Relentless Pursuit: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (15 page)

“Right away.”

“Gil, tell me the victims’ names,” Jude said.

“The father is Rick Paquet, thirty-nine. His daughter’s name is Caissy. They live in Les Barbes. Dad’s a supervisor at the sugar refinery. Daughter is going to be in the first grade.”

We hope
. “Okay. Thanks.”

“I’m going over to the hospital,” Gil said. “I want to talk to Mrs. Paquet myself.”

Jude nodded, aware of Aimee on the phone with Chief Norman’s office. He looked out the window at the hungry reporters across the street, just waiting for another tragedy they could spin. On days like this, he felt like the grim reaper.

Chapter 16

Zoe walked past the table by the window at the eatery, smiling at Grace, who was chattering nonstop, apparently thrilled to have the undivided attention of Hebert, Father Sam, and Tex.

Zoe took a picture with her phone, and also a video, quietly capturing the adoring look on Hebert’s face as Grace sat on his lap, her pink sundress and blonde pigtails tied with matching ribbons—a stark contrast to his hopelessly wrinkled shirt and woolly gray curls. He listened with seeming interest as Grace told him a lot more than he needed to know about her favorite dollies.

Zoe smiled. She wanted Grace to grow up with this memory—or at least the stories they could tell her about it. How much memory could a child retain at four?

She noticed Pierce standing in the kitchen door and went over to him.

“Aren’t they adorable?” she said.

“They certainly are.” Pierce scratched his chin and seemed lost in thought. “I’ve been entertaining the idea of having a hundredth birthday celebration for Hebert. When’s the big day?”

“November tenth.”

Pierce took out his wallet and looked at the pocket calendar he had tucked behind his credit cards. “That’s a Saturday this year. You think he would object to us celebrating all day—even with customers? We could tie it in with his being your very first customer—and the fact that he’s been coming in every day for fifteen years.”

Zoe felt a smile tugging at her cheeks. “You know, he pretends he doesn’t want us to make a big deal out of it. But deep down, I think he’s hoping we’ll do something grandiose.”

“Then let’s give him the birthday bash of a lifetime.”

Zoe pulled up the calendar on her phone. “We don’t have anything scheduled for that day.”

“Excellent.” Pierce flashed a toothy grin. “Let’s schedule ourselves off that Saturday so we can enjoy the party. Find out his favorite kind of cake, and I’ll make a huge one to share with everyone. Let’s not tell him. Let’s keep it a surprise.”

“Oh, we have to tell him something as we get closer, or he’ll
really
be suspicious. He knows I’d never let something that important slip by. Let’s invite him to a bogus birthday celebration at our apartment that evening. We’ll tell him Tex and Father Sam will be there. But when he comes in for breakfast that morning, the dining room will be decorated, and we’ll announce then that he’s going to be the guest of honor all day.”

Pierce nodded. “We’ll get the newspaper, radio, and TV station down here. Let’s do it up big.”

“We could even put an ad in the
Ledger
that morning. Hebert doesn’t read the paper until he gets here anyhow. That way, people in the community would know and could drop by. This is fun. I’m getting excited.”

“Do you think we should buy him a new shirt?” Pierce looked over at the table and chuckled.

“No. That’s the Hebert I know and love, and that’s who I want to celebrate.”

“Me, too.” Pierce put his arm around her. “It’s kind of nice looking forward to a celebration of a long life well lived. Especially right now, after Dominic’s life was so tragically cut short.”

“Why did you have to bring it up?” Zoe sighed. “I had actually forgotten about it for a few minutes.”

“Sorry.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen. When you start feeling sad, think about how you want to do the party.”

“I can’t wait to tell Adele. I need to call her anyway and see what time she wants us to pick her up for the visitation tonight.”

Emily locked the door on the staff restroom at Zoe B’s and hit her speed dial for Chance’s cell phone.

“Hey,” he said. “I thought you were working.”

“I am. I’m just taking a quick break. How are you doing?”

“I’m hiding in my room. Aunt Reba got here an hour ago and is busy sizing up the kitchen so she can ramrod the food deliveries.”

