Ghost River

by Jon Coon

  He heard the front door open and hurried down the hall into the living room.

  “Police,” Rogers said, flashing his badge. “You must be Zachary.”

  “My name is Zack. Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?”

  “Zack, we’re investigating the accidents relating to the I-10 bridge. We have reason to believe your father took official police records that are important to our case. If you have knowledge of those records or have them in your possession, you could be an accessory, and you need to surrender them immediately.” Rogers moved closer. D. B. moved sideways, blocking the door.

  “I need to see your warrant, or you need to leave,” Zack said, holding his ground.

  D. B. stepped in close, “Look, kid, we know you’ve got those files and your old man’s notebook. This doesn’t have to get ugly. Just hand ’em over, and we’re done here.”

  “Well you’re out of luck. Someone stole all my dad’s files. I heard they were burned.” Zack backed away.

  “Don’t get cute, kid, give us the stuff, or you won’t like what happens next.” D. B. took another step forward.

  “I don’t like what’s happening now,” Zack said stepping back again. “Show me a warrant or get out. If not, I’m calling real cops, and then we’ll see how tough you are.” Zack pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and punched in 911. “Leave now, or this call goes through.”

  D. B. lunged at him. Zack was quick and dodged the attack but tripped over a coffee table. D. B. lunged and pinned him to the floor.

  “I want that notebook.” D. B. pulled a folding knife, flipped it open one-handed, and held it at Zack’s face.

  “Drop the knife,” Mickey said from the hallway, the Colt Woodsman aimed dead center at D. B.

  “Now look what we have here,” Rogers said, reaching into his coat.

  “Drop it or I cut him,” D. B. snarled.

  Before anyone realized what was happening, the gun went off twice. D. B. staggered to his feet, amazement on his face and blood seeping from two holes in his chest. Zack grabbed the knife from his hand and tossed it out of reach.

  Shocked, Rogers hesitated. Mickey spun to face him. She had the Colt in both hands and him in her sights. Rogers raised his arms and said with a sneer, “This isn’t over.” Then he bolted for the door.

  D. B., as his Army training had taught, stuck fingers in the chest wounds and stumbled toward her. She raised the Colt, pointing it at his head. “Not one more step.”

  He growled and swayed unsteadily out behind Rogers.

  “Thank you, Carol Evans,” Mickey said as she collapsed back into the wall and slid down to the floor. Tires squealed down the driveway.

  “They’re gone,” Zack said as he knelt beside her. “I saw the name on the other one’s ID. It was Rogers. He’s the guy Gabe’s been looking for. Gabe will find them.” He kissed her. “Your hair’s still wet,” he said and kissed her again. “You saved me. You saved us both.”

  “I just shot a cop,” she said and dropped the Colt as though it had bitten her.

  CHAPTER 19

  0730

  Alethea’s Home, New Orleans

  Sleep well?” Alethea asked.

  “Wonderful bed, yes, thanks.” Gabe looked over the table to find Community Club, dark roast, chicory coffee, ready to be poured into demitasse cups then topped with real cream along with eggs, grits, toast, and andouille sausage.

  When they finished eating Alethea excused herself momentarily. Cas leaned over in her chair and kissed him, saying quietly, “We’re family, you and me. Please come home.”

  “Cas—”

  They heard Alethea coming down the stairs, and Cas eased away.

  Once Gabe was ready to leave, Alethea followed him out to the cruiser. She opened the passenger door and sat for a moment. “I’ll decide in the next few days what to do about the cabin and let you know. Souriciere will be fine; don’t worry about her. But there’s something else. When you left, Cas was heartbroken. Now that pain has had years to fester. Don’t underestimate how far she might go to get you back or get back at you. I’ll keep on praying for you, even though you are the worst roof contractor I’ve ever met.” She kissed his cheek and opened the door. “I’ll call you in the next few days. Be careful in the river.”

