Chapter Seven #2
Was Charles still a suspect? Definitely. He could have Mystique’s book in a safe-deposit box or in another city where he had offices.
But once again the case was stuck with no new leads and nowhere to go. When they returned to the station, he went back to his office alone and called Angelique. If nothing else, he wanted to thank her for the delicious dinner she’d made for him the night before.
She answered on the second ring. “Good morning, Daniel.”
“Good morning, Angelique,” he replied, warmed by the mere sound of her voice.
“I was just calling to thank you for the meal and everything last night,” he said. “And to apologize for sneaking out while you were still asleep.”
“No problem, I enjoyed the evening very much.” Her voice held a bit of heat that stirred him as thoughts of what they had shared flowed through his brain. “And you certainly don’t owe me an apology. You had told me you’d be leaving early.”
“I was wondering if I could return the favor tonight by taking you to dinner at the café.” He hadn’t realized he was going to ask her out until the words fell from his lips. Still, it felt right. He’d slept with her, surely a dinner date was in order.
There was a moment of silence, making him wonder if he was completely out of line. “I would love to have dinner with you this evening at the café,” she said, causing a pleasurable anticipation to fill him.
“Great, then how about I meet you at your shanty around six o’clock,” he replied.
“You don’t have to come all the way in here to pick me up. Why don’t I just meet you at the café at six,” she countered.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she replied.
“Okay, then I’ll see you at the café at six this evening.”
They disconnected and Daniel leaned back in his chair. He was ridiculously pleased that she’d agreed to eat with him this evening. It would be another opportunity for him to get to know her better.
What in the hell are you doing, Daniel? Why was he pursuing a social relationship with her? She wasn’t even his type, although he had yet to figure out exactly what his type was.
So far, she had shown none of the controlling issues he had thought she would. She was just passionate about things, and he found that trait very attractive and certainly not off-putting at all.
But what in the serious hell was he doing with her? At this point he really didn’t know.
ANGELIQUE DRESSED WITH care for her evening out with Daniel. She wore a pair of black jeans and a pink-and-black-striped sleeveless blouse. She pulled her freshly washed hair back at the nape of her neck and tied it with a black ribbon and then added a little makeup and black earrings.
When she was finished, she knew she looked casual yet rather hot. The jeans fit her perfectly and she had the blouse unbuttoned just enough to expose her delicate collarbones.
What she didn’t understand was why she was going to so much trouble to look good for Daniel. It wasn’t like she wanted a relationship with him and she certainly didn’t think of tonight as a date.
She just wanted him to find her mother’s killer and figure out who wanted her dead, and she was hoping he was the man who would give her those answers.
The only thing different tonight was she’d get a check-in from him over a table at the café instead of here in her shanty. And maybe that was a good thing.
There would be no temptation tonight and he was definitely a temptation. Throughout the day, when she hadn’t been racking her brain to figure out who might be after her, she’d been thinking about making love with Daniel.
The whole experience had been beyond breathtaking. Their bodies had fit together as if specifically made for each other. He had taken her to heights of pleasure she’d never been before. Even just thinking about it made her want him all over again.
She hadn’t made love with a man since Jason, and those physical unions now seemed weak and mundane when compared to what she’d shared with Daniel the night before.
She hadn’t told her sisters about going to dinner tonight.
They would somehow try to make it into something it wasn’t, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with their silly nonsense.
This was just about two people enjoying each other’s company and getting information about her mother’s murder and nothing more.
At five-thirty she left her shanty. Her purse was slung over her shoulder and the knife was firmly grasped in her hand. She was determined not to be caught unaware again.
Still, as always, she breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the safety of her car.
Tomorrow, she had several errands to run.
She needed to get more ice for her cooler and gasoline for her generator.
Lately she was reluctant to leave the shanty.
She felt so vulnerable when she was out and about.
But she refused to be a complete shut-in because of some creep.
And who was the creep who apparently wanted her dead?
She’d tried to think back in her past, but nothing and nobody came to mind.
She didn’t go around making enemies. How could she help Daniel catch the attacker when she couldn’t think of anyone?
