Chapter Six
It was another fruitless, frustrating day for Daniel and his team in the cases of Mystique’s murder and Angelique’s attack. The only bright spot in the day was the anticipation of having dinner with Angelique.
At five o’clock, he left the police station and raced home.
Home for Daniel was a two-story, three-bedroom house just off the main drag.
He’d bought it three years ago when he’d entertained dreams of a wife and family.
Now he was considering selling it, because at thirty-five years old he’d pretty much given up on finding that special woman for him and having children.
The home came with a large wraparound porch and a fenced backyard. It was painted white with teal-colored shutters. Inside was a nice-sized living room and kitchen with a guest bath and a laundry room.
The upstairs consisted of three large bedrooms, a hallway bath and the primary had an en suite bathroom as well. Once he was home, he raced up the stairs and got into the shower.
The warm spray of water revitalized him as it washed away the day’s frustrations. Once he was finished showering, he then shaved and dressed in a pair of jeans and a royal-blue polo shirt. He then put on his shoulder holster and added his gun. By then it was time to leave for Angelique’s shanty.
He hated that he had nothing to share with her again this evening concerning the investigations.
He’d spoken to half a dozen people today, but none of them had any information that would be helpful in moving the investigations forward.
She would be extremely disappointed with his lack of progress and he hated disappointing her.
He’d always believed he was a pretty good lawman, but these two cases were definitely humbling him. He’d started having dreams of Mystique in her grave and crying out to him for justice.
The other nightmare he had started suffering from had Angelique running from a dark figure with a knife.
In the dream, she called his name over and over again, seeking help from him that he couldn’t give her because he was frozen in place.
He knew the only way to halt the nightmares was to solve the cases, and that couldn’t happen fast enough.
It was right at six o’clock when he knocked on Angelique’s door. She opened it and smiled at him. God, she looked gorgeous. She wore a golden caftan that appeared to slide smoothly over her curves. The gown perfectly matched her honey-colored eyes.
“Right on time. I like a man who is punctual,” she said as she opened the door wider to admit him.
“Hmm, something smells very good in here,” he replied.
“That would be your dinner. Come on in the kitchen. It’s ready to eat now. Did you bring your appetite?”
“I did.” He was definitely hungry for something, but it wasn’t something she was going to put on a plate.
“Have a seat,” she said once they reached the kitchen. The table was set with two white plates and silverware. He sat at the chair facing her as she stirred something on the cooktop.
She then opened the cooler and took out a bowl of coleslaw, which she placed in the center of the table. She grabbed the two plates off the table and set them next to the cookstove. Within moments she had them filled and on the table, where she joined him.
“This looks absolutely amazing,” he said. The fish pieces were generous on his plate and looked crispy and light. The mac and cheese looked homemade and appeared especially cheesy and the corn bread was golden brown.
“I hope you like mac and cheese,” she said. “I didn’t even ask you before I put it on your plate.”
“It’s a mainstay in a bachelor’s diet, but nothing I’ve ever fixed from a box looks as good as this,” he replied.
She grinned. “Mine definitely didn’t come from a box. Now help yourself to the coleslaw and let’s eat before it gets cold.”
The fish was delicious, light yet with spices that enhanced the flavor of the white bass. The mac and cheese and coleslaw were perfect side dishes and the corn bread slathered with butter and a little honey was as good as a dessert.
As they ate, they talked about the unusually warm June the area was experiencing and the plans for a big July Fourth celebration in town. She looked so beautiful that he found it hard to focus on the conversation.
Her hair was loose, a gorgeous curtain of shiny darkness that fell around her shoulders. Her thick eyelashes looked impossibly long and her lips…oh those lush lips taunted and teased him.
By the time they finished eating and he helped her clean up the dishes, twilight had begun to fall. They moved into the living room, where she lit the lanterns and then they sank down on the sofa.
“So, tell me about your day,” she said.
He frowned. “I’m afraid to tell you that I really have nothing to report on either case.
