Confound It

by Maggie Toussaint

  She nodded and mouthed “Later” to me before she pulled back and spoke to everyone. “I shouldn’t take Wayne’s dislike personally. He never liked talking to me in school or anytime afterward. He gets along fine with my competition, Bernard Rivers, but I’m toxic to him.”

  “Not toxic, per se, but a force of nature he’d rather sidestep,” I said. “He accords you the same respect he gives Dottie.”

  “Avoidance and cheating on me by hanging out with my rival? That describes his personality to a T.”

  I laughed. “You and Duncan grab a seat. We’re thinking about what to make for dinner.”

  “I fix a mean barbecue,” Duncan said. “I’d be happy to cook.”

  “Mom!” Larissa flung her arms around me. “We can’t eat the pigs.”

  “No one’s eating the pigs.” I gave her a reassuring squeeze. “They don’t know.”

  “Know what?” Charlotte asked.

  “The pigs. They’re dead. Someone took them out last night or this morning. We discovered them an hour ago.”

  Charlotte did a double-take. “No!”

  Duncan’s face fell and then a fierce expression tightened his lips. He gripped Charlotte around the waist, drawing her close as he quartered the room for threats.

  His concern for my friend melted my heart. “It’s true,” I said. “And because it’s related to the investigation, I can’t tell you anything more about the incident. None of us can. However, Wayne is optimistic that he’ll have an arrest tomorrow.”

  “Excellent. I can scoop Bernard with the story before I hand in my two weeks notice.”

  “You’re quitting?”

  “Yes. Duncan and I had a long talk today. We want a life together. He wants to stay on the force where he is right now while we look for land. We’re both planning to start over wherever we settle. Between his savings and mine, we’ll be sitting pretty financially while we get established.” Charlotte paused to glance up at Duncan. He nodded and his hands moved to her shoulders. “There’s more,” she said.

  “Tell us.”

  Charlotte reached for Duncan’s hand and held it. “Duncan asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We’re buying the rings tomorrow after I finish proofing at the paper, and we’ll have a civil ceremony before we leave town.”

  I jumped up first, ran over and hugged her. My best friend was engaged. “Wow. Congratulations. Looks like we’re celebrating tonight.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  It was past Larissa’s bedtime by the time we got home. The dogs unloaded from the back of the truck with a few happy barks and much sniffing of the grass.

  Mayes carried my sleeping daughter to the door for me. I unlocked the house and stepped inside, but the dogs didn’t come in and settle down. They charged ahead, barking as if a horde of invaders were in the house.

  My feet stopped of their own accord. “Something’s wrong.”

  “Outside,” Mayes said softly. “Switch places with me so I can clear the house.”

  “You think they’re still here?” I took my sleeping child from him.

  “I don’t know what to think until I look. Wait here.”

  I wanted to flip on the porch light, but standing in the dark made us less of a target if an intruder was watching. With that thought, I huddled into the deepest shadows on the back porch. Unlike Mayes, I didn’t wear a gun. Roland’s Glock was in my bedside table, and my Beretta was in the glove box of my truck. Should I risk going back to the truck?

  No. Too much moonlight. I should do a perimeter scan instead of guessing if a shooter had a bead on us. Leaning into the wall, I closed my eyes, opened my senses, and searched for lifeforms. I quested over a mile out from the house in all directions, but no one lurked in the woods or across the street. I shut down my extrasensory perception with a sigh of relief.

  I picked up only one heat signature inside my house, so I believed Mayes would report the house was clear. Why would someone break into my house? I owned little of value, unless you were crazy about my grandmother’s antiques. I’d inherited the house from her and left it as she’d furnished it.

  The dogs quieted.

  Every now and then I heard the creak of a door opening as Mayes cleared each room. Larissa lay like a dead weight in my arms. She’d barely made it to the truck before falling asleep. Between the emotional upheaval of the pig deaths and Charlotte’s engagement announcement, we were all exhausted.

  Seemed like it’d been hours since Mayes told me to wait outside. What was taking so long?

