Allie stood on the other side of the car. “You’re right. The Bo I used to know wouldn’t have done that.”
“Some people are good at hiding their true feelings from others.” He’d seen his share while being a police officer.
“But Bo has always seemed so transparent.” She gestured at an old black pickup. “His truck is here.”
After Remy investigated Bo’s vehicle and found nothing, He started walking toward the far end of the marina, dragging in one deep breath after another. His heartbeat hammered against his ribcage. Something was wrong.
Allie jogged alongside of him. “I’m sorry. You’re right. After his call when he admitted he was my stalker, it became obvious I don’t really know him like I thought. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try and help him.”
He shot her a look, wanting to kiss her and shake her at the same time.
As he approached David’s Folly, it looked deserted. Most fishing boats didn’t go out until between seven and eight. It wouldn’t be long before more than the handful of people he’d seen on his way here would be milling around. He’d love to find Bo, arrest him, and get him away from the marina before that.
Remy made a call to Captain DuBois. “I’m at the pier. Have you heard from your mate? His pickup is in the parking lot.”
“Bo isn’t there?”
Remy strode the length of the boat, glancing into the windows from the dock. “Not that I can tell. He never called you?”
“No, so he should be there getting everything ready to go out in forty-five minutes. I’m almost to the marina.”
“Do I have your permission to go on board and look around?”
“Yes. Bo has never just not shown up without calling me.”
Remy hung up and hopped onto David’s Folly then turned toward Allie, who remained on the pier. He held out his arm to help her onto the vessel. “Captain DuBois hasn’t heard from Bo. Stay back here while I check. If you see anyone, let me know. If Bo had been drinking, he might be passed out on his bunk.”
At the doorway into the main cabin, Remy peered over his shoulder. The past few days had taken a toll on Allie. She chewed on her lower lip when she was worried. She sank onto the bait box at the back, the breeze lifting her long hair as though playing with it.
He stepped inside. Gun in hand, Remy searched the galley then moved toward the sleeping area.
A woman’s scream pierced the air.
Chapter Seven
Another scream welled up in Allie’s throat, but she quickly swallowed it as she stepped away from the back of David’s Folly. Her gaze glued to the rope tied to the boat and hanging over the side, she couldn’t shake the image of Bo at the other end.
Her heartbeat thundered so loud in her ears that she didn’t know Remy was behind her until he grasped her shoulders, halting her backward movement.
“What happened, Allie?”
She lifted her shaking arm and pointed toward the aft. “Bo. He’s in the water. Dead.”
Remy passed her, taking his cell out of his pocket. As he made a call, he peered over the back and said something to the person on the phone that Allie couldn’t hear. When he ended his conversation, he took some pictures.
Allie shivered and closed her eyes, but the image of what she’d seen was seared on her brain. When she’d toyed with the thick rope, its end in the water, she’d felt the taut line and wondered if Bo or the captain had been crabbing off the pier. She jiggled the rope or at least tried. Something heavy—more than a crab trap—was on the other end. As she began to haul up whatever it was, something deep inside of her nudged her to prepare herself. She wanted it to be a dead fish, but when she glimpsed the black mop of hair, she couldn’t stop the scream or release her grip.
Bo’s hair was black and that length. What did he do? Suicide? Why?
She sank into a deck chair, trembling encompassing her whole body.
Remy knelt in front of her and took her hands, the warmth of his gaze drawing her attention to his gray eyes. “I wish you hadn’t seen that.”
“So do I. It’s Bo, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I’m leaving him there until the sheriff arrives. He should be here shortly.”
“Did he kill himself?”
“Can’t tell yet. Not a pretty way to go. A gun would have been faster.” He rubbed her cold hands. “We’ll know more when we get the body out of the water, but no final answers until the autopsy.”
“I thought it was a crab trap. I even thought if Bo put it there, the captain might not know about it. He’d need to bring it up before he left on his charter. He…” Her mind went blank. She didn’t know what else to say or why she told Remy her crab trap idea.
He rose and tugged her up and against him. His arms wound around her. In the safety of his embrace, her shaking began to subside.
“Allie, when the sheriff arrives, I’m going to walk you to the marina café. Stay in there until I come get you. As soon as I feel I can leave the scene, I’ll take you home.”
“I didn’t see Landry’s body until I had to ID him at the morgue. I thought I would never have to do that again. See a dead body that had been in the water for a while.” She cuddled closer to Remy. “I don’t see how you can be a cop. The things you’ve probably seen…” Again her voice trailed off when the effort to speak became too much.
“C’mon. Let me help you onto the pier.”
The second her feet touched the wooden planks, Remy put his arm around her shoulder and faced them away from David’s Folly.
“Will you be okay walking to the café alone? The threat is over.”
“But Bo is dead. I never wanted that.”
“Of course you didn’t. That’s not you.” He looked toward the other end of the marina.
Allie followed the direction he was staring. “I see Captain DuBois has pulled up. It won’t be long before this place is crowded, especially when the news spreads.”
“Which, in this town, will be fast. Maybe you should call your aunt to take you home. I may be here a while.”
