by Jana DeLeon
“Oh, that’s a relief,” Nolan said. “My upper back is killing me sleeping in the guest bed. The adjustable one is much better for me.” He flushed a bit. “I know it sounds morbid, sleeping in there, but I ordered new mattresses. They should arrive in a day or two.”
“It’s not morbid,” Ida Belle said, and patted his shoulder. “You do what you need to do.”
He gave her a grateful look. “Thank you, all of you, for looking out for me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Get to the hotel,” Carter said, “and try to get some rest. I’ll come by tomorrow to bring you up to date on everything.”
“Thank you,” Nolan said again and headed to the kitchen for the garage.
Deputy Breaux went outside and hopped in his truck, ready to follow Nolan to the hotel. We trailed outside onto the porch and Carter locked the front door.
“Do you want to come down to the sheriff’s department?” he asked.
Ida Belle looked over at me, eyebrows raised.
“I told Carter we had some information for him,” I said.
Ida Belle nodded. “If it’s all the same, I’d prefer to do it at Gertie’s house. She’s laid up with a bad ankle, but she was there for part of it, too.”
“Okay,” Carter said. “I’ll follow you over there.”
We jumped in the Jeep and Ida Belle called Gertie to inform her that things had happened and we were on our way to her house, Carter in tow. I could hear her excited voice asking Ida Belle what had happened, but Ida Belle said we only wanted to tell it once and would be there in less than a minute.
The drizzle that had been coming down turned into giant sheets of rain by the time we pulled into Gertie’s driveway. Her power was off as well, but I could see light behind the living room blinds. We ran to the door and let ourselves in, Carter only steps behind us. Gertie was still in her recliner, but she’d retrieved two gas lamps and had them sitting on the end table and coffee table in the living room. They illuminated the room fairly well.
“I’m going to grab some towels,” Ida Belle said and headed into the guest bedroom, using her phone as a flashlight. She returned with three towels and we all did our best to dry ourselves.
“It’s really coming down out there,” I said. “No surprise that the power is gone.”
“Yes, yes,” Gertie said, “it’s raining cats and dogs, but what happened?”
Ida Belle looked over at me and I knew she was waiting on me to take the lead, especially as she still didn’t know exactly what I was doing at Peaches’s house in the first place and didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
“Ida Belle and I were here at Gertie’s tonight,” I said, “making sure her ankle was wrapped well and that she had everything she needed downstairs.”
“What happened to your ankle?” Carter asked.
Gertie waved a hand in dismissal. “I fell off the back deck. It’s just a sprain.”
I held in a smile. She didn’t say whose back deck she’d fallen from, nor did she add that it was on the second story, but then we couldn’t exactly hand out that information, either.
“Anyway,” I continued, “Ida Belle and I left and I had a book on guns that I was going to lend her so she followed me to my house. We chatted for a bit and noticed the weather getting bad. I offered to take her home and store her bike in my garage, so we took off in my Jeep, trying to beat the storm. When we passed by Brandon Dugas’s house, we saw someone walking through the living room with a flashlight. The shape was too big to be Peaches, so we assumed it was Brandon.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed. “You saw Brandon Dugas with a flashlight?”
“Unless there was another larger person in their house,” I said, “there’s no other explanation. The power wasn’t out yet so it looked strange. I stopped the Jeep and we saw the light go down the hallway to the kitchen. We sat there a couple of minutes, wondering what could be going on when Ida Belle saw a light moving in the master bedroom of Nolan’s house.”
Ida Belle nodded. “Fortune hauled butt around the block. I tried to call Nolan, but he didn’t answer. When we got there, we ran for the front door and Fortune started yelling and pounding while I called you.”
Gertie’s hand flew up over her mouth. “Oh my God. Is Nolan all right?”
“He’s fine,” Ida Belle said. “I think we startled him more than anything, but it startled us as well.”
