Surprised, I stood frozen to the spot for a long time. Wow, I really hadn’t expected him to provide me with a legitimate reason for being there. But in a way I was involved because the real reason I went there had nothing to do with my current work in progress.

  Whoever had the Gallagher place staked out must have seen me go in. They believe I have a connection to whatever criminal activity is going on.

  In the past I had gotten into serious situations with some bad individuals, but never with the law. Was being arrested a possibility? My riff with Brad didn’t help matters. He might be happy to see me in trouble.

  ~ * ~

  Danny sat on the park picnic bench across from the ICE agent. “Does the name Jack Holden mean anything to you?”

  His face remained expressionless. “No, why?”

  “Really? I know that’s the name you furnished Susan on the occasions you accidently ran into her.” Danny stared at him. “What’s your interest in her?” Most likely he sounded like the father of a teenage girl asking about a certain young man’s intentions with his daughter. True, but he felt the same way about Susan as he did regarding his own daughter, his step-daughter, and his granddaughter.

  Keith Parker remained silent for a long moment. “I suspect she’s involved in some way with the Gallaghers’ operation. From what Brad told me, Claire Gallagher doesn’t allow anyone in through those gates without being vetted first. Susan went right on in after the gates opened.”

  “Brad talked to me about her visit and made the same point. If he had spoken to Susan himself he would have discovered Claire and her sons happened to be visiting the cemetery at the time and Jill Doucet allowed Susan inside.”

  He frowned. “What business did she have there?”

  Danny tilted his head slightly to one side. “I’m sure she told you she’s a mystery writer. It so happens, the story she’s working on right now is set in a plantation home.”

  Parker leaned forward as if to stress his point. “Then tell me why she’s researching the ten year old attack on the Gallagher boat?”

  He didn’t know she was, but he faked it. “I’m not surprised about her looking into the attack, but I am surprised you didn’t come to the conclusion that if she were collaborating with the Gallaghers she would have no reason to look into the piracy incident.”

  Danny studied Parker’s face to determine if he was buying his story. “She’s got an insatiable curiosity. It’s gotten her in trouble a few times, but she’s always been above board.”

  Parker’s face remained without expression. “Maybe she’s in a different situation now that she doesn’t have a man to take care of her. Desperate people do desperate things.”

  Danny tensed his jaw. “She’s not in financial straits, but a smooth talking man might be able to take advantage of her.” He paused, waiting for his message to sink in. “Leave her alone. She has nothing to do with any illegal activity regarding Gallagher Salvage. She wants to find out who killed Celina Baum and believes there’s a connection.”

  “Then you need to make sure she keeps her nose out of ICE business and your own sheriff’s office’s business. Let us do our jobs before she ends up ruining our respective cases or gets herself killed.”

  Easier said than done. “I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, as a professional courtesy, I’d appreciate it if you quit following her around.”

  Parker narrowed his eyes. “You must have a thing for her yourself.”

  Danny rose from the bench, his fists clenched at his side. “Out of respect for your late father, I’m going to ignore your comment and not dignify it with a response.”

  Thirty-eight

  Today was one of my usual volunteer days at the food pantry. I should at least show up for a few hours even though I don’t feel much like going. Danny’s conversation with me earlier still weighed heavy on my mind. Why did he provide a reason for me to have visited the Gallaghers’ house?

  I decided to do my duty at the food pantry. The distraction would be good for me. I needed to stop thinking about making a fool of myself over Jack Holden. My description of him to Danny and Rachel must have sounded like some love-sick teenager.

  Good thing I came to my senses before I did something crazy. Jack was merely looking for sex. In the future he should learn better lines when he tries to pick up a woman. Maybe those work on some women. They almost succeeded with me. Or else those big blue eyes did a number on me.

  I had continuously told myself I wasn’t ready to start dating again, but if I could be attracted to a man other than Jim, maybe I was fooling myself.

  The man Taylor referred to as having an ulterior motive had to be Jack Holden. I considered the idea for a moment. If he was only after sex, why did he seem to be following me around? Come to think about it, Danny had such an odd look on his face when I mentioned Jack’s Mississippi home town. Could there be another reason Jack tried to get close to me? A reason related to my conversation with Danny this morning? And what was Jack’s connection to Alex?

  I stayed at the pantry long enough to record some invoices and talk to a few people who came in to pick up groceries. Concentrating on numbers wasn’t working for me today. I drove out of the compound and stopped at the street.

  A sign told me Foretville was two point five miles down the road. Curiosity affected me like an addiction. The desire to know pulled me in the arrow’s direction instead of toward my house. What could it hurt to check out the area I believe might have safe houses for illegals? I knew my question was like the alcoholic who asked, “What could one little drink hurt?” But I still drove there anyway.

  Small frame cottages lined the two street neighborhood, including a few shotgun style homes. Many of the houses were in dire need of paint. Judging from the condition of some of the roofs, leaks were prevalent during rainstorms.

  The area seemed deserted. I wondered if the sound of a vehicle driving down this street sent the residents into hiding.

