C
armen picked up the two men by their collars, Tom Walen in one hand and Bobby Colbert in the other. He hauled them to the front of Pappy’s, kicked open the door and went outside with them.
Annie left her office in time to see the threesome disappear.
“I saw that coming. Not many men could move Tom Walen that way. Did you see him kick?”
“No and I’m glad.” She glanced over her shoulder at Guy. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Just stopped by,” Guy said, but he gave his lopsided grin and slouched on one leg and they both knew Annie had figured out why he was spending so much time at Pappy’s.
Annie put her hands on her hips and grimaced. No point in making a fuss. Max wanted an eye kept on her when he wasn’t around to do the job himself. She should be flattered. She was. And embarrassed.
“Do you know what happened?” she asked. “It’s not good for business to have people fightin’ in here.”
Guy nodded. “We’re gonna have to make sure they behave—if they come back.”
Annie had thought Bobby would get lost after their earlier skirmish.
“Walen’s spoiling for a row with anyone he can rile,” Guy said. “Bobby was it, tonight. Tom asked him what he knew about Max Savage’s woman and Bobby hit him in the mouth.”
“Wonderful.” Denying her attachment to Max would be too little, too late.
“Bobby sees himself as your champion and he surely didn’t like hearin’ Walen call you Max’s woman.”
Annie pushed her fingers into her hair. “Why can’t this be all over?”
“Because we haven’t found Michele Riley. By the way, latest theory seems to be she took off because she didn’t want to marry Moose Walen.”
“I hope that’s true,” Annie said. “Maybe she’ll show up like some of the women do in those cases.”
Guy snorted. “If she does, she’s gonna have to mow a lot of lawns to make up for what she’s cost us. I talked to Nat Archer—you know him? He was my partner when I worked for NOPD.”
“I heard that.” One thing she couldn’t imagine was Guy Gautreaux being afraid to go anywhere or do anything and she understood those were must qualities for NOPD. “Wazoo says a lot of nice things about Nat.”
Guy grunted. “I see him when he comes down to take Wazoo out. He reckons the greased up door handle at the Majestic puts the lie to Michele decidin’ to take off. I agree, although it’s a nice thought. He thinks she wouldn’t either know how, or bother with keepin’ her prints off that door the way it was done. Also she’d at least take her car and abandon it when she was far enough away to make a start.”
“Maybe abandon it so it would look like she’d been abducted in her car?” Annie suggested.
“Could be. But she didn’t do any of those things. Spike’s on board with the same conclusions. I’d better go see what’s going on outside.”
He didn’t have to. Max came through the door with Carmen. Max’s expression wasn’t pretty but Carmen looked like a man who’d just finished the best plate of ribs he ever ate.
“Hey,” Max said when he saw Annie. His glance never failed to nail her. It was as if he wanted to see inside her head. “You okay? Hi, Guy.”
“Carmen had things under control,” Guy said lightly. “Time for me to get home, I think.”
“What happened here?” Max said. “You can’t get two sensible words out of Carmen. He has informed the sheriff’s office though. I’m going to ask—no, on second thoughts, would you mind asking to have those two followed up. See if they’ve got records and find out what their situations are now.”
Guy gave a two-fingered salute. “Got it. I was on my way to set that in motion, anyway.”
The moment Guy left, Annie said, “Is Guy working for you?”
Max looked her in the eye and said, “He’s a great guy. Smart. Lots of contacts. And he wants to help me. Guy believes in me, imagine that.”
“I can’t imagine anyone not believing in you.”
For an instant she thought he would pull her into his arms, instead he placed a forefinger on her lips and said, “Thanks.”
“I can’t get that newspaper piece of Lee’s out of my head,” Annie said. “Not one soul has given me a sideways look, but I keep thinking people are starin’ at me.”
Max looked wicked. “Fess up,” he said softly. “You really want to know what that was all about. It definitely doesn’t say the woman was raped. For all you know she’s feeling guilty for having a good time.”
“Max!” Annie scanned the lobby quickly. “That’s evil.”
“Uh-huh.”
Annie punched his arm. “I can leave now. Just let me get my purse.”
She ran into her office. Making sure Max hadn’t followed her, she opened the purse and reached to the bottom for the brown cotton sack Wazoo had given her. It had been on her mind. Her fingernails dug into gritty dust and she grimaced.
With her stomach flipping over, she withdrew the thing. It seemed to be deteriorating with every day yet she hadn’t done anything to damage it.
Annie looked at it closely. Surely enough, bits of wire poked through the cloth—more now than when Wazoo had pressed her to hold it. Annie couldn’t bring herself to open the top. Cautiously, her nerves jumping, she gently felt the contents. Then she felt them again and her face seemed to grow tight.
She knew what was in the bag. A sensible person would dump a doll of this kind. Annie held it over the wastepaper basket.
The scent of incense and old wax instantly grew intense. She tried to drop the sack but couldn’t make her fingers open. This was silly, a hysterical reaction to what bits and pieces she’d been told about voodoo.
“Annie?” Max said from the doorway and she shoved the doll back into her purse. In the morning she’d talk to Wazoo about this.
“I want to go out to Cloud’s End,” she said, facing Max. “That’s where Dr. Reb and Marc live. It’s not far. Lee lives there, too. She’s Reb’s cousin.”
“So?” Max said. The worry lines in his face suggested he had a good idea why Annie wanted to see Lee.
“The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that she made a terrible mistake writing that piece in the
Trumpet.
If she did run into the type of man who took advantage of her, hurt her, even, she shouldn’t have antagonized him.”
“So you want to go out there and tell Lee you know she’s the woman she wrote about?”
“No!”
“How else will you bring it up?” He blew out a breath. “Rather you than me.”
