A Darker Shade of Midnight

by Lynn Emery

  “I’m exhausted and, oh hell.” LaShaun groaned when the front door bell rang. “If this is a reporter Gautreau is going to arrest me again for kicking somebody’s butt.” She marched to the door and jerked the curtain aside before opening it. She groaned again when she saw Chase. After she let him in, he kissed her on the forehead.

  “Yes, I know. I should avoid you, and this is a bad idea, blah, blah, blah.”

  She followed him to the living room. “You must not want to be sheriff, or have any chance at a decent reputation in this town.”

  “I like enforcing the law and bringing guilty people to justice. Brad doesn’t care who goes to jail if it helps him politically. If the public doesn’t see that, then they deserve him.” Chase waved to Savannah. “Good job, Ms. Attorney.”

  “I would have earned that compliment if my client hadn’t been arrested.” Savannah met him in the archway before he could enter the living room. “Stop right there Deputy Broussard. You need to leave.”

  “I’m not the enemy.” Chase frowned at her.

  “No, but you’ll make defending her more difficult. People will say you’re covering for her. The superstitious natives will say she put a spell on you. Trust me there are a lot of them left. We’ve got enough of a challenge when it comes to public opinion and perception, two things that will help a DA with only circumstantial evidence.” Savannah let out a long slow breath. “You care, I get that. But you know I’m right.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Chase’s frown relaxed. “Before I go you might be interested in the latest development. The mayor and council rescinded Brad’s appointment as acting Sheriff. Myrtle Arceneaux is our acting boss now.”

  “Ah hell, I wish I could have been there to see Gautreau’s expression,” Savannah said. She let out a cackle of delight. Then she noticed Chase and LaShaun staring at each other. “Uh, I’ll be in the kitchen making us some strong coffee.”

  Chase stood silently for several long once they were alone minutes. “If you need anything…”

  “I’ll be fine.” LaShaun walked close to him.

  “Damn I don’t want to walk out of here tonight,” Chase said, and put his arms around LaShaun.

  “Knowing you believe in me is more than enough.”

  LaShaun savored the comfort that she would miss all too soon. She buried her face against his chest breathing in the delicious masculine smell of him. A memory that would help her through the long, lonely nights to come.

  “Now go,” she said softly.

  “Okay, but one more thing.”

  He wrapped both arms around LaShaun and gave her a long, slow kiss. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless. Chase stepped back and looked at her one last time before he walked out. LaShaun stood shivering from the impact of giving him up. Then she recovered. She locked the front door and went to the kitchen. Savannah sat at the long breakfast bar nibbling a teacake.

  “Hope you don’t mind. I’m starving.”

  “I could warm us up something to eat.” LaShaun went to the refrigerator and took out a platter of roasted chicken and a large covered bowl of homemade potato salad.

  “Don’t go to any trouble.” Savannah’s eyes widened as LaShaun brought out buttered rolls. “But if you insist.”

  “I’ll heat the rolls. The chicken will taste great cold.”

  “Let me serve myself. You must be worn out,” Savannah said.

  LaShaun waved her back. “I’m okay. Just sit. I have a feeling you’ve got something you want to tell me, and you didn’t want Chase around to hear it.”

  Savannah sat on the stool again. “So you are psychic, and right on the money. There’s some real bad stuff going on around here.”

  “You mean worse than one cousin getting her tongue cut off, and another cousin turning up dead? If there is then I haven’t heard about it.” LaShaun put the rolls in the microwave and set the timer.

  “I hired an investigator to dig around. Rita and Azalei were keeping bad company, just like Rita’s mama said. They were partying hard and throwing around cash. Some wild private parties have been going on around here. They say Quentin Trosclair financed the good times. Lots of liquor, drugs and sex.” Savannah shook her head.

  “Quentin always loved exotic good times.” LaShaun crossed her arms.

  “So I’ve heard.” Savannah cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows.

  “Chase knows about Quentin and me. Well, not all of the details. But enough to know I’m no angel.” LaShaun shrugged.

