Sweet Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

twenty-five.
    But Simon realized within the first year of
their marriage that they were not in the least bit suited to each
other. Toya was possessive and willful, and there were numerous
screaming matches until, after only two years, they separated. For
over a year, Toya held onto him, refusing to settle their divorce.
She used every legal excuse to delay until finally her own attorney
told her it was no use.
    Toya leaned forward. “You came back to me
once. I remember that night.”
    Simon winced. Driven by guilt and misdirected
compassion, he’d made the mistake of staying with her after the
annual Mardi Gras party. And he’d regretted it immediately. “It’s
no good between us, Toya.”
    She stood up abruptly. “Sorry to bring up
such a painful memory. Try not to get sick,” she hissed. “You go on
sniffing around Rae Dalcour. I’ll be there to gloat when she drags
you down into her own filth.”
    “Toya, stop it. This is what pushed me away
from you.” Simon tried to hold onto his temper. “Now, I’ve got work
to do. Goodbye.”
    As usual they could not manage to part on
cordial terms. He watched her stomp out; the door to his office
banging shut behind her. Simon let out a groan. His office door
opened again.
    Baylor Hill, Simon’s friend and sometime
business partner, appeared in the doorway. “Well, what’s up with
Queen Toya now? She snapped my head off just for saying hello.”
    “Same old, same old.” Simon waved him in.
    “Ah.” Baylor grinned. No further explanation
was needed. “Man, you’ve got more patience than ten saints. I would
have cut the woman off completely years ago.”
    “In a way I can’t help but feel sorry for
her. Ms. Lorise died when Toya was only twelve and her father was
killed ten years later in a boating accident.”
    “Yeah, well, that doesn’t give her the right
to treat people like crap.” Baylor was not in a forgiving mood when
it came to Toya. “Of course, having Rae back in town is probably
not helping.” He leaned forward with interest.
    “Baylor, you’re a worst gossip than my
elderly aunts.” Simon shook a finger at him.
    Baylor ignored the jibe. “So what was she
like when you talked to her the other day? They say she is one wild
woman. Been playing blues in tough nightclubs all over the
country.”
    Simon once again thought of the lovely face
that had turned up to look at him earlier that day. Yes, she had an
air of suppressed energy. Rae had stood straight and looked at him
without a hint of shyness. She was strong, but there was something
else in those big brown eyes. A prick of heat touched his
spine.
    “I expected her to look... different,” Simon
murmured.
    Baylor nodded. “From the way folks talk, you
would think she’d looked all used up and rough.” He stared at his
friend with speculation. “But I hear she’s good looking.”
    “Yeah,” was all Simon said. He remembered the
thick, black hair pulled back in an effort to tame its coarse
curls, lying in one large braid down to her shoulders. What would
it look like loose, framing her face?
    “And you’re meeting with her tomorrow?”
Baylor fell silent for several minutes. “Oh-oh, I see flashing
yellow lights signaling caution.”
    Simon blinked at him. “What?”
    “Don’t get pulled in. Everybody knows the
Dalcours are trouble. Besides, there are loads of women you can
choose from that don’t carry that baggage. You’ve still got to do
business in this parish.” Baylor goaded him and was rewarded with
the expected reaction.
    Simon crossed his arms. “You should know
better than to quote one of those ‘everybody knows’ kind of
generalizations.”
    “Lucien Dalcour was always picking fights
with Mr. Henry. Proof he wasn’t screwed too tight,” Baylor said.
“Toya’s grandfather is the meanest old dude around.”
    “Darcy and his grandfather think that
property could be a prime camp ground area, and I do, too.” Simon
got up to point at the large map on the wall