by Jana DeLeon
Mildred gasped. “Oh, my God. Raissa, is that true?”
“Yes,” Raissa confirmed. “I’m sorry. With everything else going on, I left that part out. I accused him, and he said he couldn’t afford Helena finding out Hank wasn’t her biological son.”
“And if she found out about the leukemia,” Maryse finished, “then she’d have asked for a donor match and found out then. Shit.”
“But he didn’t say how he did it,” Helena said, “so I still don’t know.”
Maryse frowned. “I have an idea, but we’ll never be able to prove it.”
“I don’t care if you can prove it,” Helena said. “Just tell me something that makes sense.”
“When we were planting that listening device at Sonny’s you said you hadn’t paid for medicine in years—that you’d gotten samples.”
“That’s right,” Helena said. “Damned pharmacy was always out of my inhaler.”
“And Dr. Breaux gave you samples from his office.”
“Yeah.”
“I think the poison was in the inhaler. Try to remember, Helena. Did you use your inhaler before you drank the brandy?”
Helena’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, I did. That must be it.”
Raissa shook her head. “Genius. It evaporates into her system, and there’s no record of where she got it even if anyone asked. It was the golden opportunity. I think you’re right, Maryse.”
“It makes sense, as much as anything does,” Helena said, then sighed. “I want you all to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done…for me and for everyone else. I can’t believe this is finally over.”
“Not quite over,” Maryse said, “or you wouldn’t still be here. But I have an idea about that, and I’m going to run it by Sabine tomorrow. I’ll fill you in as soon as I know more.”
“Thanks.”
“So, Helena,” Raissa said, “finish telling us what happened when the police got here. Did they arrest Sonny?”
“Oh, right,” Helena said, growing animated again. “They didn’t arrest Sonny for killing Dr. Breaux, because Zach backs his story that Dr. Breaux was holding you two hostage with the intent to kill when Sonny burst in, and that Dr. Breaux fired the first shot. Probably good for Sonny that Dr. Breaux at least grazed him with that shot.”
Raissa nodded, then flinched as her head throbbed more. “Makes him more sympathetic.”
“Exactly. And Sonny Hebert needs all the sympathy he can manage. Then the FBI showed up, all mad and everything. They told Sonny they want to question him, but I’m not sure if they can make anything stick, as he wasn’t actually the one kidnapping the girls.”
“Probably not,” Raissa said. “Sonny can always claim he didn’t know about the kidnappings until after the doctors killed Monk and he found the alien suit.”
“Which he has in his closet,” Helena pointed out.
Raissa shrugged. “Doesn’t prove anything. Besides, I have a feeling that suit is long gone by now anyway.”
Helena shook her head. “Sonny put himself in the middle of a big fat mess. How do you think he’ll get out of it?”
“There had to have been other people in on this—doctors, nurses…Someone else knows what they were doing, and the cops are going to want their heads on a platter big-time, especially since Dr. Breaux is dead. They’ll need Sonny to testify about what Monk told him of the kidnappings and Dr. Breaux’s confession, so the cops will deal. That ought to kill them.”
Helena blew out a breath and looked at Raissa. “But that means you’re still on the hook as far as testifying for Sonny’s other crimes goes. Shit. I was hoping the FBI could get Sonny on something else so you could live normally. I guess there’s no chance of that, is there?”
“No. If the FBI can’t get Sonny on the kidnappings, they’re going to want me to testify on the racketeering. The time on that case is almost up.”
“So you’ll be gone again.”
Raissa looked at their expressions, hoping there was another answer but not believing there was. “Gone or dead. There’s really no other way. I’m sorry, guys.”
“That’s bullshit!” Helena said. “I know Sonny’s a bad guy, but he was only trying to help those girls, and he told you where Hank was. It’s not fair that the FBI leaves you in a position of having no life, and no future but running from Sonny and his family.”
“I agree,” Maryse said. “Surely something can be done.”
Raissa shook her head. “I’m the only witness who can testify to the things I saw and did. No one else is qualified to provide that testimony. I’m all they have.”