  “Okay.” Savannah digested that news for a few seconds then went on. “Quentin is backing Gautreau for sheriff, but keeping it quiet. But, this is the thing that only a couple of people were brave enough to even whisper; Gautreau has been to a few of these private parties. He’s got a healthy campaign fund from his party ‘friends’. Some of them include business folks looking to locate to this area, and get lucrative contracts.”’

  The microwave timer dinged and LaShaun took out the steaming rolls. She brought Savannah a plate of food. “Azalei and Rita must have been in on some juicy secrets.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t need know those juicy secrets. Just having this information means I can make a nice case for reasonable doubt.” Savannah smiled as though looking forward to facing Hazelton. She ate a forkful of potato salad and sighed. “You should eat something.”

  “I can’t,” LaShaun said and pushed the food away.

  The thought of eating twisted her stomach into a knot. While Savannah enjoyed the down home feast, LaShaun went to the bay window and looked out into the dark. She could only imagine the terror Rita and Azalei suffered that night. LaShaun shivered at the evil that must be inside a man to strike out in such vicious way. Or was it at the hands of a man? As she concentrated hard on that question, LaShaun focused on dense black shadow of trees at the edge of manicured lawn. The bright security lamp did not touch the dense darkness of the woods; just as compassion or goodness did not touch the thing that had maimed one woman and killed another without mercy. After a few seconds, a blue vapor glowed. LaShaun blinked to see if she was dreaming. The light wrapped around a huge oak tree like a vine. No, like a snake. Savannah’s voice sounded distant.

  “That was some delicious. Thanks for the food. Look, don’t be too concerned about what the DA thinks. His so-called theory of the crime is of full of holes. A revocable trust is a done deal. Your grandmother had already given you the assets. Rita and Azalei had more of a motive to come after you than you had to harm them.”

  “Yeah, right,” LaShaun said without taking her gaze from the woods.

  “You shouldn’t worry, okay? The DA has a steep hill to climb, and you better believe he knows it.”

  LaShaun gasped when she realized Savannah was standing next to her. She took Savannah by the arm and pulled her from the window. “Thanks for everything, Savannah. You’ve been great through all this, but you must be tired. I’m sure your husband is worried about you being out so late. Go home and get some rest.”

  “Are you rushing me out of here because of my welfare, or do you have another reason?” Savannah craned her neck to look over LaShaun’s shoulder to the window.

  “What are you talking about?” LaShaun tensed.

  “I’m talking about that good looking deputy. This isn’t the time for romantic interludes on the bayou.” Savannah shook a finger close to LaShaun’s nose.

  “I agree completely,” LaShaun said. “And if he shows up I’m going to send him packing. Girl Scout’s honor.”

  “You were never a Girl Scout. You told us scary stores until we refused to go camping in the woods, drove the troop leaders nuts.” Savannah gave a short laugh. She picked up her purse, but still didn’t move to leave. “You’re right about Paul. He’s sent me three text messages in the last hour. Now remember what I said.”

  “About what?” LaShaun tried not to let her impatience show through.

  “Hazelton has a shaky case, so don’t stay up all night worrying.”

  �
�I’m not going to be thinking about the DA tonight, trust me.” LaShaun resisted the urge to shove Savannah to the front door. She walked behind her giving token answers to Savannah’s talk about their next move and doing more investigation.

  “Wait a minute. I don’t think you should be out here by yourself,” Savannah stood in the open front door. She looked around at the rural setting, and the dark night.

  “I’ve got strong locks and a big shotgun in a closet. Drive carefully.” LaShaun gently pushed her forward onto the porch.

  “Okay. Anyway I have a feeling Deputy Broussard is not far away.” Savannah winked at LaShaun. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” LaShaun repeated. She watched as Savannah got into her Buick Enclave and drove off. “I hope she’s wrong about Chase being around here.”

