Maid for Murder (Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series, Book 1)

by Barbara Colley

  For months the Times-Picayune had been filled with articles about a ring of drug-addicted thieves who were in cahoots with antique dealers. The thieves had systematically been robbing the city’s old cemeteries, and thousands upon thousands of dollars had been made off the marble statues, urns, and benches that had been stolen.

  Charlotte frowned. “But I thought that was old news and that all of the thieves had been caught.”

  Nadia nodded. “So did everyone else.”

  Charlotte shook her head, confused. “I don’t understand. If all the thieves were caught, how could they accuse Ricco now?”

  “I don’t understand it, either. And since I’m not exactly a relative, no one will tell me anything, and they won’t let me talk to Ricco, either. What we need is a lawyer, but Charlotte—” Again the younger woman’s eyes filled, then overflowed, with tears. “I—I can’t afford a lawyer, and D-Davy keeps asking about his daddy. What am I supposed to tell my son?”

  At the mention of little Davy, Charlotte felt a tight fist squeeze her heart. She could well sympathize with Nadia’s anguish over what to tell her son. She, too, had wrestled with the same question for years. But in the end, she’d simply opted for the truth and told Hank that his father had been a soldier, killed in the Vietnam war before he was born. Only many years later, when he’d become a man, had she finally told him that she and his father had never been married.

  Charlotte reached out and squeezed Nadia’s shoulder. “Hey, one thing at a time, now,” she said softly. “If Ricco can’t afford a lawyer, the court is supposed to appoint one for him—”

  “When?” Nadia cried. “And how will I know if they won’t tell me anything or let me talk to him?”

  Charlotte gave it some thought for a moment. Then, making up her mind, she said, “Do you remember me talking about my nephew, Daniel?”

  “The one I met at your Christmas party last year?”

  Charlotte nodded. “That’s right, y’all did meet. I’d forgotten about that. Anyway, Daniel is an attorney. Why don’t I give him a call and see what he can find out for you?”

  Nadia shook her head. “I—I don’t know how I would pay him.”

  Again, Charlotte squeezed the younger woman’s shoulder. “I know for a fact that sometimes Daniel takes on pro bono cases, so for now, don’t worry about the money. But Nadia . . . I want you to promise me something in return.”

  “Anything, Charlotte. Anything.”

  “Not just anything,” Charlotte told her. “And be careful what you agree to. What I want is for you to promise me that you will think seriously about your relationship with Ricco. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with a man who does nothing but cause you heartache and worry?”

  A stubborn, determined look crossed the younger woman’s face, and Charlotte quickly shook her head. “No! Don’t answer that question—not yet. All I want is for you to promise you’ll think about it.”

  After a moment, Nadia finally nodded. “I’ll think about it,” she whispered. “I promise.”

  The forecast for Monday was afternoon thunderstorms. Determined to get in the daily walk that she usually reserved for the evenings, Charlotte had set her alarm clock for thirty minutes earlier than usual.

  Dressed in shorts and tennis shoes, she hurried out the door. For once, she was glad it was Monday, glad to return to her regular routine.

  After working Saturday morning for Bitsy and spending most of Saturday afternoon comforting Nadia, she never did get a nap. Not that she’d minded that much, especially once Davy had awakened from his nap. Having the little boy around was fun, but it was a mixed blessing. His presence made her yearning for a grandchild even worse.

  Then, on Sunday, it had been her turn to host her family’s weekly lunch after church, a tradition she and her sister had started when their children were young. It still amazed her that with their busy lives, her niece, her nephew, and Hank still adhered to the tradition.

  She had planned to keep her promise to Nadia and talk to Daniel about Ricco’s situation after lunch. But Daniel had called early that morning to let her know he wouldn’t be able to join them due to a nasty stomach virus.

  The poor thing had sounded so awful over the phone that Charlotte didn’t have the heart to bring up business, but she made a mental note to remember to call him in a day or two, when he was feeling better.

