And what do you think?
My son is only five months old. He doesnt care where we live.
And you?
She shrugged. Its hotter than hell in Houston. If I move, itll be to someplace where theres snow.
You say that now. Just wait until youve had to shovel your driveway a few times.
Some people might think shoveling your driveway pales in comparison to watching your house float away. The breeze loosened her ponytail and she reached up to tighten the band.
The sun came out from behind a cloud for a moment, and the square seemed to explode with colorpink and purple impatiens spilling over clay pots; orange flames of hibiscus licking at the narrow walkways; yellow roses tangling around the rusted pikes of an iron fence.
Behind the bench where they sat, palm fronds waved in the breeze, the sound like the rustle of an old silk skirt.
Anyway, enough with the yammering, she said. I dont know what any of this has to do with Paul Courtlands murder or why you feel my clueless blundering is such a threat to your operation. Surely, its occurred to you the investigation will move forward with or without me.
Not withshall we say?the same amount of zeal.
She gave him a cool appraisal. I think you seriously underestimate the NOPD. Particularly, Mitchell Hebert. Hes a thorough investigator, too. If he finds a lead that points him in the direction of Sonny Betts, thats where hell go.
We dont think thats where the leads will take him, though.
We dont think thats where the leads will take him, though.
Why not?
Because we dont think Sonny Betts had anything to do with Paul Courtlands murder.
And you base this on?
Simple logic. Courtland was his attorney. Why would Betts kill him?
I can think of at least one good reason. Maybe Betts found out Courtland was working for you guys.
Nash frowned. Why would you think that?
Something his wife told us. Sounds like you were leaning on the poor chump pretty hard, and he was afraid hed end up like some dead cop.You wouldnt know anything about that, either, I dont suppose.
No, I dont.
He couldnt tell if she believed him or not. She looked like she wanted to call him out on it, but instead she took another tack.
How did Betts find out about Courtland? Someone talked?
Youre barking up the wrong tree, Detective. Betts had nothing to do with Courtlands murder.
And I ask you again, how do you know this?
He hesitated, wondering how much he would have to tell her to get her to back off. A few days before he was last seen, Courtland was overheard expressing a concern that he was being followed. On several different occasions, hed spotted a strange car parked outside his apartment and his office building, and a blond woman appeared to be tailing him once when he took his daughter to the movies. She later turned up at the same restaurant.
Could she have been working for Betts?
Highly unlikely.
She turned to face him. You say that so definitively. Like theres not much room for error.
We dont think there is.
Who overheard Courtland express this concern of his? You?
Not me personally.
Who, then? When he didnt answer, she folded her arms. You had him under electronic surveillance, didnt you? His phone was tapped. You guys really are Big Brother.
The point is, theres a very high probability the person or persons who were following Courtland know something about his murder. If you find this blonde, you may just find his killer.
She remained silent for a moment, as if carefully digesting everything hed told her. When her gaze finally met his, he could see the wheels turning and he knew, with a sinking feeling in his gut, that she was going to be trouble. And he was already wondering what more he would have to do to keep her in line.
Why didnt you just tell us about this woman yesterday? Why pull strings to get me removed from the case?
Would you have listened? Or would you have dug in your heels?
She frowned. Dont presume you know me well enough to predict my behavior in any given situation. And dont think this is over. You guys have gone and meddled in my life, and now Im going to have to spend some time figuring out why.
A few moments later, Nash watched her weave her way through the square, heading for Decatur. For a moment, he considered going after her, maybe even asking her out to dinner. A little damage control might be in order because he was certain they hadnt heard the last of Detective Theroux.
Then common sense prevailed and he realized that was about the worst idea hed had in years. The less time he spent with Johnny Therouxs widow, the better.
If he wanted a womans company, all he had to do was make a phone call or two. Not that he had the proverbial black book full of numbers, but hed never wanted for female companionship.
Since the breakup of his first marriage, Nash had crossed paths with any number of women who had sent interested signals. Sometimes he acted on those invitations; other times he ignored them. What he never did was mix business with pleasure. He was smarter than that, although hed made his share of mistakes, especially in the months following the divorce.
