by Emery, Lynn
“Have yourself a good time, boss,” Chase quipped. He stretched an arm around LaShaun’s shoulders and smiled at the crowd.
“You two deserve to have a good time more than me after the hell you’ve gone through.” The older man put his plate down and wiped his mouth. “Any of them crazy cult folks talkin’?”
Chase shook his head slowly. “Nope. Neal Montgomery managed to slip away in all the confusion. Not that we could charge him with anything more than trespassing. Even the kidnapping would be hard to prosecute based on what happened. I don’t remember a lot of that night, and the Saunders couple claim we drank too much.”
“What about the murder? He had to have been part of that Graham woman shooting her husband twelve times. Dang, she really wanted him dead.” Former Sheriff Triche let out a whistle.
“No evidence he was there or that he ever met Allison or her husband,” Chase said, laying out the facts like a law officer. “We would like to question him, but he’s disappeared.”
“Well least the DA is gonna charge them other fools. Of course after tangling with you two, they’re the ones with all the bruises and black eyes.” Former Sheriff Triche let out a hearty laugh. “I coulda told ‘em not to mess with your missus.”
“She’s amazing.” Chase kissed LaShaun on the forehead.
Miss Rose and the twins approached. All three had plates and held glasses of champagne. Miss Rose looked around at the crowd. She shook her shoulders in time to the music. Justine and Pauline chattered away about who they recognized.
“How ya’ll ladies doin’. I— oh-oh. My wife is lookin’ for me. Excuse me. I’ll be back later.” Former Sheriff Triche nimbly slipped from his seat to blend with the crowd. He moved away from his wife and toward the dessert buffet.
“Mrs. Triche is gonna have his hide when she finds him,” Miss Rose said with a grin. She sat down in his now empty chair. “You children are a beautiful sight together.”
“Your dress is a masterpiece, LaShaun,” Justine added.
“Not to mention that fabulous wedding ring. Almost makes a body want to get married again,” Pauline said. Then the twins turned to each other in tandem. “Not even close,” they tittered in unison.
“I’ll be right back, honey. Excuse me ladies.” Chase made his way around the room, stopping to chat with several guests.
“He’s going to talk to his mama,” Justine said with certainty.
“I’m surprised she showed up. Mrs. Broussard hasn’t spoken to him for over three months.” LaShaun felt the brightness of the day dim a little.
Miss Rose patted her hand. “Don’t you worry, cher. She’ll have to come around. Being hard-headed won’t get her anywhere.”
LaShaun turned to the three older women. “Speaking of hard heads, what in the world were you thinking showing up in the woods that night? Dressed up in cloaks and everything. And how did you manage to get away when the cops showed up?”
Pauline and Justine giggled like naughty kids. They glanced at Miss Rose to explain as they stuffed cake in their mouths. Miss Rose shrugged. She stopped in the act of biting into a spicy chicken wing.
“I’m not a helpless old lady. I used to kick-box back in the day. Oh yes I did,” Miss Rose added at LaShaun’s open-mouthed expression.
“You needed back-up no matter what you said,” Pauline said. She sipped champagne. A handsome gray-haired gentleman at the next table smiled at her. She lost interest in the conversation.
“Exactly,” Justine replied. She daintily dabbed frosting from her lips. “We knew you could handle yourself, but we decided to even up the odds. Good thing we did, too. We knew they’d be cloaked. Most of the old cults favor that get up.”
“Yes, Lord,” Miss Rose said. “The twins came over that afternoon you left my house. We formed a circle and could see dark cloaks moving among trees. We knew what it meant, that they were in your woods.”
“Why didn’t you stay to tell the police what happened though?” LaShaun gazed at them with new admiration.
Miss Rose smiled slyly. “And how would we explain being there? We don’t advertise our gifts, cher. We’ve had to do more than a few spiritual rescue missions over the years. By the way, we made sure your sacred knife was safely returned to its resting place. So no worries on that front.”
Justine leaned forward and lowered her voice. “We may need it again someday.”
“This time we didn’t need more of us.” Miss Rose continued on enjoying the food on the plate, but LaShaun placed a hand on her arm.
“This time?” LaShaun asked.
Miss Rose shook her head. “We’re scattered around the state, country and the whole world. A network of those who fight evil.” Her expression grew solemn. “I’m afraid we’re going to hear more from Montgomery and his crew.”
“We’ve alerted the network. Our group will track him when he pops up on the radar,” Justine said.
