by Jim Riley
"You got some explaining to do or I'm going to put you right back in there and push you under until I don't see any more bubbles."
"I can't," Jimmy whimpered.
"You've got no choice," Samson put a big paw on Gill's shoulders.
"I can explain," the feminine voice came from the side of the house.
Donna, Drexel, Mayeaux, and Jimmy all looked at her, their mouth agape. The five officers turned their weapons on the long, lean figure.
"It's all right guys," Mayeaux said without taking his eyes off of Niki Dupre. "Why don't y'all head up that hill, and see if the shooter left us any evidence we can use."
"What about you, Chief?"
"I need to stay down here. A ghost just appeared, and I need to ask her some questions."
Chapter Seventy-Seven
"Niki," Donna screamed and flew to her friend, embracing her with a mighty hug.
"Dammit, Niki" Drexel said, trying to be more restrained, but with a tear running down his cheek. "I must say this is a surprise."
"Me, too," Samson added.
Niki broke from Donna's embrace and walked over to Drexel, giving him a long hug. Then she approached Samson and kissed him lightly on his grizzled chin.
"I want to explain, but not here." Niki nodded to the other policemen stalking up the hill.
"I'll meet you at Linda's in ten minutes," Samson said.
All the others nodded, except for Jimmy.
"I want to stay with my family," he said.
"I'll leave two of my guys here with them. I've got a feeling you are involved in this one way or another."
Jimmy nodded. "Can I put on some dry clothes first?"
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Linda’s Chicken & Fish
Niki ordered her favorite; Cajun fried chicken livers with sides of gumbo and a plate of fried dill pickles.
“No doubt it’s really you,” Drexel laughed. “Your ghost would clog up every artery in its body the way you eat.”
“It’s me. I guess I need to tell you what happened.”
They all nodded.
Niki told him about the call she received from Jimmy Gill. He told her that Paula was holding the twins hostage and would only release them if he killed her. He called to tell her that no matter how much he loved his daughters, he could not kill an innocent person to save them.
"He was so desperate," Niki continued. "And I felt so sorry for him. At least, he called me instead of killing me."
"How did you do it?" Donna asked expectantly, her joy at finding Niki overshadowing any of the minute details.
"I've got a good friend at the LSU theatrical department. When I explained the situation to him, he couldn't wait to help."
"But all the blood. I saw the crime scene, and there was blood everywhere," Drexel interjected.
"All compliments of my friend at LSU. The blood, the smoke, the gunpowder residue–" she paused. "That was overkill. There should never have been residue on me at that distance, but I couldn't talk him out of it."
"I knew something was wrong," Mayeaux shook his massive head. "It was right there in front of me when I looked at your clothing, I didn't catch it."
"Paula didn't catch it either." Niki bit a crisp dill pickle. "I wasn't sure she would let the girls go, but we had to take the chance."
"We were so sad," Donna said.
"And I apologize for that, but I–we needed for you guys to behave like it was real. The only people in on it were Jimmy, the doc, my friend at LSU, and me. We wanted to give those two girls every chance in the world to live."
"Why didn't you come out as soon as the girls were returned?" Mayeaux asked.
Jimmy Gill walked into the restaurant wearing fresh dry clothes. He took a seat beside Niki.
"Because we figured if Paula found out we pulled a trick on her, that she might come back and kill Jimmy and the girls out of spite." The investigator paused. "And I thought I might have a better chance of catching Paula and whoever hired her if she thought I was dead."
"We can still keep up the charade," Mayeaux said.
"I don't think so," Niki shook her head. "Too many people saw me tonight."
"Not really," Samson disagreed. "My guys are already searching the other side of the pool. You were in the dark by the side of the house."
"Then I shouldn't have come here to eat." Niki looked around. "These people know me."
"I'll bet Paula doesn't come here to eat that often," Drexel offered. "I don't know if she likes Cajun fried chicken livers."
"But you know how people like to gossip," Niki was not convinced.
"Yeah," Mayeaux scoffed. "People have spotted Elvis a hundred times since 1977, but that doesn't mean he's alive. It's hard to kill a legend."
Niki blushed.
"I don't think I'm in the same category as the King. I'm more like one of his groupies."
"Don't be modest," Drexel said. "Let your fame work for you. Paula has probably already heard rumors that you're alive and people have seen you. But she has also heard of sightings of rougarous, yetis, and Bigfoot. I doubt if she believes any of them."
"Why did you come out tonight?" Jimmy asked.
"Paula took a shot at you even though you cooperated with her. I'm not sure I should hang back when she is still trying to kill you."
"What do we do now?" Donna asked.
"First, I need to reconsider my assumption that it was Paula who took a shot at Jimmy tonight."
"Isn't it obvious?" Jimmy asked. "She wants me dead. There is no doubt about that after tonight."
"Why?" Niki asked. "Why would she want to kill you?"
"For the same reason she kidnapped my girls," Jimmy responded. "Nothing has changed."
"That's my point." Niki enjoyed a morsel of liver. "You told me she questioned you about hiring her to kill Omar and you denied it."
