Chapter 14

Kid knocked at the door softly and on hearing the soft 'come in', he let himself in. As soon as he stepped into the room and realized Lou was nursing the baby, he blushed and quickly turned his back to her. "I…I'm sorry, Lou. I thought you'd be decent."

Louise smiled at his reaction. "Kid, you sound as if I was in the middle of some dishonest activity. I'm just feeding my baby. It's something natural," she said as she caressed Alice's soft head.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kid replied, blushing even more and glad that she couldn't see his red cheeks. "It's not right for a man to intrude in that intimate moment between a mother and her child."

"If you say so," Lou said, trying to stifle the laughter bubbling in her throat. It was silly that Kid should be so prudish around her. He had seen her naked body many times before, and just three days ago he had witnessed when she gave birth. It was ridiculous to feel awkward because he could see her breasts while she nursed her baby… but Kid was Kid, nobody like him.

He kept his back turned to her and heard her hum a soft tune to the baby. "You know you have an older brother, Alice?" Lou said in a soft voice after a few minutes. "Yeah, you have. His name is Joseph and he's gonna love you so much. He's not here but we'll soon be together… you, me and Joseph." Annoyed, Kid stiffened at her comment, which clearly left him out once again and revealed Lou's clear intentions. He didn't say anything as she continued talking to the baby. "And do you see this shy man here… you know, the one who has bought you all those nice clothes and kisses you good morning and night every day? He's Joseph's daddy and we'll have to make room for him… because he's part of our family, Alice."

At her words Kid swirled round and smiled brightly, feeling like a fool for having thought the worst of her just seconds ago. Lou had finished nursing the baby and held her upright against her shoulder to help her burp. She met Kid's eyes and smiled back.

The intensity in her gaze made him blush once again. He moaned inwardly, realizing he was acting like a silly teenager in front of her more and more. Since when did he blush so easily?

"How are you feeling today?" he asked after a beat.

"Fine… fine."

Kid wasn't surprised by her answer and wouldn't have expected another one. Since the first day after having Alice, Lou had repeated the same words, she was fine and was ready to leave. For once Kid had managed to persuade her to stay in this town for a while, using the baby as his argument. He could understand she was eager to find Joseph; he also was, but it was crazy to go back so soon to the search when she had just had a baby. Kid had told her that they should wait for the doctor who visited the town every Thursday and make sure Alice was healthy.

Yesterday Dr. Williams had finally examined both the baby and Louise, assuring that they were both in perfect health. So her next question didn't surprise Kid one bit. "Kid, when are we leaving?"

Kid sighed and sat down on the bed. "Lou, maybe we should wait…"

"No!" Louise exclaimed, cutting him off. "You heard the doctor. Alice and I are both fine!"

"Yes, I know, but you're still sore, Lou. Don't deny it because I have eyes."

"But, Kid, we'll be travelling in the wagon, not on foot. I'll be comfortable enough and so will Alice, and then you know the journey on train from Danville will be easy."

There was nothing Kid could say to change her mind, and that very day they left Bensley. Kid helped Louise lie on the back of the carriage comfortably while he drove it. They reached Danville late in the evening and stayed the night in a hotel. Early in the morning they boarded the train that would take them to Charleston, and this time the journey was smooth and without problems.

As they got off the train and joined the crowded city, they were overwhelmed by a sensation of strangeness. "And now what, Lou?" Kid asked.

They had reached their destination, but they hadn't talked about how they'd find the Culpeppers in a huge city like Charleston. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. "We need to locate Virginia Cooper," Lou stated.

"How?"

Lou sent him an irritated look. He wasn't making things easy. If he simply stopped to think for a bit… "In church," she replied as she rocked Alice in her arms, who had started to complain. "The holy ministers in this city must know their parishioners, and I remember Virginia being a church-going kind of lady. So we just need to ask."

"There must be a bunch of churches in this city," Kid protested. "It could take us very long to check all of them."

"Well, the sooner we start, the better chances we'll have to find Virginia," Lou replied stubbornly.

Before starting their search around the city, they rented a couple of rooms in a hotel. Despite her desires to tag along Kid, Louise had agreed to stay in the hotel while Kid made the necessary inquiries. The baby needed her rest, to be changed and to be nursed every two hours. So Kid was to find out about Mrs. Cooper's whereabouts and then they would go to see her together.

As he had foreseen, the mission he had at hand wasn't simple or easy. The city was much bigger than he had thought, and locating the ministers wasn't a piece of cake either. He managed to talk to a few of them, but at the end of the day he hadn't managed to get the information they needed.

When Kid returned to Lou without news Louise felt her heart crumble and her hopes weaken. The fear that they might be after a ghost like Kid had warned her at the beginning of the journey became more of a possible reality. What if Virginia Cooper didn't live in Charleston anymore? Lou hadn't known anything about the lady long before she had gone to jail. So much could have happened in those years… for all she knew, Virginia Cooper might even be dead now.

