“Definitely. If we discover the identity of the note writer and he or she is determined to be the killer, this note would be great evidence.” She studied the note for a short moment, and picked it up gingerly as I had by the corner. “With all this handling, there probably isn’t much chance of getting usable fingerprints from the surface.” She held up the paper for Josh to see.”

  “Not likely,” he said. “If the chief’s death turns out to be homicide and if the killer can be identified, handwriting analysis could work or maybe there’s a slim chance to find some usable DNA.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip to keep from protesting the beginning of his statement. If Jim’s death was homicide. If his killer could be identified. No ifs about it. Murder, plain and simple. The person responsible will be brought to justice.

  Josh gave me a stern look. “Why didn’t you turn this over to the sheriff?”

  “I don’t know how to answer that question.”

  “You need to do it…soon. This could be a key piece of evidence.”

  Megan eyed me with curiosity. “You have Bill Kaufman and his wife on this list. Any particular reason? Or did you add them after the incident in the sheriff’s office?”

  “When I first made up this list, I hesitated to put them on it, but I went ahead and listed them. Then after the incident in Danny’s office, I decided to keep them there. I’m not sure whether Tracy should be there. However, let’s leave her for now.”

  “Who’s Kaufman?” Josh asked.

  “Bill is the mayor of Cypress Lake. He’s a childhood friend of Jim’s. In fact, he was responsible for my husband taking on the position of police chief.”

  “So he’s known your husband for a long time,” Josh mused. “I gather Jim grew up around here.”

  “Yes, just outside the town of Foretville. At the time, that place was just a wide spot in the road.”

  He chuckled. “And not much larger now.”

  “I guess you could say so.” Everything about him irritated me. His manner was kind of hard to describe—a combination of know-it-all and condescending. “Back to the list. Rick Hanson and his son Scott did not know Jim at all.”

  Megan arched a brow. “Really? Why are they here?”

  “Funeral crashers?” Josh asked.

  “Not exactly. Let me elaborate a bit.” I explained the connection between Jim’s father and the Hansons, including what Aunt Eileen told me about the blame Rick placed on Frank Foret for the injuries he suffered in Vietnam.

  Josh’s interest appeared to perk up. “Do you know anything about the particular incident where Hanson was injured?”

  “Nothing except his wounds occurred in 1972 during the Easter Offensive. Jim’s aunt told me she would e-mail or snail-mail some army information and a couple of photos taken in Vietnam concerning Frank’s tours there. I guess they’re coming by regular mail.”

  He removed a pen from his pocket and a small note pad like one Jim kept with him. A twinge of grief nipped at me. So many little memories like this one had to be overcome or I wouldn’t be able to function in my new world.

  Josh held the pen ready to write. “What’s his father’s full name?”

  “Francis Matthew Foret—I believe he was a lieutenant.”

  “Do you know Hanson’s full name?”

  I shook my head. “I assume his name is Richard.”

  “No problem. I can find out what you need to know,” he said. “I have a few connections in the military.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “What an understatement.”

  “Not really.” Josh lowered his hazel eyes for a second, looking almost humble. Quite the change from his earlier manner. He addressed the remainder of his reply to me. “I served a couple of tours with the Army in Iraq early in the conflict—Military Police.”

  “Thank you for your service.” The only thing I could think of to say. But I really meant it. I didn’t have to like him, but he deserved praise for military service.

  A lull in the conversation followed. Several thoughts ran through my head. I should have realized the oddness of this situation. From the start, the whole scene appeared as if I had hired an attorney and a private investigator.

  “Megan, could we talk in private?”

  “Certainly,” she said with a brief frown.

  At that moment, I heard a car drive up. Several minutes later, Matthew burst into the house all smiles with Caroline right behind. They both stopped short at the sight of the two visitors. Steven walked through the door immediately after them.

