The Accused

by Jana DeLeon

  The cook whirled around and strode off to his car. He gunned the engine as he pulled away, the tires scattering dirt and gravel behind them. Carter watched him drive off, not the least bit happy with the situation. He hoped Jack wouldn’t be stupid enough to harass Alaina, but with his drinking again, there was no way to be sure.

  When Jack’s headlights disappeared around the corner of the alley, Carter headed back to his truck. As soon as he got a chance, he needed to check on Alaina and make her aware of the situation with Jack. If she planned on frequenting the café, she needed to know that the cook wasn’t likely to treat her well.

  * * *

  ALAINA BARELY HEARD her cell phone over the iPod she had blasting in her ear. She dropped the mop and dashed for the kitchen counter where she’d left her phone, pulling out her earbuds as she ran. She grabbed the phone and answered without even looking at the display, but all she heard was static.

  She glanced down at the display and frowned. The call was from the law firm. All of her cases had been passed off to other attorneys or were being handled by Everett, so there was no reason for anyone to call about business. Which meant it was personal. She pressed Redial, but the same static cut off the call after the first ring.

  Glancing outside, she saw thick clouds hanging over the swamp. It wasn’t raining here, but she’d bet it was somewhere close by. She tossed the cell phone back on the counter and blew out a breath. If Everett was calling again so soon, he must have more information about the vandal. Maybe they’d caught him.

  Or he’d struck again.

  Either way, that still put the perp in Baton Rouge, not Calais. Whatever Everett had to tell her could wait until she got a better signal. If it was important, he would call Carter, who’d have no problem driving out to the estate and raining on her parade.

  Mind made up, she stepped over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water. The air-conditioning in the house worked surprisingly well, but with the rain clouds hovering, the humidity was sky-high. Seventy-five degrees felt like eighty-five. She ran the cold bottle across her forehead, relishing the cool plastic against her hot skin.

  “You’ve been busy.” Amos’s voice sounded behind her.

  She turned around as the caretaker hobbled into the kitchen. “I figured I may as well be useful,” she said.

  He nodded. “Well, you’re doing a mighty good job of it. I’m sorry the place is such a mess. I don’t get around like I used to.”

  “It’s a big house for one person to maintain.”

  “Your stepfather wouldn’t let no one on the property but me and that one man who ran errands for him—buying supplies and such. I don’t suppose he liked people overly much.”

  “I don’t suppose he did. I’m surprised William didn’t hire someone to clean it after my stepfather passed.”

  “He tried. Had three different women come out here for the job, but they all left straightaways. All got spooked by the place. Three women talking about haunts and such was enough to keep all the rest away.”

  “Funny, William didn’t mention any ‘haunts and such’ when he was proposing that I come live here for two weeks.”

  Amos rubbed his chin and nodded. “I expect William don’t believe in haunts.”

  “Uh-huh.” Neither had she until she came here. And now...now, she didn’t know what she believed.

  “Well, if you don’t need anything from me,” Amos said, “I got a toilet to fix on the backside of the house.”

  “I don’t need anything, but thank you.”

  The grizzled old caretaker nodded and started to turn.

  Before she could change her mind, Alaina said, “Amos, you knew my mother, right?”

  “’Course. I was born here. Ain’t ever lived anywhere else. Was here the night your mother was born and here the night she went away.”

  “What was she like? I have these flashes of memory, but they’re so brief, and I...”

  She what? Wanted to remember? She wasn’t sure. If she remembered the good times, then it might make her even more sad and angry that they were so few. If she remembered the bad times, it might make her even more sad and angry that they were so many.

  “She was beautiful,” Amos said, “but I already told you as much. Thing was, with Ophelia, it wasn’t just her outside. Her inside was just as pretty. She was smart and funny but most important, she was kind. She had a big heart, just like her momma and daddy.”

  Amos’s eyes misted over as he talked about her mother and she felt a lump form in her throat, that the crotchety caretaker still missed the girl he’d known.

  “Well, I best leave you to it,” Amos said and left the kitchen.

  Alaina watched him walk away and wondered how different everyone’s life would have been if her mother had lived. It seemed everyone lost when her mother died.

  Everyone except her stepfather.

  Chapter Ten

  Carter made the lonely drive to the estate and parked his truck behind Alaina’s SUV. The evening sun cast an orange glow over the top of the swamp and onto the front of the house. His afternoon had been long and frustrating and the last thing he’d wanted to deal with was Alaina LeBeau. However, he’d made a promise to William and more important, his mother, and he wasn’t about to go back on his word. Plus, he had to make her aware of the situation with Jack.

  He knocked on the front door, expecting to have to pound on it next if Alaina was off in the depths of this monstrosity, but he was surprised when the door opened seconds later. Even more surprising was the smile she gave him.

  “Hi, there,” she said. “Come on in.”

  Technically, he’d just accomplished most everything he had to accomplish. Alaina was on property, giving her credit for her first full day of occupancy, but her chipper attitude roused his curiosity, so he stepped inside.

