Murder In Louisiana Politics

by Jim Riley

  Then from her doctor, Betty learned the patient was staying at the Bridgestone Exotic Ranch north of town. She had heard about this private ranch at some social activities, but had never seen it.

  The job was fairly simple. She was to check the stitches in Miss Dupre's side, check her breathing patterns, and see if she needed the pain pills prescribed by the doctor.

  Betty was excited. It wasn't every day that she got to meet a famous native of Louisiana. Now, she might get to meet two, Miss Dupre and the senator. Plus, she would get to see the Lodge she had heard so many stories about.

  When she reached Clinton, Betty pulled into a combination gas station and fast-food restaurant. She needed to fill up her Ford Focus, and she had a hankering for a double cheeseburger. She glanced at the brownie Miss Sara Sue had given her earlier in the day and considered taking a chance on it before her better judgment kicked him. She tossed the brownie into the garbage container and went inside the fast food shop.

  The place was packed for Thursday night. It seemed every teenager in Clinton decided to beat her to the Mecca of double cheeseburgers. To her relief, one was still available when she reached the counter. Because she felt so fortunate, she got two.

  When she went back outside, Betty saw another nurse standing beside her vehicle. The young lady was dressed in a white uniform, and was anxiously looking around. When she saw Betty emerge from the restaurant, her frown turned into a colossal smile.

  "Can you help me?" The young nurse asked.

  "I'm sorry. I'm late for an appointment now," Betty replied.

  "Please. I can tell you’re a nurse like me, and I need your help."

  "What do you need?" Betty asked.

  "My little brother punctured his leg with a nail gun. I put a tourniquet on it, but I don't know if I put it on too tight. His leg is swelling, and it's a long way to the hospital."

  Betty thought about the distance to Lane Memorial in Zachary. They were at least thirty minutes away. She did not think about the local hospital in Clinton or the one in St. Francisville.

  "Where is he?" She asked. The young nurse pointed at a white van.

  "He's in the back. Please help me."

  Betty dropped the bag containing the two cheeseburgers on the roof of the Ford Focus, and hustled over to the back of the van.

  The young nurse opened the doors to the rear and stepped aside. Betty could see a pile covered with quilts. She bent over into the van and pulled back the top blanket. Only more blankets were underneath.

  "Hey–" she started to say.

  That was the last word nurse Betty Devereaux ever spoke. The blow to the back of her head crushed her skull. Two more blows were not necessary, but were delivered, anyway.

  The young nurse and her companion shoved Betty into the vehicle and covered her with blankets after retrieving the keys to the Ford Focus.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The young assassin arrived at the iron gate leading to the Bridgestone estate. She pressed the intercom button.

  "May I help you?" A young voice answered.

  "I have an appointment to see Niki Dupre at this address. I'm sorry I'm late, but there was a wreck on the highway."

  "What is your name?" The request came from the intercom.

  "Betty Devereaux. Doctor Reese sent me up."

  "All right, Nurse Devereaux. Follow the drive up to the Lodge. You'll see an office door on the side. Please enter there."

  The large iron gates slowly opened. The young assassin's adrenaline kicked in. It always did right before a kill.

  Paula Netterville had not always been a killer. At one time, she was in nursing school in New Orleans. It was a tough school to qualify for entry and she felt fortunate. But then came her relationship to Murphy, or Murph, as all of his friends called him. What began as a storybook romance turned into a horror story. She remembered the first time she fell the sting of his backhand. They were drinking beer and eating nachos on a Friday night. School was over for the week, and she did not have a lot of studying to do before Monday.

  She was in a celebratory mood and spending some of the precious spare time she had with a man of her dreams. Paula finished a beer and decided to get a second, a rarity for her. When she asked Murph if he wanted another, he nodded and grunted.

  Returning with the two beers, she tripped on the edge of the coffee table. Some of the alcohol sloshed onto Murphy's lap and shirt. Before she had a chance to apologize, the man struck her on the cheekbone.

  Paula fell back, dropping both cans. Murph pounced on top of her, and pummeled her face. Then he tore off her clothes and did things to her he had never done before.

  After that, his eruptions came more and more frequently. Paula could not stop them from happening no matter how hard she tried or how carefully she acted. The beatings and torture reflected in her grades, and Paula eventually flunked out of school.

  Matters got worse. Murph became more violent and more aggressive. The intervals between beanies became shorter. He treated her like a slave.

  After one particularly brutal beating, Paula limped to the bathroom and locked the door. She waited until she heard Murph snoring before she ventured out. She found him passed out on top of the sheets.

  When Murph woke up, he could not escape. The sheet was stapled together on all sides.

  "What are you doing, bitch?" He yelled.

  "Something I should have done a long time ago," Paula answered from the chair beside the bed.

  "This ain’t funny, bitch," Murph hollered.

  "You're right. It hasn't been funny for a long time."

  Paula picked up the aluminum baseball bat she found among his things. The bat moved in slow motion until her body was in a full coil.

  The adrenaline exploded. The bat came down with such force, she heard Murph's knee snap. That did not quell the rage, and fury built inside her.

  "Bitch. I'm going to kill you when I get out of here," Murph screamed.

