Mississippi Blues

by D'Ann Lindun

  Jody came back. “I have to take this in to the station, but I want to search the boat first.”

  “You think they’re together?” Jace had apparently taken his little sister hostage, but it didn’t make it any easier to admit. If only there was some other explanation. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t find one. Trey waited to see what Jody had to say. He had known Jace all his life, too. The three of them had played football and baseball from elementary through high school and run around together. If Jody believed Jace capable of kidnapping for revenge, then Trey knew he wasn’t crazy.

  “I don’t know what to think. All the evidence points that way. But we might be jumping to conclusions. I just can’t see the guy I used to know hurting your sister. But I couldn’t see him killing anyone either, even though he always was a hothead.”

  “What happened to his mama just pushed him over the edge, I guess. Who’s to say if that had been you or I, we might have done the same.” A shudder ripped down Trey’s back at the thought of his mother in the condition MiLann had been left in. She’d been beaten so badly, she couldn’t function for days, raped and tortured, left to die alone in a downpour. Her mind had protected itself the only way it could and snapped. Only a miracle had kept her alive.

  “If someone did something like that to my mama, they wouldn’t live to talk about it,” Jody agreed. “And I’m a lawman.”

  “Yeah, so was my dad. I know it killed him he couldn’t get enough on Soloman to put him away. When the Chief had to turn a rapist loose he about died inside.” Trey had glimpsed a side of his dad most people didn’t, the night the Chief had come home after freeing Soloman. He’d been sick at heart. He blamed himself, although there wasn’t anything he could do. The evidence just didn’t stack up to make the case.

  “I don’t doubt it,” Jody agreed. “Your old man isn’t always a hardass. He has a heart. He just keeps it well-hidden most of the time. Right now, for instance, he’s so worried about Lindy, he can’t stand himself.”

  “I know it. Which brings me back to Jace. Do you honestly think the guy has run off with my sister at gunpoint? And if he has, where did they go?” He swept his hand toward the lake and the forest surrounding it. “There’s a million places they could be.”

  “We’re watching her credit cards. If Jace has her, he’s smart enough to not let her use them. He wouldn’t have had any money. Cons don’t make enough to spend and he didn’t walk out of the front door with a state issued check. He ran from a bus wreck, so he couldn’t have had a dime on him. In other words, he can’t have gotten far on his own. And if Lindy is with him, no one has spotted her Jeep.”

  “He’s got a great hiding spot, I’d say. Lindy’s Jeep is bright yellow, not easy to camouflage. The military teaches us to hide right out in the open sometimes. I think that’s it. I bet Jace is right under our noses and we’re just overlooking him.” Trey hitched a thumb behind him. “I think I’m right. Look where he landed. The Chief’s boat.”

  “So where else is a possibility?” Jody pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Somewhere he would figure no one would go,” Trey said.

  Jody leaned against the railing, his hands under his butt. “He was your best friend. You tell me.”

  Trey searched his memory. “You know how much time we put into sports. Almost every day after school. When we weren’t practicing, we spent a lot of time in the garage working on the Mustang. Hours and hours.”

  “What about school vacations? We came here to fish or ride around on this boat, remember?” Jody took a few steps away and stared into the lake. “I remember those days like they were yesterday.”

  “Yeah, we came here. Both of the families did, too. We used to spend a whole day out on the water, and then we’d picnic up on the shore in the evening. Sometimes, we’d grill the catfish we caught.” Those days were only six years ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

  Jody said, “We know Jace came here. Is there anywhere else that means something to him? Another location where he’d feel safe?”

  Trey shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”

  “Keep studying on it.” Jody lifted the jumpsuit with a gloved hand. “Yeah, this is Jace’s all right. Angola will confirm it.”

  Glancing around Trey said, “I wonder how long Jace was here and how he found Lindy.”

  “Maybe he didn’t.”

  Trey paused. They had staked everything they had on Jace kidnapping Lindy, but now he wasn’t so sure. “I’ve been thinking. I just don’t see Jace having a way to get from here to wherever Jimmy Ray was with Lindy and stealing her away from him. How would Jace know where to look, for one thing? I’m afraid we’re going the wrong direction.”

  “I agree.” Jody wiped his brow. “If I could’ve taken Jimmy Ray in for more questioning, I think I would’ve found out where your sister is. I don’t think Jace had time to plan a kidnapping and carry it out. The bus turning over was a freak thing, not planned.”

  “You know what this means?” Trey didn’t want to say it.

  Jody wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Jimmy Ray killed her and hid the body.”

  Trey swallowed around the knot in his throat. “Yeah.”

  “We better get some more manpower,” Jody said grimly. “I need to search the boat first.”

  His stomach rolling, Trey followed him through The Emily. He knew the odds of finding a missing person in this neck of the woods. The possibilities were endless. There was the lake itself, miles and miles of deep water. Surrounding it was the forest. Thousands of acres of trees. A million places to hide a body. Only Jimmy Ray could lead them to Lindy and he couldn’t.

  “Looks like he stocked up and got out of Dodge,” Trey commented.

