Southern Lights

Chapter 19

Savannah’s New York graduation was the antithesis of the one in Charleston. All her friends wore jeans with holes in them, and tank tops and sneakers or flip-flops under their gowns. No one carried flowers or wore pretty white dresses, and the boys wore T-shirts and jeans, and Nikes or flip-flops, but they let out the same wild war whoop of glee the moment they had graduated, and threw their caps in the air, and then tore off the rented gowns.

Everyone had been thrilled to see Savannah, and she had stayed in touch with most of them by e-mail and phone from Charleston. But it felt strange to be back here now. Everything seemed so different in New York. She wasn’t sure where she was most at home now, she loved both. She didn’t say it to her mother, but she really missed Charleston at times.

Turner had come up for her New York graduation, and she showed him all the sights. All her girlfriends thought he was gorgeous and really nice, and even the boys she knew liked him. And her grandmother took them both to lunch, and she showed him her court. Turner was impressed that her grandmother was a judge, and her mother an assistant DA. His own mom had never worked before she died.

“Neither did mine when she was married to my dad,” Savannah explained. “She went to law school after they got divorced, and my grandma went when my grampa died. Sort of to keep busy and not be so sad.” Turner had admitted to her that his father had a twenty-six-year-old girlfriend and was thinking of getting remarried, and he and his brothers were really upset about it. He was lonely without his late wife.

Savannah and Turner did everything they had hoped to in New York. She took him to the top of the Empire State Building, which he wanted to see, they rode on the Staten Island Ferry, and went to the Statue of Liberty and the museum at Ellis Island. And they went to the Bronx Zoo, saw the animals, and felt like little kids again. And they went to Long Island and walked on the beach. They were already figuring out how they were going to spend time in Duke and Princeton with each other in the fall. They had every intention of continuing their romance. And whenever they were apart, even for an hour, they called and texted each other constantly. They both felt like it was going to be an eternity before she came back to Charleston to visit in August, after Europe with her mother. But at least they had the wedding ahead of them. It was ten days away when Turner left New York.

And the day after he left, Savannah found a dress. Alexa had found hers with her mother the day they went shopping at Barney’s. She had bought something totally out of character for her. It was a peach-colored strapless chiffon gown that was low cut and very sexy, and the skirt was long and graceful. She had bought high-heeled silver sandals to wear with it. She tried it on for Savannah and was worried that it was too low cut and too revealing for her.

“Mom,” Savannah scolded her, “you’re thirty-nine years old, not a hundred. You should look sexy.”

“That’s what Grandma said. I don’t know what you two have in mind. Maybe you’re planning to pimp me out. I have nowhere to wear this afterward.” It seemed like a waste of money, but she had fallen in love with it and hadn’t had a dress like it in years.

Savannah was pleased that her mother had bought such a pretty dress. “You’re wearing it to Travis’s wedding. That’s enough. You look beautiful.”

“Maybe I can have it shortened and wear it to the office,” her mother teased. “It’ll look great in court at my next trial.”

“There is more to life than work,” Savannah scolded her again, and Alexa shrugged.

Sam had called her a couple of times to see what she was up to, and they both admitted that there was a letdown after the trial. Everything else seemed so insignificant compared to what they’d been doing. But serial killers with eighteen victims in nine states didn’t come around often in anyone’s career. It was nice to feel they’d made a difference in the world and done their jobs well. The sentencing was scheduled for the day before she left for Europe with Savannah. They were going to Paris, London, and Florence, with maybe a weekend in the South of France. Alexa was planning to splurge, and they were staying for three weeks. And then Savannah would go back to Charleston to see Turner for two weeks. Alexa had agreed to that too. She didn’t want to stand in the way of romance.

The dress Savannah had bought for her brother’s wedding was a pale blue satin, strapless like her mother’s, though not quite so low cut. It was long too, and she had bought sexy high heels to match. They were both going to be knockouts, Muriel assured them. She and Stanley were going on vacation that summer too. They were taking a long driving trip in Montana and Wyoming, which was what they liked to do, hiking, riding, and fishing. Savannah said it sounded awful. She was much more excited about her trip with her mother, especially Paris.

Savannah and Alexa arrived at the Wentworth Mansion in Charleston on Friday afternoon, even though they weren’t going to the rehearsal dinner hosted by Tom and Luisa, nor the church service, which was only for immediate family and close friends. St. Stephen’s was too small to hold all the guests they had invited to the reception. But they wanted plenty of time to relax and get ready for the next day. They had an appointment at the hotel spa that night.

