Dangerous Mercy: A Novel (22 page)

“Someone in a bass boat found him a few miles from his home, clinging to a street sign.”

“What happened after that?”

“Don’t know yet,” Danny said. “I have a copy of the police report, including Noah’s statement, but I don’t see where he was housed in the aftermath. About a million people left New Orleans, either just before Katrina or right after. Finding out where Noah was taken is next to impossible. The police report indicates he didn’t have flood insurance. Also that he was in business for himself. His company name was NW Landscaping. Noah didn’t file income tax returns after Katrina—not until two years ago when he moved into Haven House and started working for the Langleys and you and other folks in the region. Probably didn’t have a steady job in those years he didn’t file. It’s hard to say at which point in time he joined the ranks of the homeless. But it could have been right after Katrina. The man lost everything.”

“He must have been desolate.” Adele moved her gaze over to the nightstand, to the wedding picture of Alfred and her. “I withdrew from everyone for three years after Alfred died of a heart attack. I was devastated.”

“Before you feel too sorry for the guy, keep in mind his sorrow could’ve turned to anger and bitterness. That’s a recipe for violence if I ever saw it.”

Adele’s heart sank. “But Noah seems so gentle and kind. I’ve never even seen him lose his temper.”

“Have you ever provoked him? I don’t think you can afford to assume he’s incapable of violence. In his mind, the government let him down. The rescuers failed his family. He was helpless to do anything. All that anger has to go somewhere.”

“Not everyone who experiences a tragic loss turns violent. And he’s not wanted by the law, or he couldn’t be living at Haven House.”

“This is true. But like I said, what happened to him is a recipe for violence.”

Adele sighed. “Danny, I’m right back where I started. Noah had already told me he lost everything in Katrina.”

“I know. But this confirms he told you the truth. I’m not done digging. I want to find out where he went and what he was doing in those years he didn’t file income tax.”

“You said that would be next to impossible.”

“
Next
to impossible, but not impossible.” Danny had a smile in his voice. “I’ve got contacts in FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities—just about every agency that might have a list of victims and what shelters they were sent to. Those records are out there somewhere because many of the victims were trying to get reconnected with family members in other shelters. Do you want me to keep digging?”

Adele thought for a moment. As sympathetic as she was to Noah’s misfortune, the facts Danny confirmed didn’t relieve her suspicion that Noah might have a dark side.

“Yes,” she said. “Keep digging. See what else you can find.”

CHAPTER 23

Murray sat on the floor in front of the big-screen TV in the lounge at Haven House, watching the six o’clock news. He spotted Noah in the hallway and got up and followed him into the dorm room they shared.

“You okay?”

“Not really. My head hurts from thinkin’ about how I can get more work. I’ve got a few yards to mow, but I was makin’ most o’ my income from bein’ the groundskeeper for the Langleys.”

“Are you any good at painting?” Murray said.

“I can paint with the best o’ them. Always did my own, inside and out.”

“Why don’t you take all my paint jobs? I’ve got plenty of other work to keep me busy.”

“You serious?”

“Sure. It’s the least I can do.”

Noah’s face softened, and he swallowed hard. “That’d sure help me out. I’ve gotta move fast and make some plans. My time’s up here. I need a place to hang my hat, and I need to make enough money to pay for it. I don’t wanna be homeless again.”

“So take the paint jobs. It might not be enough in the long run, but in the short run, it should help.”

Father Vince appeared in the doorway. “Noah, I spoke with Monsignor Robidoux, and he’s granted you a six-month extension.”

“He’s lettin’ me stay?” Noah’s eyebrows came together. “Does he know I’m a person of interest in Flynn Gillis’s murder?”

“I didn’t bring it up. I told him there’s been a delay in your moving out to Langley Manor. That’s true. And he knows your family tie to the Langleys.”

“It means a lot that you went to bat for me.” Noah’s eyes glistened. “I really wasn’t sure where I was goin’ if I had to leave here.”