Carter, who’d been silently taking all this in, frowned. “Back up to the part about Brandon. Do you actually think it was him in Nolan’s bedroom?”
Gertie, Ida Belle, and I looked at one another, and I could tell none of us were thrilled about the things we were about to say. But we also knew we had no choice.
“The Brandon part of things is what I didn’t want to say in front of Nolan,” I said. “We’ve discovered some things about Brandon that don’t add up.”
“I think you better explain,” Carter said.
We took turns telling what we had seen until Carter knew everything about Brandon that we did, except I left out the part about putting a tracker on Brandon’s truck. It was bad enough I went into Nolan’s master bedroom, and quite frankly, I was surprised he hadn’t complained about that yet. But I was certain the tracker thing would send him right into the stratosphere.
Carter blew out a breath. “Why didn’t you tell me this information before now?”
“For what purpose?” I asked. “We didn’t know what he was up to.”
“I thought it might be an affair,” Gertie said. “We didn’t want to say anything unless we knew for sure because of Peaches.”
“And you think it was Brandon who was inside Nolan’s house?” Carter asked.
“We can’t be sure,” I said. “It certainly looks that way, but we didn’t actually see him go there. Everything we’ve told you is circumstantial.”
“Yeah,” Carter agreed, “but damning.” He cursed and rose from his chair. “What the hell is Brandon thinking? He’s got a great wife and baby and makes a good living. Why would he want to go screw all that up?”
The three of us shook our heads.
“We don’t know,” Ida Belle said. “But if Brandon is the one who killed Gail…”
Carter nodded. “Yeah, I get it.” He ran one hand through his hair. “I need to get back to the sheriff’s department and process all of this. I appreciate the information, but from this point forward, I need you to steer clear of Brandon and Peaches. At least until I get this figured out.”
We all nodded. The general mood in the room was beyond gloom. No one seemed to have any fight left in them.
“Are you going to question Brandon?” Gertie asked.
“Not yet,” Carter said. “Not until I have a plan.” He headed for the front door, then turned as he was about to exit. “I know I don’t have to say this, but watch your backs.”
He closed the door and Ida Belle went immediately to lock it.
Gertie looked up at us. “I assume that wasn’t everything?”
“Of course not,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie grinned. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I explained to Gertie that I’d gone home but decided I wanted to check out Brandon’s truck and see if there were any clues inside as to what he had been up to. I didn’t want to tell either of them about the tracker. Not yet. Maybe not at all. If Brandon had killed Gail, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill any of us as well. Ida Belle had seen the box of equipment in my Jeep, but when she’d arrived at Brandon’s house, I was at the back fence, so she didn’t know I’d had time to put anything in place.
We told Gertie exactly what we saw from the time Ida Belle accosted me at the fence up until when we arrived at Nolan’s front door. Gertie looked slightly disappointed that we didn’t have more to tell, but she agreed that we’d definitely gone the right route, leaving out my intended search of Brandon’s truck and hedging a bit on how we saw the flashlights.
“What could he possibly want in that room?”
Gertie asked.
“I have no clue,” I said. “It’s a desperate move, and I can only see making it if you know for sure that something in there exposes you.”
“But surely Brandon would know that the house was already worked by a forensics team,” Ida Belle said. “They always take laptops, and that’s the only place I can imagine proof might be.”
I shrugged. “When it comes to criminals, I’ve learned there’s no telling what they might think.”
“That’s true enough,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie sighed. “If only we knew for sure what he was doing in his truck. No matter how hard I try, I can’t wrap my mind around Brandon as a killer.”
“I’m a killer,” I pointed out. “Most people who’ve met me would have a hard time believing that, but it’s true.”
“But you’re a professional,” Ida Belle said. “You’re trained to play the role you’re dealt. Granted, this cover has been a bit of a reach, but I don’t think anyone would ever come close to guessing your true identity. You immersed yourself in the role, or at least, gave it your best attempt—extensions, nail polish, wearing a dress—all of it goes to creating the persona that you wanted people to believe.”
