A Crying Shame (42 page)

Never.”

She rubbed her fingers on his arm and he wondered if she knew how sexual a motion that was.
I still get the feeling you aren't telling me all you know. I think we have a lot of talking to do, Jon Badon,
mercenaire.”

Peut-etre
que oui, ” was his reply. Perhaps so.

 

How long can you sit on this, Sheriff?” Joe asked.
How long are you going to keep the people uninformed?”

It was late afternoon, and Mike, involved in thought, was not paying attention to Joe. Why in God's name did Badon and Ms. Breaux want to stay out at that . . . death house? What did Badon really have up his sleeve? If anything. Mike didn't completely trust the man. Call it cop's instinct. He looked up, meeting Joe's eyes.
What did you say, Joe?”

The people, Sheriff. The people of this parish. They have a right to know what's in that swamp. The dangers in there. Don't you think that's so?”

Joe . . . man, we'd have pure panic. Everybody in this parish would drag out his rifle and shotgun and be shooting at anything that moved in the night. You know that's so; I shouldn't have to tell you. Do you have any idea how many innocent people would get shot? Hurt? Killed? I don't even like to think about it.”

Blackwell is stomping around out in the front office, demanding a statement. What are you going to tell him? Do you have that thought out?”

Yeah, Mack got together with me and we worked it out.” He flipped a single-spaced, typed report at the man.
There it is, and may God help me.”

Joe quickly scanned the single page, his lips moving as he read. Joe had always been a slow reader.
Sheriff—this is a bald-faced lie, all of it.”

Yeah, but that's the way it's going down, Joe. And the coroner and Ralph at the funeral home will back me up all the way. So will Mack. And I'm counting on you to do the same.”