Annie felt silly. “I guess I buried that angle under all the enthusiasm to fix things. But I’m still going to do it. Don’t you worry, though. I’ll call Reb and ask if I can go out there. I’ve got my own car.”
“You’re not going anywhere on your own.”
She stared at him, took him by the sleeve and led him outside the dance hall. “Did you just say what I thought you did?”
“Probably. Did I say something wrong?”
Annie looked at the sky. The moon showed faint skeins of silver cloud trawling over its surface. A hot wind didn’t cool the humidity one bit. “You said I couldn’t go anywhere on my own. You don’t get to tell me that.”
He didn’t answer, just settled a big hand on the back of her neck. “Things are changing with us, Annie. If you don’t understand it, I’ll try to explain. But I think you do understand.”
Annie stood on the covered bridge and looked at the ground. She could read a lot into what he said and most of it would make her happy—if he knew and had accepted the whole truth about her. “Not one thing is stable for us. I know that.” And she had held back too much about herself. She knew that, too.
“Nothing stays the same.” He walked her forward. “All of this will pass. And you can avoid reality for now if you want to, but I’m a patient man. I’m not going anywhere.”
She hoped he wouldn’t change his mind about that.
“What will you say if we go out to see Lee?” he said.
“I don’t know. I kind of thought I’d trust that I’d know once I got there.”
“Never go to a meeting without being prepared,” Max told Annie.
“This isn’t a medical symposium,” she said. “I won’t be talking to a room filled with experts on something, just Lee.”
“Okay, then.” He swayed her toward him, kissed the top of her head. “Whatever you say, I’ll be along to back you up.”
He didn’t like any of this. Max parked in the small lot behind the shabby
Toussaint Trumpet
building. “Too bad Lee wasn’t at Cloud’s End,” he said.
“Yeah,” Annie said. “I surely don’t like this place in the dark. I can’t believe Lee feels good about spending nights here.”
“Relax,” he said. “You aren’t on your own.”
“Do you like it here?”
He laughed. “You’re something. I’m the big, tough male around here. Afraid of nothing. Of course I like it. Annie, will you promise me something?”
“Maybe?”
“You are one independent woman.” He liked her that way but it wouldn’t be a bad thing if she’d go along with him on this one.
“I wasn’t always independent,” she said. “I had to learn.”
He could imagine Annie being shy, reticent. Even now she was generally careful of what she said. But under the circumstances it was unfortunate she’d chosen to fight Lee’s battles.
“What you do and say is up to you, but do you think it might go better with Lee if you approached her as a concerned friend, rather than coming out and telling her you saw through what she wrote?” Of course Lee had been writing about Roche, damn his hide. Max knew his brother well enough to be certain he’d had plenty of encouragement but that didn’t justify whatever had turned ugly enough to make Lee so mad.
“We’d better get this done,” Annie said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be diplomatic. When she wrote about not trusting a person who wants something to hold over you, do you think that meant the man really had something? I mean, actual physical evidence?”
Max had kicked the same concern around all day. “It’s more likely he compromised her and told her he’d talk about it if she gave him away.” Max hadn’t finished with Roche and he anticipated an ugly scene to come, but threatening women wasn’t Roche’s style. Lee could well have been adding more drama to her editorial.
Annie hopped out of the car but didn’t shut the door until he also stood on the uneven lot. He offered her a hand and she held it quickly. Her breathing was too loud, and shallow.
“Backing out of this wouldn’t make you a coward,” he said.
Predictably, she pulled him to the back door which, according to Reb, was the one Lee used when the front office was closed.
An uncovered lightbulb shone from a fixture on the wall. Max rang the bell and stepped back. A glass, wire-reinforced panel gave a dusty view along a passageway inside.
“I’ve never been here before,” Annie said.
He shook his head, watching for Lee to appear. “We should have called first.”
Or not come at all.
“I know. I didn’t want to risk Lee saying she didn’t want me to come.”
He pressed the bell again. “If she told you that you’d know you should stay out of this.”
Annie pulled on his arm. “Men and women are different. Women usually want to help other people if they can.”
“And men don’t?”
“Not in the same way, and I don’t want you gettin’ all touchy on me.”
“Maybe she’s gone out to eat,” he said. There was a car parked in the slot closest to the door but she could have walked somewhere.
“Yes,” Annie said. “You really want to give this up, don’t you?”
He really wanted to do whatever was best. “I’m half expecting a disaster if you do talk to her.”
“Her car’s here,” Annie said.
“I noticed.”
“I’ve got this feeling I’m supposed to do something for Lee.” Annie turned the handle and the door opened. She let it swing wider but stood where she was and frowned up at him. “Would she leave the door unlocked?”
“If she’s just gone out for—”
“She shouldn’t. Anyone could walk in.”
He grinned at her. “But most people wouldn’t, and small towns are famous for being more trusting, aren’t they?”
“This town has one woman missing and one woman in the hospital who says she was forced off the road.” Taking her hand away from his, she walked into the building.
With a sigh, Max followed. He knew better than to try to change her mind.
At the other end of the hall a door stood open. Reflections from front windows wavered through darkness in what was probably the main office.
Annie walked on tiptoe. Max didn’t point out that making some noise would probably be a good idea. Instead he called, “Lee? Lee, it’s Annie Duhon and Max Savage. You here?”
Annie shot around and stared at him, then let her shoulders relax. She listened with him.
“We should go,” he said. “If she walks in and sees us, all we’re going to do is shock her to death before she realizes who we are.” If Lee was furious with Roche, Max would be one of the last people she’d be glad to find waiting for her.
A wedge of dull light shone from a partially open door just beyond Annie. She glanced at it and gently poked the door wider.