Blood Parish

by E. J. Findorff

  “Think back.”

  It appeared to be a struggle. Instead, he observed her like a physician. His brow finally smoothed. “My dad would be the one to ask, but he passed ten years ago.”

  “Your dad taught you all about the business.”

  He sputtered a laugh. “He was all about this company. Your dad’s construction company built the house back there just so we'd get to see my old man from time to time.”

  “How well do you remember back when the bus went missing?”

  “I remember that happening pretty clearly.”

  “Anything strange going on about that time?”

  “Strange? Besides being asked to dig a lake?” He was earnestly confused. “Wait, you think those boys are buried in the mound?”

  “You wouldn’t be on the hook, Isaac. If some contracted help snuck onto the property and borrowed the equipment.”

  His eyes drifted. “I reckon that could have happened. Those extra Bobcats needed drivers. I don’t know anything, and my dad didn’t say anything.”

  “Isaac, I can promise you that your dad’s name won’t be dragged through the mud. There’s no paperwork to suggest anything different. You won’t see a lick of trouble if you can tell me those bulldozers were stolen and used while your dad wasn’t present.”

  “Yeah, they worked on that lake day and night transferring the earth. Couldn’t be there all the time.” He looked at the map. “The mound, eh? Talk about hiding in plain sight.”

  “If you’re thinking of contacting the patronne or Izzy, don’t bother.”

  “I’m not. I’m not here, remember.”

  “The FBI are on their way and I’m going to see Izzy right after this. I’ll tell her I broke in. You can call to report it in the morning.”

  “Will do.”

  She snapped a picture of the map, then dialed Agent Ruby’s cell on the way to the Rock.

  Ruby was excited. “Heard the confession. Holy shit, Angel.”

  “I got more. Can you make some calls to the archeology department at LSU?”

  Chapter 72

  There came a point of exhaustion when Angel could do no more and went back to the hot house to catch a few hours sleep. She woke on the sofa with all the windows open. A van with Blondeaux Electric stenciled on the side had just parked in the yard. She quickly slipped on fresh jeans, having slept in her underwear and a thin tee shirt. A man in a blue jumpsuit got out of the van as Angel left the house.

  “We tried to call the number listed for the address, but it was disconnected. We know this was Miss Lorna’s house.”

  “I’m Angel, her niece.”

  He looked at his clipboard. “We detected the outage, so we’re coming out to see what the problem is.”

  “Good. Yeah, I don’t know. I think it was cut from the outside.”

  “Cut? No. Probably the transformer. There are occasional outages.” He eyed her.

  “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be right inside.”

  She couldn’t imagine how her hair looked. Last night, she had spent hours under her magnolia tree on the phone with Agents Ruby and Lester, getting lambasted for letting Earl leave her protection, but praising her for finding the map that exposed the fake mound. They agreed the most probable location for Simon Hill was at Paulette’s mansion, a heavily guarded fortress.

  Donald promised to have a team assembled in New Orleans and dispatched to Lemon Twig the next day. That would allow Angel to nail down the logistics of where the major players were, meaning Izzy, Mable, Rob, and to a lesser extent, Joe-Joe.

  She had just stepped from a shower when her cell phone rang. It was Izzy. She took a breath. “Yeah.”

  “Get your ass over Earl’s house, now,” Izzy commanded.

  Her stomach pinched. “What’s going on?”

  “He’s dead.”

  Her knees almost gave. She closed her eyes. “How?”

  “Not on the phone.”

  “On my way.”

  Bobby’s bear watched as she rushed to Earl’s place. Two squad cars blocking his street allowed Angel to pass when she flashed her FBI credentials through the window. She drove down a short curving road that led to two other squads and the coroner’s vehicle. The deputies were relaxed, chatting on the lawn. One of them she recognized from the Indian mound. It was Moron, the one that clocked her in the face and kept her spare gun.

  Angel approached the man that kidnapped her at gunpoint. His name tag read Allen Robicheaux. Her intense stare told him the consequences were far from over. “Move.”