Gertie nodded. “And since this is a small town made up of mostly nice people, no one thinks twice about it. No one assumes you’re anything but what you claim to be. But Brandon has lived here his entire life. How could he hide something that disturbing for so long?”
I frowned. It was a damned good question. Granted, sociopaths were capable of the most extraordinary things, but surely there would have been a crack in Brandon’s armor before now.
“I wish I had an answer for you,” I said, “but I’m afraid we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens. Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe there’s some perfectly logical explanation that doesn’t include Brandon as the villain.”
Ida Belle and Gertie glanced at each other, and I could tell they’d like to believe that was possible, but neither of them could come up with a good explanation for everything we’d seen either.
“I’m going to get out of here,” I said. “I need some dry clothes, and then I’m going to hop in bed and sleep until we have power again. You ready, Ida Belle?”
“I think I’ll just stay here tonight,” Ida Belle said. “I’ll get my motorcycle tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Make sure everything is locked down here.”
I headed out and heard the dead bolt slide into place as soon as I stepped off the porch and the beep of the security system. The rain was still pouring down as I drove home. I parked in the garage, then retrieved Ida Belle’s motorcycle and moved it inside the garage. I reached for the garage door opener before realizing it wouldn’t work while the power was out, so instead of pressing it, I stood staring out into the stormy weather.
If only we knew for sure what he was doing in his truck.
No one assumes you’re anything but what you claim to be.
How could he hide something that disturbing for so long?
Gertie’s words echoed in my mind and the longer I thought about them the more frustrated I become. And then suddenly it hit me—the one answer that made sense. The only way all the pieces fit together.
I turned on the flashlight on my phone, opened my Jeep, and dug around in the box of equipment. Somewhere in there was a camera. It was tiny, but it had a chip that could record at least a day of footage. It would fit easily into an air vent and unless someone was looking for it, they’d never know it was there.
Aha!
I pulled the tiny black camera out of the box and smiled. Now I just had to get it in place and somehow manage to avoid Carter seeing me do it. Despite his claim that he would wait to question Brandon until he had a plan, I had no doubt that action would take priority over the paperwork he claimed he needed to complete. Which meant he’d be lurking around to see if anything odd happened.
Carter would spot my Jeep blocks away, so I couldn’t risk taking it. Instead, I grabbed a black rain jacket from a hook in the garage and pulled it on, then slipped the camera in my pocket and set out down the street. Twenty-four hours of camera footage. With any luck I’d get what I needed the first round.
Chapter 17
It was still raining the next morning, but the power was back on. I took my time stretching before I got out of bed, pretty sure I broke some kind of record by sleeping until 8:00 a.m. No pounding on my door or emergency phone calls. No creepy critters of the four- or two-legged variety disrupting my slumber. And best of all, I didn’t have to put on a dress. If it hadn’t been for the whole murder thing, it might have been an almost-perfect day.
I headed downstairs to fix breakfast and grabbed my cell phone. A quick check of the GPS tracker showed that Brandon’s truck was still parked in his driveway. Given that it was Sunday in Sinful, I wasn’t sure he’d go anywhere, but if he did, I intended to know about it. I stuck a Pop-Tart in the toaster and gave Gertie a call to check on her ankle.
She said she thought it was a tiny bit better than yesterday, but Ida Belle had made her breakfast and insisted she stay put. Gail’s parents were due in town sometime that afternoon. They were staying with Marie, but Ida Belle and Gertie wanted to be on hand to pay their condolences as they’d known them all their lives. Gertie was still fussing over following Brandon, but Ida Belle said Carter would be all over him and we needed to steer clear, at least for a little while. They planned on having a Gunsmoke marathon until Gail’s parents arrived, and told me to come over and join in.
