“There’s nothing to get through.” Max spoke through his teeth. His lips were pulled back. “You aren’t needed here.”
Guy’s stare didn’t waver. “Her arm,” he said.
Max released it.
“Why are you here? I already know about Annie, but not you. Did you ask him to come?” Guy asked her.
She couldn’t look at Max. “I’m only here to look around. Me, I was here the other day and thought it a beautiful place, so I thought I’d come back and see if it was just as pretty at night.”
“In a storm?” Guy said. “On your own. And Max here just happened to think it was a good night for trompin’ in the woods, too. You got a flashlight, Annie?”
She tried to breathe in without much success. “I dropped it somewhere.” Airily, she waved a hand. “I couldn’t find it.”
“What have you done to your face?” Guy said.
Automatically, she put both hands to her cheeks and recalled walking into a tree. “Bumped myself,” she said.
He moved his beam over Max. “And you. Looks like you messed up your face and neck.” Guy moved in closer. “Rough out here, huh? Scratches. You been scratchin’ this man, Annie. Hitting his head, maybe?”
“No…yes, it was my fault. I slipped and he tried to catch me. I’m afraid Max got the worse of it.”
“You always fight people who try to help you? I’ll bear that in mind.”
Her heart beat a little faster, a little harder. At last the rain had beaten down the leaves and fell hard enough to soak all of them. “Guy, I was alone here and Max came to find me. I got scared when I heard someone else. I went a bit nuts.”
“You fought him. Good. Me, I make it a rule to fight people who creep up on me in the dark, too.”
“Yes,” she said, aware of how quiet Max was. “So you understand?”
“Did you fight him before you slipped and he tried to save you from fallin’…or after?”
He was letting her know her half-truths, lies, conflicting comments, weren’t going unnoticed. “I’m unsettled,” she told him and it sounded weak. “But it’s okay here, really it is.”
Max kept his mouth shut and listened. He couldn’t blame Guy for being suspicious and he wondered who had sent him here. Most notable of all was Annie’s defense. She’d be a nut not to at least doubt his innocence, but he did believe she cared for him. She humbled him—even if he didn’t understand her.
“I want a few words with you, Annie,” Guy said.
From what little Max knew of the man, he liked him. But he didn’t want him removing Annie to see if she’d tell a different tale.
“Annie?” Guy said.
“Surely,” she said, and walked away from Max, a little unsteady on her feet, her eyes fixed on the obstacles underfoot.
Either she would keep up her story that Max was okay or she wouldn’t. This wasn’t the first time Max had been dependent on the kindness, and the support of others.
“It’s okay,” Guy said when Annie reached him. He pulled her to one side so he could keep his weapon trained on Savage. Guy lowered his voice. “You don’t have to talk with me. A good friend of yours asked me to check you out. I’m doing that.”
“I appreciate it,” Annie said and realized how much she meant it. “Wazoo called you?”
“My clients expect me to be circumspect. What’s goin’ on here? Say the word and I’ll get you out.”
She wanted out, but Max hadn’t tried to do something bad to her. He’d hurt her, but only because he’d had to stop her from taking lumps out of him—more lumps. “He came because he’s worried about me.” Annie made up her mind what she needed to do for now. “May I come and talk to you in your office if I need to?”
He regarded her intently. “Yes. Yes, you surely can.” He dropped his voice even lower. “If you need help now, just fold your arms.”
She left her arms at her side. “If I do need help, you’re going to be the one I call. I don’t believe Max did any of the things they reckon he did. I’ll come in and tell you what’s been happening to me. Will late tomorrow be okay?”
“You’ve got it. Goldilocks is a love so don’t let her scare you.”
She frowned at him.
“One of our dogs. She likes to sit inside the door to my offices. Baby—he’s the younger one—he’s upstairs. Sometimes they scare people but they’re a pair of softies.”
“Dogs don’t scare me,” Annie said, thinking, and not for the first time, that Guy was an interesting type and she could understand why free-spirit Jilly looked at him as if she couldn’t wait to get him alone.
