"No." Elfrieda held out her hand. They disappeared and reappeared at the door of the restaurant.
"Do you have that appearance thing set at Behind a Post or Shrub like cruise control?"
"Yes," Elfrieda warned, "but it's one of those Don't-Try-This-at-Home-things."
When they were seated the wine steward offered the wine list. Daniel said, "I've got to go back to work."
Elfrieda softened her shake of the head with a smile at the wine steward. "Some other time, Raul."
After ordering, Elfrieda asked Daniel if the name Jean Baptiste Meroux rang a bell with him as Flora's had done. "A man like this has probably tried attacking women alone before. The reason my daughter's friends thought they could help is they were here together. There were three of them."
"I'm not sure, though I suspect you're right. Maybe an MO will show up. Stalking women alone or that are obvious tourists. They said he was calling himself Jack something. But we'll have it or an alias, and maybe DNA too if he's made a habit of this. I will check into it when I get back. As you pointed out, there's the dog bite too."
"Yes, the witnesses can testify the dog was there and bit him, that the guilty man has a dog bite on his leg. That, the blood to place him there, and the women who tried to help his victim and can identify him should be all you need. It's obvious they were only trying to help the victim."
Daniel looked like his mind was elsewhere. "How well do you know this Flora Keeper?"
"Well enough. We aren't close, but I know her. You surely don't suspect her, do you?"
"No. I just know she helped a friend of my Tia Belle once, so she must have some sort of power, or my aunt thinks she has." Elfrieda didn't comment.
"I don't remember what was wrong with Tia Belle's friend. No, I think it was a customer on one of her tours. Anyway, she got some kind of crud." Elfrieda smiled at the word and his expression.
"I can't remember the exact circumstances. But some dumb tourist customer of hers either caught something kissing a tomb or something dumb like that, and this Flora Keeper healed her. Saved the tourist and of course, my aunt too, a lot of trouble. But you say she's not a witch?"
"No. Flora's not a witch."
"What does she use? Is she into voodoo? Herbs maybe?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Flora heals with only the strength of love and compassion for the person she lays her hands on."
Daniel's eyes searched her face. "Do you believe that?"
Elfrieda hesitated slightly. "I believe she believes it, and that's all that concerns me. Here's our food."
Chapter 30
Didi Martine took her second cup of coffee out on the porch, her English muffin toasted just right. As she started back in she heard a low moan.
There was no one in sight down the street or in any of the yards. She tilted her head, listening. She heard it again, a soft, whimpering moan. She turned toward the back of the ruined house. It sounded like it came from the old car that was trapped in the damaged carport. Didi carefully set her empty cup down and went to investigate, her steps sounding loud on the concrete.
At the approaching footsteps, a dog's hurt whining got louder and she hurried around the trapped car.
The dog lay there with one of his hind legs bent at an odd angle. At the sight of her the big, black dog cried out sharply in pain, trying to get up. His tail thumped on the concrete.
"Jake?"
Didi quickly knelt, her hand on Jake's head, talking to him, petting him. "Don't you even think about moving, Jake, I'll get you some water and some help. Good Doggie. Stay."
Didi put her hand on his head, talking softly, rubbing his head. "Stay, now. Stay...."
* * *
As they left, Elfrieda didn't wait for Daniel to open the door for her.
"Elfrieda, do you try to lead when you're dancing, too?" Daniel frowned.
"I don't remember, it's been so long ago," Elfrieda sighed sadly.
"I'm sorry," Daniel stood looking down at her, his heart in his eyes. "Been a while since you had a fun time, has it?" He stopped, standing in the door. "I promise you this, as we get better acquainted, we're going to do a lot of things you like to do. I want to see smiles on that pretty face."
He grinned, pushing on out the door. "Heck, if you like to open doors, feel free."
"I'm sorry too," Elfrieda took a deep breath. "It's just that it's been a do it yourself life for me lately."
"No more." He looked slightly worried. "I guess there's no way I can call you, is there?"