“Makes me wish you weren’t so good at your job,” Mildred said. “If you didn’t know anything, you could marry Zach and live in New Orleans, or maybe even in Mudbug with Maryse and Sabine.” Mildred sighed. “I guess that’s just wishful thinking, huh?”
Raissa stared at Mildred, an idea forming in the back of her mind. It was risky in all sorts of ways. In fact, it was the biggest risk she’d ever taken, and that was saying a lot. But it just might work.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Raissa looked up in time to see the doctor who had examined her earlier, Agent Fields, and Zach enter her room, followed by Sonny and two NOPD officers. Zach went straight to Raissa and kissed her on the lips. “How are you feeling?”
“My head hurts, but I think I’m okay.”
The doctor gave her a critical look. “These people insisted on seeing you and asking some questions. I am totally against putting any more strain on you, given your head injury, but I was forced to give you an option.” The doctor shot a dirty look at the police and Agent Fields. “If you aren’t up to talking, just say the word, and I’ll clear the whole lot of them out of here.”
“It’s okay,” Raissa said.
“You’re certain? I don’t like to think you’re being intimidated.”
Raissa smiled. “I promise, if any of them get out of line, I’ll ask them to leave myself.”
The doctor nodded, but didn’t look convinced. He gave all of the men a frown and left the room.
Agent Fields stepped forward, followed by the two cops. “First off, we need to hear from you who shot you.”
“I have no idea,” Raissa said.
Agent Fields frowned. “You came to the hospital to get evidence against Dr. Breaux, and then Sonny showed up. Shots were fired, but you can’t say who hit you?”
Raissa frowned. “I came to the hospital?”
Zach looked over at Mildred and Maryse, his face filled with worry. “What’s wrong with her? Has she been talking to you?”
Maryse looked over at Raissa, her eyes wide. Raissa looked her in the eye, willing her to understand. Mildred started to speak, but Maryse took her hand and squeezed. “She’s been talking,” Maryse said, “but mostly about stuff we did months ago.” Maryse bit her lower lip and shot a worried look at Raissa. “We were just about to call for the doctor when you guys walked in.”
Raissa managed to look confused and made a mental note to talk to Maryse later about her superb ability to lie on command. The woman was a pro.
“I think maybe you should call the doctor now.” Zach leaned in close. “Do you know who I am?”
Raissa laughed. “No, I let strange men kiss me all the time. Of course I know who you are.”
Zach nodded. “We met because you were trying to figure out why those girls were kidnapped, remember? You figured it all out by looking at girls’ records.”
“Kidnapped…Melissa Franco. She was kidnapped.” Raissa sat up straight. “Is she okay? Did they find her? She always made her mom buy blue candles.”
“Melissa’s mother confessed to her part in everything, and they found Melissa at a warehouse Dr. Breaux rented in New Orleans. All his notes are there—decades worth of testing. We’ll be able to fi gure out everything he did. Melissa’s on her way to the hospital but appears to be fine.”
“Thank God. I’m glad to hear that.”
�
�There were other girls…from years ago. Do you remember?”
Raissa frowned. “I don’t know any other girls. Only Melissa.”
“You investigated the cases when you were undercover in Sonny Hebert’s organization.” Zach nodded toward Sonny, who cocked his head to one side and studied her, a confused look on his face.
Raissa stared at Sonny for several seconds, then gave Zach a bewildered look. “I don’t know that man.”
“That’s Sonny Hebert,” Zach explained. “You were undercover in his organization when you were in the FBI.”
“The FBI?” Raissa widened her eyes and looked from Zach to Sonny to the cops.
Zach sucked in a breath. “You left protective custody over nine years ago and have been pretending to be a psychic in New Orleans.”
Raissa laughed. “Pretending? I’m not pretending. I have a lot of clients. You guys are kidding me, right? Really, what’s all this about, Zach?”
The room went instantly silent, and Raissa was fairly sure no one was breathing. The doctor walked into the room and immediately checked Raissa’s vitals. “Do you want me to remove your visitors, Ms. Bordeaux?”