“Hey, Max,” Guy said. “I’d like to get back. You want to walk out together? This place is a maze.”
“Sure,” Max said, joining them as fast as he could. “What did you decide? That I’m a lady-killer—literally?”
“Go easy,” Guy said. “Put yourself in my shoes. You do realize this entire town knows pretty much all about what happened with those women?”
“Sure I do.”
Annie faced him. “Guy knows I don’t think you had anything to do with the murders. We’re going to walk out together. Three pairs of eyes could help.”
“Got it,” Max said.
As they went, they didn’t say much. The two men automatically placed her between them and helped her clamber through the underbrush.
“Max once thought he would build his clinic here,” Annie said, uncomfortable with the silence. “Then he and his brothers found Green Veil.”
“Not exactly here,” Max said. “The next lot over.”
Annie pulled up. “Did I wander that far away? I left the land you liked?”
“Easy to do,” Max said. “It all looks the same. I’ve bought the parcel next door, the one I showed you.”
She looked into his face. Even in the darkness she could tell he wasn’t smiling. “It’s beautiful,” she said. It wasn’t her place to press him about his reasons for wanting that particular piece of real estate.
“I think so. When some of the trees are cleared on the bayou side there’ll be a great view.”
“You intend to build another clinic?” Guy asked, and Annie was grateful the responsibility for finding out had been taken from her.
“No. A house. I intend to live there. It’s not so far from the clinic and I love the spot.”
Annie felt warm. He intended to have a home here—that meant he intended to really settle in.
They reached the clearing on Max’s lot and walked across the mushy ground in a relentless downpour.
“I’d like to drive you home,” Max said. “You’re in no condition to drive. We’ll come back for your car when you’ve slept and seen a doctor.”
“I’m fine to drive. I’ll take it easy.” She didn’t want to be in debt to him for anything. But she did want to find a way to prove his innocence. Annie also figured she’d better go to Spike in the morning and bring him up to date.
The long trudge took them back through the trees to the road along the bayou.
“I’m going to follow you,” Max said.
Guy cleared his throat. “And I’ll be right behind.”
Annie thought all this was a fine idea. “Thank you.”
“I appreciate you looking out for Annie,” Max said to Guy.
She liked hearing him say it, Annie thought. She liked any tiny piece of attention he showed her. A dangerous thing when they couldn’t seem to get along anymore.
“What time did you leave Toussaint?” Guy asked, talking to Max.
“I’m not really sure. I got a call suggesting Annie might be coming up here on her own and left.”
“Who called you?”
Max sighed. “I don’t know. A man. He cut out before I could ask him anything.”
“You have trouble with getting anythin’ you say backed up, don’t you?” Guy said, mildly enough.
Max was noncommittal. “Seems that way.”
“You haven’t spoken to Spike since then.”
“No.” It was hard to keep on walking. Max’s gut tightened up and not for the first time tonight. “Why would I?”
“Cyrus called in to report Madge’s dog missing. Apparently she can’t even talk about it.”
“No!” Annie said. She speeded up. “Madge never lets Millie out of her sight. Everyone says so.”
“Lil was going into Loreauville and the dog needed to see the vet for a shot. Lil volunteered to take her and apparently Madge couldn’t figure out how to refuse.”
“It’s late,” Annie said. “Lil would be back long before now.”
“Spike called Ozaire. You know Ozaire? Lil’s husband. He helps out at Homer’s place and at the church. He said Lil was probably with her sister in Loreauville. The sister says she went back to Toussaint hours ago.”
“I’m going straight to the rectory,” Annie said. “They might need help.”
“So, what did Lil do with the dog?” Max asked.
“If they could find Lil, they’d ask her.”
“A
sheriff knows things are out of control when the whole damn town moves a meetin’ about a crime to the
rectory,
” Spike said, clattering into Cyrus’s kitchen, the heels of his boots ringing. “What happened to this kind of get-together bein’ held at the station?” He nodded at Guy who gave a sloppy salute.