  All the food was missing.

  “Seems like it.” Jody headed for the door. “I’m going to take the new evidence to the station and get some more people hunting for your sister.”

  • • •

  Summer used her key on the front door. A long time ago, they had left their house unlocked. No one else in the county bolted up but them. “Mama? Are you up?”

  Getting no answer, her heart raced. Mama always met her at the door or in the kitchen. Had she suffered another breakdown worrying about Jace? With hurried steps, Summer checked the kitchen. Only the tick-tock of the clock on the wall met her. Biting her bottom lip, she looked in Mama’s bedroom. She was asleep, snoring softly.

  Relieved, Summer backed out and went into the kitchen for a glass of iced tea. A frosted raisin-apple cake sat on the counter. She cut a healthy piece and took it to the porch. Setting her food on the table, she went back in the house and dug the mysterious photo out of her bag. Holding it carefully by the edge, she took it outside and sat.

  She chewed on a piece of cake and stared at the picture, trying to figure out where it had been taken. The background was dark; a flash had lit up the faces of the people but not much else. Mama and Emily Bouché wore dresses and both Buford and Leroy were in dress shirts and slacks. They all held drinks. Where had they been drinking? A party of some sort? Or a bar?

  Summer’s stomach clenched, her appetite fled. She’d heard whispers about her mother her whole life. There had always been insinuations that Mama was trampy, but Summer hadn’t ever seen any evidence of it. Her memory flashed back to an ugly scene when she was in high school.

  Patty Jane Myers had taken her daughter out of Mama’s class at school and moved her into a different room. Another memory forced its way to the surface. When Summer had been in the seventh grade, Bess Crowley had been Summer’s best friend. Suddenly, with no explanation, Bess had been forbidden to speak to Summer. She still didn’t know why. Had it been more than pre-teen drama? She’d gone out of her way to make sure people didn’t talk bad about her.

  A tiny voice of doubt nagged her. In photographic evidence Mama was sitting on
a lap of a man, her arms wrapped around his neck.

  Had the talk been more than idle gossip?

  Was Mama guilty of the things people said about her?

  She was wild.

  She chased married men.

  She brought the rape on herself.

  Summer’s mind refused to wrap around the possibility. Even if a kernel of the gossip was true, and Mama had been wild, Emily Bouché certainly wasn’t. She was the Chief’s wife, someone who had a position to uphold in the community. Summer had never seen her behave with anything but perfect decorum. The idea of Emily even drinking beer out of a bottle was unfathomable. No matter how much she tried, Summer couldn’t make herself believe her mother and Emily had gone out on the town partying. But by the truth in the photo, they had done something out of character.

  Summer wished she could ask her mother about the picture, but she didn’t dare. Who knew how she’d react. Mama’s fits were almost unbearable and Summer didn’t fancy triggering another one so soon. She tried to tell herself she was making too much out of a simple photo. So what if Mama had a night out with her best friend? Everyone did that sometimes. Summer had gone out with Glory and Lilah a few times. Something here just felt wrong, though.

  Who could she could ask about it? Leroy Eaton had committed suicide. Not Emily. Buford Krebbs wasn’t a possibility; if Viola got wind of this, she’d shred what little was left of Mama’s reputation His image snuck in and stayed like an unwanted guest who wouldn’t go home. He might know something she didn’t. This puzzle was going to drive her crazy if she didn’t solve it.

  Guilt nipped at her, but she ignored it and dialed Trey. He answered immediately, his husky voice cutting across her raw nerves like a blade. “It’s Summer. Can you meet me somewhere?”

  There was a pause then he asked, “When?”

  “Now.” Her pulse jump-roped in her neck and she took a deep breath to steady it.

  “Where?” Was it her imagination, or did his voice grow deeper?

  “Somewhere we can talk.” A million butterflies in her stomach collided head-on. “In private.”

  “Sounds serious.” His husky tone did drop an octave.

  “Yes, it is.” She steadied her own trembling voice. “I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Where would work?”

  “What about the Emily? I’m here.”

  “I’ll be there in about half an hour.” She hung up.

  Summer could barely focus on the road. Going to meet Trey like this was probably a mistake, but if she didn’t hear the story behind the picture she would go crazy. There wasn’t any other reason she wanted to see him. None whatsoever.

  She followed the twisty dirt lane leading to Mystic Lake. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears like an out-of-control jackhammer. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. This was just an opportunity to ask Trey about the picture, nothing more. Her nerves were just on edge with everything that had been going on.

  The Chief’s warning rang in her head. Stay away from Trey. The Chief could just go stuff himself. She had quit caring what he thought five years ago. If her own mama wasn’t just as adamant, she would’ve naturally gravitated to Trey, just like she always had.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Trey was waiting at the boat dock.

  Wiping her hands on her khaki shorts, Summer stepped out and her gaze locked on Trey leaning against his bright red car, muscled arms folded across a wide chest, long legs crossed at the ankles. With the beams from a full moon framing him, he looked like a model in a jeans ad. All man, all sex appeal. She hoped he couldn’t sense how an involuntary quiver low in her belly made it nearly impossible to move for a moment. She steadied herself and walked toward him. “I have to show you something. It’s probably nothing. I mean it’s something. Just no idea how important.”

