Chapter Eight #3
Sleep wasn’t quite ready to take her yet, so she grabbed the book she’d been working on and curled up on the sofa. She began to read back over what she’d already written.
It contained not only the recipes for some of the remedies, but also where in the swamp to find the necessary ingredients. She hadn’t been reading very long when she heard the creak of the boards on her bridge. Somebody was coming.
She got up from her sofa and grabbed the knife that she always kept near her. She assumed it was Daniel, but she certainly wasn’t taking any chances.
A knock fell on the door. “Angelique, it’s me,” his familiar voice called out.
She set the knife down on the end table and then hurried to open the door. “Hurry, get in out of the rain.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him over the threshold.
“Just let me go get my robe.” She dropped his hand and hurried into her bedroom to grab the matching robe that went with the nightgown.
Even though she had already slept with him, that didn’t mean she felt comfortable enough to sit around half naked with him.
She pulled the silky robe around her and tied it at her waist then stopped in the bathroom where she grabbed a clean towel from a shelf.
She then returned to the living room, where he was seated on the sofa.
“Here, take this and dry yourself off,” she said and handed him the towel. She gasped in stunned surprise as she got her first real look at him. He wore jeans and a navy-blue T-shirt, but what really caught her eye and made her gasp was the large bandage on his upper arm.
“Oh, Daniel, what happened?” She sank down on the sofa next to him.
“It’s a gunshot wound, but I’ll get to that,” he replied. He took a moment and ran the towel over his wet hair and then placed the towel next to him on the sofa and gazed at her.
“We started the morning by pulling in Pierre for a deeper, more intense interrogation. We were hoping if he was our man, we could get him to crack and confess.”
“And he shot you?” she asked, bewildered by how that could have happened. “Oh, Daniel, are you all right?” She couldn’t believe he’d been shot.
“No, it wasn’t him and I’m fine. Anyway, Pierre didn’t confess. After that we had the intention to speak with Marianne Lutgen…”
“And she shot you?” Angelique gasped again in stunned surprise.
He laughed. “Woman, would you be patient. I’ll get to who shot me in a minute. Anyway, before we could leave the station to find Marianne, we got a tip that we needed to look at Ranger Chauvin. Do you know him?”
She frowned. “Yeah, I know him only very casually. I’ve heard whispers that if you want some meth or other drugs, Ranger is the man to see.”
He nodded. “As soon as we approached his cabin, we could smell the scent of meth cooking. But what was really surprising is apparently Ranger has a real thing for you.”
“A thing for me?” Once again, she stared at him in shock. “What does that even mean?”
“Apparently, he spoke to your mother about his wild desire for you and his intentions to date you and make you his own. She made him very angry by laughing in his face and telling him he wasn’t good enough for you.”
“I… I’m stunned. I didn’t know anything about this,” she replied. “Mama never mentioned it to me.”
“He believes she then put a spell on him that made her appear in nightmares he suffered,” Daniel continued.
“So, he had reason to want my mother dead.”
“That’s what we believe. Unfortunately, before we could really dig into that, I made the mistake of mentioning the meth issue,” he said.
He told her about Ranger jumping from his porch and then running away and the chase that ensued. “None of us knew he was armed.” Daniel frowned. “It was our mistake for not checking him when we first approached. Thank God, the bullet he fired only grazed my arm.”
She grabbed hold of his hand and held it tightly. “You could have been killed.”
His jaw muscles tightened. “Yeah. Thank God, Ranger was hyped up enough on his meth so he couldn’t shoot straight, otherwise it could have been much worse. Anyway, that’s my investigation report for the night.”
“To heck with the investigation. I don’t care about that right now. I just need to know that you’re going to be okay,” she replied worriedly. “What did the doctor say?”
“Why, Miss Santori, if you keep talking to me so sweet, I might think you actually care about me,” he said, a teasing blue sparkle in the depths of his eyes.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she replied and dropped his hand.
He laughed once again, as if amused by her perverseness.
“Actually, I was lucky that I was just grazed. According to the doctor, all I have to do is keep antibiotic cream on it and keep it covered for a few days,” he said, more serious now. “Sound familiar?”
She held his gaze for several long moments. Oh, he had such beautiful eyes. It would be so easy to fall into the blue depths. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I have to admit, Daniel, I’ve grown quite fond of you.”
“I could say the same about you,” he replied softly.
As their gazes remained locked, she wanted to fall into his arms once again. She wanted to take him by the hand and lead him to her bedroom for another bout of lovemaking, but she was oddly afraid of the new feelings for him that swept through her.
“Then is Ranger now your top suspect?” she asked, wanting to focus on what was less threatening and the reason he was here.
“No, my money is still on Pierre. Whoever killed your mother managed to get in and get out without leaving anything behind as evidence. I’m not sure Ranger could achieve that, given his drug use.
In any case, Ranger is now in custody so we’ll have full access to question him once he’s clear minded and as soon as he gets out of the hospital. ”
“The hospital?”
He grinned. “Yeah, once he shot me, Luke shot him in the lower leg. At least we managed to take down a meth lab, and Ranger will be facing a number of serious charges.”
“That’s a good thing,” she replied.
“Tell me about your relationship with Jason Webber.”
She stared at him in surprise as the question seemed to come out of thin air. “Why would you want to know about that? Is this really a part of your investigation?”
