Dangerous Mercy: A Novel (13 page)

“I want the names of everyone who’s worked for her for the past five years. And let’s single out the names of those who quit, got fired, or were laid off. Let’s compare names with employees and customers of the other two. There has to be a connection.”

“That’s a tall order, Sheriff. It’s possible the killer is just choosing his victims at random.”

Jude pursed his lips. “Maybe. But more than likely, we’ve got a serial killer whose rage is tied to
these
specific victims. There has to be a connection beyond the obvious. I mean, he could be a disgruntled employee, but I would expect him to walk in shooting and take out as many people as he could before he turned the gun on himself. This perp drugs his victims so they’re awake and aware that he’s drowning them. He wants control, yet he doesn’t torture them—at least not physically. We didn’t even find defensive wounds on the victims.”

Aimee folded her arms across her chest. “So what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking he drugs the victims and renders them helpless so he can unload his grievances and make them understand what they’re being punished for. He wants these people to pay.”

“Pay for what?”

“That’s what we need to find out. Get that list, and let’s get a team together to match names. Maybe we’ll get a break.”

Adele sat on the torn passenger seat of Murray’s Ford truck, relishing the scenic ride past the courthouse and thinking back on the many Jeep rides she’d enjoyed with Alfred.

“I would’ve tried to borrow Father Vince’s Camry,” Murray said, “but the sheriff still has it. I hope you’re not too uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine,” Adele said. “I
like
the view from up here. Until I moved here six months ago, I rode in the backseat of a Rolls-Royce. Not terribly scenic.”

“You had a Rolls?”

Adele smiled. “A Silver Shadow. Alfred bought it in 1970, and it still ran just fine when I sold it in the estate sale. Come to find out, it was a collector’s car.”

The corners of Murray’s mouth twitched. “You’ve probably sunk to an all-time low, riding around in this old rattletrap. I bought it for next to nothing. And once I get on my feet, I’ll get a newer one.”

“Nonsense. This is an adventure.” Adele chuckled. “Alfred is probably laughing his head off. We always loved doing things our friends didn’t.”

“Like what?”

“Skydiving. Scuba diving. Deep-sea fishing. I was much younger then. Oh my, we did have a glorious time at the barrier reef in Australia. We even backpacked in the outback.”

“Wow,” Murray said. “I’d love to have those adventures under my belt. What else?”

“Well, let see … we hiked in the jungles of Costa Rica and Brazil—and took a houseboat trip on the Amazon River. We rode the donkeys down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We went mountain climbing in the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas.” Adele smiled without meaning to. “You don’t want to hear all this.”

“I do! Tell me more. What adventure did you enjoy the most?”

“Oh my. How can I compare them? They were all so different. I think our African safaris were the most memorable because we saw so many beautiful animals in the wild. The lions were my favorite. Nowadays, everyone is privy to these magnificent sights because of the fine nature documentaries. But in our day, it was a privilege, and only those wealthy enough to pay for a guide and a crew got to see such things.” Adele paused for a moment and let an unexpected pang of grief pass. “My Alfred had an insatiable wanderlust. I picked up the bug, and we just never got weary of traveling. We even took a yearlong cruise around the world.”

Murray turned the truck onto Primeaux. “I can’t imagine having that kind of money to spend.”

“We had far more than we could ever spend on ourselves. Alfred started a foundation so we could give some of it away. After a while, there just wasn’t much left that could
oooh
and
ahhh
us, if you know what I’m saying. It became just as exciting to give money to people or causes that were special to us. Alfred liked having hospital wings and college buildings named after him. So did I. But after he died, I lost interest in everything for a long time—until I found a relationship with God. I started giving again, but I stopped letting the recipient know where the money came from. It was much more fun imagining their surprise—or seeing it firsthand and playing dumb. Truly a joy.”

“You’re an amazing woman, Adele.”

“Hardly. God has given me much, and much is required. It’s quite simple, really.”

“So you believe in God?”

“I most certainly do. Do you?”

Murray’s hands gripped the steering wheel. “I believe He’s there. But He doesn’t seem to care much about human suffering.”

“I felt that way—after I lost my baby. I was eight months pregnant and went into labor. The baby was stillborn. She had a heart defect.”

“Sorry. That must’ve been hard.”

“Devastating. It took Alfred and me three years to get over the debilitating grief. We wanted children, but I never conceived again. We talked very little about it. We filled that void with our adventures. And we did have fun. But underneath the smiles was an aching void. It seemed cruel to me that God gave me anything I wanted, except the one thing I wanted most—to have a baby. I would have traded it all for a child.”

“Did you ever consider adopting?”

“
I
did. Alfred didn’t. His family put a lot of stock in bloodline. I never quite understood why, but I accepted it.”

“Do you regret it?”

Adele felt a tinge of sadness. “Yes and no. I’ve often wondered if his family would have overcome the bloodline issue, especially if we’d adopted a daughter, who would have probably married and changed her name. But everything happens for a reason.”

“You really believe that?”

Adele looked over at Murray. “Yes, I do.”

“What good reason could there be for you losing a baby and going through all that heartache?”