"No, not now. And Daniel, if we do have a future, there are going to be things I can't explain and times when I can't be around."
"We've got that in common then. I'm in the same position. Call me late this afternoon and I can bring you up to date on what we've found out about this Jack guy." He put his arm around her, surprising her with a quick kiss on her cheek.
* * *
"Maybe we'd be more comfortable in the break-room."
Cas led Troy Spruce, Muriel Davis, and Rhodes down the hall. Cas tried not to stare at Muriel's new hair-do.
"I've been calling but haven't been able to catch you, Troy. I've been trying to let you know that the autopsy's done and Julia's drowning is now officially classified an accidental death. I've also notified the Timkins family the coroner is releasing the body so they can make arrangements, and expressed my regrets again about their loss."
"It's about time," Troy grunted. "I hope you're convinced now I had nothing to do with it." He shot Muriel a grim glance. "Looks like everyone I know had me half-way to the hanging tree."
Muriel looked away, not denying it.
"What finally convinced you it was accidental?"
"A combination of things we had to check out." He motioned them to chairs. "Let's get our coffee and I'll tell you about some of them."
Cas explained about the mushrooms. Troy looked at the note and printed material. "You found all this information on the net?"
"Yes. It's called On the Trail of the Elusive Morel." Cas tried not to stare at Muriel's new hair color.
"I'm not going to read all of it. But I can tell by this note with it, what the effects were. Shame Julia thought the things were mushrooms. I never had the urge to hunt mushrooms, false or otherwise. Looks like it's a good thing."
"Me either." Cas agreed. "It just took us a while to put it all together and figure out what happened, Troy. They, Julia and Gretchen came over to the cabin late Friday afternoon. It must have happened Friday evening after Gretchen left. When Gretchen went back to Rainbow Cove, Julia looked around at everything including the boathouse, left crumbs for the birds, enjoyed gathering the mushrooms and making a casserole. She left what I guess was the rest of the mushrooms she didn't use, the false Morels she'd gathered, in the boat house and went back to change clothes before she took the canoe out. It was probably late by then, so there was no one around to see her from any of the cabins or from the camping and swimming place either. The campers were probably having their own dinner or doing other things at the end of the day. Then after a while, after she was out on the lake, the false mushrooms made her sick at her stomach. It was dark by then and she was out on the water, vomiting over the side or the canoe. That's probably when she lost the oars. She was a good swimmer. Gretchen told me she was on the swimming team at school. Anyway, she had been coming back and was probably close when she fell out of the canoe and tried to make it in. There must have been lights somewhere but they were distant, Rhodes and I saw there were none around the pier. When she tried to come up to breathe, she had gotten under the pier. It's still deep there at the end of the pier. She came up to breathe and must have hit her head on the underside of the pier. She panicked and fought the water, the little slivers where she hit her head proved that's where she died."
All of them sat brooding about the young life lost as Cas summed it up. "To add to the confusion, I'm sure it was dark by then, too."
"She almost made it." Troy mused. "I didn't know she was on the s
wimming team at school."
All of them were sadly silent, picturing the girl's struggles.
"She wasn't found till the next morning. Gretchen wasn't there, and no one knew who she was. When Gretchen came back she went looking for her, and you know the rest."
No one wanted more coffee, and Cas looked pointedly at Muriel.
Muriel sat up straighter in her chair. "I know now that even though I wasn't officially one of your cases," she nodded at Cas. "I know you tried to find me, to make sure I was all right. I appreciate that and I need to apologize to everyone. I know that, Cas. I appreciate your concern and all the trouble you went to, to find me." She looked down at her cup, speaking softly.
"I never was actually missing, you know." she reiterated, defending herself. "And I am going to apologize to Tim in person the first thing when he gets back and I'm going back to work in the morning. I just," she stopped, looked at the floor. "At the time, I thought it was the only thing to do. To just leave, I mean."
"We'll all forgive you, Muriel, Tim's the one who suffered the most."