“I’ll wait for you.” Hugging Remy, Allie gave him a kiss on his cheek then walked toward the café.
The further away from Remy she got, the more surreal and numb she felt, as though this wasn’t really happening to her.
* * *
Now Allie was safe—once he’d taken care of Bo. The moron didn’t have any idea he’d slipped him a roofie last night. Just like Bo had done to Allie. Bo deserved what happened to him, and once he had passed out, he’d been easier to deal with. Bo had always been impulsive, never thinking through his actions. Now he couldn’t do any more harm.
No one was going to hurt his Allie. She’d saved his life years ago, and ever since, he had protected her. He’d made her a promise he would be there for her whenever she needed him. And he always would be.
* * *
Two hours later at the marina café, Allie nursed her third cup of coffee, her gaze flying to the door each time it opened. Once she’d made the mistake of going outside to see what was going on at David’s Folly. That was the exact moment when they’d hoisted Bo’s body out of the water. Bile rose into her throat. She’d hurried back inside the restaurant. The fish weren’t kind to bodies left in the water.
Most of the breakfast crowd had left, probably for a day of fishing. Life went on. But not for Bo. If only she’d had a chance to talk to him when he called her yesterday afternoon, she could have reassured him she was fine and had forgiven him for what he did. But she’d been sleeping while he’d fallen apart.
When tears filled her eyes, she stared down at the table. She didn’t want anyone to come over and ask her if she was all right. She wasn’t, but the person didn’t need to hear that. She swiped her finger across her cheek.
Maybe she should have Aunt Evelina come pick her up. She didn’t need to be alone with her thoughts or she would begin to blame herself because she’d taken a nap and hadn’t been available to answer her cell phone when Bo reached out for help.
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“It looks like the sheriff is wrapping up at David’s Folly.”
Allie jerked her head up, and her gaze connected with Adrien’s. “Good. Have they taken Bo’s body away yet?”
Adrien pulled out a chair and sat. “Yes, fifteen minutes ago. I would have come to see if you were okay earlier, but the phone at the marina office has been ringing off the wall. Finally I decided to just leave. All the calls were about what happened on the boat.”
“Our rumor mill at work. Some things never change.”
Adrien signaled for the waitress and ordered a cup of chicory coffee. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“No, but if you haven’t, you should. Remy will probably be here soon to take me home.”
“I heard he was your escort because of what happened Friday morning.”
“I’m still finding glitter in my hair. I can’t…” Her throat swelled, blocking her next words. She wasn’t going to cry.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“That Bo might have killed himself because of me? No, thanks.”
“Why do you say that?”
Allie waited until the waitress set Adrien’s coffee down and walked away before saying, “Because he was my stalker, and he felt horrible about what he did. He left a message on my cell phone.”
Adrien scowled. “And you’re beating yourself up over what he did. You didn’t do anything. He wronged you. You didn’t wrong him.”
“He may have, but he didn’t deserve to die.” She hugged her arms against her chest. “I’ll never forget what I saw.”
“Why were you at the boat this morning? With a stalker after you, wouldn’t staying home be better? Remy shouldn’t have brought you.”
“I don’t want to talk about what happened.” I want to forget. But the image of Bo’s body floating up to the surface when she tugged on the rope clung to the walls of her mind.
“We can always talk about work, but it’s your day off. How about that time we all went out in the bayou and got lost?”
They had been thirteen and fearless. “It taught us a lesson. We didn’t know everything.”
“But Landry was sure he knew the way.”
“His sense of direction never improved, and he used to hate asking others for help. It was probably one of the things that led to the boating accident that killed him.” Another subject she wanted to avoid. She spied Remy coming into the café and blew out a relieved breath. “My ride is here.” She shot to her feet so fast her chair nearly toppled over. “I need to go home. I’m not very good company for anyone.”
Adrien stood. “I understand. I’ll see you at work on Tuesday.” He greeted Remy with a smile. “I’m glad you came home. No telling what would have happened if you hadn’t.”
“I’m relieved Allie is safe now. I hope you and I can still go out fishing.”
“I’m counting on it. It’ll give me a reason to take one of my many vacation days. Paul has been on my case about using them.”
“I’ll call you soon then.” Remy looked at Allie. “Ready?”
She nodded.
As Allie made her way toward Remy’s SUV, she kept her gaze locked on the parking lot. She didn’t want to see David’s Folly. Ever again.
In the parking lot, Paul was talking to Sheriff Guice not far from Remy’s car. As they walked near, the sheriff waved for them to join the conversation. “Paul was asking about the circumstances of Bo’s death. I told him you would keep him informed if that’s okay with you.”
“I’m fine with that.” Remy eyed Paul. “At the moment it looks like a suicide. If anything else turns up, I’ll let you know.”
“I appreciate it since it happened at my marina.” Her boss turned his full attention to Allie. “Are you all right? The sheriff told me you discovered the body.”
She nodded. The picture of Bo’s body flashed into her mind. Her throat closed, tears so near the surface. Her gaze swung from Paul to Remy then to the sheriff. “If that’s all, I need to go home.” Her voice cracked at the end.
