Between Dusk and Dawn (31 page)

“
Okay, little sis,” Katie
broke in. “Let’s not get carried away and plan their wedding.
That’s the prerogative of the bride-to-be and her
mother.”

“
Her mother and grandmother
are deceased,” Mrs. Broussard put in. Her husband gave her a look
of censure and she clamped her lips together again.

“
My mama died when I was
young. My grandmother, Odette Rousselle, died nine months ago,”
LaShaun said.

“
I’m so sorry.” Sharon took
one of LaShaun’s hands. “I’m officially volunteering to help in any
way I can. You two just let us know what you decide. A wedding is
so exciting.”

“
Yes, exciting,” Mrs.
Broussard said with none of her youngest daughter’s warmth or
enthusiasm.

During the awkward silence the two
older children hovered, watching the adults closely. The four
younger children happily played with toys on the floor in the
seating area several feet away. They apparently didn’t notice
anything usual. Chase’s father cleared his throat loudly. He
clapped his hands together loudly, and his wife and daughters
jumped.

“
Let’s get to that dessert,
shall we? Liz, come on and help me. You kids go relax on the sofas
and we’ll serve ya.” He firmly guided his wife out of the room with
a hand under one of her elbows.

“
Kids, go outside with all
that racket,” Sharon said. “The weather is beautiful. Enjoy the
fresh air.”

Jessica and her cousin shook their
heads, but she spoke up. “No, we’ll stay here.”

“
Take your little sister
and cousins outside,” Elaine said firmly. “Now.”

“
Come on, Jessi,” the boy,
Kevin, said. “Paw-Paw Bruce has the radio controlled helicopters
set up.”

He didn’t wait for her to reply before
turning around and heading for the sliding patio doors. Jessica
frowned at her aunts and mother for a few seconds then flounced
out. Moments later the adults were seated on the comfortable sofas
and matching chairs. Bruce Jr. turned the television to a college
football game despite the frowns the women gave him.

“
I’ll keep the sound low,”
he said, unperturbed by their displeasure.

“
Odette Rousselle was your
grandmother. She’s a legend in Vermillion Parish,” Elaine said.
“Don’t give me the evil eye, Chase. We might as well talk about
it.”

LaShaun smiled. “I’ll answer any
questions you might have.”

Adrianna leaned forward eagerly. “I’m
not from here, so tell me all about your grandmother.”

“
Ahem, I don’t think...”
Sharon glanced toward the kitchen as though looking for her
mother.

“
It’s okay. My grandmother
has always been thought of as the Vermillion Parish version of
Marie Laveau. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. Monmon Odette’s
people came from Haiti in the eighteenth century. I have African,
Indian and French ancestry. One of my ancestors was a French
plantation owner in Natchitoches Parish. I have the land grant
document from 1797 in fact.” LaShaun gave a shortened version of
the lecture she’d given in Los Angeles at the museum where she
worked while living there.

“
How fascinating,” Adrianna
said.

“
Of course! So
you’re
the
LaShaun
Rousselle. I love that show Ghost Team USA. Are you working on the
Blood River Ripper story with James Schaffer?” Sharon’s eyes were
wide with interest.

“
No, she’s not. And don’t
believe anything they say on that stupid show. The guy’s full of
it,” Chase said hotly.

“
That’s right. He’s making
everyone around here look like superstitious lunatics,” Elaine said
with a grim set to her mouth.

“
I was in school with two
of Manny Young’s sisters, but only for a year or so. They were all
older than me. Elaine had classes with two of them. But she won’t
talk about it.” Sharon spoke in a low voice to LaShaun and Adrianna
as though they were alone.

“
They were his
aunts
, and I’m right here
listening to you, Sharon,” Elaine snapped at her younger
sister.

“
Did you know Verlena?”
LaShaun asked quietly, hoping the excitement she felt didn’t
show.

“
We worked on the newspaper
together in high school, and she was a nice person. I don’t blame
her and her sisters for leaving. People treated them like they were
killers right along with Manny,” Elaine said.

