Blood Parish

by E. J. Findorff

  “That’s laughable.”

  Izzy dipped her head where all Angel could see was the top of the hat. It snapped up just as fast. “Which deputies? This was not sanctioned. They’ll pay for it.”

  “Paulette was there, Izzy.” She wiped at the goop in her eyes.

  “Damn it. You see, that’s why something needs to be done. I didn’t know, Angel. I was dropping off your gun last night. I had nothing to do with that.”

  “And she told me she had nothing to do with Clint Johnson. Or with Delilah. Guess who that leaves?”

  “Delilah’s parents came to me. I filled out her missing person’s report. You offered to hand over the house for her. You don’t think I would’ve delivered?”

  “Unless she’s dead.”

  “I started putting out feelers yesterday as a matter of fact. I don’t expect you to believe me. I don’t expect to ever be friends, but it’s to both our benefit to work together.”

  “Against Paulette? Trevor? Even Joe-Joe? Who’s the real enemy here, Izzy?”

  “The family will right itself. It always does. Just know that you’re not completely protected out here.”

  “No shit?” She waved at the video camera.

  Izzy stepped forward and reached out to touch her arm. “I’ll watch your six the best I can.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Look, Angel. I just came today to give you the weapon and to give you the initial offer.”

  “Offer?”

  “Seven hundred grand.”

  Her eyebrows raised. “How much is buried evidence in a mass murder worth nowadays?”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Izzy laughed, taking off her glasses. “This is a shitty plot of land, a lake the size of a city block. Sparse hunting. Take a Bobcat out there for all I care.”

  “That’s an idea.”

  “Has Lucy May been by this morning?”

  “No.”

  “If something were to happen to you, Lucy May would get the land. Don’t make it easy on Paulette.”

  “Maybe I should accept the land and donate it all to charity.”

  “Don’t joke.” Izzy put her glasses back on and returned to the car. As Angel watched her drive away, Mark snuggled up. “I heard. Is this place for real?”

  “They’re all conspiring.”

  “If the Blondeauxs are split, there could be some kind of war brewing.”

  “There has been jockeying for position throughout the generations, but never any outright power-grabs. We’ll both have a target on our backs if Izzy is looking to overthrow the crown. I need to accept the bequest, so they don’t use it as a reason to kill me. Can you get that paperwork in?” Angel looked over her shoulder.

  “Yeah, I can do that from here, but it’ll be another five months before it's yours. I thought we were going to see Agent Ruby?”

  “Tomorrow. I want to go visit Trevor again. Who was that you ignored on the phone?”

  “My sister telling me about my mom’s hip replacement tomorrow.”

  “You need to go?”

  “Nope. My sis has it under control. I’m here for you.” Mark kissed her neck with no response. “Is everything okay with us?”

  “I think so. It’s hard for me to be in relationship mode with all this going on.” Angel kissed him back. “I’m just worried about you.”

  Chapter 57

  Reverend Trevor’s house was tidy like before, but Angel noticed two chairs in the dining room were slightly pulled out where the other two were tucked in tight. Weird how she had hadn’t caught Lucy May and Trevor there at the same time.

  Trevor had invited Angel to the back porch after fixing them each a sweet tea, always the gracious host. With the view of a neighboring farm past the privacy fence, they sat on wicker chairs positioned around a glass table.

  “Okay, so what do you want to interrogate me about this time, Angel?” Trevor wore transition lenses that didn’t turn all that dark in the shade.

  “Where’s Lucy May?”

  He scratched his chin. “Is that why you came over?”

  “To start.” Angel sipped the tea, searching the horizon. “My Uncle Earl has definite opinions about your whole situation.”

  “I have definite opinions about him, too.”

  “How so?”

  “No,” he paused. “Move on.”

  “Is Lucy May pregnant?” Angel shielded her eyes from the sun. Reverend Trevor’s wrinkles stood out at that angle.