  He licked his lips, curiously appraising her. “You look like shit.”

  “Remember this face when you’re waking up in prison.” She kept moving forward.

  Angel entered the front door to see several people gathered in the dining room. Yellow markers were placed in certain areas to indicate evidence. She took her time rounding the table where she had just sat days ago. Beyond Izzy and the forensics team was a man photographing Earl as he lay on the floor in a bloody mess.

  “Who did this?” She asked in Izzy’s direction.

  The sheriff excused herself from the team. She approached with a swagger that pissed people off more than impressed. “You’re the agent. You can’t figure this out?”

  “Izzy...”

  She smirked. “We don’t have forced entry. He was sitting at the kitchen table. Probably having a conversation with the killer. The nurse found him.”

  “Where’s his guards?”

  “No one else was here.”

  “Weapon?”

  “Killer tossed it over here when he or she finished the job.” Izzy pointed.

  Angel moved to get a good look. Uncertainty befell her. “That’s my gun.”

  “Yours?” Izzy asked, getting a closer look. “That’s not your Glock.”

  “My extra piece. I can see the twin gash in the grip from here. Your deputy outside took it when they kidnapped me at the mound.”

  “Shut up.” Izzy quickly positioned herself between Angel and the door. Her hand secured Angel’s wrist, and she twisted it behind her back.

  “Really, Izzy?” Cuffs were secured on her wrists. “You know I didn’t do it.”

  Her voice rose. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be provided to you.”

  Angel didn’t have enough time to argue Izzy’s intentions as she was escorted outside. “It was that deputy there. Allen Robicheaux. You set me up, didn’t you?”

  “Shut up, Angel.”

  Angel squeezed her eyes shut. Her aunt seemed impatient, all too eager to get her in handcuffs, as if this had been the plan. Nothing like a sitting duck in a jail cell.

  Chapter 73

  “Sit there and be quiet while my deputy is here,” Izzy said as the cell door clanged shut. “This is for your protection.”

  “Is it?” Angel held a bar in each hand. “I’m exposed.”

  “What don’t you understand about shut up?” She walked out of sight.

  Angel looked around at the three white walls surrounding her. Without a plan, she fell back on a concrete slab with thin padding. Her skin felt more greasy while in the cell. There had been rumors of the deputies running a brothel out of the station house, and she could only imagine what the mattress had been through. A stainless-steel sink and toilet were stuck in the corner. She closed her eyes for only a few moments before she heard someone approach.

  Izzy reappeared, opening the cage to step in. Angel sat straight up on the slab and stretched, watching what her captor would do. What Izzy did was sit beside her like a friend.

  “I sent the deputy on a coffee run.” Izzy wiped her palms on her thighs. “Let’s talk.”

  “One call and I’d have the FBI here to protect me.”

  “Here’s the problem.” Izzy pivoted. “I don’t need a bunch of feds up my ass on this.”

  “So, don’t charge me.”


  “I’m not. You weren’t processed, were you? I don’t think that was your weapon at the scene.”

  “It was.”

  Izzy glared at her. “What you saw was a gun that looked like yours, with similar gashes in the grip.”

  “I see.” Angel knew what she meant.

  “They found your gun in the glove box, right where you said you keep it.”

  Angel ran her hands through her hair. “Jesus, Izzy. Tell me your guy wore gloves when he put it back. It will have the killer’s fingerprints on it.”

  “You can’t have it both ways, Angel. Either you’re implicated in the murder, or you’re clear.”

  “Izzy… seriously? Your deputy killed Uncle Earl. I was never worried about being implicated.”

  “Too late now. You - I can control. Earl was killed on Paulette’s orders. You’re a target.”

  Angel leaned in to whisper. “I know Bobby’s your son. Earl told me everything, and I already told my bosses.”

  Izzy froze, not sure how to respond. “You think I’m a terrible person.”

  “You were a kid. All three of you were. Lorna had a stupid idea, and you loved her enough to go along.”

