by Jim Riley
"We never saw her," Tammi replied.
"Or anyone else," Sammi uttered.
Samson recognized a pattern that would be repeated throughout the interview. Tammi would give an initial response and Sammi would provide clarification. He did not believe they planned to do this, but it was their nature.
"Where were you taken?" He asked.
"Out in a cabin in the swamps," Tammi answered.
"In the middle of nowhere with a bunch of alligators all around it."
"Were you taken by boat or by automobile?" Samson asked.
"Don't know," Tammi said.
"We weren’t awake when they took us there," Sammi added.
"And on the way back? Samson asked.
"Same thing," Tammi said.
"We were also drugged then," Sammi added.
"How did they administer the drug?"
"In our ass," Tammi said.
"That was when they took us," Sammi said.
"You didn't see anyone and yet they were able to give you shots in your buttocks?"
"Didn't see anyone," Tammi said.
"We were sticking out the window and had their asses turned toward them."
Neither girl seem the least bit concerned about admitting there were sneaking away from home. Both Jimmy and Diane were standing behind the chief, but Mayeaux sensed no fear of reprisal from either twin.
"Tell me about the place you stayed."
"We already did," Tammi said.
"It was a cabin in the swamp," Sammi added.
"How did you get your food?" The massive cop asked.
"It was left on a tray right inside the door at night," Tammi said.
"If you could call it food. There wasn't much to it," Sammi added.
Mayeaux stopped for a second. He was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
"That must've been how she drugged you to get you home. She must've added something to your food or your drinks."
"I bet it was the tea," Tammi said.
"It had an awful twang to it," Sammi made a face.
"That makes sense. Do you have any idea why you were taken?"
"Duh," Tammi was terse.
"We already told you we didn't talk to anyone or see anyone," Sammi said.
"Were you hurt in any way?"
"We had a needle jammed in our asses," Tammi said.
"That didn't feel too good," Sammi looked at her twin.
"Was that was the worst thing that happened to you?"
"No way," Tammi said.
"We missed the party. Andy was there," Sammi frowned.
Chapter Seventy-Two
Thursday morning
The Cabin
Paula reconsidered her strategy. She now regretted letting the twins go free. If she had held them, she could have used Jimmy Gill for more of her dirty work. He had done a fabulous job killing Niki Dupre, a feat she had twice failed on her own.
If she had kept Tammi and Sammi, she could have manipulated Jimmy for her own purposes. If he told anyone, she could have fed them to the alligators, and nobody would have ever found them.
She would have had a slave to do any bidding she desired. This was a technique she had never utilized before but would add to her arsenal for the future.
The downside was caring for the twins. She had to make sure they could not escape. She had to ensure they had enough to eat and drink. It was a pain in her butt to have two children that were her responsibility. Besides that, she could not stand immaturity.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Thursday
Central
The person who had initially hired Paula was having other thoughts. The hire was conducted through a third person. Guido had proven handy with his knowledge of available talent in New Orleans.
But Guido was careless. He had not only failed to eliminate Paula, but had gotten himself killed in the process. At first, this was a huge concern. The only ones who knew what Guido had revealed before his death were Guido and Paula Netterville.
Extra security was added when word of Guido's death slipped out. The alarm system was upgraded to cover the windows and the attic. Two more handguns were purchased and practice sessions taken with each. Cans of mace were distributed throughout the house.
But since there had been no attempt at retribution, then it was doubtful if Guido had revealed the identity of the one who hired him before taking his last breath.
The person was grateful for the murder of Niki Dupre, even if it was a bit tardy. Now the path was cleared for the rest of the plan. It would be a lot easier without the meddling of the persistent private investigator.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Thursday
Lane Memorial
"I'm glad your daughters are okay," Mayeaux began the conversation with Jimmy and Diane. "But there are some of the things we need to consider."
"What other things?" Jimmy asked, the dread apparent in his voice.
"We need to find out why they were taken," Mayeaux said. "And why they were returned."
"How are we supposed to know?" Jimmy asked.
"Were you ever contacted by Paula?"
"No," Jimmy lied. Sweat poured off his forehead despite the coolness in the hospital.
"This seems to be a classic case of a kidnapping with a ransom demand. In this instance, it looks like a ransom was paid." Mayeaux stared at the father.
"I–we–uh," Jimmy could not find the words. His tongue failed to cooperate with his thoughts. He looked over to his wife for help.
"We never received a demand for payment," Diane said. "But to be honest, we would have given her everything we own to get our girls back safe."
Jimmy's mind was in the middle of a storm in the rough seas. He kept looking for the serenity of a protective cove but found none. And Mayeaux kept staring at him. He longed for the chief to spend some time staring at his wife instead.
But the massive policeman maintained his focus on the nervous father. Mayeaux was a seasoned veteran. He had interrogated and interviewed suspects of every type and variety, from the street punks to offenders of white-collar crime.
All of them had one thing in common. All were terrible liars. Unless one was a sociopath, telling the truth was human nature. Mannerisms and voice inflections changed when facts were altered or created out of the blue. In this situation, he was positive Diane Gill was telling the truth. He was also positive her husband was lying his ass off.
Now he knew Jimmy had paid a ransom that Diane had no clue about. He struggled to determine if it was important or not. The girls were returned unharmed. If Jimmy paid Paula some money, could he blame him?
Mayeaux's other thoughts were about Paula. Why did she need the money? While extremely risky, her profession was one of the most lucrative in the nation. Murder did not come cheap.
