Relentless Pursuit: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (16 page)

“Indeed.” Adele laced her fingers together. “Every time we turn on the news, it seems another soul has died or is in the hospital.”

“Isabel told me about the father and six-year-old daughter. Poor things. All they did was go camping.”

“At least, so far, it’s just Gaudry water that’s been poisoned,” Adele said.

Zoe shuddered. “But if someone can inject cyanide into bottled water, they can inject it into almost any container. It scares me to think of what could happen next.”

Chapter 17

Jude stood at the window in his office and listened to the bells of Saint Catherine’s announcing the noon recitation of the
Angelus
. He bowed his head and silently prayed the familiar words he’d known since he was a boy.

The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.…

Jude prayed the prayer, stanza by stanza, glad that no one came into his office to interrupt these precious minutes with the Almighty. Finally, he heard footsteps in the hallway but kept his eyes closed, determined to finish the final prayer:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Jude stood for a moment, leaning on the window and aware of someone standing outside his door. “Come in.”

Aimee came in and sat in the chair next to his desk, staring at her hands. “Caissy Paquet didn’t make it.”

Jude refrained from swearing, the
Angelus
still fresh in his mind. “When did she die?”

“The doctor called it five minutes ago. As soon as family members are notified, the doctor at Hargrave will address the media.”

“What about the dad?”

“Rick Paquet is expected to make a full recovery.”

Jude sighed. “Physically, maybe.”

“
And,
as if the poor man didn’t have enough to work through, the lab report just came back on the other six bottles of Gaudry water in the Paquets’ camping cooler—none contained cyanide.”

Jude shook his head. “The guy’ll probably be asking himself the rest of his life why they chose that particular bottle of water. And why his daughter died and he didn’t.”

Aimee pursed her lips. “Haunting questions without answers.”

“We need to make sure Chief Norman is informed.”

“Gil’s doing that now. Also Dr. Jenson from DHH.”

Jude paced in front of the window. “There’s nothing to be gained by grilling these family members the way we did at the onset of this investigation. It seems pretty obvious now that all eight cyanide deaths were random acts of violence.”

“I agree.”

“But
this
one was
avoidable, Aimee.” Jude threw his hands in the air. “That little girl shouldn’t have died. We informed the public. We warned them not to drink that brand. We even took it off the shelves. What else were we supposed to do?”

“We did everything we knew to do.”

“It wasn’t good enough.” Jude raked his hands through his hair, then sat at his desk, studying the picture of his three grown kids. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“None of it should’ve happened, Jude. We’re not God. We can’t know who’s listening and who isn’t. All we can do is get the word out.”

Jude sat back in his chair and let out a sigh of exasperation. “Unfortunately, Caissy Paquet’s death will get the word out a lot more effectively than we did.”

Zoe walked into the kitchen at Zoe B’s and spotted Pierce at the worktable, rolling out a yellow crust, his chef’s hat making him look over seven feet tall.

Pierce glanced up at her. “Did you hear about that little girl and her father who got sick from Gaudry water on a camping trip?”

“Yes, Isabel told me when I stopped by Adele’s. Any word on their condition?”

“The little girl died. Her father is supposed to recover.”

Zoe’s heart sank. “I can’t think about another child dying. Domi’s death is all I can bear right now.” She walked over to him and kissed his cheek. “Let’s table that conversation for later. Tonight’s plan is to leave the kids at home with Maddie, pick up Adele and Isabel at five forty-five, and take them with us to the funeral home. They’ll eat dinner before we pick them up. After it’s over, we’ll take them home. You and I can have a late dinner wherever you want.”

Pierce took the tiny fleur-de-lis–shaped cookie cutter and cut the dough into half-dollar–size butter cookies he would bake and then use as a garnish on chocolate mousse, his homemade peach ice cream, and his signature lemonade bread pudding. “If you leave it up to me, I’ll pick Louie’s for a steak burger every time. Isn’t there somewhere
you’d
like to have dinner?”

“Not tonight.” Zoe exhaled. “I doubt I’ll be hungry after comforting Margot and Josh.”

“We don’t have to go out. We can come back here, and I’ll fix you whatever you like.”

“You’re off tonight,” Zoe said. “I don’t want you cooking for me. We can go to Louie’s. If I’m hungry, I’ll eat. Otherwise, I’ll just keep you company.”

Pierce set the cookie cutter down and wiped his hands on his chef’s apron. He put his arms around Zoe. “I’m upset too, babe. Don’t think that, just because I haven’t lost my appetite, I’m not sad about Domi. I’m just trying to focus on other things. It was a blessing that Jude and Colette gave us a plug on the news the other night. I want to keep the momentum going. Which reminds me, did you tell Adele that the guy she sent to us has been back three times?”

Zoe nodded.

“Did she say how she knows him?”

“No, but you know how Adele is. She probably met him in line somewhere and gave him one of our cards.”

“As long as Sax keeps coming in, I think we should go out of our way to make his experiences here exceed expectation,” Pierce said. “It’d be great if he’d go back to New Orleans and pass the word about Zoe B’s. And Langley Manor. And what a great weekend getaway Les Barbes is. I mean, he’s a musician. He’s bound to know a few folks in his sphere of influence.”

“What do you think we should do that we’re not already doing?”

“Just ramp it up a little.” Pierce pushed back and looked into her eyes. “Be your warmest, most charming self. And make sure you personally talk with him each time he’s in here. Offer him free beignets. Or the dessert of his choice. Better yet, offer him—on the house—one of the dishes I’ve been experimenting with and let him give his input. He’d probably enjoy that, and I really could use the feedback.”

“You’re sure rolling out the red carpet for this one guy,” Zoe said.

