by Greg Herren
The driver’s door opened.
Troy Dufresne himself.
He wasn’t wearing a suit, the way I was used to always seeing him on television, but had on an LSU T-shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair was slicked back, and I had to give the man credit—he was good-looking, if completely untrustworthy. I also realized the way he’d parked the town car was blocking the driveway; there was no way Frank could get the Jag past it. I swore under my breath.
I didn’t have a clear shot at either Donnie Ray or Dufresne.
That’s when I heard it—the sound of an engine from behind the cabin. But it wasn’t the Jag—the engine was too loud and uneven to be the Jag. The Jag’s engine ran so quietly it barely purred. No, it sounded like a boat of some sort, coming up the bayou to the back of the cabin. Who the fuck could that be? I wondered, but Dufresne’s reaction was not what I expected. He ran back to the town car, jumped back in, and started backing down the driveway at a really high speed, which probably wasn’t very smart. Donnie Ray had a very sour look on his face—looked to me like maybe Dufresne was leaving him holding the bag.
Whatever was going on behind the house, Donnie Ray clearly wasn’t taking any chances. In one fluid motion he grabbed Hope, put his arm around her neck, and put his gun up to her forehead. All the color drained out of her face.
“Put down the gun and put your hands in the air!” a voice boomed through a bullhorn.
“Do I look stupid to you?” Donnie Ray shouted back. He was sweating now, big round circles of sweat under his arms.
There was a gunshot, and dust flew up right at Donnie Ray’s feet. Hope screamed, and Donnie Ray quickly tossed his gun to the ground, let go of her, and put his hands up. Several men in SWAT outfits came running around the building, and one of them retrieved Donnie Ray’s gun while another handcuffed him. I stepped out through the front door, after putting Frank’s gun down, and held my own hands up in the air.
My knees felt a little bit weak. It was all over—Dad was home, and if Donnie Ray was telling the truth, Veronica’s murderer was not only exposed, but Louisiana taxpayers would be saved the expense of his trial. We wouldn’t be so lucky with Donnie Ray, of course.
And I could hear him singing like a bird to the SWAT team man who’d handcuffed him—and every other word out of his mouth was “Dufresne.”
Frank came around the side of the house, a big grin on his face. “You can always count on the FBI,” he said to me with a wink. “Now let’s wrap this whole mess up and see if we can find the deduct box.”
I sighed in relief and leaned back against him. “Praise the Goddess,” I replied. “May they catch Dufresne real soon, too. I wonder if he’s going to try to make a break for it?”
“He’s a politician,” Frank replied grimly. “More like he’ll deny it all and hire a good lawyer. And you know how Louisiana voters love a good scoundrel.”
“Yeah,” I replied as one of the SWAT team guys came walking up to us. “We might always vote for ’em, but a jury always convicts them. That’s something to be proud of, don’t you think?”
“Scotty Bradley? Frank Sobieski?” the SWAT agent asked, taking off his helmet and smiling at us. He was a nice-looking man, maybe in his late forties. “I got some questions for you.”
“Ask away,” I replied. “Ask away.”
Afterward
We never found the deduct box.
Either it was moved again at some point or Eugene Porterie took Huey Long duck hunting in a different place than he did his son, but we dug everywhere around the spot where Hope’s grandfather claimed was the right one to no avail. Hope has given permission to a team of archaeologists and historians to dig on the property, but so far no one has turned up the deduct box.
Troy Dufresne never admitted to wanting the deduct box. The legislature did demand his resignation, and the governor appointed someone to his office until there could be a special election. A lot of people want Storm to run for attorney general, and he is considering it. It amuses me no end to think that my brother could be a very powerful man in this state. As I told him, “No matter who you end up being, Storm, you’ll always be my asshole older brother.”
Saying this to him, of course, resulted in my getting head noogies. I don’t think he’ll ever completely grow up.
Dad didn’t seem any the worse for wear. Apparently Dufresne’s men fed him well and took really good care of him.
Taylor is still with us and has fallen in love with New Orleans. Like so many others before him, he never wants to leave. We’ve gotten him registered and enrolled at Tulane, and he’s still living in the upstairs apartment. We have moved all of Colin’s spy toys down to our floor, and I always knock before I enter his place—lesson learned.
He’s a great kid, really, and every day I grow more and more fond of him. My worries about being a bad role model for him were unfounded. He really can make me laugh, and he’s also teaching me all the things my computer and my smartphone can do.
