Chapter One #2
“That’s why I’m so crazy about you, doll,” he replied with another one of his big smiles.
Dominique laughed. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.” She wished all her customers were as pleasant as Burt.
The next regular she waited on was Austin Colbert. Austin was in his thirties and was the town librarian. He always came in with a book and would read while he ate.
“Austin, how are you doing today?” she greeted him.
“Good now that I’ve seen your beautiful, smiling face,” he replied.
“My goodness, Austin. You’ll turn a girl’s head with your shameless flirting,” she replied with a laugh. “So, you want the usual?” The usual was a cheeseburger, fries and a diet cola.
“The usual is exactly what I want,” he replied.
“I’ll have that out to you in just a few minutes,” she said and then left his table.
It was half an hour later when chief of police and future brother-in-law Daniel and two of his men sat in a booth in her section. Dominique knew how hard the lawmen were working to solve her mother’s murder, but so far it hadn’t happened.
“Hi, Daniel,” she greeted and then smiled at Luke Madison and Clay Caldwell. She had a bit of a crush on Luke, who she found ridiculously handsome, but she really didn’t know him at all.
“Hey, Dominique,” Daniel replied. “Your sister had a big morning.”
Dominique smiled. “Yeah, I was at the store earlier. It appeared to be a huge success.”
“It was, and Angelique is beyond thrilled,” he replied. When he said her sister’s name, his love for her was evident in his voice. Someday, Dominique would like to find a man who said her name with a wealth of love.
She took their orders and by the time they ate and left, the lunch rush hour was over and Annie sent her on a break. Instead of going into the break room where she usually took her breaks, she went out the front door, wanting to see her sister’s store again.
From the café she could see Mystique’s Magic in the distance. As she watched she saw two women walk out with shopping bags in their hands.
She was so proud of her older sister for working for and finally realizing her life’s dream. Dominique’s life’s dream was far less spectacular. Eventually she wanted to be a wife and a mother. But she wasn’t even dating anyone at the moment.
In fact, it had been almost a year since she’d had a relationship. At that time, she’d gone out on a couple of dates with Oliver LeBoeuf, who lived in the swamp and was a fisherman.
It hadn’t taken her long to recognize that she liked Oliver a lot, but there were no real romantic feelings for him, so after about half a dozen dates, she’d broken things off with him. Since that time there hadn’t been anyone.
She turned her gaze in the other direction, looking down to the popular dress shop, All That Jazz, where her younger sister Monique worked. And then she saw him. He was walking down the street toward the café.
Pierre Guidry. He had been her mother’s on-again, off-again lover for years, and he was the man Dominique believed had murdered her mother. She also knew that according to Daniel, he was the number one suspect in the case but so far there wasn’t any evidence to arrest him.
But Dominique had a plan to get the evidence required to get him under arrest. It would be dangerous, but she didn’t care. She was determined to get her mother’s murderer in jail and she would do whatever she could to make that happen, no matter how dangerous it was.
LUKE MADISON SAT in the small interview room that had been designated the murder room. Everything inside was dedicated to Mystique Santori’s murder. His boss and good friend, Daniel LeCroix, was there along with Luke’s other good friend and coworker, Clay Caldwell.
The three of them had worked almost exclusively for a little over two months to find Mystique’s killer and get him behind bars. Their frustration with the case hung heavy in the air.
“I still think Pierre Guidry is the killer,” Clay said. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense. He went there on the night of the murder to get back together with Mystique. When she refused, he lost his temper and a fight ensued that resulted in him slashing her throat.”
“Knowing and proving are two different things,” Daniel reminded them.
They had interviewed everyone they could find who’d had dealings with the “voodoo queen,” and they’d come up with two suspects…
Pierre and a man named Charles Lathrop. Charles had come to Mystique for a love spell and when the spell hadn’t worked, he’d been very angry with Mystique.
But had he been angry enough to slash Mystique’s throat?
Pierre was by far the more likely suspect.
“So, where do we go from here?” Luke asked.
Daniel frowned. “We have no place to go. The case has stalled and unless somebody comes forward with some new information or the guilty party confesses, we’re at a total standstill.”
