Chapter Four #2
They said their goodbyes, and then Daniel stepped out of the shanty. It was after four in the morning and the swamp was relatively quiet as he clicked on his flashlight and began to walk toward the entrance where his car was parked.
As he walked, his brain whirled with dozens of questions. Who had attacked Angelique tonight? And why? Angelique didn’t seem the type to go around and cause trouble, but somebody had come after her tonight with a killing rage.
Did this have something to do with Mystique’s murder? It seemed damned coincidental that one woman was murdered, and then within weeks her daughter was attacked. Did somebody have a vendetta against the whole Santori family?
Unfortunately, he had to talk to Angelique’s sisters, if for no other reason than to warn them of potential danger. If somebody was after the Santori family, then they needed to know they might be in danger, too.
By the time he reached his car, he was exhausted from the night’s events and was still very concerned about Angelique’s safety. He hated that she was all alone in the shanty.
He didn’t even want to think about that moment when they’d stood so close to each other. He especially didn’t want to think about how much he’d wanted to kiss her, because he knew if the opportunity presented itself again, he would definitely take it.
ANGELIQUE SLEPT UNTIL after nine the next morning.
It had taken her a very long time to fall asleep after Daniel had left.
She was aware of each creak and every groan that the shanty made.
What had always comforted her now sounded suspicious and had kept her awake.
It was around dawn when sleep finally caught up with her.
Once awake, she went about her normal routine, dressing and then starting the generator. As she went about her business, she tried not to think about what had happened the night before, but she couldn’t help that her thoughts kept taking her there.
The cuts on her arm were certainly a reminder of what had happened the night before. They burned and hurt. However, she was thankful they hadn’t been worse.
There was no question that the intruder had wanted to kill her, or at the very least, greatly harm her. Why? What had she done to somebody to warrant this kind of hatred?
The only places she had been since her mother’s funeral were the café with her sisters and the grocery store.
Several people had come up to her in the store to give their condolences, and she thought she’d been gracious and kind to each of them.
Had she said something off to anyone? She didn’t believe so and, in any case, she couldn’t believe a simple exchange in the grocery store would result in a murder attempt.
Equally as confusing was that moment just before Daniel had left, when she’d found herself standing so close to him at the front door. There had been a single, breathless moment when she thought he was going to kiss her. And the confusing thing was she had wanted his kiss.
Afraid that he was going to speak to her sisters, she called each of them to let them know what had happened the night before.
She tried to downplay it, but both of her sisters were appalled by the attack and each of them offered to put her up until Daniel and his officers figured out who was responsible.
However, she was adamant that she was staying put. She was certain nobody could get in her back door, and as long as the board remained in place over the front window, she didn’t believe anyone could get into her front door again.
She felt safe once again in the shanty, and besides, she was still hunting for her mother’s book, hoping it would turn up someplace inside her home.
She did find the knife that her mother carried for self-defense in the third bedroom on the shelf.
It had a handle with a purple unicorn on it and a blade that was about five inches long.
The knife hadn’t helped her mother on the night of her murder, but maybe it would help Angelique protect herself in the case of another attack.
She spent the afternoon working and knocked off at five o’clock. At least when she worked, she could only focus on the tasks at hand, which required her complete attention.
Then she took some time and thoroughly searched the little room where her mother would meet her clients. She looked behind everything on the bookcase and around on the floor, but there was no book there to be found.
For dinner, she breaded some shrimp and then fried it up. She also added some broccoli and carrots and made a creamy garlic sauce. It had just finished cooking when a knock sounded on her door.
“Who is it?” she called through the door.
“It’s me, Angelique,” the familiar deep voice called back.
She opened the door, surprised that Daniel had come so early in the evening. “Come in,” she said, noting the very pleasant scent of him as he swept past her. “You’re here early this evening.”
Tonight, he was out of uniform and looked extremely hot in a pair of jeans and a light blue T-shirt that displayed bulging biceps and his broad shoulders. As usual, he filled the entire space with his energy and complete masculinity.
“I knocked off a little early today,” he replied.
