Through the window, Trudeau and Johnson seemed to come to a decision. Trudeau pulled out his handcuffs. Roxy tensed and inhaled. When Johnson forcefully opened the door and strode through it, everyone looked up. Immediately they were all alert. Even Lamontagne looked up from his phone. Fenton yipped.
“Jack! Come here!” Johnson pointed at a spot on the floor in front of him.
Dr. Jack moved from behind the counter and walked easily to stand in front of the detective. Johnson quickly grabbed the botanica owner by the shoulders while Trudeau scurried behind him and slapped on handcuffs.
“What? Wait…”
“Jack Lavantille, you are arrested on suspicion of murder,” Trudeau said.
“What?” Roxy said moving over to the trio. “On what basis?” She looked wildly between the two policemen. “It can’t be Dr. Jack! He would never do such a thing.” The men ignored her.
Trudeau continued, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be obtained for you before police questioning.”
“What are you doing? I didn’t kill Meredith,” Dr. Jack said desperately, looking at George and Charles. “I didn’t, I swear.” His expression was open, his eyebrows high. He shrugged as he stood with his hands behind his back.
Johnson snorted as Trudeau grabbed Jack by the upper arms and pushed him toward the door.
“I am a man of the light!” Dr. Jack shouted behind him to the group who were now standing together in the middle of the store as Trudeau led him away. “I would never kill anyone!”
“Man of the what?” said Johnson. Then he waved. “The rest of you are free to go.”
“Roxy, lock up my store!” Dr. Jack called behind him.
“Don’t worry, Dr. Jack!” she called back.
“You’ll do no such thing,” said Johnson. “The forensics team is still in the backroom, they’ll lock up when they’re done, and I don’t want to see or hear another peep out of you, Ms. Reinhardt. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Roxy followed Johnson outside.
“I swear, Roxy, I didn’t do it!” said Dr. Jack, as Trudeau pushed his head down, guiding him into the back of the squad car.
“I believe you!” Roxy said. “Don’t worry, this will get sorted out!”
“Tell Sage!”
“Yes, of course.” Roxy’s words faded on her lips as the patrol car door slammed shut.
But as Roxy stood on the botanica steps and watched the squad car drive away, she questioned what she’d just said. How could she believe Dr. Jack so readily? She barely knew him, and she’d been around long enough to know people were not always what and who they seemed. As she thought, a black town car pulled up. She was roughly pushed aside as Royston Lamontagne passed her, obviously eager to get away. He jumped in the car, and with a squeal of tires, the car zoomed off, Fenton’s tiny, beady brown eyes watching her steadily out of the window.
Roxy went back inside the botanica and saw Terah leaning over Charles, her arm on his shoulder. She was saying something to him quietly, and after Charles nodded briefly, she walked to the door, her arms now folded. “I’m off,” she said. She lifted her hand and pointed her car keys in the direction of a sedan that was parked across the road.
“Bye, Terah,” Roxy said gently and watched as the woman crossed the street, climbed in her car, and drove off. There was a noise beside her and she turned to see Charles, Meredith’s husband, staring at the back of Terah’s car.
“They’re all gone,” Charles said. His voice was feeble. He sounded broken.
Seeing the devastated man next to her, Roxy pinched herself. She needed to take action. She didn’t have time to ruminate or hesitate, for that matter.
“Charles,” she said. “I’m going to ring Sam. He owns the Funky Cat with me. He will collect us and take us back to the hotel. You can go to your rooms and regroup. In a while, if you’re up to it, we can have dinner. You can eat in your rooms, or downstairs, or whatever you like. Or, obviously, if you’d rather not eat at all, that’s fine. We were going to play some live jazz music for you afterward, but, um, in the circumstances, it’s entirely up to you. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. We’re here to take care of you.”
George joined them. The two men both looked terrible. George had awful bloodshot eyes from all his crying while Charles was so white his skin looked almost transparent.
“Okay,” George said tearfully. He could barely stand. Charles, clearly beyond words, just nodded.
