Bayou Justice (20 page)

Lord, please don't let this be what I think it is.

Grandpere and Justin Trahan stood together again. This time they'd lost the robes and hats. This time they held guns. And a man had been hanged in a tree between them. On the back in her grandfather's handwriting were the words:
The man Justin and I killed.

T
he phone's shrill sound jerked CoCo's attention from the photo. She rushed down the stairs, the photo tight in her hand, hoping the call didn't disturb Grandmere.

“Hello.” She panted, struggling to even her breathing.

“CoCo? It's Dwayne Williams. Is it too late to call?”

She glanced at the clock over the mantle—8:10. “No, not at all.”

“Is this a bad time? You sound out of breath.”

“I was in the attic.”

“Oh. I got your message on my answering service and wanted to call you back. Has something else happened?”

Yeah, she could say that. “Actually, yes. At the reading of Beau Trahan's will today, Justin was left the deed to my property.”

“Any chance he'll drop the eviction case?”

She snorted. “Not hardly.”

“We'll just proceed as planned then. I'll go to the courthouse Monday and file another motion.”

“Dwayne, there's something else I need to tell you.”

“Yes?” His voice remained even, but she detected the hesitation in the single word.

“We found a letter in Beau's things. A letter threatening to expose Justin as a member of the KKK, to ruin Beau's reputation.” She hesitated for but a moment before rambling on. “You said you were researching Beau before you took my case. Did you ever find any hint of Justin's KKK involvement?” Because if it was widely known information, the list of murder suspects had just grown.

“Probably just a threat. Did you turn the letter over to the sheriff?”

“Yes, but it's not just a threat. Luc and I found a picture of Justin and my grandfather, in full KKK robes.” And a picture of them with a hanged man, with a written confession by Grandpere, but she didn't want to say anything about that just yet. Not until she'd had a chance to talk with Luc. “Did you know about the KKK involvement?”

A long pause thundered over the connection.

“Dwayne? Are you still there?”

“I'm here.” The sigh he emitted nearly cracked CoCo's eardrums. “The sheriff will follow the leads on that. It's late and I need to go. I'll file the motion Monday morning.” He disconnected the call before she could say goodbye.

A nagging sensation struck her—he never answered her question.

She glanced down at the photo still gripped in her hand and her heart took a tumble. It wasn't just a suspicion of blackmail that lay hidden in her house. Now there was motive for murder.

Plopping down on the worn couch, CoCo thought it through again. Supposing the person who knew about the coins also knew about Grandpere's and Justin's involvement in the Klan and used that information to blackmail Beau. Why would that person kill him? It didn't make sense.

“CoCo?” Tara rounded the corner, her eyes red and puffy.

“Did you find something else?” She sat upright, tension drawing every muscle taut, and shoved the picture in her pocket.

Tara dropped the stack of letters onto the coffee table and sat beside CoCo on the couch. “No, just the letters.” She dabbed at her eyes. “They loved each other so much. Why'd they have to be killed?”

The question she'd asked God many times over in the last two years. CoCo caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

Lord, help me out here. I need the words to give testimony to You.

“
Boo,
I can't know the whys. No one can. We just have to trust there is a reason. Even if we never understand it this side of heaven, we have to accept it.”

Her sister's eyes went cold. “Your god let them die. How can you sit there and defend him? Talk about trusting and accepting. That's wrong.”

Fire sizzled in her spine. “It's better than believing they did something so wrong that the spirits retaliated against them.”

Tara gasped. Her eyes bugged. “I—I—I can't believe you'd say that.”

“Isn't that what Grandmere's
traditions
teach? That untimely deaths are a result of the person's bad karma and the spirits intervening?”

“Th-that's not true.”

“Isn't it?” CoCo jumped to her feet and shot up an eyebrow. “I was trained much longer than you, remember? That's what the traditional teachings of voodoo state.”

Tara stood, her body trembling. CoCo could see the raw fury in her baby sister's face matching her stance. “Mom and Dad did nothing to deserve dying so young.”

“That's right, they didn't.” CoCo crossed her arms over her chest. “And maybe that's what helped me see that Grandmere's traditions are wrong.”

“It's okay to believe your god allowed this to happen to them?”

“Knowing that they're in the loving arms of Jesus is what I believe.”

“You don't know that.”

“Yes, Tara, I do. Wait here, and I'll prove it to you.” CoCo marched up the stairs to her bedroom. She grabbed the Amplified Bible from her nightstand and rushed down the stairs. Just holding the patented leather grain against her chest soothed her anger. She handed the Bible to her sister. “Open it and read the first page.”

With a sigh Tara sat up and did as she was told. Her eyes grew wider as she looked from the page to CoCo. “This was Mom's?”

“Yes. There are notes and passages underlined and highlighted all through it. Notes of her and Dad praying certain Scriptures over us as babies. They were practicing Christians, Tara.” She sat beside her sister. “So I do know they're in heaven now.”

Tara flipped through the Bible. The fluttering of pages filled CoCo's spirit with a deep sense of calm, of peace. She laid her hand on Tara's forearm. “You can take it to your room and read it if you'd like.”

For a moment, she feared her sister would toss the Bible on the couch and storm out. But she didn't. Instead, she closed the Bible gently and grabbed the love letters from the coffee table. She clutched them to her chest. “I'll give it back to you tomorrow, yes?”

She helped Tara to her feet. “That's fine.” She planted a kiss on her sister's temple. “Good night,
Boo.
I love you.”

Tara nodded and headed toward her room. CoCo watched her climb the stairs.