“Only the Lord knows for sure. But I’m pretty certain that I wouldn’t have looked for God if I’d had everything my heart desired.”

Murray didn’t say anything, but she noticed his jaw was clenched.

“Do you feel God has let you down, hon?”

“He let my parents die. So yeah. I guess I do.”

“Would it help to talk about it?”

“It never does. I just get depressed. Ah, here we are.” Murray pulled into the parking lot at Best Buy. “We’re in luck. I see a spot right by the door.”

Adele bit her lip. She had a million questions but didn’t want to press him. She would just wait and see what Danny found out.

CHAPTER 14

Adele sat at her new desk and studied the screen on her laptop, wondering if anything Murray taught her would make sense an hour from now.

“All right, then,” she said. “How do I send email?”

Murray smiled. “First you click on the email icon. It’s that little envelope. Go ahead.”

Adele clicked the icon, and the screen changed. “What happened? Oh dear—I’m not sure I’m cut out for this.”

“Sure you are. Let me show you. It’s really easy.”

She let Murray have the mouse and watched as he clicked on Create Mail
.
The screen changed again. He inserted Zoe’s email address on the line marked
To.

“There you go,” Murray said. “Just type your message.”

Adele placed her hands on the keys. This was nothing like her old Royal typewriter. “I do hope I remember how to type. I believe it’s a bit like riding a bicycle. My mind hasn’t forgotten how. Now if these wrinkled old hands will just cooperate.”

“You don’t have to press hard at all. The touch is going to seem different. Go ahead. Try it. If you make a mistake you can just back it up and erase it.”

Adele moved her fingers gingerly and typed the words as she spoke them. “‘Dear Zoe, I guess if you are reading this, you know what I am doing. Murray is sitting here with me, teaching me how to use my new laptop. Why don’t you be the first to send me email? Love, Adele.’ Well, forever more. I did it! How do I send it?”

Murray seemed both amused and pleased. “You click the Send button up there on the left side of the screen.”

Adele did as Murray told her, and the message disappeared. “Oh no! What happened?”

“You sent it. It’s supposed to disappear. Zoe will probably be reading it any moment.”

“Well, if that doesn’t beat all!” She looked over at Murray. “Thank you for everything. This has been the best adventure I’ve had in years.”

“I’m glad. I’ll turn on the spell-check once you have this mastered. But for now, you’re good to go. You can send Zoe or Vanessa email. Once you have more addresses, we can add them to your address book.”

“This wasn’t nearly as hard as I envisioned,” Adele said.

“There’s so much more I can show you once you’re comfortable with it. Before long, you’ll be shopping online.”

“Heavens to Betsy, I never thought I’d live to see the day when
I’d
be working at a computer
.
I do believe I have
arrived.
”

Murray laughed, his face beaming. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. You remind me so much of Grandma Sophie. She was my dad’s mom. I was an only child, and she let me stay with her after school and in the summers when my parents had to work. She was a blast. I preferred her company to just about anybody.”

Your father’s mother was named Sophie. That’s a start.
“Has she passed?”

Murray’s grin flatlined. “Yes. She caught the flu and developed complications. Everyone in my family had it, but I think she caught it from me. Mom said she could’ve gotten it anywhere. But I know she didn’t.”

“How old were you when she passed?”

“Twelve. I remember because it was my birthday. That was eighteen years ago, and I still get sad on my birthday.”

So you’re thirty.
“Yes, I could see how you would. I’m so sorry you had to experience that. And then your parents’ dying too.”

It seemed as though a dark cloud enveloped Murray, and he seemed far away for half a minute. Finally he said, “Would you mind if we change the subject? This kind of talk always drags me down.”

“Of course it does. What was I thinking?”

The computer made a dinging sound.

“Oh dear, is something wrong?” Adele said.

“Absolutely not. See that?” Murray pointed to the name in the inbox. “Zoe Broussard. You’ve got email.”

Adele saw Isabel standing in the doorway. “Come in and take a look. I’ve got email. Can you believe it?”

“Dr. Carey’s office called. They can work you in for a physical at nine a.m. on the twenty-ninth. I wrote it on the calendar,” Isabel said.

“Thank you, hon. You should come sit with us and see how this works. We’re having a grand time.”

“I can’t.” Isabel’s tone was flat. “I need to go fold the bed linens while they’re still warm. You should have Murray fix the leak in the sprinkler, as long as he’s here.”

“No need,” Adele said. “Noah can do that.”

“I’ll be happy to take a look at it,” Murray said.

“Let’s have our praline cake and lemonade first.” Adele locked gazes with Isabel. “Would you bring it to us now—in the sunroom?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Isabel’s scowl was insulting. Adele refrained from correcting her in front of Murray but decided she couldn’t let the matter go unaddressed.

Zoe sat at her desk in the office, texting Pierce.
Just got an email from Adele. How fun is that?