  “Lorna forced us into a huge mistake. One we could never take back. There’s something Earl didn’t know. Something no one knew.”

  “What?”

  “Thing is, Lorna was already pregnant when we made the pact.”

  Angel had truly fallen down the rabbit hole. “You’re kidding me.”

  “An affair with Reverend Trevor.”

  “Trevor? So, Lucy May is Trevor’s daughter? Holy shit.”

  “We learned too late that Lorna was covering her ass by bringing us into it. Mable and I figured it out after y’all were born. We didn’t say anything.”

  “Lorna and Trevor are the reason all those boys died.”

  “Trevor was on the bus when it was taken.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Your mom and I were sixteen and seventeen, wanting to be thirty. It wasn’t hard to convince us to make the pact.”

  “Does Lucy May know?”

  “The way those two get along, I think Trevor told her but I can’t be sure.” Izzy put her finger to Angel’s mouth before it opened. “I’m going to release you, and we’re going to work together. As far as anyone is concerned, we’re looking at Mark Senn for Earl’s murder.”

  “Normally, I’d fight you on that, but his being wanted for murder might get him found faster.”

  “Exactly. One hand doesn’t know what the other is doing nowadays.”

  “Paulette must be in a panic,” Angel said.

  “The patronne is trying to maintain control while people are defecting.” Izzy stood.

  “They’re looking to you?”

  “Most are.” Izzy opened the cell door. “Can we agree that we need to go confront Paulette at the mansion? Without a team of feds?”

  “Of course.” Angel followed her out. “All roads lead there.”

  “It’s almost noon. I’ll call the patronne and tell her I’m coming with you for a visit.”

  “Let’s make a stop before we head out. There’s something I want to show you.”

  Chapter 74

  Angel was skeptical about Izzy’s friendly intentions. In one regard, Paulette’s daughters were all victims, too. Rob’s culpability was untenable at best. The one thing she believed was that her aunt was against the patronne, the lesser of two evils, and Angel needed to use that to her advantage without showcasing an FBI agenda.

  The squad car faced the Indian mound as Angel sat in the passenger seat. Izzy didn’t know a SWAT team from New Orleans was being debriefed and would be dispersed to this very spot.

  Her aunt faced her. “Paulette’s waiting for us. What you got?”

  “That isn’t an official mound.” Angel pointed.

  “No, they’re all historic sites.” She didn’t say it with confidence.

  “This one is most definitely not. Have you ever been to this spot before the bus went missing?”

  She paused. “No. No one really came onto this property that I know of.”

  “I broke into Blondeaux Landscaping and found proof. Why build it?”

  Izzy appeared to take a better look. “Assuming that it’s not a historic mound, you think the boys are buried there?”

  “I suspect they are. This mound wasn’t on the map previous to 1980. You know what else wasn’t there? That lake a hundred yards back.”

  “Yeah, that mini-lake was dug to add to the property value, right around that time.”

  “I’m thinking it would have been easy for Earl to verbally clear this area without physically searching it. Then bury those boys in a mass grave in total privacy. And to completely hide the spot, they made the mound with the dirt from the lake. Get Blondeaux Landscaping to mimic the other mounds in the parish. Pass it off as an Indian burial mound, and it’d never be disturbed.”

  “That’s… incredible if it’s true.”

  “They never considered that this mound would be under federal protection. Even passing this off as a landmark is a federal crime, so it’s still under our jurisdiction.”

  “But, you own the land. You’re not going to block a search anyway.”

  Angel agreed. “Damn straight.”

  Izzy stared out the window, checking left and right. She turned. “They had to have planned the lake with the taking of the bus.”

  “It would just take a day to start the mound, covering the bodies.”

  Izzy nodded. “I remember Earl saying his deputies searched this area.”

  Angel said, “I have a plan that morally and ethically we both can live with.”

  “Which is?”

