"Promise me something please," she whispered.
"Promise me that you will have the hospital perform an autopsy after I die."
(What a bizarre death bed request - especially from someone like Maggie who hated the thought of not looking her best.)
"Why?" I asked, confused and questioning her lucidity.
I took my Blackberry out and hit the button to record her deathbed wishes. My instincts had kicked in and told me to do so.
"Tylar I don't have time to explain everything just do it. Tell them not to look for man-made toxins but for bayou poisons. This infection is not what they think it is. Don’t have me cremated. I want to be buried next to my baby in Indiana. There's the rest of your money in my purse that they checked in over at the jail. It will pay for my burial arrangements. Don't let them know you are not my daughter Tylar. You have to be my official next of kin. Your husband will confirm that if you ask him."
Her voice was getting raspy and she took a break breathing in her oxygen.
"What about my mother? What about Marla?"
"He poisoned her too," she whispered weakly.
"Who - who poisoned her?"
"Matthew did. He poisoned her and now he has poisoned me. Your mama is buried at the cemetery south of Jackson, Mississippi where our parents are buried. The Renaud family crypt is there."
She was rasping again and stopped to breathe in more oxygen.
"You have them get you her death record. There wasn't no autopsy done on her. There should have been to prove what Matthew had done to her. Miss Trinity LaFleur must have evidence or something. I know she prepared Marla for burial. Your mama was buried with your caul. You find Miss Trinity you hear? I promised Marla I would give Trinity those jewelry boxes your daddy gave her after she died. She said it was the only way that I would be safe. I wanted to keep that jewelry for myself so I never did what I promised Marla. Miss Trinity is a midwife living in Concordia Parish. She delivered you Tylar. She can fill you in. Anyone in Vidalia will know her."
I was confused by all that she was telling me. It sounded like crazy talk. What the hell was a 'caul'? Was this one final way that Maggie was going to fuck with me before she died? Why would I believe or trust her at this point? Why should I even care? It sounded bizarre. Her story had a hint of voo-doo or witchcraft flavor to it. I hadn't seen that about her growing up. It was if she could read my mind on her death bed.
"You do as I ask Tylar and you will put your mama's killer away. You find your daddy. Judge Tylar will help you if need be. You let him know it was his wife and her friend that paid Matthew all of that money. When she died the money stopped. Your mama loved you and that is the God's honest truth. I never did. I'm sorry I wish that I had but by the time you were born I was just too fucked up. Please tell Daniel that I loved him."
She breathed her last breath as her eyes closed. The screen that had been beeping suddenly flat-lined into one constant audio tone. A nurse came in right away and ushered me out.
"Aren't you going to call a 'Code Blue' or something?" I asked.
"Your mother had a DNR order. It's what she wanted. She's at peace now. I'm sorry for your loss."
I wasn't about to mention that my loss had occurred twenty-one years ago. It made sense to continue playing the daughter role for now.
"I don't want her body moved until my husband get's here," I said.
"My mother left explicit instructions with me. Let me remind you that I am her next-of-kin. She has no one else."
I called Trey at home immediately. My hands were shaking.
"Tylar," he said as soon as he picked up.
"Trey I need you here now. Maggie is gone. Please drop Preston at Gina's and get to the hospital. There is something that you need to see immediately. I need a lawyer."
Trey was at my side in less than an hour. I had managed to have my way with the nursing staff. Sandy had returned to the jail to start the process of releasing Maggie's personal effects to her next-of-kin which to her belief was me. I wasn't sure what the protocol was which is what I needed to ask Trey. Did a niece trump a half-brother as far as next-of-kin?
Trey and I went into the chapel located on the same floor as the ICU. Thankfully no one else was in there. I played the video for him of Maggie's deathbed conversation.
"Tylar I don't see any problem in requesting the autopsy. It is customary for the hospital to do that in cases where the patient has been hospitalized at that particular hospital. Given her young age I don't believe that they will be reluctant to accommodate. We can assure them that there is no concern about malpractice where they are concerned that our suspicion lies in a totally different direction."
"Good," I said relieved that we would get past the first request Maggie had made.
"Here's the thing though Tylar. I'm not sure how to define a post mortem request to look for bayou poisons as Maggie mentioned. It seems a bit eccentric I guess for lack of a better word."
"I know," I replied. "Can you somehow talk to the medical examiner Trey and simply find out if there is a way to preserve something for later testing maybe? I think that this Miss Trinity LaFleur may fill in some of the gaps where this bayou stuff is concerned."
"I'll do the best I can sweetie," he said, hugging me.
"Trey am I legally the next of kin or is Matthew?"
"That's a tough one even for me," he replied.
He thought for a moment, raking his hand through his sleep-tousled hair.
"As long as Maggie's contact information listed you as next-of-kin with no mention of Matthew; and provided that Matthew hasn't been keeping tabs on her and doesn't suddenly surface here to lay claim as next of kin I really don't think you have any concerns. If he truly poisoned her as she alleged, I doubt very much if he wants to show his face now. He probably doesn't think under the circumstances that you would even be in touch with her after she took Preston and headed down to Mississippi."
