Confound It

by Maggie Toussaint

  He managed a wry grin. “Not many energy readers in my tribe.” “It would only take one.”

  That wiped the smile off his face. “Oh.”

  “You’re different from the mainstream, Mayes. Just as I’m different.”

  “But we’re not the same. I’m at level one with this stuff, and you’re off the charts.”

  “I don’t believe you, and according to you, I’m the expert here.”

  He glowered at me. We were making progress. “Denial may give you peace of mind, but you’re fooling yourself.”

  Mayes started to say something and stopped. I imagined the gears in his head turning around this information, trying to make sense of it. I’d seen the respect his friends accorded him. He was already their holy man, whether he acknowledged it or not.

  We crossed the county line and had another five miles of bridges and low country before we reached our county seat, Marion.

  “I do not bear the sign,” Mayes said.

  His words confused me. “What?”

  “The sign of power. You bear it.”

  I still didn’t understand. “Come again?”

  “Every holy man I’ve ever known had snow-white hair. Like yours.”

  “Oh, that.” I pointed to my head. “I didn’t have this before I accepted what I could do. Once I owned up to my abilities, some of my hair turned.”

  “Then when your pal on the Other Side nearly cooked you over a fire, the rest went white.”

  “It’s more than that. Words have power. You are a man divided, Mayes.”

  “I love my job.”

  Lord, he was hardheaded. “I don’t get why you can’t be a tribal leader and a sheriff ’s deputy.”

  “The holy man has certain responsibilities to the tribe, to the nation. Those are absolute.”

  “It’s a new day. Figure out how to have both.”

  In the acute silence that followed, my phone buzzed. Charlotte. About time she surfaced. I clicked to answer the call. “Hey.”

  “I don’t know where you are, but you should get out here right now.”

  I sat up straighter. “Where are you? At your place?”

  “At the sheriff ’s office. All hell is breaking loose. The GBI is here. The cousin’s here.”

  “Are you talking about the Mandy Patterson case?”

  “I am indeed. Tamika brought me up to speed. Guess she felt sorry for me. Anyway, this woman is raising Cain because they won’t release Doodle to her. I got some video with my cell. Maybe my boss will put it on the newspaper’s website.”

  “Who’s the cousin?”

  “June Hendrix.”

  The name was as explosive as TNT. June crusaded all over town for this, that, and the other. Rumor had it she fought dogs, which made me hate her even though we’d never met. She’d been kicked out of several charities for misappropriation of funds, though she’d never been charged. June believed the world owed her. She was trouble.

  We crested the last bridge. “We’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Though I had a key and permission to use the staff entrance, I asked Mayes to park in front of the law-enforcement center. Charlotte made a beeline for us as soon as we turned into the visitor parking lot. Duncan followed her down the sidewalk at a more leisurely pace, hands in his pockets. His gaze was firmly locked on Charlotte, as if she hung the moon.

  Charlotte glowed. I’d never seen her so happy. She flung herself in my arms, and we would have fallen if Mayes hadn’t momentarily steadied my shoulders. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Never better.” She rebounded and straightened her crooked glasses. Even the freckles on her face had an added luster.

  “I was worried about you,” I whispered. “About … you know.”

  “You know is numero uno with me,” she whispered back. “I feel like I’ve awakened from a long sleep.”

  The image of Charlotte in a Sleeping Beauty gown flashed in my head. I bit back a smile. “So, it was okay? You’re not sore or anything?”

  “The earth definitely moved, but I can’t talk about that now.” She flapped a wrist in front of me, bubbling with excitement. “I nearly missed the big case because I was crossing virginity off my bucket list. I have to hit the ground running on the story to scoop Bernard. Think I’ve already got the basics covered. What do you think of this angle: ‘Meth dealer dies in blaze’? Oh, and don’t speak to Bernard. He’s out here trolling, but he can’t have my story.”

  I reeled at her rapid-fire words, and Mayes caught me again. With both of the men listening avidly to every word we spoke, I took the hint to avoid all talk about Charlotte’s bucket list, though I had a million questions for her about the Big Night.