“
I thought they were his
sisters, they treated him like a little brother. He was a cute kid.
They brought him to a couple of basketball and football games at
school,” Sharon said. “I couldn’t believe he turned into a crazed
serial killer.”

“
With that peculiar
grandfather and father he had? I’m not surprised, “Elaine
muttered.

“
Ooo, I forgot about that.”
Sharon turned to LaShaun and Adrianna. “Some of the girls at school
said Mr. Orin gave them the creeps the way he looked at them,
and...”

Chase waved to his sisters and then
stood up. “Here comes mama’s cake. Yum-yum.”

“
Shush, Sharon,” Elaine
whispered. “No more gruesome talk.”

Over dessert Elaine and Chase made
sure to keep the conversation away from voodoo and murder. Sharon
and Adrianna talked about wedding details with delight. Mrs.
Broussard wore a strained smile as they chattered. Finally the
conversation wound down. Chase’s father and brother pulled him away
to talk about a possible fishing trip. Elaine went with her mother
to the kitchen.

“
Listen, let’s have lunch.
Bruce and I got married here, so if you want any tips on the best
florists and dress shop to visit I can help,” Adrianna said. Then
she grinned at LaShaun. “Who am I kidding? I want to hear more
about your voodoo grandmother.”

“
Adrianna, I can’t believe
you said that!” Sharon put a hand over her mouth.

“
My grandparents are from
Costa Rica, so I think Queen Elizabeth suspects I’m an illegal
alien,” Adrianna murmured.

“
Really?” LaShaun
laughed.

“
Mama can be a bit...
conservative,” Sharon admitted. “But she thinks of you as a member
of the family, Adrianna.”

“
Well, this one is sure
gonna take the heat off me,” Adrianna said with a laugh. “She’s got
my Latino heritage beat with the whole voodoo priestess thing. Wow,
this year’s birthday and Halloween party for Jessi is going to be
the best ever.”

“
LaShaun, you must think
we’re awful.” Sharon giggled and looked over her
shoulder.

LaShaun burst into laughter and the
two women joined her. In moments they were all in tears, slapping
each other on the shoulder. Each of them tried to speak, but would
dissolve into giggling. By the time the others joined them again,
the three had mostly recovered. Chase gave LaShaun a questioning
glance and she shrugged. Chase was the first to announce they would
be leaving. His father gave LaShaun a bear hug that felt totally
sincere. Mrs. Broussard gave LaShaun an air kiss, her cheek close
enough to make it appear they were going to be such good friends.
Sharon followed them out to Chase’s truck, mischief in her hazel
eyes.

“
I’ll call you about lunch.
We’ll have a great time.” She waved to them as they drove
off.

“
Well, that was a lot of
fun,” Chase said. His expression looked fierce because of the way
his jaw clamped tight.

“
I know that announcement
didn’t go the way you planned. Bless your daddy’s heart. He’s
adorable.” LaShaun patted his thigh.

“
I’m sorry about the way my
mother came across. She’s not as... intolerant as she seems. She
just grew up a certain way.” Chase’s face flushed a light
red.

“
Don’t be angry, honey. I’m
not sure members of my family would have open arms for you either.
Of course that could be because you’re a cop, too. The Rousselle
clan isn’t known for being law abiding citizens.” LaShaun moved
closer to him. “It will be okay.”

“
Yeah.”

Chase drove in silence for a few more
miles, but LaShaun talked about how she enjoyed his sisters and
turned on the CD player. After another twenty minutes she felt him
relax and let go of the tension from the first family gathering.
LaShaun kissed away the last traces of his frown with a peck on his
cheek. He smiled at her and the sunshine looked a little
brighter.