“How’s Angelique taking it?” Luke asked. It had to be tough to be romantically involved with one of Mystique’s daughters as the case grew cold.
“She’s okay. She’s frustrated as we all are, but she knows we’re doing everything possible to catch her mother’s murderer,” Daniel replied. “Of course, she has her new store to focus on, which has helped.”
“From the traffic going in and out, it looks like her grand opening was a huge success,” Clay said.
“It was.” Daniel looked at his watch and then back at his two officers. “And now it’s time for you two to get out of here,” Daniel said as he stood.
Luke and Clay got up from the table as well. It was just after five and time to head home. The men all said their goodbyes and then Luke walked down the long hallway that would take him out the back door.
The early August sun was hot on his shoulders, and now that he was off duty, he was eager to get home. Home for Luke was a two-bedroom suite in the Cypress Apartments. He’d been lucky to get a place in the fifteen-unit building. He’d been there for almost two years.
Eventually, he wanted to find a wife, buy a house and build a family. But so far, he was stuck on the find a wife part. He wasn’t even dating anyone at the moment. In fact, it had been a little over a year since he’d had a relationship.
The apartment complex was only minutes away from the police station. When he reached it, he parked in his assigned spot and then got out of the car and went to apartment 107.
He went inside and walked through the living room and into the kitchen. He dropped his keys on top of the counter and then stripped off his gun and holster and placed them next to the keys.
He then headed down the hallway to his room. The neatly made-up queen-size bed was covered in a navy-blue spread, and matching curtains hung in the window. There was a dark walnut dresser and two matching end tables with small silver lamps on each one.
It took him only minutes to undress and get into the shower. The warm water didn’t even begin to wash away the frustrations of Mystique’s murder case. More than anything, they all wanted the guilty party to be caught and placed behind bars.
Once he got out of the shower he dressed in a pair of jeans and a gray T-shirt and then he went back to the kitchen. He grabbed a chicken dinner from the freezer and popped it into the microwave.
As he waited for it to cook, he sank down at the table. Lately, the silence in the evenings really pressed in on him. It was in the evenings that he wished he was married and had somebody to talk to…somebody to share his day with. So far, at thirty-one years old he hadn’t found that special woman.
The microwave dinged and he ate. After cleaning up the kitchen, he went into the living room and sank down in a recliner chair.
It was Saturday night and time for him to call and check in with his brothers.
Jerry was twenty-six years old and Brandon was twenty-four.
Growing up, their father hadn’t been in the picture and their mother had been a raging alcoholic.
Luke had wound up being both mother and father to his two younger siblings.
Jerry now lived and worked in a warehouse in Shreveport and Brandon lived in New Orleans and worked as a waiter in a high-end restaurant. Their mother had passed away four years ago from acute alcoholism.
Luke made the calls, pleased that both of his brothers were doing well and sounded happy. Once that was done, he turned on his television. He tuned it to a crime drama and figured he’d watch a couple of episodes before going to bed.
He’d only been watching for a few minutes when a knock fell on his door. He frowned, wondering who it could be. Daniel used to drop by occasionally for a beer, but now the chief spent all his evenings with Angelique, the woman he loved—and Luke certainly didn’t blame him.
He got up from his chair and went to the front door.
When he opened it, he was surprised to see Dominique Santori.
As always, she looked positively stunning.
She was clad in a pair of jeans that hugged her long legs and a fitted pink blouse that enhanced her dark eyes and hair and showcased her slender waist and full breasts.
“Uh… Miss Santori, what can I do for you?” he asked curiously.
“Hi, Officer Madison. Could I come in and talk to you for a few minutes?” she asked.
“Of course, come on in.” He held the door open wider to allow her inside and as she swept past him, he caught a whiff of her perfume. She smelled slightly mysterious and spicy, a scent he found very attractive. “Please have a seat.” He gestured toward the sofa.
Once she was seated, he sat back down in his recliner facing her.
She must have questions about the investigation, he thought.
Before now, Angelique had always been the point person they all spoke to about the case.
Maybe with Angelique busy with her new store, the sisters had decided Dominique would be the point person.
