“You ought to know there is no such thing as a completely smooth running case. There’s always going to be hiccups.” Danny placed his hand on Brad’s shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short. You can handle any of those bumps in the road if you have patience and keep a lid on your temper. I have the utmost faith you can achieve your goals.”

  Brad smiled and seemed to relax. “Thanks. I appreciate your confidence in me.”

  “I’ll talk to Susan and see if I can find out what her intentions are about the murder. In the meantime, I suggest you discontinue warning her to keep her nose out. She’ll be curious to find out more.”

  After Brad left, Danny sat for a while on the patio thinking about the conversation. He remembered Jim’s brief lack of confidence about handling his first big case…the murder of Teddy Berthelot at Mardi Gras several years earlier. Jim turned out to be the best chief of police Cypress Lake ever had. Maybe too good. And it got him killed. Danny shook off that line of thought.

  Having a few doubts about their ability to handle big cases was normal for good young law men like Jim and Brad, whether they wanted to admit it or not. He did himself when he first became sheriff. And he wasn’t so young. However, Brad seemed overly worried about his abilities. He may have bitten off more than he could chew.

  By all accounts, Brad had been a pretty good officer during his time with Cypress Lake PD. Although he’d given him encouragement, Danny wasn’t sure this young law man had enough self-confidence to lead the sheriff’s office. Brad’s older brother Dave Theriot, one of his own deputies, would have made a better sheriff. To Allemand Parish’s detriment, Dave had found a higher paying job in Texas. Too bad he couldn’t have talked Ronnie Hart into running for the office.

  Danny wondered if Brad did feel threatened by Susan. Maybe she hit the nail on the head when she remarked that he was afraid she was trying to take over his job.

  Something Brad said about Susan’s visit to the Gallaghers’ house bothered him. Federal agents don’t usually pass along information to local law enforcement. He spoke from experience on that note. Of course it was possible not all federal agents were like the ones he had come in contact with while working on Jim’s murder. Unless…

  The sliding glass door swished open. Rachel appeared with two glasses of iced tea and handed him one.

  “What’s wrong with Brad?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Oh nothing. He’s having a few doubts about being able to handle Celina Baum’s murder. You know…first big case after being elected. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Hmm, whenever you say that it makes me worry more.”

  Fourteen

  Tuesday July 28

  An anchor for Channel 7 interrupted the network morning show with breaking local news. Lost in my own thoughts, I hadn’t been paying attention to the program, but the dramatic music accompanying the announcement caught my interest.

  “Early this morning, the bodies of five people were discovered floating in Bayou Jean Baptiste in Allemand Parish. None of the victims has been identified yet, but they are all suspected to be immigrants who entered the country illegally. As soon as we have further information, it will be passed along to our viewers.”

  My stomach clinched. I knew it…people had trampled the grass and not feral pigs. Alex could have been among the group, perhaps the only survivor. I wondered if there was any possibility of finding out his condition?

  I phoned the hospital, but got nowhere. The woman I spoke to was not authorized to give out information on him, but she did tell me on the sly that there were armed deputies guarding his room.

  Maybe Danny knows how Alex is doing. Hopefully he’ll tell me what I want to know. I peered out the window to see if his truck was in the driveway. I was in luck.

  I checked on the twins who were both still asleep and walked next door. Rachel answered the door and invited me inside. “I need to speak to Danny. Is he up yet?”

  “Of course he is. In fact he’s on his second cup of coffee.”

  I followed her into the kitchen. “Sorry to intrude on your breakfast, but I want to ask you something.”

  Danny chuckled. “You must have seen the news about the bodies.”

  I nodded. “That’s part of what I want to know. I assume you heard about the man who arrived at the food pantry yesterday and was taken to the hospital.”

  “He’s suspected of being in the country illegally. I understand you were there when he turned up.”

  “Yes, Sandy Dugas and I tended to him until EMS came in and took over. Do you know how his condition is now?”

  He took a sip from his coffee cup. “Last I heard he’s in serious, but stable condition.”

  “Then he’s expected to survive?”

  “Yes, but as soon as he’s released from the hospital he’ll be taken into custody and prepared for deportation.”

  I didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. I was pleased he would recover, but not happy he would be sent back to a dangerous life in his country of origin. “He’s from Haiti, I believe.”

  Danny appeared surprised. I glanced at Rachel, who sat with her elbows on the table, and hands steepled in front of her mouth.

  “Did he tell you where he was from?” Danny asked.

  “No, it’s an educated guess.”

  “Not being privy to everything going on at the office since I retired, I’m not sure whether his country of origin has been verified.”

  “I don’t know, Danny,” I said, trying to sound lighthearted. “You seem to be pretty well up on things if you heard I was at the food pantry. Do you know if he has any connection with the victims who were found this morning?”

  “It’s highly possible.” He shot me the look. “If I ask you not to get involved with this, will you listen?”

  “I believe I’m already involved. Remember what I told you Sunday about events that happen to me, or people I meet drawing me into a case?”

