“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, but I need information.”

  “About what?”

  “I discovered e-mails between Jim and Rick Hanson. Did you know Jim had questions about his father’s death? Actually, about his father’s state of mind,” I added.

  “I didn’t know he was looking into Frank Foret’s death. He never mentioned anything to me. I did see those e-mails.” He paused a long moment as if searching for the right words. “If anything, the last one where he asked Hanson about Frank’s state of mind only strengthens the case for a suicide for Jim.”

  “Not to me. He was questioning his father’s manner of death. Rick Hanson blamed Frank for his injuries for some reason. He came to visit Jim’s father shortly before his death.”

  “So what are you saying? Hanson killed Jim’s father?”

  “I believe it’s possible. Jim may have uncovered evidence to prove Frank’s death was a homicide.”

  Danny shook his head, an irritated look crossing his face. “And Hanson and his son came here and shot Jim to keep him quiet. Is that your theory?”

  “It’s logical. Don’t you think so?” I sensed a negative answer.

  “Maybe in a mystery novel it would be a good plot.”

  My shoulders slumped.

  “If it’ll ease your mind, I’ll check out their whereabouts on the day Jim was shot.”

  It suddenly dawned on me. Danny wouldn’t agree to verify their alibis unless he thought they needed one.

  “Next subject,” he said in a brusque tone.

  I gathered up the courage to continue after the partial defeat. “What can you tell me about Angie Ducote?”

  “What is it you want to know about her?”

  I hated when someone answered a question with another question. “Anything you can tell me.”

  Danny leaned forward slightly. “Actually, I don’t know much about her. She worked for the Washington DC police before coming here.”

  “Why did she leave DC?”

  He shrugged. “Could be any number of reasons—the main one most likely being she probably wanted to be closer to home. She’s from South Louisiana, so Jim told me.”

  His answer sounded plausible, but I wasn’t totally convinced. “What’s another reason?”

  “Believe it or not, in some places female cops still have a hard time being accepted in a traditionally male organization. Law enforcement agencies have made great strides in the past years with keeping female officers, but there are still holdout departments.”

  I gave a snort. “She doesn’t seem to have any trouble being accepted by the males of the Cypress Lake department.”

  Danny frowned. “What do you mean?”

  I told him about the incident between Angie and Jack LeBlanc.

  “That’s not something you want to walk in on.” He didn’t look happy. “I’ve seen them together on occasion—kind of an odd pair.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “But tell me why you’re asking about Angie?”

  My response was interrupted by a knock on the office door. Bill Kaufman stepped inside.

  He provided us one of those engaging smiles I refer to as a politician’s asset. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

  “No,” Danny said. “Come on in, Bill.”

  “Mister Mayor to you, Sheriff,” he said in a joking tone.

  Danny laughed. “Sorry, Mister Mayor, I meant no disrespect.”

  Bill greeted me with a hug. “How are you, Susan?”

  “As well as can be expected.”

  He nodded sympathetically. “If there’s anything Tracy or I can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

  Over the years Jim and I had socialized with him and his wife, Tracy, quite a few times. I had come to like them a lot. During Jim’s childhood in Allemand Parish, he and Bill had been best friends.

  The mayor was a consummate politician. His down home personality put men at ease and his boyish good looks sure got the ladies’ votes.

  He turned to Danny. “There’s a matter I need to discuss with you.”

  Danny’s expression seemed to suggest curiosity or maybe confusion concerning what the mayor could possibly have to talk to him about.

  “Then I’ll let you guys discuss business,” I said. “Bill, it was great seeing you. Tell Tracy I said hello.”

  “I will, but give her a call. She’d love to hear from you.”

  “Thanks, Bill.” I glanced at Danny. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  I had barely cleared the door when I heard Bill ask, “I overheard Susan asking about Angie Ducote. Why was she asking?”

  I stopped short just outside of their view.

  “Is that what you wanted to discuss with me?” Danny’s voice sounded unusually gruff.

  “I didn’t actually have anything to discuss with you. I happened to be passing by on my way to see Chief LeBlanc and heard Angie’s name mentioned. She’s who I intended to speak to him about.”

  “Susan was curious about her after she saw Angie and your boy LeBlanc in a…compromising situation.” He emphasized LeBlanc’s name.

  “Danny, I know you dislike Jack personally. He is a good officer. Angie’s the troublemaker here. I understand why Jim hired her. She can turn on the charm. I’ll talk to Jack and see about making a few changes.”

  A pause in the conversation ensued. Then Bill spoke again. “I found out recently Angie has an agenda. One she couldn’t accomplish in DC.”

  “And what is this agenda?”

  “She goes after the highest man in the department—in this case the chief of police—and somehow ends up taking over his position, or at the very least rising up the ladder. Look what happened to Jim. She could be responsible for his death. He was seeing her.”

  My throat tightened. No, he can’t be right.

  I couldn’t see Danny’s face, but his voice sounded incredulous. “If you’re inferring what I believe you are, stop right there. I don’t want to hear you slander a good man.”

  “Calm down, Danny, I felt the same way when I first found out. Jim was my friend. My source has proved to be extremely reliable.”

