Secrets in Dark Waters (A Bayou Investigation #3)

Chapter One

Monique Santori had a plan, albeit a potentially dangerous one. Since the murder of her mother almost four months ago, all she wanted was the killer behind bars.

Her mother, Mystique Santori, had been known as the voodoo queen in the swamp that half surrounded the small town of Dark Waters, Louisiana. People came to her under the cover of darkness to seek a charm or a spell to help them with a variety of problems.

She had been loved by some and feared by most as it was believed that she dabbled in black magic. Then one night somebody had come into her shanty and killed her by slashing her throat. At the same time Mystique’s client book where she kept all her notes on her nightly visitors was stolen as well.

It had been four agonizing months for Monique and her two older sisters, who deeply mourned the mother they had lost. They had hoped for a quick arrest and justice for Mystique.

Most people, including the law in Dark Waters, had believed that Pierre Guidry, a gator-hunter and Mystique’s on-again-off-again lover, had been guilty of the crime.

Unfortunately, they had no evidence to support arresting and charging Pierre.

However, in the end, Pierre had an alibi for the time of the murder.

Still, the three sisters waited for an arrest to happen. However, Chief of Police Daniel LeCroix and his team didn’t even have a potential suspect at the moment. The case had completely stalled.

But Monique was hoping to change that starting tonight. Since the murder, both of her sisters, Angelique and Dominique, had tried to find the killer and had instead found love.

Angelique had fallen in love with Daniel LeCroix and Dominique had found love with one of Daniel’s detectives, Luke Madison.

Monique wasn’t looking for love. She was looking for answers.

She was definitely seeking a killer. As soon as she got off work today, she was going to put a plan into action to find the murderer who had stolen her mother from her.

Even now, thoughts of her mother caused a swift shaft of grief to stab through her.

She looked at the wall clock in the store. She still had two hours to go before she would be off duty. Right now, she was the only person in the All That Jazz dress shop.

She got up from behind the cash register and walked over to the dress rack that held the items patrons had tried on that day but hadn’t bought. She returned each article of clothing to the racks where they belonged and then went back to her chair behind the register.

At least she got off at four this afternoon and didn’t have to work until close which was at nine. Normally, she didn’t mind working long hours at the shop. She loved being a sales clerk and assistant manager.

But tonight she had other plans, so getting off at four would give her plenty of time. She would change her clothes, grab something to eat and then head out to find the man she hoped would help her.

A small shiver worked up her spine at thoughts of Jacque LeBlanc.

She didn’t know the man personally, but it was whispered that the mysterious gator-hunter knew about things that happened in the swamp.

It was also rumored that he was an intelligent man, and she definitely needed a smart person in her corner.

The bell over the door tinkled, and Monique’s oldest sister walked in. “Angelique, what a surprise,” Monique said in greeting.

“Hi, sis.” The two met in the middle of the shop and hugged. “How’s business?” Angelique asked. She was clad in a pair of black slacks and a purple T-shirt with the logo of her store on the front. Mystique’s Magic was an homage to the mother they had lost.

“It’s been pretty slow today,” Monique replied. “So are you here for a sisterly visit or are you here as a customer?”

“Both. I wanted to check in with you, but I also want to find something special to wear this evening.”

“Why? What’s happening this evening?” Monique asked curiously.

Angelique’s light brown eyes glowed with barely suppressed excitement. “Daniel told me he was cooking me a nice, candlelit dinner tonight.” She grabbed Monique’s hand. “I think… I really think he’s going to propose to me tonight.”

“Oh, Angelique, I’m so very happy for you.

” She squeezed Angelique’s hand and then released it.

“And I know exactly what you’re looking for.

” She led her sister to the loungewear rack where she pulled out a coral-colored two-piece.

“This color will be gorgeous on you, and the scoop neckline offers just a little sexy tease. And best of all, it’s twenty percent off that particular brand right now. ”

“Can I try it on?”

“Only if you let me see it on you,” Monique said.

“Deal.”

Monique carried it to the dressing room where she hung it on a hook and then stepped out and closed the door, giving Angelique privacy to change her clothes. It didn’t take long for Angelique to step out wearing the new outfit.