  He nodded, but didn’t smile. “Slow down.”

  Stung by his unfriendly tone, she hesitated. Had the Chief given Trey a warning, too? She fumbled around in her purse, found the photo and handed it to him. “This.”

  He hesitated a moment before he took the picture from her. “What is it?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me, or at least have an idea about it.” She watched his face as he studied the images in the photo. His eyes widened as they went over the familiar faces.

  “My God,” he breathed. “I don’t believe this.”

  “What?” She knew the picture was weird. “Tell me.”

  “Where’d you get this?” His face was ashen, his mouth pinched.

  “Why? Trey, you’re scaring me.” Her voice raised a notch. “What is it?” He was acting so strange. What was in that picture that had him so freaked out?

  He pointed to the stranger in the picture. The one Mama had her arms around. “Don’t you know who that is?”

  “No. Should I? Tell me.” Her mouth felt like she’d stuffed a rag in it. Dry and foul tasting.

  His eyes when his gaze raised to meet hers were bleak. “Deke Soloman.”

  Summer shook her head so hard her ears rang. “No, that’s not possible. He was a stranger. Mama said so — ”

  “Apparently not.” He reached to steady her and fire shot through her when he grabbed her elbow. “Let’s go sort this out.”

  Summer forced herself to climb aboard the boat. She sat on the bench and again studied the dark background trying to make something out. “I wonder who was behind the camera? Do you have any idea where this might’ve been? They’re all drinking beer.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything special,” he said. “They could’ve been at a bar, home, or even here.”

  “Do you remember your mother ever saying anything about a birthday party or an anniversary or a wedding that she and Mama went to together?” Her fingers went numb and the picture floated to the ground. “Trey! That’s it!”

  He bent to retrieve it. “What?”

  “Your graduation.” She took the picture from him. “Look at what they’re wearing. That’s the dress Mama wore to your party. I remember because we went down to Jackson to go shopping for it together. We went to all the department stores, but nothing worked until we went to this place on Martinique. That’s a side street with all these little dress shops … ”

  “Are you sure?” He peered at the picture as if he expected the people in it to speak to him.

  She’d never been so sure of anything in her life. “Absolutely positive. And this is the outfit your mother wore, too. See?”

  “I guess.”

  “Trust me, I know it.” She jumped up. “Don’t you see? Mama never wore this dress before your graduation and she never wore it after.”

  “You think they went partying that evening?” He gave his head a slight shake and frowned. “We’ve always thought MiLann was alone when she was attacked. But this looks like they all went out to celebrate.”

  She nodded vigorously. “I know it’s hard to believe, but yes, I do. We don’t know — ”

  “Because we were together,” he finished.

  Ignoring the fire in her belly the thought of that night ignited she nodded. “Yes.”

  “Soloman wouldn’t have had any reason to come to LeFleur. So our mothers had to go somewhere he would’ve been.” He glanced at her, his expression as puzzled as her own.

  “Apparently they left LeFleur to party.” She bit her lip. “But where? And why?”

  “Where was the Chief?” Trey got up and leaned against the deck, stuffing his hands in his front pockets. “He wouldn’t have just hung around the house while my mother and his friends all went out without him.”

  “Maybe there was an emergency that called him away?” Summer suggested.

  “It’s possible,” he conceded, “but who would know after all this time?” A frown flitted across his face. “Besides him? And MiLann. Qui
zzing her is impossible. But … ”

  “What?” Had he remembered something?

  He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

  “Come on, Trey. What is it?” She stood and went to stand in front of him, forcing him to look her in the face.

  “They fought that day.” His words were forced.

  “Who?” He wasn’t making sense. “I’m not following you.”

  “Mother and the Chief. I heard their argument.”

  “About what?”

  His frown deepened. “Not what. Who.”

  He wasn’t going to say unless she pressed him. “Tell me. Please?”

  “I came downstairs to talk to Mother about the party. I wanted something, I can’t remember what exactly, but she and the Chief were shouting at each other … ”

  “What was the fight about?” Summer whispered. After all this time was Jace going to be cleared? Did Trey hold the key?

  “Another woman.” He took a deep breath. “Mother was accusing him of having an affair.” He gave his head a little shake as if he could erase the memory.

  Summer’s mouth gaped open. “The Chief? No way. With who?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t stick around to find out. No one ever mentioned it again.”

  Grabbing his wrist, her arm brushing the denim of his pocket, Summer said, “Don’t you see? That might’ve been the reason our mothers were drinking. Maybe the photo was taken at LeFleur. What if the Chief left, instead of the other way around? There was a bar at LeFleur that night, remember?”

  “Yeah, but how did Soloman hook up with them?”

  “We would’ve known if he was an invited guest, but maybe he was hired to set up or take down the bar.”

  Trey shook his head. “That would’ve come out at Jace’s trial.”