  Megan greeted my brother and introduced him to Josh. The men shook hands. Steven had a wary expression on his face. I sensed it had something to do with the private investigator’s presence. He shifted a questioning gaze to Megan.

  However, she turned her attention to the twins. “Hi Matthew and Caroline, I’m glad to see you again. You both look like you had a good time at the park.”

  “Yes ma’am. We did,” Matthew said. “There were a lot of ducks on the lake. We started feeding them and this big duck came running towards Caroline. He almost bit her. Uncle Steven saved her by scaring him off.”

  “A duck?” I had no idea ducks were aggressive.

  Steven grinned. “He was a goose, not a duck, Matt.”

  “Oh, right,” Matthew said. “I forgot.”

  “Were you frightened, Caroline?” Megan asked.

  “A little bit.” She moved her gaze to the floor. “But after Uncle Steven scared him off, he didn’t bother us anymore.”

  Megan smiled. “So Uncle Steven saved the day.”

  “Yes, ma’am, he did.” She looked up at him with adoring eyes.

  I smiled as I rose from my chair. Steven seemed to be irresistible to females of all ages. At one time, the only females he attracted ended up causing him a lot of problems.

  “Kids, go wash your hands. I’ll fix you two a snack and bring it to you in the family room.” I turned to my guests. “Excuse me while I tend to the kids. Since Steven is here now, we’ll continue our discussion when I get back.”

  I made the kids suitcase peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and provided them each with a juice pack which I delivered.

  As I approached the kitchen again, I heard Megan speaking. I stopped to listen. “She’s on to our little deal.”

  “What makes you think so?” Steven asked.

  “Right before you drove up, she asked to speak to me in private.”

  I marched right in and interrupted their conversation. “I wanted to ask you what was going on. Something isn’t right here.”

  “What do you mean?” Her question had to be rhetorical. She certainly knew what I meant.

  “When you offered your help going over my suspect list, I assumed this would be an informal get-together with just you and me and maybe Steven.”

  “You’re uncomfortable with Josh being here?”

  “I can leave the room while y’all discuss business,” he said.

  “No, stay. I’m not uncomfortable with you per se. I’m uneasy about the situation.”

  Megan looked worried. Josh seemed confused.

  “Everything so far has been so…official…” I made imaginary quotation marks in the air. “You and Josh were both taking notes, and he offered to look into Frank Foret’s military record. I feel like I’ve hired an attorney and a private investigator to look into Jim’s murder. This was never my plan.”

  Megan averted her eyes for a split second. “I should have been upfront with you from the beginning. It was unethical of me not to inform you. He didn’t want you to know.” She regarded Steven with an irritated look. “I told you she wouldn’t want any part of this arrangement.”

  My cheeks felt hot. I glared at my brother. “You didn’t want me to know what?”

  “I retained Megan on your behalf.”

  “And I, in turn, hired Josh to investigate Jim’s death,” she added.

  I pointed a finger at Steven as if scolding one of the kids. “I am not believing this. Hiring Josh to investigate would have been understandable, but I don’t need the services of an attorney. Or do you know something I don’t?”

  “No,” he said adamantly. “I thought you might require her services in the future since the people you’re looking into are law enforcement and town officials who wield a lot of power.”

  “And you didn’t want me to end up in trouble.”

  Megan gave me a compassionate look. “He knows what you’ve been through all these years. I know personally what happened last year with the Mardi Gras murders. I was involved in that myself to a certain extent and have the scars to prove it.”

  She referred to the day she was shot in front of the Cypress Lake City Hall. Her shooter was part of a convoluted murder investigation involving two deaths eerily resembling the murder of her father many years previous.

  My anger hadn’t completely drained away, although I understood all too well the dangers involved in doing my own investigation. Still, my brother should have come to me before he went out on his own and hired Megan. Of course, I would not have agreed to any such thing. He knew it too, which is why he went to her without telling me.

  Steven moved closer to me and placed his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry for not talking this over with you, but you wouldn’t have consented.”