  Gabe sat motionless for a moment, remembering the old days with Cas. She could be simultaneously impetuous, endearing, sometimes cruel and petulant. Being in a relationship with Cas was like flying tandem on a broomstick through a hurricane, the ride of a lifetime . . . with survival unlikely.

  He remembered her anger when he told her he was leaving. Hot-blooded Cajun? Nope, a panther with its tail in a trap would have been easier to reason with. He started the engine and looked back at the house. Cas was watching from the upstairs bedroom.

  “Mo laime twa.”

  Gabe saw her mouth the words as she waved. He waved back. It was a phrase his mother had said often, “I love you.” Now there’s something to worry about.

  Gabe found reverse and backed down the cobblestone drive. He took old Highway 90 through Biloxi and tried to remember the grand old homes destroyed by the past thirty years of storms. But that failed. Only conflicted memories of eighteen-year-old Cas prevailed. Of all the things I’ve messed up in my life, this is . . . the rest wasn’t worth saying.

  His cell phone jarred Gabe back from his memories of Cas. Bob sounded anxious. “Rogers and one of his men went to the Greenly house last night. They attacked Zack and the girl. Mickey, isn’t that her name? She shot the one with Rogers. From their description, it sounds like he’s the other shooter in Captain Brady’s murder, the one the dog bit. We got blood and a knife with his prints. How soon are you coming back?”

  “Are the kids okay?” Gabe asked.

  “Yeah, pretty rattled, especially the girl. We took them back to your place on the river. Carol’s there.”

  “How about the guy she shot?”

  “It was a twenty-two, not fatal. They got away in a Lincoln Town Car that belongs to Peterson. How interesting is that? How close are you?”

  “I’ll be there in three hours. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Better come to the office. I think we need to get District Attorney Carruthers up to speed.”

  “Got it. See you there.”

  Of course I’d be with Cas when those kids needed me. New Orleans is nothing but trouble. After beating himself up for another fifty miles, he called Carol.

  “Are you on your way back?”

  “Yeah, are Mickey and Zack okay?”

  “Under the circumstances, they’re doing pretty well. Tell me about New Orleans.”

  “Alethea has a beautiful home in the Garden District. She and her daughter took me out for dinner, and it was late. I stayed—”

  “Daughter?”

  “Casilda, Cas, we met after Katrina. She was a student at Tulane.”

  “So she’s in her thirties now. Does she look like her mother?” Carol asked. There was an edge in her voice.

  “A little I guess.” This is not going well.

  Silence. Then, “Are you planning on going back there any time soon?”

  “No, no plans.”

  “If you change your mind I want to go with you. I love the city. It would be fun to see it again.”

  “Sure.” So, it’s the city you want to see? Right.

  CHAPTER 20

  0900

  DA Jessica Carruthers’s Office

  Lots of wind

  In the DA’s office, Jessica Carruthers, Bob, Gabe, and Captain Martin huddled around a conference table.

  “We’ve got all points on Rogers,” Bob began. “We got his prints off the file boxes taken from Carol’s, and Peterson’s housekeeper said he was a frequent visitor. She also said the old man was pretty upset at him about something the last time he was at the house.”

  “Any word on where Peterson went after he ditched us?” Gabe asked.

  “Nothing yet, but we don’t think he
could have gone far.”

  “How sick is he?”

  “The housekeeper says stage-three or stage-four cancer, but he’s still able to get around a little with help. Hasn’t got long . . . probably a few weeks or less.”

  “Have you tried the daughter, Zack’s mom?” Gabe followed up.

  “She’s gone too. Neighbors saw her pack the car the morning before Rogers broke into her house.”

  DA Carruthers made notes in an iPad then looked up at Gabe, “Have you got anything substantial on Peterson and the bridge? Bob said you have new evidence.”

  Gabe pulled out his pocket pad and quickly glanced at his notes. “Before Rogers took the inspection reports, we went through them looking for anything on the I-10 bridge.”

  Gabe and Bob told the rest of the story ending with the attack on Zack and Mickey last night.

