“She’s not yours to be ordered around,” Bobby proclaimed.
Joe-Joe entered the kitchen, still looking rough. “What’s she doing here?”
Bobby said, “No need to go into the cremator room. It’s taken care of.”
“What is?” Lucy May questioned.
Bobby explained, “The cremator wasn’t working. I fixed it. The whole thing.”
“Oh,” Joe-Joe looked surprised. “Good. Good work.”
“So, I wasn’t needed at all.” Trevor casually put the water down, gazing at Bobby. He smiled just enough to make his eyes crinkle.
“Your secret business was about the cremator not working?” Lucy May cocked her head. “You’re right. I don’t want to know what all this is about. I’m leaving.” His sister gave Reverend Trevor a snarky look before exiting.
Once gone, Bobby asked, “Any more bodies today?”
“No more out of you!” Trevor’s voice belted, like when Bobby was in the cage, receiving the discipline of God.
“You burned her, freak-show? After I said not to?” Joe-Joe threatened.
Bobby’s arm shot out to Joe-Joe’s throat, pushing him to the wall. He lifted him several inches off the floor. Joe-Joe’s hand wrung Bobby’s wrists while wheezing. “You said you’d do it, not that I couldn’t.”
“Let him go,” Trevor commanded. “What has gotten into you? You and your sister are just getting so… contrary.”
Joe-Joe fell to the floor when Bobby released his grip.
“I’m sorry, Reverend.” Bobby bowed his head. “Joe-Joe offers another level of irritation.”
Reverend Trevor slapped him across the face, an expected result of his anger. “You and Lucy May are losing sight of your place. Questioning me is questioning the word of the patronne.”
“While ignoring the commandments of God.” Bobby stood fast, expecting a thrashing.
Reverend Trevor sucked in a breath. He put his hands in prayer, just below his lips. “Have you seen Angel today?”
“She was just here earlier. Why?” Bobby glanced at Joe-Joe who rubbed at his neck with a sneer.
Chapter 38
Angel placed the bear on the Rock’s dashboard in its new home, tucked into the corner by the windshield. It had absorbed so much pain; she hoped it would find peace, silly as that sounded.
Once home, she found Mark sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. His hair spiked in all directions, needing a cut. He looked like a kid that had made his own breakfast.
“Are we playing house now? Seven dates to roommates?”
“Sounds like a reality show. Don’t worry. I’m getting out of your hair.” He kept eating. “Where’d you run off to?”
She kissed him on the neck as she passed. “Tried to give Bobby his bear back. He didn’t want it.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? Is that all you got?” She plucked a Frosted Mini-Wheat from his bowl.
“I’m practicing for my psychiatry degree. How does that make you feel?”
“Fine, Dr. Phil.” She pushed his head. “How’s the arm?”
“Good.” He rotated it. “What’d Bobby have to say?”
“Nothing really. He was evasive. I’ll tell you another time.”
“I’m holding you to that. I just became executor to another will in Brockton. Life goes on, ironically. I’m going back to my office after breakfast.”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I’m not sure you should be here all the time.”
“I agree.”
Angel sniffed the air. “You’re getting ripe. You need to shower, and make sure you keep those stitches dry. There’s plastic-wrap in one of those drawers.”
“Stop nagging.” He held his hands up to protect himself as she made a fist. Laughing, he closed his laptop to follow her orders.
Angel waited until she heard the shower before throwing several bags of Lorna’s clothes into the back of the Rock. From there, she would pick up fresh bandages from the pharmacy.
She opened the front door to see a silver Lexus parked in the driveway. Lucy May rose out of the vehicle, wearing her old favorite Micky Mouse tee, tight shorts, and black leggings. Her eyeliner was heavy-handed, but she could pull it off.
Whoever called her fat at the Dairy Queen must’ve been a stick. However, she could just make out a bump of a belly. Her highlights were perfect for her skin tone.