Pierce arched his eyebrows. “It’s good marketing, no? If Sax has a good experience, he’s bound to tell others, and Les Barbes is less than a two-hour drive from New Orleans. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“We’ve had lots of customers from New Orleans. You’ve never zeroed in on any of them before.”

“Because we’ve never had a food-safety scare before. The negative press has the potential to keep people away for a long time. We need customers—especially those in other cities around the state—to go home with good things to say about Les Barbes. And, specifically, Zoe B’s.”

“That would be nice.” Zoe laid her head on his shoulder. “But I wonder if anyone who’s visiting Les Barbes is going to go back home remembering anything other than eight people—two of them children—died of cyanide poisoning.”

“Well, let’s hope our extra efforts shine through all that. They’ll remember they could come here and eat safely. And our Cajun cuisine rivals any in town.”

“I can’t help but wonder how the Marcottes must feel, knowing the poisonings originated at their market. I don’t know how I would’ve handled it if it had happened here. I’d feel so responsible.”

“I doubt it’s over, either,” Pierce said. “Anyone capable of this can strike almost any place where people let their guard down.”

Zoe shuddered. “Don’t even think it. I’m scared enough as it is.”

Sax held the menu in front of his face, eavesdropping on the old guys playing checkers at Zoe B’s, amused to learn that Hebert had won twelve consecutive games, much to the chagrin of Father Sam and Tex.

“Dat all you got?” Hebert flashed a row of stained teeth, his unruly gray curls making him look like the stereotype of a mad scientist.

“That’s it for me.” Father Sam, his full head of white hair neatly combed, took off his thick glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You know, I wouldn’t be offended if you let me win once in a while.”

“
My eye
!” Hebert chuckled. “You got to earn it.”

“I’ve lost count how many times you’ve beat us this year.”

“Oh, I stopped dat count at five hundred. But since da New Year, I only lost six games to you and Tex combined. Ha! Not bad for an old duffer who’s
going to make a hundred
next birthday.”

“You’re a legend.” Tex arched his thick silver eyebrows, his bald head reflecting the light filtering through the blinds. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Sax’s cell phone vibrated. He looked at the screen and saw that Adele Woodmore was the caller.

He took a deep breath, put the phone to his ear, and spoke softly. “Hello.”

“Hello, Sax. Adele Woodmore here. I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. I’ve decided to do what I can to put you and Shelby together. I’m working on a strategy, but timing is important. It might take a while.”

“What strategy?”

“I really don’t want to get into that with you,” Adele said. “Can you stay a few more days while I work on it?”

“I don’t have much choice. I came here with only one thing in mind: finding my sister.”

“I still don’t know that she will be open to contacting you.”

Sax traced the fleur-de-lis on the tablecloth with his index finger. “Will you tell her that finding her is the only thing that matters to me—and that I want to tell her how sorry I am?”

“I’ll tell her,” Adele said. “I’m just not sure if she’s strong enough to open that door to the past.”

“Maybe she would be if she only realized how deeply sorry I am for failing her. Surely there’s an emptiness somewhere deep inside her that longs to be reconciled? We were both kids, for heaven’s sake. I made a selfish choice that’s hurt us both. We’re not kids anymore. I really want—
need
—to make things right with Shel—” An unexpected wave of emotion stole his voice.

“I believe you, Sax, or I wouldn’t have agreed to help you.” Adele sighed. “Will your staying at Langley Manor a while longer pose a financial hardship?”

“That’s the least of my worries, ma’am. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.”

“Zoe mentioned that she and Pierce are pleased you’ve been eating at Zoe B’s.”

“They’ve both gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. Actually, their entire staff has. I enjoy eating here. Love the food. But the atmosphere is nice too.”

“You’re there now?”

“Yes, I’m about to order lunch. And I’ve been amusing myself watching three elderly guys playing checkers. I’ve seen them in here before.”

“Yes, they’re dear friends of Zoe’s,” Adele said. “All right, then. I’ll be in touch soon.”

There was a long moment of dead air, but he sensed she hadn’t hung up. “Mrs. Woodmore, are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m here. For what it’s worth, Sax, I want Shelby to hear you out. But if I find out your intentions are different than what you’ve presented, you will have me to contend with. And I promise you, you do not want to cross me. I may look like a frail, white-haired old lady, but I can be a she-bear when someone is messing with my cub. Are we clear?”

“Yes, ma’am. Perfectly.”

“I will call you when I have something new to say. Otherwise, be patient, and let’s see how this plays out.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Woodmore.”

Sax ended the call and put his phone in his shirt pocket, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest.

Was it finally going to happen? Was he finally going to get the chance to pour out his heart to his sister and try to make up for all the years they missed?

Sax sat there, lost in thought, feeling both excited and a little scared. He was suddenly aware of footsteps and looked up just as Zoe walked up next to his table, wearing a smile that would melt an iceberg.

“How nice to see you, Sax,” Zoe said. “Savannah told me you were here. It just so happens that Pierce is experimenting with a new menu item and thought you might be a perfect person to try it—complimentary, of course. It’s made with strips of blackened chicken smothered in a wine and cream sauce blended with sautéed celery, pepper, onion, artichokes, ripe olives, and some very special spices. It’s served over rice. Interested? Or would you prefer to order from the menu?”

“No need for the menu. I’d love to try it. Thanks.”

“Pierce will be excited.” There was that warm smile again. “He loves creating new dishes for people who appreciate Cajun cuisine.”

“You know I do. But I’m perfectly willing to pay for it.”

“Your input will be payment enough.”

“Great. I do love the food and the ambiance of the place.” Sax nodded toward the table by the window. “The entertainment isn’t bad either.”

“So you’re enjoying my three guys, are you?”