Thank You, God, for at least opening her mind enough to consider the truth. Lead me to continue witnessing so that glory may be brought to Your name.

It was a good night for getting answers. For getting the truth.

Luc parked in his uncle's driveway and stared up at the stars. Despite the recent storms, the temperatures had been reaching into the high nineties, even breaking a hundred a time or two this past week. Not a cloud blocked the view of the moon beaming down over Lagniappe.

He directed his attention on his uncle's house. A single light shone through the living room window. With a sigh, Luc got out and ambled up the stairs. “Uncle Justin, it's Luc.” He didn't want to be met at the door with a shotgun this time.

No footsteps dragged against the floor. No television sounded from inside. Luc rapped the door with his knuckles. “Uncle Justin?”

Nary a sound. He waited, listening for any signs of movement from inside the house. Nothing. So much for getting answers tonight. Uncle Justin may have gone down to the tavern.

Luc got back into the vehicle, but didn't turn over the engine. He should go home, check on his mother and Felicia. Something deep inside him churned. He needed an emotional release, too. Grabbing his cell phone, he then flipped it open and pressed the speed-dial number he'd assigned to CoCo.

“Hello.” She answered on the first ring. Just the sound of her voice caused his heart to stutter.

“Hi, there.”

“Luc! Are you finished talking to Justin already?”

“He isn't home.”

“Oh. I finished going through the trunks in the attic.” Her voice hitched.

He was almost afraid to ask. “Did you find anything else?”

“Luc, can you come over?”

She must have found something serious. Now he was scared. “I'm on my way.”

He closed the phone and turned over the ignition. She'd discovered something that had distressed her. What could be worse than finding a picture of their grandfathers in KKK robes?

Worry pushed his foot harder on the accelerator as he drove to her house. He paid no heed to the fleeting countryside or the cars he passed. His sole focus was on CoCo and whatever more she'd found.

A siren blasted into his thoughts. A quick glance in the rearview mirror and he saw the flashing blue lights. He dropped his gaze to his speedometer and sighed. Sixty-five in a forty-five. Now he'd get a ticket on top of everything else. Just what he didn't need. Not today.

Luc slowed down and veered to the edge of the road, careful to avoid the dramatic drop. They didn't have shoulders this far south, but there wasn't much traffic anyway. He moved the gearshift into Park, then rolled down his window. Even after nine o'clock, the heat still rushed in.

“Where's the fire?” Sheriff Bubba Theriot bent to stare into his face.

“Sorry, Bubba. I wasn't paying attention to my speed.” He glanced at his old friend and gave a shaky smile. “I've been a bit distracted today.”

“I can understand that.” Bubba glanced over his shoulder. He leaned down even more and stared into Luc's face. “Look, I shouldn't even be telling you this, but Luc, I don't think you had anything to do with your grandfather's death.”

Icy chills held Luc captive. He nodded, but didn't speak a word.

“However, the results came back today. The gun we found in the bayou? It's Beau's. And its butt matches the imprint from the gun cabinet.”

Could his day get any worse? “What's that mean?”

Bubba's eyes dimmed. “It means I'll have to officially bring you in for questioning on Monday.”

Luc's heart crashed at his feet. “Question me about what? I've already answered all your questions. What more is there to tell?”

“It'll be an official questioning regarding your possible involvement in Beau's murder.”

The words vibrated against Luc's chest, pressing so tight against his lungs he couldn't breathe.

“I thought I should give you a heads-up.”

“I—I appreciate that.”

“If you can think of anything that will help you, Luc, you need to find it before Monday morning. The judge will be available to sign the paperwork at nine.”

Nine. Paperwork. Official questioning. Murder.

“You okay, Luc?”

“Yeah.
Merci,
Bubba.”

“Just find something to clear your name, okay?” Bubba clapped him on the shoulder and then sauntered back to his cruiser.

Luc sat still, every muscle in his body tensed to the point of a too-tight spring. His head echoed the blood pulsating through his veins.

A short burst of a horn behind him shook him from his fearful thoughts. He glanced in the side mirror. Bubba had turned off the twirling, flashing light, but flashed his high beams at him. Letting out a long breath, Luc put the vehicle in gear and edged back onto the road.

Should he tell CoCo? They'd racked their brains trying to find the answers. He didn't think they could do any more than what they'd already done. Maybe Uncle Justin could provide some answers. He'd definitely track him down, tomorrow at the latest. He had a deadline now. And didn't like it one bit.

He pulled into her driveway and noticed CoCo waiting on the front porch. He rushed to her, anxious to just be near her. As if that would make all his worries take flight.

“Luc, what's wrong?”

There she went again, reading his mind. He should have known he couldn't keep something from her. It was probably for the best. If he was going to win her back, he didn't want to keep secrets. Not from her, not anymore. “I got pulled over on my way here.”

“Speeding?” She made a grimace.

“Yeah, but I didn't get a ticket.”

“You caught a break. Good. You need one.”

“Bubba pulled me over and gave me a bit of information.”

Her eyes probed his. “What kind of information?”

“The results came back on the gun you found in the bayou. It's Grandfather's and it matches the missing one from my house.”

Her almond eyes widened, and she grabbed his hands. “Oh, no!”

Might as well get it all out and over with. “Come Monday, they'll be hauling me in for official questioning.”

Her bottom lip caught between her teeth and tears filled her eyes. “I'm so sorry, Luc. If I hadn't found the stupid gun…”

“It's okay.” He pulled her against his chest to comfort her, but he drew strength from the embrace. “Bubba said if I could find anything to prove my innocence, I'd better hurry.”