  “I’m not an OBGYN.” His lips thinned. “Unless taking in a border is against the law, I suggest you go catch a real criminal.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Angel switched gears. “Could Doug have treated the twins so poorly because they weren’t his offspring? It was a shotgun wedding, right?””

  Trevor glanced at her. “I always assumed the twins were Doug’s.” His tone was casual. “Could Lorna have had an affair? Human nature tells me yes.”

  “Did she confess to you?”

  “Roman Catholics practice confession. I counsel. But any woman trapped in a marriage like that would try to find affection with another.”

  “Could Lorna have been impregnated by one of the missing baseball players?” Angel threw out a morsel.

  His eyebrows raised in hesitation. “You think eliminating one player was the cause for the whole bus to go missing?”

  “Just throwing out hypotheticals.”

  He stared forward. “That’s a hell of an accusation. Probably the craziest theory I’ve ever heard. Just one player, maybe, but not the entire team. You’re reaching for something that isn’t there, Angel. Listen to yourself.”

  “I have a picture of Lorna and one of the players together.”

  He coughed, almost choking. “From her will?”

  “Lorna was married to Doug the same year. The twins were born nine months later.”

  He looked to still be wrapping his head around the whole thing. He was a great actor, but a reverend had to be. “Can this be true?”

  “It’s a working theory. Why not build your church somewhere else other than Lorna’s land?” Angel finally asked.

  “I would in a heartbeat,” Trevor said. “But the plumbing and the electric have already been run to the property for the prison. It’s cheaper to tear that down than to start from scratch.”

  “You believe that, Reverend?” Angel asked.

  “I do.”

  Angel said. “Izzy made me an offer already.”

  “All due respect, Angel, you have no claim to that property. Lucy May is very eager to get the land back.”

  Little do you know, Angel thought.

  “Is Lucy May’s baby yours?”

  He shot a finger at her. “I will not have you blaspheme in my home. I love Lucy May like a daughter. Like a daughter.”

  “That could have a double meaning in the Glue Trap, right Trev?” Angel placed her tea down as if it went sour. “I have my own theory on why you want the megachurch.”

  “I’ll thank you to leave.”

  “You feel if you become big enough, popular enough, powerful enough, you can distance yourself from the Blondeauxs. Walk away from the parish, cut ties, and start fresh in another state with a bigger church. Is that close?”

  “Goodbye, Angel.”

  Their conversation was over. Another hornet’s nest had been kicked. Reverend Trevor wasn’t going to offer anything else, and agitating him further at this point could be construed as harassment – not that he’d file a complaint.

  Once Trevor relayed Angel’s accusations around the Blondeaux water cooler, someone was bound to make an irrational move.

  Chapter 58

  “I know it’s almost lunch…” Mark met Angel outside, climbing in the Rock as she was about to shut off the engine. “… but I need a good southern breakfast.”

  “Breakfast?” They leaned into each other for a quick kiss. Had the spark extinguished between them? Was it even there beyond the attraction? Maybe the timing wasn’t right, but Mark
would never move past being just a fling. “Sounds good.”

  Angel took him to the Southern Grill, the same diner where they had eaten the burgers. Just as they exited the truck, a man with a long beard and plaid shirt came toward them. He zeroed in like a missile guidance system. Angel thought it was just a stare-down.

  “Nice day,” he said like a reprimand. “Enjoy it, bitch.”

  Mark turned. “And may The Lord be with you, kind sir.”

  The man carried on with a scowl as Angel and Mark entered the restaurant. More eyes were upon them. The waitresses, customers, and busboy all turned their way. She held her head up and deliberately walked toward the back of the diner.

  The first table had a middle-aged black couple with two kids. The lady said, “You need to give that land back to Lucy May and go live in sin back in New Orleans. We’ll pray for you.”

  “Bless you,” Angel continued on.

  The farmer in the next booth commented, “You’re holding up our place of worship.”

  “God is all around us,” Angel responded.

