Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
J uggling Chloe’s carrier along with the handles of the plastic bags from the grocery, Salem fumbled with the keys. They fell from her hand onto the welcome mat in front of her apartment’s door. So far, her day had been fraught with nothing but problems, until she wanted nothing more than to get into the apartment, get Chloe settled with lunch, and put her feet up. A long nap would be perfect, but that wasn’t in the cards.
With a long sigh, she bent forward, noticing the plain manilla envelope the keyring sat upon. She eyed it for a couple of seconds, and considered calling Jack, but it was his first day at Carpenter Security, and honestly, how much damage could an envelope do? It was just paper. Scooping up the envelope and her keys, she finally got the door open and walked in, tossing the envelope and the keys on the console table by the front door.
“Hey, sweet pea, Mama’s going to get you some lunch after she puts the food away. Would you like that?”
She chuckled at Chloe’s happy gurgling sounds, her tiny fists waving in the air. How had she ended up with such an adorable and precious angel? There was no question she’d been blessed, considering who her father was.
It only took a couple minutes to put away the groceries she’d bought. She’d needed to stock up on more food once she was settled, because all the perishables were gone, but she’d do an online shop for that. The bigger grocery stores made it so much easier to get things delivered now, which meant not taking a baby with her every time she needed to pick up supplies. Today, she’d wanted to get out of the house for a little bit, since images of Chloe bleeding kept popping into her head. For the first time in the past year, she’d been afraid, and it was a feeling she hated. Having finally settled into a normal life, with a job with Max and Theresa that she liked, she felt like she was moving forward, away from the terror that consumed her for far too long. Now, all it took was dealing with the Amirs to bring everything rushing back.
Shaking her head to push away the memories, she grabbed a couple of eggs from the fridge and scrambled them, separating out a small portion for Chloe’s lunch, and added some cheese and a little ham to hers. Slicing a banana into small pieces, she placed that onto the blue plastic plate which had become Chloe’s favorite, and added the rest of the banana to her own plate.
Unhooking Chloe from the carrier, she lifted her, swinging her around and around until she was screaming with delight. Salem loved being a mother, wouldn’t change it for the world. The only thing she worried about was Chloe growing up an only child. She’d had her big brother to tease and torment her, but he’d also been there for her all the way through school, when she’d gone off to college and he’d been in the military. Maybe she should give him a call, let him know…no, probably not a good idea to get him involved with all her drama. He had enough on his own plate at the moment.
Quickly buckling Chloe into her highchair, she placed the blue plastic plate in front of her, smiling when Chloe’s hands immediately began smashing the chunks of banana. It squished between her little fingers before the fingers went straight to her mouth.
She carried her plate to the small table and sat, picking up her fork to take a bite when she heard the front door open. Looking up, she spotted Jack.
“Hi. How’d it go at work?”
“Good. Met the boss face-to-face as well as a few of the guys who work there.” He looked down at Chloe’s mess of mushed banana and finger-encrusted scrambled eggs. She waved at him before banging on the highchair tray, making a mess. Jack didn’t seem to notice, leaning down to drop a brief kiss atop her head.
“We’re just having lunch. Can I fix you something?”
Shaking his head, he pulled the other chair out and sat, facing her. “I’m good. I did find out a couple of things while I was at C.S.S. I’ll update you, but go ahead and finish your lunch.”
“That’s okay, I’m finished. Don’t seem to have much of an appetite anyway.” Getting up, she rinsed her plate and put it in the dishwasher. It felt strange to have a man in her space. It was rare that anybody spent time in her apartment, and in the past twenty-four hours she’d had more company than she’d had in the past six months. Usually, the only person who stopped by was Gabi.
Yet having Jack there felt right. In an odd way it felt like he belonged there, with her and Chloe. It was a strange yet exhilarating feeling, making her insides tingle, come alive in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Grabbing a washcloth, she wiped Chloe’s face, chuckling at the fact that she ended up with more food on her than in her. But she wanted to feed herself, had for the past month. Some days she got downright stubborn, refusing to take a bite until Salem gave in and let her poke around with her chubby hands, stuffing bite after bite into her mouth.
“Time for your nap, sweet pea.” She could see Chloe’s eyelids drooping. It was a little later than her normal nap time. Heck, her whole schedule was off after the last two weeks. Between spending time in Shiloh Springs, where she was spoiled rotten by Ms. Patti and the rest of the Boudreau women, she’d been held, pampered, and coddled. Now she was home, and things were hopefully going to return to a normal schedule, since Salem would need to go back to work soon.
“I’ll be right back, just let me put her down for her nap. She’s had a long day. She’ll probably be out like a light.”
