Confound It

by Maggie Toussaint

  For a moment I could’ve sworn Mayes and the sheriff were communicating telepathically. Wayne stared me down. “Done. We’ll start the protection detail tomorrow.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yeah. Just like that. I’m the boss, or have you forgotten?”

  My anger spilled out again. “You may be the boss of police matters, but I’m the boss of my family. I like helping you solve cases, but I don’t have to do this kind of work. Keep that in mind, boss man.”

  “Jeez. Is it that time of the mo—”

  “He’s fine with that,” Mayes interrupted, standing beside me. “I’ll make sure you and Larissa are safe.”

  I glared at him. “How?”

  “The regular way.”

  The regular way? What did that mean? It felt like I’d been on a roller coaster ride with this case. I wanted to get off and catch my breath, but that wasn’t likely.

  “I’d appreciate an update on June Hendrix,” the sheriff said.

  “She’s tightly wired,” Mayes replied. “Couldn’t sit still the entire time I was in the lobby. She paced back and forth like a caged animal. She used her car as collateral for Derenne’s bond. If he screws her, she’ll lose her vehicle.”

  “He’s going to screw her every which-a-way. Count on it,” Wayne said.

  I didn’t care for his remark, but I fought the crazy tide of emotions as I sat back down. This was not like me. Why was I such a basket case today?

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “June kept her sunglasses on most of the time, except when she needed to blot the tears from her face,” Mayes said, perching on the edge of his chair beside me in Wayne’s office. “Those black eyes are starting to turn colors, and her lip was split too. Derenne is one mean SOB.”

  “And …?” Wayne asked, clearly not impressed with the June report.

  “The way she talked, her very life depended on her staying on Derenne’s good side.”

  “If he killed Mandy, that’s true. If he thinks Doodle is the key to his future, then he’ll keep June around because she has custody of Doodle. But if someone else killed Mandy, they’ll come after June and Doodle, especially if the boy is crucial to a hidden drug empire.”

  “We have to protect them,” I said. If Wayne started focusing on the meth- making angle, would Mandy’s death go unsolved? How likely was it that her death was linked to the meth trade? Mandy’s sister wanted her job, but could she be so cold?

  “We’ll keep an eye on Doodle, all right. Unless June orchestrated this entire situation or unless she’s got leverage over Derenne, she’s already living on borrowed time.”

  I absently twirled a bit of hair behind my ear. “That sucks.”

  “One more thing,” Wayne asked.

  “Yes?”

  “That bit about the Marsden woman with Derenne. Why’d you ask about her?”

  “Because I think Cipriona’s got it in for me, that’s why.”

  “Explain.”

  “I don’t have physical proof, but I believe she tried to hurt me. My foot was in pain yesterday morning, which was her doing. She came after me twice more, but my folks and their friends stopped her.”

  “I can bring her in.”

  “Not necessary.” I glanced at Mayes and then the sheriff. “We took care of it already.”

  “I can’t let it go at that,” Wayne said. “Tell me more, or I’ll bring her in for questioning anyway.”

  “The only thing that makes sense is she believes I’m her competition. In her mind, people would rather visit a Dreamwalker than a palm reader. We believe she used voodoo to cause me physical pain. The last attack took me and Mayes down late yesterday, but we were at my parents’ house and they, along with Running Bear and Gentle Dove, blocked her.”

  “Voodoo? Get real.” He sobered at the fierce expression on my face and then spat out some vintage cuss words. “Why did the crazy train unload in my county? I can’t have her coming after anyone on my staff. Bad for business.”

  I cleared my throat. “Her grandmother is still in prison, right?”

  “Yeah, nearly forgot about Elmira. She was a thorn in my side for years. Now her granddaughter is kickin’ up her heels? I don’t need this.”

  His words confirmed what the dead son had said. Cipriona Marsden was a chip off the old block. “Elmira Marsden practiced voodoo?”