  Then he appeared before me and opened his arms to take Larissa. “All clear.

  I transferred her over to him. “Good. Let’s get her to bed and then I can see if anything is missing.”

  “You cleared the outside?” he asked.

  “I did. Whoever was here is long gone.”

  “I closed all the drapes anyway. We can turn lights on once you two are inside.”

  “Most of those drapes haven’t been moved in twenty years. I’m surprised you’re not sneezing.”

  “Almost lost it in the living room, but I managed to hold on.”

  “Good going.”

  Once he put Larissa in her bed, he stepped out and I got my baby tucked under the covers. She roused enough to ask about her black lab. “Where’s Maddy?”

  “I’ll bring her in later. You’re my top priority.”

  “’Night, Mom.”

  I closed her door behind me, turned on every light in the house, and began my search. The kitchen was as I’d left it, with my water glass by the sink and all the counters tidy. The stove was off. The fridge contents looked okay, though Sulay the cat and little Ziggy hissed at me from their high perch atop the appliance. I quickly scanned the drawers and cabinets. Everything seemed fine.

  Mayes searched the dining room, living room, and laundry room while I hustled back upstairs to check my bedroom and the guest room. Nothing was missing. Should we risk another joint dreamwalk on the doorknob? If that was the access point. How’d the person get in here anyway? The back door had been locked when I arrived, and it opened with my key.

  We met up in the living room. “I found nothing missing. Did you?”

  “I don’t think anything is missing, but in truth, I’m not as familiar with the keepsakes in the rooms. None of the furniture seems to have been moved. I did find one thing that struck me as odd.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There was a pink throw draped over the arm of the sofa, and it was touching the space heater.”

  My blood iced. “What space heater?”

  He stepped around the coffee table and pointed to a compact heater. I gulped. “That’s not my heater. I don’t own a space heater. They’re fire traps, and besides, it’s too hot to need a heater right now.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Why would someone break in here and add a space heater?”

  The answer dawned on me as soon as I posed the question. Someone wanted me dead. They wanted it bad enough to set my house on fire despite the collateral damage: my daughter, Mayes, Dixon’s four hounds, and our five pets.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  We phoned in the housebreaking and attempted arson. Dispatch sent Deputies Harper and McConnell, who took photos of the heater and throw, and then took the heater into evidence. As for point of entry, the downstairs bathroom window now had a ladder outside that hadn’t been there before. Though I’d locked the house before leaving, I’d left that window open this morning, to vent the room.

  Wayne called my cell. “You need anything else tonight?”

  “No. I’m headed to bed,” I said. “It’s been a very long day.”

  “Put Mayes on the line.”

  I yawned and handed the phone to Mayes. After a few exchanges about the break-in, Mayes turned all cop-steely. “Will do,” he said. He clicked to end the call and returned the phone.

  “What’d he say?”

  “He said I’m to stay in the house tonight. As your bodyguard.”


  Given the men’s animosity toward each other, I laughed out loud. “He ordered you to sleep with me?”

  “Nope. He told me to sleep in the hall outside your door.”

  “Wayne’s an idiot. You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

  Hope lit his eyes. “I’m not?”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re welcome to use my guest room.”

  Mayes took a moment to digest this news. “What about the bathroom windowsill? Should we try a dreamwalk?”

  “Yes.” Both of us squeezed into the bathroom, laid our joined hands on the sill, let our senses drift. I felt a jolt of rage. Feminine rage. But nothing else. We vectored back to reality.

  “That narrows the burglar field to either June or Cipriona,” I said. “Let’s hit the hay. Tomorrow will come soon enough.”

  * * *

  Despite my need for rest, sleep evaded me. Sheets tangled around my limbs as I tossed and turned. Bits of the case cartwheeled in my mind, along with the names of my two top suspects, the victim’s sister and the voodoo woman. I’d nearly nod off, then I’d startle awake and stare at the shadows in my room to see if they were moving.