They really are smart phones.
The Feds came down on AFAR like a ton of bricks. Diana Killeen and her cohorts are in jail, and I’m hoping they never get out.
And Mike of course is back in his habitat. The athletic department at LSU was so grateful to me and Taylor for getting him back for them—even though we really didn’t do anything—that they gave both of us a pair of football season tickets for life.
I’m looking forward to football season this year.
GEAUX TIGERS!
About the Author
Greg Herren is a New Orleans–based author and editor. He is a co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, which takes place in New Orleans every May. He is the author of over twenty novels, including the Lambda Literary Award–winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Picayune “the most honest depiction of life in post-Katrina New Orleans published thus far.” He co-edited Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections on New Orleans, which also won the Lambda Literary Award. His young adult novel Sleeping Angel won the Moonbeam Gold Medal for Excellence in Young Adult Mystery/Horror. He has published over fifty short stories in markets as varied as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to the critically acclaimed anthology New Orleans Noir to various websites, literary magazines, and anthologies. His erotica anthology FRATSEX is the all-time best-selling title for Insightoutbooks. He has worked as an editor for Bella Books, Harrington Park Press, and now Bold Strokes Books.
A longtime resident of New Orleans, Greg was a fitness columnist and book reviewer for Window Media for over four years, publishing in the LGBT newspapers IMPACT News, Southern Voice, and Houston Voice. He served a term on the Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats and served on the founding committee of the Louisiana Stonewall Democrats. He is currently employed as a public health researcher for the NO/AIDS Task Force and is serving a term on the board of the Mystery Writers of America.
Reviewers Love Greg Herren’s Mysteries
“Herren, a loyal New Orleans resident, paints a brilliant portrait of the recovering city, including insights into its tight-knit gay community. This latest installment in a powerful series is sure to delight old fans and attract new ones.”—Publishers Weekly
“Fast-moving and entertaining, evoking the Quarter and its gay scene in a sweet, funny, action-packed way.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune
“Herren does a fine job of moving the story along, deftly juggling the murder investigation and the intricate relationships while maintaining several running subjects.”—Echo Magazine
“An entertaining read.”—OutSmart Magazine
“A pleasant addition to your beach bag.”—Bay Windows
“Greg Herren gives readers a tantalizing glimpse of New Orleans.” —Midwest Book Review
“Herren’s characters, dialogue and setting make the book seem absolutely real.”—The Houston Voice
“So much fun it should be thrown from Mardi Gras floats!”—New Orleans Times-Picayune
�
��Greg Herren just keeps getting better.”—Lambda Book Report
Other Greg Herren Titles Available Via Amazon
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Light by ’Nathan Burgoine. Openly gay (and secretly psychokinetic) Kieran Quinn is forced into action when self-styled prophet Wyatt Jackson arrives during Pride Week and things take a violent turn. (978-1-60282-953-4)
Baton Rouge Bingo by Greg Herren. The murder of an animal rights activist involves Scotty and the boys in a decades-old mystery revolving around Huey Long’s murder and a missing fortune. (978-1-60282-954-1)
Anything for a Dollar, edited by Todd Gregory. Bodies for hire, bodies for sale—enter the steaming hot world of men who make a living from their bodies—whether they star in porn, model, strip, or hustle—or all of the above. (978-1-60282-955-8)
Mind Fields by Dylan Madrid. When college student Adam Parsh accepts a tutoring position, he finds himself the object of the dangerous desires of one of the most powerful men in the world—his married employer. (978-1-60282-945-9)
Greg Honey by Russ Gregory. Detective Greg Honey is steering his way through new love, business failure, and bruises when all his cases indicate trouble brewing for his wealthy family. (978-1-60282-946-6)
Jacob’s Diary by Sam Sommer. Nothing exciting ever happens to David Jacobs until the day he and his son are thrown into the most fascinating and disturbing adventure of a lifetime. (978-1-60282-947-3)
Lake Thirteen by Greg Herren. A visit to an old cemetery seems like fun to a group of five teenagers, who soon learn that sometimes it’s best to leave old ghosts alone. (978-1-60282-894-0)