“Chance, be nice. Someone needs to do it. She’s probably really good at that sort of thing.”

“Yes, she’s like an army sergeant barking out orders.”

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“I had a strawberry Pop Tart.”

“Are you telling me your aunt didn’t offer to make breakfast?”

“She offered. But if I accept her offer, she’ll ask me questions ad nauseam—questions I’m not up to answering and some that are none of her business. I really don’t want her here. I told you that.”

“She just came over to size up the kitchen, though, right?”

“Well, before I realized it, she had started doing my laundry. And she insisted on going through Mom’s clothes. She wants to pick out some things for herself and then arrange for the rest to be given to the Saint Vincent de Paul thrift shop. She would be glad to do the same for Dad’s stuff.”

“It would solve a problem for you, no?”

“I suppose it would—as long as I’m willing to be a prisoner in my own house!”

Emily cringed at his harsh tone.

“Sorry,” he said. “I told you the woman makes me crazy. I just don’t have the strength to hold my own. If we get sideways, it’ll make for an even tougher time tonight and tomorrow. And Mom wouldn’t want that.”

“Were she and Reba close?”

“Actually, they were. I never understood it. But I don’t have siblings and don’t understand the bond.”

“I’m really close to Vanessa and to my big brother, Ryan. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if either of them died.”

“Times that by ten, if you lost your mom! Look, I’m sorry for Aunt Reba, but I shouldn’t have to put up with her smothering me because she misses my mom—and certainly not in my own home.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it from here,” Emily said. “Just hang on until after I get off at three. Something tells me Aunt Reba will back off when I’m around. If not, we’ll have to have a heart-to-heart. I don’t have anything to lose. She already resents me.”

There was a knock on the restroom door.

“Chance, I’ve got to go.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ll see you about three fifteen.”

Emily put her phone in her skirt pocket, opened the door to the ladies room, and almost ran headlong into Savannah.

“There you are.” Savannah locked gazes with her. “Everything all right?”

“Yes, why?”

“I noticed you weren’t on the floor. I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well.”

“Everything’s fine,” Emily said. “As long as I needed to take a restroom break, I took an extra minute and made a call.”

“And how
is
Chance?”

Emily felt the heat flood her cheeks. “He’s having to deal with an aunt who’s the smothering type. He really doesn’t need that today.”

“He’s a big boy, Emily. He can take care of himself.”

“Well, since neither of
us
has lost both parents tragically, I’m not sure it’s fair to say that. His mind’s in a fog. He needs help, yes. But not smothering.”

“I thought you called his aunt so this wouldn’t happen.”

Emily sighed. “I did, and she agreed not to stay at the house. But once she came over to check on Chance, she just took over. He’s holed up in his room, wishing she would leave.”

“Then let him say so.” Savannah intensified her gaze. “Emily, you’re a good friend to want to help this young man through a tough time. But he’s a Harvard med student, for heaven’s sake. He didn’t get there by being helpless. You really don’t have to feel responsible to protect him.”

“I don’t feel
responsible
to do anything. Can’t I just be a friend without everyone trying to make something more out of it?” Emily glanced at her watch. Savannah had a lot of nerve lecturing her. “I need to get back. The couple at table four should be ready to order.”

Zoe rang the doorbell at Adele Woodmore’s house, admiring her manicured green lawn and the bright pink blossoms on the crape myrtle trees that lined the sidewalk along Magnolia Lane.

Isabel Morand, her dark hair in a French roll, opened the door. “Come in where it’s cool. Have you listened to the news this morning?”

“No. What now?” Zoe said.

“A father and his six-year-old daughter have been admitted to the hospital with cyanide poisoning.”

Zoe’s heart sank. “Was it Gaudry water?”

Isabel nodded. “They took it with them on a camping trip and hadn’t listened to the news.”

“That’s awful.”

“On a lighter note,” Isabel said, “I made a pound cake this morning, and Adele wants me to serve you strawberry shortcake out in the sunroom.”

“That sounds good.” Why did she say that? How could she even think about enjoying herself when another child had been poisoned?

