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

by Vicki Graybosch

  Cat was staring at pure evil. “I actually lost track of how many murders you have ordered. The arrogance of power. Or was it the money? You have accumulated a nice little nest egg of that, too. In your maiden name, of course. Stupid mistake for such a smart lady. But hey, you make great soup. You should be real popular in the prison kitchen.”

  Roger and Paul appeared in the door and Paul started reading Ted and Martha their rights. Cat twisted in his chair and laid his pen down. He felt used and betrayed. Ted and Martha had been his work family for almost eight years. Cat’s entire adult life was about bringing justice to the guilty, and some measure of closure to the victims. As good as it felt to see Ted and Martha arrested he knew they would never pay a just price for all of the pain they had caused. He also knew there were more where they had come from.

  Roger knocked on the door to get Cat’s attention. “Moving on?”

  Cat nodded. He listened to the elevator close down the hall and looked out to Martha’s empty desk. Damn it. She had been the best secretary he ever had. It sent a chill down his spine that she had watched his every move for eight years. Eight years of making sure he stayed wrapped up in litigation and insulated from the real workings of her partners. Cat wadded up the list of points he had prepared, rolled his chair away from his desk and tossed the paper wad into the wastebasket across the room.

  Nailed it!

  Cat looked at his watch. He had to hurry. He arrived at the TV station just as Reuben and Ed finished their segment. Cat walked over and congratulated Ed on his coming out.

  “Say, if you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you.” Cat pointed toward an empty office that was used as a waiting room.

  Ed said, “Sure. Should Reuben stay, too?”

  Cat shrugged, “It’s up to you.”

  Reuben announced he wanted to get back to the Times-Picayune office and prepare his story about his dad being alive.

  Ed and Cat sat across from each other at a small, round table. Cat shook his head. “Well, thanks to you,we have William’s murderer.” Ed smiled. Cat continued. “You know, I kept asking myself why a man as smart as you would agree to become invisible. Then, it hit me. Money, of course.” Cat pulled out a bank statement from his briefcase. He looked up at Ed, “Lots of money. From what I can see about eight million dollars. Original deposit date one week before your arrest.”

  Ed started to squirm in his seat. “What is that? You have my bank statement? What are you getting at?”

  Cat leaned back in his chair, “It was your idea! You were the one that understood how the machine really worked. You were going to beat them at their own game. You figured out how to earn eight million dollars from them and set them up to take the fall. All you had to do was wait until they were ready to put Ted in office.”

  “You approached Ted with a foolproof plan to end up the Governor. You told him he would have to ‘make his bones’, your words. You also knew he was a weakling and would need you as a partner to stay on task.

  “You’ve watched the local machine for years, closely, and knew exactly who to approach. You offered up a U.S. Attorney General that would do what they wanted and you got rid of William, who they feared. At next election, in eight years, the machine would have a Governor they had murder evidence on. Ted was a sitting duck. He would have no choice but to do anything they asked of him. And you got paid eight million dollars for a month in jail and your willingness to be set up for Molly’s murder.

  “You had to plan your way out through this whole thing. You put yourself in that alley. You made sure Dooley parked where it would be ‘caught’ on Otis’s video. Of course, they had to promise you that you would escape soon, somehow. That was the weak link wasn’t it? Getting out of prison and not being killed by the machine. Katrina was a blessing! You could become dead. All you had to do was stay invisible until Ted ran for office. There are still fourteen prisoners missing from that transfer during Katrina. It was perfect.”

  Cat rearranged himself in his chair. “I can’t believe you convinced Ted he had to give them proof he killed Molly and William. I’m sure they sent someone with Ted to make sure he really did it and collect the evidence. At that moment, Ted became your patsy. Then you could play it exactly the way you did. Bravo.”

  Cat wasn’t smiling, his eyes focused like lasers on Ed’s. As much as he had hoped Ed was innocent, he knew that Molly and William Jarvis died as pawns in Ed’s ego driven plot.