Still, if that was the case, he wasn’t sure why she’d ask him questions instead of going to Daniel.
“Uh…would you like something to drink? Maybe a soda or some iced tea?” he offered. Her black hair was loose and fell over her shoulders and down her back. The silky-looking strands only added to her attractiveness.
“No thanks, I’m fine,” she said.
“What can I do for you, Miss Santori?”
“Please, make it Dominique.” She smiled at him and the power of her beautiful smile formed an unexpected ball of warmth in the pit of Luke’s stomach.
“Okay, Dominique, what can I do for you?” he asked, definitely intrigued by the unexpected visit.
“It isn’t what you can do for me, but rather what I can do for you,” she replied, intriguing him even more. She leaned forward, her chocolate-colored eyes flashing brightly.
“I think everyone is in agreement that Pierre Guidry killed my mother, and there just isn’t enough evidence to arrest him,” she continued. “We also believe that whoever killed my mother stole the notebook she kept of her clients.”
“Yeah, but we checked out Pierre’s shanty and we didn’t find the notebook there,” Luke replied.
“Pierre is no dummy,” she scoffed. “He wouldn’t keep the book in his shanty where a police search would easily find it. He’s smarter than that.”
“Then where would he keep it?”
She sat back on the sofa. “He’d bury it. He once told me he buried all his important things all around the swamp. I believe he has my mother’s book and he’s buried it someplace. I also believe if I tail him, he’ll eventually lead me to it.”
“Whoa.” Luke stopped her in alarm. “What do you mean by tailing him?”
“I’ll secretly follow him when he’s out of his shanty at night,” she replied.
“Are you totally out of your mind?” Luke stared at her, appalled by what she apparently intended to do. “Pierre isn’t some cream puff. He’s a tough, strong gator-hunter and if what we believe is true, he’s also a stone-cold killer.”
Her cheeks flushed with color. “I know what he’s capable of. I grew up with him in and out of our shanty. That’s why I said I’d secretly follow him. I can move through the swamp like a ghost when I want to.”
“Miss Santori—Dominique—I know how frustrated you must be with how long it’s taking us to get your mother’s killer behind bars, but the last thing you need to do is try to take the law into your own hands,” he said.
The woman must be completely out of her mind to even think about doing something like this. “You could be hurt or even killed,” he added.
“That’s why I’m here. I thought maybe you could act as my backup.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “Why me? Why didn’t you take this idea to Daniel?” Luke asked.
She flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder and frowned. Even with a scowl on her features, she was still quite lovely.
“I didn’t go to Daniel because he would tell Angelique about my plan and I don’t want to have a big fight with my sister.” She leaned forward once again. “So, are you going to help me?”
“No, and I don’t want you following through on this crazy plan,” he replied. “Seriously, Dominique, if Pierre is guilty, then we’ll eventually get him without you doing something so risky. Go home and leave the investigation to us.”
“Are you sure you aren’t going to help me?”
“Positive,” he replied firmly.
“Then I guess I’m done here.” She stood, her features radiating her unhappiness at his words. He got up from his chair and together they walked to his front door.
When they reached it, he opened it and then turned to her. “Good night, Dominique.”
She nodded and swept past him and then turned back to gaze at him once again. “So, you won’t help me,” she said, and then offered him a small smile. “But I wouldn’t be breaking any laws, so you also can’t stop me, either.” With that, she turned and headed toward the parking area.
“Dominque…wait,” he called after her. But she didn’t stop. She quickly disappeared into the twilight shadows of the night. Luke closed his door and returned to the recliner where his thoughts filled with what had just happened.
He’d always found Dominique to be incredibly beautiful with her long black hair and big brown eyes.
He just hadn’t known she was reckless, for that was the only explanation as to why she would possibly think tailing a potential vicious murderer in the darkness of the night was a good idea.
Hell, Pierre could kill her and bury her body someplace in the swamp and nobody would ever be able to find her.
He leaned his head back and tried to relax, but relaxation was the last thing that was happening.
He didn’t know Dominique well. Had this idea of hers only been an attempt to motivate him and the team to work harder on the murder case?
Or did she really intend to follow through on her harebrained scheme?