  “If we’re going to find the truth, our methods have to be above board and legal.” Megan gestured with her hand. “Come, sit down and finish discussing everything that’s happened since Jim died.” She sounded like a mother coaxing her wayward child to do what she’d asked. Maybe I was acting like a spoiled brat.

  Resigned, I joined the group at the table. My friend and my brother had made an aggressive attempt to keep me from being an active participant in this case. I would continue to discuss the events since Jim’s death. Regardless, I had every intention of playing a major role in the investigation.

  Twenty-one

  I studied the faces of the three other people at the table. Megan wore a poker face; Josh looked annoyed; a worried frown crossed Steven’s forehead. The level of silence in the room was deafening.

  “I’m all for the truth to be found using legal procedures, but I won’t be kept on the outside looking in. If there’s something I believe ought to be investigated and none of you are around, I’m going to look into it.”

  “So I gather we’re not fired,” Megan said.

  “No, I guess not.”

  She smiled. “Good. Now let’s keep going.”

  I continued detailing the info I’d retrieved from Jim’s laptop without waiting for a response from the other three. “Jim apparently felt suspicious about his father’s death. He sent e-mails to Rick Hanson inquiring about their tour in Vietnam together.”

  “How did Mr. Hanson respond?” Megan asked.

  “Very non-committal to the original message. Jim’s first e-mail to him was rather casual.” I relayed the gist of the exchange. “I suppose that could be considered a form of police interrogation…like trying to make the suspect feel at ease.

  “Jim’s second message was more direct,” I continued. “He asked:‘Can you tell me about my father’s state of mind?’ To which Mr. Hanson never replied.”

  “I hope you kept copies.” His condescending look grated on my nerves.

  “Of course I did.” I’m sure everyone heard the irritation in my voice. “There are hard copies in this file, and I saved the e-mails in a separate file on his laptop.”

  He nodded in approval.

  Megan tapped her pen lightly on the table. “Did you have any idea about Jim’s suspicions concerning his father’s death?”

  “I didn’t have a clue.” I hesitated to mention Taylor Evans’ reading. Josh probably will roll his eyes at the mention of a psychic. I didn’t really care. Taylor’s readings have always been spot on. “Before I discovered those e-mails, I went to see a psychic in New Orleans.”

  Just as I predicted, Josh’s eyes nearly rolled back into his head. A patronizing grin moved his lips.

  “I know what you’re thinking. She wasn’t Sister Louisa wearing a Gypsy costume, and she didn’t have a crystal ball. Her name is Taylor Evans. I’ve been to her three times in the last several years. Her visions were very helpful clues.”

  He leaned forward across the table. “Okay, so what did this psychic tell you?”

  I smiled. “Jim appeared to be questioning the method of a close relative’s death. For whatever reason, he suspected the death might be a homicide, not a suicide.”

  Josh raised his eyebrows. “And you didn’t mention a word on the subject of his method of death?”

  “No, she always asks you not to give any details. To do so would color her vision.”

  He looked unconvinced. Yet he didn’t comment further.

  Megan jotted a few notes and then handed back my papers. “Is there anything else important you can think of?”

  I flipped through the pages to see if I’d forgotten an important item. “No, I believe everything has been covered.” Then I remembered part of Taylor Evan’s reading. “There’s one other thing—something else the psychic told me.”

  Josh shook his head. Disgust? Disbelief? I couldn’t care less.

  “First of all, I didn’t tell her about the note. She informed me right away Jim planned to meet someone, but she sensed the presence of other people on the scene. The letter L came to her mind.”

  “Did she give you any indication to whom or what the letter might signify?” Megan quickly asked. I got the impression she wanted to get the question in before Josh could knock the possibility down.

  “No, the only thing she saw was a look of surprise on his face when he was shot.”

  Steven had been silent for quite some time. He finally spoke. “Didn’t you see this psychic when you looked into Anne’s murder?”