Savannah called Daisy as soon as she arrived, and her father drove her over to see them briefly. She was all excited about being the flower girl and said she was wearing a really pretty dress. She checked out Savannah’s dress in the closet and liked it, and afterward they went out for an ice cream cone, and then her father took her home. She had to go to the rehearsal dinner that night, and her mother would have a fit if she was late. So it was a short visit, but a nice one. Daisy had thrown herself into Savannah’s arms like a cannonball, and the two girls had hugged and kissed and giggled. It touched Alexa to see it. Daisy was a wonderful addition to Savannah’s life, and the little sister she had always wanted. Alexa had just never expected it to be this one. And Savannah had already promised Daisy a weekend in Princeton and a visit to New York, which Tom swore he would make happen.

Turner had dinner with them that night, after they were finished at the spa. He and Savannah went out for a drive, and he offered to escort them to the reception the next day, which sounded great to Savannah and even her mother. She didn’t want to take a cab or rent a limo and show off.

The reception was at six o’clock, and Turner picked them up promptly at five-thirty, in an old Mercedes he had borrowed from his father, and he whistled when he saw them. Alexa looked like a princess in the peach chiffon gown with her hair in an elegant French twist, and Savannah looked spectacular in the blue dress that was the color of her eyes, with just enough but not too much cleavage. Her mother’s dress wasn’t inappropriate, but a little more daring. Turner said they looked absolutely gorgeous and he was proud to escort them. He was wearing a summer tux, with a white dinner jacket and traditional black trousers with a satin stripe, and the black patent leather pumps that were old-fashioned but proper, and a real black satin bow tie, not a clip-on.

“You are one very handsome young man,” Alexa complimented him, happy for Savannah. They looked adorable together, so young and innocent and hopeful, the way people in love should be.

The wedding was at St. Stephen’s Church where Alexa had gone with Savannah and they’d run into Luisa and Daisy. But Alexa and Savannah went straight to the reception afterward with Turner in his car, as they were not invited to the church. Luisa had seen to that. Alexa expected to be seated in the parking lot at the reception, or the kitchen, and suspected that Savannah wouldn’t fare much better, but they didn’t really care. They had come for Travis and Scarlette, and to have a good time. Neither Alexa nor Savannah cared where they sat. And as long as Turner was there with her, Savannah was happy.

As they reached the receiving line at the reception, Scarlette looked like a medieval queen, standing proudly beside Travis. Her gown was exquisite, and Scarlette looked prettier than anyone had ever seen her. And Travis looked like the happiest, proudest man in the world, with Henry beside him as the best man, and a dozen groomsmen and bridesmaids stood around them. Scarlette’s older sister was maid of honor, and Daisy as the flower girl was wearing a billowing white organdy dress, carrying a satin basket of rose petals. There were banks of flowers everywhere, including orchids, gardenias, and lily of the valley. The flowers had been flown in from all over the world. It was a spectacular wedding.

“Wow!” Alexa whispered to her daughter, as she leaned toward her. “This is quite a wedding.” Scarlette’s parents were very important, and Luisa was extremely proud of the match, as though she had pulled off a major coup herself. And just as Daisy had said she would, she was wearing a screaming red satin dress, with a borrowed diamond tiara and ruby necklace. Tom looked faintly embarrassed when he saw it, but had said nothing. Luisa did what she wanted. He thought she had overplayed her hand a little, but no one seemed to notice.

Tom saw Savannah and Alexa, and he left the reception line for a minute to kiss them both.

“You look fantastic,” he told Alexa with a tender expression. “I love the dress. Save me a dance.” She was tempted to say “Whatever,” as Savannah would have, but didn’t. It was nice of him to say hello, and Henry came over soon after and crushed his sister in a bear hug.

“Oh my God, I’m going to eat you up, you look so good.” He nuzzled her neck with kisses, and she laughed, and then he grinned at her mother too. “You look beautiful too, Alexa. Really, really great. Sexy dress.”

“Not too much so, I hope,” she said, looking nervous.

“You’re a media star from New York. Screw them,” Henry said, looking dashing in his tuxedo. His was more modern than what most of the men were wearing there, and he had bought it in LA. The groom was wearing white tie and tails.

As predicted, Luisa was too busy to notice Alexa and Savannah. The crowd filtering in to the reception was huge. Scarlette’s parents’ estate was vast. And as people drifted by them, Henry introduced Alexa as his stepmother, which touched her heart. People vaguely remembered the story when he said it, but had forgotten until then that his father had been married before. They thought it was lovely that she and the boys were still close.

She and Henry milled around together for a while, Savannah came and went, Tom appeared for a moment again and reminded her about the dance. And then the family disappeared to take photos with the bride and groom, and Alexa wandered around alone, with a glass of champagne in her hand. She saw some vaguely familiar faces in the crowd, but no one she knew well, and she was relieved.

Henry surfaced again half an hour later, and walked her in to dinner.