Cyrus’s kitchen was pretty crowded and he forgave Spike for sounding off. The man was up to his eyes in missing women and the breaks weren’t coming his way. “It’s because Lil’s expected back here—we hope,” Cyrus told him. “We want to be around when she shows up. We’re not meetin’ about a crime as far as we know.”
Spike ignored Cyrus and pointed at Annie. “Dr. Reb told me she’s on her way over to take a look at you.” His attention shifted from Annie to Max. Spike’s eyes narrowed. “You’d better get in line for medical attention. What the hell’s goin’ on around here?” He glanced at Cyrus. “Sorry, Father.”
“Never could keep his mouth clean,” Homer said. He slouched off in a corner by himself, his elbow propped on a white-tiled counter.
Spike stared at Max again. “Your old buddy Tom Walen’s blown any cover you thought you had in this town. He’s made sure folks are thinkin’ you could save us a lot of grief and money by lettin’ on what you did with Michele Riley.”
Max knew any response he made would sound defensive.
“That’s like accusin’ him,” Annie said. She turned a lighter shade of pale so the scratches on her face glared. “They couldn’t even try him on those two other women. He’s bein’ trapped by gossip.”
“If he’s trapped, he’ll do it himself,” Spike said. “Or maybe I should say he’s already done it himself. You’ll need to account for your movements today and this evening, Max. Unless Lil shows up first—alive and healthy.”
“Now you’re tryin’ to say he’s done somethin’ to Lil?” Annie jutted her chin. “That’s just wrong, Spike.”
Nothing was good about the situation, but Annie’s attempt to protect him eased Max’s pent-up anger.
The smell of coffee, good as it probably was, turned Annie’s stomach. Max might get arrested because some people could turn rumors into facts.
No one broke the silence. Most wouldn’t look at one another.
Annie could scarcely bear to see Madge. As worried as she must be about Lil, Annie had figured out that for Madge, little Millie was the recipient of all the love the woman couldn’t give to…Annie glanced at Cyrus and her eyes filled with tears. He watched Madge like a desperate man. He had made the Church his bride, but he cared deeply for Madge, and not just as a friend the way they both pretended. Did they fool themselves? Annie wondered.
“I want to hear it again,” Spike said and cleared his throat. “From the top. Everything any of you can remember about Lil’s movements today. Sometimes you hear somethin’ you didn’t notice before.”
“From the top,”
Homer muttered. “You’d think we were havin’ one of those musical rehearsals.”
Spike shook his head. He went to the coffeepot and poured a mug, starting a trend. “Before we get to that,” he stepped aside to let Guy get at the pot, “I want to know where everyone is. Folks shouldn’t be taking out their own search parties without keeping us informed.”
Madge, seated at the kitchen table, stirred and looked up. “Marc Girard, Joe and Ellie Gable. And I heard Tom Walen is out there, too—Michele
is
his fiancée. All kinds of people from around town and the outlying areas are out there. Jilly went with the Gables.”
“Great,” Guy said, cradling his mug. “I should have told her to stay home.” Since he followed Annie and Max back to Toussaint, he’d been a watchful shadow. He had a big, black, mostly Lab at his heel. Each time Guy stood in one place long enough, the dog flopped down and rested her head on his feet. Goldilocks traveled in the car with him most places.
“Work, would it?” Cyrus said to Guy, who frowned. “Tellin’ Jilly to stay home?”
Guy pulled in one corner of his mouth.
They all heard an engine draw into the parking lot out front. Footsteps crunched on the gravel path around the house and the kitchen door opened with a bang. Wazoo marched in first with Charlotte Patin, Spike’s mother-in-law, right behind.
“This is what I thought, me,” Wazoo said, glaring in all directions. “Our dear friend, Lil, is missin’ out there and where are all of you? Drinkin’ coffee in God man’s kitchen and
talkin’
about it. Where’s Ozaire?” She peered from face to face. “He’d better be searchin’ for his wife.”