  “I did, and she was very helpful.” I turned my attention to Megan. “So who do you think is the best possible suspect?”

  “There are two pairs I would consider strongly. Angie Ducote and Jack LeBlanc and the Hanson men. What about you, Josh?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “My money would be on the two cops.”

  “Are the Hansons still in town?” Megan asked.

  Her question startled me in a way. Something I hadn’t thought of. “They shouldn’t have any reason to stay. If they are, that’s extremely suspicious.”

  ~ * ~

  Like the petulant child I’d seemed to become, I stewed for a long time in my bedroom after Megan and the private investigator had left my house.

  Steven stayed out of my way, knowing he wasn’t the most popular person in my presence right now. He should have at least consulted me before going to Megan. In turn, her employing Josh might put a kink into my investigative activities.

  His responses to the reasons I considered certain people on my suspect list indicated such. He probably assumed because I was a grieving woman, my emotions were getting the best of me and I didn’t know anything. Maybe he was playing the devil’s advocate like my friends and family members are wont to do when they believe I’m on the wrong track or in danger. Or perhaps he’s one of those macho men who don’t believe women should be in the military or in law enforcement.

  I had no intention of un-hiring Megan, but I made myself clear about how this investigation would proceed. Josh would research the military records as he offered. In case he didn’t have any luck, I’d give him the info I received from Aunt Eileen if she ever got around to sending it.

  Just in case, I decided to check my inbox. Voila! She finally sent the papers and photos. I took a quick look at the two photos.

  The first picture of Frank Foret appeared to have been taken in the same location as the one I found in the box of Jim’s belongings. Two soldiers appeared in the second one, labeled ‘Rick Hanson and Tom McDonald in Vietnam-1972.’

  A yellowed letter-size page held a lot of military abbreviation, initials, and numbers. This might take me a while to puzzle out. I decided to print out the entire attachment and study everything more closely.

  I hit the print button and heard the faint whirring of the printer located in the guest room/home office, now temporarily Steven’s room. After closing Aunt Eileen’s e-mail, I perused the subjects of the other posts. One of them caught my eye.

  A reminder from the school about the orientation meeting told me I wouldn’t be able to use the Scarlett O’Hara procrastination bit after today. The event was tomorrow morning from ten to eleven-thirty.

  After I closed my e-mail, I sat reviewing the earlier conversation with Megan and Josh. A question Megan asked stuck in my mind. Were the Hansons still in town and, if they were, why?

  I made a mental list of places where they might be staying if they were. In Cypress Lake, there’s Lakeside Motel and The Village Inn, a bed-and-breakfast. Beau Chene had more lodging options available. An internet search would be necessary to determine the names and locations.

  After getting a list of hotels in the area, I started phoning those establishments, beginning with the two in Cypress Lake. I struck pay-dirt on my third try. I guess the third time really is the charm. They were currently registered at the Bayou Vista Motel in Beau Chene. Why hadn’t they gone back to Alabama?

  I wondered if Josh Broussard planned on contacting Rick Hanson in connection with his search for information about Jim’s father and his tour in Vietnam. I didn’t want to scare them off if they were up to something. I suppose he knew how to do so without those results.

  A more pressing order of business was to visit the two fishermen who discovered Jim’s body. Perhaps I might be able to persuade them to take me out to the scene.

  ~ * ~

  He sat quietly staring at the lake and tried to calm his nerves. The only thing that would truly calm his nerves was a fix, but he couldn’t very well snort up here and now. So far he’d been able to conceal his addiction well. He didn’t intend to slip up.

  He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose. He glanced at the spots on the white cloth. Bleeding again.

  A hot breeze swayed Spanish moss hanging from the cypress trees. Despite the heat, the soft lapping of water on the pier and the waving moss helped him concentrate. His next move would depend on how much deeper she would dig. He might as well get ready to take action. He’d be stupid to believe she’d give up her search.