The Long Hot Summer

by Rosnau, Wendy

  Nicole was headed for the office when she heard a noise. Spooked by what had happened at the farmhouse two days earlier, she flattened herself against the building and clung there a minute. Frustrated, she hissed softly, “Damn you, Johnny. The things I do for you.”

  “Are you keeping a record so you can get paid later, cherie?”

  Johnny’s silky drawl was right next to her ear. Nicole gasped and nearly jumped out of her cutoff jeans and tennis shoes. She whirled around to find him standing with his hands on his hips and his dark eyes narrowed.

  “I thought I told you to stay put.” His voice was tight and not at all friendly.

  “I’ve been waiting at home for hours. I thought you were probably lying in some ditch somewhere. Honestly, couldn’t you have called?”

  “And tell you what?”

  His inconsiderate answer struck a nerve, and Nicole turned defensive. “Sorry for cramping your style.” She glanced behind him to see if they were alone or if Detective Archard was close by. As far as she could tell, they were alone.

  He saw her glance over his shoulder and turned slightly. “You expecting someone?”

  “No. Are you?”

  “What kind of question is that? I’ve been with Ryland Archard since I left Oakhaven. He’s one helluva cop. Best of all, he’s in my corner.”

  “But would he be if he knew the whole story?”

  “Meaning…?”

  Nicole knew she shouldn’t have brought up his grandpa. Still, it made her angry that the man had dared to disrupt so many lives and hurt so many people, her own family included.

  “I asked you a question, cherie.”

  “I just meant your grandfather was a…”

  “A womanizing bastard,” he finished for her. He stood tall and straight, towering over her, his hands on his lean hips. “Are you suddenly thinking I’m the same?”

  “That’s not fair.” Nicole felt the challenge and didn’t back down. She jammed her hands on her own waist and glared back at him. “I didn’t say that. I’m not comparing you with him.”

  He moved closer, so close Nicole was forced back against the wall. “Am I scum in your eyes now, cherie? Have I soiled you?”

  “Stop it. I’m just upset and worried. And—”

  “And that’s why I want you back at Oakhaven. Ryland’s been picking Virgil’s brain about the old days, trying to get a lead on who this crazy might be. So until we know who it is, I want you home where you’ll be safe. Now, be a good girl and do what you’re told.”

  Nicole resented his condescending words, as well as being sent home like a naughty little girl. “Okay, fine.” She moved past him.

  He grabbed her arm. “Don’t do that. Don’t walk away mad.”

  “Let go, Johnny. I’m not some helpless child who needs to be told when to go home. I sure as hell don’t need you telling me to be good and do what I’m told, either. Now get your hands off me!”

  When he released her, she started back to the car. She’d only taken three steps before he caught up with her. He didn’t touch her, but he kept pace.

  They reached her car in short order, and to Nicole’s surprise, as she attempted to open the door, Johnny captured her around the waist and whirled her into his arms. Holding her next to his hard body, he nuzzled her neck, then kissed her ear before whispering, “I don’t want anything to happen to you, dammit. Right now that’s the most important thing to me. If I’m acting a little crazy, cherie, it’s only because I care. But that doesn’t give me the right to talk to you like I did. I’m sorry.” He pulled back to gaze down at her, then he lowered his head and kissed her.

  Nicole didn’t want to be a clinging vine, but she gave in to her emotions and slipped her arms around Johnny’s waist. Soon the kiss turned long and deep, and when they finally parted, Johnny said, “We might be out half the night. If I find out anything, I’ll call you. I promise.”

  “Just don’t be a hero, Johnny,” Nicole pleaded. “Don’t take any chances. I don’t want to add more pressure to the situation, but you have to know I love you.” When he would have said something, she quickly pressed her fingers to his warm lips. “No, don’t say anything. I didn’t come here to spill my guts, and I don’t expect you to say anything back. Just be careful.”

  Nicole met Daisi Buillard in front of her house on Mill Street at ten-thirty. Unlike the other times they’d met, tonight Daisi wore sloppy jeans and a T-shirt, her feet shoved into a pair of black tennis shoes. Her pretty hair, she’d stuffed under a baseball cap.

