they live.”

      Charlotte didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think that Cheré would have such poor judgment in men. But she was a realist too, and she knew that even the brightest, most intelligent women were sometimes fooled into falling for the wrong men.

      “Charlotte, all I’m saying is that your friend needs to be warned. If you really care about her, just urge her to be cautious.”

      Charlotte nodded, but during the rest of the meal, as she tried concentrating on eating the gumbo, she kept thinking about what Louis had said. The gumbo tasted just fine, and in fact, was surprisingly good, almost as good as her own. But Louis’ revelation about the Roussels had succeeded in chasing away any appetite she’d had. Though she managed to eat what was in her bowl, her concern for Cheré took all of the enjoyment out of the meal.

      To Charlotte, her employees were like an extension of her family. And Cheré in particular was dear to her heart. She’d long admired the young woman’s spunky approach to life. Like herself, Cheré hadn’t had an easy time of it, but had made the most of what life had dealt her.

      Once they had finished, to her relief, Louis quickly cleared the table. Then he dragged out every sample of tile and carpet that he’d collected, along with several brochures on cabinets, kitchen appliances, and bathroom fixtures.

      “Why don’t you show me what appeals to you?” she suggested. “Then I’ll try and give you the pros and cons about it.”

      “I think I’d rather see what appeals to you first,” he countered.

      Charlotte stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. Then she narrowed her gaze and a shrewd smile pulled at her lips. “You haven’t picked out anything yet, have you?”

      A sheepish look came over his face. “Caught red-handed,” he admitted. “But I like how your place looks,” he hastened to add. “It’s comfortable but nice without being fussy.”

      “Fussy?”

      Louis waved a dismissive hand. “You know, frilly, woman-type stuff.”

      She was certain that in his mind, he thought he was paying her a compliment, and though she wanted to point out how chauvinistic he sounded, she held her tongue and tried not to take offense.

      Going through the samples and brochures did serve a good purpose, though. Not only did she get some ideas for updating her own home, but it took her mind off the disturbing revelation about the Roussels and provided a brief diversion from her concerns for Cheré.

      When Charlotte returned to her own half of the double, the cuckoo clock was signaling the hour. “Great,” she muttered, when she realized that it was already ten o’clock. “That’s just great,” she added tiredly.

      All too soon, it would be time to go to work again…to the Devilier house. As she locked her front door, it suddenly hit her that she never had told Louis about the open window or the intruder.

      “Tomorrow,” she told Sweety Boy, who was perched on his favorite spot on top of the cuckoo clock. “I’ll call Marian and report it tomorrow.”

      But Sweety ignored her and continued squawking with each sound the cuckoo made. “Not that you care, huh, you little rascal?” Charlotte shook her head and laughed. She’d long suspected that the silly little parakeet thought the cuckoo was a real bird, but what she couldn’t figure out was if Sweety was jealous or simply starved for companionship.

      While she listened to her phone messages, she coaxed the little bird back into his cage. Once she’d covered him for the night, she prepared the coffee pot and set the automatic timer. The last thing she always did before climbing into bed was brush her teeth and wash her face, and tonight was no exception, despite her exhaustion.

      She’d told her crew to meet her at the Devilier house at seven Saturday morning, so she set her alarm clock for five-thirty, figuring that an hour and a half would give her plenty of time to go through her regular morning routine. Then she automatically picked up the book sitting beside the clock.

      There were few things she enjoyed more than burying herself in a good mystery novel, and she tried to make time to read at least a little each night at bedtime.

      But not tonight, she decided as the words blurred and swam before her eyes after she’d read only a few lines. With regret, she placed the book back on the table. Just as well, she thought. Five-thirty would come around all too soon.

      Once she’d switched off the bedside lamp, she snuggled down in her bed. Though faintly, she could hear music coming from Louis’ half of the double, and she smiled when she recognized an old Righteous Brothers song. She and Louis might disagree on a lot of things, but evidently, one thing they had in common was their choice in music.

      She was just drifting off when Louis’ words about Todd Roussel intruded. He’s nothing but a rich-boy hoodlum. Again she thought of Cheré and wondered what, if anything, she could do.

      Then the song ended, and within seconds, yet another one she recognized all too well began. Charlotte felt her throat grow tight as she listened to the familiar lyrics, a sad song full of longing…of lovers separated yet hungering for each other.

      For her, it had been a lifetime of hungering for someone she could never have. There was no wondering if he was still hers. And it did no good to wait for him. A terrible war in Asia and death had ended her wait…forever.