Chapter Two
There was no question that Dominique was disappointed that Luke wasn’t going to help her, but she certainly didn’t intend to let that stop her.
Both of her sisters had always teased her about being impulsive, but this idea had been brewing in her head for the last two weeks or so. It was not an impulse…it was a plan.
She knew Pierre had a bad temper. She had grown up hearing the many fights Mother and Pierre would have. However, the arguments had never turned physical, at least not that she knew of. The two of them would fight and then make up, a pattern that had gone on for years.
When she and Pierre were off, then her mother would take another lover or two. However, she always wound up getting back together with Pierre.
But at the time of her murder, her mother had decided she was finished with Pierre for good, and Dominique believed that’s what had driven him to kill her. But Dominique had no doubt that Pierre had loved her mother deeply.
She believed he’d taken her mother’s client book in order to have a piece of her after death. And Dominique believed he would occasionally dig up the book and hold it tight against his chest as he mourned for the woman he had loved…the woman he had killed.
All she had to do was be there when it happened. Then she could tell Daniel about the book being in Pierre’s possession and that would be enough to get him behind bars. It was a good plan.
When she got home from Luke’s, she started her generator and then plugged in her phone to charge. She also got out a two-burner electric stovetop and for dinner she fried up a couple of pieces of fish and made a salad.
As she sat down to eat, an electric energy surged up inside her.
It was very possible that tonight she could solve the crime and see Pierre arrested.
That’s all she wanted. Justice would be served and her mother would finally be able to rest in peace.
And Dominique and her sisters would finally be at peace, as well.
By the time she finished dinner, she was wired for the night’s events to come, but it was still a bit too early for her to get into place.
From years of knowing Pierre, she knew he did his gator-hunting and fishing a couple of hours after darkness had fallen each night.
While she waited for it to be time to leave, she changed into a pair of black slacks and a black T-shirt so that hopefully she could blend into the night without being seen.
Once darkness had completely fallen, she grabbed the pink-handled knife she carried for self-protection, then turned off her cell phone and slid it into her back pocket. Finally, she lit several of the battery-operated lanterns around the living room and then went out and turned the generator off.
It was time to go. Her heart beat a rhythm of nervous anticipation as she left her shanty.
Just as she’d told Luke, she moved silently through the marsh.
She’d grown up running these trails and knew just where to step and where to jump to avoid the pools of water that occasionally obstructed her way.
Spanish moss laid ghostly, delicate fingers on her as she ducked under it and small nocturnal animals scurried along the brush on either side of her.
She finally reached Pierre’s shanty, where she crouched down behind some thick brush in front. Light flowed out from the single window and she saw movement inside, letting her know he was still there and hadn’t already left for his nighttime activities.
Her heart still beat quickly. This had to work. It had been too long with no closure in her mother’s case, no closure for the three daughters who had loved Mystique so much.
Angelique had told her and Monique that the investigation had stalled. Hopefully in the next few nights, Dominique would be able to unstall it.
The moon was full overhead. It would let her see Pierre more clearly, but she was also aware that the silvery light would make it easier for her to be seen as well.
Her heart banged against her rib cage as Pierre’s door flew open and he stepped outside. He was clad in jeans and a white T-shirt, and carried with him a snagging rod…a harpoon-type tool that was popular with all the gator-hunters. He also had a fishing pole and a large tackle box.
He probably had a gun as well. Dominique had grown up around enough of the tough men who made their living by catching gators to know it was a matter of pride to get one of the big beasts without having to shoot it.
However, most of them carried a gun in case one of those big beasts needed to be killed quickly in order to save the hunter’s life.
Angelique had told her that during one of Pierre’s interviews with Daniel, he had mentioned that he had a sweet honey hole full of fish and one particular large gator that he was eager to catch.
She figured that’s where he was headed now.
And it sounded like that would be a good place to have hidden the book he took from her mother on the night she’d been murdered.