“No problem, I’ll wait here.” Jack picked up the tray from the highchair and carried it to the sink, starting to wash it. Salem shook her head, not used to seeing a man willing to pull his weight. She loved her brother and her father, but they’d depended on others to clean up behind them. It was kind of nice seeing Jack doing something as simple as washing a highchair tray.
Chloe was asleep almost as soon as she laid her in the crib. Salem pulled the door almost closed, making sure the baby monitor was turned on. Taking a deep breath and a moment to smooth down her hair with nervous hands, she walked into the living room. Jack sat on one end of the sofa, and she moved to the other, checking the baby monitor that sat on the end table closest to the front door. She knew she was being a bit OCD, making sure she knew where Chloe was at every minute of the day, but after learning the Amirs wanted to take her away, and the threat with the knife, she’d become paranoid she’d turn around and her baby would be gone.
“You’re jumpy. Anything happen while I was at work?”
Trust Jack to pick up on her emotions. Guess she wasn’t good at disguising them. “No, everything’s fine. I guess I’m just antsy. I miss my routine. I’m used to going to work at the P.I. office. Chloe goes with me. Max and Theresa have set up an area in the corner of the office with a playpen and toys for her. I like the work, even if it’s a bit tedious.”
He leaned back, placing his arm along the cushions. “Tell me about it. I’ve dealt with private investigators in the past, but most of the time they’ve been more of a hindrance than a help. Of course, they’re usually doing borderline stuff that cops can’t. I doubt Max crosses that line.”
“Max Lamoreaux is the most straight arrow guy you’ll ever meet. By the book could have been coined for him. The only time I’ve heard that he did something not in the police handbook was when he hired Theresa to help find a missing teen. This was when he first moved back to New Orleans from Shreveport, so we’re talking several years ago.”
“Theresa’s his wife, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. She’s co-owner of the company, and great to work with. Unless you’ve got a secret or something to hide, because she can ferret it out faster than you can say andouille .” Pausing a moment to heighten the upcoming information, she added, “She’s also psychic.”
Jack’s eyes widened at her statement before he shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
“Skeptic. So was Max, until Theresa proved her abilities to him. She’s worked multiple cases with the New Orleans Police Department, as well as assisted C.S.S. She’s the real deal, which you’ll probably see for yourself since you’re going to be working there.”
“Hate to say it, but I don’t believe in all that woo-woo stuff. I was a Texas Ranger. We follow a little something called evidence.”
“I can’t wait until you get to see her in action. It will blow your mind.”
“What else do you do at the P.I. job?”
“Mostly answer phones, doing computer searches. Filing—oh my gosh—so much filing. While we use computers for most of the research, there are still paper files for everything, plus photocopies. That part is exhausting. I also open all routine mail, anything not personal to Max or Theresa. Which reminds me…” Her words trailed off as she remembered the envelope she’d picked up off the welcome mat when she got home. Grabbing it, she went back and sat on the sofa.
“What’s that?”
“It was sitting at the front door when I got home from the grocery store.” Looking closely at it, she noted it was addressed to both her and Jack. She hadn’t spotted that earlier. There was also no postmark and no return address, nothing to indicate who’d sent it. With a shrug she handed it to him.
Through the baby monitor she heard the sounds of soft mumbling, and she waited for a few seconds to see if Chloe was waking up. She watched Jack tear open the envelope and slide out sheets that looked like photos. The lines bracketing the sides of his mouth deepened in a frown, and the steely blue of his eyes hardened. Whatever he was looking at infuriated him. She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out it had to have something to do with her.
“Jack?”
Without a word he handed the photos to her. At first, they seemed innocuous enough, the first one of her carrying Chloe in her arms, her favorite stuffed bunny clasped against her chest. The second was Salem running a hairbrush through her hair. It was a close-up-type picture, and she couldn’t see the background, tell where it was taken.
But the third picture, well, she knew exactly where it was. Chloe’s bedroom, here in the apartment. It showed her baby lying on her stomach, sleeping. She wore a pink onesie with bright purple and yellow flowers scattered all over, the bright color happy and cheerful. It was also the onesie she’d slept in the night before.
There were a few more pictures, all ones of her, Chloe, or Jack. It was obvious they’d been taken in different areas of the apartment. And since Jack was in them, they had to have been taken some time either yesterday or today.
Hands shaking, she handed them back to Jack. He shoved them back into the envelope and tossed it onto the coffee table and stood.
“Stay here,” he whispered. “I’m going out into the hall and calling Samuel. Be right back.”
Without another word, he walked out the door, leaving her alone…and angry.