Chapter 17

Early on the Tuesday morning after her
Sunday fun with the Broussard brood, LaShaun set out to meet
Verlena Young Joubert. The drive was uneventful. The GPS system in
LaShaun’s Honda CRV took her down Interstate 10 out of Louisiana
and into Texas. With only two stops, she made good time. About
three hours of driving brought her into the city limits. She
followed the directions to a modest two story older home on Palm
Street in Beaumont. She’d done her homework with help from Miss Clo
and Miss Joyelle. Chase shook his head as LaShaun told him about
the details the two women had gathered. They had better information
than the FBI could have dug up on short notice.

Verlena Joubert , age forty-one,
worked in a medical clinic but had been laid off. Now she was a
stay at home mother. She kept in touch with one former friend from
high school, a young woman who happened to be the cousin to a
friend of Miss Joyelle’s second daughter. Between Miss Clo and Miss
Joyelle, LaShaun got Verlena’s address and phone number.
Fortunately the friend convinced Verlena to meet with LaShaun, but
only briefly and without any word to Verlena’s husband.

LaShaun drove slowly to the corner of
Palm Street and Brandon Ave. She parked the CRV on Brandon Ave.
halfway between Verlena’s home and the house next door. Verlena had
been vehement that her husband not find out. So just in case
Verlena’s husband came home LaShaun could ask to be shuttled out a
back door. LaShaun’s sixth sense told her there had been strain on
Verlena’s marriage. The almost frantic tone in the woman’s voice
over the phone set off alarm bells. The last thing LaShaun wanted
was to bring her grief. She had a feeling Verlena had seen her
share of trouble.

LaShaun went up the wooden steps
painted gray to match the porch and pushed a square button next to
the front door. Sheer curtains covering a narrow window to her left
parted and closed quickly. Metal clicked and the door opened a few
inches.

“
Hello, Mrs. Joubert.
I’m--”

“
I know who you are,”
Verlena said cutting her off. “I seen your picture a few times in
the paper back when that man got killed.”

“
Right.” LaShaun could have
asked which man, but decided not to dwell on anything that might
scare her more. “I appreciate you talking to me, and I won’t take
up much of your time.”

“
Uh-huh. If I thought Guy
wouldn’t call the house I would have met you somewhere. But he gets
upset when I don’t answer.” Verlena stepped back and opened the
door wider, her only invitation for LaShaun to enter.

“
Thanks.” LaShaun entered a
surprisingly cheerful looking living room. “You could take your
cell phone. If you feel more comfortable leaving...”

“
No, come on in,” Verlena
cut her off again. She closed the door and faced LaShaun. “Have a
seat.”

“
Are you okay? You seem
nervous about your husband.” LaShaun let the statement hang in the
air.

“
Guy is a good man,”
Verlena said defensively, and too quickly to be quite convincing.
“He’s just protective of me.”

“
I understand,” LaShaun
murmured and sat on the edge of a chair upholstered in a floral
fabric. She looked around the room. A forty inch flat screen
television with a game system attached sat in one corner. A
softball catcher’s mitt lay on the floor.

“
No, you don’t, but I guess
that’s why you’re here.” Verlena sat on a dark tan recliner across
the room near the sofa.

“
Pardon?” LaShaun stopped
taking in the details of the house and looked at her
sharply.

“
I get the paper from home.
They brought up Manny’s case again with the killings y’all just
had. My husband doesn’t want our two boys to know about all that,
or me to get upset. So I burned the paper. We finally have a decent
life away from all that mess.” Verlena’s bottom lip trembled. She
had traces of both her mother and Orin Young in her facial
features. “How’s mama doing? My friend Stacey says you been to see
her at Shady Grove.”

“
She’s frail, but doing
fine,” LaShaun said.

“
Uh-huh.” Verlena rocked
back and forth. Her tone conveyed that she either didn’t believe
LaShaun, or didn’t care if her mother was doing fine or not. “So
you drove a long way just to spend a few minutes talking to
me.”

“
Your daddy asked me to go
visit Manny. He’s hoping...”

“
To get him off death row.
Yeah, I didn’t need a crystal ball to tell me that,” Verlena said
with a bitter laugh.

“
You think Manny should get
the lethal injection?” LaShaun said, surprised at the turn their
talk had taken so quickly.