  “We suspect Peterson was in bed with McFarland Construction,” Bob said. “Owned by the Conners family with ties to the congressman. Can’t prove it yet, but my gut says they were skimming state money back into political campaign funds and pensions for cooperative state engineers. After making a tidy profit for themselves of course.”

  “Congressman Conners? Friend of law enforcement, defender of pensions and benefits? That Congressman Conners?” Captain Martin asked.

  “Afraid so,” Gabe answered.

  “Going after him is a career move the up-and-comers will want to avoid,” Captain Martin noted.

  “Well, fortunately . . .” Gabe replied.

  “Oh, great. I have two kids who want to go to college. But you go right ahead, get us all fired without insurance or retirement. Ex-cops are always in high demand as night watchmen,” Bob said.

  “Bob is right,” DA Carruthers added. “We need to be dead certain we’ve got proof before we make those kinds of allegations.”

  “Okay, what’s next?” Captain Martin asked.

  “Find Peterson, Rogers, and the wounded attacker. Get a team on McFarland and the connection to Congressman Conners. Zack Greenly says the owner of McFarland is the congressman’s brother. Let’s check it out,” Gabe answered.

  Captain Martin chewed on his unlit cigar, thought of losing his pension, and said nothing.

  Uneasy about the New Orleans conversation with Carol, and wanting to get back in her good graces, Gabe called her again on his way back to the camp.

  “Did I ever tell you I have a thing for nurses?”

  “Doesn’t every cop?” she fired back, still wondering why he’d called.

  “I suppose, but I’m serious. Nurses are great.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite, why are nurses great?”

  “Most of us have to go out of our way to find ways to serve. If you’re a nurse, it’s right there in front of you every day. You get to be what all of us should be, and you get paid for it.”

  “Cops too.”

  “Not as much when I’m writing a ticket or making an arrest. I doubt the citizen realizes I’m doing it out of love. But everyone loves nurses. It’s almost not fair.”

  “So you’re jealous?”

  “Yeah, a little bit.”

  “Did I ever tell you I have a thing for cops?” she asked.

  “Really? Is that why you married one?”

  “It’s those big guns and cool Ray-Bans. They get me every time.”

  “How are Zack and Mickey?”

  “Shaken, but doing better. Are you on your way home?”

  “Just one stop to make on the way.”

  “Will it take long?” she asked.

  “Don’t think so; I just need new sunglasses.”

  Next Gabe called Zack, who was grocery shopping with Mickey.

  “Zack, we can’t find your mom or grandfather. Any idea where they might have gone?”

  Zack paused to think and said, “Years ago the family had a compound in Cozumel. If they still own it, they might have gone there.”

  “Can you get us an address or phone number? It’s important we find them.”

  “Yes, I think so. I’ll drive over when we finish shopping. I had no idea how much it costs to feed all of us. Are you sure y’all can afford this?”

  “Not to worry. Appreciate your help,” Gabe said and thumbed off the phone.

  That night Carol and the girls declared a night off from galley chores and put the boys in charge. It was tenderloins and oven roasted potatoes with peppers and onions, garden salad out of plastic bags with avocado, and root beer floats for dessert. The dogs were allowed to rejoin the family inside and enthusiastically, appreciatively, were constantly underfoot.

  With dishes done and dogs fed, the dogs moved to Gabe’s couch and fireplace space. Kids in the dining room, Carol led Gabe to the folding rocking chairs and the welcome comfort of grownup conversation on the porch.

  “I ordered lumber to fix this porch today. It should be delivered tomorrow. It won’t take long get this done,” she began.

  “I thought you were bluffing.”

  “Not at all. It will be fun, and the kids can help. Good experience. But we need to go back to the house.”

  “Do you mean move back?” I hope this isn’t about New Orleans.

  “No, I mean to get tools. Why, are you ready to be rid of us?” she asked.

  “Not at all. I just wondered. This is primitive.”

  “I like it.” She paused then added, “I like us, here together. I like it a lot. I hope that doesn’t scare you too much.” She looked up at him waiting for a reaction, a response.

