Dangerous Mercy: A Novel (37 page)

The old man tipped the bill of his hat. “Will do. Have a nice day.”

Murray watched in his side mirror as Belair pulled his truck around him and disappeared on the shady road. Was the old guy suspicious? Why would he be? The ranger’s van and uniform were authentic enough. He had to kill Adele quickly and drag her body into the woods while he had the chance.

Murray took in a slow, deep breath and exhaled. And then did it again. He got out of the van and tucked the Smith and Wesson in his waistband, wondering if there was a special place in hell for a guy who could shoot an angel.

CHAPTER 40

Murray slid open the door of the van, stacked the bags of wild animal food over to the side, and took off the tarp that covered Adele.

“Let me get you untied so you can stretch out,” he said.

He gently removed the duct tape from her mouth and then cut the rope on her wrists and ankles. Her body went limp.

Murray rolled her over on her back. What was wrong with her? Why didn’t she move? Why didn’t she say something?

He put his hand to her cheek and gently patted it. “Adele, it’s me, Murray. Say something.”

She blinked, staring at him as if she didn’t know him.

“What’s wrong? Come on. We need to go.” Murray craned and looked down the stretch of road that led back to the highway. How long did he have before another nosy driver stopped to see what he was doing there? Or heard the shots. Maybe it was too risky. There was no silencer on the gun. Suddenly this didn’t feel right. He needed a more secluded place.

Murray left Adele lying on the floor of the van and slid the door closed. He went around and climbed in behind the wheel, started the engine, and made a U-turn. He drove about a hundred yards and, in the rearview mirror, spotted what appeared to be Belair’s red truck coming at a very fast clip. Could the ranger and his wife have been discovered already—and an APB issued on the van? Had the public been given that information?

Stopping wasn’t an option. Belair would see Adele in the back of the van. He reached over on the seat and picked up the gun, his heart racing.

The red truck came right up on his bumper and then swerved around him, Belair waving as he drove toward the highway, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

Murray’s heart nearly beat out of his chest. He slowed the van and wiped the sweat off his upper lip. Wouldn’t the smartest move be to pull over, shoot Adele, dump her body in the woods, and get out of the state as fast as he could?

His mind flashed back to their sitting together at Scoops, laughing about their Banana Mountains. She’d been wholly delighted in the moment—and in him. An unexpected wave of tenderness came over him.

How much longer could it take to do this with respect? All he had to do was find a secluded place and make sure the bullet was carefully placed so Adele died painlessly. He would wrap her in the tarp and bury her in a shallow grave—not dump her body in the woods as if she didn’t matter.

He glanced in the rearview mirror and couldn’t see her. She hadn’t even sat up. What was wrong with her? Surely she’d had sufficient oxygen when he covered her up? What difference did it make? The less aware she was of what was coming, the better.

Zoe sat with Vanessa at the table in the kitchen at Zoe B’s, one hand wrapped around a cold glass of lemonade, the other tapping the table.

“I wish I could do something to help you relax,” Vanessa said. “I’m praying practically nonstop.”

“I can feel it. It’s just so hard waiting, not knowing what’s happening to Adele. I feel like my mother’s been kidnapped.”

“I know.” Vanessa reached over and squeezed her hand. “That’s why I’m here.”

Zoe glanced over at her best friend. Even under stress, Vanessa was naturally beautiful. Long, shiny dark hair. Clear blue eyes and dark lashes. Classy pink sundress on her shapely size six. Zoe hadn’t even put on makeup today. Why bother when she kept crying and it ended up on a tissue? But had she even remembered to brush her hair?

The ringing of Vanessa’s phone startled her.

“It’s probably Ethan.” Vanessa glanced at the screen and nodded, then put the phone to her ear. “Hey there … So-so. We’re supporting each other, but neither of us slept, and the waiting is hard. Everything okay there …? When …? That’s unbelievable. What did they say …? Were they both unsigned …? Are you at the sheriff’s department now …? What do the authorities think …? I can’t believe this…. All right, keep me posted. I’ll call if we hear anything.… Kiss Carter for me.… I love you, too. Bye.”

Zoe leaned forward on her elbows. “What happened?”

“Noah found a padded envelope in his truck with two note cards inside. The one with his name on it had ten one-hundred-dollar bills in it. The note was unsigned and said, ‘I’m sorry. I had to let them suspect you.’ The other had our name on it, and he brought it to Ethan. It had
fifty
one-hundred-dollar bills. Our note wasn’t signed either and said, ‘I hope this covers the cancellations. Noah didn’t kill Flynn.’ Can you believe this? I’m in shock.”

“I heard you say Ethan was at the sheriff’s department.”

“Ethan and Noah turned everything over to the sheriff. Those notes could help clear Noah. And we can’t just take that kind of money without knowing where it came from. They met with Deputy Castille. He said the notes are identical to those received by other people who reported being given anonymous money. The authorities believe it came from Murray, that he’s giving away the money he stole from his victims.”

