And for Nathan Mallet.
Shed already spotted his red Mustang across the street. The 1967 classic stood out among the SUVs and minivans of the tourists, and Evangeline remembered how much Johnny had always coveted that car.
But to her eyes, the Mustang looked worse for the wear since the last time shed seen it, and she wondered again what Nathan had been up to since Johnnys shooting. Why he had felt the need to leave town so quickly.
Several people still milled about inside the brick walls even though the sun was already setting. By New Orleans standards, Mount Olive was relatively new, but it had many of the same characteristics as the older cemeteries. The rusty iron gates opened into an eerie necropolis of sun-bleached tombs and contrasting shadows cast by the crosses and statues.
If she had come to visit Johnnys vault, Evangeline would need to turn right inside the gates, but that wasnt why she was here. Her plan was to ambush Nathan on his way out.
But after a moment, she found herself threading through the ornate tombs and mausoleums to the row of vaults at the back of the cemetery.
Someone had placed fresh flowers and a votive candle in front of Johnnys marker, and Evangeline wondered uneasily who had been visiting here while shed been estranged.
She touched the bronze plaque, still warm from the days heat, but she felt no connection to her husbands remains. It was strange, but here, where his body had been laid to rest, Evangeline couldnt feel his presence at all.
The sun dipped below the treetops and the promise of twilight settled over the vault. But she knew it wasnt a sign or a message from Johnny. Not this time. It was just the end of another day without him.
Turning to leave, Evangeline noticed a man coming toward her on the path. He was tall and thin with a pale, emaciated face that was badly scarred on one side. He was dressed all in black and his hair gleamed like India ink.
As he came closer, Evangeline could see that his lips were moving, and she thought at first he was speaking to her. Then she realized that he must be talking to himself.
An icy awareness slid down her neck. She wanted to look away, but there was something oddly compelling about the strange man. She was intrigued by the scar on his face, by the pallid gauntness of his features.
But what held her enthralled were his eyes. They were as black as night, and yet they seemed to burn with an inner fire that chilled her to the bone.
His disturbing gaze was still on her when he drew even with Johnnys tomb. He said something aloud, which Evangeline didnt understand.
Excuse me?
He kept on walking, cutting her a sideways glance as he went by.
When he was all the way to the end of the row, he looked over his shoulder. He said something else, and this time Evangeline could have sworn he mouthed her name.
She started toward him, but by the time she got to the end of the vaults, hed disappeared behind a large mausoleum.
Slipping her hand into her bag, Evangeline closed her fingers around the handle of her weapon. Wary of a trap, she gave the mausoleum a wide birth as she circled around to the front.
The man was nowhere to be seen.
Light from the fading sun sparked off the crypts stained-glass windows and a cross on the top cast a long shadow across the eerie landscape.
The man was nowhere to be seen.
Light from the fading sun sparked off the crypts stained-glass windows and a cross on the top cast a long shadow across the eerie landscape.
Something had fallen to the grass on the path in front of her, and as Evangeline drew closer, she saw that it was an origami crane.
She thought instantly of the mobile on her sons crib, and she had the strangest feeling that the dark-haired man had dropped it there for her to find. But why? She didnt even know who he was.
Searching the path ahead of her, she caught a glimpse of him again. He was looking over his shoulder, smiling at her in a way that made her heart pound in trepidation. Who the hell was this joker and what did he want with her?
Evangeline started after him again, but he was adept at using the maze of crypts and vaults to conceal himself. She followed him for several minutes, catching enough quick glimpses to lead her back to the gates. But when she emerged onto the street, he was nowhere to be found.
Completely unsettled by the odd chase, Evangeline crossed the street and waited beside the red Mustang for Nathan Mallet. She kept an eye out for the scarred stranger, but he didnt show himself again.
Nathan came through the gates a little while later, but he didnt see Evangeline until he was almost in front of her. He looked up in astonishment, as if suddenly catching sight of a ghost.
Evangeline? What are you doing here? He was a lot thinner than the last time shed seen him, and like his car, he looked a lot worse for the wear. His clothes were ragged, his hair unkempt and he seemed to have a hard time looking her in the eyes.
I came to see you, Nathan.
He glanced around nervously. How did you know Id be here? Never mind. He lifted a hand and rubbed the scruff on his chin. My sisters always had a big mouth.