She rose slightly from her position and nearly screamed as a hand clamped down firmly on her shoulder. She whirled around and in the moonlight she saw Luke, his brilliant green eyes burning with an anger that nearly stole her breath away.
He removed his hand from her shoulder and then gestured with a curt nod of his head for her to follow him.
She looked back to see that Pierre had disappeared into the darkness of the night and she had no idea in what direction he’d gone.
Damn, there was nothing more she could do than follow Luke as they made their way back to her shanty.
What was he doing here, anyway? Had he changed his mind about working with her? Doubtful. His gaze hadn’t exactly radiated with “good partner” energy.
As she followed behind him, she couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders and slim hips.
She’d always found him handsome with his slightly shaggy black hair, piercing green eyes and chiseled facial features.
But she wasn’t looking for a date, she was looking for a cohort to help her catch her mother’s killer.
They reached her shanty and neither of them spoke as she unlocked the door and then allowed him inside. She sank down on the sofa while he remained standing.
“I really didn’t think you would follow through with it,” he said, his eyes still blazing with anger. “I was sure you would come to your senses and realize just how dangerous this idea of yours was.”
“Then why are you here?” she asked.
“Because I also worried that there was a chance you wouldn’t come to your senses,” he replied. Some of the fire in his eyes dissipated a bit. “Seriously, Dominique, this is far too risky for you to do.” He blew out a deep breath and sank down in the recliner facing her.
“This is necessary to get the evidence you need to arrest him. I truly believe that if he has it, he’ll lead me to the book and that will be all the proof you need to get him behind bars,” she replied fervently.
“We’ll get the evidence we need without you putting your life in danger,” he replied.
“When?” she shot back. “It’s been a little over two months and you and I both know the case has stalled. It’s on its way to becoming a cold case. Somebody has to do something.”
“Well, it can’t be you…not this way.” He raked a hand through his hair, his frustration with her obvious. He drew in a deep breath and then released it slowly. “Dominique, I don’t want to see you get hurt…or worse.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m smart, Luke. I’m smart and I’m fast, and I’m quiet. Pierre will never know I’m following him.”
He gazed at her for a long moment. “Is there nothing I can say to make you not do this?”
“Probably not,” she confessed. She truly believed this was the only way to get the evidence necessary for the case.
She had sat on the sidelines and allowed law enforcement to do everything they could and now it was time for more drastic measures.
She truly believed she had a good plan that would lead to Pierre’s arrest.
“Would you at least promise me that you aren’t going to head back out there the moment I leave here tonight?” he asked.
“That I can promise you,” she replied. There was no point in her trying to go back out tonight. The swamp was vast and she wouldn’t have a clue where to find Pierre now.
He stood and she got up as well. Together they walked to her front door. He opened it and then turned back to her. “Can I get your promise that you’ll put this idea away and wait for law enforcement to take care of things?”
“That I won’t promise you,” she replied. Standing this close to him, she noticed his scent. It was woodsy with a note of cedarwood and it was very appealing. “I’m sorry, Luke, but I have to do what I have to do for my own sanity. As long as my mother’s killer is free, I can never really heal.”
He frowned. “I know how hard this time has been for you and your sisters, but it would be a real tragedy if something happened to you. I’m sure your sisters don’t want to see you doing anything this dangerous.”
“It doesn’t matter what my sisters think. This is my decision and mine alone,” she replied. “Now, I’ll just say good-night to you.”
He frowned once again, the gesture doing nothing to take away from his handsomeness. “I still wish I could change your mind.”
“Well, you can’t,” she replied firmly. “And if you were really worried about me, then you’d be my backup.”
“I am concerned about you, but that doesn’t mean I intend to be your partner in this foolish scheme. So, I guess this is good night.” With that, he walked out of the door and quickly disappeared into the darkness outside.
Dominique closed and locked the door behind him, her thoughts scattered and disjointed. For a moment when he had grabbed her shoulder and she’d seen him, she’d hoped he was there to help her in her quest.