You have anything more to add?
It would sure be helpful if we knew who those two agents were yesterday and what theyre up to.
Ive got a contact or two in the federal building. Lapierre absently tapped a manicured nail on the desk, as if her mind were suddenly somewhere else. Ill make a call, see what I can find out.
What do you want us to do about Sonny Betts?
We need to be careful how we handle that situation so we dont step on any toes. And right now we dont have anything but a hunch tying him to Courtlands murder. She reached for her phone, indicating their meeting was over. One more thing, she said as they stood and headed for the door.
They turned in unison.
This whole thing leaves a real bad taste in my mouth. This isnt just murder. Theres something dark going on here, and I dont much like where this case seems to be headed. Ill like it even less if somebody starts leaking to the press. You get me?
They both indicated that they did.
Then go find me the killer before somebody else turns up dead on my watch. And, Theroux?
Captain?
Dont make this personal. Its not about you and its not about a dead cop. Its about finding Paul Courtlands killer. Understood?
Captain?
Dont make this personal. Its not about you and its not about a dead cop. Its about finding Paul Courtlands killer. Understood?
Understood. Evangeline resisted the temptation to add but what I do on my own time is my business.
As it turned out, she had another chance to make that argument a little while later when Lapierre called her back into the office, this time alone.
Im taking you off the Courtland case, Lapierre said without preface.
Evangeline had not expected that. She stared at her superior in speechless outrage.
Mitchell will take the lead. Turn over all your notes to him.
Am I allowed to ask why? Evangeline said through clenched teeth. She was furious, but she also knew losing her temper would do far more harm than good with Angelette Lapierre.
I saw the way you looked when Mitchell brought up that conversation about a dead cop. Youve already fixated on the notion that Johnnys death is somehow tied to Paul Courtland and Sonny Betts. Fixated, I might add, without a shred of evidence.
Thats not true, Evangeline protested. Ive done nothing but work this case by the book.
Lapierre gave her a cool appraisal. That may be true at the moment, but I see the potential for conflict of interest and Im nipping it in the bud before we have a compromised investigation.
Evangeline glared back at her. What brought this on so suddenly? You werent concerned this morning. Someone must have said something.
Lapierre folded her hands on the desk and leaned forward. Actually, your behavior since Johnnys death has caused me concern for quite some time now. Youre obsessed with finding his killer, so much so that youre in danger of losing your objectivity. And a detective with tunnel vision is no good to me or anyone else.
So thats it.
Thats it for the Courtland investigation, but theres no shortage of misery in this city. Youve got a shitload of other cases to work on. Do us both a favor and let this one go without a fight. Theres no way youll win it.
Wordlessly, Evangeline stood and started toward the door.
Evangeline?
She glanced over her shoulder. It was the first time the captain had ever addressed her by her first name.
Contrary to what you may think, I like you. Youve got the potential to be a damn good investigator. Dont do something stupid to derail a promising career before it ever gets traction.
With all due respect, Captain
Lapierre lifted a brow, but her expression made it clear she didnt want to hear further argument.
Evangeline decided to let it go.You had to pick your battles and all that. With all due respect, Im the one who could have found Paul Courtlands killer for you.
Youll get your chance on another case. In the meantimeI have a question for you. Ever cross paths with an FBI agent named Declan Nash?
Evangeline thought for a moment, then shook her head.
Never even heard the name? Lapierre asked.
Not that I remember. Why?
Lapierres expression turned pensive as she observed Evangeline from across the room. He sure as hell seems to know a lot about you.
Nine
As fleecy white clouds scuttled across the bright blue sky, temporarily blocking the sun, Lynette Jennings cast a wary eye heavenward. Despite the cloud coverage, the day was hot and humid, with only the barest hint of a breeze blowing in from the lake.
But a storm was headed their way.
Lynette could feel it in her bones.
Shed lived all her life on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and even as a kid, shed always been highly attuned to a sudden shift in weather patterns and wind direction, the slightest drop of barometric pressure. The atmospheric changes seemed to creep along her skin, giving her aches and pains in her joints and chilling her all the way down to her core.
A storm was brewing, all right. She could smell the rain already.
The wind shifted ever so slightly, and she thought to herself that it was time for her and J.D. to make tracks. Shed taken him out for a stroll along the shady side of the sidewalk, and as she turned back toward the house, it seemed to Lynette that the edges of the low-hanging cumulus clouds had already begun to darken.
She stopped for a moment to adjust the top on the stroller. J.D. had fallen asleep, and as Lynette fiddled with the canopy, she paused to graze her finger along his soft cheek.