Angel moved toward the car. “Hi, Lucy May. I was just heading to the church. What can I do for you?”
Her cousin leaned against the fender. She looked past Angel as if seeing a ghost. Angel’s approach slowed to a snail’s pace, watching Lucy May organize her thoughts. “I just saw Bobby. You really worked him up.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“The bear, Angel?”
“I thought he’d want it.”
“That bear knows every horrible thing that’s ever happened to him.”
“I regret it now.”
“You gave him your card.” It was like an accusation.
“I was being nice.”
“He’s going to use it. He’s an adult, and I can’t stop him. But there are things you need to know. So, you don’t say or do the wrong thing.”
“I wouldn’t…”
“You don’t know what triggers him. Please… let me finish,” Lucy May pleaded. “Once Bobby finally reached puberty at fourteen, he acted out toward our parents. I would read to him, trying to teach him. But his hormones acted up, and he didn’t know how to handle it.”
“Puberty?”
“He changed toward me when I was around. When we were close to each other. You know that feeling? When a boy… wants something.”
“I know.”
She sighed. “I’m going to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
“For years, when we were young, my father would come into my room late at night and wake me. Usually drunk.”
“Oh, Lucy May…”
“No, it wasn’t like that. Doug wasn’t that way, although there were so many other things wrong with him.”
“Sorry, go on.” Angel moved to lean against her truck.
“I turned off my mind when he came for me. Crying would make it worse.” She gazed at the house, but only for a second. “If I spoke up, I’d get the Bible across my back.”
“Why’d he come get you?”
“When Bobby was in the cage, he’d put me in there with him and watch us. He’d set up a chair with a bottle of whiskey. A dim spotlight was on the cage like a carnival attraction.” She finally looked at Angel. “I don’t know what he expected us to do. We’d whisper to each other sometimes. We’d sleep. We’d wake up, and he’d be gone.”
Angel kept the distance, not wanting to frighten her. “That’s so strange.”
“I didn’t tell Aunt Izzy this, but the night Doug was killed, he told us that we weren’t his.”
“Oh, wow. Is that true?”
“Don’t know. Doug said my mom was pregnant when he was forced to marry her. He could have been lying. If true, I don’t know who our real dad is.” She shrugged.
Angel’s jaw had to unlock to speak. “That’s so tragic. And that’s why you lean on Trevor.”
“Yeah.” Her eyes finally snapped to the present.
“We can do a DNA test to find out.”
“Maybe when I’m ready.”
Angel wanted to hold her, to give her all the affection in one embrace that she never received her entire life. “Why would our grandmother go along with Doug punishing you and Bobby like that?”
“My dad had something on the family. Maw maw knew my dad was a psychopath, but Uncle Earl kept convincing her he wouldn’t betray the family.” She wiped her nose. “He was one kind of religious outside the house, and another brand of evil behind closed doors.”
“Has Bobby ever advanced on you?” Too blunt, Angel.
She didn’t flinch. “Bobby had no idea what a vagina was for. I’m not sure if
he isn’t still a virgin. He doesn’t speak about his time at mortuary school. And he goes out at night sometimes and doesn’t tell anyone where he goes.” She inhaled. “Even though you’re our cousin, if he likes you, he might do or say some odd things. He might act on impulse. What if he reaches out to touch you? You have to tell yourself he’s a child in so many ways.”
“You haven’t once asked for the land back. Why do I sense you’re not that broken up about it?” Angel took one more step toward her, just beyond her personal space. “Besides Trevor’s new church, what’s so important about it.”
Lucy May hesitated just enough. “I wish I knew.”
“Why move in with Trevor?”
She put a hand on her belly. “Angel.” She considered her next few words. “My mom was seeing a psychiatrist outside the parish before Doug’s murder.”
“Why?”
“Schizophrenia. Late diagnosis. Maw maw’s sister Clair developed it late, too. Trevor cared for my mom in her final days. He traveled out of state to get her medication. It was under control, so no one suspected.”
