Confound It

by Maggie Toussaint

“Someone else.”

  “Who? Why can’t you come out and say the name?”

  “Discovery. You’ve discovered her. You haven’t connected her to the case.” Rose started to fade.

  “Wait. I don’t have any idea who you’re talking about.”

  “Do your job, and make it snappy. I despise waiting.”

  I hurtled through the veil and awakened in the truck. The sun still shone, the trees and the river still looked the same color, but something had changed. Charlotte was nowhere in sight.

  Not again. If she’d been kidnapped by Other World entities again, I’d never forgive myself. I craned my neck to look for her. Heard a giggle and released the breath I’d been holding. She’d stepped out to take a call. Same as me. Only hers sounded a lot more fun.

  A part of me didn’t know what to make of a Rose-in-trouble. My Other World mentor had always acted like she had complete autonomy, but now she had strict guidelines to follow. Made me wonder if her journey as an angel in disguise was as fraught with trial and error as my dreamwalker journey. Made me wonder if her assignment was a punishment for something else.

  Seemed like there had to be a better way to facilitate supernatural communication than all this fumbling around in the dark.

  The door clicked open, and Charlotte joined me. “That was quick.”

  “But not very helpful,” I said. “My contact thinks we should’ve solved this case already. We don’t know who killed Mandy or which recent events are connected and which are trivial.”

  “I’m willing to act as a suspect sounding board,” Charlotte said.

  “I nearly had a heart attack when I awakened and you weren’t here. I can’t put your life in jeopardy again. We had a close enough call at Stony Creek Lake.”

  Charlotte pointed at the big branch I’d parked beneath. “That water oak limb could shear off and crush your truck, killing us both. That would not be your fault, same as my abduction wasn’t your fault. We were on vacation in the Georgia mountains when I got kidnapped, but that event was the best thing that ever happened in my life. I got a boyfriend out of that incident. The way I figure it, I’m disaster-proofed now.”

  “Not funny. You’re my best friend. The sister I never had. There’s a killer running around in our neck of the woods. You don’t own a gun, and your house is a firetrap. Those aren’t strong points in your favor, Char.”

  “Bah. I accept the risk.”

  “No. I can’t do it. I just can’t. What happened before was beyond our control. But a flesh and blood person set the fire that killed Mandy. That person is walking around Sinclair County free and clear because we don’t know who he or she is.”

  “You’ve gotta be looking at the sister,” Charlotte gabbed, as if I hadn’t just dismissed the idea of her becoming my confidante. “June’s looking to be the new Mandy in Meth World. And that scuzzy boyfriend really gets around. I can’t believe he’s sleeping with Mandy’s sister. What a sleaze. I heard about Ricky Dixon and his wife on the police scanner. Dixon is a miserable human being. He wouldn’t need a reason to kill anyone. He’d just do it. And the kid. He’s a teen. They categorically hate their parents for ruining their lives. How’m I doing?”

  “Pretty good. That’s about where we are.”

  “And now we know Cipriona is after you at someone else’s behest.”

  “True ….”

  My friend poked me with her finger. “Your voice trailed off. You know something else. Something your contact confided. Tell me.”

  Charlotte was better at puzzling things out than most cops. No point in denying it. Maybe she’d deduce whoever Rose had been talking about. “Rose said there’s someone else involved. Someone who’s new in town.”

  “Not my Duncan.”

  “Not Mayes either.”

  “Then who?” Charlotte asked.

  I shrugged. “We’ll figure it out in due time. What did Duncan have to say just now on the phone?”

  Charlotte grinned and cranked the truck. “Said he and Mayes were waiting for us at the ice cream parlor.”

  My hankering for ice cream was immediate and profound. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  At the ice cream shop, I chose a hot fudge sundae, Mayes got a banana split, and Charlotte and Duncan split a milkshake concoction full of candy. Since it was mid-afternoon, there were only two other patrons seated in the dining area. Neither of them so much as looked our way, which was a relief because I was dying to ask Mayes the news about Ricky Dixon. But then there was the Charlotte problem.

