Only By Moonlight Page 4

  “I’ll bet there was plenty of drama,” LaShaun said.

  “When a large inheritance is involved, things can get real ugly real fast,” Pete agreed.

  “You don’t have to tell me. I lived it,” LaShaun muttered. She thought about the bad feelings in the Rousselle clan about Monmon Odette’s legacy. It still bubbled just beneath the surface.

  “Vincent Metier owned a little over one hundred acres, the mansion, a successful business, and more buildings. I’m sure whatever fight she had must have been intense to last so long. I suggest you look at the parish court archives.” Pete hit a key and the printer hummed.

  “Transcripts will tell me who contested the will and the arguments,” LaShaun replied.

  “You’ll get an account of the entire family feud in their words. It’s the next best thing to stepping into a time machine and being there,” Pete said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He handed LaShaun the pages he’d printed.

  “I bet you’d mortgage everything you own to get a real time machine.” LaShaun took the pages.

  Pete sighed wistfully. “Sylvia would stop me, but what a prize that would be.”

  “Your wife is very sensible,” LaShaun murmured as she read through the pages in her hand.

  “She can be quite adventurous, but when it comes to the house, I’m afraid she put her foot down. It was built in 1896 you know. We’ve had several offers,” Pete said.

  LaShaun glanced up at her friend and laughed. “Gee, Pete. Sounds like you’ve given this buy a time machine thing some thought. Lucky for Sylvia one hasn’t been invented.”

  “She insists that our grandchildren should have fond memories of visiting us during summer school breaks. Oh well, maybe someday,” Pete replied with a shrug and sigh.

  “You really want to experience war, pestilence and outhouses? No thanks. I’ll settle for reading historical records. Thanks for the starting point. I sure wish they’d mentioned Vincent Metier’s murder though.” LaShaun stood.

  “I’m not surprised they didn’t want to air dirty laundry in public. You might strike gold if you find personal journals from family members. I included the names of some descendants still living in the area,” Pete said and pointed to the papers LaShaun held.

  “Hmm, I see what you mean. I’ll contact some of the descendants and ask if they could help complete our collection. Maybe they found family journals in an attic or something.” Pete grinned as he rubbed his hands together.

  “If they haven’t tossed them in the trash,” LaShaun said with skepticism.

  “It’s possible, but people in these parts place a lot of value on family memorabilia. I love my job,” Pete exclaimed and started scrolling through pages on the computer screen again.

  “You’re almost as good as a time machine the way you pull tidbits from history,” LaShaun replied with a grin. “I’ll wait for your call. Thanks again for that wonderful mug of hot chocolate.”

  “You’re very welcome, but I get something out of this as well. You keep life very exciting for this old guy. Except for the evil supernatural creatures bent on spreading death and destruction part of course,” Pete added matter-of-factly without taking his eyes off the computer monitor.

  “Um, yeah. Right. Later.” LaShaun shook her head and left.

  ***

  Two days later LaShaun sat across from Chase’s younger sister, Katie, and his brother’s wife Adrianna. Piles of catalogues covered the kitchen table in Chase’s kitchen. The former family home stood on two acres of Broussard property.

  “We’ve decided on all this stuff. Do we really have to go over this again?” LaShaun said wearily.

  “Every detail must be checked and double checked,” Katie replied crisply. She had the tone of a general preparing for a huge military operation.

  “The wedding is going to be pretty simple,” LaShaun protested. “At least, that’s what I’m fighting for anyway.”

  “Of course it’s going to be a simple yet elegant wedding. Now, I’ve confirmed that we have tents for the food. Mrs. Trenton has the arches ordered with the flowers we selected. It’ll be set up under grandmother’s oak tree.” Katie sighed and pointed through one of the kitchen windows. “Such a lovely setting. Oh, and Mrs. Trenton and her employee are going to wrap flowers around the trunk of the trees.”

  Adrianna gave LaShaun an encouraging smile. “It’s going to be beautiful the way Katie sketched it out. We’ll have an arch of flowers on the patio with a little raised platform for you, Chase, and the preacher to stand on.”

  “And chairs for the guests on the lawn. Adrianna’s brother will use his lawn care equipment to do a perfect manicure of the grass,” Katie added.