And under those circumstances, how could she expect him to come up with the answers?
As she reached Main Street, she shoved all of these thoughts out of her head. She was hungry for both food and any information Daniel had discovered today. She was also looking forward to getting to know the lawman a little better.
When she reached the café, she was lucky to find a parking place close to the front door. She didn’t know what kind of a car Daniel drove, but she saw a patrol car parked down the street and suspected it was his.
At precisely six o’clock she walked into the establishment where heavenly scents filled the air. The scents of cooking meats and vegetables mingled with the yeasty fragrance of homemade rolls.
The place was crowded but she saw him immediately. He was seated in a booth and he stood up when he saw her. He was clad in the blue uniform that he wore so well, and he also wore a warm smile that lit up both his features and her insides as she approached.
“Angelique,” he said in greeting. “May I just say you look positively terrific tonight.”
“Thank you, sir,” she replied, ridiculously pleased by the compliment. She slid into the booth seat, and he returned to his seat across from her.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said.
“I am. I skipped lunch, knowing I was eating here tonight,” she replied. “What about you? Are you hungry?”
“Definitely.” He held her gaze for a long moment and then pulled the menus out from where they’d been propped between the salt and pepper shakers. He handed her one and then opened his on the table before him. “You would think with all the times I eat here I would have the entire menu memorized.”
“I don’t eat here very often, but I have noticed the menu changes with the daily specials.” She gazed down at the list of options. “And it looks like today the special is a fried shrimp platter and that sounds good to me.” She closed the menu.
“That sounds good to me, too,” he replied. He took the menu from her and then placed the two back where they belonged.
By that time Glenda Wright, one of the waitresses, appeared with two glasses of ice water and a bright smile. “Good evening, Chief… Angelique. Have you had a chance to look at the menu or do you need a little more time?”
“We’re ready to order,” Daniel replied and looked at Angelique to confirm it. She nodded and Daniel ordered two of the shrimp platters. They both ordered iced tea to drink and then Glenda left their booth.
Daniel leaned back and once again held her gaze. “So, you want the bad news first?”
“Sure, why not,” she replied. “Let’s go ahead and get it over with.” A wave of disappointment swept through her even though she hadn’t heard the bad news yet.
“We searched Charles Landry’s place today and found nothing to tie him to your mother’s murder.”
“So does that mean he’s off the suspect list?” she asked.
“Not at all. It just means we didn’t find anything in his house. But if he killed your mother and stole her book, he could have that book anywhere. We’re going to learn where he has offices for his business and we’ll see that all of those places are searched as well.”
“Then what’s the good news?” she asked.
He frowned. “I’m afraid there is no good news tonight.” He leaned forward and his eyes blazed with a fierce determination. “But we’re going to keep digging, Angelique. I swear I won’t stop until we have the killer behind bars.”
“Thank you, Daniel. I know finding the killer isn’t going to be easy, and there will be days when you have nothing to report to me. Now, do you want my bad news first?”
“Might as well get it all out of the way,” he replied.
“I thought about who might be my attacker all day long, but I still didn’t come up with anyone.”
“What’s the good news?” he asked.
She released a deep sigh. “There is no good news.”
At that moment Glenda reappeared with their iced teas. “Your food should be coming up in just a couple of minutes,” she said and left once again.
“I refuse to eat a meal where discouragement is hanging thick in the air,” he said. “It gives me indigestion. So, know any good jokes?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I am not a good joke teller. I always manage to mangle the punch line. Monique is the joke teller in the family. She has perfect timing and could make us all laugh no matter what our mood.”
“Were you and your sisters always close?”
“Always. We were…are best friends and there was never a moment when sibling rivalry was an issue. In truth, we had very few friends growing up because we always had each other.” She gazed at him curiously. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?” There was so much about him she didn’t know.
“No. I had a little brother but he was murdered along with my mother in a home invasion incident.” His eyes appeared to darken with pain.
She gasped in stunned surprise. “Oh my God, Daniel, I’m so very sorry.