  “Until I’m presented with concrete evidence of an affair, I won’t believe the accusation. The same goes for any indication Angie might be guilty of murder. You do know the coroner ruled his death as suicide?”

  “Of course I do. What I meant was she caused him to kill himself. He probably couldn’t face Susan.”

  Without giving my actions a second thought, I made my presence known. Both men jerked around and stared at me. The look on Bill’s face was priceless.

  “Susan, I…” he stammered.

  “I never thought you would stoop so low as to repeat idle gossip like some little old lady and poison Jim’s reputation, regardless of how reliable your source. And after you just called Jim your friend.” I turned and rushed down the hall. Danny caught up with me before I reached the exit.

  “If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe Jim had an affair. You’re right—what Bill said was just gossip and slander. Where the business about Angie and an agenda came from is a mystery to me.”

  “Then why would he repeat the accusations if he didn’t know it for a fact? He and Jim have been friends for years.”

  Danny seemed to be at a loss for words, so I left the conversation at that.

  Nineteen

  My emotions swirled as I walked out the door. I headed toward my car with the idea of going home, but changed my mind. What I needed was a nice stiff drink. Since I didn’t have a designated driver, I opted for a cup of espresso at Court House Café across the street from City Hall.

  Inside, I slid into a booth with red vinyl seat cushions by the front window. The waitress took my order and returned a few minutes later with a small white cup of steaming dark brew.

  I stirred in a half packet of sweetener and stared at the tiny eddy created by my spoon. My life seemed to be caught in a much larger whirlpool. I couldn’t believe Jim had cheated on me. Neither did Danny. Or had Danny only tried to quell my fears with his words?

  I had never told Danny about the note I discovered. I kept forgetting about the darned thing. Was my convenient memory loss a subconscious effort to make an affair seem less real? I needed to turn the note over and let Danny decide its merit.

  Would I hurt or help matters by confronting Angie? Just coming right out and asking her if she slept with my husband? No, that sounds too much like an episode of a soap opera.

  Like Danny told Bill, there was no concrete evidence Jim had an affair with her. Wish I knew the identity of the mayor’s reliable source. Unless…there was no source.

  Bill may have a plan of his own. Taylor Evans did state there were others in his office and close by who had agendas different from Jim’s. I hated to believe putting him on my original list of suspects had merit.

  My phone rang and interrupted my train of thought. Megan’s name appeared on the caller ID display. I quickly picked up. “I didn’t expect your call so soon.”

  “I didn’t jinx my case at all by bragging about finishing up soon. The plaintiff’s attorney phoned me and said his client decided to drop the suit.”

  “So this was a civil case.”

  “Right. I decided since I’m just getting started on my own, I won’t specialize at present. You know my heart is criminal law. But this case is over now. When can we get together?”

  “As soon as you can get away. I’m not overly anxious or anything like that.”

  She laughed. “Now why would I think such a thing?” Her voice turned serious. “No, really, I can understand your wanting to bring this to a conclusion. I hate to use the word closure, because in a situation such as the murder of a loved one, there isn’t any closure, only justice.”

  “I’m glad you understand. There have been more developments since we last spoke.”

  “In which case, I can come over to your house this afternoon if it’s convenient.”

  “Are you sure you don’t have more pressing matters at work? I don’t want to get you in trouble with the boss.”

  “Remember, I’m my own boss now.”

  “Oh, yes, you did mention that quite a few times.” I mentally gave myself a forehead smack. “Guess I’ve got too many things on my mind. Do come over this afternoon.”

  We agreed on a time and ended the call. I left the café pondering a question: Would Megan be able to help me trim my list down to one or would we come up with more suspects?

  ~ * ~

  Danny wanted to punch something, mainly Bill Kaufman’s face. He didn’t want to believe Jim had cheated on Susan. However Angie was a very attractive woman. She seemed to flaunt her assets. Any man, including Jim, might be tempted.

  Jack LeBlanc was another source of irritation. Whatever possessed Kaufman to appoint an incompetent fool like him as Jim’s replacement? Ken Wallace would’ve been a much better choice.

  Kaufman had been right about one thing. Angie appeared to be a disruption for the police department. He wondered how well Jim had checked her out. Had he called the DC police for a background check?

  He picked up the phone and placed a call to MPDC. He identified himself and asked to speak to Lt. Harry O’Connor, a fellow he’d met at a law enforcement seminar two years ago in New Orleans.

  “Hey,” O’Connor greeted him. “What’s happening down in your neck of the woods?”

  “Aw, you know, mostly the usual riff-raff acting up.”

  “Same here, except they’re better armed than us.”

  “So I hear,” Danny said.

  “What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

  “I need to get some background on an officer who was a recent hire here in town. She claimed to have worked for Metro.”

  “You say she’s been hired already?” O’Connor sounded curious.

  “Yeah, but not by me.”

  “I’m intrigued. Can you tell me more?”

  Danny briefly explained the situation, telling him about his private homicide investigation of CLPD’s chief. “She was his latest hire. I’m just making sure he did a background check on her.”