  “We’ll save money on chairs for the guests. Most of the Broussard family and their friends aren’t coming,” LaShaun murmured.

  Adrianna and Katie exchanged a glance before Katie spoke up. “Concentrate on the people who will show up. They’re the ones who really care about you and Chase.”

  “Right.” LaShaun slowly turned the pages of a travel catalog.

  After an awkward silence for a few seconds, Adrianna cleared her throat. “I see you looking at romantic honeymoon destinations. So speaking of that, what about a magical island paradise getaway?”

  “Or the big city for a change?” Katie put in. “New York can be so exciting. That’s where Jeremy and I went on our honeymoon. We saw Broadway plays, strolled in Central Park, and went to posh restaurants.”

  “No,” LaShaun cut into their excited chatter. “Either way, Chase says he won’t be able to leave for a while. If Chase is elected Sheriff, he’ll have to get right to work almost immediately. If he doesn’t win, then the new sheriff will need his support, so it’s got to be someplace close.”

  “Like how close,” Katie said with a frown.

  “Someplace in easy driving distance I’d think. We’ll take a four day weekend at the most. Then a few months later we can go on a longer trip,” LaShaun replied and shrugged again.

  Adrianna pouted. “Well shoot. That’s no fun! I was picturing a welcome home party and seeing video of you guys enjoying an exotic place.”

  “Or walking hand in hand in Times Square,” Katie put in. “Wait, maybe you can go to Paris or the south of France. We all have French ancestors.”

  “Like I said, a big trip isn’t in the cards right after the wedding. That’s the life of a dedicated officer of the law. Honestly, I don’t care about a honeymoon. We’ll have each other, and that’s the most important thing to me.”

  “A honeymoon serves a true purpose. You get to extend the romance until you settle into a routine home life. These rituals can be very important,” Katie announced with a crisp nod, sounding like her bossy mother. “Now where’s a romantic place close by?”

  “The swamp? They can hold each other close while they listen to the adoring grunts of gators mating,” Adrianna joked. She and LaShaun burst out laughing. They stopped when Katie crossed her arms and squinted at them.

  “Besides, Chase and I have been lovin’ on each other for months, so the honeymoon can wait.” LaShaun winked at Adrianna.

  “We need to focus ladies. Time is short. As the chief coordinator, I plan to have everything be perfect for the happy couple,” Katie snapped. “Now let’s get serious and think.”

  “What about a romantic bed and breakfast close by? A friend’s husband treated her to one in New Iberia and she loved it,” Adrianna said.

  “That’s it!” Katie blurted out with such fervor that Adrianna and LaShaun jumped. “The Metier House is close by and perfect.

  LaShaun had been forming an argument to forget the idea, but the name brought her up short. “What did you just say?”

  “It’s called The Sweet Olive B & B. A couple from Vermont bought it two years ago. But everybody local still calls it the old Metier House. I hear they’ve done so well, they now have spa services, a guided tour of the restored gardens, and made the restaurant bigger.” Katie whipped out her smart phone an
d tapped the screen. A few minutes later, she showed a picture from their website.

  “Wow, that’s looks dreamy,” Adrianna said.

  “Yeah, dreamy,” LaShaun murmured and took the phone from Katie.

  The house had three stories with porches that wrapped around the first and second floors. Large round columns supporting the porches made the house live up to its description as a mansion. Dark pink, lighter pink, and white azaleas bloomed against the pristine white structure. A wide packed earth driveway led up to the first floor porch steps. An impressive front door painted dark green had beveled glass windows on either side.

  LaShaun grabbed her cross-body bag. “Okay, let’s go. Katie can drive since she knows the way. Or we can follow the GPS on one of our phones.”

  “Wh-what? But we still need to make up the final menu for the caterers.” Katie blinked rapidly and shuffled through the catalog until she found her tablet computer. “We should have some fancy appetizers. Now I think these bacon wrapped shrimp would be perfect. Also…”

  “Sure, I agree with everything you suggest. I trust your taste completely. Let’s get moving,” LaShaun started to stand, but Katie pulled her back down.

  “We can’t just march over there and expect a tour with no notice,” Katie said in a scandalized tone. “These people are running a business, LaShaun. We have to make an appointment. Besides, Chase should go with you so he can be part of the decision.”