  Ed looked spent, “It was almost brilliant, wasn’t it? I can see where I made one mistake though. I assumed you couldn’t figure it out, the part about me. What gave me away?”

  “You did, Ed. The way you think, the scheme of things. Ted isn’t that smart. Just now in your interview you said, ‘Ask the tough questions until you get a logical answer’. You were the only one bright enough to have pulled this off. You are the logical answer.”

  Ed shrugged, “The irony is I hated them so much I became one of them.”

  Cat shook his head, “The irony is you traded everything you had for nothing. You used everyone that cared about you, especially Reuben. He had to believe, didn’t he? You let him think you were dead for four years. You couldn’t stand it anymore, you needed attention. You needed someone to know you weren’t invisible. You felt sorry for yourself even though it was all your own doing. You could have stopped right there. For you, it was still more important to take down a piece of the machine. You had to push it to the end. You would have gotten away with eight million dollars if you had stayed invisible.”

  Ed actually chuckled, “You had me go on national TV. Brilliant. You had me prove I was alive.”

  Cat shrugged, “I can’t prosecute a dead man.”

  Cat pushed the cell button to call Roger, “We’re ready now.”

  Cat looked at Ed, “You might consider calling Izzy.”

  Ed winced, “I’ll do that right now.”

  Cat was impressed with how Ed handled the situation. He was truthful and told Izzy he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. He confessed to her that he had done something very wrong years ago. He asked Izzy to give the FBI and Mathew, Lisa and Jamie time to help her with a plan.

  Ed hung up, “That may have been the worse part of this.”

  Cat reminded Ed he still had to talk to Reuben.

  Ed talked to Reuben for a few minutes and then handed the phone to Cat. “He hung up. I think I have disappointed him beyond repair.”

  Cat said, “I’ll make a point of meeting with Reuben soon. Not for you, for him.”

  Roger had Paul cuff Ed and lead him from the building.

  Roger shook his head, “How did you ever piece together that it was Ed’s plan?”

  Cat answered, “I had his help all the way.”

  The Solicitor General placed a call to Virgil Holmes’s office.

  Virgil answered, “Yes, sir?”

  The Solicitor General stated, “There are two armed security agents that will arrive at your office shortly to escort you to my office. I respectfully request that you comply with their orders.”

  “Sir?”

  “You’re done.”

  The Solicitor General leaned back in his chair and smiled. It wasn’t often enough his job proved this satisfying.

  Thursday 6:00 pm

  The six o’clock news led with the story of Theodore Dupre, U.S. Attorney General, arrested for the 2005 murders of Mary and William Jarvis. FBI spokesperson Supervisory Special Agent Frank Mass, confirmed that several other officials at Justice were also facing charges.

  “In other news, the Senate failed to pass a bill that would have capped the liabilities of entities guilty of causing environmental damage. Given credit for the bill’s failure to pass was Senator Welsh of Louisiana. He was quoted as saying, “It was the right thing to do.” The Senator’s critics have promised he will face a fierce uphill battle in his next election.”

  The TV anchor holding the microphone for the six o’clock news was Reuben Florey, reporter for the Times-Picay
une. Reuben looked in the camera and stated, “Mr. Edward Meyers, my father, announced today he is alive and no longer a suspect in the murder of Molly Jarvis. He will, however, be facing a number of federal charges stemming from that incident. My father corrupted himself in his fight against corruption. Suspended New Orleans police officer, Mason Dooley, is being charged with the attempted murder of Senior Assistant Attorney General, Steven Marks, and is under investigation for the murder of Marla Wilson. Marla was a very dear friend of this reporter.”

  The camera man signaled they were off the air and then stated, “Man, that had to be hard to report.”

  Reuben sighed, “About my dad? I think a part of me always knew.”

  Roger and Paul had stopped at the diner near the field office for jambalaya. Thor, Jeanne, Nelson and Pablo had joined them. Pablo held up his glass for a toast. “Another well played team effort.”