Why havent you returned any of my phone calls? Evangeline asked.
Even in the disintegrating light, his eyes looked glassy and unfocused. You know how it is. You never know what to say in a situation like that. Plus, Ive got a lot of personal problems Ive been dealing with lately.
Weve all got personal problems.
Yeah, I know.
Could we go somewhere and talk?
About what?
His darting gaze made Evangeline uneasy. He was on something, which could also make him volatile.
Ive still got a lot of questions about the night Johnny died, she said.
What makes you think I know the answers?
You were working cases with him at the time of his death.
Yeah, but we didnt work every case together. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood looking out over the street. You really shouldnt have come looking for me, he said softly. Im not going to be able to help you.
Because you cant or you wont?
You need to just go on home to your baby.
His tone deepened Evangelines disquiet. That almost sounds like a threat, Nathan.
He shrugged. You dont need to be afraid of me.
Is there someone else I should be afraid of?
He paused. Cant you just leave it alone? Johnnys gone. Nothing I can say will bring him back.
I know that. But I still want to talk to you. Can we sit in your car for a few minutes? I dont like standing out here in the open like this. I feel too exposed.
He gave her a strange look, but he unlocked his car and they both climbed in. The interior smelled of reefer.
Nathans head dropped to the back of the seat as he ran a hand across his eyes. I dont know what you think I can tell you. I wasnt with Johnny that night.
But you must have some idea of what he was doing in that parking garage. Why did he go there?
He stared straight ahead. I dont know.
I dont believe you.
It was getting dark fast, but there was still enough ambient light coming through the windshield that Evangeline could see the harsh angles of Nathans face when he turned toward her. She could even see the regret in his eyes as he stared at her for the longest moment.
Then he shook his head. You dont want to ask me any more questions about that night, Evangeline.
Her heart skipped a beat at the look on his face.
I have to know, she whispered. What was Johnny doing in that parking garage?
He drew a long breath and released it. He went there to see a woman.
Fourteen
To humor Lynette, Don spent several minutes driving around the neighborhood, looking for the old Cadillac Eldorado shed spotted earlier, but apparently the car was long gone and so were the two snakes that had been on the patio.
Lynette had watched them slither away just before Don got home, but to his credit, hed grabbed an old machete from the garage that he used for hacking down bamboo and went outside to tramp around in the yard and flower beds.
While he was out there, he decided the grass needed cutting, so he hauled out the lawn mower and got to work.
Lynette stood at the kitchen window and watched him make pass after pass through the grass. The light was almost gone, but he didnt let up until the whole backyard was trimmed. Somewhere along the way, hed discarded his shirt, and Lynette was surprised by the flutter of awareness in the pit of her stomach.
How long had it been since shed noticed how attractive her husband still was? How long since shed paid him a real compliment?
Despair settled around her heart. She was still so mad at him she could spit, but her anger did nothing to fill the hole left by his indifference.
Lynette wanted to turn away from the window, pretend that nothing was wrong. Pretend their lives would go on just as they always had. But she had the strangest notion that if she looked away, or even blinked, she might never see him again.
Mistakenly, shed believed that the glue of a forty-year marriage was strong enough to bind them together forever. But while shed remained rooted to the past, entrenched in their settled ways, Don had moved on. And shed let it happen without lifting a finger to stop it.
Lynettes eyes burned dryly as she watched him wheel the lawn mower toward the back gate. She didnt take her eyes off him until hed disappeared on the other side of the fence, and then finally she turned back to the stove.
He came inside a few minutes later and she heard him go into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She wondered if he would even notice the scrubbed tile in the shower, the stack of clean towels in the linen closet, the cake of fresh soap in the porcelain dish. Had he ever noticed any of those things, or did he just take her labors for granted?
When he came back into the kitchen, he was dressed in pressed khakis and a pullover shirt in the color of blue that Lynette had always loved on him.
His hair still damp from the shower, he stood in the doorway and propped one hand against the frame. Something smells good.
She glanced over her shoulder as she continued to work. Its nothing special. Just gumbo and cornbread. Peach pie for dessert.
Your gumbos always special, he said.
Lynette turned in surprise and she felt a catch in her chest as their gazes met briefly. But when he saw her hopeful smile, he glanced away.