“But, she didn’t leave you the land.”
“I don’t really care. I’ll deny it if you repeat it.” With that, she climbed into the car and tore away as if she’d never been.
Chapter 39
The bear watched her drive to God’s Light Church. The more Angel learned about her family’s history, the more shame she felt. Atrocities occurred all around the world, and yet so many heartbreaking acts had happened in her own backyard. Lucy May was trying hard to deny her Blondeaux-ness, and Angel believed it had everything to do with protecting Bobby.
Lucy May didn’t care that Lorna had bequeathed the house to a federal agent. If Lorna indeed had schizophrenia, then either Izzy knew about her affliction all along, or discovered the fact when they recovered her medication after she died. She’d have to handle her cousin delicately.
No one was home at the rectory, but she could unload her cargo very slowly, drawing out her stay. Sweat soon rolled down Angel’s temple. She took her sweet time in tossing several bags from the bed of the truck into the empty donation container. Trevor could just be out on an errand.
Angel left one bag on the tailgate. The prestigious church’s parking lot was vacant. Without a soul in sight, she casually walked to the entrance, but it was locked. For no particular reason, she started for the side of the building, searching the entire perimeter’s flower beds. Then, she heard an engine approach by the rectory, eventually shutting off.
By the time she came full circle, she saw Trevor’s car had parked out front, and he had made his way inside. Angel approached his porch as the reverend appeared at the door with two bottles of water, wearing a casual striped shirt, shorts, and sandals.
After a pleasant greeting, he watched her consume a good portion of water. “Heard about the shooting.”
Angel sat on the tailgate and let water drip off her chin. “I’d be worried about this town if you didn’t.” She turned her head toward the idle church. “Why’s the door locked? I thought it was open 24/7?”
“We had some vandalism. Kids today - they don’t worry about consequences like we used to.”
“Kids vandalized a Blondeaux-based church? Really, Trevor?”
“Someone did.” He cleared his throat. “Have you spoken to Joe-Joe since the shooting?”
“No. I did speak to Lucy May a little while ago.”
“Oh?” He looked uncomfortable without a pulpit.
“Complicated, that one is.”
He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief. “You have to understand Lucy May.”
“Explain her to me.”
“Her heart is in the right place. I help give her direction.”
“Sounds like a special relationship.”
Trevor seemed to call forth a memorized answer. “Lucy May never had a stable father figure in her life. I try to fill that void.”
“I don’t get you Reverend… you’re sensitive, but insincere. And deep down, you care about certain things, but you’re calculating.”
“Are you still talking in reference of Lucy May?”
She moved her hand off the hot tailgate. “The optics of this arrangement…”
“Again, with this.” He looked at her like a scolding parent. “I’ll only humor you for so long, Angel.” He huffed. “I can’t save this town, this parish. Neither can you. Since its founding, the land has been watered with more blood than rain. Paulette and her brothers killed people on mere speculation, with no remorse at all. I am a servant of this community, and God’s Light is a very prominent part of their lives. If I can take some of that… dubious wealth, and use it to contribute to educational programs, youth centers, and other charities, then that is the good I’ll do our town. That is what the mega-church will represent.”
“I see. My having that land has caused quite a quagmire.”
“That, it has.”
“I’m not sure if Clint Johnson helped, but she needs psychological help, reverend. More than money or your guidance.”
“I agree. She was troubled before the murder, and then melancholy after it. And now she’s acting out, with these clothes and makeup. Your clothes. I think your mother might’ve seen her as a replacement for you.”
“Insightful.”
“We need to give her options to make the best decisions.”
“You had told me Lucy May tried taking care of her brother. Tried to teach him things, math, English, and whatnot.”
He nodded. “She secretly home-schooled him because he got into trouble so much with his teachers.”
“I found a worn Bible and Rosary near the cage.” She waited. “You teach him, too?”