  “I can’t believe I’m doin’ this,” she said, climbing into the car and handing Nicole the key. “If you get caught, both our backsides are gonna be lunch meat,” she said bluntly.

  Nicole took the key. “I appreciate your lending me the key. I couldn’t have broken into the police station without it.”

  “Are you sure you should be doin’ this? Why not just wait until tomorrow?”

  “Sheriff Tucker hates me. He wouldn’t help me any more than he’d help Johnny. I have to do this tonight.” Nicole glanced at Daisi, suddenly not so sure she should have involved her friend in something illegal. Especially breaking into the very place where she worked.

  “Woody doesn’t have a chance, does he? You really got it bad for Johnny Bernard, don’t you?”

  Nicole’s smile was a little sad. “I love him, Daisi. But I’m not so naive as to think that love will get me what I want. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that Johnny’s leaving soon. It hurts—only, it would have hurt so much more if I hadn’t gotten to know him. He’s a good man, Daisi. He truly is a wonderful man.”

  “Woody’s goin’ to be heartsick. Oh, well, I’ll still be your friend,” Daisi teased, “even though I was hopin’ we’d be sisters someday.”

  “You’re the best, Daisi.” Nicole leaned across the seat and hugged her friend. “I’ll get the key back to you. I promise.”

  She left Daisi at the curb and turned the corner on Cooper. Avoiding Main Street altogether, she turned off the headlights and headed into the alley. After parking under a massive weeping willow, she slipped from the car and crept along the side of the building, keeping a watchful eye out for any passerby. If she saw someone, she intended to walk past the station house and round the block as if she were just out for a stroll.

  Luckily, the streets were empty as she neared the door, and she slipped inside with relative ease. She locked the door from the inside, then stuffed the key in her pocket.

  She had been ready to head home just as Johnny had instructed when she decided there might be something in the files in Sheriff Tucker’s office that would shed some light on who might be out for revenge.

  The small flashlight she’d taken from the glove compartment would come in handy, and she snapped it on and directed the narrow beam down the hall. With hurried steps, she passed Daisi’s desk and headed for Sheriff Tucker’s office. Outside his door, she stopped to catch her breath, then turned the doorknob. She sighed with relief when the door opened, and she eased into the office. As she scanned the room with the flashlight to get reacquainted, the beam of light passed over the file cabinets along one wall, then the sheriff’s desk, strewn with papers. She was moving toward the row of files when she heard a noise—

  Oh, God! She froze, then turned off her flashlight.

  Holding her breath, she listened as footsteps started down the hall. She knew whoever it was had to have a key, and it didn’t take too much imagination to figure out who that was. Nicole scrambled toward the file cabinets to hide. She nearly fell on her face in the dark as she tried to reach the narrow space along the wall. Sucking into the tight gap, she crouched low and held her breath.

  The door creaked open moments later. A flashlight—the beam the size of a searchlight—illuminated the room. Panic seized Nicole when the flashlight zeroed in on her hiding place. “You really are starting to annoy me, Miss Chapman,” Sheriff Tucker said. “Crawl out of there.”

  Nicole felt herself shudder as Clifton
Tucker strolled forward, roughly gripped her arm and hauled her out of her hiding place. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to think of a way to explain. “I know this looks bad, but—”

  “Nothing happens in this town without me knowing about it, Miss Chapman. Nothing.”

  Nicole snapped her mouth shut, surprised by the deadly tone in his voice. His eyes had taken on a glassy quality, she noted, and had narrowed in the bright light. At that moment she realized the truth. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one—”

  The words barely out of her mouth, Nicole swung her flashlight at Clifton Tucker’s head as hard as she could. The weapon made a sickening thud, and the sheriff groaned in pain and staggered back. Free, Nicole scrambled for the door. Just as she thought she would escape, he lunged at her and grabbed her around the waist. Her flashlight clattered to the floor as his strong arms lifted her and threw her into one of the metal file cabinets along the wall. The impact made Nicole see stars.

  Then nausea rose up in her throat—and everything went black.