“Well, the pressure’s off.”

“That’s
great
news, Father.” Murray slapped Noah on the back. “We were just talking about Noah taking my painting jobs until Flynn’s murder is solved and he can move out to Langley Manor.”

Father Vince turned to Noah. “Do you have experience painting?”

“Shore do. I always did my own. It’s like ridin’ a bicycle. You don’t forget how.”

“There. That’s another problem solved. God is good.”

“
Why do you always say that?” Murray asked. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but what did God have to do with this? Shouldn’t we be thanking Monsignor Robidoux and ourselves for working out the details?”

“God’s always involved in the details.”

Murray pushed his hands deeper into his pockets.
Not always.

Jude wadded up an old phone memo and tossed it in the trash, deciding to call it a day, when he heard a knock at the door.

Gil Marcel stood in the doorway.

“Come in, Gil. How come you’re still here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Sheriff. I thought you were meeting Colette for dinner at Zoe B’s.”

“I was just about to leave,” Jude said. “What’s up?”

“We’ve found something that might connect Jeanette Stein to the case.”

“Talk to me.”

Gil handed him some papers stapled together. “This is the list of former employees at Aubry Computer Systems. It goes back five years. Look on the next to the last page at the name highlighted in yellow, second from the bottom.”

“Jeanette LaBelle?”

“That was Jeanette Stein’s maiden name. We checked it out. The Social Security number and date of birth match. She worked in Aubry’s Lafayette branch for thirteen months.”

Jude lifted his gaze, his mind racing in reverse. “And Barry Stein, the hotshot defense lawyer, who never misses a trick, didn’t think that was
relevant?
Get him back in here. Now. I’ll call Colette and tell her to meet me later. I want to be here when he’s questioned.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And call Aimee back in. I want her here for this.”

Gil nodded and left.

Jude sat back in his chair, his hands linked behind his head, trying not to let his anger boil over. Why would Barry Stein conveniently not mention that his murdered wife had worked for the murdered CEO of Aubry Computer Systems? What was he hiding? Stein was a cunning man who knew how to manipulate the facts in his favor. He wasn’t dumb enough to think the authorities weren’t going to find out his wife worked for Aubry.

He sat looking out at the Saint Catherine Parish Courthouse, remembering the times he’d been subpoenaed by Barry Stein to give testimony that worked in favor of his good-for-nothing client. All the guy cared about was making money and growing his ego. But this wasn’t about getting back at Barry. This was about holding the man accountable for knowingly withholding evidence in the case. Why would he do that—unless he had something to hide?

Jude picked up the phone and dialed home.

“Hey there.”

“Colette, honey, I’m going to have to stand you up again.”

“Okay. So I’ll get new luggage to go with that trip to Colorado. It could be worse.”

“Seriously, I’m really sorry. We’re bringing back someone we questioned before in the bathtub killings, and it might be a break in the case. I doubt I’ll be more than a couple hours. You want to plan on meeting me for a late dinner?”

“Sure. Zoe B’s is open until eleven. They’ll serve until ten thirty. I’ve got nothing planned. I can be on call.”

He smiled. “I love you.”

“See if you still feel that way after I’ve priced a new set of soft luggage.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Of course I’m kidding. I’m so excited about the trip to Colorado I’d throw my clothes in paper bags, if I had to.”

“Do you need luggage?”

“I was kidding, Jude. I’m fine with a late dinner. Do what you need to do there. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Not yet. Let me see how this goes. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

Jude stood on one side of two-way glass and watched as Gil and Aimee brought Barry Stein into the interview room and shut the door. They seated Barry on one side of the table and then sat facing him.

“You’d better have a good reason for dragging me down here,” Barry said.

Gil folded his hands on the table. “You were escorted. Believe me, you’d know if you’d been dragged.”

“Why am I here? I told you everything before.”

“Is that so?”

Stein rolled his eyes. “Stop with the intimidation tactic, detective. It won’t work on me. I can dish it out better than you can. So let’s don’t go there.”

