Bayou Betrayal (20 page)

The footfalls drew closer…closer…closer—

She pivoted and took a shooting stance, arms extended with left hand supporting the right holding the gun. “Freeze. I'm armed.”

“Whoa, don't shoot!” The man thrust his hands to the heavens.

“Who are you and what are you doing sneaking around my house? Keep your hands up where I can see them.”

“I'm Mike, the deputy?” He took two steps toward her, into the half-light.

The badge on his chest shone in the moonlight. “See? It's me.”

She lowered the gun and slipped the safety back in place. “What are you doing sneaking around my house?”

He ducked his head. “Checking things out.”

She should've been angry, probably would have been had she not had a long, resolving talk with God prior to falling into bed. Now, she was touched. “Did Deputy Anderson put you up to this?”

“It's part of our job.”

She smiled in the grayness. “I see. Well, I'm fine. You scared me silly, though.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a dog that would alert you.”

Right. Homer had been shut in her bedroom when Mike had come to help Gary with the crime scene. “It's okay. We're fine.”

“Uh, you won't call Deputy Anderson and chew him out because you caught me checking things out, will you?”

She laughed. “No. I won't say anything.”

“
Merci.
I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I'm going back in and going to bed now. Busy day tomorrow.”

“Okay. Sorry for scaring you. I'll be out in my cruiser if you need anything.”

“You don't have to stay all night. I have the dog, and we're fine.”

“It's my post, ma'am.”

And he couldn't abandon his post. “Good night, then.”

“Night, ma'am.”

After reassuring Homer that all was okay, Monique climbed back into bed with a yawn. Tomorrow, she'd have to find Gary and apologize for coming down so hard on him. He really was doing the best he could on the case. Wasn't his fault the creep didn't leave any clues behind.

She turned on her side and punched her pillow. It was nice of Gary to send Mike to keep watch over the house. He didn't have to, especially after the way she'd behaved, but he had. Because he cared.

Good thing, because she realized she had begun to care entirely too much for him, and writing him out of her life would rip her heart apart.

Her eyes popped open and she sat upright. She considered how she felt about Gary. The little things he did for her. How she felt when he was near her. The acceptance between them. The way his eyes made her stomach knot. How her heart did gymnastics when he smiled at her.

Oh, my. She was falling for Deputy Gary Anderson.

Falling hard.

S
omething cold against her back brought Monique out of a deep and restless slumber. She jumped and twisted in the bed. Homer nudged her with his cold nose. She smiled and rubbed behind his ears. “You need to go out, boy?” She stood and grabbed her robe. The terry cloth was still damp from last night. “Come on, I'll let you out and make some coffee.”

As she padded to the kitchen, it occurred to her that she was talking aloud to a dog. Man, she'd better watch herself or she'd start collecting cats, as well.

After letting the dog out and putting the coffee on, she took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a sweater. She let Homer back inside, filled his food and water bowls, then glanced out the front window while she enjoyed her first cup of joe.

No sign of the deputy or his cruiser. Daylight must have ended his watch. Her lips curved into a smile around the cup's rim. Would Gary take the post tonight?

Just thinking of him made her regret her words and manner toward him all over again. Especially now that she realized the depth of her feelings toward him. Now that she considered it, her unexplainable attitude could have contributed to those feelings. Mixed with confusion and uncertainty, of course.

Using the phone book, she found the number for a window company. Within minutes of making the call, they assured her they'd be out within an hour.

She walked through the living room, stopping to stare at the picture over the mantel. She smiled and offered up a morning prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Brring!

She rushed to the kitchen to grab the phone, and answered breathlessly. “Hello?”

“What were you doing? Running a marathon,
Boo?
”

Monique grinned at CoCo's humor. “Don't I wish? How're you this morning?”

“Doing well. Listen, the reason I'm calling, aside from saying hello, is because I've asked Felicia and Spence to join Luc and me for
déjeuner
here at the house, and I'd love for you to come.”

“Sounds like fun. What time?”

“Ten-ish. Will that work for you?”