  When the red taillights disappeared, LaShaun spun around and ran down the hallway. Then she remembered the front door was still open. She went back to secure it then went to her grandmother’s bedroom. The old diary lay open on the dresser. LaShaun picked it up slowly, holding her breath for a long minute before exhaling. Chase could arrest a human killer, and with his strong arms could overpower a physical opponent. Savannah could use her intelligence and skill to defend LaShaun in a court of law. But LaShaun had to face this unearthly threat on her own.

  The pages no longer had a faded aged appearance in the soft yellow light coming from the table lamps in the room. Strangely, the ink looked fresh as though the words had been written only days or hours before instead of generations ago. LaShaun felt compelled to rush to the woods, but the words of her ancestors told her to wait. LaShaun looked up from the pages and sighed. She put the diary aside and picked up another one. The wind outside picked up until it made a sharp whistling sound. She went to the window that faced the woods. The blue light still curled around the trunk of a giant live oak, an invitation. No, more like a challenge. LaShaun cleared the antique table. She found a lace runner and three white candles in brass holders on it. LaShaun brought out the large ornate Bible she’d found in Monmon Odette’s antique armoire. It had passed from hand to hand since 1902, and used on formal family occasions. Holding Monmon Odette’s treasured rosary beads, she got on her knees before the flicker candles and began to pray. Windows rattled in the old house. The longer the prayed the louder the wind moaned outside. Creaks and snaps crackled as the wooden frame of her grandmother’s large Creole-styled home resisted the pressure of a strange force.

  “Enough.” LaShaun stood.

  All noise ceased, like the quiet after a tempest. Yet, LaShaun knew very well that she was still in a hurricane. This peace was only the eye of the storm passing over. More was to come. She looked out into the night. A full smoky yellow moon stood above the trees. LaShaun left the bedroom and went down the hall past the kitchen and out of the back door.

  “I knew you’d come.”

  The throaty whisper gave her chills, but LaShaun didn’t answer in words. Instead, she crossed the boundary of light and entered a darkness that seemed to beckon. The blue light danced crazily in the distance, a clearing she knew well. When she got to the edge of the trees shadows seemed to move around her. LaShaun fought the urge to run.

  “You’d just pull me back, wouldn’t you?” LaShaun said to the air around her.

  The reply was snapping of branches that sounded like a dozen insane gremlins giggling. She gasped when a pressure in the middle of her back forced her forward two steps. Monmon Odette’s words came to her clearly.

  “Cher, you must go on your own. Be bold.”

  This was advice she’d given to LaShaun as a child while taught to practice the old religion their ancestors brought from Saint-Domingue. LaShaun nodded as though her grandmother stood next to her. She clutched Monmon Odette’s rosary, and shook herself like a prizefighter about to enter the ring. Then she walked straight for the family cemetery. A faint shape, no more than a translucent outline, stood next to the oldest headstone.

  “In the name of the most powerful one and only God, I pray that this doorway be slammed shut on the wicked ones who bring destruction to us.”

  LaShaun spoke calmly in spite of the way her heart hammered. The shape seemed to cock its head to one side. Then raucous laughter bounced from tree trunk to tree trunk about her. She fingered the gold cross over her heart. Laughter turned to a guttural growl that filled her ears. Pressure pushed her until she dropped to her knees and went forward into a crouch. Obscenities slapped her from all sides, and her legs pried apart by something hard and hot. Fighting the terror that tore through her, LaShaun started to pray. Invisible fingers pulled at the crotch of her jeans, and roughly caressed her breasts, but she continued to pray. Warmth flowed down her chin. She realized her nose was bleeding. Panic made her tremble violently, and she dropped the cross. More laughter assaulted her as a gust of wind blew dust in her eyes. The darkness thickened until she felt smothered. Moonlight lit the ground as leaves parted in the wind. LaShaun clawed through earth and grass for the glitter of gold until she found it. She prayed, screaming the words of faith. Hours passed, but gradually like a balloon losing air the tumult died away.

  Exhausted, LaShaun panicked for few moments when she couldn’t muster the strength to get up. Somehow, she managed to half crawl out of the woods toward the circle of brightness around the house. After a few steps, her legs gave out and she curled into a ball on the ground. She lay on the grass physically drained, but free of the evil spirit that wanted to control of her mind and body.