She had been given an escort card at the door, with her seat and table number.

“Ooops,” Henry said, as he glanced at hers. “You’re in Siberia. To be expected. My mother must have helped them with the seating.” They were both laughing, because she had expected it too.

“Bless her heart,” Alexa added, and they laughed even harder.

“Precisely. She’s ignoring me tonight because I refused to bring a woman. I can always tell her I brought you.” Alexa was happy to be with him. He was great company and very attentive when he took her to her seat, and then left her for his own at the other side of the tent. Savannah wasn’t at Alexa’s table either. Before he left her, he had warned her that many dignitaries would be there that night, probably the President, the Queen of England, and almost surely the Pope. He was as much fun as he had been as a child, and she had always loved him, although she loved Travis too. Travis had been a much quieter child, but Henry had always been funny and outrageous.

The people at Alexa’s table seemed perfectly pleasant. There were four older couples, most of them her mother’s age, and she was seated next to a Catholic priest, who was very interesting and nice to talk to as they chatted. But contrary to her mother’s hope for her, she was not about to meet Prince Charming tonight. She hadn’t expected to anyway, and didn’t care.

Henry came to visit her several times throughout the evening. She caught glimpses of Savannah and Turner now and then in the distance, and when the music started after dinner, Henry led her onto the floor for a dance. The entire wedding reception was in an incredibly enormous tent.

“Do you suppose they got it at the county fair?” Henry asked her as they started dancing, and she giggled. The tent looked like ten thousand miles of white satin. They had had two dances when Tom spotted them and cut in. The music had just changed to a fox-trot and Tom glided her gracefully around the floor. It was a strange feeling for Alexa to be dancing with him, but she decided to be a good sport and ignore it. They had just made a turn when they crashed heavily into a man walking across the dance floor, probably to get to the bar. Tom ignored him at first and then realized he knew him. He kept Alexa’s hand in his own, but pulled her a few feet with him so he could say hello to the man and not lose her. He looked vaguely familiar to Alexa, but she had no idea who he was. He was about fifty years old, tall and distinguished, with salt-and-pepper hair, and he smiled when he saw Tom, and then even more broadly when he saw Alexa.

“What are you doing here?” he said with a smile, and she assumed he had mistaken her for someone else. Hopefully not Luisa. “I’m sorry?”

“I’ve been watching you on the news for the last month. That was quite a case you won, counselor. Congratulations!” She was amazed that he had recognized her here, and both embarrassed and pleased to be complimented on the case. She had been worried for a minute that his smile of acknowledgment and delight had been aimed at her cleavage, not her brain. This was better.

Tom introduced them then. And it was her turn to be surprised. “Senator Edward Baldwin,” Tom said formally, and Alexa realized why he looked familiar. He had the same heavy Charleston drawl as everyone else there, and was senator from South Carolina. One of the dignitaries Henry had promised, if not the Pope.

Alexa smiled at him. “It’s an honor to meet you, Senator.” They shook hands, he nodded, and headed for the bar, and she and Tom continued dancing and commenting on what a beautiful wedding it was. They both knew it must have cost Scarlette’s parents a million dollars, but they could cleary afford it. Alexa liked the fact that Scarlette was so unassuming and that all she wanted to do was be a nurse, and have babies in a few years. There was nothing showy or pretentious about Travis’s bride. Alexa approved, and so did Tom. Luisa was thrilled with the wedding and the obvious expense. And the rehearsal dinner had gone off well. Luisa had pulled out all the stops, not to be outdone by the parents of the bride, but she was anyway.

Tom danced another dance with Alexa, a slow waltz in honor of the old folks, which reminded her of their wedding in New York. And then he took her back to her table. There was too much noise to really have a serious conversation, and she was grateful for that. He had a wistful look in his eye and was drinking a lot of champagne. She thanked him for the dances, and went back to chatting with the priest.

It was two hours later, as she was thinking of making a discreet escape back to the hotel on her own, when Senator Baldwin appeared out of nowhere and sat down in the seat the priest had vacated.

“Is anyone sitting here?” he asked, looking worried.

“Just the Pope,” Alexa said casually, and he laughed out loud. “I was told by my stepson he was going to be here, but it was just a priest from the local church. He left.”

“I was fascinated by your case,” he launched back into the subject. “How did you keep it out of the hands of the feds with all those states involved?”

“I refused to give it up.” She smiled at him. “And my DA put up a good fight. We got the first four cases, so it didn’t seem fair to lose it to the feds after we did all the work. They kept a pretty close eye on us, but they let us keep it to the end.”

“That was quite a victory for you,” he said, looking impressed again.

“Not really. We had an airtight case, with DNA matches with every victim. Are you an attorney, Senator?”

