Where The Devil Won't Go: A Lucas Peyroux Novel (27 page)

Chapter 39

In many of the one-lane streets of New
Orleans, the frequent red lights and congested traffic often meant the car in
front of you would stay the same until they turned onto a side street, and that
made tailing someone fairly easy. We positioned ourselves two cars behind Ms.
Wheelhouse as she pulled from a garage in the Quarter until she turned her
lights off in the parking lot of Apex Industries. Even if we had lost her, we
quickly deduced that this was her destination.

I slowed to a stop at a safe distance.
“Well, this is interesting.”

“Is she meeting Cozy or does she just
think she came here?”

“Why would they want to meet here?” I
asked. “This has to be Cozy’s next stop on her revenge tour, although she
couldn’t expect anyone to be here at this hour, so I’m vexed. This is so
vexing. This vexes me.”

“Gladiator quotes now?”

“I’m impressed you got it.”

“Whatever. We have to assume she learned
something about the dock while at the phantom party.”

“I think we should stop Ms. Wheelhouse
before she goes in. Confronting Ray or Cozy could be taking your life in your
hands.”

“That’s true. Let’s go.”

I coasted to the side of Tabitha’s car
just as she got out. She stopped to rest against the door with her arms folded.
“I should have known.”

“Can you blame us?” I approached her side
with Tara staying three feet back.

Tabitha waved her hand at the Apex
building. “I wasn’t totally honest with you. Cozy thinks someone who works here
is behind Haley’s death. This is the only place she knew to come.”

“You should have told us.”

“I know. Part of me wants to help her get
away with it. Jesus, I don’t know why I came out here. I’m going to get myself
killed.”

“You love her,” I said.

Tabitha turned her face away and didn’t
reply.

“What did Cozy tell you exactly?” Tara
asked.

“That she was going to break in to his
office and try to find something incriminating.”

“So she could kill him with a clear
conscience,” Tara spoke what we were all thinking.

“You have to stay here, Tabitha. We’ll go
in for her.” I opened the car door for her to wait.

“With pleasure.” She fell into the Beemer.
“I know I keep saying this, but please don’t hurt her. She’s been through so
much.”

I closed the door. “I know.”

Tara grabbed my arm. “You hear that
noise? Some kind of machinery fired up.” We scanned the sprawling Apex
property. “Something’s going down. I’m calling for back up.”

“Do it quick.” I gestured. “Let’s go.”

With our weapons drawn and back up on the
way, Tara and I covered each other as we
sling-shot
through the property until coming upon two men operating the gantry crane. Raymond
Corondelet stood on the barge orchestrating the floodlights and the positioning
of the container.

“What are they doing?” Tara asked.

“Midnight loading after shooting up his
club? I’d say something spooked Ray.”

“Wait for our back up?”

“I suppose. I count four men. I don’t see
Cozy anywhere.”

Car engines rumbled behind us. I peered
over my shoulder. “Don’t look now, we have company and it’s not ours.”

Back where Tabitha parked, several sets
of headlights entered the lot and shut off. A cacophony of men’s voices and
laughter drew near from where we had just been. “Ray called for
reinforcements.”

“We’re trapped. What now?”

I sighed. “Don’t move. Hope they don’t
notice us.”

Tara used her hand to stifle a laugh.

A huge man carrying an assault rifle
stumbled behind the pallets we were using for cover, dropping the cigarette out
of his mouth in surprise. As he swung his weapon around, Tara and I both fired,
hitting him in the chest.

“We just announced our arrival,” Tara
told me wryly.

I grabbed the discarded assault rifle and
aimed it at the sound of the voices. As soon as we saw the outline of men with
weapons drawn on us, I sprayed a round of bullets, taking down the first wave
of attackers. I counted three others that scattered into shadowed corners,
possibly wounded. Then sirens far off in the distance began to grow louder.

“We need better cover,” I said. “Let’s
get closer to the barge. Follow me.”

Chapter 40

The container hovered in mid air,
floating as if by magic. Cozy could feel it moving sideways, swaying enough to
give her motion sickness. She clutched at her revolted belly. Occasionally,
slivers of floodlight found entry, showing a carpet of female bodies lying
about. She had long since given up on talking sense into them, the ones that
were awake anyway. She would take her own life before being forced into
prostitution or becoming some disgusting man’s sex slave.