  Chapter 15

  Farrel had an airtight alibi for the afternoon of the fire, as did Clete Gilmore and Jack Oden. The last name on Johnny’s list had been an old-timer who lived in Assumption Parish, some thirty miles away. But Tweed Bowdeen hadn’t even remembered who Carl Bernard was—Tweed had had a stroke and had been housebound for several years. Johnny and Ryland were forced to admit they had hit a dead end.

  “It’s late,” Johnny said, once they were back on the road heading home to Common. “Let’s call it quits for tonight.”

  “Sounds good,” Ryland agreed. “We’ll sleep on it, and get an early start in the morning.”

  Ryland Archard was one of the NOPD’s toughest, and he was used to getting stonewalled. But he was also used to working a number of angles, and looking at trouble from both sides of the law. He said, “I’ve got two days before I have to be back. There’s still time, and a few rocks we haven’t overturned. Keep the faith, Johnny.”

  Johnny had never had much faith in cops, but then, he’d never met a cop like Ryland Archard. The man was honest and straightforward. A regular guy with a normal-size ego.

  Johnny checked his watch and found it was past eleven. The weather had turned sour, with thunder rumbling like a bowling alley on a Saturday night, and sheet lightning dancing across the black sky.

  Ryland reached over and snatched a cigarette from Johnny’s T-shirt pocket. “I need to quit, but it’s not going good.”

  Johnny nodded. “I’ve quit.”

  “The hell. What are you doing with smokes in your pocket, then?”

  “As long as I know they’re there, I don’t need them. Sounds crazy, I know. But it’s been working so far.” Johnny grinned. “It was Nicole’s idea.”

  The detective grinned back, flashing his straight teeth. “You meet a woman, and she helps you quit smoking. I meet a woman, and start up. Lucky bastard.” Ryland’s smile widened, then he took a long drag off his cigarette.

  Johnny’s thoughts turned to the dilemma he’d been wrestling with all day. Finally, he asked, “If we can’t solve this thing, what are the odds of getting my parole moved somewhere else, real quick-like?”

  “It can be done,” Ryland assured. “I’ll work on it, if and when you decide that’s what you want.”

  “I think I do. Nicole and Mae have been put in an awful position since I came to town. I don’t want to see either one of them hurt any more.” Johnny cracked the window to let the smoke from Ry’s cigarette filter out, then sank into the seat and closed his eyes. “Wake me when we get back to town, will you?”

  They were on highway 20, Johnny dozing, when Ryland hauled on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road. “Hey, partner, your lady’s car just sailed by.”

  Johnny suddenly came awake. “Can’t be—I sent Nicole home hours ago.”

  “No mistake. She just sped past us like a lightning bolt.”

  “Then run it down,” Johnny demanded. “Move!”

  Ryland did an on-the-spot U-turn while dropping the clutch from first into third. Within seconds the Blazer was in fourth gear, the accelerator on the floor. When the Skylark slowed down to turn off the highway onto the county road, Johnny said, “It’s her car, all right.”

  When the car hit a straight stretch, Ryland saw his chance to floor the Blazer and speed past it. Once out in front, he cut right and skidded to a stop, forcing the Skylark to the side of the road. The Blazer was still bouncing when Johnny leaped out into the rain and angrily stalked toward the car.

  Before he reached the door, however, it was thrust open, and he came face to face with a wide-eyed Jasper Craig. “It’s good to see you, boy. Thought I’d have to take him on by myself.”

  “What’s going on, old man?” Johnny hollered over the thunder.

  “He’s got her. Cliff took your lady.”

  “What?”

  “I was scared. I should have told you he was the one. He’s the one who burned down Madie’s house. He’s done other bad things, too. Real bad things.”

  Johnny froze, feeling his world tilt. A moment later, he rallied. “When? How?”

  “I saw you two in the parking lot at the Pass-By. I heard what you told her about going home, but she went to Daisi Buillard’s house instead, then to the police station. She had a key, and I watched her go inside. Then Cliff showed up. When he left a little while later, he had your lady with him. I’m scared he might already have hurt her, boy. She wasn’t moving when he put her in the trunk of his car.” Winded, Jasper gasped for more air; his breath was laced with whiskey. “I didn’t know what to do. I waited a bit, then got in her car and decided to follow Cliff. It’s just a good thing she left the key in the ignition.”