Fury rode Jack as he dialed Samuel’s number. With all the upheaval the day prior, he hadn’t had a chance to check Salem’s apartment thoroughly. He’d given it a cursory check, looking for other dangers after the whole incident with Chloe and the knife, but he hadn’t thought to look for bugs. Somebody had planted cameras throughout Salem’s apartment. Though he couldn’t know for certain how long they’d been there, he had a feeling it had happened after she’d headed to Shiloh Springs.
Samuel said he was sending somebody to check things out and not to touch anything until they got there. The underlying anger in his boss’ voice had echoed his own. Good to know others were as invested in helping Salem out of this predicament as he was helped ease a bit of his ire. He took several deep breaths before heading back into the apartment, though they didn’t really help much. The feeling of uselessness rode him like a bucking bronco. He hated working blind, and right now he was in a situation where he didn’t have all the information, but you could bet he would before the day was out. Samuel might have his guys working on things from his end, but Jack was a Texas Ranger. While he might have resigned to come to New Orleans to be with Salem, you never really stopped being a Texas Ranger, and he had friends and connections. People who owed him favors and he wasn’t afraid to use them, if it meant keeping Salem and Chloe safe and away from the Amirs.
He closed the front door quietly behind him to find an anxious and clearly angry Salem still seated on the sofa, the photos spread out across the coffee table in front of her. There were a total of six pictures, and it was obvious each had been taken earlier that day, because they still wore the same clothing.
It seemed like he’d barely made it back inside the apartment before there was a pounding knock on the front door. Jack glanced toward the baby monitor, hoping against hope Chloe stayed asleep. He glanced through the peephole, finding an older man on the other side, a scowl on his face, his arms folded over his chest.
The moment he opened the door, the man barreled past him, headed straight for Salem, who jumped from the sofa and flung herself into his arms. His soft shushing sounds, along with the gentle way he held her, proved she knew him. Felt comfortable with the older man.
Jack studied his closely, taking in the long gray hair, tied at the nape of his neck with a leather band. His weatherbeaten tanned face wasn’t handsome, at least not in the traditional sense, instead it gave him character and strength, and reminded him of the two men he’d met earlier at Carpenter Security.
Guess this must be Gator Boudreau.
“Thank you for coming.” Salem pulled back from the older man and gave him a halfhearted smile. “Those,” she pointed to the photos on the table, “were on the welcome mat when I got home.”
Gator gave them a cursory glance before turning to Jack. “Gator Boudreau.”
“Jack Sutton. Salem’s husband,” he added for good measure. The corners of the other man’s lips quirked up the tiniest bit, and if he hadn’t been watching closely he’d have missed it.
“Let’s have a look at these pictures, shall we?” He nodded toward the coffee table. “You’ve both handled them?”
Jack nodded. “Before we knew what they were. I doubt we’d get any usable prints off them at this point. Plus, judging from the quality and thickness of the paper, I’m thinking these didn’t come from somebody’s home computer.”
Gator lifted the first print. “I agree, probably done at one of the many office supply places around here, where you can get printing done on just about anything.” He studied the picture closely. It was one of Salem situating Chloe in her highchair for breakfast. Jack remembered she’d been getting ready to feed her when he’d left for Carpenter Security, so it had been right around seven that morning.
Gator studied the photo intently, turning toward the kitchen area and looking around. He carried it closer to the space, lifting it and looking at it, before studying the area above the cabinets. With a wry grin, he walked to the front door and swung it open, hollering out, “Gunner, get your butt in here.”
Within minutes, a tall, muscular man approximately six feet tall with a completely shaved head stepped inside. He gave Jack a quick handshake before turning to Salem.
“Good morning, beautiful. Heard you’ve been having a spot of trouble.”
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” She pointed to his head. “I like the new look.”
He gave a disgruntled growl. “Didn’t have a choice. Justin stuck a wad of gum in my hair. Had so much trouble getting it out, Maggie finally told me to just shave it all off.” He looked at Jack. “Maggie’s the wife, and Justin is my kiddo—who is no longer allowed to have gum of any kind.”
“Chit chat later, Gunner. I need gloves.”
“Gotcha.” He quickly pulled a pair of blue latex gloves from his pocket and handed them to Gator. Sliding them on like an expert, he grabbed onto the edge of the kitchen countertop and hopped up with an ease that obviously belied his age. Jack doubted he could have climbed up there as easily. He watched Gator slide his fingertips along the molding above the upper cabinets and the ceiling, before reaching into the back pocket of his worn jeans and pulling free a pocket knife.
“There you are,” he muttered, using the knife to pry loose something small from beneath the crown molding. He examined it closely, turning it in different directions, before barking at Gunner, “Bag.” Within seconds, Gunner stepped forward with an evidence bag, and Gator placed the camera inside.