“No,” Raissa said. “They’re trying to pull a prank on me.”
Zach looked over at the doctor, his face panicked. “She doesn’t remember things. Some recent events and anything from about ten years ago.” He pointed at Sonny. “She worked for this man for two years, but doesn’t know him. I don’t understand.”
The doctor shone a light in Raissa’s eyes and felt her scalp. “The injury was to the section of the brain that stores memory. Memory loss is always a possibility, and long-term memory is the most likely to go.”
“But it will come back, right?” Agent Fields asked.
“There’s no way to know,” the doctor said. “I think it’s better if you all let Ms. Bordeaux rest, and no more questioning until I say she’s ready. Is that clear?”
Agent Fields and the New Orleans cops didn’t look happy, but they couldn’t exactly argue with the doctor, so they trailed out of the office. Sonny, following behind them, looked the most confused of the lot. At the doorway, he paused and looked back at Raissa.
Raissa stared at him, held his gaze. Sonny’s eyes widened and he barely nodded, then left the room. Maryse hopped up from her chair, pulling Mildred with her. “I think we ought to give you two some time,” Maryse said. “We’ll go get some coffee. Call if you need anything.”
Helena hopped off the end of the bed and trailed behind them, giving Raissa a wink and a thumbs-up on her way out the door.
“Thanks,” Raissa said. She lay back against the pillows and looked over at Zach, who was frowning at her.
“You’re faking,” he said. “Holy shit, Raissa! This is not a game. Why are you faking memory loss?”
“Between my undercover work and hiding because of my undercover work, I’ve lost eleven years of my life to Sonny Hebert. And the ironic thing is, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have another eleven years to make things different. He saved my life, Zach. And probably Hank’s, too.”
“But the racketeering case—”
“I know Sonny’s done some bad things, but he did help us find out who was taking those girls, and he found Hank. If the FBI has to have me to make a case against him, then it wasn’t much of a case to begin with, was it?”
Zach nodded. “You know what? You’re right. You’ve given more than your share. Let someone else take up the slack. I’m sure Sonny’s not going legitimate anytime soon. They’ll get him, eventually.”
“Maybe, or maybe not. If they didn’t make a case in the nine years I was hiding, I can only guess that Sonny’s gotten a whole lot better at his job.”
“And what about you?” Zach asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you going to do, now that you’re free?”
Raissa smiled. “Well, I’m not going back to the FBI, that’s for sure. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do. I haven’t had the freedom to choose anything in a long, long time.” She leaned toward Zach and whispered in his ear, “But I hear there’s this detective who needs someone to keep him in line.”
Zach smiled. “And just what makes you think you can do the job?”
Raissa softly kissed his neck once, then again, then his earlobe. He groaned and turned to her, crushing her lips with his. He gathered her in his arms, and in an instant, Raissa knew she’d made the right decision.
She’d seen the future, and it was very bright, indeed.
Epilogue
One week later
The party started at five that evening. Maryse had worked her magic with the historical society, one of the recipient’s of Helena’s massive estate, and they all gathered in Helena Henry’s mansion, now a historical landmark. Maryse, Sabine, Mildred, and Raissa had done all the prepping and planning, baking, collecting premade trays from a caterer in New Orleans, and stocking the refrigerator with enough booze for New Year’s Eve at a fraternity house. Helena, of course, was there to sample everything before it was deemed worthy of the festivities.
They joked and laughed and swapped tasks, helping each other that entire afternoon. Helena spent a lot of time just watching. It was beautiful, those girls and Mildred. Like a mother and her daughters. They’d endured so much to be here today. More than any thousand people would likely endure in a lifetime, and they’d persevered through it all. There was so much strength, so much love, that Helena got misty just thinking about it.
The men started arriving around five. Luc, with his big smile and enormous charm. Beau, with his big heart and quiet strength. Zach, with his brashness and fierce loyalty. So very different, but all so perfectly suited for the women they’d chosen to make a life with.