  She was a member of the press. Even though I trusted her not to share privileged information before it was time, her coworker had swiped and published her notes on another occasion. The sheriff wasn’t likely to forget that leak anytime soon.

  So we listened to Duncan rave about his visit with the hounds. Duncan was in high cotton.

  “I grew up on a farm,” Duncan said. “I’ve always dreamed of having acreage and livestock of my own.”

  “Really?” Charlotte asked. “And I’m just hearing about this now?”

  Duncan’s face glowed with a dreamy, goofy expression. “It’s no big deal. I’ve been saving for the right piece of land, and it doesn’t matter where it is.”

  “You aren’t going to live near your mother?”

  “I could, or I could live anywhere. Out West even.”

  Charlotte’s freckled face turned all blotchy and red. “Whoa. Just whoa. I never agreed to live anywhere. We talked about in-state options. North Georgia is far enough away from home, thank you very much.”

  Duncan’s face fell. “It’s all right. We’d be together.”

  Their conversation made my thoughts bounce all over the place. Duncan and Charlotte had been talking about a future together. Charlotte sounded like she’d agreed to leave the coast to live with him. I silently cheered for her because finding the right guy and starting a family were on her bucket list. That and writing for a powerhouse daily.

  I exchanged a glance with Mayes across the table, but his tight expression hinted at disapproval. Was he upset with Charlotte? How could she be held at fault for something she knew nothing about?

  “It’s okay,” I soothed. “Y’all have plenty of time to talk about future plans. Nothing has to be decided right this moment.”

  Charlotte glared at Duncan, tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe you put me in this position. I thought my opinion mattered, that we were a team.”

  When she stormed out the door, Duncan ran after her. I rose, hoping to mediate, but Mayes shackled my wrist with his hand. “Let them work it out.”

  “But Charlotte—”

  “If they are to have any chance at a future, they have to learn how to communicate. Will you be there every time they have an argument?”

  “No.”

  “Duncan is a good guy. Your friend is the kind of woman he’s been searching for—someone who is grounded, who values tradition.”

  “I’ve never thought of Charlotte in those terms, but those are two of her best qualities. She’s also smart as a whip. She fleshed out our entire suspect list for Mandy’s murder without me saying a word. I’ve often told her she’d make a great detective.”

  “Dunc needs someone to keep him on his toes. I hope this one works out for him.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. I plopped down beside Mayes. “This one?”

  “Like I said, he’s been ready to settle down for a while, but none of the women he dated have been a good fit. I wouldn’t have guessed Charlotte as a possibility, but there’s good synergy between them. Just like there is with us.”

  He hadn’t let go of my arm yet, so I gently pulled away. “Energy isn’t the only consideration. Relationships are more complex than that.”

  “Our relationship is coming along fine, if you ask me.”

  “Mayes.”

  “I know. I’m pushing it. Just thought I’d work it into the conversation since we were talking about the future.�
��

  He knew how to push my buttons, only I wasn’t ready to touch the future button. “Sometimes the future seems very far away. I take life one day at a time, one case at a time. Speaking of which, what’s the news on Ricky Dixon? Is he an ax murderer?”

  “His prints are in the system, as are his wife’s.”

  “Oh?”

  “Turns out Ricky Dixon’s been living a lie. His real name is Reggie Dobosh and his wife’s name is isn’t Tip Dixon. Terry Tipinski. Turns out Reggie has another wife living in Phoenix, and Tip’s parents died under suspicious circumstances forty-something years ago.”

  “So they’re bad guys?”

  “We don’t know what they are. Dixon’s being held in jail overnight. We tried questioning him, but he’s issuing threats and not making much sense. Tip had such a high blood alcohol level, they sent her to the hospital for detox.”

  “Any tie-ins with their former neighbor, Mandy Patterson?”

  “Nothing’s turned up. What’d you and Charlotte do this afternoon?”

  “We decided to have our palms read.”

  Mayes’ expression shuttered. “We were planning to interview the palm reading woman together.”

