“No,” he said. “The sheriff and our human resources people all asked them that same question. You’re welcome to speak with them but they thought the same thing I did. That she was happy and healthy.”
“Was she dating anyone?” asked Cam.
“Not that I know of. I knew she was working two jobs so I don’t know how she’d have the time to date anyone.” He reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out an envelope. “Listen, we all wanted to do something to help her mother and grandmother. The entire group of employees here at the casino chipped in. I don’t know what they need but there’s about eighteen thousand dollars in there.”
“That’s incredibly generous of all of you,” said Ben. “We’ll make sure they get the money.”
“They’re going to do a memorial service for her on Friday. Will I see you there?” he asked the men.
“Yes,” nodded Cam. “We’ll be there.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Edie Rose was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended high school and college in the city, just to stay near her mother and grandmother. No one, not one person had a bad word to say about her.
When Adam, Cam, and Ben stepped out of the vehicle, there were dozens of people mingling in the front yard and two women seated in rocking chairs on the porch. They both looked older than their years but the death of your child or grandchild can do that to you.
“Ma’ams, we’re very sorry to hear about Edie,” said Cam.
“Did you know my girl?” asked her mother.
“No, ma’am but we were the ones that found her in the bayou,” he said softly. She reached for Cams hand and he gave it a squeeze.
“Sit down. Please, sit and have some food and drink with us. We were sharing stories of our sweet Edie.”
“She sounds like she was a wonderful young woman, working two jobs to be sure the two of you got everything you needed,” said Adam.
“There couldn’t have been a better child anywhere,” said her mother, Constance. “She made sure we were both taken care of. I don’t know what we’re going to do now.”
“Is your cancer in remission?” asked Ben.
“It is, praise the lord,” she smiled. “There’s still a lot to pay and things to do. Mostly I’m worried about my own mother now. She needs care that I can’t give her.”
“Well, ma’am, we help to run a foundation for folks like y’all. We’re going to make sure that your hospital bills are taken care of and a nurse will be here every day to help with your mother,” said Adam.
There was a collective gasp from the people standing around, staring at the three men.
“You-you can’t be serious,” she whispered. “You don’t even know how much our bills are.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Ben. “We’re going to take care of that for you, in memory of Edie. I’m sure she would have wanted that. We only wish we could have helped her before she did something so drastic.”
“I don’t know what came over her,” said Constance. “She was a happy young woman. She was tired, of course. She was working two jobs just to take care of the three of us. But she laughed, played cards with us, always danced and acted silly to make us have a lighter heart on bad days.”
“Did anything happen recently? Maybe bad news from an employer? What about a boyfriend?” asked Cam.
“She didn’t have time for a boyfriend,” said Constance looking at several young men on the porch. “Believe me, all these boys tried to ask her out, came by here often.”
The men all nodded, agreeing with the older woman. It was true. Edie was a pretty young woman, smart, and obviously hard-working. There were lots of men in the neighborhood that wanted to date her but she always said she didn’t have the time.
“Would you like to see her room?” asked the woman.
“We would, if that’s not too much trouble.”
She nodded, standing with the help of a cane and made her way into the small shotgun house. It was neat, clean, and the furniture in good condition. Photos of a young Edie were everywhere.
Edie in a cheerleading uniform. Edie in a volleyball uniform. Edie in her school uniform, every grade for twelve years. Her college graduation photo. It was a testament to Edie.
“This is her room,” said Constance. She looked out the door and back toward the people standing outside. “Now that we don’t have others around us. What is this all about? Why are you really here?”
