Page 34 of Xavier

The old man harrumphed. “Well, someone ought to tell ’em.”

“If you could go with us to the cemetery and identify the tombs, we can let their families know,” Lissette said.

“No need for dat,” Mr. Fournier said. “Made a list when I inspected de damage yesterday. Come in. Come in.”

Lissette climbed the porch steps, followed by Xavier.

Mr. Fournier stared up at Xavier, his eyes narrowing. “Who be dis man?”

“I’m Xavier Xander, a Bro⁠—”

“Mr. Fournier, this is my boyfriend.” Lissette hooked her hand through Xavier’s arm. “He’s here to help me gather the information we need to notify the families.”

Mr. Fournier stuck out a hand. “Well den, welcome. Normally, I don’t get many visitors.” He held the screen door open and waited for Lissette and Xavier to enter the dim interior of the old cabin.

Inside was surprisingly clean. The tiny living room contained a single, faded lounge chair and a television on a stand made of concrete blocks and wooden planks.

The sexton led them into the kitchen, where a dinette straight out of a fifties catalog stood in the corner, its Formica top flecked with gold, black, and gray. Two chairs with shiny red vinyl seats were pushed up against it. A pad of paper lay on the table, with a list of plot numbers, items taken, and the names of the families to whom the plots belonged.

“Mr. Fournier, this is wonderful.” Lissette smiled at the old man. “This will save us so much time. I thought we’d have to go tomb by tomb to gather all this.”

Mr. Fournier shrugged. “It’s my job to care for the cemetery. I only wish I coulda been there when it happened. I might’ve been able to stop ’em.”

Lissette touched the old man’s arm. “Oh, Mr. Fournier, it’s probably best you weren’t there. You might’ve been hurt.”

His cheeks flushed a ruddy red. “Well, now, dat’s kind of you.”

“Do you mind if I take a picture of your list?”

“Not at all. Knock yourself out,” the sexton said. “Dat female deputy used her cell phone to take a picture of de list. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t.”

Lissette pulled out her cellphone and snapped several pictures of the list, reading quickly through the names. She’d have more time later to go over it in private and come up with a game plan. When she had all the photos she needed, she turned to Mr. Fournier. “Despite the fact that it’s been vandalized, the cemetery is still interesting and tells the story of the people who came before us. I still want to take Xavier there.”

“I’d like that,” Xavier said.

“Do you need me to go with you?” Mr. Fournier asked. “I was dere earlier. I like to get out dere before the full heat of de afternoon sunshine.”

Lissette held up her cellphone. “You don’t need to come with us. Since we have the plot numbers and the names listed, we shouldn’t have any problem finding our way around.”

The old man took a handkerchief from his back pocket and rubbed it over his face. “Danged heat is gettin' to me. I’ll be goin’ for dat iced tea I offered.” He raised both eyebrows. “Not too late to take me up on it.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lissette said, “but we need to be going to see the cemetery before dark.”

The flash of disappointment on the sexton’s face nearly melted Lissette’s resolve.

“I’ll try to stop by tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. Fournier.” Lissette leaned toward the old man’s face and planted a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. “You’re a sweetheart.”

His face burned a bright red. “Now, I wouldn’t go dat far.” He waved toward the door. “Now, go on. Shadows are already growin’ long.”

Lissette and Xavier left the sexton’s cottage, climbed into the truck and set off for the cemetery.

Half a mile past Mr. Fournier’s cottage lay the cemetery, with tombs and stones dating back a few centuries.

“You came here yesterday, by yourself?” Xavier asked as he slowed to a stop and shifted into park.

“I did,” Lissette said, pushing her door open, eager to inspect the damage and leave before dark. “I’d heard through the grapevine that there had been trouble and wanted to see for myself.”

The “grapevine” had been Gisele calling from Cancun. She’d heard about the vandalism from Yaya, the yoga instructor. As soon as Yaya had hung up, Gisele had called to make sure the stores hadn’t been damaged.