Roxy felt awful for both of them. “Just a moment or two,” she said. “Sam will be here soon. The hotel isn’t far away.”
She made the call, and they stood waiting for Sam in silence. The two men looked like complete zombies, but Roxy was beginning to feel nervous. Her mind was racing. What if Johnson and Trudeau were wrong about Dr. Jack? What was going to happen next? Was she going back to the hotel with a killer? Two even? Questions whirled through her head, but she stuck out her chin and put a brave face on for her two guests.
Thankfully, Sam was as quick as she’d promised he’d be. As he got out of the Rolls Royce, his face was a picture of sorrow and concern. “I’m so, so sorry about what happened,” he said to them. “I can’t even begin to imagine what has happened here this evening.”
“Thank you,” Charles said in a monotone.
George began to cry again, then sniffed and shuddered as he repressed more tears.
Sam opened the back doors for the two of them. He mouthed over the top of the car to Roxy. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and got into the front passenger seat next to him. As usual, jazz was on the radio, but Sam quickly turned it off, and it was a smooth, mournful, silent ride back to the Funky Cat Inn.
Sam pulled right into the cobbled street where the entrance of the hotel stood opposite Elijah’s Bakery. Elijah looked out of the window as they drove past, and immediately came out and walked up to the car, his purple zebra-print shirt making Roxy squint. “Our new guests!” he said gleefully. “I’m Elijah, owner of this here bakery! So pleased to…” He stuck out his hand then noticed their glum faces. His hand sprung back. “What’s happened? Somebody kill your cat?”
Roxy winced.
“Elijah,” Sam said firmly as he got out of the car. He planted a strong hand on Elijah’s shoulder and took him aside to discreetly explain what was going on.
“Sorry about that,” Roxy said to George and Charles. “Everyone was excited to meet you. Obviously, the news hasn’t spread yet. I do apologize.”
“It’s nobody’s fault,” said Charles.
“Please, come inside,” said Roxy. “I can show you up to your rooms, your bags will be there. Charles, I can move you to a different room if you wish. So you don’t have to have the room you would have shared…”
“It’s okay, Roxy. Our original room will be fine. Staying there will help me to feel close to Meredith.” It was the most Charles had spoken since Meredith’s death.
“Yes, well, okay, you can decide whether you want to come down for dinner or have it upstairs, or not at all. Whatever you prefer.”
“You’re a very kind spirit,” said George. “Thank you, Roxy.”
“Not at all,” Roxy said.
Roxy’s cat, Nefertiti, met them at the door, meowing plaintively at Roxy, wondering why she had been so late.
“Sorry, Neffi,” Roxy whispered, bending down to give her a quick tickle under the chin. “Plans changed. I’ll come back and feed you in a moment or two. Just wait a sec.”
Roxy showed George and Charles up to their rooms. Opening the door to Charles’s bedroom, she felt a horrible tug on her heart. She looked at the bed where Meredith Romanoff should have been sleeping that night. It was all so very, very sad. She glanced at Charles. He’d hesitated at the doorway and was surveying the bed too. She saw him grimace before he gathered himself and stepped inside the room.
A
fter she’d made sure the two men were settled in, Roxy gratefully went downstairs. She wanted to go to her room to rest and collect herself, but as she descended the stairs, she stopped mid-flight. Five pairs of wide eyes stared up at her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Evangeline asked.
“Sam said Meredith Romanoff has been shot!” Sage exclaimed.
“Are the police coming?” a voice piped up. It came from Nat.
“Sorry if I put my foot in it.” That was Elijah.
“Are you alright?” Sam asked.
They all crowded around her as she reached the last step. Nat, her assistant and Girl Friday, reached out to hug Roxy. Roxy gratefully allowed herself to be enveloped by her tattooed, pierced, grunge-clad, English friend. As Nat released her, it was Sage’s turn. Sage was wearing her trademark robes, this time in summer-pink, a shade that matched the ribbons that were threaded through her dreadlocks. She was good friends with Dr. Jack.