Zoe stopped to process what it meant. “How can Murray be such a vicious killer and then turn around and want to help people?”

“I don’t know,” Vanessa said, “but I wouldn’t take a dime from him. It’s scary, though. How could he know we were getting cancellations?”

“Only if Noah told him.” Zoe lifted her gaze. “Think about it. Murray must’ve killed Flynn Gillis and let Noah take the heat. Then felt bad when Noah left his job and told him Langley Manor was losing business.”

“Whoa.” Vanessa held up her palm. “This is starting to make sense. If Murray killed Flynn, he deliberately let the suspicion fall on Noah to deflect it from himself.”

“Exactly. But as time went on, he felt guilty.” Zoe’s mind raced with the implications. “Poor Noah. So many people misjudged him.”

Vanessa sighed. “Including Ethan.”

Jude sat in on the morning briefing and then walked back to his office with Kyle. He flipped the lights on.

“You want coffee?”

“No, thanks,” she said. “I’m caffeined out. I think I drank a whole pot last night. But I think I’ll help myself to a few of those doughnut holes.”

“Those are compliments of Gil Marcel. He’s a doughnut addict.” Jude poured himself a cup and sat at the conference table, across from her. “We’ve stopped every vehicle on every thoroughfare out of Les Barbes. They haven’t surfaced. I think they’re still here, laying low.”

“I disagree. If Hamelin intends to use Adele as a shield or a bargaining chip, he has a very short window before she can’t keep up. Zoe showed us the medication she takes. Her high blood pressure could be off the charts under this kind of stress. I think Hamelin would’ve taken the first chance he got to get out of town with her.”

“But how?” Jude said. “There’s little chance they got through those checkpoints without being ID’d.”

Kyle shrugged. “I don’t have an answer for you. I just know Murray will be on the move. I think we should take our efforts beyond the parish. He could be in Texas by now. And if he made it that far, he’s already killed Adele.”

Murray drove several miles toward Lake Charles, then turned onto a gravel road with a sign pointing to Beaudette Family Cemetery. He drove a considerable distance, rocking and rolling over the poorly maintained road, and spotted the aboveground tombs several yards ahead. He pulled up alongside them and rolled down the window.

The place was eerie, almost mystical, with rays of sunlight filtering through the dense, intertwining branches of the huge magnolias that surrounded the cemetery. There were three distinct rows of tombs. Some tombs were tall brick-and-cement structures stained with mildew. Most were horizontal cement structures placed a few feet aboveground. Grass had overtaken one. A newer-looking grave closest to the road was made of polished marble, but the silk flowers in the holder were ragged and faded. It didn’t look as though anyone had been here in a while.

Did he really want to do this? Did he really have a choice?

The one thing you always have is a choice,
Grandma Sophie had told him.

Not this time. If he wanted to save his life, he had to take Adele’s. Now. Before he got caught.

He got out and walked along the path that led to the tombs. How far above sea level was this? Would he be able to dig a shallow grave without it filling up with water? All he needed to do was make sure Adele’s body was covered with enough soil that it wouldn’t be discovered until he was far away.

He glanced at the thick cement crosses that graced several of the graves. This seemed a more appropriate place to leave Adele.

He trudged back to the van to get a shovel. He slid open the door, startled to see Adele sitting up, her back resting on a bag of feed. Other than her face being soaked with perspiration, she seemed alert.

“There you are, hon.” Her voice was weak. “Would you mind getting my water?”

Murray reached the bottle that had rolled under the seat. He unscrewed the cap and handed it to her. “Why didn’t you talk to me before?”

“When?”

“When I took the tape off your mouth and untied you. You went limp and stared at me, like you didn’t know who I was. I tried to get you to talk. But you didn’t say a word.”

“I didn’t?” Adele winced. “Goodness, I’ve got a splitting headache. I’m so confused. I heard voices and I tried to get up but I couldn’t move. I must’ve been dreaming.”

“Just sit here a moment and drink some water,” he said.

“It’s terribly hot in here.”

“I’m sorry,” Murray said. “I never thought to open the doors while I went to check things out.”

Adele craned and looked over his shoulder. “Are we at a cemetery?”

“Yes, I pulled off the highway for a minute. There’s something I need to do.”

Adele paused and seemed to be thinking. “Are you going to kill me here?”

“Do you remember why we’re in the van?”

“Of course I remember. You stole it from the ranger. You’re running from the law, and I’m your hostage.” Adele set the water down, then picked up her right hand with her left and let go. Her right hand fell in her lap.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Murray said.

“It’s numb and tingly. It’ll go away in a while.”

“Why is it numb?”

“I’ve probably had a TIA. I’ve had several lately. But never this bad. That’s probably why I didn’t respond to you before. They make me sleepy.”