  The case. We were here because Mandy Patterson’s cousin had surfaced. “Where’s June Hendrix?”

  “They took her inside, but not before I got an exclusive interview with her. Eat my dust, Bernard.” At that she glanced up and muttered, “Speak of the devil.”

  Bernard Rivers, her rival reporter at the newspaper, approached swiftly. “Ms. Powell, may I have a quote from you about the meth lab explosion?”

  The longer I took to answer, the more agitated Bernard became. He tapped his slim reporter notepad in the palm of his hand. The repetitive motion and the desperation rolling off Charlotte’s nemesis seemed out of proportion with current events. Was something else going on here? Something besides professional rivalry?

  “No comment,” I said, though it was plain to see his approach to the case was much more levelheaded than Charlotte’s. Too bad these reporters couldn’t collaborate.

  “Ms. Powell, I have equal rights to any information you share with Charlotte.”

  Duncan’s chest swelled, and I had the strong sense he might swat Bernard out of the way. I understood his protective impulse. Charlotte finally had everything going for her. She deserved personal and professional happiness.

  My eye twitched, and I faked rubbing it until the muscle spasm stopped a few minutes later. “I’m not a police spokesperson, Bernard. I can’t help you or Charlotte with case quotes. You know the drill. Go through proper channels for the official statement.”

  Bernard’s expression turned sullen. “It’s not fair that Charlotte gets insider information from you and I don’t.”

  “She’s my source, moron,” Charlotte said. “Back off.”

  “This is highly inappropriate. I’m filing a complaint,” Bernard groused, moving toward Charlotte. When Duncan blocked Bernard’s access to her, the smaller man turned and marched back to the lobby.

  Bernard reminded me of a playground bully. He had the swagger and bluster, along with the bragging rights for the territory, but Charlotte’s rising star at the newspaper unnerved him. “He could get you in trouble, Char,” I said. “He’s the kind of guy to grind through the official complaint red tape and get you fired.”

  “Bernard’s hot air.” Charlotte’s eyes flashed defiance, and her chin rose. “I’m not afraid of him.”

  “You should be,” I said. “He won’t give up.”

  “I can take care of him,” Duncan said, leaning in. “Just say the word.”

  “No one’s taking care of anyone.” I eyed the lobby window where Bernard stood staring at us. Putting Charlotte and Duncan in that small space with Bernard would be like igniting a powder keg. Not a good idea. “For goodness’ sake, both of you, play nice. Why don’t y’all head out and grab some lunch?”

  Duncan’s eyes warmed. “I could eat.”

  I rewarded him with a bright smile. If only Charlotte were so easy to redirect.

  “What if I miss something?” Charlotte asked.

  “There’s nothing to miss. It’s early days in this investigation. We don’t even know if there’s foul play or if Mandy’s death was accidental. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the rest of the weekend with Duncan.”

  “But I need this story.”

  “You need to make sure your guest is having a good time.�
�

  That did it. Charlotte got a wide-eyed, startled look and chewed her bottom lip. She seemed to be weighing her desire to be top dog at the paper against having a personal life.

  Duncan stroked her arm, and Charlotte shifted her attention to him. His eyebrow lifted in silent question. A tremulous smile came over Charlotte’s lips, and she laced her fingers through Duncan’s. “All right. Lunch it is. Will y’all join us?”

  I glanced up at Mayes. “No reason for you to skip a meal. I need to sit in on this interview and meet Mr. GBI. Why don’t you join them?”

  Mayes took his time answering. “I’ll wait to eat with you.”

  Looked like I had a shadow. “Suit yourself.”

  After seeing Charlotte and Duncan off, I strolled around to the staff entrance, Mayes matching my pace. Inside, we hurried to the observation room to catch the remainder of the June Hendrix interview.

