Sweet Mystery Read Online Free PDF

“All in all, I think things will fall into place
quickly.”
    Ellis gazed at Darcy’s slim build. “You’ve
orchestrated everything down to the last detail. Except–”
    “Yes?” Darcy turned to him.
    “Simon St. Cyr doesn’t impress me as being an
easy dupe. When he realizes you used him to get the plant built
there could be big trouble. Then what will you do?”
    Darcy wore a hard expression. “Explain the
facts of life to him.”
    “So, you’ll use Simon St. Cyr to get Dalcour
land and the environmentalists to take the heat off the Pantheon
project.” Ellis stood up to face Darcy, gazing into the younger
man’s hazel-green eyes. “How are you using me, Darcy?”
    “You already know the answer to that, Ellis.”
Darcy returned his gaze steadily for several moments, before moving
back to the leather chair facing the mahogany desk. “Now let’s talk
about Pantheon’s last offer.”
     
     
    * * *
     
     
    Toya sat glaring at Simon. “Why were you
talking to her? Eames is their attorney; you just have to deal with
him.”
    Simon heaved a sigh. “For the tenth time,
don’t tell me how to conduct business. Whoever heard of trying to
do business with someone you never meet? Don’t be ridiculous.”
    Simon gazed at his ex-wife and wondered once
again about the wisdom of having his office in Belle Rose. Toya
seemed to think she had a right to pop in at will. Of course, he
had to take part of the blame. Setting up office in New Orleans or
Baton Rouge made more sense, but sentimentalism had tugged at him.
His great great-grandfather had operated a carpentry and blacksmith
shop on this same spot for fifty years. Gilbert Williams had been
one of the few blacks operating a business during the
Reconstruction era in rural Louisiana. But, now, looking at the
angry woman standing across from him, Simon wished he’d been less
nostalgic.
    “Rae Dalcour is trouble. Something you should
know well enough.”
    “I know what you’ve told me, Toya. All I
remember hearing is that she was a teenager who liked to
party.”
    Simon stared out the window next to his desk.
A wash of sunshine painted the small, downtown scene visible from
his corner building. Rae Dalcour. She was not what he’d expected.
Growing up in the community six miles down the highway from Belle
Rose, and being four years older than Rae, he’d only heard talk of
the Dalcour children.
    Rae’s exploits had become legendary, even
with the older kids around the bayou community. Simon found it hard
to believe the wary young woman who had stood studying him was the
same person. Her voice was smooth with just a hint of huskiness to
it. That almond-brown skin had looked soft and inviting. She must
be about five foot six. Nice curves, too. He had to admit that he
was intrigued by the woman he’d met. Simon wanted to know more
about her.
    Toya’s sharp voice snapped him back from his
musings. “So you’re going to get into her underwear as soon as
possible?” She glared at him through narrowed eyes.
    Simon cleared his throat. He must be nuts
daydreaming about any woman, much less Rae Dalcour, with Toya
sitting six feet away. What was wrong with him? Toya was right
about one thing – Rae Dalcour was trouble if she could send him off
on such a tangent after only seeing her once.
    Simon did not need another scene with Toya
today. “My dating habits are none of your business.”
    “When we separated, I told you we should try
again,” she said in a quiet voice.
    “Toya, we did try. It didn’t work. You talk
like we just split up.” Simon picked up a stack of papers. “It’s
been six years. We got married for the wrong reasons.”
    Simon didn’t want to go over this old ground
again. With their families so closely bound by ties that stretched
back to the infamous scandal fifty years ago, the Jove and St. Cyr
children socialized together. His grandfather and Toya’s had been
delighted when the young couple became engaged. Toya was twenty-one
and Simon