“Used to be. I’ve been in politics for twenty-five years.” She knew that about him too. “I was a prosecutor for about two years when I started. I didn’t have the stomach for it, or the talent. I like politics better than the law.”

“What you do is a lot harder,” she said admiringly. She wasn’t impressed by his position, but thought he was smart. He obviously thought the same of her.

“What brings you to Charleston?” he asked with interest, and she hesitated for only a fraction of a second, and then answered.

“I used to be married to the father of the groom, a long time ago.” He smiled when he heard it and nodded.

“That’s great that you stayed close. My ex-wife and I have been divorced for twenty years. We spend all our holidays together. I’m crazy about her husband. Great man. Much better husband for her than I was. I’ve been married to the Senate for twenty years. She married him and had three more kids. We have two. It makes for wonderful holidays together.” She didn’t tell the senator that her relationship with Tom and Luisa was not that way at all, and Luisa was not her best friend. Luisa would have had a stroke if Alexa showed up for Christmas. Alexa just laughed and nodded, it was simpler. He asked her for a dance then, to be polite.

She asked if he was from Charleston. And he said from Beaufort, which she knew was nearby, and a pretty place. He was pure South Carolina through and through, was undoubtedly related to a dozen generals, and probably had a mother in the United Daughters of the Confederacy, like Tom’s.

They danced for a few minutes. He was an elegant dancer who was easy to follow, and was surprisingly tall once she was in his arms. And then he totally startled her with a confession, and said that he didn’t enjoy spending time in the South. He said he spent most of his time in Washington, D.C., and preferred it. “I don’t have a lot of patience with all the local gossip, all the grande old dames waving the Confederate flag, and everyone being ‘nasty nice’ about everyone else while smiling and putting the knife in their back. It’s a little complicated for me. Washington is a lot simpler.” That wasn’t always simple either, Alexa knew. But what he said was exactly how she felt and would never have dared to say, especially here, or to him, about the South.

“I have to admit,” she confessed in return, “I’ve had thoughts in the same vein.” And as she said it, Luisa danced past them in her bright red dress with her tiara askew. When she saw who Alexa was dancing with, she looked like she was going to have a tantrum, but there was nothing she could do about it as her partner led her away on the floor. “I loved it when I lived here, but then it all kind of blew up in my face. I went back to New York, very sour about the South. I just came back to Charleston for the first time in ten years a few months ago.”

“It’s nice of you to come back. We don’t always treat northerners well.” They certainly hadn’t, but she didn’t say it. And she was amazed that he had, and was so honest.

“Was your wife from the South?” Alexa asked politely, and he laughed.

“Certainly not. She’s from Los Angeles and hates the South with a passion. That was one of the reasons why she left me. Once I got into politics, she knew I’d have to spend time here, so she bailed out. Now she and her husband live in New York. She’s a writer and he’s a producer.” They sounded like interesting people, and so was he. She hadn’t met a handsome prince that night, as her mother had hoped, for her to fall in love with. But instead she had met an interesting senator to talk to. He teased Alexa then. “If you tell anyone what I just said about the South, I’ll lose my seat and blame it on you.” She put a finger to her lips, and they both laughed, and then he took her back to her table.

Henry came and kept her company again after a while, and eventually she found Savannah and told her she was leaving. A wild rock band had just started playing, and she knew that she and Turner would want to stay for hours. Alexa was ready to go home. It had been fun, but she’d had enough. They cut the wedding cake finally a few minutes later, and then she left. She congratulated Travis and Scarlette again, kissed Henry, and caught a glimpse of Tom as she left. He was at the bar, alone, looking unhappy and very drunk. Luisa was dancing wildly to the rock band, with her tiara over one ear and a wild look on her face. Alexa hadn’t seen Tom go near her all night.

Alexa didn’t say goodbye to him when she left. She didn’t want to deal with him if he was drunk, that was more than she wanted to take on. So she got in one of the cabs waiting outside the tent and went back to the hotel. It was after midnight, which was late enough for her. And at the hotel, she took off the peach dress and put on her comfortable nightgown.

“Goodbye, pretty dress,” she said, putting it on the hanger. “See you again never.” She knew she wouldn’t be wearing a dress like that again in this lifetime. Or not for a hell of a long time, if ever. She never went to parties like this. It had been an amazing wedding and she’d had fun talking to Henry, the senator, and the priest, and even dancing, which she hadn’t done in years.

She heard Savannah come in around three-thirty, and smiled as she slipped into bed beside her.

“Have fun?” Alexa muttered with her eyes closed.

“I loved it, it was terrific. Thank you for coming,” Savannah said, and kissed her mother’s shoulder. Alexa smiled and went back to sleep.