  “I’ll take him later. Now let’s get shaking. I’m so excited about this idea I don’t want to wait. That house looks like a dream come true, dripping with history and atmosphere.”

  “I’m game. Anyway, we don’t need to do anything but go in and look around. LaShaun can make reservations while she’s there. I mean, like you said, Katie, the wedding is right around the corner. It might already be too late depending how popular they are in the spring. A lot of these old houses have fascinating stories about the former owners.” Adrianna stood and picked up her purse. “Oh c’mon, Katie. Wedding planning should be spontaneous and fun.”

  “Good gravy, LaShaun. You went from not caring about a honeymoon to practically giddy. Let me just organize all my materials so I’m not lost when we get back.”

  Katie fussily arranged the catalogs in her own system to help her remember details. Then she insisted that LaShaun and Adrianna wait while she made final notes. Finally, she called her husband to update him on where she would be. Adrianna grabbed her left arm and LaShaun grabbed her right arm. They marched her out of the house. LaShaun set the house alarm and locked the front door. Minutes later, Katie sat behind the wheel of her Jeep Cherokee grumbling. She ordered Adrianna to call ahead to the bed and breakfast. The wife answered the phone and cheerfully informed them they were more than welcome.

  “Thank the Lord for small favors that they don’t mind us barging in on them,” Katie said when Adrianna ended the call.

  “Don’t be silly. They’re innkeepers for goodness sakes,” Adrianna replied. “Welcoming strangers is their business. So they have a spa you said. I may convince Bruce to come with me one weekend. We can drop the kids off with his parents.”

  “The website said they have a couple of hot tubs and a masseuse. She uses those warm stones to help relax the muscles. The walking paths through the restored gardens lead to a pond with geese. They even have peacocks on the grounds. The new owners re-created the way the estate was kept over a hundred years ago,” Katie said.

  Adrianna gave a low whistle. “Dang, the original owners must have been loaded with bucks.”

  “The first Metier got a land grant back in the mid 1700s. He made his fortune trading in furs in New Orleans. Two of his sons moved to the area around 1806 I think,” LaShaun said, reciting the history Pete had emailed her from the museum.

  Katie took her gaze from the highway for a few seconds to glance sideways at LaShaun. “I thought you didn’t know about this place.”

  LaShaun blinked back from her musings. “Oh, well. I’ve been studying the history of the parish for a while. You know my family came to Louisiana generations ago. I just happened to remember a few facts about the Metier family.”

  “Right,” Katie replied as she gazed ahead again.

  “They were very prominent. Their names are throughout a lot of historical documents. Two of the Metier sons founded small settlements, but they don’t exist now,” LaShaun went on.

  “Okay,” Katie said.

  Adrianna and Katie became quiet. LaShaun could almost hear their thoughts. She started to assure them that there was nothing spooky about the house, but in truth, she couldn’t guarantee any such thing. Not from what she’d read in the old newspaper article Miss Rose had showed her. LaShaun decided not to make promises she couldn’t keep. Not until she walked onto the property. Who knows what kind of aura had been left behind after at least one bloody incident? The murder seemed to have been grisly enough to have left some trace behind. LaShaun just hoped it wasn’t in the form of wandering spirits. Or at least, none that showed up to scare the crap out of her future sisters-in-law. She had few enough allies in the Broussard family as it was.

  Thirty-five minutes later, they arrived at the Metier Mansion. The pictures had done the historic structure justice. Except for the flower shrubs having no blooms yet, the house and broad driveway looked just like the photos on the website. Sunshine made the white paint of the wood columns gleam. They parked in the lot adjacent to the house. Katie snapped a picture of the house with her cell phone once they got out of the car.

  “Okay, now we’ll check availability first and make a tentative reservation in case you fall in love with what you see. This place is very popular. Ready?” Katie tucked her phone into a side pocket of her leather purse.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Adrianna snapped a salute.

  “Should we march in single file double time, ma’am,” LaShaun added standing at attention.

  Katie heaved a long suffering sigh. “I feel like I’m herding a group of thirteen-year-old girls on a school field trip. Stop giggling and let’s go. Sheesh.”