"That's true. So what?"
"I believe she doesn't know who hired Guido, who then in return hired her. She's upset that whoever it is tried to double-cross her. I'm guessing Guido tried to kill her and she was too good."
"Damn," Mayeaux shook his head. "That makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?"
"I didn't either until I figured out it wasn't Paula taking those shots tonight," Niki said.
"I hate to ask, but how do you come to that conclusion?" Mayeaux questioned.
"Not her style," Niki answered. "Paula likes to savor a kill. She likes to kill people up close and personal. This was more like long-distance sniping."
"She could have altered her modus operandi because of the circumstances," Drexel said.
"Paula is too good to miss twice," Niki countered. "She would've killed all three of you before you were able to draw your weapons."
"So who was it?" Donna asked.
"My guess is the person who started all of this, the one who hired Guido. That person still wants to eliminate Jimmy."
"Damn," Mayeaux repeated. "This case has more turns than a rabbit chase. I'm not sure we'll ever work it out."
"We will," Niki sounded positive. "We have to find the answers only two questions. Where is Paula? and Who hired Guido?. If we get those answers, the case is solved."
"Promise me one thing," Donna said.
"Sure," Niki turned to her friend. "What's that?"
"Don't die on us again."
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Thursday night
Central's
Paula was not aware of the attempt on the life of Jimmy Gill until the late news came on the television. She stopped eating the bowl of shredded wheat cereal, and froze until the news reporter wrapped up with scenes of the shooting.
She went out to the front porch of her cabin, soothed by the sound of the swamp at night. Her thought processes were much clearer away from the din of the TV and radio. Paula sat in an old Cypress swing at the end of the porch.
She quickly went through the images. Omar Philbin. Clarice getting blown to bits in Niki Dupre's Ford Explorer. Dennis Hopper wit
h a stunned look as the syringe plunged into his belly. Guido and his surprise when the gun did not fire and the subsequent begging before she slipped the needle into his neck.
Someone else wanted to kill Jimmy. That eliminated Omar, Clarice, Dennis, and Jimmy Gill. Only two politicians remained plus one who did not participate in the debate. Kenny Long was there when Omar died. She was certain Gill had not hired Guido.
But what if it was someone else? The pretty, but naïve assistant. The manipulative aide. One of those big contributors to Omar's campaign trying to fix the election to get someone who shared their views.
She considered the Coalition Against Guns. From her research, Paula found none of the potential candidates who would take up the Cause against Guns in the state known as Sportsman's Paradise. No politician would never get elected being on the wrong side of that issue in Louisiana.
The other organization was different. There was something desperate about the People for Coastal Preservation. They truly felt they had to act now or lose their precious coastline forever. That would prod them into drastic action.
She narrowed the broad list to two likely suspects, Kenny Long and PCP. She had a lot of research to do with PCP, so the practical matter was to start with Kenny. Omar had embarrassed him with photographs from Belize. He would also want to eliminate Jimmy Gill. That would leave the race for the congressional seat to him and the politician who had not participated in the debate.
Chapter Eighty
Thursday evening
Central's
The shooter was not happy. Why had the black private investigator pushed Jimmy just as the trigger was being pulled? Why had those other investigators gone to Jimmy's house in the first place? If they had not shot back, Gill would have made an easy target flailing around in the pool like a wounded duck. That memory almost brought a chuckle.
But since the shot missed, Gill would be on the lookout. He might even hire those two investigators to protect him. They had nothing else to do since Niki Dupre was dead. The investigation agency would not stay in business without Dupre at the helm.
The shooter noticed the twins had been returned to their parents. There was little doubt who have been responsible for their abduction. Why did Paula let them go? That seemed to be out of her character to display that kind of generosity.
Then doubts began to flood in like a high tide. Did I miss on purpose? Am I not cut out to be a murderer? Am I better off hiring someone else? Did I leave any clues behind at the crime scene?
The shooter thought about hiring someone else. But the two gunmen who were hired to take Niki out at Dalton's ranch failed. Paula, through Guido, had some success. At least Omar, Clarice, and Dennis were dead, along with Guido. But now Paula was out there on her own with a different agenda.
There was little doubt in the shooter's mind about Paula's agenda. She wanted to find out who hired Guido, and then told Guido to kill her. Of course, that is why Paula took the twins. Gill must have somehow convinced the assassin he was not responsible for hiring Guido. That is the only logical reason for her to release the girls.
The police would assume Paula tried to kill Gill. The motive might have been unclear, but since when does a deranged murderer need a motive?
Paula must die. The determined killer would not give up until she identified the one who hired Guido. That would be a challenge. But Niki Dupre had been a challenge and somehow Paula had killed her.
A challenge is only an obstacle not yet overcome. Paula was a huge challenge, but not an impossible one. Now that the shooter understood Paula's motivation for revenge, it might be better to sit on the sidelines and let the murderess take care of the work that needed to be done, anyway. If Paula succeeded, more targets would get eliminated. If Paula got caught, then a major obstacle would become a major achievement. The shooter smiled. It was seldom lie presented a no-lose situation. The shooter opted to sit back and wait for Paula to continue her revenge.