“Sure, Allie. I understand. If I have any more questions for you, I’ll have Remy talk to you.” The concern in the sheriff’s eyes only heightened Allie’s desire to leave.
All she wanted to do was sleep. “Thanks, Sheriff Guice.” She started for Remy’s SUV, the word suicide echoing in her mind. Bo killed himself because of me.
* * *
When Evelina opened the door for Remy late Monday, she sighed. “I hope you can talk some sense into Allie. When she came home yesterday, she slept most of the afternoon then went to bed early. I’m worried about her. She blames herself for Bo killing himself.”
“Where did she go?”
“To our dock on the bayou. I think she got tired of me trying to cheer her up.”
“I’ll do my best.” What he had to tell Allie might make her feel better about her role in Bo’s death or it might make the situation even worse. Either way she needed to know.
Allie sat near the end of the pier across the backyard, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms locked around them. She rested her chin on her knees and stared at the slow moving murky water.
He’d come by to see her yesterday afternoon while she’d been sleeping. He’d intended to come back this morning, but then he received a call from the sheriff. The rest of the day kept him tied up with the sheriff on Bo’s case. He couldn’t shake the tug of urgency about this case, but when Allie didn’t answer her cell phone half an hour ago, he stopped what he was doing to come see her.
As he strolled out onto the dock, the scent of the bayou—an earthy stench, not totally unpleasant because he grew up here—enveloped him in memories of his childhood spent exploring the swamp. The song of the frogs and the chirping of insects filled the moisture-laden air.
When he got within a few feet of Allie, she lifted her head and twisted toward him. Without saying a word, she faced the water again and resumed her vigilance.
He sat down next to her on the wooden planks and waited for her to break the silence.
Five minutes passed before she said, “What brings you by?”
“You. How are you?”
“Trying to process all of this. How could I miss that Bo was so interested in me that he would kill himself? I always tried to be nice to him. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to lunch with him that day. Given him any kind of encouragement.”
“The case has changed, Allie. It wasn’t a suicide. Someone murdered Bo.”
Her mouth fell open. “But his call to me, the fact his hands and feet weren’t tied, and no visible sign he was knocked out. That’s why y’all thought it was suicide.”
“He was heavily sedated on top of drinking alcohol. Since we found him within twenty-four hours, the tox screen the sheriff ordered indicated Rohypnol. He didn’t choose to go into the water with a rope tied around his neck.”
“Why would someone kill Bo?”
“I don’t know, but something didn’t feel right to me yesterday. I couldn’t see Bo killing himself like that. I asked Sheriff Guice to hurry the autopsy.”
She released her grasp on her legs and swung around to face him. Her brow knitted, she said, “Most people liked Bo. I don’t understand why anyone would kill him?”
“That’s what I’ve been helping the sheriff with today, or I would have been here to see you sooner. I’m trying to come up with a reason a person would want to kill him. So far, the people I’ve talked with couldn’t think of anyone. It would have to be a strong person to be able to throw Bo’s body over the back of the boat. It would have felt like dead weight, although he didn’t die until he was in the water.”
Shuddering, Allie wrapped her arms across her chest, her eyes huge. “What if Bo didn’t drug me but someone else did?”
“I thought about that. It’s possible, but he was pretty clear in his message to you.”
“Could someone have forced him to do that?”
“Maybe, but it came hours before he died,” Remy said slow
ly, not wanting to think that, but the reality was Allie could still be Bo’s murderer’s target. “To be on the safe side, I’m going to stay here like before and take you to and from your job. While you’re at work, I can continue to investigate. Someone in town may know something and not realize it. I’m gonna focus on the people at the marina. Bo lived and worked there.”
“Where did the roofie I was given come from?”
“I’m trying to run that down.”
Allie scooted near Remy. “Please be careful. People can disappear in the bayou like Jules did six months ago. Maybe he didn’t leave the area but was killed.”
He put his arm around her and drew her nearer. “Why do you think that?”
“He had a crush on me like Bo. Except Jules would get angry when I told him I didn’t want to go on a date. First Landry died in a freak accident, then Jules disappeared, and now Bo is dead. I know I sound paranoid, but I’m freaked out.”
A shiver rippled through her body, and he held her even closer and stroked his hand up and down her arm. The thought that a killer could be fixated on Allie frightened him. How could he return to Dallas in a week if Allie wasn’t safe? “I won’t let anything happen to you. Other than Bo’s antics, has anything happened to you personally?”
She angled her head so she looked at him. “No. I’ve never felt in danger here until lately. That is if you exclude the time that alligator chased me up a tree or that snake bit me. Thankfully, it was nonpoisonous. That certainly taught me to look where I was going in the bayou.”
“I wasn’t able to protect you then, but somehow I will this time. I’ll ask for an extended leave if necessary. I’m not leaving until I find out who’s behind Bo’s death.”
“But what about your job? You could lose it.”
He edged around and cupped her face between his hands. “You are my first priority. I can get another job.”
The sentiment that he could never replace her in his life was on the tip of his tongue when she leaned toward him and brushed her lips across his.
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