But then, abruptly, the crate halted.
They weren’t on a forklift, so it had to be one of those cranes used to load
the barges. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe the police had arrived and Ray
was caught. Would anyone even know that this container was full of women?
Without warning, a tug almost knocked her to the floor. They were moving again.
No doubt being placed on a barge in route to a freighter that would take them
to Europe.

She felt the descent like a slow elevator
until the floor contacted something solid beneath them.
Open those doors
, she begged to her momma’s Spirits. Just give me
one chance at escape.

At first, the silence drained all hope,
but then gunfire erupted. Men yelled in a different language, some screamed in
English, but with heavy accents. She sensed they were near the container,
shooting away from it, protecting it. A metal ping rang inside the box and she
could see a hole exposed by the floodlights. Whoever it was, they had shot
back.

“Help!” She screamed, her fists banging
the walls.

Clanking at the front of the box surprised
her; it sounded as if they were trying to open that bastard of a padlock. Cozy
sidestepped bodies the best she could until pushing against the opposite side
of the noise. She heard sliding as the locking mechanisms shifted. And as if
the Spirits had answered her prayers, the doors swung open. But it wasn’t the
freedom she expected.

Ray stood on a three-foot ledge at the
door’s opening. He grabbed her around the neck as if knowing she would be
there, spinning her to face out over the barge deck. It took a moment to settle
the sudden dizziness, like being on the edge of a cliff. The container had been
placed on top another container, stacked askew like two Lego’s that were off by
one row.

It didn’t matter why Ray had decided to
pull her out. It was her one chance at a miracle. However, one step forward and
they would both plummet a good ten feet. Ray pressed behind her, but she could
see his weapon pointing at Detectives Lucas and Tara not too far below.

Ray growled, “Go ahead and shoot,
Peyroux. We all know how well the last time turned out.”

Chapter 41

Tara and I stood three feet apart with
our guns drawn on Ray. I whispered, “S.W.A.T.’s here, but they aren’t going to
converge until they assess the situation and form a plan.”

“Let’s hope this standoff lasts a while.”
Tara said.

“We never tested my breakthrough at the
firing range.”

“That was simulated. This is reality.
Your head will know the difference. But we can’t take the shot anyway,” Tara
warned.

“I’m ready if we need to.” I felt the
sweat running down my back. My gun was aimed, but this time the barrel remained
steady in my grasp. Cozy’s face wore a mask of dried blood, all the way down
her neck.
I made the right choice then,
and I will again
.

Ray’s face scrunched in anger.
“Wheelhouse, you want to do the honors so we can get this situation under
control?”

I heard a click behind me and turned to
see Tabitha Wheelhouse pointing a nine-millimeter at my back. Her expression
was cold and calculating, her words came out like molasses. “Drop those
weapons.”

Tara and I both raised our guns at the
same time. “Crap. Didn’t see that coming.”

“You speak for both of us,” Tara mumbled.

“Most of our guys are dead, Ray. More
police just showed up,” she yelled.

“One call and they will be told to leave
the barge alone, but only if these two aren’t around to fuck it up. Kill them.”

Tabitha drew closer and yelled past us.
“Ray-baby, I’ve never killed anyone before.”

In unison, we placed our guns at our feet
and rose with our hands up. “You helped Cozy escape from the club just hours
ago. I don’t get it.”

Tabitha’s entire body stood rigid. “Ray
wanted to kill her. She’s worth more alive.”

Tara spoke. “You heard the sirens pull
up. The parking lot is full of cops. Even if that barge gets away, they’re
going to stop you on the river.”

Ray screamed, “What are you chatting
about? Pull the fucking trigger.”

Tabitha kept talking like she wanted to
stall. Her eyes were wide. “You have no idea who’s involved in this, do you?
That barge won’t be stopped. And as far as witnesses? There won’t be any.” Her
gun trembled slightly.

“Tabby, quit fucking talking and kill
them.”

“You swore I’d never have to,” she barked
at him.

He kicked a foot toward her in anger. “I
lied. Do it.”

“Just try to get them from there, baby.”

That would be a tough task. Ray aimed his
weapon at me first, shutting one eye as he lined up his shot. We had to make a
dive at our weapons. But with two guns trained for a kill shot, one of us would
take a bullet.

As Ray steadied his arm despite Cozy’s
squirming, a dark figure moved behind him, jumping at his knees. It was another
girl from inside and she managed to knock all three of them out of the
container, onto the floor below.