She sat back, her arms folded, and looked at the framed picture of Adele holding baby Grace. Adele was dressed in an ivory silk skirt and jacket, Grace in her christening gown. What a joy it was—and a miracle—that Adele was living here in Les Barbes, not only a beloved family friend but the perfect godmother for Grace. If Adele had been less of a person, mightn’t Zoe’s stealing from her have turned her into a bitter, vengeful woman? Instead, she was the dearest, most forgiving and accepting person Zoe had ever known.

Zoe’s cell phone rang. She read the screen, then pressed the Talk button. “Hey, sweet lady.”

“Isn’t this fun?” Adele said.

“Definitely. You’re a modern woman now.”

“Murray took me to Best Buy and we picked out a laptop and some paraphernalia to go with it.” Adele sounded almost giddy. “Then we came home, and he set everything up. I just typed an email and clicked the Send button. Heavens, if I’d known it was this easy, I would have gotten a computer long ago.”

“Has Murray left?”

“Not yet. He’s offered to take a look at my sprinkler before he leaves. But right now, we’re in the sunroom, enjoying a cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade and a piece of your praline cake Isabel picked up earlier.”

“So Isabel’s there?”

“She’s in the kitchen. Did you need to talk with her?”

“No.”
But Pierce is going to ask me
. “I’m just glad she’s there to help you. It’s so wonderful having you living here in Les Barbes.”

“For me, too. All right, I guess I’d better get off, lest I seem rude to my guest.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Zoe said.

“Bye for now, hon. Hug Pierce and Grace for me.”

“I will.”

Zoe ended the call and promptly got another. It was Pierce. “Hey there.”

“So Adele is up and running,” Pierce said. “It’ll be fun for her to play online. Are you going to show her how?”

“Murray’s doing just fine without my help. Those two have really hit it off. He’s teaching her everything she needs to know. She said they were enjoying lemonade and a piece of your praline cake. And then he’s going to check her sprinkler before he leaves.”

Pierce’s silence registered his disapproval. Finally he said, “Is Isabel home?”

“Yes, she’s there. You should’ve heard the excitement in Adele’s voice, Pierce. She sounded like a schoolgirl.”

“That’s because she’s sweet and naive and trusts everyone. You know how I feel about her socializing with guys from Haven House.”

Zoe’s voice went up an octave. “Excuse me, but Noah’s from Haven House. And he’s a gem.”

“He’s also the person of interest in Flynn Gillis’s murder.”

“You don’t believe for one minute he had anything to do with that.”

“Not really. But it just reinforces my point that even law enforcement is suspicious of those men. I wish Adele would keep her distance.”

“So noted. I need to finish the ordering.” Zoe hated that she sounded terse.

“And I need to go make more gumbo. I’m not working tonight. Dempsey’s running the kitchen. Maybe we can go out somewhere for dinner.”

“Sure. You decide. I’m just here in the office, finishing up. Maddie’s got Grace until five. They went to the park.”

“You’re comfortable with her taking Grace out of the building?”

“Pierce, don’t you dare get paranoid on this. Maddie Lyons is a student at the junior college. I interviewed her
with
her parents present. She’s just a nice, responsible kid who would love to babysit and earn some college money. If you’d spent any time with her at all, you’d agree with me.”

Pierce sighed. “Am I that bad?”

“You’re
worse
than bad. If you choose
not
to be involved in the process of selecting a babysitter, at least have the courtesy not to second-guess my decision. I think Maddie is perfect for the job, and I don’t worry for a moment when I leave Grace with her.”

“I do trust your judgment. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I get like this.”

“You need to trust Adele’s judgment too. If she hadn’t taken a chance on me, just think how different our lives would be.”

Adele went in her bedroom and shut the door. She picked up the phone and called Danny Clinton’s number. She let it ring four times, and the answering machine went on.

Hello, this is Danny. I’m not available. Leave
—“This is Danny.”

“Is that really you?” she said.

“It’s me.” Danny sounded out of breath. “I heard my phone ringing and realized I’d left it in the other room. What can I do for you, Adele?”

“I have some information on Murray Hamelin that might help you do the background check.”

“Great. Let’s have it.”

“I was right about his age. He
is
thirty. And his parents
are
deceased. He also told me his paternal grandmother’s name was Sophie. She died eighteen years ago of complications from the flu.”

“Can I ask you a dumb question?” Danny said.

“You don’t ask dumb questions, hon. But go ahead.”

“Why would a guy you hired to do odd jobs be talking to you about his grandmother?”

“Oh, we had the best time talking this afternoon. We went to Best Buy so I could buy a laptop, then he came back and set it up for me. We just chatted on and on about all sorts of things. He said I remind him of his grandma Sophie. I don’t know that she’s the key to anything, but it’s information I didn’t have yesterday.”

“Thanks. It might help.”

“Why does it feel as if we’re spying on Murray?”

“Because we are?” There was a smile in Danny’s voice.

“Is it really considered spying that I want to know more about a person so that I can understand him? I’m not doing this to be nosy.”

“Of course not. It’s a safety issue.” There was that smile in his voice again. “I haven’t had a chance to start checking on Noah Washington or Murray Hamelin just yet. But soon. I’ll get back with you when I have something. Now that you have email, do you want to get updates that way?”