  Once seated, Angel witnessed a contentious conversation between the same waitresses, debating who would take the table. Sure enough, it was the young redheaded female that had served them before—the memorable one. Angel admired the freckles covering her face like sand, and her mesmerizing green eyes.

  “You got the short straw, eh.” Angel examined the menu. “I’ll take a short stack and a coffee, please.”

  Mark said, “Me, too. And grits. No spit.”

  “Ew. The cooks wouldn’t do that. Everyone here isn’t pro-Blondeaux.” She didn’t write anything down.

  “You?” She asked.

  She reddened. “No opinion, really.”

  Angel glimpsed her name tag. “Hi, Bethany. It’s been a rough few days for us.”

  She simmered to a pinkish hue. “Small town talk, I know. Problem is; they can’t attend church because of you.”

  “They still have a church.”

  “Townies don’t see it that way. The reverend promised big things… everything short of guaranteed salvation.” She leaned over to whisper, glancing back at the other waitresses. “Second time they send me to take your order? I take this as a sign.”

  “A sign for what?” Angel asked.

  “I knew Lucy May when we were nine years old. I’m not related to the Blondeauxs, just so you know.”

  “You seem straight from Ireland, actually.”

  “My family, yeah…” Bethany continued, “Anyway, we were in one of Reverend Trevor’s retreats at his camp on Lake Otto.”

  “I remember those. I never attended. You were good friends?”

  “No.” She put her head down. “She was a loner by choice. I was a loner by genetics.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. But I saw something I think you should know. I didn’t come forward before because my momma told me not to.”

  “What’d you see?”

  She looked around, pretending to write on her pad. “I went into the main camp when all the kids and counselors were at a bonfire. I saw Reverend Trevor and Lucy May together.”

  “Together how?”

  “Well, Reverend Trevor was sitting at the table going over a sermon or something, and I saw Lucy May approach him.”

  “It’s okay, Beth.”

  She pointed at the menu as if explaining. “Lucy May went up to Reverend Trevor’s side and kissed him. On his lips.”

  “What kind of kiss? Open mouth?”

  “Nooooo.” She drew out the word. “Just a peck. A lip touching kiss, but she surprised him. She tried to hug him. He pushed her away.”

  Angel said, “Could have been innocent.”

  Mark added, “My maw maw always went straight for the lips.”

  She grew confident. “I know, but it was weird. He wasn’t surprised. He was more like - not here.”

  “You were nine, like you said. How can you know what it meant?”

  “I didn’t really, back then. But I always remembered and now I know better.”

  “Anything else happen?”

  “Look, he didn’t scold her. He didn’t take her aside to explain that it couldn’t happen again. He pushed her away and shook his head at her.”

  “You did the right thing, Beth.” She took out her cell. “Can I have your number in case I need to talk to you again?”

  “I guess, but I’ll write it on your receipt.”

  “Good.” Angel put her phone down and handed her the menu.

  “Two stacks and coffees. Grits. No spit.” The girl left with an unsure look on her face.

  Mark asked, “Can we trust her on that?”

  “I think she was truthful.”

  “I mean about the spit.”

  Angel waved it off. “It’ll be fine.”

  Mark blew his hair from his eyes. “That was… not shocking, actually.”

  “Well, Lucy May and I are going to have an interesting conversation.”

  “If we can find her.”

  Chapter 59

  Joe-Joe faced Lucy May on one of six weathered park benches as the sun began its descent. The wood and metal seats surrounded a children’s obstacle course that had been refurbished with Blondeaux money. A paved jogging path curved behind them, abandoned. An elementary school hid itself in the distance, but pines otherwise surrounded them.

  “You did good with the hair. It matches her color exactly.” Joe-Joe touched her ponytail again. “Sometimes, while you’re wearing her old clothes, I can’t tell the difference.”

  “But I’m not her, am I?”

  Joe-Joe poured on the charm, which only happened when she sulked. “You’re better than her. You’re here with me. We’re going to be the new power couple in this family.”