“Sure.”

“Great, we'll see you then.”

“Uh, CoCo?”

“Oui?”

“I don't know where your house is.”

CoCo chuckled and gave directions, then ended the call. Monique kept her hand on the phone. She knew she needed to call and apologize to Gary, but didn't know what else to say. How could she explain her mood swings without telling him how she felt? She didn't know if their relationship was something he wanted to pursue. She certainly couldn't blame him for writing her off after her deplorable behavior last night.

Her heart felt as if it would split. She wandered into the living room again, this time carrying the cordless phone, and sank onto the couch. She stared up at the picture again and then shook her head. It'd been a long time since she'd gone to the Bible for direction—it'd take a conscious effort to return to the habit.

She reached for Kent's Bible on the coffee table, held it lovingly in her hands, and prayed for God's guidance to the Scripture that would speak into her soul. Lifting her head, she flipped through pages, scanning, until she stopped in the book of Ephesians. Reading from the fourth chapter, verses 2 and 3, she found wisdom.

She needed to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Which meant she needed to call Gary, even though she knew it'd be difficult on her. She dialed the deputy's cell phone number and waited for two rings.

He answered on the third. “Anderson.”

“Hi. It's Monique.”

 

Gary's hand tightened around his cell. “Hi.”

He could make out Monique's harsh breathing over the connection. “I need to apologize to you. I was extremely rude last night and there was no call for the way I acted.”

“You were stressed, I understand that.”

“No, there's more to it than that, but whatever the reason, I shouldn't have said such things to you, or kicked you out. I'm truly sorry.”

“It's okay. I understand.”

“I don't want things to be awkward between us now, ya know?”

“Yeah.” He didn't want that either, but he wondered if there would ever be an
us
in regard to the two of them.

“I had an interesting conversation last night.” Hesitation filled her tone.

“With whom?”

“God.”

His heart lurched. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I've been stupid and ornery.”

He couldn't help it; he chuckled.

She laughed, as well. “You don't have to agree so easily, ya know.”

“I'm glad, Monique. Really glad.”

“Me, too.”

Should he say anything about his e-mail to the prison in Oakdale? He didn't want to upset her just yet. There still wasn't any proof that the attacks against her had anything to do with her father. He hadn't heard back from the warden this morning, which annoyed him. The Bureau of Prisons, it appeared, didn't adhere to the same code of responding quickly to law enforcement requests as other branches under the Department of Justice.

“And I did have a wonderful time on our date.”

He yanked himself out of his reprieve, not believing she broached the subject he thought she'd avoid. “I did, too.”

“I'm sorry I ruined it.”

“You didn't. You're the victim. The jerk doing this is the only one who ruined anything.”

“Well, I wanted to apologize, and to thank you.”

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine. I'm fixin' to head over to Luc and CoCo's for brunch.”

He grinned at her phrasing—already she sounded like she belonged in Lagniappe. That thought alone sent pinpricks of happiness all over him, but he didn't want to get sidetracked into thinking about how much she meant to him. Not right now. Not until he'd solved her case and put the arsonist away…made sure she was safe again. After that, well, he'd have to figure out what to do, but it'd take a lot of time in prayer.

“Well, have fun. Tell them both I said hello.”

“Will do.”

He closed his cell phone and stared at the computer screen. No time to analyze his love life, or complications thereof. He had a case to crack. He dialed the number for the Oakdale Prison, gave his credentials, asked for the warden and was put on hold. Not even elevator music came behind the distinctive click.

Bob shuffled into the office doorway. Gary waved him in just as a voice came over the phone.

“Warden Prikton. How may I help you, Deputy Anderson?”

“I need some information on a con released from your facility on February third of last year.”

“Inmate's name?”

“Kevin Haynie.”

Bob's bushy eyebrows shot up. Gary grinned and nodded.

“What specifically are you looking for, Deputy?”

“I need to know if he was a cell mate, or in close contact either through the work programs or guard observations, with an inmate still in your facility. Justin Trahan.”