Evangeline patted Roxy’s arm. This gesture from the elderly woman who used to own the hotel when it was a guesthouse was an unusually warm expression of affection. Elijah kissed Roxy on both cheeks and whispered, “Sorry again,” in her ear while Sam stood stoically to one side.
“Thank you, everyone. It’s been an unpleasant evening. Will you let me have a few moments in private, and then I will be happy to answer all your questions.” Roxy smiled weakly, and the crowd parted to let her pass. She walked over to the door that led to her private quarters, and in silence, went inside and closed the door. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands.
As she sat there, Roxy felt something small and moist nudge at her knuckles. She didn’t look up. Momentarily, she felt another poke. It was sharper, more emphatic this time, and accompanied by a buzzing sound that sounded like a particularly insistent, and slightly asthmatic bee. Roxy’s white puffball of a kitty, Nefertiti, was now wiping her cheeks against Roxy’s hand. She wasn’t going to give up. Finally, Roxy looked up and gave her cat a weak smile before scooping her into her lap.
“Oh, Nef-nef, life isn’t straightforward is it? When we got up this morning, who’d have thought that a few hours later we’d be in the middle of another murder investigation?” Roxy gave a big sigh and lay her cheek down on Nefertiti’s back. Her fur was as soft and as white as a cloud and was as comforting as always. Roxy closed her eyes for a moment.
She didn’t allow herself to relax for long, though. Roxy fed Nefertiti quickly, and while her fluffy cat wolfed down her food, Roxy freshened herself up. She washed her face and scrubbed hard at her cheeks as though by doing so she could erase the evening’s devastating events. She soaped and washed her hands three times before drying them and going back into the bedroom. She looked around and started to pace. She went back and forth quickly. It wasn’t a very big room. Nefertiti trailed behind her, mewing. Roxy nearly tripped over her as she turned.
“Meeeooowwwww!” Nefertiti said impatiently.
“Sorry, sorry!”
Roxy bent down and scooped Nefertiti up again. “Oof, you’re getting heavy. You need to get out more, Nef-nef. Less food, more action. Now come on, we need to face everyone. I’ll feel better if I do.” Roxy put her cat down and made sure to walk in front of her, confident that Nefertiti would follow her wherever she went. And indeed she did. One behind the other, the cat behind her owner, they left the room.
They found Sage in the lounge, laying out tarot cards and crystals in intricate patterns on the table. To Roxy, who had a birdlike, tense, nervous energy, Sage seemed like a strange, exotic creature. Normally her peaceful demeanor was communicated by her floating robes, smooth-as-honey voice, creative, colorful hair, and unhurried movements. Even her hair creations seemed like works of art, especially when compared with Roxy’s “wash and go,” short-cropped, naturally blonde style. Sage often wore flowers in her natural afro hair or opted for flowing mermaid-style wigs and weaves in a variety of colors. Tonight though, her gorgeous face was drawn with worry. And despite the ribbons in her hair, she was pinched and otherwise unadorned.
“Have you heard about what happened?” Roxy said gently. She pulled out a chair and sat down at the table next to Sage. “About Dr. Jack?”
“No, honey, I have not. I have been waiting for you to tell me. I know that it is terrible, though. I can feel it,” she said, arranging and rearranging the crystals on the table as if once she got the right formation, everything would be okay again.
Roxy told Sage about the séance, about Meredith being shot dead, about Meredith’s husband and assistant staying in the guestrooms upstairs. Sage turned, her big brown eyes connecting with Roxy’s. “It is so sad that that poor woman was killed.” Sage lay a hand on Roxy’s arm and looked at her with her big soulful eyes. “Now, what is it you really want to tell me, honey? About Dr. Jack.”
Sage had increasingly been spending more and more time at the botanica, leaning on the counter and talking life, the universe, and everything in between with Dr. Jack. Secretly, Roxy wondered how long it would take for them to admit to each other they were head over heels in love. Everyone else could see it. They didn’t need spirits to tell them that.