Cas smiled, remembering his conscientious young friend trying to get all his correspondence out. "After your sister, Margaret, that is. There actually never was a missing case on file, as you pointed out. All of us are just glad to have you back."
Troy got up and reached for Muriel's hand. "Let's go, I'm sure Cas is ready to call it a day. Or maybe a day and a half?" He shook hands as they left. "And don't worry, I'm not going to run for anything again, not even the city limits."
He and Muriel left and Rhodes was about to follow when Gladys held up her hand.
"Wait just a minute, will you?"
Cas and Rhodes stood waiting at the closed office door.
"I'd already shut off the phone and put it on voice mail when this came in," Gladys explained.
She pushed play and Cas recognized Tim Carpenter's voice.
"Cas, I'm on my way to New Orleans. Flying would have been faster but I may need transportation. Hannah's in jail. Accused of murder!"
Chapter 31
Hannah sat in her narrow, cold cell, tears running down her cheeks. She talked aloud, murmuring just for the sound of a human voice, alone or not. "Jo Beth was just stunned. Who could blame her? I haven't ever known anyone accused of murder either. I can't believe she wanted me to call and talk to Tim! How could I? Oh, I wish they'd just go on and hang me or whatever they do with murderers here and bury me in their Potters Field or wherever they dispose of them."
Tim was on the road going toward her, his face as full of stunned misery as hers. He had told his staff he would be out for a while and to check with Cas if they needed help.
His message to Cas was brief, as much of a stunner as Hannah's had been to Jo Beth. He shook his head in disbelief, his foot heavy on the gas, his mind trying to deal with Hannah in a jail cell.
"Hannah? My Hannah? Accused of murder? How could a thing like this happen? Jo Beth couldn't tell me much." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "What kind of morons would suspect my Hannah of anything like this?" He said out loud. He growled at the passing traffic, thinking they'd think he was crazy talking to himself. As if anyone would notice anything outside of their own soap operas in the middle of this traffic.
He pictured Hannah with her hands on cell bars. His face was grim as if he were going to war. "We'll just see how they like dealing with a County Judge instead of a helpless, kind hearted soul like Hannah McLaughlin."
* * *
Captain Daniel H. Dubois hurried into his office and slammed the door. He reached across his cluttered desk to pick up the ringing phone. "Dubois."
"Daniel. This is Elfrieda."
"I know, sweetheart. I remember your voice. Why do you suppose that is?"
There was a smile in Elfrieda's voice. "Can't imagine. Have you got something good to tell me?"
"Yes. I have. That dog that left his teeth marks in that murderer?"
"You mean you've found him?"
"You don't have to be so surprised. But I forgive you since I can't claim any credit. The mutt is not only brave, he's smart. He went home."
"Back to the Martine house?"
"Yes. Didi Martine took him to the vet and I've already sent someone to check on him and to take down all the information they can get. Plaster casts of the teeth. Everything. He'll be a jim-dandy witness."
"That is good news. None of the girls are guilty of anything. They heard the woman scream for help and went to rescue her without even thinking what the consequences would be for them. They should get medals, not be locked up and intimidated."
"I know, I know. But you saw the report. The men who got to the scene didn't see the man that ran away. All they saw were the three girls and the victim. It was a bloody scene too, according to the report. I read all of it."
Dubois paused, trying to make her understand his men's reaction. "Elfrieda, Hannah had that sugar cane knife in her hand. A long, wicked looking machete. The mounted officer saw her drop it. There was no choice but to arrest them."
There was a brief silence. "Elfrieda, which one of those three is your daughter?"
"None of them."
"None of them?" Daniel exclaimed.
"I said my daughter's friends were accused of murder." Elfrieda sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you about it when this is all over."
Daniel opened his mouth to ask another question but the noise outside the door was making it impossible to hear.
"Elfrieda, I've got to go. There's a lot of yelling outside my office. All I heard that I understood didn't make any sense. Something about some judge from Tennessee tearing up the place out there!"
"Later, Daniel. I'll call you later. You did dispatch a crew to that vet's to check out Jake?"