  “You wouldn’t have gotten into her place. She wasn’t happy to see me, and I was only allowed inside because she was afraid I’d touch her. She didn’t want anything to do with me or Charlotte. We did learn something.”

  “Go on.”

  “She’s deathly afraid of some man.”

  “Which man?”

  “The man who’s telling her what to do. Once I told her the voodoo crap wouldn’t work anymore, her demeanor changed.” I was beginning to sense that Mayes wasn’t a fan of drawn-out revelations, so I hurried to finish. “She went from proud and secure to being a nervous wreck. She ordered us to leave.”

  “Name?”

  “She wouldn’t say his name. I tried to comfort her with a light pat. That’s when she threw me out.”

  “The reason cops interview suspects at the station is that we’re in control of when the interview ends. We need that name.”

  I didn’t care for his lecturing tone. “I would’ve pushed harder to get it, but Rose called. I had to get out of there because I don’t feel safe dreamwalking around Cipriona. Been there, done the voodoo-victim part.”

  Our ice cream was melting quickly. I scooped up another mouthful of mostly fudge sauce and sighed at the sweet pleasure. Why wasn’t fudge sauce packed with nutrition? That would sure make meal time easier.

  “You saw Rose?”

  “I did.” I quickly filled him in on the exchange. “She’s unhappy with me, says she needs both of us for a job.”

  “Like that’s going to happen.” He looked away briefly as a young family entered the shop, the mom carrying an infant, the dad holding hands with a toddler and a boy. “Did Rose give you any other indication about this outsider who’s involved with Mandy’s murder?”

  “No. She was especially closemouthed. Seems she’s still in trouble for interfering in my life.”

  “You realize you turned up two potential leads this afternoon, but we can’t check them out because we don’t have any names.”

  When Mayes spoke through clenched teeth, his face tightened into a bad- cop mask, giving me a hint of what he’d be like in an interrogation. I was thankful I wasn’t a suspect. But I’d had experience with difficult people my whole life. He couldn’t intimidate me.

  “Watch it,” I warned. “We’re on the same team. This is how I work a case, with bits and pieces of information. If you can’t handle that, you need to reconsider your presence here.”

  He reached for me, his hand surprisingly gentle on mine. With the contact, I received another dose of his attraction to me. I got a lot more emotion too. Fear. Frustration. Irritation. A tinge of desperation.

  And the desperation changed everything. I couldn’t stand for him to be hurting. “Mayes, it’s okay. I know how to handle myself.”

  “You make me weak. I can handle what life brings me, but I need to keep you safe. I want us to spend the day together. Just us. No cases, no family or tribal concerns. I want to spend time with you.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “I do.”

  I blushed at the intensity of his words, knowing full well they were part of a marriage ceremony. “I trust you as well. But for us to be friends and partners, you have to accept that we work in a dangerous profession, in this life and on the Other Side. My dad survived, and I will too.”

  He gentled his voice. “Do you worry about my safety, Walks with Ghosts?”

  He hadn’t used his pet name for me since he’d arrived. My heart softened. This man had come a long way to see me, and I’d been glad to see him. Still was. “If something happened to you ….”

  Mayes squeezed my hand as my voice cracked. “Feeling’s mutual.” We sat in silence for a few moments as the young family got situated near us. With our privacy limited, Mayes nodded toward the door, and I followed him outside, my emotions all roiled up. I couldn’t lie to myself. My feelings for Mayes were intensifying, and the biggest obstacle to our being together, my presumed dead husband, might be resolved soon. Could I handle a green light when it came to Mayes?

  Not right this minute I couldn’t. Practicalities came first. This was Sunday afternoon, and Larissa would be in school tomorrow. I wanted to spend time with her. But first, there was my friend to consider. Duncan and Charlotte were gone, as was her car. They must’ve left to find somewhere to talk in private. I envied them that clear-cut freedom to do as they pleased.

  I fished out my truck keys and headed toward my parents’ place. “Let’s use the drive home to regroup on the case.”

  Mayes nodded. The conversational void felt fertile instead of awkward. I liked that silent encouragement.

