François' Quest

6

"We married very young." She started. "I was only eighteen. We were very happy together. He was so funny. A real comedian. He made me laugh all the time."
She couldn't look at François when she spoke about her husband, she stared into her coffee, stirring it just for something to do.
François smiled but felt the point of a knife prick his heart. No man ever likes hearing about another man making 'his woman' happy.
He had decided already that she was for him.
She felt shy about saying these endearing personal things about her husband, at the same time felt funny about talking about her husband to François. She couldn't figure out why she felt funny. Could it be that she was having feelings for François? Oh that seems ridiculous. She only just met him.
She hesitated. It was obvious that she was having difficulty getting her thoughts across.
"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" François asked gently.
"No! Go ahead.......that might be a lot easier for me." Lowdian felt lighter all of a sudden.
"What was his name, first of all?"
"Denzil Allen."
"I am sorry if these questions are a little difficult for you but I have to ask them." He didn't want to distress her in any way.
"That's all right. Go ahead." She had a good stiff talk with herself last night then prepared herself for the worst. She wanted so desperately to get to the bottom of this. She wouldn't rest until it was done. Feeling so very grateful that François was willing and beyond able to help her was wonderful. "I can manage."
He notice that she looked much stronger today than yesterday. "How did the coroner rule his death?"
"He went missing you see. So there was a search for him. It went on for days. Then some tourists by happenstance found him in a cave. They were exploring, as tourists do sometimes and came across his body. Poor souls. The police investigated the scene. They claimed that Denzil was climbing or hiking, then fell and rolled into this cave."
"Oh really? Was your husband a climber or hiker?" François was being sarcastic. What a bizarre conclusion they came to.
"No!" Lowdian laughed. "He was nothing of the kind. If you saw where they say he fell and the location of his body inside the cave you would laugh in their faces!" She was getting emotional.
"What did he do for a living?"
She hesitated.
Opened her mouth to speak.
Closed it.
Looked to the left then to the right to see if anyone was listening.
Looked behind her.
She was behaving like a spy passing on information to the enemy. Then she leaned over the table a bit, waited for François to join her in the middle so she could whisper something to him.
He looked at her for a minute. Figured out what she was doing. Leaned in. The truth is.......he wanted to kiss her. He found himself looking at her lips.
She whispered, "He discovered something."
"What did he discover?" François was whispering back. His eyes reaching hers.
"He discovered the cure."
François whispered back, "The cure?"
He was confused, "The cure for what?"
"For many things." Lowdian whispered after she checked her surroundings again.
"What do you mean, for many things?" François was intrigued but felt in the dark somewhat.
"He found the cure for......cancer."
"What?! What are you saying? The cure? What do you mean 'the' cure?" François could hardly believe his ears.
"It's true. Certainly like anyone that finds the cure for cancer, AIDS, HIV, hepatitis, diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson's......you just don't......you can't, keep it to yourself. You want to tell the world. That is exactly what he did." She said emphatically.
François sat back in his chair from his 'whisper position' and crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head to one side, through slightly slit eyes he just examined her face, examined what she just told him. She was a very intelligent woman.
He believed her. But he could not believe what she was telling him. "How is this possible? No one has discovered the cure for cancer? The FDA or the pharmaceutical companies said nothing about this. Surely they would, if they knew. Wouldn't they? The Cancer Society is quiet. What is going on? This is like a bomb shell. Then again, maybe they ........do know ......and are hiding it. Wow! This blows my mind."
Lowdian just sat back with her head tilted to one side watching François watching her. She was waiting for what she said to kick in. He would figure it out. She was sure of that. With all his education, with his subsequent genius, expertise, experience, he was the perfect person to help her with this. She was comfortable with the silence. Wait! Just wait! He will get it, she told herself. She was sure.
He loved the lines around her mouth, how her eyes slopped down just a little at the corners. Her hair was her own. It was long, she had it straightened. He didn't like most Jamaican women that got extensions, braids and 'what, what'. He loved natural. She was a natural woman. But her personality, her integrity were her strong points. That is where the real beauty lay.
François went from staring at her through slits to a wide-eyed question, "More coffee?" He asked flatly.
"Yes, please!" She responded flatly. "I think I am hooked on almond flavored coffee."
They both smiled.
He got up without a word. Acted like she hadn't said anything of any significance to him. Took her 'yellow' cup to the counter with his. She rested her face in her hands, fingers intertwined, with elbows on the table, while he was gone. She was smiling. 'I pick 'em good don't I?' She was proud of herself. She 'let' him pick her at China Express. She had been watching him. The owner of China Express was a friend of hers. Tristan Jones. He didn't have a very Chinese name. He was third generation Jamaican.
His great-grandparents migrated to Jamaica in 1900. Tristan knew her husband. He was sure that Denzil had been murdered. He knew François Graham was the best sleuth Jamaica had. Maybe even the world. If anyone could help his friend it would be François Graham, another friend of his. He told Lowdian that François was a P.I. and was used in many cases that the police simply dropped because they were simpletons. François would pick them up and solve them. Even the tough ones. Lowdian got a phone call from Tristan every time François would come to eat at China Express. Lowdian sat at her table in the window. She sincerely wanted to meet François but didn't know how. So let's see if he would come to her.
He did.
He brought their coffees over then disappeared again. A minute later he came over with two plates with slices of carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
"This is my favorite cake."
Lowdian just looked down at the cake then up at François' face with a huge smile of disbelief.
"I know." He smiled.
"How could you know?" Lowdian asked. Still smiling. Starting to laugh.
"Because it's mine too."
François was overwhelmed at how much they had in common so he took a chance on the cake too, it paid off. He was so grateful to Tristan Jones. Because each time the lonely, sad Lowdian Allen came to the China Express François would get a phone call from Tristan telling him to come over for dinner.
The night François and Lowdian came to dinner and sat at a table all to themselves Tristan was thrilled.
His great-grandparents started the restaurant. His grandparents took it over. Then his parents took it over. Now he and his wife managed it. As he looked over at the two young people talking to each other, laughing together, in his restaurant, he would say out loud to no one, in his best Patois,
"Mon, if dis restauran ting no work out, mi can always set up people pon each oder an mek a ting."
And he started laughing out loud, went into the kitchen to see about their order.
One of the things that Lowdian immediately loved about François, he was an exceptional listener. He listened with his whole being. He said nothing but would let her talk. She knew that he was taking everything in. Listening was an art. François had mastered it just like everything else that he put his mind to.
Honestly and truthfully she needed someone. A private investigator with grit, determination, integrity, righteous indignation and honesty. Coupled with the intelligence to understand what she was talking about when she talked. That is what she needed but never imagined that she would find someone like that. That is what she saw in François. One thing that she never imagined, in a million years, is that she would be attracted to him too!