  Wayne glanced at the yellowed ceiling tiles overhead for a long moment. “Called herself the root doctor. After she shot her son, I went out there to arrest her. That was before I became sheriff. Her house scared the tarnation out of me, what with its dangling crystals, scary idols, and chalked markings. Good riddance, I say.”

  His phone chimed. He checked the message, then pocketed his phone. “That was my electronic reminder. I’ve got a lunch date with the new shopping- plaza owner in a few minutes. I’m meeting her at the chain restaurant out by the interstate. Seems she wants to get off on the right foot with local law enforcement.”

  “Who is she?” I asked. Under my lashes, I saw him preening and acting like he was king of the world. Not a good thing. His wife had put her foot down about his catting around. I’d heard she’d threatened him with taking the kids and moving to her mother’s place in South Carolina if he so much as looked at another woman again. If past behavior was a yardstick, Wayne was fixing to look with more than his eyes.

  “Alicia Waite is her name,” Wayne said. “She’s an Atlanta businesswoman seeking a venue for her personal collection of shops. I’m surprised the paper hasn’t run a story on her yet.”

  “I’m certain they’d love to meet with her. I’ll put a bug in Charlotte’s ear.”

  “Great. I’m cutting Derenne loose in a few minutes. Go on and get out of here.”

  We exited from the staff entrance, but I walked around to the front and waved Charlotte outdoors. She hustled to my side, Duncan trailing her. “Gotcha a story lead,” I said, telling her about Alicia Waite’s meeting with Wayne. “At the very least, it’s a photo op. At best, you two get invited to lunch with them, and you can record the conversation, with their permission, to use in a story.”

  “Wow. I’ve been trying to reach Ms. Waite for weeks. Bernard will be beside himself that he missed this opportunity. Thanks.”

  Charlotte must’ve noticed Duncan’s scowl. “Would you rather do something else?” she asked.

  “I’d like to see those pigs again.”

  My friend’s face tightened, then relaxed. “We can do both. If you’ll accompany me to this business lunch, I’ll hang out with you and the pigs this afternoon. But I’ll have to write my stories this evening.”

  “Works.” Duncan glanced over at Mayes. “We still leaving tomorrow?”

  “I need to talk with you about that. Walk with me.”

  Charlotte edged closer as the men strode away. “What’s going on?”

  “Mayes is being detailed down here until the Patterson case closes. My guess is he’s asking Duncan if he wants to stay.” Charlotte’s expression turned dark. “What?”

  “It’s major work entertaining a guest. And Duncan fills a lot of space.”

  “I thought you liked him,” I said.

  “I do. But I’m not used to being with anyone around the clock for days.”

  “Take your laptop with you out to my parents’ place. Tell him you need some space. There’ll be plenty to occupy him out there. He can talk hunting with my dad, even go fishing at the dock.”

  “Where are you off to?” Charlotte asked.

  “Following a lead. Can’t be more specific.”

  “Bummer. I love to follow leads.”

  “This is a dangerous situation, Charlotte. Mayes and I are trying to break this case open. Don’t even think of following us.”

  “We won’t.” She sighed as if the world was ending. “Look, the guys are heading our way, and Duncan’s beaming. I guess he plans on staying too. Oh, joy.”

  “Look on the bright side. At least you won’t be bored.”

/>   Duncan swept Charlotte around in a circle. “Great news, babe. We’re staying another week.”

  Charlotte made the appropriate happy noises, and Mayes and I left. “Who do you want to tackle first, the voodoo priestess or the dead meth maker?” he asked as he pulled onto the highway.

  “Surprise me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Mayes nosed the truck off Bartow Road and onto the fringe of Mandy’s yard. As he parked, I yanked the ball cap off my head, secured my white hair back with a stretchy band from my wrist, fitted the cap back on, and worked the ponytail through the back opening.

  “I like your hair down,” Mayes said after we stood beside the burned-out trailer.

  “I’ve got too much to do to keep swatting my hair out of my eyes. Once we finish this case work today, I’ve got landscaping duties to perform. Part of my Pets and Plants business is taking care of plants in various locations, plus I’ve got a lot of stock right now in my greenhouse.”