“He’s out along the bayou,” Madge said in a small voice. “Gator Hibbs is with him, and his boy, Wally.”
“So what are you waitin’ for—Lil’s giblets delivered in a pie?”
“Wazoo!” Madge stood up and left the room.
“Sometimes you’re a bit harsh,” Charlotte Patin said. Her short gray hair stood up in spikes. An attractive woman, small and vibrant, she spoke to Wazoo but settled her eyes on Homer who appeared to whistle soundlessly. He avoided her eyes. Charlotte, who wore Homer’s diamond ring, didn’t look a happy woman.
“I’m harsh?” Wazoo said. “We got women droppin’ like flies around here, and I’m harsh?” She sidled closer to Max. “Me, I got nothin’ serious against you, but if I don’t say it, someone else will. How come you’re here chattin’ like a member of the community? You couldn’t find one soul who doesn’t know all about you.”
Although he’d wondered the same thing, Max kept quiet.
Annie made fists. “What’s gotten into you?” she said to Wazoo. “Surely we all know the bad luck Max’s had, but you better remember there’s been nothing proved against him.”
“Let’s calm down,” Spike said. He gave Wazoo a hard look. “Might be a good idea if you learned to keep your mouth shut now and then. Think first. There’s nothing’ bein’ said here that isn’t general knowledge—or won’t be shortly.”
In other words, Max thought, even if he was a serial killer, it didn’t matter what he heard. “What does that mean?” he blurted out to Spike, surprising himself. “You’d just as soon have me where you can see me?”
“No,” Spike said. “You’re puttin’ words in my mouth. I meant what I said. We’re not discussin’ secrets here.”
Wazoo gave a bark of laughter. “What he means is we don’t have no secrets here because we can’t keep any.” She winked at Max. “Anyways, we know what you know so it’s all the same. And when we hear all about where Lil’s been, either you’ll be findin’ out news, or listenin’ to old news.”
He considered that and decided giving her a wink in return was best.
“Okay, Sheriff,” Wazoo said, looking pleased with herself. “What’s next?”
“You women stay here and hope Lil shows. The rest of us better get to the command center at the station.”
“Where you’ll make more plans to make more plans?” Wazoo said. “Tell it like it is. You don’t know where to start lookin’ and neither does anyone else.”
Madge came back in and got herself some coffee. She didn’t appear any less subdued.
Max went near the window and stood next to Annie. “How are you doing?” he said.
“Doesn’t get much worse than this.”
“Uh-uh. Thanks for sticking up for me. Don’t shut me out again, Annie.”
She looked around but no one was taking notice of them. “I’m tryin’ to believe in you. I want to.”
“I’ll take whatever you can give me,” he said.
Annie turned her scratched and bloodied hands from side to side, checking them out. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “All I want is to find Michele and Lil—and poor little Millie.”
“I want that more than I can say.” He looked at his feet. “That’s an awful small dog.”
Annie crossed her arms. “That doesn’t mean she can’t survive.”
“Who’s tellin’ the story?” Spike asked loudly. He stared at his father. “From the top.”
“As long as you don’t expect Homer to do it, there’s hope,” Charlotte said in very un Charlotte-like tones. “He’s gotta sulk. Hard to talk when you’re sulkin’.”
“Anybody
not
know the whole story?” Spike asked, his mouth drawn tight.
“I don’t,” Wazoo said. She turned to Annie. “You got that bag I told you to keep?”
Annie had forgotten all about it. “Yes.”
Wazoo gave a short nod. “Get on with it,” she said to Spike.
“Correct any mistakes I make, please, Madge,” Spike said. “You probably know the story better than I do.”
Madge nodded, yes.
“This afternoon Lil said she wanted to visit her sister in Loreauville and drop off some food,” Spike said. “The sister hasn’t been well.”
“Excuses,” Wazoo muttered. “Anythin’ to get out of work.”
Spike pointed a warning finger at her. “Save it. Madge, you were plannin’ to take Millie to the vet in Loreauville, but Lil said she’d take her. Right so far?”
