Chapter 13
Xavier was the first out of the boat. He tied the line to the dock and reached down to help Lissette onto the landing, noting that the water was high enough that it would soon cover the planks. The surge had begun.
He walked slightly ahead of Lissette, shielding her body with his as they crossed the dock and walked up to the house and Nub LeJeune.
The man didn’t run. He stuck his hand in the bib of his overalls and stood as if he’d expected them to come.
Xavier watched that hand he’d hidden, looking for the telltale sign of a gun behind the bib. He couldn’t detect one, but he remained on alert, ready to reach for his own, if he had to.
His instinct was to grab the man by his overalls and jack him up against his truck. This man had played a part in the attack on Lissette. He deserved to be roughed up. Pushing back that urge, he stopped in front of the man. “Nub LeJeune?”
Lissette touched his arm. “It’s him.”
Nub lifted his chin. “That’s me. I’m Nub. What do you want? I’m in a hurry.” He nodded toward the bayou. “Water’s rising. My place is one of the first to flood when storms come in. I don’t have much time before I’m cut off.”
“You found the Gautier reliquary,” Xavier stated. Not a question.
Nub’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The box you found for me,” Lissette said. “The one you left for me to find in the alley behind the yoga studio.”
Nub shrugged. “Okay. Didn’t know it was the Gautier reliquary. You just asked me to look out for those fancy boxes like that. That’s what I did. That’s what I found for you.”
“Why didn’t you just give it to me instead of leaving it behind the yoga studio?” Lissette asked.
“Look,” Nub lifted his chin, “I work in salvage. I find it. I move it. I don’t ask questions, and I keep my head down.”
“And you just happened to put it behind the yoga studio instead of Lissette’s store?” Xavier clenched his fists and spoke to the man through clenched teeth, his anger rising as his control slipped. “Who told you to put it where you did?”
“It’s okay.” Lissette laid a hand on Xavier’s arm, her gaze meeting and holding Nub’s. “What did they threaten you with?” she asked softly.
The older man opened his mouth, closed it and stood stiffly for a long moment.
Then his shoulders sagged, and he shoved a hand through his shaggy hair.
“They came to me a few days ago and said that if Lissette should contact me about missing reliquaries stolen from the Bayou Mambaloa cemetery, to let them know. Hell, I’d only just heard about the thefts.
” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Sure enough,” he tipped his head toward Lissette, “you contacted me, so I let them know, and that’s when they handed me the fancy box and told me to leave it behind the yoga studio for you and tell you to pick it up at midnight. I told them to go fuck themselves.”
Lissette’s lips curved upward briefly. “I’m sure that went over well.”
Nub shook his head. “They told me that if I didn’t do it, I’d lose everything I own—and my good hand.
” He pulled his hand out of his overalls bib.
The pinky finger had been splinted and wrapped.
“And they weren’t bullshittin’. They only broke this one but said they’d cut off all five fingers if I didn’t do what they said. ”
“Bastards,” Lissette said. “I know what it’s like when someone offers you the only choice you can live with. I’ve taken that choice, too, and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
“Yeah, I know,” Nub said.
They exchanged knowing glances—one criminal to another.
“I heard you were attacked that night,” Nub said, his brow creased. “I’m sorry. I’ve felt real sick about what I did. I’m glad you’re all right.”
Lissette nodded. “They’ve tried twice to grab me.”
“They won’t give up easily,” Nub said.
“Make it up to me, Nub.” Lissette stepped closer. “Tell me everything you know about them and why they want me.”
Nub glanced at his broken finger for a long moment.
Then he frowned, his jaw tightened and he looked up.
“I’ll tell you. I don’t give a rat’s ass about this place.
The hurricane will likely level it. Besides, it floods so often, it’s a pain in the ass to move things in and out between floods.
I’ll tell you everything I know. I’m tired of them pulling my strings. ”
He drew in a deep breath. “The two men who came and threatened me were Ron Cormier and Len Sweeney. They’re paid muscle. The man payin’ them is étienne Benoit.”
“A relative of Vincent Benoit?” Lissette asked.
Nub nodded. “His grandson.”
“My testimony put his grandfather in jail,” Lissette said.
“That’s right. It was mighty fine of him to commit suicide in the slammer,” Nub said. “There was a lot of infighting, but étienne ended on top, claiming he’d inherited the New Orleans mafia.”
“Is étienne behind the thefts of the reliquaries?” Lissette asked.
Nub nodded. “He is.”
Lissette shook her head. “Is he selling them? I can’t imagine they bring in enough money to warrant the thefts. Surely his drug running is way more lucrative.”