  Everyone raised their glasses. Thor looked at Roger, “I didn’t realize our technology had come so far in the last year.”

  Roger glanced at Paul and then answered, “I think it is one of those things that will continue to evolve. We probably don’t know the half of it when it comes to surveillance. It helps to have the right contacts.”

  Paul pushed his chin out in his nervous twitch.

  Jeanne reached over and squeezed Pablo’s hand. “Stay safe, you leaving tonight?”

  Pablo nodded.

  Nelson looked at Thor and Jeanne. “That’s what I want. Right there.”

  Jeanne blushed. Thor nodded. “This is livin’ the dream.” Jeanne kissed his cheek.

  Roger was so inspired he called Kim right from the table, “I’m coming home tonight. Love you.”

  Paul looked around the room, “Damn, guess I gotta quit horsin’ around.”

  Thor signaled another toast.

  Thursday 8:00 pm

  Reuben stood outside waiting for Maddie to do her business. Instead she barked at him and scuffed at the grass. “What do you want? I don’t know dog talk.” Reuben had picked up a leash at the grocery store when he had stopped to get dog food. Exercise really wasn’t his thing, but he knew dogs had to be walked. “I don’t know how you figured out what this is, but come here.”

  Reuben had decided that his father’s crimes belonged to his father. He was tired of lies. What he was determined to have was a fresh start.

  Maddie wiggled up to him and he attached the hook on the leash. Maddie took off running down the sidewalk. Reuben had missed grabbing her leash and was frantic. Traffic was heavy and he saw Maddie turn the corner way ahead.

  “Damn it all.” Reuben turned the corner at full speed and ran into a pretty woman holding Maddie. Maddie was licking her chin.

  “Hi. I seem to have your dog. She just jumped into my arms.” The lady handed the end of the leash to Reuben and lowered Maddie on the sidewalk.

  Reuben smiled, “Thank you. She got away from me.”

  The lady held out her hand, “My name is Diane. You must be taking her to the dog park?”

  Reuben shrugged, “Where’s that?”

  Diane smiled, “Just down the way a block or so. I’ll walk with you if you want?”

  Reuben smiled, “Sure.”

  Maddie stopped, looked back at him and barked twice.

  Reuben looked at Diane, “I think she is telling me to hurry up.”

  They walked about a block when Diane said, “You know I lost a very dear friend yesterday. She had a dog just like yours.”

  Reuben stopped, “Marla?”

  Diane gasped. “Yes!”

  Core stopped by the hospital to visit Zack. Zack was sitting in the bed with a food tray in front of him. His chest was heavily bandaged and he had IV’s in both arms. A wall of monitors beeped along at a steady pace.

  Core walked over, “You going to eat the pudding?”

  Zack shook his head, “Help yourself.”

  Core asked, “Taking two in the chest messed up your day didn’t it?”

  Zack answered, “The doctors thought a paid month or two in the Bahamas was probably the best medicine.” They both laughed and Core brought Zack up on the events of the day.

  “That’s all?” It hurt Zack to laugh, but he did anyway. “I’m telling you, whenever Roger Dance comes to town I want to know ahead of time. We should both leave. Deal?”

  Core smiled, “Deal.”

  Core shut the door quietly behind him. It was ten o’clock. Lisa and Jamie would be asleep. He opened the spring latch wall cavity and placed his gun inside. The snap of the quick release lock told him the gun was secured and not a risk to Jamie. After his disclosure last year to Lisa about his real employment, there were many new house rules. Core chuckled to himself remembering the thirty page document that Lisa and Jamie had presented to him.

  Seven year old Jamie had given him her sternest look when she said, “These are the new rules, Dad. You have to sign these and promise to behave.”

  Core would have done anything to keep his family, and gladly signed all thirty pages. He walked into the kitchen and found Lisa sitting on a stool at the island nursing a cup of tea.

  Core kissed the top of her head as he passed behind her to grab an apple from the basket on the counter. Lisa said, “I took the girls shopping this afternoon.”