“Tell me more,” LaShaun started to ask a question, but Miss Rose cut her off.
“No, cher. Let’s not talk about a gloomy subject on this day of happiness. Good will win,” Miss Rose said with a gentle smile.
“I didn’t kill Abiku,” LaShaun replied.
“No, you only destroyed the vessel that kept him anchored to this world. He’s been forced back into one of the deeper levels of hell. I imagine Lucifer is very displeased with him.” Justine’s voice took on an ethereal tone as she spoke. Then she seemed to snap back to her sunny mood. She noticed her sister was chatting up the gray-haired man. “You’d think Pauline would have learned after three husbands.”
“I want more wings,” Miss Rose announced.
“And cake,” Justine agreed. The two women stood at the same time. “I’m enjoying your wedding almost as much as I enjoyed my own!”
“We have such beautiful weather, too. As if the angels are smiling down on you,” Miss Rose exclaimed.
LaShaun accepted hugs from the women and watched them drift away. Chase made his way back to the table, but smiled without mentioning his mother. He took her hand and laced his long fingers through hers. LaShaun studied his face and spoke to him softly.
“Everything okay?” She asked.
“Perfect,” Chase replied without a trace of upset or anger.
LaShaun sighed and leaned against him, shoulder to shoulder. Seconds later Dave Godchaux walked over. Dave nodded to the crowd. Some gaped at him in surprise. Several of LaShaun’s extended family members squinted at him to show their displeasure at his presence. Chase rose to greet him and shook his hand.
“Sorry, I’m late you two. Here’s to your happiness.” Dave lifted a goblet of champagne.
“Thanks, Dave. The better man won,” Chase said with a wide grin.
“We ran a good race, Broussard. No mudslinging or below the belt jabs. We’ll work together to make sure Vermilion Parish is safe,” Dave said, ever the politician even after the election.
“No argument here,” Chase replied.
“I’m going to say hello to a few of these good people.” Looking every inch the man in charge, Dave strode off. In minutes he was working the crowd with smiles and handshakes.
When Chase sat down again LaShaun leaned against him. “You’re not upset about losing the election,” she said. LaShaun knew the answer so it wasn’t a question.
“Nope. I’m no politician, and that’s what the job is mostly about. I enjoy the action out in the field. All in all, things worked out for the best. Dave made it clear we would be a team. I’ll still be chief of criminal investigations. M.J. will head up the property crimes and traffic division. Dave gets to rub elbows with big dogs.” Chase laughed. “Yep, I’m thinking I got the best job in the world.”
“I’m happy you’re happy.” LaShaun winked at him.
“And now I’ve got the best woman in the world by my side,” Chase said and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. His deep brown eyes clouded over. “Thank you for saving my life. Is it finally over? I don’t want to be a danger to yo
u or anyone. If I thought…”
LaShaun pressed her finger tips to his mouth. “You’re free, baby.”
“But that didn’t answer my question completely. Is that thing and the cult that follows him destroyed?”
“No, but at least they’re scattered to the winds. That’s the best we can do, beat back evil before it takes root,” LaShaun said quietly.
“Yeah, like being a law officer. We’ll never get rid of crime, but we can control how much it spreads and the damage crooks do.” Chase sighed and smiled. “At least for today we kicked evil in the butt and sent it packing. That’s good enough for me. Now come on and dance with your husband, Mrs. Broussard.”
“I’d be delighted, Mr. Broussard,” she replied with a grin.
LaShaun allowed him to pull her to her feet. A slow tempo song played as Chase took her into his arms. They swayed to the music as a spring breeze brought the sweet scent of magnolias in bloom. Laughter floated around them. Chase hummed, his rich baritone voice soothing to her ears. She relaxed fully into is embrace. Yet a flutter of anxiety rose up out of nowhere. LaShaun held Chase closer as if to shield the precious life growing within her. And she tried not to hear echoes of Miss Rose’s warning that evil might stretch its icy skeleton fingers toward their child.
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About the Author
Lynn’s novels are set in the Bayou State and explore Louisiana’s exciting present and exotic history. From the big cities to the stunningly beautiful and mysterious swamplands, stories of intrigue, secrets and murder play out on the pages. A native of the state, her knowledge of folklore, the uniquely colorful politics and crime combine to spice up each tale. For a complete list of Lynn’s novels and to read more about her visit:
www.lynnemery.com