When the doorbell rang thirty minutes later, Helena peeked around the kitchen wall to see whom Raissa was letting in. She almost dropped her plate of nachos when she saw Hank walk through the door, holding the hand of that lovely girl Lila she’d seen at the hospital. She watched as Maryse crossed the room and gave the girl a hug. Then she said something to Hank, kissed him on the cheek, and gave him a hug.
Maryse pulled Hank and the girl into the huge, open living area and started introducing them to the people they hadn’t met. Hank looked shy at first, but finally relaxed with the warm greetings he received from everyone. Lila watched him every second, her smile radiant.
Luc handed Hank a beer and Lila a glass of wine and waved his hand at the buffet along the wall. They filled plates and joined the others laughing and chatting…like a family. Helena rubbed away a tear and smiled. Finally, she took her plate and her drink and went up the back staircase to the second floor. The big spiral staircase in the main living area had a huge landing with a great view of the room. She took a seat above the action and enjoyed the interplay.
After an hour or so of festivities, Maryse directed the others to help her light candles that she’d placed all around the room. Maryse walked over to Hank, took his hand, and spoke to him. Hank nodded, his expression anxious and hopeful. Helena wondered what was up, but before she could sneak down and ask, Maryse looked up at her and waved her down.
“Get the lights,” Maryse said, and Mildred turned off the lights to the room, leaving it doused in candlelight.
Helena rose from her seat and started down the spiral stairway. When she stepped into an area lit up by the candles, she heard a gasp. She looked over in the living room, and realized Hank was staring directly at her, as was Lila. “Oh, my God,” Hank said. “I can see her. Mother?”
Hank took a step toward the stairway, and Helena hurried down. She stood just inches in front of Hank, his amazement clear. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I mean, I knew Maryse wouldn’t lie, but I never thought…Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” Helena said. “I can hear and see everyone. It just doesn’t always work the other way. Can you hear me?”
Hank nodded, his eyes filling with tears. “I am so sorry, Mom, about everythin
g—being a lousy son, running off and leaving you to be murdered. I want you to know that it wasn’t your fault. You gave me the advantages I needed to be successful. I threw them all away.”
Tears formed in Helena’s eyes as she looked at the man that wasn’t her son, according to biology, but had been in every other way. “I wasn’t a great mother. I know that. I didn’t trust myself to show my love completely, not even with you. But I always loved you.”
“And I always loved you,” Hank said. He reached up with one hand to touch her face, and Helena was amazed when she could actually feel his fingertips gently brush her cheek.
“I feel your skin,” Hank said, his eyes wide. “I didn’t think…”
“I wondered,” Maryse said, and stepped forward. “When you were in the hospital, Lila saw a woman in your room, singing. I thought she’d seen Helena, but I didn’t understand why, as Lila wasn’t in any danger.” Maryse looked over at Luc and Zach, who nodded.
“Everyone can see you, Helena,” Maryse said. “Something’s changing, and I thought maybe tonight would be the height of whatever was happening.”
“Why tonight?” Helena asked.
Maryse laughed. “Do you mean to tell me you’ve been so distracted that you forgot your birthday? Why do you think we bought six cheesecakes?”
Helena stared. “My birthday. My God. I had forgotten.”
Helena walked with Maryse and Hank to the center of the living room. Helena stared down at her feet and hands. “It’s almost like I feel the floor beneath my feet.” She reached out with a hand to touch Hank’s shoulder and gasped. “I can feel him. Without concentrating, I mean. Just like when I was…alive.”
Helena looked around the room, all of them looking at her with love on their faces and tears in their eyes, and she felt her heart swell. No woman deserved this, especially her. “My family,” she said, and began to cry.
She hugged them all, one at a time, taking care to whisper to them her thoughts, her hopes for their futures. Something big was about to happen. She could feel it coursing through her body like an electrical charge. Finally, when she’d given her last hug, whispered her last thoughts, she stood in the center of the room and clutched Hank’s hand with one of her hands and Maryse’s with the other.