“Angelique, I need to go back in your past and figure out who might have a beef with you. The one part of your life we haven’t discussed so far is your relationship with Jason. So, how long did the two of you date?”
This was the very last thing she’d expected to be talking about tonight, and she found herself reluctant to go back to that painful part of her past.
She released a deep sigh. “We dated for just a little bit over a year.”
“And who broke up with whom?” He gazed at her with open curiosity.”
She hated the old feelings the conversation evoked inside her. She hated to even think about the man who had lied to her for months. “I broke up with him. I found out he had been cheating on me all throughout our relationship, and once I learned that, I immediately tossed him to the curb.”
“How did he react when you broke up with him?” Daniel asked.
“He was upset and of course told me my information was wrong and he wasn’t cheating on me, but I was certain of my facts because I had spoken to the woman he was cheating on me with.
He called me a couple of times after that, but I told him there was no going back and that I never wanted to see him again. ”
“Do you believe he was angry with you?” Daniel leaned a little closer, bringing with him the scent of his attractive cologne.
“Certainly he wasn’t angry enough to attack me in the middle of the night with a knife.”
“How did he get along with your mother?”
“Actually, very well. Mama liked him because she could see how happy he made me. Of course, when she found out he was a liar and a cheater, she was very angry with him. But Daniel, this was so long ago, and Jason has dated dozens of women since then. I can’t imagine how any of that has anything to do with the crimes you are now investigating. ”
“He broke your heart,” he replied as he gazed at her softly.
She flushed and broke eye contact with him. She focused on the wall just over his shoulder. “He taught me all I need to know about men, so in the end I believe he did me a big favor.”
“Angelique, not all men lie and cheat,” he countered.
She released another deep sigh and looked at him once again.
“We’ve had this discussion before, Daniel, and you aren’t going to change my mind.
I will never again fully trust another man with my heart.
” She frowned, wanting to change the topic.
“Besides, you haven’t told me anything about your past relationships. ”
“There isn’t a lot to tell,” he replied. “The most serious relationship I had was a little over two years ago when I started dating Allison Gregory. Do you know her?”
She frowned thoughtfully and then slowly shook her head. “No, I don’t believe so.”
“She was a receptionist in one of the dental offices in town. Anyway, we started dating, and after three months it was decided she’d move in with me. Almost from the very beginning after that there were problems.”
“Problems like what?” she asked curiously.
“Well, like the first thing she did was quit her job. I didn’t really have a problem with it because I made enough in my job to support us. But what I did have a problem with was then her job became all about controlling me.”
She was finding this all fascinating and hoped he’d continue to share with her about his failed relationship. “I have a nice bottle of brandy in the kitchen. Would you like to have a glass with me?”
“Sure,” he agreed. “That sounds good. A little alcohol is surely warranted on a night when I got shot.”
She got up from the sofa. “Sit tight and I’ll be right back.
” It was definitely an evening of surprises.
First the fact that he’d been shot, which explained why he didn’t stop by with his report earlier, and now the glimpses into his past. It didn’t take her long to pour the fragrant amber liquid into two glasses and carry them back to the living room.
“Thanks,” he said as he took one from her. She sank back down on the sofa next to him.
“So, tell me more about this controlling relationship you found yourself in,” she said.
He stared down at the liquid in his glass for a long moment and then took a sip. “Hmm, very nice.” He leaned back and stared thoughtfully at a place just over her head as a frown cut across his forehead.
“It started small. I thought it was cute when she bought me a half a dozen new shirts that weren’t really my style but rather what she liked. However, I didn’t think it was so cute when she threw all my other shirts away.”
“Oh, you don’t mess with a man’s fashion,” she replied.
He looked at her again and smiled. “She not only messed with my fashion, she stopped allowing me to eat meat and she’d show up at my work to check what I’d ordered for lunch.
She was slowly consuming my life with her control issues, and after three months together, I’d finally had enough.
So, I asked her to leave my house and my life. ”
She took a sip of the brandy and then studied his features for a long moment. “Did it all break your heart?” she finally asked.
“In a way. I was certainly disappointed, but by the time I asked her to leave, I was more than ready to see her go.” He gazed at her intently.
“Now, I could draw a conclusion from my experience with her that all women are controlling, just like you have drawn a conclusion from your experience with Jason that all men are liars and cheats.”
She finished the last sip of her brandy. “Daniel, why does it matter so much to you what I believe about men? Why do you even care if I never have a romantic relationship in my life again? Why do you care if I’m never in love again?” she asked.
“It just bothers me, that’s all.” He stood. “And now it’s late and I need to head home. Needless to say, it’s been a very long day.”
She got up as well and walked with him to the front door. He turned back to face her. “Thanks for the brandy,” he said and leaned closer to her.
“You’re welcome and thank you for the information you bring to me every night.” Was it normal that every time he stood so near to her, her heart quickened?
“Angelique, you asked me why it matters to me whether you ever find love again.” His eyes held an indistinguishable light she couldn’t read.
He reached out and gently moved a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Let me tell you what I think. I think you’re a woman who needs to be loved deeply and I’m not talking about an occasional roll in the hay.
I want a man for you who will cherish the very ground you walk on and share every dream you have.
And now I’ll just say good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.
” Before she could respond, he kissed her lightly on the forehead, turned on his heels and walked off.