  “Finding those boys would bring down Paulette and Trevor, which is what you want. Rob would have a lot to answer for, but it can be argued he feared for his life. Most anyone else would get obstruction.”

  “Right. We had nothing to do with the kidnapping, so it doesn’t have to bring down the family. It could mean the start of a new age for the clan. But it would be like a bomb going off in Lemon Twig.” Izzy’s jaw clenched.

  “Well, seems the person that’s going to lead the clan should be you. You could be seen as saving the family. I wouldn’t agree to this option if I didn’t think it would work. Hell, I wouldn’t have even brought you here if I didn’t believe that.”

  Izzy’s lips curled up in a grin. “Your team is coming?”

  “I don’t have a team anymore,” Angel stated. “You can run this investigation until the state police take over because of the conflict of interest.”

  “Not sure if I like that.”

  “You set the course of action until then. So, if we find the boys? What’s your plan?” Angel asked.

  “First, we get forensics out here, and we comb through every granule of dirt while keeping the press out of it for the time being.”

  “And what about Mark? You know Paulette has him.”

  “Could be at the mansion.” Izzy’s voice rose.

  “The problem is everyone that’s missing right now. Joe-Joe, Rob, Lucy May, and Trevor.”

  Izzy started the car. “Let’s see if any of them are at the mansion.”

  “You have to treat this like an archeological dig. If any of those boys are buried here, we can’t use a bulldozer.”

  Izzy nodded but didn’t put the car in drive yet.

  Angel’s cell rang. She looked at the screen. “Hey, Bobby, what’s going on?”

  “I heard about Earl, and your being arrested.”

  “I’m not under arrest.”

  “I’m delighted to hear. Lucy May is being held at the mansion.”

  “Izzy and I are working on that.”

  “I doubt my mother is working very hard. Yes, I know I’m her son. Can you talk without her hearing?”

  Angel stepped out of the squad. “Go ahead.”

  “I believe Lucy May is pregnant with Joe-Joe’s baby. I’m going to the mans
ion, too.”

  “Let me handle this. I’m heading there with Izzy.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” He paused. “Be careful. Izzy is not your friend.”

  Those words were the last thing Angel heard before the taser rendered her helpless.

  Chapter 75

  “I lied, Izzy. My team is on the way to secure the mound,” Angel announced from the back seat of the squad car. Her hands were zip-tied behind her back.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Izzy said. “Just keep your yap shut.”

  “I was playing you.” It didn’t sound convincing. “The feds have a drone on us.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “What are you planning?”

  “With you? That’s up to the patronne.”

  “Do you have Mark?”

  “Just shut up about that little bitch. Honestly, Angel, I have no idea. I’d love to tell you I killed him.”

  Angel sat with her situation for a moment. She needed to keep Izzy talking. “Did you know Earl killed Doug?”

  “Doug was a freak.”

  “What happened to you marrying Zeke? Why didn’t I know him?”

  Izzy sighed. “Not sure if you realize this, Angel. I’m a little butch over here. I rejected Zeke, and my mom was okay with handing Bobby over to Lorna. That life wasn’t for me.”

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “Mable wouldn’t allow that. Not yet, anyway.”

  “If you’re still against her, why abandon the plan?”

  The car eased to a stop. Izzy stared at her. “I know your mind is going a mile a minute. Just be patient. Everything will become clear.” She then turned forward and accelerated again. A Jeep Wrangler stayed close behind.

  Izzy slowed for a dip in the road and a curve. A guard standing in front of a flimsy gate came into view. “If you don’t want to be gagged, don’t open your mouth.”

  Angel understood there was no help. The hair on her arm bristled. A federal agent getting this close to the truth was unsettling. Despite the clan being at odds, they always circled the wagons when threatened.

  The guard crouched to get a good look in the car before raising the metal bar without a word. The next half mile had a narrow bricked road quickly opening wide like a martini glass. The wall was impressive, with a tall iron gate manned by two more guards. One spoke into a two-way radio, and the iron gate opened. She hadn’t been here since she was a kid.