  LaShaun and Adrianna smothered laughs as they followed Katie up the front steps. A wreath made with weathered wood and draped with Spanish moss decorated the front door. The word “Bonjour” was painted on a half moon sign above it. Katie opened the front door and strode in. A waist high desk served as the checkin area on the left. Four stuffed chairs covered in fabric with blooming roses and camellias were arranged against two walls.

  “Bienvenu, ladies. Welcome to Sweet Olive.” A woman with her dark hair cut short in a page style beamed at them from behind the desk. “I’m Marion Saunders, owner and happy hostess of this establishment.”

  “So nice to meet you. We’re wondering if you have a bridal suite and if it’s available April twenty-sixth through April thirtieth,” Katie replied looking around.

  “Let me see. We have quite a few reservations so we may not have anything.” Marion lightly tapped the keys of a computer on a lower shelf of the desk.

  “You don’t have an old fashioned book?”Adrianna asked. She peeked down to see the sleek monitor.

  “We keep it kind of hidden to preserve the nineteenth century ambiance,” Marion replied with a smile. “But we need twentieth century reservations software since we’ve become so popular. Ah, here we go. No, sorry. That month is booked solid.”

  “Well, I guess there’s no point in looking around. Thank you anyway,” Katie said. She pulled out her phone and began her search again.

  “Not so fast,” LaShaun said quickly. “I love old homes. I’d like to take a tour anyway.”

  “What’s the point? They don’t have any dates available in April. There’s another B&B near New Iberia. I can call them right now.” Katie was already dialing.

  “Fine, you work on that. I’ll look around,” LaShaun said.

  “I want to come, too,” Adrianna put in.

  “Excellent. This is my husband Harry. Watch the desk while I show these ladies around,” Marion said
to a friendly looking man who walked in. His thin hair had gone from blonde to mostly gray.

  “Sure thing. Nice to see you, ladies.” Harry nodded at them and stepped behind the desk. Just then, a couple descended the lovely carpeted stairway with a burnish stained oak railing. Harry was soon busy showing them tourist brochures of area attractions.

  “You know, we very well could get a cancellation or two. So you should have your friend leave her contact information. We love hosting newlyweds,” Marion said as she led the way through an arched entrance. Moments later they were in a lovely dining room.

  “Katie is already married. LaShaun is the blushing bride,” Adrianna replied.

  “Congratulations. You’re from the area?” Marion smiled at LaShaun warmly.

  “Born and raised in Vermilion Parish,” LaShaun said.

  “Oh I really hope someone cancels,” Marion said in a low confidential tone. “Of course, we value out-of-town guests, but I have a special fondness for Louisiana folks. Harry and I have loved it since we moved here. People are so open and welcoming.”

  “The restaurant has a lot of historic charm,” Adrianna said. She fingered a lace linen napkin on an antique buffet table.

  Katie came in. “My, but I love this room,” she said.

  “Was this the original formal dining room?” LaShaun walked around pretending to admire the decor. She tried to pick up any vibrations left from previous residents.

  “Actually this was the formal parlor for entertaining. A smaller ladies parlor was over there, and then there was a music room. Through this arch was the formal dining room,” Marion explained.

  “This house is huge,” Adrianna murmured aside to LaShaun.

  “We expanded the room to make two smaller dining areas. We can use those for private parties or a reception. Of course, you can rent the entire restaurant if needed. We can turn what was the library on the east side into a restaurant for other guests. There’s no private party booked on your wedding day.”

  Marion’s perky voice faded into the background for LaShaun. Katie and Adrianna became absorbed in Marion’s sales pitch. LaShaun walked across the lobby. She entered what had been the library, where Vincent Metier was brutally murdered one hundred and seventy-six years before. Harry Saunders smiled at her and nodded as he talked on the phone at the front desk. LaShaun smiled back. She entered the long room. Beautiful floor to ceiling bookshelves were on the north facing walls. A fire place had two large stuffed chairs arranged in front of it. An archway led into a smaller area. LaShaun started to walk out again but stopped, pulled to turn back toward a seating area. Four chairs were arranged around a teakwood table. Four sofas, large and small, along with chairs were arranged in different parts of the room. Guests could easily find a comfy corner for conversation, or find a spot to be alone. Several chairs near windows or in two corners offered seclusion. Suddenly a strong smell of cigar smoke and whiskey hit LaShaun. She swallowed hard.