Gil flashed a phony smile. “Fine, I’ll cut to the chase. Are you aware your wife worked for Aubrey Computer Systems before you two were married?”

Barry’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Is that a yes or a no, counselor?”

“No. Jeanette was a software programmer for Davidson Software Solutions. To my knowledge, that’s the only job she ever held. Other than she worked part-time as a receptionist in the dean’s office at Wentzel College when she attended there.”

Gil turned the list of names to the last page and pushed it across the table. “That’s her name—Jeanette LaBelle. The Social Security number and date of birth match. Your wife worked in the Lafayette branch of Aubry Computer Systems for thirteen months. Look at the dates.”

“That was before we met,” Barry said. “I knew her when she worked for Davidson. She never mentioned working for Aubry.”

“Are you telling me that never, in all the time you two shared personal histories, did she mention working for Aubry Computer Systems?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care. It’s the truth.”

“You’d better care, counselor. You could be charged with giving a false report to law enforcement, which is a Class A misdemeanor. Even if you got off with probation, I don’t have to tell you that being convicted of a crime of
moral turpitude
could get you disbarred or put on probationary status.”

“How dare you threaten me!” Barry slammed his hands on the table. “That’s totally bogus. I answered all your questions. I didn’t withhold anything. I didn’t know Jeanette worked for Aubry.”

“Makes me wonder how well you knew your wife.”

“I knew Jeanette better than anyone on the planet.”

Gil leaned forward and held Barry’s gaze. “Why would she lie to you?”

“She didn’t lie. It never came up.”

“Never came up?” Gil smirked and shook his head. “How long did you and Jeanette see each other before you married?”

“Four months.”

“And you must’ve had a lot of time to talk in those four months.”

“What’s your point?”

“What conceivable reason would Jeanette have for not telling you she worked for Aubry, especially when she told you she worked in the dean’s office at the college? That means she deliberately hid it from you.”

“I have no idea. She led me to believe she worked for Davidson immediately after she graduated from college. I can’t recall if she ever actually
said
that, but that’s the impression she gave me. I have no idea why she would choose not to tell me about her working for Aubry. I really don’t.”

Jude leaned on the glass and studied Barry. He didn’t look like a man who was hiding something. Then again, he could convince entire juries his lowlife clients were innocent. Could he be using those same skills now?

Jude watched his every movement. Barry was slick, but there was no way that man killed his wife. So why would he lie about her working for Aubry—to protect her reputation? Had she been in some kind of trouble? Done something that would be embarrassing to her—or to him?

Jude spoke into the mike so Gil could hear through his earphone. “Gil, push him about Jeanette’s employment at Aubry. See if he’s covering for her—if she had something to hide.”

Gil coughed to buy a few moments and then said, “Maybe it was Jeanette who had something to hide? Is that why you didn’t want us to know she worked for Aubry? You might as well tell us. We’re going to find out anyway.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want you to know,” Barry said. “
I
didn’t know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That’s unfortunate, detective. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

“Well, you’ve got to do better than that, counselor.” Gil’s voice went up an octave. “Or things are going to start getting ugly. I know you’re hiding something.”

Barry seemed furious, then folded his arms and sat back in his chair. “No. I’m not. And you don’t have enough to hold me. Look. I can play this game better than you and Sheriff Prejean hiding behind that mirror. I don’t want to play games. I want Jeanette’s killer brought to justice, and I’ll cooperate any way I can. But I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t know she worked for Aubry. Have you talked to employees? I’m sure some of them were working there when Jeanette was. Maybe they can help you figure out if Jeanette’s working at Aubry is significant.”

“Oh, it’s significant, counselor. It’s just a matter of figuring out
how
significant.”

“Well”—Barry rose to his feet—“while you’re busy trying to figure out
how
significant, I need to go home and take care of my twins, who no longer have a mother to rock them to sleep.…” His voice cracked. “Am I free to go?”