“Your Uncle Douglas used the Bible to discipline her. She once commented that the reflection of the word Bible was imprinted on her back.” He made the sign of the cross.
“Seems like everyone in that house may have had motive to kill Doug.”
“Yes, but there’s only one confession.” They each paused to drink.
“Have you ever held a service for Bobby? Blessed him? Baptized him, maybe? Kept the secret of his punishments?”
He blustered. “What? No. That would mean I was aware of the whole travesty the entire time. You should leave now, Angel.”
She moved toward the driver-side door. “Sorry, Rev Trev. Sometimes, I can’t turn it off.”
The Rock’s engine roared to life on the first turn of the key. Her cell phone rang as she watched Trevor go back inside his home. It was a number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Angel, it’s Eddie from the Frog.”
“Hi, Eddie, how’s it going?” She put the air on full blast.
“Sorry to bother you, but I got your number from a card Delilah gave me. I need to talk to her. You seen her?”
“Not today.”
“Well, she didn’t show for work last night. She’s not home or answering her phone, but another waitress says her car is still at the apartment.”
Angel felt her blood pressure drop. “This could be anything.”
“Well, she’s never been off the grid before.”
Chapter 40
A blanket of gray clouds hid the afternoon sun. Angel entered the apartment using Delilah’s spare key she knew to be hidden in a ceramic fish’s mouth. The Camaro was still in her parking spot, and her door window hadn’t been smashed. There was no sign of a struggle. That would mean if she was missing, she knew her abductor. And that hypothesis only worked if she was taken from here. Someone could have snatched her up any number of places.
Lawfully, Angel needed to call Izzy and let the local police handle this as a missing person’s case. But if this was yet another escalated warning, Izzy could very well be responsible. But what if Delilah wasn’t actually missing? She could have skipped work and a date picked her up. She slept out.
Angel took a few minutes to knock on her neighbors’ doors and ask about anything out of the ordinary, but no one
could offer help. She stopped by Delilah’s car, which was unlocked. She opened the door with her shirt-tail and looked around without getting in. Delilah’s cell phone was on the floorboard by the accelerator. So much for tracking GPS.
Angel snapped on a set of latex gloves from her back pocket and punched in Delilah’s pin code. She had learned it when Delilah gave her the phone to take a picture. She went through her calls and texts—nothing out of the ordinary. No one had contacted her the night before. She had been abducted from this very spot, and there were no cameras around. She took the phone to pass on to Agent Ruby, rationalizing there was still a chain of evidence.
The Moreau Parish Sheriff’s Office would be the next stop. It was a medium-sized building in a complex between Lemon Twig and Brockton. On the first floor, there were four desks in the main room and Izzy’s office was in the rear. A kitchen area was cordoned off to the right with an eating area.
She entered the station, which typically would have a lazy atmosphere. The deputy near the front counter couldn’t react in time as Angel barged into Izzy’s office.
“Where the fuck is Delilah?” Angel slammed her hand down on the desk.
Izzy waved off the deputy who had run in after her.
Angel bore into her eyes. “I know you did this.”
Izzy leaned back in her high back leather chair. “Slow down, and tell me what this is about.”
“Delilah is missing. What is this? Another warning?”
“Okay, how long has she been missing?” Izzy grabbed a pad and pen.
“Drop the act.”
“I can’t do anything until she’s been missing twenty-four hours, or at least if a family member comes to me.” She threw the pad down.
“Her car is still at her apartment. No one has seen her.”
Izzy’s mouth opened fully. Her palms mockingly cupped her cheeks. “No one has seen her? If she isn’t in her car or apartment, she must’ve been taken.”
“The car in the lot is the crime scene. Her phone was on the floorboard.”
“No blood? No break-in?” Izzy almost laughed. “Delilah gets around, Blondo. She’s sleeping it off in a strange bed. If she doesn’t show up by tomorrow morning. I’ll look into it.”
Blood Parish Page 13