  “I’m getting the kitchen in order,” she said as they walked down the hall.

  “You seem very cheerful for someone who’s cleaning.”

  She laughed. “The day started off a little rocky, but I gave myself an attitude adjustment this afternoon. Now I’m on a mission to restore the house to the place I remember. It really was beautiful at one time.”

  “I don’t doubt it. My mom says your mother was a woman of infinite class and exquisite taste. She’s never wrong about such things.”

  Alaina grinned at him. “I really must meet your mom sometime. I think I’d like her.”

  “Everyone does.”

  He stepped into the kitchen and drew up short. “Wow!”

  The cherrywood cabinets gleamed as if a coat of gloss had been applied to them. The glass fronts were crystal clear, showing the neatly stacked china inside. The stone countertops were polished to a high sheen and the stainless steel appliances appeared as if they’d never been touched before. The cherrywood breakfast table had received the same treatment as the cabinets, and the old green cushions had been replaced with pale yellow that matched the paint that now covered one wall.

  “You’re painting?”

  “The wallpaper was so dated, but it was stuck to the wall like glue. No use taking it off, so I’m covering it with primer and then painting over it.”

  “Let me just say again—wow. I can’t believe you’ve done all this today.”

  Alaina looked pleased. “I’ve made three trips into Calais for supplies. I think Sam has a crush on me.”

  “I’m sure he does. He’s a smart boy.” Carter smiled. It was hard to stay aggravated in the presence of someone so happy and satisfied.

  Alaina flushed a bit and opened the refrigerator. “Would you like a soda? Or how about a beer? Are you off work?”

  “I am definitely off work and a beer would be great.”

  She pulled two bottles out of the refrigerator and passed him one before sliding onto a bar stool. He sat on the stool next to her and took a big sip of the beer, then sighed with content.

  “Long day?” Alaina asked.

  “The longest. This town doesn
’t normally have much going on, but today tested the limits of my patience.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Well, it started with Owen—the owner of the general store—swearing that he’d been robbed, but he couldn’t produce a list of inventory or any proof at all that items were missing, other than he ‘felt the stock was off.’ Then the Boudreaux boys set their uncle’s garage on fire with a soldering iron. By the time we got the fire out, Mr. and Mrs. Paulson—who are both ninety if they’re a day—backed into each other in their driveway. Apparently, they both thought they were driving to visit their daughter and neither realized the other was in a completely different, moving car.”

  Alaina covered her mouth with her hand, but he could see the smile she was hiding.

  “Then Marty Philippe ran his boat clean up his boat trailer and into the back of his buddy’s truck when they were loading up for the day, and they got in a fight at the dock. I suspect beer was involved in that one, but by then, I was already too exhausted to care.”

  Alaina dropped her hand and burst out laughing.

  He stared at her for a moment, then the hilarity of the situation and his delivery set in and he chuckled. “I guess that does sound rather ridiculous, especially if you’re not used to small-town drama.”

  “You get used to this?”

  He smiled. “Some people do.”

  “But not you?”

  It was a question, but it came out more like a statement. Carter took another sip of beer. Was he really that easy to read? Could everyone tell that he throttled himself every day to achieve such a slow pace?

  “I suppose I got used to the speed things happened in the city,” he said.

  “I get that. And I’m guessing garage fires, senior driveway accidents and drunken boat loading didn’t fall under the purview of the New Orleans Police Department.”

  “Not even close. On a good day, I had only three open murder cases on my desk.”

  “And on a bad day?”

  He didn’t want to think about the bad days. The bad days—one very awful day in particular—were the reason he’d finally turned in his badge and gun and headed back home. Even his mother didn’t know what had delivered the final blow, and if he hadn’t shared it with the one woman he could trust, he wasn’t about to share it with one who was highly suspect.

  “So what about you?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “What about me?”

  “I see how you spent most of your day. Was all of it without incident?”

  “Sure,” she said, a little too quickly.

  He stared at her and she looked down at the counter. “You don’t look sure.”

  She looked back up at him and blew out a breath. “I found a couple of things where they didn’t belong. A folder last night and then my flash drive today.”

  “And you’re sure you didn’t move them?”

  “Yes. At least, I think I’m sure.”

  She didn’t sound very sure, but she did sound rattled, and that bothered him. “Did you ask Amos?”

  “I didn’t have to. He worked over here a bit this afternoon and took some time to show me around the downstairs. He apologized up front that none of the bedrooms had been cleaned. He said the arthritis in his knees was so bad he couldn’t walk up the stairs. Both incidents occurred in the bedroom, so it couldn’t have been him.”

  Carter frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing...at least, I hope it’s nothing.” He told her about his conversation with the cook.

  “Oh, no,” she said, clearly unhappy. “Is there anyone in this town that my stepfather didn’t screw over?”

  “You’re not responsible for the things your stepfather did, and given that you and your sisters were screwed over more than anyone, I don’t think anyone with a clue is holding things Purcell did against you.”