Chapter Eighty-One
late Thursday night
Central
Kenny Long paced about the small apartment. After hearing about the murders of the other candidates, his girlfriend decided to move back in with her parents. The pictures that surfaced of Kenny on the beaches of Belize with some of the nude women factored into her decision.
Kenny was nervous. He had no idea who was killing and attempting to kill the other candidates. But he knew that eventually, his time would come. He tried to listen to music, but could not appreciate his favorite tunes. He sat in the recliner and turned on the television, finding no show that held his interest.
He felt the need for a cold beer. Maybe two. When he got to the parking lot of the apartment complex, Kenny noticed a different car pulling in. It was an old Chevy Camaro, dark green with Mag wheels. He had not seen it in the lot before. He was a big fan of the old Camaros, and stared at it for a long time.
He then noticed the driver, a petite young lady with coal-black hair. Kenny started to wave, then changed his mind. He still hoped his girlfriend would return and did not want her to find an attractive female in his apartment. He made a mental note to find out more about the petite female with the green Camaro.
Kenny hopped into his pickup and drove to the bar on the banks of the Amite River. The small tributary separated East Baton Rouge Parish and Livingston Parish. Livingston Parish offered few alcoholic establishments that were not associated with the dine-in restaurants. The one right past the bridge attracted young folks from Livingston Parish and did not strictly enforce identification requirements.
The lack of age requirements was a lure for young girls looking for free drinks from older guys. A girl with a so-so figure never had to buy beer or any other drinks.
Kenny grabbed a can of beer and strode to the back of the room. There the bar housed two pool tables. He had a table at home as a teenager and became a fairly good player. He quickly found out he did not have to be that good to beat most of the youngsters from Livingston Parish.
The teenage girls raised the stakes for the players. It was not unusual for a mini-tournament to be formed after a few drinks. The winner got an extra bonus, fifteen minutes behind the bar with his choice of the girls.
To the girls, it became a separate contest. Each of them wanted to be able to say she was the most desirable. Hence, they wore suggestive clothing and made their availability obvious to the pool players as the tournament gained momentum.
Kenny did not play well in the preliminary games before the tournament started. He mostly watched the other kids, and rated their abilities. A couple of young men were good. The others were lucky not to scratch with the cue ball on the break.
Some players teased Kenny about being too old to have steady nerves and the ability to make the shots. From the results of the side games, he could not argue with them. He managed to lose thirty dollars on those games.
Then the tournament started. Kenny was seeded at the bottom of the pack, and the two young men who demonstrated a modicum of skill were pegged at the top. Kenny did not mind. He managed to get ten-to-one odds against him to win. Kenny pulled money out of his pocket and counted two hundred and twenty dollars. He put the twenty back in the wallet and bet the other two hundred.
His first match was against one of the worst players Kenny had ever witnessed. The poor kid could not hit the cue ball anywhere close to his intentions, and added to his ineptness with more drinking. Kenny's play was not much better.
It took the pair almost twenty minutes to knock enough balls in the holes before the kid was left with two stripes, and Kenny was left with the eight ball. Kenny got a bit concerned when the kid knocked in the eleven ball, and had a straight shot on the other striped one.
He breathed easier when the kid missed the easy shot and left him a simple shot to the corner for the eight ball. After sinking it, he wiped his brow as if he had really struggled to beat the young man.
Kenny glanced at the half-dozen teenage girl and grinned. A couple of them were more t
han passable and would make the fifteen minutes behind the bar more than interesting. Then he froze.
Sitting next to the last teenager was the same petite lady he had seen driving the green Camaro. His gaze stopped on her and he took in a full view. She returned his look, not flinching in any way. Suddenly, the stakes for winning just became more attractive.
Kenny set aside for the next three matches, watching his competitors vie for the championship. He took his beer and moved closer to the young lady.
"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked.
"Sure," she smiled. "I'll have a beer."
He went to the bar, grabbed two beers, and returned to the pretty lady.
"My name is Kenny," he said. "What's yours?"
"Paula," she answered. "I'm not from here."
"Didn't I see you at my apartment? You were driving a green Camaro."
"That was me. I just moved in and decided I needed a break from unpacking."
"You just happened to show up here?"
"I have to confess," a sexier smile. "I followed you hoping you were going to get a drink. Luckily for me, you were."
"Do you don't know the rules of the tournament?" Kenny asked.
"Goodness, no. I thought it would be fun watching my new neighbor scamming these young guys."
Kenny held a finger to his lips. "Don't let them know. Is it that obvious?"
"For someone who plays a lot, it is." Paula took a sip of her drink. "And I've played a good bit."
"Maybe you and I will have to have a match after the tournament is over."
"We can do that," she grinned.
"Or you can just follow the rules."
"What are the rules?" Paula asked.
"The winner of the tournament gets his choice of the young ladies over here. The lady gets to congratulate the winner any way she wants."