  “So you believe because you found Celina’s body and you tended to this illegal immigrant, you are destined to solve her murder and take care of him?”

  I pursed my lips. “Something like that. Don’t you believe in fate?”

  “On occasion I have experienced an event or two that seemed like destiny.” He reached across the table and caught hold of Rachel’s hand. “The way she and I met felt a lot like fate.”

  Rachel smiled at him. “I believe you called it kismet.”

  “Oh my, y’all are so romantic. That’s my cue to leave. I left the twins asleep. They might be destroying the kitchen in search of breakfast.”

  Rachel and Danny must have settled their differences and appeared to be the same great couple they’ve been since I first met them.

  The phone was ringing as I walked inside my house. I glanced at the caller ID and saw Sandy Dugas’ number on the display. Please don’t let her be calling me to come in to the food pantry.

  “Susan, you’re not going to believe this.” She sounded excited and even a little frightened. That woman is going to have a nervous breakdown. But who am I to talk? I’m not exactly the calmest person in the world.

  “What is it?”

  “I know who killed Celina.”

  My heart took a dive. I could hardly speak. “Who?”

  “Alex killed her.” Her voice went up in volume.

  “You mean the man who turned up yesterday? Why do you believe he’s Celina’s killer?”

  “He had her backpack. I know it’s hers.”

  None of this made sense. “Calm down and tell me the whole story.”

  “He came into the compound carrying a backpack. The bag got left behind when EMS transported him to the hospital. With all the excitement over him and the huge amount of supplies we were trying to unload, it wasn’t noticed until this morning when I went to straighten up the warehouse manager’s office. I knew right away it was hers.”

  “What did you do with the backpack?” I held my breath.

  “I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

  “Have you checked inside the bag?”

  “No, I was so shocked at finding it. Hold on. I’ll look.”

  I heard soft rustling and what sounded like a zipper opening. Oh no, I forgot about her fingerprints messing up evidence.

  “There’s nothing in here except an empty water bottle and a bunch of cellophane wrappers from those crackers Celina used to carry with her.”

  “It sure sounds like the bag belongs to Celina. Call the sheriff’s office and tell them. A deputy will come out there and pick it up.” Brad may go out there himself to get it.

  She agreed and we ended the call.

  The news was a lot to process. Why did he have Celina’s backpack? Did he have a gun on his person? I didn’t think he did. He could have gotten rid of the gun somewhere out in the swamp.

  Alex was a complete stranger, but for some reason I didn’t believe he was a killer.

  Fifteen

  Caroline absentmindedly stirred her cereal with the spoon. “Mom?” She looked at me sympathetically. “Are you okay?”

  I did my best to appear fine. “Of course. Why do you believe I might not be?”

  “You look unhappy. Not like when Daddy died, but lightly sad.”

  My heart broke at the mention of her father dying, but I concentrated on being amused at her wording. When Jim died, I must have been heavily sad to her. “Well I suppose I am kind of down, but I’ll be alright in a day or so. A lady I knew died last week. She volunteered at the food pantry with me. I feel bad about her death because she was young.”

  “It’s always sad when someone dies, isn’t it?”

  I sat at the table next to her. “It is for the person’s family, but once they realize their loved one is in Heaven and is at peace, their sadness starts to go away.” I didn’t dare tell her the unhappy feeling lasted a long time.

  My cell phone rang and I grudgingly got up. Who’s calling now? This time Rachel was on the line. Relieved it wasn’t Sandy, I answered.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Danny got a phone call from Brad and he left out of here in a hurry,” she said. “Do you know what that’s all about?”

  “I can make a good guess.” I told her about the call from Sandy.

  “That sounds like bad news for that poor man. What I don’t understand is why Brad has to call Danny for every little thing that happens. Even though this isn’t little. Can’t he make decisions on his own?”

  “Danny might as well still be sheriff,” I said.

  “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

  “I plan to call Megan to see if she’ll consider representing Alex when he’s arrested.”

  “Aren’t you jumping the gun here? He hasn’t been arrested yet.”

  “No, but I’m confident he will be as soon as he’s released from the hospital. Brad is anxious to get this homicide solved so he can look good in the eyes of the people who elected him. I hate to admit I voted for him.”

  “Me too,” she said. “But it was either him or George Reynolds who is as old as Methuselah.”

  “Our options weren’t great.”

  “Let me know if you hear anything else.”

  I promised and ended the call.

  Matthew came running down the hall with his bicycle helmet in his hand. “I’m going bike riding with Reed.” He referred to Reed Hart, the son of Ronnie Hart, the deputy who came to the food pantry when Alex was taken to the hospital.

  “What happened to ‘Mom, can I please go bike riding with Reed’?”

  He pouted. “Sorry, can I please go?”

  “Yes, you may, but stay inside our subdivision.”

  He didn’t look happy, but agreed to my terms. I had the feeling Matthew would soon be testing the limits of my authority.

  I phoned Megan and got almost the same reaction from her as I did from Rachel.

  “Has he been arrested yet?”

