Keegan smiled lazily as Sept took her in her arms and rolled her over again. They lay there as the sun started to rise outside and Mike yawned next to the bed. “I forgot he was down there,” Keegan said.

  “If you don’t tell him we were fooling around, I won’t,” Sept said. “Stay put and I’ll be right back.”

  “You’re leaving now?”

  “I’m going to let him out. If you come home earlier than I do you, can you spend some quality time teaching him to use the toilet so I won’t have to get up,” Sept said, and patted Keegan on the butt. “I won’t be long, I promise.”

  She put on the T-shirt and boxers Keegan had laid out for her and headed downstairs to the kitchen door. Mike did his usual sniffing tour before he picked an acceptable tree. As they returned, Mike led this time, and in the room Keegan had propped the pillows against the headboard. “Think he wants to watch television?” she asked as Sept stripped again. As soon as Sept sat down Keegan straddled her thighs.

  If the question had been serious, Keegan didn’t wait for an answer as she put her hand between Sept’s legs and stroked her until she grew rigid. Sept opened her mouth to the kiss Keegan initiated, but had to break it off as the orgasm ripped through her much too fast for her liking.

  “Tonight I’ll take the scenic route, but you looked so good I had to have you now,” Keegan said after she placed a series of gentle kisses along Sept’s jawline. “I hope you realize how glad I am you’re in my life.”

  “Hopefully you’ll feel that way for a long time.” Sept opened her eyes and was surprised to find Keegan’s swimming in tears. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m happy, and this is what happens when it gets a little overwhelming. Sorry. And why wouldn’t I feel that way?”

  “Relationships are hard, and being in one with a cop makes things a little more difficult. I’m waiting for you to get fed up with the hours and the scars that cases like this leave behind.” Sept shrugged, but she believed that honesty either dispelled your fears or brought them to a quicker realization.

  “You asked me who in my life made me feel so inadequate about my appearance. It was this woman I dated for a couple of months before I couldn’t take the little snide comments anymore and threw her out of my life.” Keegan moved her hand up and placed it between them.

  “Okay.” Sept dragged the word out, not understanding why Keegan had shared that with her now.

  “I’m not trying to change the subject, Seven. I’m trying to make a point.”

  “Which is?”

  “I know what I want, and I’m not going to punish you because of what you do for a living. We might not have a lot of history on our side, but in this short amount of time you’ve made me feel…” Her voice cracked and one tear escaped.

  “It’s okay, baby, just say it.”

  “You make me feel beautiful, and wanted.”

  Sept wiped under her eye with the pad of her thumb. “You should feel that way because you are, on both counts. But if anything is bothering you about the job or you have any questions, promise you’ll tell me.”

  “Only if you’ll tell me what you’re doing, like you did last night. I won’t run to the press and leak what we talk about. Knowing what you’re working on helps me worry less. Crazy, huh?”

  “Not really, and last night helped me as well. I can go over something a million times, but sometimes saying it out loud makes me think in a new direction.”

  Keegan rested her forearms on Sept’s shoulders and put their heads together. “Then we’ll talk a lot, make love, cook together, and before you know it you won’t be able to live without me.”

  Mike barked once and put his paws on the bed. “Considering you’re the only woman I’ve ever introduced to my mother, and who’s talked me into keeping a dog, I’d say we’re off to a good start.”

  After they showered together, Keegan sat on the bed and watched Sept dress. Sept winked at her as she strapped on her gun, and Keegan smiled. “I did forget to ask you one thing.”

  Keegan stood up and handed Sept her badge. “What’s that?”

  “This idiot who made the snide comments, what was her name?”

  “Mercy Alderson, why?”

  “The gym owner Alderson?”

  “Thus the snide comments about the fact that I don’t have a six-pack.” Keegan ran her fingers along Sept’s abdomen. “You, she’d love. Forget her, though. Believe me, there’s nothing to be jealous about.”

  “I didn’t ask because I was jealous. I just want to know who to do the extensive traffic stop on whenever I get the chance,” Sept said before she turned and opened the door for Mike to go out first.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Keegan called after her, but all Sept did was laugh.

  *

  Keegan made them all an omelet for breakfast, and she and Jacqueline sat and watched Sept as she listened to someone on the phone. She was pressing her thumb down so hard on her fork it was starting to bend.

  “You told me you two could handle it,” Sept said. “Great, you can explain that to Dad this morning.” She snapped her phone shut and expelled a long breath. “Fuck.”

  “You don’t like my eggs?” Keegan asked, in an effort to break the tension on Sept’s face.

  “Sorry, I love your cooking. It’s my brothers who need a kick in the ass.”

  “What’d they do?” Keegan asked.

  “I called Gustave last night and asked him to keep an eye on Damien until we talked to Dad today,” Sept said, then took a bite.

  “I’m not sure when you accomplished that, but okay. What happened?”

  “The two ace police officers lost him around eleven when he walked to the docks.” Sept glanced at her watch and started eating faster. “I’ll tell you about it tonight, but I have to go so I won’t be late.”

  “Call me later,” Keegan said.