  When Charlotte returned after her walk, she rushed through her shower and breakfast. Once she made sure Sweety Boy had plenty of water and birdseed to last the day, she was finally able to leave.

  Traffic for a Monday morning on Magazine was surprisingly light. Charlotte figured that, unlike on Friday, today she’d arrive at the Dubuissons’ right on time.

  But Jackson Avenue was a different story. “What on earth?” she muttered, craning her head first one way, then another, to see around the line of vehicles that had slowed to a crawl ahead of her. Probably an accident, she figured when she finally spotted the swirling lights of police cars up ahead.

  Charlotte began to have her doubts the closer she came to the swirling lights. She could see an ambulance and several police cars parked in the street. But other than the emergency vehicles, there were no signs of wrecked vehicles. So what was the problem?

  She was still two cars away when she suddenly realized that an area had been cordoned off directly in front of the Dubuisson house. A policeman was directing traffic to a side street.

  Warning spasms of alarm erupted within her, and her first thoughts were of Clarice. Was it possible that the old woman had suffered another stroke?

  When the car in front of Charlotte turned off to the side street that the officer was pointing toward, Charlotte was finally able to drive her van closer. She rolled down her window, stopped, then signaled that she wanted to talk to the officer. At first, he resisted and continued motioning for her to move along. But Charlotte could be stubborn, too, and she refused to move, finally forcing the man to walk over to her van.

  “Ma’am, you have to keep moving.”

  “I want to know what’s happened.”

  He firmly shook his head. “This is police business. You have to keep moving,” he repeated.

  “But Officer, I work for the Dubuissons.” She pointed to the house. “Please, can’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  The obstinate man shook his head again. “All I can tell you is there’s been a break-in and a murder.”

  Charlotte gasped as the meaning of the officer’s words sank in. A break-in and a murder? At the Dubuissons’?

  Icy fear twisted around her heart as the faces of Jeanne, Clarice, Anna-Maria, and Jackson flashed through her mind.

  Oh, dear Lord, which one? she wondered. Which one of them had been murdered?

  Chapter Six

  “Who wa-was murdered?” Charlotte choked out the words as her stomach knotted and dread welled in her throat. Surely not Anna-Maria . . . so young . . . so lovely . . . so full of life. But not Jeanne, either, she prayed. Or Clarice. And though she had never especially liked Jackson, she certainly didn’t wish him dead, not murdered.

  Such an ugly word, murder. Charlotte swallowed hard and tried to ignore the horrible mental images of violence swirling in her head.

  “Who?” Charlotte repeated.

  The officer shook his head. “Like I said before, ma’am, all I can tell you is there’s been a break-in and a murder.” His words were curt as he gestured toward the side street. “Move along now. You’re holding up traffic.”

  One look at the unrelenting expression on the policeman’s face told Charlotte that even though he knew who the victim was, he wasn’t about to tell her. Further inquiries, she decided, would be a waste of time and energy.

  Left with little choice but to do as he directed, she gripped the steering wheel to keep her hands from shaking and guided her van down the side street, away from the cordoned-off area.

  Still in a daze, she’d driven almost half a block when, just ahead, she spotted a
parking space. It would be a tight fit, but ...

  Making a split moment’s decision, she flicked on the right-turn signal. No way was she leaving, she decided with a stubborn set of her jaw. Not until she found out which one of the Dubuissons had been murdered.

  Slowing the van as she neared the parking spot and ignoring the blare of horns from the line of vehicles behind her, she maneuvered the van into the opening.

  During the short walk back to Jackson Avenue, Charlotte spotted three different vans caught in the long line of traffic, each representing a major New Orleans television station. By the time she reached the cordoned off area, a crowd had already gathered.

  Gawkers, the whole lot of them, she thought in disgust. Strangers, with nothing better to do than feed off someone else’s misery. To them, the whole tragedy was simply entertainment, a brief diversion in their otherwise dull, boring existence. At least she had a real reason for being there, a personal stake in waiting around.

