Black Cat Crossing Read Free Page B

to be ready when Bobby Joe Flowers arrived.
    I didn’t feel ready.
    The man standing in front of me was my father’s first cousin. My first cousin, once removed. The ne’er-do-well prodigal cousin I’d heard about my whole life but had never met.
    “Is Rojo here?” he said.
    A lump the size of an apricot formed in my throat. Rojo. My dad’s nickname for his sister, Rowena Josephine. I didn’t like the sound of her pet name coming from this man’s lips.
    I cleared my throat. “She’s recovering from a serious injury,” I said, intending to send him on his way, but my aunt was too close and had heard every word.
    “Bobby Joe, don’t even think about hitting on this young lady,” Aunt Rowe said.
    I turned, surprised to see she had managed to get up and now stood a few feet behind me on her crutches.
    “Give me some credit,” he said. “Would I hit on Saint Richard’s daughter?”
    He gave me a smarmy smile that made me cringe inwardly. How did he know who I was? Even if he’d received childhood pictures of me in annual Christmas cards, which I doubted, it didn’t make sense that he would recognize me at thirty-eight. And what was up with him referring to Dad in that snide tone of voice?
    Bobby Joe entered the house as if he lived here and went up to his cousin. “Place looks nice.” He leaned in and gave Aunt Rowe a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry to hear about your leg. What happened?”
    Aunt Rowe and I exchanged glances. This was normally where she’d offer refreshments to someone who came calling, but her stiff posture and the lack of warmth in her expression told me how she felt about this unexpected visit. By her silence, I guessed she didn’t even want to tell him how she’d tumbled down the stone steps leading to the river. I checked my watch. This would be a great time for Thomas to get back.
    Using the most formal tone I could muster, I said, “What brings you to Lavender, Mr. Flowers?”
    His lips curled up, and he laughed. “Well ain’t you a chip off the old aunt? Call me Bobby. We’ll be gettin’ to know each other right quick seein’ how I’ll be living in these parts from now on.”
    “Living here?” Aunt Rowe said. “In Lavender?”
    “That’s right. I’m stayin’ with a friend, so you don’t have to worry about puttin’ me up for now. But you might want to have a seat before I fill you in on the rest of my news. Wouldn’t want you to take another fall.”
    So he already knew she’d fallen? How? Not everyone with their leg in a cast had injured themselves by falling. My stomach twisted into a tighter knot with every word the man said. He wasn’t the type to care if Aunt Rowe asked him to leave. Unless we could bodily throw him out—an impossible task—we were stuck with the guy.
    I went over to Aunt Rowe and put a hand on her arm. “Let me help you.”
    She went willingly to her seat on the wicker chair, but she didn’t relax against the pillows. Bobby Joe took one of the chairs facing her, and I sat in the other.
    “Spit it out, Bobby Joe,” Aunt Rowe said. “I don’t have all day.”
    He grinned, drawing out the telling of whatever he’d come to say. He propped one of his spanking-new boots on the opposite knee. “I had a medical procedure recently, too. Not so serious as yours, Rojo, but it led to finding out a damn interesting fact about my blood.”
    “And you came to share your medical history with me,” Aunt Rowe said, regaining some of her composure. “How special.”
    He ignored her sarcasm. “See, my blood don’t have much in common with my brother’s or sister’s. Imagine my surprise. I’m here to tell you I think my blood’s a lot more similar to what you got runnin’ through your veins, Rojo.”
    “What?” I blurted. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
    He chuckled. “Let me finish, little lady.”
    “Explain yourself,” Aunt Rowe said. “Before I throw you out of here on your ear.”
    Bobby Joe leaned forward and fixed his gaze