  Unrelated case facts seemed important. The missing pig harnesses could be a clue or a false lead. And that trail cam on the victim’s property we’d raided for the memory card … what happened to that? I’d ask Mayes in the morning. I wanted to make a chart of all the suspects and the evidence. Seems like we were missing something. Or someone. Or Ava Leigh.

  I could get up and do it now, except Mayes would hear me. He’d been so hopeful about staying in here with me, and I couldn’t let him do that. Not until I figured out how to let Roland know he didn’t have to hold on for me anymore. I counted the four corners of an imaginary square inside my eyelids, a usual sleep remedy, but that failed miserably.

  Just too keyed up to sleep. Relief is right down the hall , my thoughts whispered. Not happening with Larissa two doors down , I whispered back.

  Bored, overtired, and jittery, I reached out to my Watcher. To locate him, I lowered my guard and quested outward from the house, searching for that faint ping of nothingness. For the longest time, I let my thoughts cast out and wind back as I trolled for a bite, like a fishing line. When I couldn’t locate him, aggravation leaked into my thoughts. They broadcast through the extrasensory pulses I emitted, and like a gathering storm, I found a spot of nothing that might be something after all.

  Are you there, my Watcher? I called. I need to talk to you .

  The bit of nothing began a slow spiral of energy. Ah, he’d heard my call. Good. I began talking to him through mindspeak. I know you’re listening because I can feel your presence in the woods now. During a recent dreamwalk recovery, my father had access to my thoughts, and he knows about you. We’ve talked about who and what you are, neither living nor dead. Am I right so far?

  The bit of nothing grew larger, but still no response.

  Roland, I know it has to be you. No one else would feel the need to watch over me. This is hard for me to say, but you don’t have to stand guard anymore. I’m doing okay on my own. And there’s a Dreamwalker I’ve met. He’s helping me learn the nuances of the profession. I don’t know what it costs you to cross realms to get here, but I want you to move on with your life. I’m okay. I’ve got friends and family who care for me. I want you to have that again, wherever you are now. I hate for you to be stuck neither here nor there.

  I listened as hard as I could, alert to every micro-sound. Finally, I heard a faint brush of something. Bring the other Dreamwalker next time.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Monday morning dawned clear and bright. As I stacked the dirty cereal bowls in the dishwasher, I realized how stiff my shoulders were. Too much weekend and not enough rest. Still, I was happy for my best friend. Marriage topped Charlotte’s bucket list. She’d found a guy who’d totally flipped over her, and they’d already survived a conflict that might have led another couple to call it quits.

  Charlotte was in good hands with Duncan. I didn’t want to lose her as a friend and confidante, but thanks to computers and cellphones, we’d stay in touch. And, with Mayes poised to become a fixture in my life, I’d be visiting north Georgia again in the near future.

  Mayes sauntered downstairs, freshly showered, and looking completely at ease in my house. In his slacks and uniform polo from the Junction County Sheriff ’s Office, he radiated integrity and professionalism. And he smelled great, to boot.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  With Larissa already on the bus for school, the breakfast dishes done, and the dogs walked, my morning chores were done. Time to go to town and solve Mandy’s case. “Let me double-check the locks, and I’ll be ready.”

  “Good idea,” Mayes said, heading straight for the bathroom window I’d left unlocked before. He’d find it locked. I wasn’t always street-smart, but I never made the same mistake twice. I tried the first-floor windows, then went upstairs to check the rest. Larissa’s window was cracked open.

  I pulled it down, locked it, and joined Mayes in the kitchen. He held little Elvis in his arms. Elvis looked very content. “Good to go,” I said.

  “You carrying?” he asked, setting the little Chihuahua gently on the floor.

  Did he expect a shootout on the way to town? My pulse skittered as I reached for my purse and grabbed my keys. “Do I need a gun?”

  “You never need a gun until you don’t have it.”

  “That sounds like a Yogi Berra-ism.”

  “Nope. It’s experience talking.”

  “I keep a Glock upstairs, but my Beretta is in the truck. I can bring them both and my grandmother’s shotgun, if you like.”

  He choked out a laugh. “The Beretta should suffice. Loaded?”