“Last night was a late one for you,” she said.
“For both of us,” he agreed.
“I was just about to eat. Would you like to join me?” she asked. “I have enough to share.”
“No thanks, I just had a burger a little while ago. But you go ahead and eat. If you don’t mind, I’ll sit at the table with you.”
They sat at the small table in the kitchen area and faced each other. He gestured toward her plate. “That definitely looks good. Do you like to cook?”
“Sometimes I enjoy it,” she replied. “Lately not as much. It’s no fun to cook just for yourself. But I cooked for Mama and me on most nights.”
“Do you have any kind of a specialty dish?”
“I’ve never thought about it before, but I think I make a really good fried fish. I use my own breading and spice concoction and I’ve been told it’s really scrumptious.”
“Sounds good. I’d like to try it some time,” he replied.
“How about tomorrow night?” she asked impulsively. “If you can get off and be here around six or so, then I’ll make you my fish for dinner.”
He smiled at her, the gesture crinkling the outer corners of his eyes and causing a pleasant warmth to rush through her. “I will definitely try to be here for that.”
“What about you? Do you cook?” she asked. This was the first time they weren’t talking about murder and mayhem, and she was enjoying the strictly social conversation. There would be time enough later to talk about what he’d done today in his professional capacity.
He laughed. “I guess you could call it that. If it comes in a box and is microwavable, it’s my friend. I eat a lot of burgers and I have a lot of my dinners in the café.”
“Then I’ll definitely fix you a nice, home-cooked meal tomorrow night,” she replied. It didn’t mean anything, she told herself. She was just doing a favor for the man who was working hard for her and her sisters.
“That sounds great,” he replied. “Now, you eat. You’re letting your dinner get cold.”
“I’ll just warm it up later. Why don’t we go on into the living room.”
“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to interrupt your meal,” he replied with a frown.
“It’s okay,” she said and assured him with a smile. “To be honest, I’m not really that hungry right now anyway.”
It took them only moments to settle in on the sofa. Several lanterns were lit because the board on the window kept the sunlight from coming in.
He sat close enough to her that she could feel the body heat wafting from him, she could smell the scent that stirred her and created that crazy pool of warmth deep inside her.
She wasn’t sure what it was about the handsome lawman, but something about him made her feel especially feminine and pretty. Maybe he would be the first man she’d take as a lover…no strings attached. It would just be a hook-up without commitment.
She chided herself, wondering where that thought had come from.
It was crazy. She didn’t really know him at all, and in any case her heart was still broken from her experience with Jason Webber.
It was forever broken and she wasn’t the least bit interested in having any kind of a romantic relationship.
“How did you spend your day?” he asked.
“I worked for most of the afternoon,” she replied.
He gazed at her with obvious curiosity. “What do you do for work?”
“I’m a medical transcriber. Among other things, I deal with insurance and collections, but that’s certainly not my real passion,” she said.
“Then what’s your real passion?”
“Doing a lot of the work my mother did, only I want to open a storefront in town and sell some of the natural remedies that come from the swamp,” she replied.
“So, you want to become the next voodoo queen?” he asked with a teasing sparkle in his eyes.
She laughed. “Not hardly, and despite what some people think, my mother wasn’t a voodoo queen, although I’ll admit she sometimes liked to play the part. Really, she just wanted to help people.”
“I’ve spoken to several people in town and in the swamp who have spoken very highly of your mother and the help they received from her.”
“That’s nice to hear. Anyway, that’s my goal. The medical transcribing is just a means to an end.”
“How long before you get that storefront?”
“I’m hoping within the next couple of weeks or so,” she replied. “People don’t realize how healing some of the plants and flowers from the swamp can be.”
She leaned forward as she continued, “For instance black willow bark is an anti-inflammatory and can help treat arthritis and gout, among other things. The stems and leaves of jewelweed are used to relieve itching and pain from hives and poison ivy. Several parts of the groundsel bush help treat fever and congestion and chills.”
She sat back, realizing she had gone off on a tangent of sorts. “I’m so sorry, I must be boring you to death.”