  He turned to her and put down the empty root beer glass and said, “I like us a lot too. It’s just—”

  Carol got up, kissed him full on the lips, and went to the door, leaving him alone with his panic. As she opened the screen door, she turned back and said, “I know it’s too soon, but it’s okay, we have time.”

  She’s right about at least two things. I do like us, and it does scare the crap out of me. For reasons she can’t even imagine.

  As she walked through the living room to the kitchen, she was startled by Paul standing in the dark, looking out the windows onto the porch.

  “Good night, honey,” she said in passing.

  Paul looked away and didn’t answer.

  “I saw my mom kiss you last night. What was that about?” Paul asked. It was Saturday, and Gabe was driving him into the dive locker to do his court-assigned service. The morning had started tense and was rapidly moving to DEFCON 3.

  Gabe chose his words carefully. “It was just a thank you, a friendly thank you, that’s all. We’d been talking, and she’s pretty lonely.”

  “What were you talking about?”

  “Mostly about how much we both miss your dad. Why?”

  “Gabe, you’re a good guy. But you’re not my dad, and you never will be. So butt out and leave my mom alone, okay? We don’t need your help. We need to be left alone. That’s why.”

  Gabe turned on his trooper stare and glared at Paul but refrained from saying the first thing that came to mind. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly then said, “Paul, your dad was my best friend and, believe me, I’d never do anything to damage that friendship or hurt you or your mom. But you need to cut her some slack. She’ll make her own decisions, and you need to respect them and her.”

  Paul started to say more, but the look on Gabe’s face must have convinced him to let it rest. He turned his head to the window and was silent.

  Gabe looked at the back of Paul’s head for several miles before they pulled into the parking lot. What would Charlie do in this situation? But then, if Charlie were still here, there wouldn’t be this situation. No wonder Paul was frustrated.

  CHAPTER 21

  0700

  Dive Locker

  Overcast with electrical storms

  Bob was waiting when they arrived at the dive locker. “Zack was right. The family still owns an old villa in Cozumel. Peterson is there with Rogers. So is the daughter.”

  Paul bailed from the truck, slammed the door, and stomped off
for the office.

  “Wow. What’s up with that?” Bob asked. “He’s not a happy camper.”

  “He had a blow-up with his mom last night. I’m afraid it was about me.”

  “Not good,” Bob said.

  “Right. And I’m clueless.”

  “Welcome to the club: CPTPT, Clueless Parents of Tantrum-Prone Teens. That’s us.”

  “What about Peterson? Can we bring him back, or do we have to question him down there?” Gabe asked, anxious to get back to easier topics like mayhem and murder.

  “Bringing him back is going to be complicated. I made some calls yesterday. We’re going to have to convince a judge he’s guilty to go after him.”

  “Then we’d better get busy,” Gabe said. “We may not have long.”

  Gabe’s cell phone chimed as he read the weekly report. It was Carol, and she was upset. Gabe left his desk and walked outside for privacy.

  “Paul called me to come and pick him up. He said he’d finished early and wanted to come home. The minute he got in the car, I got quite a lecture about kissing you. It wasn’t nice.” She began. “He’s demanded we leave and go home.”

  “He made it clear to me this morning he doesn’t want me around. I’m supposed to butt out and leave you alone. What did you say to him?”

  “I told him I still love his dad, but Charlie’s gone, and there’s nothing wrong with my caring for you. I didn’t tell Paul this, but I think being with you is what Charlie would want. The big thing is Paul doesn’t get to run my life.”

  “And?”

  “He said some very unkind things and slammed the porch door in my face. I’m surprised it’s still on the hinges.”

  “That can’t go unanswered,” Gabe said.

  “I know. He asked Zack to drive him into town. I let him go. Maybe tonight . . .”

  “Okay, tonight.” I can hardly wait.

  “Gabe, this is so hard. I don’t think I could make it without you. Thanks.” She was sobbing.

  Before he could answer, she was gone.

  It was dusk when Gabe returned to the camp. Carol was alone at the table.