Madge nodded again.
“When Lil wasn’t back by eight, you called Ozaire who said she sometimes spends the night with her sister.”
“And I called the vet,” Madge said, getting paler as she spoke. “Lil had taken Millie in for her shot. I called Lil’s sister and she said Lil left hours ago. She hasn’t been seen since and neither has Millie. Lil doesn’t believe in cell phones. Your people have covered all the roads between here and there, Spike. No accidents. It’s hard to search in the dark but that’s already underway regardless.” She pushed her mug aside. “And that’s where I’m goin’ now.”
Cyrus held her arm. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” Spike said. “I’ve got folks runnin’ in all directions and not a plan between ’em. It’ll be light in a few hours and I want to wait till then.”
“No,” Madge said. “It’s wet out there. She’s little and she doesn’t have much body fat…and there’s critters…”
“With any luck Lil lost her way and she’ll show up,” Guy said rapidly. “Going every which way in the dark isn’t likely to help.”
“It might if we heard something,” Madge said. She didn’t have to add that she was thinking about Millie’s bark.
Homer still hadn’t acknowledged Charlotte. “I wouldn’t let Vivian come,” she said to Spike. “She wanted to.”
“She’d have gone right back home,” Spike said at once. “Worry’s the last thing she needs about now.”
“What’s your problem, Homer Devol,” Charlotte said suddenly. “You look like you swallowed somethin’ nasty. And while we’re at it, where have you been all these days?”
With interest, Cyrus watched red climb Homer’s thin cheeks.
“He’s got a bug up his ass,” Wazoo said. She pushed out her lips and shook her head slowly from side to side. “But it’s his bug and I sure wouldn’t want to touch it.”
“What time is it?” Madge asked, ignoring Wazoo.
“Almost two in the morning,” Max said.
“Your brothers left the same time I did,” Charlotte said. “Think they were going to the station.”
“Which is where I’m headed,’” Spike said. “Any of you who feel like gettin’ organized and ready to go—come on. Rest of you can stick around the rectory, wait to hear somethin’, and talk about how no one does anything right around here.”
“Watch your mouth,” Homer snapped. “Just because your wife lets you get away with it, doesn’t mean the rest of us are easy to push.”
“Stop it,” Madge said. She wound her fingers tightly together. “I’m going to the station, too. It’s because she hasn’t been missin’ twenty-four hours, isn’t it?” she said to Spike.
“What is?” He looked puzzled.
“That’s why you aren’t out there now. You don’t count someone as missing for twenty-four hours.”
Spike said, “That’s not it. There’s an alert out. The switch-board’s fully manned at the station. And there’s groups out there. I’m worried some of you will get into more trouble if you start out now, and we’ll be lookin’ for you, too.”
Spike got a call and looked relieved at the interruption. He spoke low and while he did, Charlotte stood close to Homer and he dropped his head close to hers.
“This is making me crazy,” Max said. “Everything’s so disorganized.”
“If something’s happened to Lil, they won’t be able to suggest you did it,” Annie said. She smacked both hands over her face. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Sure you did. Depending on the times involved you could be right. Didn’t anything bad ever happen in this town before I came along?”
“Of course it did,” she said, moving nearer to him. “What’s goin’ to happen?”
“Lil will be found. Dead or alive.”
She drove her fingers into his arm.
“Well, am I wrong?” He stared into her eyes. “Then they’ll…then Michele. We’ll know what happened to her—more or less.”
“What do you mean?” she whispered. “More or less.”
“That’s all they got on Isabel and Carol. More or less. If they’d had anything definite, maybe they could have found the killer.” He had to believe he could convince Annie he wasn’t that killer. The way Spike curled around his phone, his voice inaudible, only increased the tension.
Another vehicle approached. This time Marc Girard’s wife, Reb O’Brien Girard, let herself in through the kitchen door. She carried a medical bag and put it on the table. “Did Marc leave?” she said.