You sweet little thing. Youre just the spitting image of your poor daddy.
But there was something of Evangeline in the beguiling curve of his lips, in the way his brow puckered when he got upset.
And those eyes.
So dark a blue, they were almost violet, and so deep, a body could easily drown in them.
Lynette had never seen a baby with such intense, knowing eyes.
He had quite the temper at times, too, but in sleep, he looked so vulnerable and innocent.
A precious little angel.
A shadow passed across the babys face, and Lynette looked up, expecting to find that the sky had darkened even more. But instead, a man stood just behind her, gazing down at her sleeping grandchild.
His sudden appearance caught Lynette by surprise, and for a moment, she didnt even notice the terrible scar on the side of his face.
What she did notice, though, were his eyes.
Black as coal and focused on the baby.
Abruptly, she stood, putting herself between the man and the stroller. Can I help you?
His smile was oddly charming, considering his grotesque appearance, but with the black hair and dark clothes, he seemed too much like a manifestation of the coming storm.
He held up a pale hand, and Lynette couldnt help but notice how long and bony his fingers were. The gesture was graceful, but those skeletal fingers were creepy.
Sorry. So sorry. I didnt mean to startle you. Im trying to find a friends house, and Ive been driving in circles for the better part of an hour. I saw you out here with the baby and I thought hoped you could help me find my way.
Whats the address? Lynette said with a frown, although his deep voice was surprisingly pleasant. But she didnt like how silently hed come up behind her. She also didnt like the way he kept glancing down at her sleeping grandson.
Twelve-fourteen Sabine Way.
Ive never heard of that street. I think you must have the wrong neighborhood.
Cypress Valley?
No, this is Cypress Grove.
Ah. That explains why I cant find his house, then.
He moved to the side of the walkway so that he had a better view of J.D. Lynette fought the urge to once again step in front of the stroller.
He smiled then, as if hed picked up on her trepidation, and that was when Lynette began to truly fear him.
There was something diabolical in that smile. Something evil lurking in those dark, dark eyes.
He inclined his head toward the stroller. Yours?
My grandbaby. Now if youll excuse me, she said coldly, I have to get home. Its about to rain.
So it is. His eyes trapped her again, and it was as if one of those skeletal fingers had traced an icy trail up her spine. You can feel it, cant you? Something bad is coming this way.
So it is. His eyes trapped her again, and it was as if one of those skeletal fingers had traced an icy trail up her spine. You can feel it, cant you? Something bad is coming this way.
Without answering, Lynette moved behind the stroller and gripped the handle tightly so that he wouldnt see the sudden tremble of her hands.
She wondered what she would do if he stepped in front of the stroller and barred her way. Her cell phone was in the diaper bag stowed on the rack beneath the seat. If he made a move toward her or the baby, shed never be able to reach it in time.
But the only way hed ever touch her grandchild was over her dead body. Somehow Lynette didnt think that obstacle would unduly concern him.
Two houses up, Peggy Ann Grainger came out her front door and headed down the walkway to check her mailbox. Lynette lifted a hand and called out to her. Hey, there! Yoo-hoo! Peggy Ann!
The woman looked up and around, and then waved back when she spotted Lynette. Hey, Lynette! Long time no see.
You enjoy your trip to Florida? Lynette shot a wary glance at the stranger. He was staring down at her in amusement. It was all she could do to suppress a shudder.
Sure did. Ate too much, though. What else is new? To Lynettes relief, Peggy Ann started toward them. That your grandbaby you got there with you?
Come see how much hes grown!
The man continued to smile down at Lynette, but something shifted in his eyes. When he turned to glance at Peggy Ann, Lynette could have sworn she saw a flash of red near his pupils.
Excuse me, she said again as she wheeled the stroller around him. Good luck finding your friends house.
She didnt look back until she met up with Peggy Ann on the sidewalk, and then she glanced over her shoulder as the other woman bent to admire the sleeping baby.
The man strode across the street where he climbed into an old black Cadillac Eldorado. After a moment, he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, and it was only then that Lynette glimpsed the passenger in the front seat.
A beautiful blond woman stared out the window as they drove by. Her gaze was fixed, not on Lynette or Peggy Ann, but on the stroller that carried the sleeping baby.
Ten
Nash was having a late breakfast in his favorite dive when he saw Evangeline Theroux walk in. He wanted to believe it was just one of those odd occurrences, but he knew better than to discount her investigative skills.