I hadn't considered that angle of it. Matthew had been the contact for the LLC that had been established for my trust and for the house in Kentucky. Matthew must have been the guy that Trey had talked to when he hung around the post office last year for nearly a full day in order to make contact. Matthew must also have been the 'business partner' she had told Daniel about when he questioned the phone calls being made to Mississippi.
(Matthew was likely a co-conspirator in the abduction of Preston!)
I looked over at Trey as he was watching me figure it all out. He apparently had arrived there first.
"We need the proof Tylar," he said.
CHAPTER 34
I had a phone call to make once Trey and I got back to the apartment. I pulled Daniel's number up in my phone's contact list. I hoped that he hadn't changed it.
I heard his voice on the other end when he answered.
"Daniel - it's Tylar Sinclair. I'm afraid that I have some bad news."
Once I had broken the news to him about Maggie's death, I filled Daniel in on the specifics concerning where she had wanted to be buried; I shared with him her message that she had loved him. He was silent for several moments.
"I guess if she said it on her deathbed then it just might be the truth for once," he said solemnly.
I explained that an autopsy was to be performed and the body would be released in a couple of days for transport to Indiana. I asked Daniel if he minded making the arrangements with a local mortuary at his end; I would do the same here to handle the transfer of her remains to the mortuary in Indiana. I told him that we would pay the cost for everything. The cash in Maggie's possession had turned out to be a little more than $15,000 which would more than cover it.
"No Tylar," Daniel replied startling me.
"I will cover the costs for this. She has taken enough from you. I want to do this."
"Are you sure Daniel? Aren't you back in school?"
"I held back some of the reward money you and your husband gave me so I'm good. I started taking night classes. I work a job during the day. My farm is out of foreclosure and I'm leasing the land to a farmer down the road so I get some income from that. I've straightened my life around because of that money. I want to do this for Maggie as well," he said.
"Well okay then. I'll call you just as soon as I get the notification that the coroner's released her body."
"Sounds good," he replied, "I'll contact the local mortuary up here as well and put them in touch with the county coroner's office down there. Is there any particular reason why they are doing an autopsy?"
"It's what Maggie wanted. She told me that before she passed away. She felt that she had been poisoned."
"No shit," he said with surprise.
"That reminds me Daniel. I remember you telling me that Maggie had run up your cell phone bills with calls being made to Mississippi last year?"
"Yeah," he scoffed, "She claimed she had some business partner down there."
"Is there any way that you can get those phone records? I'd like to have that phone number."
"Yeah I sure can. I can request copies of my phone log going back as far as I want. I'll get them for you. Do you think her business partner had anything to do with her death?"
"Just making sure that I cover all of the bases in carrying out her last requests."
I gave Daniel Trey's office address and told him to send the phone records there to Trey's attention. I assured him that Trey would get to the bottom of this and that I would keep him posted on our progress.
"I appreciate that Tylar. I know that Maggie was not good to you. The fact that you even give a damn about carrying out her dying wishes is, well it's impressive."
"She was my mother's sister Daniel and if what Maggie told me on her deathbed is true, I've a score to settle myself on my mother's behalf."
We left it that we would be in touch with one another in the next day or two.
That had not been a difficult conversation for once I thought to myself as I searched for Trey. I needed him to hold me right now. I felt vulnerable and scared with all that Maggie had told me.
Trey was in his office; his Blackberry was on speaker mode and I recognized Tonya's voice on the other end. He looked up at me and smiled; he waved for me to come in. I climbed into his lap and buried my face against his shoulder. The tears started flowing.
"Tonya, let me call you back in thirty and we'll continue updating my schedule."
Trey ended his call and pulled me back so that he could see my face.
"I know sweetheart," he said gently, kissing away my tears. "I know that it hurts baby."
Trey lifted me from his lap and took me by the hand leading me to our room. He sat me on the bed and removed my boots and socks.
"Climb under the covers baby," he instructed.
I did as he said and he tucked me in. He sat beside me on the bed gently stroking my face with his fingers. He leaned over and kissed me warmly.
"You've been through a lot these past few days Tylar. Why don't you take a nap while I go and pick up Preston from Gina's? The three of us will spend a nice quiet day together. I'm having Tonya clear my calendar so we will have the whole week together, okay?"
"Thank you Trey. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Now close your eyes. I'll sit here with you until you fall asleep."
I wasn't sure how much later it was when I awoke. Someone was on the bed with me. Someone that was fussing and saying, "num-num" over and over again.
Trey was sitting on the edge of the bed and Preston was crawling towards me.
"Sorry baby," he said smiling. "I was trying to feed her some pureed carrots but she wants num-num."
"That's okay," I said pulling the covers back to let her in, "She's just what I need at the moment."
I pulled my sweater off and rolled onto my side making myself available to Preston. She quickly latched on and started nursing.
"What time is it Trey?"
"It's nearly noon. Are you getting hungry?"
"A little bit. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. How about if I make some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?"
"That's my favorite comfort food," I said smiling up at him.
Trey was also just what I needed.
"OK then lunch will be ready as soon as Preston finishes," he said on his way to the kitchen.