“I can’t believe somebody placed cameras in my apartment.” Salem had moved to stand close to Jack, and he reached out and grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it gently before interlocking his fingers with hers. Her hand was ice cold within his.
“That’s the first one. I’ll find the others, and we’ll get somebody to come over and do a thorough check to make sure I don’t miss any.”
Jack doubted that Gator would miss a single one. He had the feeling the older man knew what he was doing, especially having heard about his background with the military and with the government—though the latter had never been officially confirmed. Even his family wasn’t sure if Gator had ever worked for The Agency.
“Everything’s going to be alright, Salem. I promise.” When she leaned her head against his shoulder, Jack felt a tingling warmth in his chest, the simple act of trust letting him know that all the sacrifices he’d made to be with her would be worth it. Somehow, with enough hard work and a little bit of faith, they had a shot at building a life together.
If they could just get the Amir threat out of the picture. He wasn’t stupid, and neither was Salem. They knew the Amirs, at least one of them, was behind not only bugging the apartment, but the knife in Chloe’s bed. Extra vigilance was the key because Jack knew in his gut they wouldn’t give up.
The bigger question was why? Why had they waited over a year to come after custody of Chloe? It would have made more sense and looked better to a judge if they’d at least made an effort to see the child during the first year of her life. But this out-of-the-blue demand for full custody? It was an anomaly. Something happened or something caused this sudden change of heart besides wanting Chloe to learn about her father and their customs. He didn’t buy that excuse, not for a hot minute.
Gator studied the next photo and within minutes had found the second camera in the living room. Another was placed high in the hall, in the air conditioning vent. A fourth one gave a full interior shot of Salem’s bedroom, making Jack’s hands itch to wrap around the neck of whoever had planted the cameras. The final camera was found in Chloe’s bedroom. As quiet as Gator was, Chloe still woke up with all the people coming into her room.
After bagging up the final camera, Gator handed the evidence bags to Gunner, who headed for the living room. Gator turned to Chloe, who immediately reached for him, calling, “Up! Up!” Chuckling, Gator lifted her against his chest, cradling her and whispering softly in her ear. Her childish giggles eased the tension in the space. It wasn’t until Chloe reached for her mother that Jack realized he still held tight to Salem’s hand. Reluctantly, he released it and watched Chloe practically leap into her mother’s arms.
Gator jerked his head toward the hall, and Jack followed him from the room, leaving Salem with Chloe. He’d been impressed with Gator’s swift assessment of the situation and his quick efficiency in dealing with the cameras. He’d bet he could learn a lot from the older man, if given half a chance.
“Somebody paid a lot of money for those particular cameras. They haven’t even hit the market yet in the U.S. They’re government issue—for their use only—so somebody is going to be in extremely hot water when we find out who planted these. I’m going to have Samuel run prints, though I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to find any. But I think what we discussed earlier might be a good place to start. Let’s check the local office supply places, see if we can find somebody who remembers printing those pictures. Maybe we’ll catch a break. I doubt the Amirs have got somebody from Dubai over here planting bugs, so my guess is it’s a local who did the job for a wad of cash. Easy enough with the right connections on the dark web. Let’s give Stefan a call and see if he can pick up anything about somebody hiring out the job.” Gator’s grin sent a chill down Jack’s spine. It was the kind that said you really didn’t want to meet him in a dark alley if you got on his bad side.
Before Jack could say anything, Gator added, “Gunner’s going to be outside keeping an eye on Salem and Chloe, so you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll have Etienne drop by and pick up the cameras. I want you to head out with me, let me introduce you to a couple of the locals.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let Salem know and be right with you.”
Gator nodded and headed for the hall, probably to update Gunner on their plans.
“I heard. You’re going with Gator to look for who sent the pictures.”
“It’s a chance to get a lead on the Amirs. It’ll be ammunition Chance and Ivy can use if we can prove the Amirs are behind breaking into your apartment and planting illegal surveillance equipment. Gunner will be right outside, if you need anything, and I’m just a phone call away.”
“I know. Just…be careful, Jack.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m so angry, I want to nail these…” He broke off before spewing a string of curses, because as a cop he knew what depraved and desperate people were capable of, and he hadn’t figured out what was driving the Amirs, but they were accelerating. Which meant they were getting desperate. Now all they had to do was figure out why. Fortunately, Salem had a lot of people pulling for her, and working with her. And with this new evidence, they would keep a tighter rein on keeping her safe.
He’d be damned if he’d lose her, not when he’d only just found her.
Time to get to work.