  Charlotte didn’t have to wait long. A blue Ford Taurus pulled up beside the young police officer who was directing traffic. Inside the car, seated on the passenger side, was a woman. Though Charlotte was standing at the back of the crowd of gawkers and only caught a glimpse of the woman’s face, she would have recognized her anywhere.

  A badge was flashed. Instead of the officer signaling for the blue Taurus to follow the diverted traffic, he allowed the driver to park beside a nearby police cruiser in the middle of the street.

  Judith.

  Charlotte’s hopes rose as her niece and a man climbed out of the blue car. Now she would finally get some answers.

  Ignoring the grumbling and rude glares of the people she nudged out of her way, she shouldered her way through the crowd.

  Judith Monroe was thirty years old, one of the youngest women ever to reach detective status in the New Orleans Police Department. In looks, Judith resembled her Aunt Charlotte more than she resembled her mother, and over the years, she’d often been mistaken for Charlotte’s daughter rather than her niece. Though she was taller than Charlotte, both had the same honey-brown-colored hair and the same cornflower-blue eyes.

  “Judith!” Charlotte cried out. “Hey, Judith, wait up! Over here!”

  When Judith hesitated, turned, and searched the crowd, Charlotte slipped between the two metal police barricades and waved her arms. Ignoring the shouts of the uniformed officer, she made a beeline for her niece.

  But the policeman was younger and faster than Charlotte. He caught her before she reached her niece.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said as he grabbed her by the upper arm and jerked her to a standstill.

  “But that’s my niece,” she argued, trying to pull free of the officer’s bruising grip while gesturing wildly at Judith with her free hand. “I have to talk to her.”

  “Hey, Billy,” Judith called out as she hurried toward them. “Take it easy. That’s my aunt you’re manhandling.”

  Charlotte glared up at the young officer. “See, I told you she was my niece.” When she tried once again to wrench free from his grip, he released her.

  As Charlotte rubbed the red spot on her arm, stains of scarlet appeared on the officer’s cheeks. Holding up both his hands in a defensive gesture, he shrugged and backed away. “Hey, Judith, how was I to know she was your aunt?” he said. “I was only doing my job.”

  Judith waved him away with a dismissive hand, then turned her attention to her aunt. “Aunt Charley, what on earth are you doing here?”

  “Do you know that young man?”

  Judith nodded. “That’s Billy Wilson. We’ve had a couple of dates.”

  “Well, someone needs to teach him some manners.”

  “Aunt Charley.” In an ominous tone, Judith drew out the pet name she’d always called her aunt, spacing the syllables evenly. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

  “The Dubuissons.” Charlotte gestured toward the old mansion. “I work for them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was on my way to work when, when—” Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, drew in a deep breath, then swallowed hard. A moment later she opened her eyes, blinking several times against the brightness. “Which one, Judith?” she whispered. “Which one of them was murdered?”

  “Oh, Aunt Charley . . .” Judith slipped her arm around her aunt’s shoulder and squeezed gently in sympathy. Then, with a nudge, she guided her away from the crowd, toward the shade of a nearby oak that draped over the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you worked for the Dubuissons. But it was Jackson, Aunt Charley. Jackson Dubuisson was the one murdered.”

  Though some of the tightness in Charlotte’s chest eased a bit, she still felt sick at heart for the Dubuisson women . . . Jeanne . . . Anna-Maria . . . And yes, even Clarice, despite the old woman’s rudeness and obstinacy. Losing a loved one or someone close was never easy under any circumstances, a fact she’d had to deal with personally more times than she cared to think about. But murder ...

  “According to the preliminary reports,” Judith continued, “he was murdered sometime near midnight or early morning. His wife, Jeanne, was the one who found him in the library.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “Oh, poor, poor Jeanne. How awful for her.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it must be a terrible thing—”

  “Hey, Monroe, you coming or what?”

  Both women turned to face the man Charlotte had seen with her niece in the car.

  “That’s Lou—Louis Thibodeaux,” Judith told her aunt. “Lou is my new partner till he retires at the end of the year.”

