Catahoula: Shallow End Gals (A Shallow End Gals Book 4)

by Vicki Graybosch

  Roger had guided the Senator to a chair and Paul ran through the house. Paul returned to the living room, speaking on his cell phone, “Officer down. Send an ambulance to 8216 Country Cotton.”

  Roger’s head whipped toward Paul. “What do you have?”

  “He’s conscious, but not coherent. Drugs? I don’t know. He’s back in a guest bedroom.”

  Paul began quickly searching the house, the other agents ran to check the perimeter.

  The Senator grabbed Roger’s shirt sleeve. “They have Sarah and the girls.”

  Roger asked, “Who? Who has them?”

  Senator Welsh dabbed a tear, “The man said they would be fine if I voted Thursday in favor of the oil bill. He said I either vote appropriately or there will be a boating accident.” He looked at Roger with terror in his eyes.

  Roger asked, “He was here? In your home?”

  “Yes, not five minutes ago.” Senator Welsh nodded recognition when Roger showed him a picture of Stone from his phone. “Yes, yes that’s him.”

  Roger signaled Paul to join him across the room. Paul offered, “How did he get past our guys? They’ve been here half an hour.”

  Roger looked at Paul. “He got here before we did and waited.”

  “Why? Why not just deliver his message and leave?”

  “It’s Stone. The second message was to us, that we can’t stop him.”

  Roger saw a black cat looking at him from the kitchen door. Roger nudged Paul.

  Paul said, “Call Kim.” Ellen disappeared.

  Roger had Paul go sit with Senator Welsh and he walked to the kitchen to call Kim.

  “Ellen wanted me to call?”

  Kim answered, “Yes. She says that she and the angels are heading for the Bahamas where the Senator’s wife and daughters are being held prisoner. She will protect them and send you information as soon as she can. Roger, what is happening?”

  Roger answered, “I wish I knew.”

  The ambulance staff took the injured agent and Roger assigned a replacement. Roger sat across from the Senator. “Are your wife and daughters in the Bahamas right now?”

  “Why, yes. How did you know?”

  Roger could only imagine the stress the Senator was under at this moment.

  “Senator Welsh, I am going to have one of our agents get information from you about your family, locate them and insure their safety. I will keep you posted on my progress. Have you tried to call your wife?”

  “No. I haven’t yet. That man…”

  Roger patted the Senator’s arm. “Sir, let’s use your phone and try right now.”

  Roger dialed. The call was answered by a man who had a heavy Spanish accent. “Si?”

  Roger asked, “Who am I speaking to?”

  The line went dead.

  Roger alerted FBI in the Bahamas about the situation with Senator Welsh’s family. He forwarded the information he had and told them to position themselves in Nassau on the island of New Providence. He would send more information as it became available. Roger silently prayed that Ellen and the angels could get him information quickly. There was just no time for any other option to work.

  Roger and Paul returned to the field office to await information from Ellen. For the FBI to locate the Senator’s wife and daughters in mere hours was impossible. He knew that Ellen and the angels would find them. He prayed he could come up with a way to explain whatever miracle they performed.

  Roger’s phone rang; his caller ID told him it was Kim. “Ellen called again and said to tell you that a text will come over shortly directing you to an email from Mom, Teresa, Linda and Mary. They went to the Medical Examiner’s office and have the identifications and histories on the bodies you found last night in the cemetery. Ellen said to remind you that you can’t explain knowing this yet. She told you not to worry about communications. She has it covered.”

  “Okay. Great.”

  Roger’s phone messaged he had an email. Roger looked at Paul, “Ellen is sending over identifications on the people found in the cemetery last night.”

  Roger printed off two copies of the email and he and Paul began reading.

  Paul exclaimed, “I’ve never heard of any of these people. Even their bios look clean. Wonder why they were chosen to be murdered?”

  Roger said, “I’m going to just think out loud for a minute. We don’t know the ‘why’ yet, but we know the ‘when’. We have the actual time of deaths on this list from the angels. The Medical Examiner will only be guessing. We can use this to narrow down who had the opportunity to kill them by crossing cell records.” Roger sat back down at his desk. “I’m guessing whoever has been doing this didn’t expect them to be found for a while. We can check with the city when those crypts were scheduled to be opened.”