Did this happen here in Dark Waters?” So he knew intimately the kind of loss that occurred when evil took away a loved one.
Still, she couldn’t imagine what he’d been through.
His mother and his little brother? My God, it was positively horrendous to even think about.
“No, we lived in Baton Rouge, and my father was at work and I was at school when it happened. I was seven years old at the time and my little brother was four. Anyway, afterward my father wanted to get away and so we moved here. I don’t even know how he found Dark Waters.
But he fell into a deep depression and when I was eighteen years old he wound up taking his own life. ”
“Oh, Daniel.” She reached her hand out to take hold of his. “My God, I had no idea you’d suffered so much.”
“It was a long time ago,” he replied.
“Even so, it’s so horrible. Did they catch the person responsible for your mother and brother’s murders?”
“No, they didn’t. It’s now a cold case that will probably never be solved.” He squeezed her hand and she pulled hers back.
“Is that why you went into law enforcement?”
“Yeah. Growing up, all I wanted to do was put all the bad guys away, and I love this little town so law enforcement felt right for me.”
“So, you know what it’s like,” she said softly, giving voice to her earlier thoughts.
“Definitely,” he replied. “The only difference between these cases and my mother’s and brother’s murder is that they became cold cases, and I refuse to allow your mother’s murder or the attack on you to go cold.”
“I appreciate it,” she replied.
Glenda came over and placed their meals in front of them. The shrimp was fried golden brown and it came with a side of seasoned rice, a fresh green salad and a big slab of corn bread.
“We definitely need to lighten the conversation now,” Daniel said once Glenda was gone. “Tell me more about growing up with your sisters and with Mystique as your mother.”
“My mother wasn’t really a hands-on type of parent, although she did homeschool us. She spent our early years teaching us all about the dangers of the swamp. She taught us about every wild animal and what snakes were poisonous and which ones weren’t.”
She paused to take a sip of her tea and then continued.
“By the time I was twelve, Dominique was ten and Monique was nine, we were pretty much running wild in the swamp with a bunch of other swamp kids.” She smiled as thoughts of her childhood flittered through her mind.
“It was a very carefree and wonderful childhood.”
“That’s nice,” he replied.
She held his gaze for a long moment, her heart hurting for him and what he’d been through. “I wish you would have had that kind of a childhood.”
“Thanks. That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I survived my childhood and it’s long in the past. If you don’t mind me asking, where was your father in all this?”
“Not around. I don’t even know who my father is. Same with Dominique and Monique. Mama refused to tell us. She didn’t ever want to discuss the issue. I don’t even know if we all had the same father or not.”
“Is it possible Pierre could be your father?”
“No. Mama and Pierre didn’t start hooking up until I was in my teens. All she told me was that my father didn’t want to be a part of my life so at that time I decided it wasn’t important for me to know him. Besides, Mama was such a big presence in our life we didn’t miss having a father.”
“That’s good.” He picked up his fork and began to eat his salad and she followed suit.
“When you have children, will you want the father to be involved?” he asked between bites.
“If I decide to have children, the answer is a resounding no. I don’t intend to ever have any romantic relationships in my life, so I wouldn’t want to be bound to a man through a child. I’d raise the child by myself.”
He put his fork down and gazed at her in open curiosity. “Why is that?”
“Why is what?” she asked in confusion.
“Why don’t you intend to ever have any romantic relationships in your life?
Angelique, you’re young and quite stunning.
You’re obviously intelligent and have a great sense of humor.
I’m sure there are plenty of men both in the swamp and in town who would be thrilled to be in a relationship with you. ”
“Men lie and cheat,” she replied. “I have no interest in falling in love with another man. I intend to take lovers when I want to, but I will never trust my heart to anyone ever again.” She stopped talking as she realized she was giving him too much information about herself.
“Not all men lie and cheat,” he protested. “Angelique, tell me what man broke your heart?” he asked softly.
She raised her chin and held his gaze intently. “Nobody,” she replied, even though it was a lie. “Don’t be mistaken about me, Daniel. I don’t have a heart to break. Now let’s eat before it all gets cold.”