  “Yes, but before you scold me, Larissa knows about gun safety. I’ve had her target shooting too. She would never touch a gun without my permission.”

  Mayes snagged the keys from my hand and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “You’re my kind of woman, Powell. It pays to make personal protection a priority.”

  I locked the door behind us and tromped down the stairs. Since Mayes was here, I’d upgraded my jeans and T-shirt office attire for navy slacks and a butter-yellow blouse. I’d even left my sneakers and work boots in the closet. There was a chance the sheriff wouldn’t call me on my wardrobe upgrade, but now that I was putting in more hours as a consultant, I needed to look more professional.

  “Six months ago, I would’ve insisted guns had no place in my truck or on me. But, between dreamwalking and consulting, I’ve bumped into folks who don’t have a kind bone in their bodies. I’m a quick study.”

  His smile spoke volumes. “That you are.”

  I held onto that appreciative glow all the way to the Sinclair County Law Enforcement Center. Larissa and I had tried to make an acronym out of the first letters, but there wasn’t a lot you could do with SCLEC. It sounded so harsh. Easier to just say the mouthful of words.

  We rolled in a few minutes before eight. The sheriff waved us into his office right away and closed the door. “You’re late.”

  I never arrived this early, but shift change was at seven. If he’d expected us here for that, he should’ve said so. I specifically remembered him telling us to be here at eight. But he was the boss. Best not to smart off at him. “What would you like us to do?”

  “I want answers before these people start yelling ‘lawyer.’ Virg and Ronnie are rounding our suspects up.”

  “June, Doodle, and Todd Derenne?”

  “Yeah. They’re probably all stone-cold killers,” Wayne said. “I’ve only got two interview rooms, so I want you two to babysit the aunt for me while we grill the males. Escoe informed me he’ll be conducting all the interviews, but I’ll be in there with him. June will be in here with you two.”

  “You could split us up,” Mayes said. “You’d move the process along faster if one of us questioned the other witness.”

  “Nope. Escoe’d have my
head. His show. His rules.”

  Escoe needed to take a chill pill. “You want us to talk to June or keep her from bolting?”

  “Keep talking to a minimum. Escoe wants all the glory, and I’m past ready for him to be gone.” Wayne cleared his throat. “I’ve got a search warrant coming for June’s place and Derenne’s semi. Once you’re no longer needed here, I want you two out there with the search party, doing whatever you do to get answers. We need tangible evidence to close this case.”

  “Speaking of evidence, any thoughts about the pig harnesses?” I asked. “Why would someone take them?”

  “I won’t know that until we find them.”

  “And the video from the trail cam?” I asked. “Any leads?”

  “There’s a picture of a dark car coming in the yard, sitting, and turning around, but it was too grainy for any details. I sent it to a friend of mine yesterday. He said he’d clean it up and email it back. I’ll shoot it to you via text message if it comes in during the interviews. Maybe one of us will recognize the car if we can’t read the plate.”

  “Gotcha.”

  At the sound of a commotion in the hall, we headed for the door, with Wayne leading the charge. Escoe stood, pressed and tidy, in the doorway of Interview One. Derenne went in there. Meanwhile, Doodle cooled his heels in Interview Two. Virg and Ronnie herded June in Wayne’s office.

  “Have a seat,” I said to our charge. “We’re keeping you company.”

  “This isn’t right,” June insisted. “I haven’t even had a cup of coffee or any of my medicine. What gives those redneck deputies the right to come into my house and roust all of us? Huh? I outta slap a lawsuit on everyone in this place.”

  Lawsuits cost money, but I was trying not to get chatty with June as per Wayne’s orders. June paced the room twice, then collapsed in one of the visitor chairs. I took the other one beside her, so Mayes settled behind Wayne’s desk.

  “Well?” June asked. “Can I get a cup of coffee?”

  “I’ve had the coffee here, and you’d be better off with a soda from the machine,” I said.

  “Coffee. I want strong, black coffee.” She pointed at me. “And you can fetch it for me. I want to talk to this handsome young man.”