  “Opened?” Paul looked incredulous.

  Roger nodded, “In these above ground cemeteries, a lot of families only purchase a two year permit for their loved ones.”

  Paul asked, “What happens after that?”

  “It depends on the family. Sometimes the remains are bagged and moved. You bring up a good point. People outside of New Orleans wouldn’t know about leasing crypt space.”

  Paul pushed his chin out in his nervous twitch, “Or have access to cemetery records to know which ones are safe for a while. Points to a local killer.”

  Roger started clicking his pen. “Let’s have our forensic techs locate each of our bad guys at these times of death. At least we can get a jump start on this list.”

  Thor knocked on Roger’s open door and said. “I don’t like the expression on your face. What’s up?”

  Roger and Paul brought Thor up-to-date on the situation at Senator Welsh’s house and the fact that Stone was in the house when their agents arrived.

  Thor frowned, “What is this guy, a ghost? He had to leave the house. Why didn’t we see him?”

  Roger shook his head, “Stone delivered the message he intended. I doubt he will surface again. It’s all about the Thursday vote.”

  Thor tapped his watch, “That’s tomorrow you know.”

  Roger couldn’t believe how fast the week was going. “I must be getting old. Time is getting away from me.”

  Roger showed Thor the text from Mathew Core about Justice Investigator Ward Bromley being suspected as dirty.

  “Shit. I have a meeting with him this afternoon on this consent decree crap. I told Frank Mass I’d take the meeting for him since he doesn’t know exactly when he’ll get here today.”

  Roger directed his comment to Thor, “Bromley met with Acer Noland, who we think was Stone Carson’s copilot. They met in the parking lot of a hotel less than an hour ago for about ten minutes. Knowing Acer doesn’t look good for Mr. Bromley, and puts Bromley on our list.”

  Thor asked, “What do we have on this Acer guy?”

  Roger showed Thor the file on Stone from the ATF. “We have this on Stone, and we know Acer is tight with Stone.”

  “How the hell did you get this?”

  “Interagency co-operation.”

  Thor looked at the ceiling. “Yeah, right.”

  Paul chuckled, “Oh, you’ll love this, Roger took out a hit on himself with Mathew Core to try to find out what Acer is up to. Core and Acer know each other.”

  Thor raised his voice, “You don’t do anything normal, do you? What the hell? What if this Acer decides to ‘help’ Core?”

  Roger started laughing, “That wouldn’t be good. There is a reason he’s hanging around and I want to know what it is. Core might be able to find out. We’re all staying at the same hotel.”

  Thor placed the ATF report back on Roger’s desk. “Of course you are. How cozy. Any leads on who placed the bomb at the hotel or who it was for?”

  Roger answered, “I’m guessing now, I don’t think it was Acer that put it there. I think it was meant for Stone.”

  Wednesday 11:00 am

  Cat looked at his watch. Steven Marks would be there any minute. Cat pulled a card from his wall
et. He had taken it from the bar last night. Cat couldn’t stop thinking about the little girl that saved him. Maybe the bartender would know who she was. An answering machine told him the bar didn’t open until noon.

  Cat looked up the number for Otis Grocery. Toby, the bartender, had said Otis was his brother-in-law. Cat wanted to check out Otis anyway. He seemed to be the only friend Ed Meyer had in the world.

  Otis answered the phone, “Otis Grocery.”

  Cat responded, “This is Sabastian Delacroix. May I ask you a couple of questions?”

  Otis walked to the back of the room and motioned for his clerk to take over the counter. “Are you the one they call Catahoula?”

  Cat smiled, “Yes. I was attacked last night in the alley across from your store by some punks. It was about eleven o’clock. A young girl, maybe ten, on a pink bicycle stopped to help me. She was able to get adults involved. I am trying to find her to thank her.”