  June Hendrix, a petite woman with a few extra pounds, had thinning brown hair and a pale mole on her face. From the moment I saw the way she carried herself, the tilt of her head, and the shrewdness in her eyes, I knew we were in for a rocky ride. She was shaking her finger at the sheriff and another dark-haired man, exhorting them to call Child Protective Services right this minute.

  I’d never met the extra man in the interview room, but seeing as how he was sitting on the sheriff ’s side of the table, I concluded this was the GBI guy. I elbowed Mayes. “You know him?”

  Mayes shook his head.

  Judging only by their postures, the new guy seemed more rigid. Did this mean he would be a by-the-book kind of person? If so, that might leave me out in the cold for this case. More than ever, I wanted to see this one through.

  “Calm down. We’ll get Doodle’s custody issue straightened out in due time,” Wayne said. “Meanwhile, what can you tell me about Mandy?”

  June’s animated face clouded. “She’s got an arrest record, that’s what. She had no business taking chances while she was raising her boy.”

  “You knew what went on at her place?” Wayne asked.

  “I knew she cooked.”

  “Cooking methamphetamine is illegal.”

  “I tried talking sense into her, but she was as hardheaded as they come.”

  The new guy leaned over and whispered in Wayne’s ear. Wayne nodded and settled back in his seat, giving June his gunslinger stare. “Who’d she work for?”

  June shrugged and cast an anxious glance at the window where we watched. “Nobody.”

  Interesting. The first crack in her cool. Who did she think was back here? Or was she looking up here to keep from looking at Mr. GBI? She’d told the truth so far, but she seemed overly militant. Why? Who was she afraid of?

  “I doubt that,” Wayne said. “Where’d she get her supplies?”

  “There are ways to get anything. You gotta know the right people.”

  “Mandy had contacts in the drug world?”

  “Mandy had a brain. She figured it out. Now I’m her only relative, and I gotta pick up the pieces of our family. Doodle comes home with me today, and I want it on record that I’m his legal guardian.”

  The sheriff busied himself glancing at papers in his folder, ignoring the dark-haired man to his left. Finally, he gazed at June. “How will you support him?”

  “My money comes in each month. And I’ll get more if I have him.”

  “Your government subsidy?”

  Her dark-brown eyes flashed with annoyance. “It’s my money. In my bank account.”

  “I wasn’t aware you worked.”

  “I don’t have to take this crap from you or the GBI suit staring at me.” June leaned forward and slapped the table with her palm. “Where’s my nephew?”

  “Where were you last night?” Wayne smoothly countered.

  June erupted from her seat like a waterspout, whirling and angry. “What the hell is wrong with you? You think I had something to do with Mandy’s death? No way. Uh-uh. You’re not gonna pin this on me.”

  “You didn’t answer the question. Where were you last night?”

  “At home.”

  “Alone?”

  “No, I was having an orgy. The mayor and the entire county commission were there, along with six of your deputies. Satisfied?”

  Wayne said nothing, giving her his patented death glare.

  Standing next to me in the observation room, Mayes laughed. “This guy is good.”

  I stiffened. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Wayne. His ego is already bigger than three states.”

  In the interview room, Wayne pulled out his phone, checked the display, gathered his papers, and gestured to the other man to rise. He turned to June before they left. “Sit tight.”

  June paced the room for a moment before she walked over to the mirrored observation window and glared at us. Her lip quivered, and she returned to the table and sat as ordered.

  I opened the door and caught Wayne’s eye as he passed. He shook his head and mouthed, “Wait.” He strode down the corridor to his office, the other man at his side. The man’s eyes swept over us as they passed, but there was no flicker of interest. It was as if we didn’t exist. Now he was sequestering himself with Wayne. What did that mean? Would we be kicked off the investigation?

  Mayes touched my arm. “They have jurisdictional issues to iron out. It’s always that way when an outside agency gets involved in a case.”

  “Maybe. Seems weird that Wayne wouldn’t introduce us.”

  “He will. Later. Like I said, they have to sort out priorities for solving the cases. There’s Mandy’s death and the meth lab business. Mr. GBI will care the most about the meth lab.”