  “How do you keep your business viable and work for the sheriff?”

  “It’s harder to find time for my business, but that’s where my heart is, with plants and animals. I understand them better than people.”

  “You talk to plants?”

  “Call me crazy. I do.”

  He gave me a kiss. “I’d call you a lot of things before I’d call you crazy.”

  I couldn’t afford to be distracted by emotions this close to Mandy Patterson’s place. Placing my palm on his chest, I gently discouraged his affection. “Not now.”

  “Later?”

  The hopeful note in his voice twanged the guilt chord in my heart. I drew in a shaky breath. We’d clear the air about our relationship after we finished our work today. “Later.”

  Mayes nodded, pulled himself together, and quartered the yard. “I’ve worked meth-lab busts before. There are always cameras.”

  “Anything electronic on or in this mobile home is toast.”

  “Agreed. At a minimum, she would’ve had cameras on the doorways.” He studied the trees bordering the property. “Meth cooks are notoriously paranoid. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were additional cameras.”

  “Huh.” I copied his intense gaze sweeping the trees. “You’d think we could see them.”

  “Paranoia, remember? Trail cams are hard to spot. I’d like to look around after you do your thing inside.”

  “I thought I’d do my extended perimeter check with my senses to ensure we’re alone. Bartow Road dead-ends in a swamp. There’s Ricky Dixon’s place next door and a couple of abandoned trailers farther down. No one should ride down this road unless they’re coming here or Dixon’s place.”

  His eyebrows rose. “The extended perimeter check. Can you show me how you do that?”

  “Uh. Well. Sure. Later.”

  “Now.”

  “Look, Mayes, I don’t have time to explain something I do naturally. We’ve got a case to solve.”

  “We’ve been looking for a way to test our new connectivity. What better way than to bolster our perimeter monitor? If you do it while we’re touching, I can access the probe. Chances are I can hold that focus while you dreamwalk.” He wouldn’t let it go. I sighed and caved, pulling him toward a sturdy pine. “I usually do this lying down, but I have done it sitting before. One of us should lean against the tree in case we need help maintaining our upright position.”

  Mayes leaned against the tree and took my hand. The air hummed expectantly.

  “I should lean against the tree,” I said, confused by the electricity surging up my arm.

  “Come closer,” Mayes said. “Sharing is easier with multiple contact points.”

  Knowing that to be true, I stepped into the cocoon of his arms. My extra senses shifted into overdrive without my permission. I flinched, instinctively retreating, blocking the out-of-control free flow.

  “Relax,” Mayes murmured, rubbing my back. “Show me how it’s done.”

  I trusted him, so I paid attention to the extrasensory input. Our auras were melding. His dark-green energy became laced with my blue energy. Warmth and tingling vitalized my body, opening blocked channels and creating a sense of euphoria. My constant worry for Roland slid away. I was myself. I felt whole again, for the first time in years.

  “This is amazing,” I marveled.

  “Umm,” Mayes replied, then he switched to telepathy. Use mindspeak , Baxley. I can hear you just fine .

  Did you retune my energy field?

  We did it. I’m seeing and feeling things clearer as well. Show me what you’ve got, sweetheart. We’re on a tight schedule, remember?

  I remembered, but I also realized I might have put off that relationship talk too long. Mayes—

  Not now, love. The perimeter sweep?

  I growled in frustration, but I obediently quested out, expanding my senses in an ever-widening circle from our position. No one in the immediate vicinity. Two lifeforms registered at the Dixon home. Ricky Dixon and his wife. I pushed to my normal boundary range of about a mile and stopped.

  The only lifeforms nearby are two people at the neighbor’s house , I said with mindspeak.

  This is awesome , Mayes replied. I’ve done spirit questing where my essence traveled above the earth, but now I’m fully in my body and my senses at the same time. It’s more than adding a telescopic lens to a camera. It’s a game changer, like having a night scope on a midnight takedown. And it’s easy. Thanks for showing me.