  Otis knew exactly who Cat was talking about. “Her name is Izzy Dubois. The whole neighborhood is lookin’ for her. She was raised by her grandma, got no other family. Dirt poor. Her grandma died a day or so ago. City locked up the house, looters already livin’ in it from what I heard.”

  Cat was astonished, “You mean she is living on the streets?”

  Otis answered, “I think she is, yes. She’s a smart girl. She probably knows the police are trying to find her though. I guess her grandma told her the state would take her if something ever happened. I would guess she doesn’t want to be found.”

  Cat asked, “What can we do?”

  Otis said, “I get most gossip in these parts. I can call you if I hear anything.”

  Cat gave Otis his contact information. Cat was surprised at the amount of emotion he was feeling. Above all, he felt helpless. How does he find a ten year old child in New Orleans?

  Cat’s doorbell buzzed.

  Cat went to the door and let Steven Marks in. He had met Marks in numerous meetings and saw him occasionally in the elevators. Cat pointed to his table, “Have a seat. Can I get you anything? Sweet tea, coffee?”

  Steven waved Cat off, “I can’t stay. You know I’m in the fraud division now, right?”

  Cat nodded. “I’m more interested in 2005 when you were on Ted’s team working the Molly Jarvis case.”

  Steven stared at Cat and asked, “I need to know where you are coming from on this. Why did you ask me if I was sold on Meyer being the doer?”

  “Because I want to know. That’s all I can give you at the moment. You’re going to have to trust me.”

  Steven nodded, “I trust you or I wouldn’t be here.” Steven leaned back and sighed. “Hell, I’m just going to say this and see what you do with it. I was moved to fraud to get me off that case. Nobody actually said that, but I knew. Ted was pissed. He screamed all the way to the top. Hell, past the top. Didn’t matter. I kept asking all the wrong questions of all the wrong people. Meyer was set up. I don’t know how or who. But I might know why.”

  Cat leaned forward, “Why?”

  Steven said, “We are sharing remember? Your turn now.”

  Cat turned his computer monitor around and showed Steven the video of Edward Meyer’s arrest.

  Steven slammed his fist on the table. “I knew it! Where did you get this?”

  Cat said, “Not yet. Your turn. Why?”

  Steven pushed his chair back and asked, “Did you know that William Jarvis was making noise about running for Governor?”

  Cat shook his head. Steven continued, “None of the ‘money’ people wanted that to happen. They already had their boy in office. There was a bit of panic in some circles that if William actually announced his candidacy, he would take the state by a landslide. The Louisiana good ol’ boys didn’t want that. National interests didn’t want that. There was actually a task force organized to stop him. We’re talking genuine panic in political circles. William was by the book. That doesn’t play well in these parts.”

  Cat asked, “What does this have to do with Ed Meyer?”

  “This is my version. I have thought about this for eight years. Take it or leave it. Assume that William Jarvis was the real target. If Molly was killed, it would make his suicide seem plausible. Molly was the bait. Ed Meyer just happened to be a noisy academia that Molly had recently commented on. Half of New Orleans thought Ed was an educated nut. The perfect scapegoat.”

  Cat leaned forward, “Let’s say you are right and eliminating William was the real goal. Who’s going to wait around for William to commit suicide? Not exactly an airtight plan.”

  “You’re right, nobody would wait. What if it wasn’t suicide?”

  Well that thought had never crossed Cat’s mind. Cat tried to remember what files there had been on William’s death. He couldn’t remember much more than a memo. “What do we have on William’s suicide?”

  Steven answered, “Nothing. Except this.” Steven passed a flash drive to Cat, which he inserted into his hard drive. It was a Medical Examiner report stating that the manner of death undetermined. The Medical Examiner noted a curious absence of blood splatter on the back of the shooting hand and trigger finger. His order for a tox screening of William Jarvis had been lost and William’s body was transported without proper release. The time of death was very narrow, between nine and eleven o’clock pm.

  Cat asked Steven, “Did anyone depose this examiner for more information?”

  Steven answered, “He died in an auto accident the same day he sent me this. Actually about an hour after he sent this to me. The death report on record for William Jarvis lists suicide as the manner of death and the time of death between seven and eleven o’clock. This may have been the perfect murder. Your turn.”