  Then I saw her. Lucie Celestine walked quickly toward the rear of the third house from the corner, carrying a large shopping bag.

  Driving to the next cross street, I turned my car around and sat at the intersection with the engine idling, waiting for Lucie to return.

  The sound of another vehicle approaching in the opposite direction drew my attention. A silver pick-up with two occupants advanced toward me. The driver glanced at me through his open window as he drove past. He slowed down to a crawl. I saw his face reflected in the side view mirror.

  My heart skipped a beat. Kenny Verrett! He must have recognized me. I put the car in drive and turned the corner, driving away from him.

  I glanced in my rear view mirror and breathed a sigh of relief. The pick-up had continued moving away.

  At the next intersection, Liberty Road, I realized Miriam Baum’s home was located about three miles to my right and Claire Gallagher’s house a short distance to my left. I found it interesting that those two families lived so close to these houses possibly occupied by undocumented immigrants. Two families involved in some way to the same group of people.

  After Danny’s warning I couldn’t turn left and drive by Claire’s house. If I went to the right I would be traveling way out of my way to get back home. But I had no way of knowing whether Miriam’s house was also under surveillance. For all I knew, this whole area could be on Immigration and Custom’s radar.

  On top of everything, the needle on my gas gauge pointed very close to empty. That’s what I get for ignoring the low fuel warning light. What a dilemma.

  My natural GPS kicked in then. I remembered a northbound side road about a mile before the Baums’ house. I made a right turn and headed toward Joe Boudreaux Road.

  To city dwellers, this may sound like a strange label for a street, but in most rural areas, the largest or sometimes the only landowner’s name served as the street name, basically for EMS, police and fire services.

  I breathed another sigh of relief as I pulled into the Exxon station on Main Street. I dug in my purse for my credit card and went through the usual procedure to start pumping gas. Filling up took over forty dollars. The car must have been running on fumes. I grabbed the receipt as it slid out of the slot on the pump and got back in my car.

  Glancing at my watch, I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch. A burger and fries from Ted’s Burger House would have to suffice. Instead of the drive-thru, I opted to go inside and eat.

  A long line of patrons waited to place their orders. The delicious aroma of grilled meat filled the air. My stomach growled in response.

  As I approached the counter, I spotted Josh retrieving his order. At least he was already here so he couldn’t be following me.

  Paranoia took hold at the thought of someone following me. I turned and looked around to make sure Jack Holden wasn’t in the vicinity. Near as I could tell, he wasn’t. Recalling my close encounter with Kenny Verrett, I wondered if I should also worry about him coming after me. I shook off my concerns and stepped up to place my order.

  Five minutes later, the woman at the counter called out my number. Grabbing the tray with my food, I searched the room for an empty table. Josh, hamburger in one hand, waved to me from his seat near the back of the restaurant, inviting me to join him.

  “Hey,” he said. “I’m surprised to see you in here.”

  I grimaced. “Why? Did you expect me to be at home where I should be? Where I should be working on my novel while the kids are in school,” I added.

  He eyed me with suspicion and carefully placed his hamburger back on the plate. “You’ve been out getting into mischief, haven’t you?”

  I stalled with my reply by carefully transferring my food from the tray to the table. I placed the tray a vacant table nearby. “What makes you think I’ve been up to something?”

  “You look upset.” Narrowing his eyes, he studied me for a short moment. “And maybe a little scared. Did you run into…um…what’s his name…Jack Holden again?”

  Good thing I don’t play poker. “No, but I went somewhere I shouldn’t have gone.”

  He raised both eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound good. Where have you been?”

  I toyed with the napkin. “I got to thinking about where some of the undocumented immigrants might have been taken.” I watched his face. No reaction except curiosity. “You said probably New Orleans. Considering the number of people who might qualify as such that we see at the food pantry, I suspected there could be safe houses here in Allemand Parish.”

  He nodded. “Go on.”

  “There’s an area right on the outskirts of Foretville. It’s a little two street neighborhood. I believe the homes are mostly rent houses.”

  “So you’ve been over checking out the area.” He took a bite of his burger.

  I nibbled on a French fry. “Yes, and I feel like I’m correct. I saw Lucie Celestine walking to one of the houses carrying a large shopping bag. She went around the back of this house and went inside.”

  Josh perked up. “She’s the woman who works for Claire Gallagher, right?”

  “I hoped to be able to speak to her when she came out, but things didn’t work out.” I told him about Kenny Verrett driving down the road. “He saw me and I’m certain he recognized me from the reception at the Baums’.”

  He stared at me for a while. “We need to talk to Megan and Carole about this.”

  I started to get out of the chair, but he stopped me with a wave of his hand.

  “Relax, finish eating,” he said. “Before I contact them, maybe we could take a ride out there. She might still be out there.”

  “You mean you and me?” I couldn’t believe he would want me to tag along.

  “Yeah, why not? Unless you have other plans. You know her, so she might open up to you before she’d talk to me.”

  “That sounds like a winner.”