We’re waiting for a search warrant to come through for Charles Landry’s place.
He and Pierre still remain at the top of my very short list of suspects.
But right now, I couldn’t even make a circumstantial case against either one of them. ”
He leaned forward, the scent of her wrapping around him.
“As far as your attacker is concerned, we’re no closer to figuring out who it is than we were on the night it happened. I’m sorry, Angelique, but right now, the cases have pretty much stalled out.”
“Maybe you’ll find my mother’s book in Charles’s house and that will solve the case, although I can’t imagine why he or anyone else would want her book.”
“Who knows what drives people to do what they do,” he replied.
“Well, I have several bits of news to share with you,” she said. “The first is a conversation I had with Marianne Lutgen.” Daniel listened with interest as she relayed her talk with Marianne in the grocery store.
“Interesting,” Daniel said when she was finished. “So, she not only had a grudge against your mother but also against you because you never go to her parties.”
She released what sounded like a slightly nervous laugh. “I can’t imagine her coming to kill me just because I don’t socialize with her. Who would do that? But my mother is another story. There was definitely something hard and angry in her eyes when she spoke about my mama.”
“I will definitely have a chat with her tomorrow and see if she has alibis for both the night of the murder and the attack on you,” he said.
She nodded, and then her eyes appeared to darken. “My next bit of news is when I got back here from the grocery there was a piece of paper taped to my front door.” In one graceful movement she got up and went to her bookcase, where she grabbed a piece of paper and then returned to the sofa.
She sat closer to him than she had been before and he could feel an edge of fear that emanated from her. She handed him the paper and as he read it, a deep anxiety thudded into the pit of his stomach.
“This implies that the person who wrote it was afraid of your mother, but now that your mother is gone, all bets are off. This also implies that whatever beef they have with you, it’s been brewing for a long time,” he said as he stared at the bold red letters.
He looked back up at her. Her eyes were slightly widened and her lips were parted as if to release either a gasp or a scream. It was obvious the note had scared her. Hell, it scared him for her.
“Do you have a plastic bag I can put the note in? Maybe we’ll get lucky and get some fingerprints off it.”
She nodded and rose from the sofa. She walked into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a plastic baggie in her hand. He took it from her and she sat next to him as he carefully placed the note inside the protective covering.
He then reached out and took her hand in his. Her fingers were icy. “Maybe it’s time you think about moving in with one of your sisters,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of you being here all alone.”
“Absolutely not.” She snatched her hand back from his. “Why would I bring this kind of danger to my sisters’ doorsteps? No, I’m not going anywhere. This is where I belong and this is where I’m staying.” She glared at him as if he was personally responsible for it all.
“Hey, I’m not the enemy here,” he protested with his hands up in surrender.
Deep color rose into her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I know you’re just trying to help, but as I’ve said before, I’m not leaving my home. I think I’m safe here and besides, I have every confidence that you’re going to catch this creep quickly.”
“I can’t do that without your help. What I need you to do is think back into your past. Not just the last month or so, but rather longer ago than that.
Maybe a man you dated in the past or a girlfriend you had a falling-out with.
Angelique, there’s got to be something there, and I can’t do anything unless you give me some names. ”
Tears misted her eyes as she gazed at the note on the coffee table before them. A deep shudder went through her, making her look small and fragile.
Daniel reached out and drew her into his arms. She held herself stiffly against him, and he was about to withdraw his arms from around her when she melted into him.
Daniel tightened his embrace as she buried her face in the hollow of his throat. She didn’t cry but rather remained in his arms, her breath warming his neck.
The heady scent of her surrounded him as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He wanted to comfort her, but he had no words. He needed to assure her, yet had no assurances to offer her. In any case she didn’t remain there long.
After several minutes she raised her head and gazed at him. He saw no fear in her eyes, but rather he saw something else…a hunger that called to something wild and unbridled in him.
She parted her lips and he felt if he didn’t kiss her at that very moment, he would explode with his need for her. He claimed her lips with his own.