  "You're never getting out. You will never hurt me or anyone else again." Paula could not contain the evil smile. She hit him with another blow, this time breaking an arm.

  When she finished the whole bed was a bloody mess. Murph had long since quit protesting. He also had long since quit breathing. The only thing remaining was Paula's smile.

  After that night, the exhilaration of that moment could not be replaced. That is, until Paula killed another young man who struck a friend of hers. The pattern continued until Paula no longer needed a reason to kill. She enjoyed the thrill.

  Then she found out there was money to be made a murder. A perfect fit. Her mother had always told her to find something she enjoyed, and make a career out of it. Her mother had said there was nothing like doing something you loved for money. Paula now agreed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  This Thursday night, her assignment was simple, but difficult. She was sent to murder two people. One was the most famous private detective in the state, and the other was a politician.

  At first, she had hesitated to take such an assignment on short notice. Paula preferred to watch her victims and get a pattern of their behavior. Then she could pick the time and place when they were most vulnerable.

  But the person who hired her insisted the job be done tonight while both were isolated on this huge ranch in the middle of nowhere. She had to admit a setup like this was rare.

  Her first obstacle was gaining entry. She had doubted her ability to sneak up on the couple while they were asleep. This problem was resolved when they found out through the gossip at the hospital the senator had hired Nurse Betty.

  Then it was a simple matter to wait for the real nurse to give them the opportunity. Fortunately, she had when Nurse Betty gave in to her craving for a couple of cheeseburgers. Paula finished the second one just before bringing the intercom button at the gate.

  Paula found the office door with these. A red Ford pickup truck was parked outside. Alongside it was a Honda Accord. Perfect, she thought. Two vehicles me
ant only two people.

  When she entered, no one met her in the office. She stopped, anyway.

  "Hello, it's Betty Devereaux. I have an appointment to see Niki Dupre," she called out.

  "Back this way," a feminine voice answered. Paula continued through the hallway to a massive open room. Large girders crisscrossed the twenty-foot cathedral ceiling. Stuffed heads of exotic animals adorned all the walls. Paula had never seen some of them before. One looked like a mule with horns. Another was pure white with a tiny head compared to the huge palmated antlers atop it's ears.

  "Come on in," a long-legged strawberry blonde fitting the description of Niki Dupre said.

  "Please," another younger blonde who reminded Paula of a porcelain doll added. The young girl had flawless skin and thick, rich hair. Her figure resembled an hourglass.

  Paula hesitated. She was told the only two people at the Lodge would be Dupre and the senator. She did not know who the young lady was, though there was enough similarity the pair of blondes could be sisters.

  Oh well, she was hired to kill two people and two people were here. It was not her fault one was not the senator.

  “How are you feeling, Miss Dupre?” Paula asked as she walked over to the older girl. She noticed the revolver on the desk next to Niki, and the one in the holster on the other girl's side.

  To pull her own weapon would be chancy at best. Too much risk. She was not being paid to take unnecessary risks. She was being paid to kill people. She had to devise another plan.

  To stall, she decided to make the patient and the other girl more at ease. She pulled out a stethoscope.

  "First, I want to make sure there are no problems with your pulmonary system. Let me see if you have any abnormalities with your breathing patterns."

  "Does that include snoring?" The other girl asked.

  “That would be wonderful,” the nurse answered. “That means a clear indication of airflow.”

  "She's got it flowing then," the younger girl chuckled.

  The nurse listened first to Niki's chest and then moved to her back. Then she pushed the instrument down to the stomach area. All the time, she was looking for an instant when the younger girl was not paying attention. The opportunity never came.

  Paula moved to the backup plan. Reaching into the bag, she took a syringe and a small vial. The small glass was dark brown, the tint so heavy Niki and Donna could not clearly see the contents.

  "This is an antibiotic with a fairly potent painkiller," Paula said, her adrenaline racing as the moment drew near.

  "I've never had those mixed into one shot before," Niki said. "Is that new?"

  "It sure is," Paula answered. "You are one of the lucky few to get this prescription."

  Paula poked the needle through the cork top of the jar and withdrew twenty cc’s. That was enough poison to kill three people of Niki’s size, but she did not want to take a chance.

  She helped Niki turned to one side and pushed up the detective’s sleeve. The syringe began a slow arc to Niki's arm. When the needle was only an inch from Niki's shoulder, an iron fist clasped Paula's wrist.

  Chapter Thirty

  "What the –"

  "Who are you?" Dalton Bridgestone asked.

  Paula had been so excited about injecting the poison into the strawberry blonde, she did not see the senator enter the room. Now he had a firm hold on her wrist and was not letting go.

  "I'm Betty Devereaux. I'm the private nurse the doctors sent to Miss Dupre."

  Dalton reached with his free hand and snatched the syringe from the fake nurse. He maintained control of her wrist.

  "You look nothing like the description Doc gave me."

  "I've lost a lot of weight and dyed my hair. Doc must have forgotten." Paula scrambled for words, while all the time she looked for an opportunity.

  "Did you get twenty years younger at the same time?" Dalton released her wrist.