  “Seems like a person’s life should count more.”

  “Taking out the meth lab supply chain will help a lot of people.”

  “I’m sure your thinking is correct, but things are weird here. Wayne’s never treated me like he didn’t want to be around me.”

  “It may not be you. Wayne objects to my presence.” I gazed at him. “Try not to take it personally.”

  “But I do. Take it personally.” He laced his fingers with mine, sending tingles up my arm. “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m interested in you. But he wants you.”

  “Not going to happen.” At Mayes’ crestfallen look, I winced. “I mean, I’m not interested in Wayne.”

  “Are you interested in me?”

  I tried to turn away, but his fingers held me fast. “Bax?”

  Out of nowhere, tears sprang in my eyes. “It’s complicated. I’m complicated.”

  “I can do complicated. That doesn’t scare me.”

  “It should.”

  He raised our joined fingers to his lips. A thrill of passion surged up my arm. For a long moment, I let the forbidden pleasure run amuck through my entire body. “I’m not free,” I managed. “Besides, it couldn’t work. We live too far apart.”

  “We’re not far apart now. I’m standing right here, loving you, wanting you. Do you see me?”

  “This isn’t the time for this conversation.”

  With his other hand, he lifted my chin. His thumb caressed the side of my face. “Do you see me, Baxley?”

  The rose tattoos on my hand and back sizzled. The marks had been put there by a powerful entity from the Other Side. That discomfort was all the warning I had.

  Chapter Fourteen

  One minute I stood there looking at Mayes, feeling so conflicted that I didn’t know what to do, and the next, I’d wound myself around him, a vine to his fence wire. I kissed him like a woman starved for passion and backed him into the wall.

  Need and want and lust sluiced through my veins. It had been so long. Too long. All I could think about was making love with Mayes. He smelled great, like woods and sea air and an exotic spice. Everything inside me clenched in anticipation.

  Brazenly, I rubbed against his lean length, and sparks fired from each contact point. I grabbed at his clothing, pulled the elastic band from his shoulder-length hair, and
sank my fingers into the silky stuff.

  “The door,” Mayes murmured between fevered kisses. “We should lock it.”

  Who cared about the flipping door? My libido ramped from zero to supernova in a matter of seconds. Mayes had what I needed, and I needed it

  right then.

  Somehow, Mayes got us over to the door, locked it, then we graduated to the main event. The coupling was intense. I couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t get to that edge.

  Then I found the exact pace I’d been seeking, Mayes too, and thinking ceased.

  * * *

  Slowly it dawned on me that my arms and legs were cinched around Mayes. I was buck naked in the police station. Mayes kissed me, tenderly this time, and my emotions spiraled out of control. Again.

  My tattoos stung, and that painful stimuli jarred me back to reality. I broke off the kiss, disengaged, and edged away from him.

  “That didn’t happen,” I whispered.

  He returned my level gaze, both of us naked and vulnerable. “It did.”

  “I don’t do this sort of thing.”

  He laughed low in his throat. “You should. But only with me.”

  “No, this isn’t me.” I started grabbing my clothes, fumbling them on.

  He walked over as if he were going to kiss me again. I blocked him with a chair. “Please. Don’t touch me. Something very odd is going on here. My tattoos. They’re signaling me. Rose is calling. I need to find her in a dreamwalk.”

  Mayes reached for his clothes. “I’m confused.”

  “Me, too.” That was the honest to God truth. My head was clearing as if I’d been in a thick fog for days. The laser-like precision in my thoughts was both welcome and scary, except I couldn’t bear to turn the examination inward. I dressed in a flurry of arms and legs. “Why’d you do that?”

  “For the record, you jumped me,” Mayes said. “Not that I’m complaining. You can jump me anytime you like.”

  I rubbed my temple, as if that would ease the low-grade buzzing in my ears. “That’s just it. I’ve never jumped anyone in my entire life. We didn’t do this of our own free will. I think we had help.”