  As ridiculous as it sounds, the prospect of investigating with a partner excited me. Or maybe simply the idea of having a partner was what energized me. The fact that Josh was an attractive man didn’t hurt matters at all.

  I suddenly didn’t feel those hunger pangs, but I forced a few bites of hamburger down.

  “You need to eat more than that,” he said with a grin. “I wouldn’t want you passing out on me.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m stronger than that.”

  “I believe you are.”

  I took a few more bites of hamburger, and then pushing the Styrofoam plate away, I collected my purse from beneath the table. “I’m ready to go. Lucie may be getting away if she hasn’t already.”

  “Yeah, I thought about that, but…”

  “You didn’t want to rush me,” I interrupted. “I might do something rash.”

  He shook his head. “Stop being so paranoid about my motives. I could’ve left and gone by myself. I figured even if she was gone, the place would still be there. You never can tell what important info might be picked up there.

  “I know you’re familiar with law enforcement telling you to not to get involved,” he continued. “A lot of them around here, even some of the younger guys, are good ole boys who still don’t believe a woman should be a cop much less a civilian investigating a murder on her own.”

  I heaved a deep sigh. “Sorry. My last statement about doing or saying something rash has become my trademark. And your opinion of most of the men trying to prevent me from looking into a crime is right on. Can you blame me for being paranoid?” I eyed him cautiously, hoping he would forgive my outburst. “Besides, I don’t like to follow orders, especially if I believe I’m right about a person’s innocence or guilt. I couldn’t be a cop. Too many of them have tunnel vision…” I considered my accusation. “Maybe that was the pot calling the kettle black, as my Grandma Kelly used to say.”

  “No, I understand all too well. You have good instincts. You ought to get a PI license…get your own business. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about following so many orders.”

  I smiled. “Actually I considered the idea for a while after Jim’s death.” My voice cracked. “But the idea got lost in the realization I’d lost the love of my life and I had two children to support.”

  He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Okay, let’s go see what we can discover.”

  I walked out of the restaurant with him, wondering when I was going to learn to keep my most intimate thoughts to myself. I’m sure Josh felt awkward about my expression of grief. Most people don’t know what to say to console you.

  Thirty-nine

  A few people could be seen walking about in the area. The sight of a vehicle driving down the road caused most of them to make a hasty retreat behind several houses.

  I pointed to a wood frame house. “That’s the place I saw Lucie go into. She walked around the right side and disappeared into the back yard.”

  Josh appeared to study the area as he drove slowly by. “It would have been nice if that one would have been on a corner.”

  “Yeah, we can’t very well go up to the front door and knock.” I thought a moment. “I could slip around the side and see what’s in back.”

  He frowned. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go by yourself.”

  “But if anyone inside sees you, they’re not going to answer the door.”

  “We need to check the area a little more for another access.” He made a left turn at the corner and slowed the truck to a crawl.

  A small drainage ditch ran between the two streets. Wooden fences lined either side of the ditch. There didn’t appear to be a way to slip into any back yard. Josh drove to the next corner to turn around.

  “Look, that’s her.” Lucie walked down the road leading from the houses.

  This paved road, cracked and potholed, extended about an eighth of a mile through empty lots once intended for development.

  Josh sped up. The truck bounced and jolted us as it ran over the rough surface. Regardless of the seatbelt strapped over me, I had to grab hold of the hand grip at the top of the window to keep from bouncing around.

  Lucie froze at the sound of the advancing vehicle. When we got closer, she turned and ran toward Liberty Road.

  I opened the window and called out to her as loudly as I could. “Lucie, please stop. It’s me…Susan Foret. I only want to talk.”

  She slowed her pace and looked in my direction.

  “Stop the truck and let me out so she can see me,” I said to Josh.

  He obliged. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I glanced at him, noting to myself that I’d apologize later for being bossy. Opening the door, I stepped out. Walking slowly toward her, I ordered myself to be calm. My heart didn’t get the message. It beat soundly against my chest.

  “Lucie, I need to ask you something.”

  She stopped and allowed me to approach, but she appeared ready to flee at any moment. Her dark eyes darted back and forth as if searching for an escape route.

  “I don’t mean you any harm. I’m trying to find evidence to prove Alex Narcisse didn’t murder Celina Baum.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Do you know Alex?”

  “No…” She squeezed her eyes shut and heaved a sigh. “Yes, he is my brother. I overhear on the television about his arrest. But I cannot do anything to help him. I was not there at that place.”

  “But you might know someone who was there. Who is in the house I saw you go into about an hour ago?”

  “All the people who were let off the boat that night. The ones who managed to get on the other boat. Those people who could not climb on board are whose bodies that were found later.”

  “Were you aware Alex was coming here?”

  Lucie nodded. “I did not know when.” She glanced over her shoulders. “I must return to Miz Claire’s house. I have been gone too long already. She will wonder where I am.”

  I wanted to ask her more questions, but I didn’t know how much longer I could hold her here. “Can you name some of the people in the house? People who might know what happened?”