Looking back now, his reckless behavior during that time puzzled him. It was out of character for him to take so many risks, and it sure as hell wasnt like him to fall for a beautiful, soulless woman with whom he had so little in common and about whom he knew next to nothing. Rushing into marriage was something a love-struck kid would do, not a grown man with a troubled daughter to look after.
Nashs second marriage had lasted all of six months. When he came home on that last night to find Sophia packing her bags, all hed felt was relief.
All he could think was thank God its over.
A few months later, the marriage was nothing but a bad memory. A tear in the whole fabric of his stable, conservative life.
The one good thing to come from the brief union was the return of his common sense, and for that Nash was grateful. Ever since Sophia, hed been a lot more careful. Temptations these days were few and far between, and that was the way he liked it. He was finally at a comfortable place in his life. He neither looked forward with anticipation nor back with regret. Instead hed learned to take each moment as it came. He liked his job, he liked New Orleans and he liked living alone.
On the rare occasions when he allowed himself time to reflect, his thoughts more often turned to his daughter rather than to his two failed marriages.
Jamie was his real failure, but that was a door he couldnt afford to open too often and never while on the job. The guilt and anger, even after all these years, still had the power to overwhelm him. To creep up and steal his composure if he wasnt careful.
Luckily, Nash was an expert at keeping his professional life separate from his personal. That was one of the reasons his first wife had left him. Thatand because she didnt want to deal with her own guilt. Better just to run away. Start over. Find someone who could give her what she wanted and needed. A new life, a new husband, a new family.
Nash wondered if Deb ever even thought of Jamie these days. All that social climbing probably kept her pretty busy.
Not that he had any room to cast such bitter stones. How long had it been since hed driven to St. Gabriel to see Jamie? Hadnt that been his reason for transferring back to New Orleans? So he could spend more time with her?
He tore his thoughts from his beautiful, tormented daughter and concentrated instead on Evangeline Theroux. He told himself his preoccupation with the detective was necessary in order to determine the best way to handle what could still turn out to be a sticky situation.
Of course, he knew better.
The truth was, he liked thinking about her. He liked being with her, too. There was something sensual about the way she carried herself. Something earthy and elemental about his response to her.
Hidden underneath that tough veneer was a very appealing woman.
His phone rang and he hauled it out to check the caller ID. It was Tom Draiden.
Yeah?
I just heard something thats going to give you a real tingle. Nathan Mallets back in town.
Nash swore. How reliable is the intel?
Id say about ninety-nine-point-nine percent. What do you think brought him back?
He still has family in town. Could be he just got homesick.
Should we pick him up?
Not yet. Lets cut him a little slack and see what he does with it.
Tom chuckled. Careful, Nash. Your sadistic side is showing.
Nash ended the call as he hurried out of the square. Hed hoped Nathan Mallet was out of their hair for good, but he should have known better. Mallet had too many ties to New Orleans. Like a bad penny, he was bound to keep turning up, but the former cop still had plenty of secrets. It was those secrets that made him so controllable.
Nash ended the call as he hurried out of the square. Hed hoped Nathan Mallet was out of their hair for good, but he should have known better. Mallet had too many ties to New Orleans. Like a bad penny, he was bound to keep turning up, but the former cop still had plenty of secrets. It was those secrets that made him so controllable.
Besides, even if he did decide to renew old acquaintances, it wasnt too late to come up with a more permanent solution.
Evangeline Theroux was the real loose cannon here. If she began to put it all together, a two-year operation could easily explode in their faces because hell had no fury like a scorned woman.
But even now, Nash had a hard time reconciling the threat she constituted with her appearance. No doubt people underestimated her all the time, but that was a mistake he couldnt afford to make.
Eleven
That afternoon, Evangeline met Mitchell for lunch at a little takeout joint on Magazine Street. They carried their trays to the picnic tables around back and sat down in the shade of a pistachio tree. Despite a brief rainstorm earlier, the heat was thick and oppressive, and Evangeline pressed an icy can of Dr Pepper to her cheek.
You said on the phone you needed to talk to me about something, Mitchell said as he tucked into his fried oyster poboy. It was dressed and messy, and the look on his face was pure rapture. Mmm, mmm, mmm.