worst possible thing happened. The doorbell rang. I answered it without thinking.
It was my mother.
She was wearing one of her pale pink power suits with a matching bag and heels. Her short blond hair was perfectâas always. Iâd been dyeing the gray out of my black hair since I was eighteen. Sometimes I âaccidentallyâ allow a silver streak to show.
Not my mother. Her blond hair was always exactly the same shade as it had been when I was a child. Her blue eyes were keen, taking in the two men. She entered the room like a force of nature. Thatâs why she always won when she went to court. I could only imagine the fear in someoneâs eyes when they faced her across the bench when she became a judge.
There was no doubt in my mind that sheâd win the election.
âWhatâs going on, Ted?â She didnât even acknowledge Uncle Saul.
I knew they had been a couple before she and my father were married. But that was a long time ago.
My father, being the man he was, spilled everything to her in a matter of seconds. They didnât get divorced because he wasnât willing to do whatever she told him. It was more a matter of the things she
didnât
tell him to doâincluding other women he enjoyed being with outside their marriage.
Uncle Saul rolled his eyes and got another drink.
âI knew all that secret society and krewe nonsense was nothing but trouble.â My mother summed up her beliefs on the subject.
âAnabelle, that isnât true,â Daddy defended. âThey do a lot of good in this city. This was just a mistake.â
âA mistake that could cost our daughter her life!â My mother snarled like a tigress defending her cub. âWe have to get Zoe out of town.â
âSee?â Daddy laughed at Uncle Saul. âThatâs exactly what I said after I saw the ghost of Old Slac this morning.â
âWhat are you talking about, Ted?â my mother demanded. âHow much have you had to drink?â
âNot enough,â he drawled.
âRunning away wonât help this situation, Bella.â Uncle Saul tried to reason with her.
Iâd never heard him call her by that name before. Iâd never heard anyone call her by that name.
She ignored his lapse in judgment. âGo home to your gator, Saul. I think Ted and I know whatâs best for our daughter.â
I was tired of listening to everyone talk about me like I wasnât there. âIâm not going anywhere, Mom. Iâm working the next two weeks. Do you know what an opportunity it is to be part of carnival?â
âQuiet, Zoe. Go pack a bag.â My mother took out her cell phoneâpink like her suit. âIâll arrange for a private plane to take her to New York. Sheâll be fine there for a few weeks.â
âI need to go,â Daddy said. âOld Slac said Iâm in danger, too.â
âAnabelle, Ted, just listen for a minute.â Uncle Saul tried to reason with them.
As their arguments grew louder, I kissed Crème Brûléeâs nose and told him to be a good boy. âLetâs go before this gets any uglier.â
He bit my nose a little and licked it before I picked him up in my arms. It was as though he completely understood what I was saying. Heâs such a smart kitty.
I grabbed my bag, too, and said good-bye to my relatives. As I walked out the door, I heard my mother yell, âSheâs leaving! Someone do something!â
Her words only brought on more arguing. I closed the door to the apartment and pressed the button for the elevator. It was blessedly quiet on the trip downstairs. Not so much when I walked outside, as a large high school band was marching down the middle of the street.
Two makeshift floats followed them. The street was already littered with beads and tiny toys. Everyone stood on the sidewalk, watching and waving. There was no way to leave the immediate area, but I