“Ray!” Tabitha yelled.

While he was distracted, Tara and I
lunged for our guns and turned to fire on Tabitha. Her only shot landed between
us as if she couldn’t choose. Tabitha’s chest cavity saturated with blood as
she stood in shock. She fired another shot in the air before falling backward.
With Tabitha out of commission, we used the ramp to run onto the barge to find
Cozy straddling Ray while he lay on his back. She had the barrel of his machine
gun in his mouth. The other girl was
face-down
, not
moving.

“Cozy – don’t.” Tara and I trained
our guns on her.

“Why not, Lucas? This is where it all ends
for me. I’m going to jail, right? The least I can do is take this scumbag out.”

“You’re giving him the easy way out. The
real punishment will come from life in prison.”

She looked to be considering my statement
when Ray reached for the barrel. Cozy pulled the trigger, but all we heard was
an impotent click. The weapon must have been damaged in the fall. Ray pushed
her off, but couldn’t get to his feet before I was on top of him, pulling his
hands behind his back for Tara to cuff.

She slapped on the cuffs with no regard
for comfort. “Damn straight.” Tara wiped at her forehead.

We turned our attention back to Cozy and
the other girl. Ray must have broken their fall. Cozy appraised Ray with
disappointment while the other female just lay on her side moaning, but none
the worse for wear.

“Tara.” I knelt beside the unknown female
and straightened the hair from the girl’s face. “Who does this look like?”

“Son of a bitch.”

Cozy noticed the surprise on our faces
and turned to see the girl who had just saved her life… Haley Robicheaux. Her
mouth opened enough to let air escape, but she couldn’t inhale to get it back.
A spark of recognition flared within Haley’s glazed eyes as the corners of her
mouth turned up. Both of Cozy’s arms extended in awed shock to hug her sister
as they sat side by side on the ground. Tears continued as she struggled to
speak, but gave up on speech and simply bawling into the side of Haley’s neck.

I turned my back to call Heather, but
didn’t let Tara see me wipe my eyes.

#

The red and blue lights flashed through
the sparse streets, however the siren had been rendered mute. The squad cruised
at the speed limit. The young cop driving stayed wide-eyed as the older one
yawned. These officers assigned to bring Raymond Corondelet to Orleans Parish
Prison took their time, reflecting the attitude of the city.

The younger cop spoke as he drove. “Why
do you suppose Dobson’s replacement gave us Corondelet instead of putting him
in the wagon or waiting for the Feds?”

“The Feds would take all the credit. And
it’s best to keep this guy separated from his crew.”

“Just weird. Not having an escort or
anything. I mean
,
this is a pretty big deal.”

“Enjoy it, rook. You’re gonna have a
story to tell your pals.”

“You
boys been
on the force long?” Ray asked from the back seat. Through the grate, he studied
the two morons hand-picked to transport him.

The cops ignored him, keeping their
attention on the road as they drove down Jackson Avenue towards Claiborne, a
portrait of youth and inexperience tending to serious business. At this hour,
no one was on the road in this part of town. Ray glanced between the two, one
of which was young and nervous, the other was older, weighty and soft having
hit his career ceiling. Squawking came over the radio, but they ignored it.

Ray twisted his head around to look
through the back windshield when he noticed the bright glare of headlights on
the cop’s bumper. “I imagine you don’t make much money as a beat cop, right?”

“Just keep quiet, sir,” the older one
said.

The driver popped his eyes into the
rearview mirror. “What the fuck does this guy think he’s doing? Doesn’t he see
the fucking lights?”

His partner responded, “Must be drunk.
Maybe thinks it’s an ambulance. I knew this one guy so drunk he got in a squad
car thinking it was his.”

Ray felt the car decelerate as the driver
ignored his partner. The squad drifted to the parking lane and slowed to a near
stop, expecting the drunk to pass.

“I should call this in,” the young cop
suggested as he coasted.

“Let’s see what kind of douche bag we’re
dealing with here.” The older one motioned.

Ray watched the car creep by to pass on
the driver’s side when two girls, one in the front seat and one in the back,
both pressed their bare breasts against the glass and then continued on while
waving their hands in the rear windshield.

“Nice,” the young cop said with a laugh.
When he turned to his older partner for confirmation, a bullet entered his
frontal lobe and left out the back of his skull.