  Though Judith’s new partner was a stocky man with gray hair and a receding hairline, Charlotte noted that for an older man, he was somewhat attractive in a rugged sort of way. At least his belly didn’t hang over his belt like so many men her age, she thought.

  “Go ahead, Lou,” Judith called out. “I’ll be along shortly.”

  Louis nodded, and Judith turned her attention back to her aunt. “I need to get to work now. You gonna be okay?”

  Charlotte shrugged. “It’s just such a shock.”

  “Do you need me to walk you to your van?”

  “No.” Charlotte firmly shook her head. “What I need is to see Jeanne Dubuisson, to talk to her.”

  Judith frowned, her expression filled with regret. “Oh, Aunt Charley, I can’t let you do that, not yet. Go on home for now.”

  “But you don’t understand. Jeanne has no one to—” Charlotte bit off the words spilling out of her mouth.

  “What? No one to what? Aunt Charley.”

  “Nothing.” Charlotte lowered her gaze. “Never mind,” she said, realizing that there was no way she could explain about Jeanne, no way to explain that she had no one to confide in or turn to in a crisis, no one except possibly her maid. No, she couldn’t explain, Charlotte decided, not without betraying the confidences that Jeanne had placed in her.

  Charlotte tried another tack. “Surely you could bend the rules just this one time. I just need to talk to her for a moment, and I promise I won’t get in the way.”

  “You know I can’t, Aunt Charley. Not even for you.”

  One look at the strained expression on Judith’s face and remorse shot through Charlotte. “Oh, hon, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that. It’s just that— that—” Charlotte shrugged, at a loss for words. How could she explain when she didn’t quite understand it herself?

  “It’s just that you care about them,” Judith offered softly, gently.

  Charlotte nodded. “Yes—yes I do.” She paused. “Maybe you could at least pass along a message for me. Would that be okay?”

  Judith nodded. “I think that would be just fine.”

  “Just tell Jeanne to call me if there’s anything I can do to help . . . anything at all.”

  Charlotte was used to staying busy. Since she had worked Saturday for Bitsy, she had expected to be off on Tuesday, her regular day to clean for the old lady. But she hadn’t expected to be
off two days in a row, and she found herself at a loss as to what to do.

  For one thing, the house was quiet . . . too quiet. And lonely. Not even Sweety Boy’s antics and chirps seemed to help.

  There was plenty that needed doing, though, projects she’d been putting off due to lack of time . . . recording and totaling the month’s receipts for tax purposes . . . taking inventory of her supplies . . . working on a bid for the Devillier job Cheré had told her about. And laundry, a large pile of dirty laundry that she’d had to ignore due to her unusually busy weekend, was still waiting for her beside her washing machine.

  Charlotte tried to occupy both her time and her mind both days. Her daily thirty-minute walk helped somewhat, but concentration on anything for very long proved to be impossible. Her thoughts kept returning to the Dubuisson women. All she could think about was what Jeanne, Anna-Maria, and Clarice must be going through, how they were coping, and what, if anything, she could do to help ease their suffering.

  But guilt plagued her, too, guilt for being so relieved that Jackson had been the victim instead of one of the women. And she kept remembering the last time she had seen Jackson alive. In her mind’s eye, she could still picture him dancing with Sydney Marriott on Friday night at the Zoo To Do, then, later, arguing with Sydney’s husband, Tony.

  And during those two days, as she waited, she kept hoping that Jeanne would call, yet dreading it at the same time.

  By Tuesday afternoon, her nerves were stretched to the limit. Each time the phone rang, she felt a fresh wave of apprehension sweep through her.

  Deciding that she’d just about had all she could stand and that taking yet a second walk might relieve some of the tension, Charlotte was lacing up her tennis shoes when the phone rang.

  Once again, hoping the caller was Jeanne, she rushed to the phone and snatched up the receiver.

  “Maid-for-a-Day, Charlotte speaking.”

  “Oh, Charlotte, I’m so glad you’re home.”

  Bitsy. It was only Bitsy Duhe, and Charlotte almost groaned out loud with frustration.