  Another turn and we were on the highway out of town. “I’ve been thinking about this. The reason the leads don’t connect is because we assume there’s one killer. What if two or more people were involved? I believe the GBI is right, in that Mandy died because of her drug lab. Someone put her out of business on purpose and eliminated their competition.

  “The meth lab sailed under the radar as far as the cops were concerned until the fire. In truth, if another lab was set up in the deep woods, and there were no local sales, it would float under the radar again. The business model is golden in a rural, wooded community like ours.”

  My words seemed to swim around the truck cab. Mayes made no comment. I reached over and poked him. “Say something.”

  “I don’t disagree,” he said, “but your multiple killer theory adds a layer of complexity. The simplest answer is usually the best. Mandy was murdered because someone wanted her job. That’s what I believe.”

  I continued to mull everything over as I slowed to travel through an S-curve in the road. Some of the vines in the adjacent woods were already starting to turn burnished gold and orange. Fall was here, even if the temperature still made it feel like summer.

  “Well?” Mayes asked.

  “Well what?”

  “Give and take. Isn’t that what we were doing with our case review? Your turn.”

  I bit back a smile. It was nice having someone to brainstorm with. “The GBI is stalled on the drug case, but here’s what I know. A man with a mobile occupation like Todd Derenne is the logical connection between Mandy’s meth lab and the greater Macon drug market. We don’t know if the trucker operates independently or if he’s a cog in a bigger drug machine. Cipriona is afraid of a man, and the only two men we know of in the case so far are the whack-job neighbor and Mandy’s control-freak boyfriend. I saw nothing at Dixon’s place to indicate drug income. No personal luxuries like big-screen TVs or butter-soft leather recliners. But then Derenne doesn’t flash a lot of cash either. He has no home address, sponges off defenseless women, and hits them to keep them under his control.”

  “You’re forgetting Mandy’s son. He’s a male.”

  As much as the
thought appalled me that a kid might kill his parent, I had to consider it. “I didn’t forget Doodle, but he’s a kid.”

  “In calendar years he’s a juvenile, but he’s seen a lot in his short life. He’s no innocent. Don’t feel sorry for him. We don’t know who he really is.”

  Made sense. “That leaves Aunt June, who wants to open her own meth lab. And now Cipriona is frightened of her male boss.”

  “You think the palm reader’s involved?”

  I smiled wanly, aware of the answer he expected. “I changed my mind after meeting her. My gut says yes, and sneaky is her MO. She lied to me multiple times.”

  To his credit, Mayes didn’t blink, but his heavy sigh spoke volumes. “If this is a conspiracy, the seams are tight. We haven’t found any evidence to point in that direction.”

  “But we will.”

  My phone rang. My dad. He rarely used the phone unless mom got a feeling about something. I took the call. “Dad? Everything all right with Larissa?”

  “She’s fine, but she’s very upset.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Mayes placed a comforting hand on my thigh as tears welled in my eyes. I punched the accelerator on the straightaway.

  “It’s the pigs. Someone killed them,” Dad said, his voice quavering.

  “Did you hear the gunfire?”

  “Arrows. My guess is they were felled by an accomplished bow hunter.”

  “Why?”

  “Only one arrow in each of them. Seems highly precise if you ask me. Oh. There’s something else. Their harnesses are missing.”

  “Secure the area and call the sheriff ’s office,” I said.

  “Will do. I already put your dogs in Larissa’s room and the hounds in our bedroom.”

  “Great. I’ll be there in seven minutes.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  “They weren’t hurting anybody,” Larissa sobbed in my arms. “Why kill them? I don’t understand how someone could be so mean. They’re gonna pay for this, right, Mom?”

  I hugged my precious daughter close. Mayes and my parents faded from view as I gave her my full attention. Her labored gasps for breath between sobs broke my heart. “I hope we catch whoever killed them, Rissa-roo. It doesn’t make sense to me either. Like you say, the pigs weren’t bothering anyone. Nothing for them to get into out here.”