  Core sat on the stool across from her. “How did I know this little temporary situation was going to cost me money?” He took a big bite of the apple and grinned.

  Lisa’s big brown eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him, “Mathew, Izzy has nothing. She has never been to a mall. The child cried when I told her to pick out some new socks. She tried to pay me.” Lisa shook her head and then pushed her tea cup away. “You know her grandma taught her well. She has wonderful manners and is a brilliant child. She and Jamie played computer games for an hour! The Apple store man said he never saw kids pick up the concepts so fast.”

  Core nodded. “I’m glad this hasn’t been too much for you. Roger says they are still looking for some family members. So maybe by the end of the weekend….”

  Lisa had stood and grabbed a rag from the sink. She began to feverishly wipe the counter where she had been sitting. “Where were these family members when Izzy needed them? Where were they when she and Gram had to share an orange for dinner?” Lisa started crying and Core stood to hug her. He knew what was coming next.

  “I want to keep her, Mathew.”

  “She’s not a puppy.” Core sighed. “With my history I don’t know if we could, Lisa.”

  Lisa pulled away from his hug and stared at him. “Can’t we try?”

  Core nodded, “Of course, we’ll try.”

  Lisa squeezed Mathew’s hand. “Ed called Izzy. I think she understands, but she’s only ten years old. Adults keep leaving her one way or another. It breaks my heart.”

  Mathew sighed, “All we can do is hope she gives us a chance.”

  They walked upstairs to go to bed. Lisa wanted to peek in on Izzy and quietly opened the guest room door. Lisa gasped. “She’s gone!” She flipped the light on and tossed the blankets from the bed.

  “Mathew, she left us. She’s out there in the streets at night! You have to find her!”

  Core walked down to Jamie’s room, opened the door and crooked his finger for Lisa to come over. He put his finger on his lip to signal her to be quiet. Lisa looked in and Izzy and Jamie were both in Jamie’s bed. They were one big tangle of hair, feet and stuffed animals.

  CATAHOULA

  List of Characters

  U.S. Attorney General’s office, Louisiana Eastern Division, New Orleans

  Sabastian Delacroix, Catahoula (Cat)

  Theodore ‘Ted’ Dupre, Louisiana U.S. Attorney General, Cat’s boss, going to run for Governor

  William and Molly Jarvis, ex-Louisiana U.S. Attorney General committed suicide after wife, Molly, murdered

  Steven Marks, Senior Asst. Attorney General, Fraud Division

  Ward Bromley, Special Investigator – Criminal Division


  Martha Wells, Cat’s secretary

  Virgil Holmes, Asst. Director, National Security Division of Solicitor General’s office, DOJ

  Local characters, New Orleans

  Otis, owns small grocery store

  Izzy Dubois, 10 yr. old girl, left orphan after grandmother’s death

  Reuben Florey, reporter, son of Edward J. Meyer

  Marla Wilson, works with Reuben at Times-Picayune

  Edward J. Meyer, accused murderer of Molly Jarvis

  Abram Davis, half owner of Pete’s Swamp Boat Rentals

  Jackson Moore, half owner of Pete’s Swamp Boat Rentals

  Spicey, Voodoo shop owner, has some limited real abilities

  Sasha, friend and co-worker with Spicey

  Dakin, Hoodoo princess, seeking Spicey’s help

  Claude and Earl Pegan, brothers hired to dispose of bodies for Dooley

  Mason Dooley, bad cop

  Lisa Core, Mathew Core’s wife

  Jamie Core, Mathew Core’s seven year old daughter

  Dillard Boggs, owner of chain of strip clubs

  FBI

  Supervisory Special Agent Roger Dance, lead agent brought to New Orleans

  Supervisory Special Agent Paul Casey, teams up with Roger for tough cases

  Supervisory Special Agent Dan Thor, senior agent New Orleans field office

  Special Agent Jeanne Manigat, assigned New Orleans office, relationship with Thor

  Special Agent Pablo Manigat, brought to New Orleans for case, twin brother of Jeanne