“Oh, Angelique, it fits you perfectly,” Monique exclaimed. “You look positively amazing in it.”

Angelique studied her reflection in a floor-length mirror on the back of the dressing room door and smiled. “Sold,” she said. “Just let me change back into my own clothes, and I’ll be out to pay for it.”

“Call me and tell me if he pops the question,” Monique said a few minutes later as Angelique finished paying.

“You and Dominique will be the first to know,” Angelique replied. “Oh, Monique, I’m so happy I could burst. Now if they would just arrest Mama’s killer, then all would be right in my world.”

The two visited for a few minutes longer, and after Angelique left the shop, once again Monique’s thoughts went to her mission for the night.

She knew both of her sisters considered her to be soft and fragile, but they didn’t know the core of inner strength she had found since their mother’s murder. She was determined to catch the killer.

She certainly wasn’t going to share with her sisters what she planned to do. They would try to talk her out of it. They would tell her she wasn’t capable. As the baby of the family, she was often underestimated by her two older siblings.

However, it had been almost four months since the murder. She was no longer willing to sit on the sidelines and just wait for things to happen. It was time for her to act.

The rest of her work day went by agonizingly slowly as no other customers came in. At ten till four, Cynthia Orlick entered the shop. Cynthia was a bubbly young woman who was a new hire. Not only was she friendly, but so far she was always on time for her shifts and seemed to be very dependable.

“Hey, Monique,” she greeted with a big smile. “How’s business been today?”

“Slow…very slow,” Monique replied.

“Then thank goodness I brought a book to read between customers,” Cynthia replied. She stowed her purse under the counter as Monique pulled her purse out. “I know I’m a few minutes early, but you can go ahead and leave. I’ll take it from here.”

“Thanks, Cynthia. Hopefully you won’t have too much of a boring night,” Monique replied. The two said their goodbyes, and then Monique walked out into the stuffy August air.

The summer weather in Dark Waters, Louisiana, wasn’t for the weak at heart. The little town sported hot temperatures and thick humidity. However, Monique didn’t live in the town proper. She lived in the swamp that half surrounded Dark Waters.

It didn’t take her long to drive from the store on Main Street to the swamp’s entrance where she parked her car among others.

The swamp begged her to enter its dark, mysterious depths. This was her home…where she had lived all her life. Alligators and wild boar, poisonous snakes and spiders as big as her fist also lived here. But as far as she was concerned, the beauty of the swamp far outweighed the dangers.

Tall cypress and tupelo trees rose up like sentinels, and Spanish moss dripped down like lacy icicles. Flowering bushes dotted the marshy landscape, and a variety of plants added an interesting visual element.

She entered the narrow path that would eventually take her to her shanty. Little animals scurried in the brush on either side of her, and the sun struggled to shine through the thick leaves overhead, making it cooler here than in town.

As she walked, once again she thought about her plan to catch a killer. It certainly wasn’t too complicated. Still, she needed somebody to bounce her ideas off of. That was where hopefully Jacque LeBlanc would come in.

She couldn’t talk to her sisters, who would throw a fit that she was involving herself in the investigation. She had no real close friends. Growing up, she’d always had her sisters as her best friends.

She reached her shanty and crossed a small bridge to the front door. The shanty where she’d grown up with her mother and sisters was deeper in the swamp and at the moment sat empty. Angelique had moved in with Daniel, and Dominique had moved in with Luke.

Monique was trying to decide if she wanted to move from her small shanty to the much bigger one. She loved her one-bedroom shanty which felt cozy, but there would also be a sweet familiarity if she moved into her childhood home. However, right now she had much more important things on her mind.

She went directly to her bedroom. The full-size bed was covered with a deep purple spread, and the single window sported matching curtains. A dresser was against one wall, and there were nightstands on either side of the bed.

She changed out of the long, forest green lacy skirt she’d worn for work and into a pair of jeans, exchanging her matching lace blouse for a more casual red one. She brushed out her long dark hair and then went into the small kitchen area to check the cooler.

Even though she had no real appetite, she knew she should probably eat something. She’d skipped lunch earlier and needed to eat before leaving to speak to Jacque.

Her muscles tightened as she thought of meeting with the virtual stranger.