“Actually, he’s keeping what’s inside them and selling the boxes. I’ve moved three of them so far.” He snorted. “Stupidest job I’ve ever done. You’re right, they don’t bring much money. I hand them off to a woman who runs a nonprofit with clean paperwork.”
“What woman?” Xavier asked.
Nub shook his head. “Don’t know her name, just saw some initials on her manifest—PHT.”
Xavier met Lissette’s gaze. “That was on one of the invoices the antique dealer had who ended up with the three reliquary boxes. All empty. Hopefully, my team has found who owns the company by now. Do you know anything else that will help us nail the bastard?”
“Benoit has a camp compound deep in the bayou. He’s been working out of the camp. Whatever he’s doing, he’ll want to get it done before the surge. The camp will flood in the surge. That’s it. That’s all I know.”
Lissette gave the man a hint of a smile. “Thanks, Nub. Good luck getting out on time. We’ll keep what you’ve told us to ourselves.”
“Thanks.” He held up his injured hand. “I’d like to keep the rest of them.”
Lissette and Xavier returned to the skiff.
“To my grandmother’s?” she asked.
Xavier nodded. “As soon as I get some reception, I’ll check in with the team.” He held his cell phone out as they headed back toward the marina. When he finally had enough reception, he called headquarters at the boat factory and pressed the device to his ear.
“Xander,” Remy’s voice sounded over the roar of the boat engine. “Just the person we were thinking about. We have information about the boxes they found at the antique store.”
“Great,” Xavier said. “We just left Nub LeJeune’s place.” He gave the information to Remy, emphasizing the need to keep the source on the down low to save the man’s remaining fingers.
“Interesting that Nub mentioned PHT and a female he passed those boxes to. Swede learned that PHT stands for Prejean Heritage Trust, a respected nonprofit based in Thibodaux; the director is a woman named Odette Prejean.”
Xavier looked over his shoulder toward Lissette and called out loud enough to be heard over the engine, “Odette Prejean ring a bell?”
She shook her head and kept the skiff moving.
Xavier faced forward. “I wonder if she knows she’s selling stolen items,” he said to Remy.
“That I can’t say. The Trust deals in endangered Creole and Voodoo material culture.
They’ve landed a number of grants, have a board of directors and an impressive website, displaying many of the artifacts they’ve recovered and restored.
They hand them off to various museums for safekeeping and for the public to enjoy.
They also restore tombs that have fallen into disrepair. ”
“Interesting since the tombs of Bayou Mambaloa have been vandalized,” Xavier said.
“Their reputation is immaculate and legal.”
“On the face of it,” Xavier added. “We need to talk with Odette Prejean.”
“We’re trying to locate her now. It’ll likely be tomorrow before we can question her.” Remy paused. “Is all well with your assignment?”
Xavier’s lips pressed together. “If you mean Lissette, yes. We’re headed to Madame Gautier’s island.”
“Let her know the governor has issued a mandatory evacuation order,” Remy said.
“Everyone needs to be out by tomorrow. I’m assigning our guys to help with the evacuation.
Jacque and Anton are on the water, notifying and assisting those who live out in the bayou.
Gerard, Landry, Lucas, Valentin, Beau and I will be helping people pack, board up and batten down in town.
Mace LaFayette and the Bayou Reapers motorcycle club will head in all directions out of town, helping people who live along the roads and in the backwoods. ”
“If you haven’t tagged me with an area, I’ll be with Lissette boarding up stores on Main Street. Then we’ll help get her grandmother out before the storm hits.”
“That’s where I had you penned in,” Remy said. “Be careful. The weather isn’t all you need to worry about.”
“Will do,” Xavier said, choosing to take the warning for the people who’d been attacking Lissette, though Remy probably meant to be wary of Lissette. He had valid reasons to mistrust her.
“If you need help, don’t hesitate to call. We’ve got your back.”
As the call ended, the skiff coasted into the dock on Madame Gautier’s island.
A breeze had picked up, a pale harbinger of what was to come.
Xavier pocketed his phone, tied the line and helped Lissette out of the boat.
Lissette grabbed the fishnet from where it hung on a post and marched ahead of Xavier. When Napoleon darted to the left, she was ready and scooped him up into the net. The rooster squawked and struggled but couldn’t free himself.
She hung the net, bird and all, on a nail at the end of the dock and grinned.
Her smile made Xavier smile. He took her hand as they walked up the hill to her grandmother’s house.
Madame Gautier didn’t meet them on the porch this time. She called out from inside. “Come in. I’m in the kitchen.”