Adele appeared in the hallway, dressed in an icy pink shift that looked beautiful with her white hair. She took Zoe’s face in both hands and kissed her forehead. “I was so excited when you said you were stopping by.”

“I’m surprised I didn’t hear from you over the weekend,” Zoe said. “What have you been up to?”

“I had an unexpected visitor.”

“Anyone I know?” Zoe said.

“The brother of a young woman who used to work for me a long time ago. You said on the phone you had something you wanted to tell me.”

“I do. We’ve decided to have a giant birthday bash for Hebert’s one hundredth birthday, which will be November tenth, and I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Oh, my. It’ll be here before we know it.”

Zoe chuckled. “Adele, this is June. We have plenty of time.”

“At my age, time whizzes by. Let’s sit in the sunroom, and you can tell me all about it.”

Zoe followed Adele into the glass room, stopping for a moment to admire the almost perfect lawn and the variety of vividly colored flowers in the beds along the privacy fence. “I think your yard gets prettier every time I see it.”

“Noah’s a fine landscaper. Vanessa and Ethan are really blessed to have him taking care of the grounds at Langley Manor. It was so good of him to keep me on as a customer when he became their caretaker.”

“Noah likes you,” Zoe said. “Then again, who doesn’t?”

“Enough about me. Tell me about the party. It’s hard to believe Hebert is going to be a hundred. He doesn’t look a day over eighty.”

Zoe sat opposite Adele at the round glass table and told her everything she and Pierce had talked about regarding Hebert’s birthday party.

Adele brought her hands together. “Won’t that be something? I think a come-and-go party is a marvelous idea. That way, more people can come to congratulate our friend
and
enjoy a piece of whatever scrumptious cake Pierce decides to make.”

“Hebert is a chocolate man all the way,” Zoe said. “His favorite is Pierce’s triple fudge chocolate cake with cherry cream-cheese frosting. We’ve got a lot of details to nail down. But I wanted you to know now, so you can share the excitement with us.”

“I’m so glad you did. It’s great fun being in on it.”

“Now…” Zoe breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. “I really hate to shift gears, but I need to talk about Domi’s visitation for a minute. It’s from five until seven. We’re thinking of getting there around six. How about Pierce and I pick you and Isabel up at five forty-five?”

“All right, hon. Whatever’s convenient for you. We can be flexible. We’ll have an early dinner. Would you and Pierce like to join us?”

“Thanks, but we can’t,” Zoe said. “He’s working until five and needs time to clean up. We’ll eat late.”

“I don’t know how you do that. This old stomach of mine would rebel.”

“I doubt I’ll be hungry after going to the funeral home. I’m dreading it.”

“I imagine we all are.” Adele reached over and took Zoe’s hand. “But I know Domi was special to you—and not just because he was Grace’s playmate.”

“He was a precious little boy,” Zoe said. “I miss him already.” She blinked quickly to clear her eyes. “Let’s talk about something else. I’ll be doing enough of this tonight.”

Adele squeezed her hand and let go. “Vanessa told me that your business is booming since the sheriff and his wife had dinner there and announced it on the news.”

“It is. We still can’t believe it. We’re actually up thirty percent over last week.”

“Well, that’s certainly a blessing in the midst of this horrible tragedy.”

Zoe nodded. “I feel a little guilty doing so well when so many people are hurting.”

“You’re hurting right along with them. We all are. That doesn’t mean your business has to.”

Zoe smiled. “Come to think of it, you’re responsible for part of our increase. You told a guy named Sax Henry about Zoe B’s, and he’s been there for lunch and dinner ever since.”

“Ah, that nice young man from New Orleans—the saxophone player.”

“Yes, that’s him. How do you know him?”

“I don’t really
know
him,” Adele said. “But that never stops me from recommending Zoe B’s.”

“Well, thanks. I think he’s our newest best customer. He’s also staying out at Langley Manor, which helps Vanessa and Ethan right now when a lot of people are canceling. Sax won’t be in town all that long, but maybe he’ll go back to New Orleans and tell a few folks that Les Barbes is a great place for a weekend getaway. We could use some positive press for a change.”