"Yes. It's being taken care of by now. I'll be talking to you."
Chapter 32
"Pine County Library." Jo Beth answered the phone on her desk.
"Jo Beth, this is Cas. I was going to put out a search warrant for you if I couldn't catch you. I just got a call on our voice mail from Tim."
"It's true, Cas," Jo Beth interrupted. "Hannah's in jail. I can't believe it either. But it's true. I tried to get her to call Tim herself, but she wouldn't and the state she's in, I don't blame her. This is the most asinine thing I've ever heard of in all my born days, to even think of Hannah McLaughlin in a mess like this. Our Hannah!"
"I know, I know. And I agree. But did she tell you a number or where she is or mention any names? Anything at all?"
"Just that she's in jail in New Orleans and accused of murder."
"What about her friends? Are they there too?"
"Yes. They're accused of being accomplices or whatever you call it. But it's Hannah they have accused of murder. She told me she, somehow she must have picked up the murder weapon. She said the police who finally came saw her drop it. And the murderer had run off."
"Oh, Lord. Fingerprints on the murder weapon." Cas groaned. "Jo Beth, did she tell you anything else about where she was?"
"No. Just that she was in jail in New Orleans. I called as soon as I hung up to tell Tim."
"And just when were you planning on telling me?"
"When I got home, I guess. Tim's the first one I thought of when I looked at the clock. Are you mad at me, on top of everything else?"
"No. No, Jo Beth, it looks like we've got trouble enough. Go home. I'm going to try to get some more information."
Rhodes and Gladys stood waiting as Cas turned to them. "Go home, Gladys, I'll let you know more when I know more. Rhodes, you don't have to stay."
"Do I have to go?"
"No, old buddy, you don't have to go."
Cas locked the outside door and Rhodes followed him into the office.
* * *
Captain Dubois looked up. "Come in, Duggan."
Detective Duggan shut the door and got comfortable in the guest chair. "I've got the gist of what we found about the dog."
"Good. Let me have it. Is
it as big a help as I was hoping?"
"Yes, it is." Duggan's lopsided grin spread across his face. "Even got a scrap of the varmint's hide. A tiny piece of flesh was caught in a broken tooth."
"Better than I expected. They running all the DNA tests et cetera?" Duggan nodded.
"Better check out his record if you can find one. Check the MO too, attacks on women alone or maybe attacks with a sugar cane machete. We want it all wrapped up neatly. These women were trying to help someone and got into a nightmare in our fair city. We want this mess cleaned up and fast. A lot of people are already afraid to come back, this sure won't help. And there could be other legal repercussions, too."
"So we could get sued? What have we got left to sue us for?"
"Beats me, but I'm sure the right lawyer would think of something. Just do it, get everything you can, and do it right. They take casts of the dog's teeth? They've got the bite pictures and description of the victim's leg."
"Yes. He not only killed the woman he attacked, he broke the dog's leg, too." Duggan's grin crept back. There was now a diabolical gleam in his eyes.
"What is it you know that I don't?" Dubois pointed his finger at him.
"The judge we'll probably get on this case raises dogs. He would probably give that machete-happy jerk life if he'd just been accused of Cruelty to Animals."
"Great. We'll add it to the list."
Duggan got up, "I guess you'll be reporting this to that good-looking blond I saw come in here?"
"Would. Can't. Don't have a number to reach her. But she'll get the word, she's calling me later."
"Calling you, huh?" Duggan raised his eyebrows. "What's this? Instead of the old double standard of don't call me, I'll call you, is this the new standard? She will call you?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff, Duggan, I'll let you know when to worry about me. Get on back to work."
Chapter 33
Tim stopped for a few hours sleep and arrived in what was left of New Orleans the next day. He rolled his eyes at the row of bumper-to-bumper police cars in the middle of Canal Street. His own patience and civilization had worn thin by the time he arrived at the New Orleans Police Department site where Hannah and her friends were being held. A long walk from an overpriced parking building did not improve his physical feelings or his disposition.
The Mardi Gras Murder Page 17