  “No, but if the backpack does turn out to be Celina’s, Alex is going to be arrested for her murder,” I argued. “Not to mention he’s in the country illegally.”

  “I’ll think about it and get back to you. I know an immigration attorney with whom I can consult.”

  “Please don’t think too long about taking his case or he’ll be assigned some young inexperienced public defender.”

  “Okay, I promise I’ll get back to you soon.”

  Caroline was still dawdling over her breakfast when I got off the phone. “Who’s Alex? Is he a bad man?”

  Hmm…little ears hear a lot. “He’s a man who came into the food pantry. He had been lost out in the swamp for a few days and was very sick. EMS came and took him to the hospital. I don’t believe he’s a bad man.”

  “Then why is he going to be arrested?”

  “Sometimes things happen that make the police or sheriff believe a person has committed a crime when he or she really didn’t. There is a trial and a jury decides from the evidence whether or not the person is guilty.”

  “I heard you say he was in the country illegally. Is that why he’ll be arrested?”

  “If he’s found not guilty of the other crime that he’s being accused of, he will be sent back to his country.” Why so many questions from an eight-year-old?

  “There was a girl who came to our school a few days last year. She couldn’t speak English good and some older kids teased her at recess and said she came here illegally. What does that mean?”

  “To come to the United States from another country, a person must have legal papers stating our government is allowing them to come here. There are a lot of poor countries and places that are dangerous and the people from those countries want to come here so badly that they sneak into the US without having the proper papers.”

  She looked thoughtful for a long moment, and then got up from the table.

  “Bowl in the sink,” I said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” On the way to the sink she turned to me. “When I grow up I want to help those people.”

  I felt a lump in my throat. “Good for you.” I hope when she does, she doesn’t get into as much trouble as her mother usually does.

  Sixteen

  For the third time this morning, my cell phone rang. The name Josh B. and his number on the display confused me. How did he get my cell number? Then I remembered putting his info in my contacts last year when he did some investigating for me. He got straight to the point after I answered.

  “Looks like our friend Alex might be in serious trouble.”

  I started to question how he knew, but he didn’t give me time to ask.

  “I spoke to Megan earlier this morning.”

  Here we go again. Just like last time. “For heaven’s sake. Don’t tell me she asked you to babysit me.”

  “No, she said you told her I was there and wanted to know what if anything I could tell her about Alex.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so defensive. I’ve been getting a lot of flak from people I know. I did mention to her that you were present when he came to the pantry. By the way, I saw you talking to the deputies before EMS transported Alex. Did they ask why you happened to be there?”

  “I’m not sure those particular deputies knew what I do for a living. They asked me what happened and I told them what I knew. Then I left before they could ask any more questions.”

  “I figured that’s why you didn’t stick around.”

  “They most likely ran my name through the system and have found out by now.”

  “What does that mean as far as your investigation goes?”

  “I’ll try to stay out of their way. Besides, if Alex is arrested for Celina’s murder, the Baums may terminate my contract.” He paused. “I got the impression from Megan you don’t believe he’s guilty. What makes you think he’s not?”

  “Woman’s intuition.”

  “You know that’s not going to fly with the cops or the court. You’ve seen the guy once.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “I feel sorry for him because he went through so much to get to this country. I want to help him.”

  “I understand how you feel. There was an incident a while back about people packed in the trailer of an eighteen wheeler and some died. That hacked me off. Those coyotes don’t have any feelings. All they think about is getting the money.”

  His anger at those people who prey on the immigrants surprised me. I wasn’t expecting his response. I also wasn’t expecting to feel comfortable enough to tell him about my conversation with Caroline.

  “Sounds like she takes after her mother. Hold on, I’m getting another call…from Miriam Baum. I’ll call you back when I find out what’s going on.”

  Josh called back in a few minutes. “Miriam said the sheriff called her and asked if he could come by her house. A backpack had been located and he wanted to see if she could identify the bag.”

  “I guess that settles it. If she identifies the backpack as Celina’s, then Alex will be arrested whenever he can talk. Did Miriam ask you to come to her house?”

  “Not right away. She said she would call me after the sheriff leaves and let me know the details. I might be out of a job.”

  He ended the call with a promise to let me know if the backpack belonged to Celina.

  I thought back to the times when I was present at the pantry at the same time as Celina. She did have a backpack in which she kept packs of peanut butter crackers and handed them out to people who stopped by for food. Many times she offered them to children, along with a small candy bar.

  If Alex had possession of her bag, he obviously witnessed her being killed and may even have seen her killer…unless he was the killer.

  Seventeen

  A loud boom of thunder startled me. Was rain forecast for today? I peered out the sliding glass door at the increasing darkness. Huge black clouds loomed overhead. Matthew hadn’t returned from his bike ride.

  I phoned Renee Hart to see if perhaps the boys returned to her house.

  “No, they haven’t gotten back yet. Reed knows to come home when the weather gets threatening,” she said. “But I don’t see them anywhere on the street. We should go look for them before this storm arrives.”