  Fear gripped Johnny, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a minute to absorb Jasper’s words. If anything happened to Nicole he’d never forgive himself. If anything happened to her, he didn’t want to live.

  Johnny and Ryland rushed back to the Blazer and Johnny directed him to the farm. Jasper followed at high speed in the car. They found Sheriff Tucker’s car parked there.

  “See,” Jasper pointed, “I was right.”

  With a flashlight Ryland had produced, Johnny tracked Clifton to Belle Bayou. Needing a boat to follow him, they backtracked quickly to the boathouse, and untied two boats.

  “Follow me,” Johnny instructed as he sent the pole deep into the water and pushed one of the boats away from shore into the black bayou. He knew full well how dangerous the swamp could be, especially at night. But he wouldn’t let it end like this, he promised. He had been a fool tonight not to tell Nicki he loved her, but he would tell her. He’d tell her everything he’d been holding back since he’d made love to her at the swimming hole weeks ago.

  It wouldn’t be too late, he promised. He wouldn’t let it be too late.

  Nicole woke with a pounding headache and rain showering her face. Her head spun, and she moaned softly. For a minute she couldn’t think, then she remembered what had happened, and with the memory came the realization that she was no longer in Clifton Tucker’s office, but in a boat. Slowly, she sat up.

  “It’s about time you woke up. Just so you know, I didn’t want any of this to happen. The score was already settled years ago. I just wanted Johnny to go away and never come back.”

  “Why is it so important that Johnny leave town?” Nicole winced as pain shot through her temple. The slightest noise, even her own voice, made her head want to split in two. “He’s a good man.”

  The sheriff swore. “Them Bernards—they were always good at getting the women to fall for them.”

  “You don’t want to hurt me, Sheriff Tucker. Take me back.”

  “I can’t. They’re on to me by now. That damn fool Jasper has probably told them how Delmar really died.”

  “What do you mean how Delmar really died? Johnny’s father died in a hit-and-run accident on Bayou Road, that’s what Gran told me. Are you saying it didn’t happen that way?”

/>   “No, it was a hit-and-run.” The sheriff grinned. “Just not an accident.”

  A lump formed in Nicole’s throat. Was he saying he’d killed Delmar Bernard—that he’d run Johnny’s father down on the road? Or had he covered for the man responsible?

  Another bolt of lightning ripped across the black sky as Clifton Tucker, caped in a black slicker, poled the boat deeper into the bayou. Nicole shivered as the rain soaked her to the bone, making her clothes feel like a cold, wet blanket.

  She didn’t want to surrender to this madness, but if she jumped from the boat she would surely die. The swamp was full of alligators and poisonous snakes. The least bit of splashing would bring them to investigate. She shuddered at the thought, remembering Johnny’s words. Be a good girl and keep your hands in the boat, cherie. No sudden moves.

  The image of an alligator clamping its jaws around her, or a snake touching her with its kiss of death had Nicole feeling dizzy with fear. She squinted into the darkness, trying to grasp where they were, but it all looked the same—a bleak promise of black water and certain death. She felt tears sting her eyes. She didn’t want to cry. Didn’t want to die.

  There had to be a way to escape. There had to be something…

  Shaking violently, Nicole squinted into the darkness, noting that the boat was gliding very close to a stand of cypress. Was there a shoreline close by? The swamp was so deceiving, she couldn’t be sure.

  She studied the water, then felt the boat bump into something. It wasn’t exactly solid, but— Fen? Could it be fen? With no time to debate her decision, Nicole said a silent prayer, then exploded off the wooden seat and grabbed a passing tangle of vines. The boat tilted as she caught a fistful of the thick, ropelike vines and hung on.

  “No! Come back. No!”

  Clifton’s angry voice only spurred Nicole on, making her more determined than ever to get away from him. Head still spinning, she didn’t look back as she swung her body into the air, then let go of the vine. Keeping her shaky knees bent, she set her feet. The ground beneath her bobbed once, twice. The third time she went down and came back up, the ground stabilized.