Louise didn't voice her concerns to Kid, not wanting to jinx everything with her fears. Early the following morning Kid went on his search again. Louise stayed in the hotel like the day before, waiting an agonizing wait. At mid-morning unexpectedly her door burst out open and Kid ran inside. "I found her, Lou!" he exclaimed happily.

Louise took the paper that he gave her and read the address on it. You were right," Kid added. "She's stinking rich and lives in a very wealthy area."

"Oh I'm so glad and relieved!" Louise exclaimed, kissing the paper in her hands almost reverently. "Let me change Alice and we'll go now."

Kid nodded. This time he wouldn't try to dissuade her to let him handle the situation. If would be easier if Lou talked to the lady since she already knew her. As Lou changed the baby's diaper, Kid looked at her and noticed her expression. He could tell she was feeling the same apprehension as him. Even though they were closer to their aim, they were also close to learning whether Lou's hunch was right or not. If the Culpeppers weren't in Charleston, all this odyssey would have been a waste of time, which would leave them broken and lost about how to find their son from then on.

About half an hour later they stood before a tall, white house with an imposing iron fence. A wisteria vine lay entangled through the metal engravings and beyond that, the whiteness of the house shone in all its splendor. Kid pushed the ajar gate open and they crossed the beautiful garden, in full bloom at this time of the year. When they reached the spacious porch, Lou passed Alice to Kid and rang the bell. A few seconds later, the door opened and a portly, black maid appeared. She looked at Lou questioningly and Lou said, "Good morning. Is Mrs. Copper at home?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Would it possible for us to see her? We've come all the way from Richmond just to talk to her."

"I'll ask my missus first."

The maid let them in and while she went inside, Lou and Kid waited in the luxurious hall. Rich, oriental carpets covered the floor; a gilt wood console table stood against the smooth, lined wall, a matching, carved mirror hanging above it. Beyond the hall a magnificent staircase rose gracefully and above them bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

"You were definitely right, Lou," Kid whispered. "She's rolling in money."

The maid returned a few minutes later and told them that the lady of the house would receive them. Lou and Kid followed her to a drawing room which was as richly decorated as the rest of the house. In the middle of the room stood a white, satin sofa on which a fierce-looking lady sat. Her grey hair was pulled up in a neat bun, her face full of wrinkles and her posture proud. Despite the elaborate dress she was wearing in perfect harmony with the rest of the house, Lou quickly spotted a patch on the lady's sleeve and noticed the lack of luster in its color. It seemed that all this luxury was a façade and Mrs. Cooper was going through similar hardships like the rest of the South.

"Oh I remember you," the woman said, pointing her finger at Lou when she saw her. "You were my sister's tenant, weren't you? What was your name? I forgot."

"Louise, Mrs. Cooper."

The lady shifted her eyes to Kid and the baby in his arms. "So I see you finally found somebody who made you a decent woman."

Lou ignored the remark, annoyed that the woman could imply that her virtue was questionable in front of Kid. Of course it was, and Kid knew everything about it, but she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. She hated when people judged her so freely, especially when they had no idea what they were talking about. The comment, though, made her fear. Virginia Cooper seemed not to have any idea about why she was here or anything else. If Dorothy Culpepper was here, Mrs. Cooper had learned her involvement in this matter from her niece. Or maybe she was simply putting on this act to cover for Dorothy. "Mrs. Cooper, I came to ask you if you had seen Dorothy lately."

"My niece Dorothy?" the woman asked and at Lou's nod she carried on, "Yes, she was here a few days ago, but I sent her packing. She knows she's not welcomed in this house. I told her so in a letter long ago. She shouldn't have married that oaf Culpepper. Stupid woman! As far as I'm concerned, she's no family of mine anymore."

"Mrs. Cooper, she has my boy," Lou muttered, her heart sinking at the knowledge that she wasn't nearer to know where her son was than she had been before coming here.

"That boy with her was yours?" Virginia exclaimed. "Then she's more stupid than I thought. What is she thinking about?"

"Ma'am," Kid spoke up after being quiet all this time, "do you know if they are still in the city or where they were heading?"

"I'm sorry but I can't help you," the woman replied. "I really don't know."

Lou and Kid left the house in low spirits. They had reached a dead end and it seemed there was no easy way out of this. "What are we going to do now, Kid? The Culpeppers were here days ago and might have gone by now. Where do we look now?" Lou asked bitterly, a black perspective rising before her.

"I know, but let's not despair," Kid replied absently as he kept deep in thought. He finally turned his whole attention to Louise and said, "Lou, whatever your feelings are about it, we're going to the sheriff now and report those two. If they're still in Charleston, the odds of locating them will be higher if we count on the sheriff's help. The law is in our side, Lou, and I'm not going to fold this time."

Louise lowered her eyes to her baby, bitterly wondering if she'd ever have her other child back. Things weren't very optimistic now and she was very scared. "Yeah… you're right," she admitted in a whisper.

"Good… let's go."