Deadly Cult by Joel Gomez-Dossi. One nation under MY God, or you die. (978-1-60282-895-7)
The Case of the Rising Star: A Derrick Steele Mystery by Zavo. Derrick Steele’s next case involves blackmail, revenge, and a new romance as Derrick races to save a young movie star from a dangerous killer. Meanwhile, will a new threat from within destroy him, along with the entire Steele family? (978-1-60282-888-9)
Big Bad Wolf by Logan Zachary. After a wolf attack, Paavo Wolfe begins to suspect one of the victims is turning into a werewolf. Things become hairy as his ex-partner helps him find the killer. Can Paavo solve the mystery before he runs into the Big Bad Wolf? (978-1-60282-890-2)
The Plain of Bitter Honey by Alan Chin. Trapped within the bleak prospect of a society in chaos, twin brothers Aaron and Hayden Swann discover inner strength in the face of tragedy and search for atonement after betraying the one you most love. (978-1-60282-883-4)
In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa. The only man Allan wants is the one he can’t have. (978-1-60282-875-9)
The Moon’s Deep Circle by David Holly. Tip Trencher wants to find out what happened to his long-lost brothers, but what he finds is a sizzling circle of gay sex and pagan ritual. (978-1-60282-870-4)
Straight Boy Roommate by Kevin Troughton. Tom isn’t expecting much from his first term at University, but a chance encounter with straight boy Dan catapults him into an extraordinary, wild weekend of sex and self-discovery, which turns his life upside down, and leads him into his first love affair. (978-1-60282-782-0)
Raising Hell: Demonic Gay Erotica, edited by Todd Gregory. Hot stories of gay erotica featuring demons. (978-1-60282-768-4)
Pursued by Joel Gomez-Dossi. Openly gay college student Jamie Bradford becomes romantically involved with two men at the same time, and his hell begins when one of his boyfriends becomes intent on killing him. (978-1-60282-769-1)
Timothy by Greg Herren. Timothy is a romantic suspense thriller from award-winning mystery writer Greg Herren set in the fabulous Hamptons. (978-1-60282-760-8)
In Stone by Jeremy Jordan King. A young New Yorker is rescued from a hate crime by a mysterious someone who turns out to be more of a something. (978-1-60282-761-5)
The Jesus Injection by Eric Andrews-Katz. Murderous statues, demented drag queens, political bombings, ex-gay ministries, espionage, and romance are all in a day’s work for a top secret agent. But the gloves are off when Agent Buck 98 comes up against the Jesus Injection. (978-1-60282-762-2)
Combustion by Daniel W. Kelly. Bearish detective Deck Waxer comes to the city of Kremfort Cove to investigate why the hottest men in town are bursting into flames in broad daylight. (978-1-60282-763-9)
Night Shadows: Queer Horror edited by Greg Herren and J.M. Redmann. Night Shadows features delightfully wicked stories by some of the biggest names in queer publishing. (978-1-60282-751-6)
Wyatt: Doc Holliday’s Account of an Intimate Friendship by Dale Chase. Erotica writer Dale Chase takes the remarkable friendship between Wyatt Earp, upright lawman, and Doc Holliday, Southern gentlemen turned gambler and killer, to an entirely new level: hot! (978-1-60282-755-4)
Secret Societies by William Holden. An outcast hustler, his unlikely “mother,” his faithless lovers, and his religious persecutors—all in 1726. (978-1-60282-752-3)
The Jetsetters by David-Matthew Barnes. As rock band the Jetsetters skyrocket from obscurity to superstardom, Justin Holt, a lonely barista, and Diego Delgado, the band’s guitarist, fight with everything they have to stay together, despite the chaos and fame. (978-1-60282-745-5)
Strange Bedfellows by Rob Byrnes. Partners in life and crime, Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca are hired to make a politician’s compromising photo disappear, but what should be an easy job quickly spins out of control. (978-1-60282-746-2)
Fontana by Joshua Martino. Fame, obsession, and vengeance collide in a novel that asks: What if America’s greatest hero was gay? (978-1-60282-675-5)
The Dirty Diner: Gay Erotica on the Menu, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler. Gay erotica set in restaurants, featuring food, sex, and men—could you really ask for anything more? (978-1-60282-677-9)
Sweat: Gay Jock Erotica by Todd Gregory. Sizzling tales of smoking-hot sex with the athletic studs everyone fantasizes about. (978-1-60282-669-4)
The Marrying Kind by Ken O’Neill. Just when successful wedding planner Adam More decides to protest inequality by quitting the business and boycotting marriage entirely, his only sibling announces her engagement. (978-1-60282-670-0)