I declined the invitation. One, because despite the fact that it had guns, the television show didn’t appeal to me. Two, because I wanted to be available to track Brandon if needed. Ida Belle assumed Carter would be watching him, but I figured Carter would want to work Nolan’s house with the forensics team, and he couldn’t do both. If Brandon took off this morning, Carter would probably still be at Nolan’s house. By the time I got off the phone, my Pop-Tart was singed around the edges and the coffee was done brewing. I poured a cup and headed into the living room with my breakfast and turned on the television. I flipped through the channels and located a Jurassic Park marathon. I’d seen the first movie and liked it, so I figured what the heck. Maybe prehistoric killers could take my mind off the more contemporary kind.
I had just started the fourth installment when I realized that I couldn’t recall what had happened in the previous two. I sighed. I’d tried to get into the movies, but I couldn’t focus. I was antsy about the camera. Was it working properly? I hadn’t tested it before I put it in. I was sure the equipment Harrison sent me was top-notch but you never knew when something might be flawed. Until it didn’t work when you needed it. And even if it worked, would I get the footage I needed to prove my theory? Granted, if the first set of footage didn’t yield anything it wasn’t like I could put the camera back and try again. But in the meantime, a murderer was running loose in Sinful.
My cell phone dinged and I picked it up, then bolted off the couch and ran for my keys. Brandon was on the move! I was in my Jeep and on the road in a matter of minutes, but the dot on my screen showed that Brandon had already left town and was on the highway driving toward New Orleans. I headed that direction, watching the dot to see if it turned off.
When I reached the highway, it was empty as far as I could see, but there was a bend in the road a good mile ahead and then it disappeared around a line of trees. I rounded the corner and checked the phone again, but the dot had disappeared. A couple taps on the screen didn’t yield any change. I pulled over on the side of the road and checked the signal, but I had plenty of strength. Moving to the next option in my box of tricks, I shut off the phone, then turned it back on to reboot the app, but the dot didn’t reappear. When I accessed the tracker, it came back with a message that said Unavailable.
I tossed my phone on the passenger’s seat and cursed. Something had happened to the tracker. Quite possibly, Brandon had gone barreling down one of those narrow bu
mpy roads like he usually did and it had disengaged. Then maybe he’d run it over. Or perhaps he’d gone through a muddy area and the tracker was so coated it stopped performing.
Whatever the case, I’d reached a dead end. The number of roads and trails that spun off the highway was practically unlimited. It would take a month to cover them all. Disgusted with the cold trail and frustrated that there was nothing I could do but sit and wait until tonight when I could retrieve the camera, I turned the Jeep around and headed back to Sinful.
My cell phone rang on the way back home. It was Ida Belle. Gail’s parents had arrived and they were going to visit them at Marie’s house. They wanted me to come. I couldn’t think of a good reason why I needed to meet Gail’s parents, but I also couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse. I assumed Ida Belle and Gertie didn’t want me sitting in my house alone and this was their way of forcing me into socializing. I wasn’t sure grieving parents were the best people to expose to someone like me, but I figured at this point, I couldn’t make things worse, either.
I told her I needed to shower and get presentable, then I’d stop by for a bit but probably wouldn’t stay very long. This sort of thing wasn’t within my skill set.
I took a quick shower, blow-dried my hair, and put on a dash of lip gloss. I know it was the South and Sunday, but I still balked at putting on a dress. I’d been given the day off and I intended to take it. Instead I pulled on jeans and a polo shirt and headed for Marie’s house.
Gail’s parents were an older couple and I could immediately tell where Gail got her nice gene. They were clearly overwrought but couldn’t stop thanking everyone for their kindness. Marie for letting them stay with her. Ida Belle, Gertie, and me for giving Marie a much-needed break and sitting with Nolan. The entire town for bringing food and for the many phone calls and emails from residents sending their thoughts and prayers.
Nolan showed up about twenty minutes after I did. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days and that was probably true, more or less. Dozing for ten or even thirty minutes didn’t give your body the rest it needed. I’d played the sleepless game enough times to know that eventually it caught up with you.