  She lost track of time, but finally got to her feet and staggered into the house.

  When she pushed through the back door her great-great grandmother’s clock chimed the fourth hour of April twenty-fourth. The time and date Odette Marie Hypolite Rousselle was born, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.

  Chapter 12

  At the arraignment the small courtroom was packed. LaShaun’s family split along the two rows of benches. Her uncles and a handful of cousins sat behind LaShaun and Savannah at the defense desk. Aunt Leah sat with a boisterous contingent of relatives who showed up to give her support. Reporters were scattered throughout the crowd on both sides of the courtroom. LaShaun looked back, surprised to see Azalei seated between Aunt Leah and a scowling woman, one of Aunt Leah’s best friends. Azalei looked less dazed, but still did not seem interested in what was going on around her. Aunt Leah gave LaShaun a fierce glare. Shaken by the poison in her dark eyes, LaShaun looked away just as the Judge Alsace Trahan strode in.

  “You see. She can’t even look us in the eye. She knows what she’s done, and I’m going to see she pays for it,” Aunt Leah said.

  Murmurs of agreement rose around her like a cloud of buzzing insects. The relatives sitting on LaShaun’s side of the gallery tossed out a few comments in response. The click of cameras responded as well so the reporters could catch the reactions on both sides.

  Judge Trahan stopped flipping through the pages in front of him, picked up the gavel, and banged it. The sound brought everyone to attention. “Let me make this clear, I won’t put up with outbursts or a lot of noise. I can and will clear everybody out of here if necessary.” He looked around. “As for you reporters, no snapping pictures once proceedings begin. This is a preliminary hearing, not a reality show. I won’t repeat myself. Proceed Mr. Hazelton.”

  “Your honor, the state has provided the court with evidence that Ms. Rousselle had an on-going, bitter and even sometimes violent feud with the victims in this case. We have pictures of one such fight, and the police reports detailing a disturbance involving the defendant and the victims. Ms. Rousselle attacked one or both of the victims on both occasions. The cause of the animosity was quite familiar, money. The victims had strong reason to believe that the defendant had taken advantage of their ailing grandmother so she could take control of a valuable estate. The defendant has a questionable alibi for the projected time of these crimes.” Hazelton wore a solemn expression as he approached the bench. “Not to mention she has
a history of being involved in another murder trial–”

  “Objection.” Savannah shot from her chair. “Mr. Hazelton knows very well that those charges were never brought, and my client was only questioned. He is attempting to create a hostile and prejudicial climate for my client.”

  “Sustained.” Judge Trahan’s thick dark brown eyebrows bunched together as he looked at the DA. “You know better. Don’t bring that other matter up again.”

  “Yes, your honor. I only intended to establish the reckless nature and tendency toward violence of this defendant. We think there is more than enough evidence to support going forward with a trial.” Hazelton sat down. His assistant seated next to him nodded as though she thought the decision was clear.

  “Ms. Honoré.” Judge Trahan nodded to Savannah.

  She stood, smoothed down the front of her dark gray suit jacket, and then walked a few steps forward. “Your honor, the defense does not intend to dispute the facts of the family conflict between Ms. Rousselle and the victims. What Mr. Hazleton didn’t mention was that Mrs. Odette Rousselle had created a revocable trust that effectively transferred all of the assets to my client immediately upon her death. So, my client didn’t have a financial motive to harm the victims. She owns the properties and monies in the estate outright. In addition, I can call witnesses who will say that the victims struck out at my client for that very reason. Most importantly, there is no physical evidence linking my client to the crime. Even the surviving victim has not once accused her. We also have information that because of their lifestyles and questionable associates, both victims could have been attacked for reasons that have nothing to do with the estate of the late Mrs. Rousselle. In short, this is a hurried case thrown together based on old gossip and incomplete police work.” Savannah sat down.

  “I see you both have witness testimony,” Judge Trahan rumbled.