“He’s…he’s,” Roxy cleared her throat. “He’s been arrested.” Roxy looked dubiously at Sage. “For Meredith’s murder. They say he shot her.”
Sage jerked her head away from Roxy, frowning. “What? That’s ridiculous. Jack would never do something like that. I know him. I know his soul, and it’s as pure as anything, trust me. That man is like an angel on earth.” Sage sat back as she comprehended the news. “So that’s why his phone was off. I wondered why I was feeling so disturbed.” She half-rose from the table. “I must go to him. He will need comfort and spiritual sustenance.”
“No, no, I don’t think you should do that.” Roxy rose too, her hand out, placating Sage. She could just imagine how Detective Johnson would react if they turned up at the police station now. “Nothing will happen until morning. They might have let him go by then. Besides, I don’t think they would let us see him.”
Sage hesitated, but she could see the truth in Roxy’s words and slowly she sat down again. “Perhaps you’re right. I don’t need to be with him physically anyhow. I can send healing and freeing energy to him from here. He will still feel it and know that it’s from me.” Sage leaned over the table and resumed moving her crystals around, albeit more absentmindedly.
“It can’t have been him,” said Roxy, although she couldn’t be sure, not really. She watched Sage as she moved the crystals from one position to another. It was mesmerizing to see how they changed color with each new position as they interacted differently with the light coming from lamps around the room. “Hopefully Detective Johnson and Officer Trudeau will see sense and let him go soon.”
“What grounds did they have for arresting him?”
“I’m not sure,” said Roxy. “Well…I guess it was because he and Meredith were having a big argument before the séance began.” Roxy flushed. “I told Officer Trudeau about it. I have no idea what it was about. Dr. Jack said that something Meredith was proposing was unethical.”
“Hmm, I wonder what the problem was. Dr. Jack certainly enjoys a debate on spiritual philosophy sometimes,” said Sage, “and things do get heated at times, but he’d never shoot someone. He doesn’t even own a gun!”
“I know, I know, none of it makes any sense at all,” said Roxy. “We can only hope things will work out and the truth will prevail. Justice will be done, right? Isn’t that what you tell me—the universe will see to it, and all that?”
Sage shook her head. She suddenly looked very tired. “Eventually. But not always in this world.” She ran her fingers over the tarot cards. “I’ll do a reading later. Now I just want to be a source of support.” She shut her eyes and stayed still and silent for a long while. There was chattering coming from the kitchen, and Roxy was itching to see what was occurring in there, but she daren’t leave the table and risk upsetting Sage. Distur
bing the “healing energies” would not portend well, she was quite sure.
Sage breathed in carefully through her nose and slowly opened her eyes. “It may not be the time to go to Dr. Jack, but perhaps I can help Meredith’s husband and her assistant. They’ve had a terrible shock.”
“Yes, they have,” said Roxy. “I’m waiting to see if they want dinner. I’m trying to be warm and welcoming without being intrusive and disrespectful, if you know what I mean?”
“I do,” said Sage. “Let’s just be kind. I think that’s the most important thing. You can’t go wrong with kindness.”
“No, you can’t,” Roxy agreed. She headed toward the kitchen, Nefertiti still trailing in her wake. “Not in the kitchen, princess. It’s unhygienic. Go play.” Roxy pressed her hands against her cat’s sides and spun Nefertiti around. Nefertiti stalked off, mildly annoyed. Roxy sighed after her with a little smile.
She pushed open the kitchen door with her hip and found Nat and Evangeline cooking up a storm. Elijah was leaning against the counter eating one of his own pastries, chatting to them. As soon as he saw Roxy, he stood up straight and shoved the remainder of his pastry into his mouth, wiping his hands together to brush off the confectioner’s sugar that was stuck to his fingertips.
“Roxy! What is happening, girlfriend? I cannot believe you are embroiled yet again with that awful Johnson fella! That’s some voodoo bad luck, that is.” He wagged his finger from side to side, his lips pursed.
3 Louisiana Lies Page 4