Kathy Reichs: Bones to Ashes

“You’re bilingual, aren’t you, sweetie?”

She looked confused.

“You speak both French and English.”

“What does that mean?”

I took another tack.

“Can we chat, just you and me?”

“Oui.” She joined me at the table.

“You like word games, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“How does it work?”

“Say a word that describes things and I’ll make it round.”

“ Gros,” I said, air-puffing my cheeks.

She screwed up her face. “You can’t do that one.”

“Why not?”

“Just can’t.”

“Explain it to me.”

“Words make pictures inside my head.” She stopped, frustrated with her inability to clarify. Or with my inability to understand.

“Go on,” I encouraged.

“Some words look flat, and some words look crookedy.” Scrunching her eyes, she demonstrated “flat” and “crookedy” with her hands. “Flat words you can make round by adding o at the end. I like those. You can’t do that with crookedy words.”

Clear as a peat bog.

I thought about my initial exchange with Claudine. The girl spoke a jumbled Franglais, seemingly unaware of the boundaries between French and English. I wondered what conceptual framework divided flat from crookedy words. “Sparkly” and drôle were obviously flat. Gros was crookedy.

“Fat.” I tried my initial word in English.

The green eyes sparkled. “Fat-o.”

“Happy.”

She shook her head.

“Fort.”

“Nooo. That one’s crookedy, too.”

“Fierce,” I said, baring my teeth and curling my fingers in a mock monster threat.

“Fierce-o.” Giggling, she mimicked my fierceness.

Whatever semantic ordering her mind had created would remain forever a mystery to me. After a few more exchanges, I changed topics.

“Are you happy here, Cecile?”

“I guess.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. Smiled. “But I like the other place, too. It has big birds on poles.”

The house in Tracadie. She’d probably been there when Harry and I dropped in.

“Can you remember where you were before you lived with Obéline?”

The smile collapsed.

“Does thinking about that place make you sad?”

“I don’t think about it.”

“Can you describe it?”

She shook her head.

“Was someone mean to you?”

Claudine’s sneaker made tiny squeaks as her knee jittered up and down.

“Was it a man?” Softly.

“He made me take off my clothes. And.” The jittering intensified. “Do things. He was bad. Bad.”

“Do you remember the man’s name?”

“ Mal-o. He was bad. It wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course it wasn’t.”

“But he gave me something cool. I kept it. Want to see?”

“Perhaps later—”

Ignoring my reply, Claudine shot from the room. In seconds she was back carrying a woven leather circle decorated with feathers and beads.

“It’s magic. If you hang it over your bed you’re sure to have good dreams. And—”

“Why are you harassing Cecile?”

Claudine and I both turned at the sound of Obéline’s voice.

“We’re having a chat,” Claudine said.

“There are apples on the counter.” Obéline never shifted her scowl from my face. “If you peel them we can make a pie.”

“OK.”

Twirling her dream catcher, Claudine stepped past Obéline and disappeared. In moments, the sound of singing drifted down the hall. “Fendez le bois, chauffez le four. Dormez la belle, il n’est point jour.”

I translated the child’s tune in my head. Chop the wood, heat the oven. Sleep, pretty one, it’s not daytime yet.

“How dare you,” Obéline hissed.

“No, Obéline. How dare you ?”

“She has the mind of an eight-year-old child.”

“Fine. Let’s talk about children.” My tone was polar. “Let’s talk about your sister.”

All color drained from her face.

“Where is she?”

“I’ve told you.”

“You’ve told me lies!”

Slamming both palms on the table, I leapt to my feet. My chair capsized and hit the floor like the crack of a gun.

“Évangéline wasn’t murdered,” I said, tone as hard as my expression. “At least she didn’t die at sixteen.”

“That’s nonsense.” Obéline’s voice wavered like an audiotape that’s been overplayed.

“Harry found Bones to Ashes, Obéline. I know Évangéline wrote those poems. Some of them as recently as 2001.”

Her eyes darted past me to the window.

“I know about O’Connor House. I’m tracking the purchase order. I’ll bet Virginie LeBlanc will turn out to be you or Évangéline.”

“You stole from me.” She spoke without bringing her eyes back to mine.

“I hate to break it to you, but what you and your husband have done is infinitely worse than pinching a book.”

“You misjudge us, and make hurtful accusations that are untrue.”

“What happened to Évangéline?”

“This is none of your business.”

“Was that the reason? Business? What the hell, the kid works for Daddy. It’s not in the job description, but I’ll strip her, tie her with ropes, and take a few shots. She’s young and poor, needs the work. She won’t rat me out.”

“That’s not how it was.”

I slapped the table so hard Obéline flinched. “Then tell me. How was it?”

She spun to face me.

“It was my father-in-law’s business manager.” Tears wet the gnarled flesh. “He forced Évangéline to do it.”

“Mr. Evil No Name.” I wasn’t buying it. If there was such a person, Obéline had to know who he was.

“David fired him the day of his father’s death. I only found out about the pictures later.”

“What happened to Évangéline?” I’d keep hammering the question as long as I had to.

She stared at me, lips trembling.

“What happened to Évangéline?”

“Why can’t you leave well enough alone?”

“Well enough? Who’s well enough? Évangéline?”

“Please.”

“What happened to Évangéline?”

A sob rose from her throat.

“Did your husband kill her?”

“Don’t be crazy. Why do you say this?”

“One of his henchmen?”

“David would never let anyone hurt her! He loves her!”

Obéline’s hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror.

As before, I felt a coldness spread through me.

“She’s alive,” I said quietly.

“No.” Desperate. “David loves her memory. Her poetry. My sister was a beautiful person.”

“Where is she?”

“ Bourreau! Leave her alone.”

“I’m the bully?”

“You will only cause her pain. You will only hurt her.”

“Is she with this man?”

I remembered Obéline’s words from earlier. How had she put it? David and this man needed each other.

“She won’t want to see you.”

“He’s hiding her, isn’t he?”

“Pour l’amour du bon Dieu!”

“What? Did hubby swap your sister for Claudine? Needed a newer model?”

Obéline’s face tightened into a mask of fury. When she answered her voice had gone harder than mine.

“J’vas t’arracher le gorgoton!” I’ll pull out your windpipe!

We locked glares, but I looked away first. Was I feeling a touch of uncertainty? A motor sound drifted in from outside. Grew louder. Stopped. Shortly, the front door opened. Closed. Footsteps ticked up the hall, then Ryan strode into the dining room.

“Ready to roll?”

“Definitely.”

If my vehemence surprised Ryan, he didn’t let on.

“What about Claudine?” I asked, scooping my notes and phone into my purse.