  Cat decided Steven had earned the next piece of information. “Edward Meyer is alive.”

  “Dear Lord.”

  Abram stuck his head in the office doorway, “I really need your help. I got two drunk bubbas out here tryin’ to sell me three huge bags of dead chickens.”

  Jackson laughed, “Just tell ‘em we don’t buy dead chickens.”

  Abram looked scared, “I told ‘em, man. They’re not takin’ no for an answer. They say we can sell ‘em for gator bait. Help me out!”

  Jackson chuckled and followed Abram out the door. Jackson about peed his pants when he saw two men leaning against the same ratty old truck he had been following the night before. Betty Sue was still smilin’ and flippin’ off the world.

  Jackson grabbed Abram’s shirt sleeve. “That’s them! That’s the evil Ms. Spicey said were the killers last night.”

  Abram hissed through unmoving lips, “What the hell we gonna do?”

  Jackson’s eyes were popping, “We be buyin’ them chickens!”

  We finished at the Medical Examiner’s office and headed back to Spicey’s Voodoo shop. Ellen said Spicey needed us. Sounded fine to me. Anything was better than all those dead bodies. When we arrived at the Voodoo shop, Sasha was locking the doors and turning the signs to say closed.

  Sasha frowned, “I want to go over this little plan one more time ‘fore we leave here. It sounds too easy to me.” Sasha sat heavily on her stool and drummed her fingers on the counter top. Dakin stood off to the side and waited for Spicey to speak.

  “The plan is we take us a cab to the end of Betty Sue’s driveway. Then we sneak in through the woods there and leave Dakin’s Hoodoo tokens on the door step. When they see the tokens they will pick ‘em up and Dakin’s spell will start working.” Spicey nodded and looked at Dakin for confirmation she had it right. Dakin nodded.

  Sasha asked, “What supposed to happen to ‘em when they pick up the tokens?”

  Dakin smiled, “They get real sick, then we call the police.”

  Sasha started waving her finger in the air, “See? That part right there what gets me. We gonna have to explain how they got sick, ain’t we? Don’t we have a problem here with trespassin’ and poisonin’ peoples?”

  Spicey tilted her head, “She might have a
point.” Dakin shrugged.

  Mary looked at Teresa, “Do angels just sit by and watch people poison each other?”

  Teresa and Linda both shook their heads.

  I offered, “This might be a good time to call Ellen.”

  Mary agreed, so Teresa called and Ellen popped in.

  Ellen listened to us explain Spicey’s plan. “Hmmm. Nope. That isn’t going to happen. How about you gals get Spicey to change the plan? Mambo can probably help. All Mambo will need is something that belongs to Claude and Earl.”

  That’s all? That still means we have to go to Betty Sue’s house. Not to mention a trip in the swamp. Dang.

  Ellen chuckled. Obviously she was reading my mind. “You’re not going to like that house, either.” Uh oh.

  Ellen disappeared and Teresa said, “We have to get Spicey to look in her crystal ball. She can hear us in the ball.”

  Linda said, “Why don’t we just bring the ball to her?”

  Mary shook her head, “That won’t work. Sasha will faint.”

  Teresa concentrated on Spicey seeing us. We could tell from Spicey’s expression it worked. Teresa crooked her index finger for Spicey to follow her behind the curtain door. Sasha and Dakin watched Spicey walk real slow out of the room.

  Sasha asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

  Dakin shrugged as she filed her long nails.

  Sasha and Dakin peeked behind the curtain and watched Spicey sit at her table and put her hands on the ball. Teresa’s face popped into the ball. “Hi. We don’t want you to use poison. It’s just not cool, ya know? We have another idea. We’ll go with you to Betty Sue’s house, get something that belongs to these guys and then go see Mambo. She might have a spell that will work. Okay?”

  Spicey nodded okay and removed her hands from the ball. She looked at Sasha and Dakin peeking through the curtain. “We can’t be using poison. The angels ain’t likin’ that. We’re supposed to go to that house and take somethin’ that belongs to them men. Then we’re to take it to Mambo’s.”