  “Be good and remember to be careful,” Sept said as she bent down and kissed her. She put her jacket on next and kissed Jacqueline on the cheek before she left. The door closed behind her and Mike sat up as if to see what was going on. A second later the door opened again and Sept stuck her head in. “You want me to find someplace for the dog today?”

  “His name is Mike, and I thought we agreed to keep him.”

  “I didn’t mean give him away,” Sept said, and shook her head. “More like doggie day camp or something.”

  “Honey, parts of the city don’t have running water yet, and you think there’s a doggie day camp open?” Keegan put her hand on Mike’s head and scratched him behind the ears. “Go to work, and I’ll think of something so he’s not here all day by himself.”

  “See you tonight,” Sept said, and winked before she closed the door.

  “Let me get this straight,” Jacqueline said when Sept didn’t come back. “She has brothers?”

  Keegan laughed. “Here I thought you were going to ask me about the dog.”

  “Actually, I’m glad to see a dog in the house. If not, I was going to have to ask you what you did to her earlier to make her bark like that,” Jacqueline said with a laugh, and Keegan figured that’s why her ears were suddenly hot. “But back to my question, she has brothers?”

  “Five, but most are married.”

  “Which means some aren’t.” Jacqueline persisted. “Are they anything like Sept?”

  “I met them last weekend at dinner, but I mostly talked with Sept’s mom and her sisters-in-law. If you want, you can tag along this time, but you either have to cook or paint. Pick painting and you’ll see all the eligible Savoies in action.”

  “You have a deal.” Jacqueline tapped the top of Keegan’s hand with her fork. “Now tell me about the dog.”

  Keegan gave her the short version of what Sept had told her the night before, but left out most of the details. She hoped Jacqueline wouldn’t ask about Sept’s recent phone call and why it had upset her so much.

  “So what do you plan to do with him this morning?” Jacqueline asked.

  “I thought Mom might take him until you’re done later and go pick him up.” Keegan smiled sweetly and batted her eyes at Jacqueline, trying to act innocent.

  “Stop it before you sprain something on your face. I’m tied up with Gran all day, so you’d better pray Mom is in a babysitting mood.”

  “Let’s hope she is, and isn’t in an asking-questions mood.”

  “Ha, when isn’t she?” Jacqueline asked. “Your best bet is to drop Mike off and tell her he’s her new grandchild. That should shock her long enough for you to escape.”

  “I tell her that and she’ll handcuff me to a chair until I tell her everything.” Keegan got up and Mike followed her to the sink. “Come on, buddy, it’s time to introduce you to the rest of the Blanchard clan.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Gustave and Jacques were already sitting at a table with coffee and beignets in front of them when Sept arrived. The waiter followed her and took her order for just coffee. “Okay, explain how you lost him,” she said.

  “We’ll give you all the details as soon as you explain why we were tailing Damien in the first place,” Jacques said.

  “If that’s how you want to play it, let’s wait for Dad and we’ll get screamed at all at once,” Sept said. “You know I wouldn’t ask you to do something like this if it wasn’t important, no matter who the person is.”

  Sebastian emerged from the backseat of his car and tapped on the window to send his driver away as he nodded in their direction. When he sat down he pointed to the coffee cup and beignets, then folded his hands in front of him. “I’m looking at a lot of gloomy faces. What’s up?”

  “Sept had a crazy idea that she wants to share with you,” Jacques said before he shoved a whole beignet in his mouth.

  “You do know that if he wants you to answer something, having your mouth full isn’t an excuse to not answer, right?” Sept asked as she shook her head.

  “It worked when he was three, so he thinks it still will,” Gustave said with a laugh.

  “What’s the crazy idea?” Sebastian said.

  Sept went through her whole rationale, combined with the fact that Damien was in the vicinity of the first crime scene. Her father didn’t appear convinced until she explained Julio’s supposition of the killer’s motives and Keegan’s innocent question as to why someone would call the dead. After that, all three Savoie men put their elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  “I’m not saying it’s him…at least not publicly, until I can prove it. A big part of me wants nothing more than to believe in that guy we all knew when he started dating Noel. There’s no way in hell that guy does this, but Damien has changed. After what happened it’s like he’s touched in the head,” Sept said, and felt disgusted. “If by some wild chance Damien is doing these killings, I don’t want another body on my conscience.”

  “Where’d he go last night when you followed him?” Sebastian asked his sons. Jacques picked up another beignet and shoved it into his mouth, so Gustave answered.

  “Jacques drove until Damien parked and started walking. Then I followed on foot. He left Lakeview and parked on the cusp of the Marigny and started from there,” Gustave said, talking about the Foubourg Marigny just below the French Quarter. “Since the streets are so deserted by then, I had to give him a pretty good head start, but I kept up until he got to the Quarter and went up there.” He pointed to the steps next to Café Du Monde that led up to a plaza built so you could get over the seawall.

  “You lost him after that?” Sebastian took a bite of his own beignet.

  “I even called Jacques so we could split up, and we couldn’t find him.”