  "Oh, he must've thought my mom was coming. Her name is Betsy. Mine is Betty. Sometimes he gets confused," Paula answered.

  "Do you have an ID?"

  Paula smiled, relieved for the first time. This was the opportunity. She could accomplish the mission by taking out the senator and the private investigator. The other girl was a bonus.

  "It's in the bag," Paula said as she reached into the pouch. "I have to warn you though. The picture was taken before I dyed my hair."

  When her hand emerged from the bag, it was not holding a picture ID. Instead, it held a forty caliber Glock with a seventeen shot clip. She pointed the barrel at Dalton.

  "You must be the great senator," she said.

  "I'm Dalton Bridgestone, if that is what you mean," he answered without flinching.

  "Now we’re going to have a little fun, senator."

  "I see nothing about the situation as funny."

  “That's because you're not holding the gun,” she laughed. “It's a lot more fun being me.”

  Paula reached an all–time level of excitement. In her utmost dreams, she could not have believed a scenario like this one would manifest itself. Tonight's feat would make her as famous as the senator and the private investigator.

  "You're going to kill your fiancé, Senator." She grinned as the new plan formed in her mind.

  "You're crazy," Dalton answered. "I would never harm Niki."

  "You'll be doing her a favor. The stuff in the needle will be quick and painless. With a gunshot, who knows how long it will take her to die?"

  "You're absolutely off your rocker." Dalton was still serene. He stalled until he could find a way to turn the tables.

  "Don't even think about it," Paula said, as if she could read his mind. "I can shoot all three of you before you can get that needle anywhere near me."

  "Why are you doing this?" Dalton continued to stall for time.

  "Money," she snapped. Then after a pause, she continued. "It's not only the money. I love the thrill of victory. Killing someone is the ultimate victory. You can't get much better than that."

  "I can pay you money, probably a lot more than you're making to kill Niki."

  Dalton thought there may be an opening.

  "But you can't make up for that moment when I see her take her last breath. Nobody can pay me enough to take that away."

  So much for the opening. Dalton glanced at Donna. The blonde was frozen in place.

  "Will you let Donna go if I do what you say?" He asked.

  Paula laughed as though he had told the best joke she ever heard. When she looked at Donna with a sneer, Dalton slipped the syringe behind him. Then he brought his hand back out front still holding the needle within his fist.

  "Ain't nobody leaving this place tonight but me," Paula continued to laugh. "I didn't plan on the girl being here, but she is. I guess this wasn't meant to be her lucky day."

  "You don't give us much choice, do you?" Dalton said it to Paula, but he was looking past the fake nurse at Donna.

  "None at all." Now the new plan was coming together, Paula felt like she was floating on air. Every nerve in her entire body tingled. Even the fine hair on her arm stood straight up.

  Dalton edged to the sofa on which Niki was lying. Paula backed away with the gun steadily aimed at his upper torso. He knelt down beside the private investigator, grimacing about what he was being forced to do.

  He raised his hand holding the syringe to Niki's shoulder. His whole arm trembled from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder.

  "Senator, you need to calm down. All this will be over way too soon." Paula was in no hurry for the most exciting time in her short life to end. But killing the private investigator was only the beginning. The senator and the young girl remained waiting to give Paula more entertainment.

  The girl! She has a gun! That's was a fact lost on Paula after the excitement of the senator's arrival. That's when she felt the barrel of Donna's revolver pressed against the back of her head.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  "Don't move a muscle or you're dead," Donna's voic
e was anything but steady.

  Dalton moved the syringe away from Niki shoulder and let out a long breath.

  "I suggest you drop that gun before Miss Cross blows your head wide open," Dalton said to Paula."

  "I don't think she has what it takes to kill another human being," Paula sneered. If anything, her adrenaline level reached new heights. She could barely feel her toes.

  "Don't try me," Donna replied. "The way I look at it, either I kill you or you will kill me. Like you said, I have no choice."

  "I can still kill the senator before you can pull the trigger," Paula bargained. "Do you really want his death on her conscience?"

  "It won't be," Donna answered. "If I let you go, you will kill him anyway."

  The girl was a lot tougher than her doll-like features portrayed. Paula had definitely underestimated the petite lady, and now the cost wise losing the edge. But all was not lost.

  Paula took a step toward Dalton. He took a step back reflexively. When he did he bumped into Niki's knee and stumbled. Paula charged and was on top of him.

  The syringe dropped out of the senator's hand. He grabbed the Glock Paula was holding. She was wiry, and a lot more powerful than she looked, but she was no match for the physical politician.

  The gun flew from her hand. Donna was afraid to shoot among the tangle of bodies on the floor and beside the sofa. A stray shot, or even a pass-through piece of lead, could hurt and kill Dalton or Niki.

  On instinct, Donna walked closer to the fighting couple. She was only a foot or so away when Paula rolled over like a tumbling ball and rose behind the young blonde. Donna felt the pricking needle held against her throat.

  "I'll take that gun, Donna," Paula screeched from behind the young private investigator.

  "Okay," Donna answered. But instead of handing it to Paula, she tossed it to Dalton.

  "You little bitch," Paula sneered while holding the syringe at Donna shoulder.