Bob's eyes widened so much Gary thought the man's eyeballs might pop out. Gary grinned again. Yeah, it was an
aha
moment.

“Let me check. I'm looking to see if they were cell mates. As far as guard observations go, that'll take me some time.”

“Warden, this is of the utmost importance to an open case I'm working. As fast as you could get the information to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.”

“Well, they weren't cell mates, according to the computer records, but they were in the same unit. I'll check with the guards on duty now. I'll call you back after I've spoken with them.”

“I really appreciate it.” Gary rattled off the station and his cell phone numbers, then hung up.

“Haynie and Trahan? That's an odd combo.”

“But it's a viable connection.”

“So far.”

“Yeah, but considering we don't have much else, I'm going with that.”

Bob grunted. “Seems a lot of leads are comin' out of the woodwork real quick here.”

“I need to focus on motive for each of them. If the attacks are related to her husband's murder case, motive would be to shut her up.” He rubbed his chin. Whiskers met his touch. He'd forgotten to shave this morning.

“Don't stress too much about in-depth motive here, Anderson.”

“Why?” Police procedural rule one: always start with motive.

“This arsonist, he loves his work. Loves the fire. Is entranced by fire.” Bob leaned the wooden chair back on two legs. “Wouldn't be surprised if he'd started many other fires and never gotten caught. These kinds of freaks don't need a whole lot of motive to do what they do.”

Gary let that information stew for a minute. “But the threats, the calls…that would indicate a deep motive.”

“True.” Bob dropped all four legs of the chair to the floor and sat straight. “Unless the arsonist isn't the one making the threats.”

“It has to be the same person. It all fits.”

“Unless your arsonist is a freelancer for hire. Then, heaven help us tie it all together.”

 

“Glad you could make it.” CoCo hugged her tight. “Come on in, we're all in the kitchen.”

Monique followed her hostess through the walkway. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thanks. When Luc and I married, we both lived in family homes, which family still needed to live in. We'd found some Confederate coins in my house, and we sold those coins to Confederate museums for the money to build this place.” CoCo chuckled. “It's a long story, one I'll have to tell you another time, but we love that it's right on the bayou so I can still do my job, and it's almost exactly between his old home and mine.”

“Well, I can't wait to hear the story, but your home is wonderful.”

“Hey.” Felicia stood to hug Monique, followed by Luc and Spence.

CoCo waved Monique to the chair beside Felicia. “Sit down, sit down.” She almost bubbled with energy. Her smile brought out the true exotic beauty of her Cajun heritage. For a second, Monique wished her hair were any color but the bland auburn she'd inherited from her mother.

“Luc and I have something very important to tell y'all. We wanted you to share in our joy.”

“You're pregnant, yes?” Felicia all but jumped in her seat.

“Yes! I found out while I was in N'Awlins.”

Felicia rushed around the table to hug her brother and sister-in-law. “Oh, congratulations. I'm going to be an aunt.”

Spence clapped Luc's shoulder. “Congratulations, man.”

Monique smiled, but couldn't help have a fleeting thought of her and Kent's plans to have a family. As quickly as the thought came, it left. With no pain left aching in her heart. Her smile widened. “Congratulations. When are you due?”

“Early September.” Luc's eyes shimmered. “We're so excited.”

“Have you told Alyssa and Tara?” Felicia asked.

“They were there when I found out. I got sick and Alyssa's doctor told me I should run a test.”

“Oh, how perfect.”

“And Grandmere's beside herself.”

Felicia froze and stared at her brother. “Mom's not here. Are you not telling her?”

Luc laughed. “We went by yesterday and told Mom. Figured she'd throw a fit if she found out the same time as everyone else.”

Felicia giggled. “Bet she's already ticked that Alyssa and Tara knew first.”

“Yeah, but we let her know she was in the loop before you.” Luc gently tugged his sister's hair.

“I don't care, I'm just so happy.”

Monique reveled in the love of her family. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks that God had delivered her to these wonderful people. She looked around the table, amazed at the blessings surrounding her.

God was so good, even when she didn't realize it.