  “So basically you lost him in the one location where a man was stabbed through the heart simply so the killer could use his blood to finger-paint a seven with a line drawn through it on the poor bastard’s forehead?” Sebastian was obviously keeping his voice down only because they’d picked a public place to have this meeting.

  “We didn’t lose him on purpose, Dad, and Sept didn’t explain everything to us. Not that it would’ve made a difference,” Gustave said. “He flew up those stairs and disappeared when he got to the other side.”

  Jacques finally spoke up. “We’re all forgetting Damien might be a little off, and who wouldn’t be, considering, but he’s a good cop. He disappeared last night because he spotted us and his training kicked in.”

  “That’s what worries me the most about this case,” Sept said. “Dad, you always taught us to look for the clues because there’s no such thing as ghosts, but this guy is just that. He leaves behind the blood and shit he needs to complete his rituals, but nothing else. No fingerprints or DNA. Nothing that would give us a lead. He’s not a ghost, but whoever it is knows damn well how to scrub a crime scene to leave it pristine.”

  “All right, before we go hanging the boy, find him and bring him in for an unofficial chat. He’s been calling about wanting my help to get back to work, so use that angle. I want to see for myself if there’s anything to this,” Sebastian said. “If he won’t do that, then bring him to Sunday dinner and we’ll all talk to him there.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Sept said as Gustave and Jacques nodded.

  From there, Sept left to pick up Nathan and headed for Damien and Noel’s house. She hadn’t been there since the day she tied a boat to the roof in search of her sister.

  She parked in front, next to the nondescript white FEMA trailer Damien was living in, and stared at the ruin of what was once the center of Noel’s dreams.

  “Nathan, I’m going to trust you with some information, and I don’t expect for it to go any further than here for now. Do you understand?”

  “You can tell me anything. We’re partners, and even if it’s temporary, I’m someone you can work with and I’m watching your back.” He turned slightly to face her. “What’s wrong?”

  She told him everything. “There’s a chance Damien’s doing this.” She then described what had happened to Noel and Sophie. “I’m sure you know all this from the gossips in the department, but their deaths probably snapped something in him.”

  “Let’s see if he’s here, and we’ll play it however you want.”

  It didn’t take much imagination to picture Sophie playing in the front yard, especially the way she used run toward Sept whenever she came over. A lump formed in Sept’s throat when she saw the little bicycle she’d given Sophie for her birthday lying in a rusted heap in the yard. Damien apparently hadn’t moved anything since the water had gone down, probably to preserve some sense of the family he’d lost.

  Nathan knocked on the trailer door, and when no one answered he banged on it with his fist. In between the knocking, the television blared from what looked like a white aluminum box. It was the only noise that broke through the depressing stillness that enveloped the place.

  “He’s not here,” Nathan said as he walked around the trailer, trying to peek in the windows. “Want to search the house?”

  “Sure, since he was nice enough to leave the door open.” If she found something, they most probably wouldn’t be able to use it without a court battle, but she needed to know more than she needed to follow the rules.

  No one had touched the inside since the day of the storm. The pictures still hanging on the wall had become blobs of color, and the furniture gave off a rotten odor that made Sept’s nose itch. A clean patch on the doorjamb to Sophie’s room appeared to have come from Damien standing there and gripping the area to stay upright as he grieved.

  From what she could see, the only spot in the house that received regular visits was the master bedroom. The surface of the bed was rumpled as if Damien had just gotten up, but the sheets were rapidly disintegrating. “What the hell are you doing, Damien?” she asked herself as she scanned the room for anything more out of the ordinary. If she’d listened to her mother she’d have realized how off track Damien was becoming.

  “You want me to put out an APB on him?” Nathan asked.

  The word yes was ready to leave her lips, but she held back, granting Damien one last shred of trust. “Give Gustave and Jacques a day to find him. They know all his haunts, so it shouldn’t take long.”

  “Are they joining our team?”

  “I’m sure they bought in after last night. Let’s look closer at the place, and then we’ll drive around and see if we spot him.”

  Sept put on gloves and searched the rooms for anything to tie him to the victims that had crowded the morgue since Donovan went down. She couldn’t find anything in the bedroom, which would be the most likely place, since the rest was definitely untouched.

  That left only the trailer, and again she wanted to take a look inside. She had Nathan wait outside while she picked the simple lock and went in. Every surface in the place had old food wrappers piled up, and dirty clothes lay heaped next to the bathroom. He must have slept on the small couch and stared at the television, because the bedroom was untouched, unlike the one in the house.

  She slowly went through everything and had to stop occasionally to wipe her nose, irritated by the stale smell of urine that permeated the rooms. Damien had apparently given up on life, and only his constant wanderings kept him from blowing his brains out. When she found his uniform she wanted to vomit. It hung neatly in a cleaner’s clear plastic bag on the back of the bedroom door, as if he was preparing to wear it.

  “What the fuck is this, Damien?” she asked as she raised the plastic covering and ran her finger along the badge and ribbons he’d pinned in their rightful place. “Are you going on some patrol no one knows about?” Damien’s gun and utility belt were in the top of the closet, and she took them with her and placed them in her trunk. If by some wild chance they missed him, she certainly wasn’t giving him the edge of a weapon.