“So messy,” Ray said.

The older cop got out of the car and
opened the back door. He reached in and took the cuffs off Corondelet and
waited as he slid out of the squad car.

“Alright, the boss said you’d just get me
in the shoulder or leg or something, okay?” He handed over his gun.

Ray raised the gun to the cop’s head and
fired without explanation or apology.

#

The scene resembled chaos. So many law
enforcement individuals scurrying around doing the job in which they were
tasked. Tara and I spent the past five hours answering questions into the early
morning hours, combing through documents and warehouse inventory and basically
making sure no one would screw anything up. I counted seven squad cars, four
ambulances and three fire trucks parked on the property with lights flashing
like the world’s largest disco. Police and firemen dodged each other as cargo
containers were opened and inspected while news helicopters buzzed overhead
with spotlights at the request of the NOPD. There would be no cover up.

The twenty women found in the one
container were taken to a nearby hospital before immigration determined who was
American and who needed to be deported back to their country of origin. I made
sure S.W.A.T. knew that Cozy and Haley Robicheaux were to be separated from the
group due to special circumstances. After I saw them off in the ambulance, I
called Heather again.

“It’s five in the morning, babe. Did I
wake you?” I asked.

“Actually, after you called, Chance got
an update and he said Corondelet had been arrested, so we decided to go home.
Hope that’s okay.”

“You still have the detail?”

“Yes. That’s the only reason we left. My
parents went to my aunt’s house.”

“Guess what? Cozy’s sister is alive and
well. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.”

“That’s great. I can’t wait.”

“I’ll be there in an hour or two if I can
finish up with this madhouse.”

“I’m proud of you, honey. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

We had followed up with the Robicheaux
sisters at the hospital to make sure the staff knew the situation, leaving Cozy
handcuffed to a hospital bed next to Haley in the same room, both staying
overnight for observation. We didn’t know what kind of jail time Cozy would
receive – if any – as that would be up to the D.A. and her
extenuating circumstances were sympathetic at worst.

Tara and I had promised to support them
during what was sure to be a crazy few weeks upcoming. Just thinking about the
press coverage and paperwork gave me a headache. I was curious to how Aponi
would handle Haley not being dead. She didn’t want me to deliver any more news,
so I would honor that request and send a trooper.

My cell phone read 6:13 a.m. as I closed
in on home, thinking of the joy on Heather’s face. Who was I kidding? My wife
will be happy for me, but it wouldn’t change her mind. She didn’t like my job
and she would rather I quit, although she’d never say that to my face. As a
detective, I know this to be true.

Just blocks from my house, my cell rang
with Tara’s name. “Don’t you dare tell me Ray escaped.
”

“Ray escaped.”

I waited for her to laugh. “Bullshit, Tara.”

“Seriously. The squad was found just off
Claiborne Avenue. The two officers were executed.”

“How does something like that happen?”

“You said it yourself, these guys always
have an escape plan. Any one of those Russians could have been lying in wait.
Hell, for all we know, it was a cop on the payroll. Who the fuck knows.”

“I’m pulling up to my house now.”

“You don’t think he’d show up there?”

“Ray doesn’t think rationally when in a
rage, remember? I think he wants to show up here.”

“I’m sending a unit to sit outside.”

“Good, because I don’t see the detail
that’s supposed to be here.”

“Trouble?”

“I’ll call you right back if I see
anything.”

I pulled up to the curb by the
neighboring house, deciding not to park in the driveway just yet. A different
light illuminated the living room; not the lamp that was always on. Could the
bulb have blown? I’m not buying it. I called Heather’s number waiting a few
rings before she answered.

“Hi,
Lukie
,”
she said with emphasis.

I knew right away. She never called me Lukie
since it was my last girlfriend’s pet name for me.

“Hey, sorry I’m still out and calling so
early, but I’m going to be home in about a half hour and I have a craving for
scrambled eggs. Just thought to call to see if you want breakfast so I can tell
you all about tonight.”

She
knows I despise eggs
.

She said, “You and your eggs. Why don’t
you come home first and we’ll go out to Camillia Grill.”

“Excellent idea. See you soon. Love you.”

I hung up the cell with adrenaline about
to flood out my ears. I slipped out of my car and ran to the back of the house
where I stealthily climbed in the bedroom window, doing a handstand before
rolling onto my back.