  I don’t do this all the time, just at night to make sure it’s safe to go to sleep. This is how you found your watcher?

  Yes.

  We’ll contact him tonight. He may already be aware of our combined forces.

  Changes in the natural energy field causes ripples.

  We disturbed the natural energy field?

  Oh yeah. I’d like to explore this further, but shut it down so we can get our work done. I’ll try to establish the same kind of perimeter monitor while you work.

  I reined my senses in. As I did, I became aware of how closely Mayes held me, of how intimately we were nestled together. I hastily stepped away from him and blocked the mental connection.

  His expression flickered and hardened. “Let’s get to work.”

  Twisted bits of charred aluminum and metal dotted the yard, but every scrap of paper, every small personal item had been removed. My feet stopped moving as I studied how clean the yard truly was. “Wow. Wayne and Escoe will be examining evidence for months.”

  “Maybe,” Mayes said. “But, maybe your connection with Mandy will point the team in the right direction.”

  “I hope so.”

  We walked around the exterior to where the meth lab had been. The sandy depression was pristine, as if it had been vacuumed. From this side of the trailer, I could see bits and pieces of the interior. The soot-covered bathtub was visible, along with the water pipes and the knobs.

  “I’m pretty sure I can get a reading in the bathroom.”

  “I’m not seeing a file cabinet. I remember Doodle saying his mother kept her personal papers in a file cabinet in her closet. The fire consumed the closet, but the file cabinet should’ve survived. I don’t recall seeing a file cabinet in the evidence room. Wonder where it went.”

  “Can’t help with that, but I’m ready to get started in the bathroom.”

  “We’ll go in through the front door, like we did before. I remember where the footing is solid, so follow me.”

  I remembered where to step as well, but it was a small concession. Letting his command-and-control attitude pass, I followed him into the trailer. He reached for my hand, and with his touch, the sense of despair and desolation I’d vaguely sensed from this place came roaring through. Mandy had hated this trailer, this life.

  “She was trapped,” I said as I stepped where he stepped. “Derenne had her so cowed she could only do his bidding. The poor woman.”

  “This poor woman was a major drug producer for the Warner Robbins area outside of Macon. If Der
enne kept her in raw material, and Mandy had no competing interests for her time, her production level could’ve been very high, even in this small space.”

  “We need answers. Did Mandy take the easy way out of a life of slavery? Would she abandon her kid at such a key time? Or was her fate determined by someone wanting her market?”

  I stopped in front of the shower control. This handle was one of the last things Mandy had touched. “Time to take the plunge.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Darkness roiled and seethed around me as I transitioned to the Other Side. The customary iciness of the dreamwalk vector stretched to infinity. Futilely, I tried to orient myself, but it didn’t work. Something was horribly wrong. Something was in here with me. Something that could eat me.

  Stark terror bit me hard. Mentally I pinwheeled my arms backward and tried my best to change course, but I kept plunging through the inhospitable darkness.

  In the past, I counted to ease the transition, as if gauging the distance of a lightning strike. By rote, I began counting. Thousand one. Thousand two. Thousand three.

  Easy. I’ve got you.

  Mayes? What? How?

  Relax. You’re trapped in the entry zone. Let go and exit the gateway corridor with me.

  I don’t understand. This isn’t possible. You were staying behind and monitoring the perimeter.

  Baxley, cut the crap. My plan changed when I realized you were stuck. Mayes spoke harshly in my mind. You’re in danger. You trust me. I know you do. Finish the transition with me. Please.

  That voice in my head sounded like Mayes, but I’d been tricked by nonliving entities before. Prove it. Show me you’re my friend.

  The disembodied voice swore . We’re more than friends. We’re … . He spoke a word I didn’t know, a word that sounded Cherokee in origin. I softened toward him, but then fear roared back. A cunning predator had me in his grasp. Every nuance of my spirit knew it.