  “You really left me with no choice.” Asshole.

  “My boys are great swimmers. Don’t know how many times I gotta say I’m sorry, but you came onto me, didn’t you?” That stupid sneer appeared.

  She sniffled. “I’ll admit, you helped take my mind off Doug’s murder. I liked the flirting and the hand stuff, but I wasn’t ready for…”

  “Imagine what it’s like for me. Angel moves away, and you practically take her place, only you’re putting out the signals I always wanted from Angel. Finally, we got what we both wanted.”

  “You got what you wanted.”

  “See, that’s how you women confuse us. No is no, and yes is yes, but we were doing stuff.”

  “A relationship isn’t just sex or no sex. There’s so much in between.” She lost steam.

  “Well, now we got a family to think about.” He spoke again when she didn’t. “We need to make a plan for our future.”

  Lucy May checked her nails. “Apologize.”

  “I have.” He rubbed her thigh.

  “Again!”

  “I’m sorry.” He stopped touching her.

  “For what? Say it.”

  His tongue rolled around in his mouth. “For taking advantage of you.”

  “You can’t say the word, can you?”

  “It’s an ugly word we don’t need to use in our relationship. I suggest you drop it, Lucy May.” Joe-Joe took a nip from his pint bottle. “And all the sneaking around is wrong.”

  She whispered, “I’m not ready to tell the world I’m carrying your baby.”

  “We have to figure out something soon.” His eyes dropped to her belly. “Folks are going to assume it’s Trevor’s.”

  “Ew. I’m going to lose my independence once my maw maw knows. I’ll be placed on lockdown. I’ll be a prisoner all over again.”

  “She won’t lock you up if I’m there to take care of you.”

  Lucy May folded her arms rigidly. “I love how you think you know my family.”

  “Your mother must have been pissed to go against Paulette, denying you the land.”

  “I’m sick of talking about it. Let’s just move. Start looking in Canada or something. I just want out of Louisiana.”

>   He kissed her cheek. “We can’t leave our home.”

  “You can’t leave Angel.” Lucy May turned away.

  Joe-Joe guffawed. “She doesn’t even live here.”

  “But there’s always that chance. You’re holding on to a fantasy, and I can forgive that, but I at least deserve your respect.”

  He wiped his face with both hands. “I respect you in spades.”

  “Then prove it. Stop chasing Angel.”

  He smiled, but with annoyance. “You’re still naive in so many ways.”

  Lucy May felt her face turn crimson. “Maybe we should end this right here, right now.”

  “I’m the only one truly on your side here. I respect you, and I will take care of our baby.”

  “I want to believe that.”

  “I did a big job for the patronne, and she wants me at the mansion as a guard. I’m in, honey. We are the clan’s future.”

  Lucy May slumped on the bench. “I don’t know. I think I need to be alone tonight to think about it.”

  Chapter 60

  Angel fumbled to silence the alarm clock at dawn. Mark didn’t seem to hear it. Of course, they hadn’t tracked down Lucy May the night before. After waiting outside Trevor’s residence until midnight, they decided to try again the next day.

  Kissing goodnight had stretched into a physical bout of less than gentle sex. The spontaneity and distraction was welcomed. Afterwards, she admitted to herself that their relationship didn’t have a chance - not while Operation Blood Parish weighed her down.

  Angel extracted herself from the covers, got dressed, and strapped her Glock to her ankle.

  “Mark.” She shook him gently. “Let’s go. Agent Ruby is waiting for us.”

  His eyes opened, but he still seemed to be sleeping. “Oh, I didn’t tell you. My sister can’t be with my mom for the operation. I was putting off telling you because I thought it might change. I’m flying there later this morning. Can we reschedule?”

  “Of course. Is she okay?”

  “My sis? She’s dealing with a sick kid. It’ll be a couple days probably until she can take over.” He yawned. “Time is it?”