  “Maybe not, but I’m still glad the grill at the café is in plain sight. I’m guessing I won’t be a favorite customer there.”

  “That’s Jack’s problem.”

  “So you say, but it seems a lot like it’s mine. Like I need anything else to add to the list.”

  She blew out a breath, shaking her head.

  “Is something else wrong?” he asked, getting the impression that he didn’t know everything that was going on.

  “There is one more thing—probably nothing—but I promised I’d keep you informed.”

  “Let me decide if it’s nothing.”

  “My former boss called me today. Someone vandalized his car and left a note saying ‘All of you will pay.’”

  “And he thinks the note refers to you and him?”

  “He doesn’t know who it refers to, but given that I worked there, the police felt I should be told.”

  “Uh-huh.” He studied her for a couple of seconds. It was clear to him that she was leaving something out. Maybe her boss didn’t have any idea who’d left the note, but Alaina had someone in mind—someone she wasn’t ready to share with him.

  “You didn’t get a call from him, by any chance?” she asked.

  “No. Should I have?”

  “Not necessarily. I got a call earlier from the firm’s phone number, but my signal was too weak to answer. I thought maybe he was calling back with more information. I’d given him your name earlier and told him if he couldn’t reach me to call you in case of an emergency.”

  “Nothing came through dispatch. Maybe he was just following up.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Did he say if the police want you to do anything in particular?”

  “No. He just said they felt I should be informed of the incident and kept in the loop on the investigation.”

  He nodded. “They want you to be more aware and notice anything out of the norm in case you’re a target.”

  “‘Anything out of the norm’—that’s funny.”

  “I know it will be harder to do outside of your element, even worse here.”

  “It’s impossible here. Either I’m losing my mind, or something is happening in this house.” She studied him for a second, as if trying to decide whether to continue, then she blurted out, “Do you believe in ghosts?”

  “I... Well... What prompted this question?”

  She sighed. “Cops and therapists. They always answer questions with a question.”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but the question caught me off guard.”

  “Yeah, it’s not exactly normal fare for me either.” She brushed a lock of hair away from her face and Carter could see her hand wasn’t as steady as it had been when she’d handed him the beer. Something had spooked her. He’d wondered as much when he’d seen her in the café at the crack of dawn, but he’d dismissed it as being a morning person who’d slept poorly in a strange bed all night.

  “Did you see something?” he asked quietly.

  She stared at him for several seconds, biting her lower lip, then finally nodded. “Last night, I woke and something was floating above my bed. It looked almost like a human wearing a long, white robe, but I couldn’t make out details because it was hazy, almost like smoke.”

  He placed his beer on the counter and leaned back.

  “You think I’m crazy,” she said. “I get it. I’d think I was crazy, too. It’s just that—”

  “No,” he interrupted, “I don’t think you’re crazy, but I do find it interesting.”

  “Does that mean you believe in ghosts?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe?” He blew out a breath. “I mean, it seems there are more things in this world that are unexplained than are explained, so why not?”

  “So you think I saw one?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  She sighed. “You do think I’m crazy. I’m beginning to think so myself.” She looked so distraught that he leaned forward and placed his hand on her arm.

  “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re a normal woman in an extraordinary situation. You would
n’t be human if you weren’t anxious.”

  “You think my mind and imagination are playing tricks on me?”

  “It would be hard for them not to. I mean, this room looks nice now except for the overgrown rain forest outside the windows, but the house is far from inviting and it’s strange to you because you were so young when you left.”

  “You mean when I was forced to leave?” Her jaw flexed with anger.

  Carter gently squeezed her arm. “What Purcell did to you and your sisters was wrong. If karmic justice existed, he would have died a horrible death years ago. But this is what you got dealt.”

  “I never win at gambling.”

  “You will this time. You’ll complete your stay and with any luck, come out of it ahead by one creepy house and two sisters. Hopefully, the sisters aren’t creepy.”

  Her lips quivered for a second and then she smiled. “Why are you being so nice to me when I’ve been so abrupt with you?”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  She raised one eyebrow.

  “And I’m very afraid of my mother.”

  * * *

  ALAINA STOOD at the front door, watching Carter’s taillights disappear into the swamp. He’d lingered over the beer and Alaina could tell he was hesitant to leave her here alone. She knew it would have taken only a simple request and he would have stayed, but what would that have accomplished?

  The rest of her time in the house would still stretch before her, and Carter could hardly be expected to move in for the duration. He’d agreed to keep the terms of the will because of his mother’s friendship with the attorney. He was under no obligation to do that, much less take on full-time security duties.

  That’s true, but that’s not the real reason you wanted him to go.

  She sighed as she closed the door and locked it. Damn the voices in her head. They were always right. If she was being one hundred percent honest, the thought of a ghost scared her far less than her attraction to the sheriff.

  It was an attraction she was trying hard to fight but was losing ground. He was a hard man to ignore—a man who kept promises because he loved his mother, and who had a body and face that belonged in one of those Men in Uniform calendars.