  “Then you’re dealing with more than the usual riff raff.”

  “This is the remainder of ‘mostly.’”

  “I hear you,” he said grimly. “What’s this officer’s name?”

  “Angie Ducote. First name could be Angela. She came on this past February.”

  “Name doesn’t ring a bell, but this is a big department. Let me do some checking and I’ll get back to you in a few.”

  Twenty minutes later, O’Connor called back. “Angela Ducote was only here for approximately six months…from twenty-four April to fifteen October twenty ten. She did her job well—no complaints from her supervisors.”

  “She resigned from Metro in twenty ten? Do you know why she left?”

  “According to her file, she had accepted a job in Louisiana, her home state.” O’Connor said. “Her personnel file listed her place of birth as Vinton, Louisiana. She’s listed as single and has a degree in Criminal Justice.”

  “Thanks, I owe you one.” Danny ended the call and mulled over the information. Where the hell has she been for the last four years?

  Twenty

  Megan arrived accompanied by a man I didn’t know. He wore jeans, western boots, and a black tee-shirt. Was he a cop? An ex-military man? Or both?

  I greeted them at the door and invited them inside. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you.”

  “Sorry to spring him on you. Inviting him along was a spur of the moment idea. I know he’ll be a big help.” She waved her hand toward the man. “Susan, meet Josh Broussard. He’s a private investigator who worked some cases for a couple of attorneys from my old firm. Now he works for me. Josh, this is Susan Foret.”

  Josh extended his hand and shook mine. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of a stranger delving into Jim’s death and maybe into our private life. Then again, Megan must have truly felt he would be of help or she wouldn’t have brought him along. “I made a fresh pot of coffee if y’all would like some.”

  “I’d love a cup,” Megan said.

  Josh nodded. “I could use one.”

  I motioned for them to be seated at the kitchen table. “Two cups of coffee coming up.” My cheery manner masked the anxiety I felt. Butterflies turned somersaults in my stomach.

  “Did Steven move back to New Orleans?” Megan asked. Her expression held a hint of annoyance, a look I found curious.

  “No, and hopefully he won’t for a while. However, I keep expecting he’ll decide to do so at any time. He took the twins to the park at the lake about an hour ago. He should be back shortly.”

  “How thoughtful of him.”

  I didn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice. Maybe she’s disappointed he isn’t here to see her.

  “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at his ability to take charge of the kids. He’s come a long way since Anne’s death and he’s been a big help to me,” I said. Good. She might be interested in seeing more of him.

  I served coffee to Megan and Josh, grabbed the folder I referred to as my case file from the kitchen counter and then joined my guests at the table with my own mug of the dark brew. I really didn’t need the caffeine—should have made mine decaf.

  Megan took a sip of coffee, then set the cup down. “Now let’s take a look at your list.”

  I removed the suspect list from the folder and passed it to her. “I listed all the members of the Cypress Lake Police Department because at the time I figured ‘everyone’s a suspect until proven otherwise.’”

  Josh smiled. “That’s always a good plan.” His expression sobered. “Before we get started discussing suspects, I have a question.”

  “Okay, what is it?” I had the feeling I wasn’t going to like his question.

  “Why are you starting an independent investigation? A police officer’s murder is one aggressively pursued. If a fellow officer has been killed, the other cops want to get their hands on his killer.”

  “Officially his death has been ruled a suicide.”

  “But you don’t believe it.” He stared at me with narrowed eyes. “Suicide’s a hard ruling to swallow.”

  He really was annoying. Megan should never have brought him in on this.

  “No, I don’t believe it. Some members of CLPD could possibly be involved.”

  “What about your neighbor Sheriff Marchand?” Megan asked. “Does he believe the coroner’s report?”

  “Danny isn’t revealing any details and appears to accept his death as a suicide. I find it difficult to believe he thinks Jim killed himself.”

  “He may have a suspect and he’s not telling you until he has proof,” Josh said.

  “Maybe.” I took a deep breath to keep from blowing up and continued. “I’ve since come to the conclusion only two officers might have motives. However, I left the others on the list just in case.”

  Megan nodded. “Those are the ones marked with the asterisk?”

  “Right, Jack LeBlanc and Angie Ducote.”

  “Why do you believe these two might have motive?” Josh asked.

  I related the incident in the police department office when I went to pick up Jim’s personal items.

  Both Megan and Josh appeared skeptical.

  Megan frowned. “Is there more to this? Their actions might be objectionable, but not suspicious.”

  I hesitated to bring up the conversation between Bill Kaufman and Danny. If the private investigator hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have a problem relating the story to Megan. I felt demeaned by the fact the mayor’s story indicated Jim had an affair with Angie. However, if I wanted Jim’s murder solved, I had to tell them everything so I could determine if I was barking up the right tree. And Bill did mention Angie had an agenda, as did the psychic.

  I told them every detail of the story and then sat quietly waiting for their reaction.

  “You mentioned to me you found a note about a meeting,” Megan said. “Do you still have it?”

  “Yes, it’s in here.” I tapped on the folder with my finger. “I thought it was important to keep.” I pinched the corner of the note and handed it over for her to view.