Something was amiss about the entire setup. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew it would come to him sooner or later. Since the girls were home, there was no urgency in the matter.
Then his thoughts turned to Niki Dupre. In a situation like this, he had only to turn it over to her and let her find the answers to his questions. He had no doubt she would find the source of the ransom, the hidden cabin in the basin, and the reason Paula had acted out of character. But Niki Dupre would no longer be by his side to help.
Chapter Seventy-Five
Thursday
Wildcat Investigations
"Do we keep the company open?" Donna Cross asked, her face and eyes still red from grief.
"Until we find out who killed her," Drexel Robinson answered.
"What are you thinking?"
"It all has to tie back to the case we’re working, the one that started with Omar Philbin."
"Do you think Paula Netterville killed her?" Donna asked.
"I see no other logical explanation. But even that makes no sense."
"Why not?"
"Niki had a sixth sense, a feeling or something like that. She would have smelled Paula
from a mile away. She wouldn't have let that little bitch get within ten feet of her with a loaded gun." Drexel took another long drink of the Russian vodka, some of the vilest alcohol available.
"You’d better cut back on that," Donna pointed at the bottle of clear liquid. "That isn't going to help us find out who killed Niki."
"I know, but I'm not as strong without her. She was my rock. She was my friend."
"I know," tears resumed flowing down Donna's doll-like features. "She gave me a purpose in life."
"If I find that bitch, she won’t have to worry about hiring a lawyer. There won't be enough of her left for anyone to defend."
"Drexel, that's not how Niki would have wanted you to take care of Paula. She would want you to go by the book."
"That's the problem. We grew up reading different books. The ones I read are a lot more practical. Hers were more idyllic."
"Her way is the right way. I feel the same as you about Paula. But Niki taught us to act like she did, not Paula."
"And after I get through with Paula, then I’ll go back to being honorable again. Until then –" his voice trailed off and the bottle of vodka turned up.
"How do we even know it was Paula? Like you said, Niki would have seen her coming way before she got that close."
"Who else could it be? That little bitch has already tried to kill Niki twice and almost killed you in the process. Why are you defending her now?"
Drexel felt the harsh liquid tingle against the inside of his throat. He knew he should stop, but was not in the mood for moderate restraints.
"We need to figure out what she will do next." Donna tried to get his mind off of the booze. "If we know that, we’ll be able to get ahead of her."
"Will she do anything else? That's the first question we have to answer."
"I don't see her stopping now. I don't think there's any doubt she killed Omar. Then, she killed Clarice Clement while she was trying to kill Niki. Then she killed her partner."
"Why?" Drexel interrupted. "Why did she kill her partner? Have you thought about that?"
"I don't know. It may have been about money. Maybe they argued after she failed to kill Niki."
"I like your second thought better than the first. I'm not sure Paula does this only for the money. I think she enjoys it."
"Why does it make a difference?" Donna asked.
"If we’re going to find out what she will do next, then we need to figure out why she killed those folks."
"How does Niki fit in with the politicians?"
"The only way it makes sense is if she thought Niki was getting too close to the truth."
"That means we have the right list of suspects. Which one do you like?"
"One of the other politicians. They had the most to gain with the elimination of the others."
"That only leaves Kenny Long and Jim Gill. Everyone else is dead." Donna said.
"That's not true. There was someone else on the ballot. I don’t remember the name offhand, but I remember seeing someone else was running."
"I wonder why Paula didn't kill Jimmy. What did she have to gain by kidnapping his daughters?"
"That's where we need to start."
Chapter Seventy-Six
Thursday night
"Jimmy, Donna and I have some questions for you," Drexel informed Gill at the front door.
"Can it wait?" Jimmy asked. "I'm enjoying the evening with my family. I didn't know if we would ever have this chance again."
"We'll try to be brief," Drexel replied. "But it is imperative we talk to you tonight."
Jimmy hesitated and looked over his shoulder. Diane and the twins were sharing two large pizzas and a half-gallon of strawberry ice cream. They had not experienced this kind of unity in their family in recent memory. Jimmy hated to spoil the moment.
On the other hand, he wanted to know how much information the staff of Wildcat Investigations had in their possession. The two people standing at his front door could tell him.
"Let's go to the back porch if you don't mind," Jimmy said. "I don't want to bother my wife and the girls."
Drexel and Donna followed Jimmy to the backyard and sat by the pool.
"I'm glad your daughters are okay. Did you have any problem getting the hospital to release them?" Drexel asked.
"Not really. Once they were satisfied the swamp weed was the only thing in their systems, the doctor saw no need to keep them cooped up in there."
"Swamp weed? Is that poke salad?" Donna asked.
"That's it. The girls were given enough to knock them out, but it shouldn't have any long-lasting effects."
"Why?" Drexel asked.
"Huh? Why no long-lasting effects?"
"That's not what I mean," Drexel said. "I'm asking why they were drugged and not killed."
"Why would anyone want to kill them?" Jimmy sweated despite the cool night.
"Why would someone want to kill Omar? Why would someone want to kill Clarice? Why would someone want to kill Dennis?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure there is any connection between those deaths and the abduction of my twins." Jimmy hoped Drexel could not see how nervous he was.
"Come on, man. There were six people in a political race for one seat. Three of them are dead and a fourth had his kids taken. Do you think we're stupid?"
"No–uh, not at all. But I think you may be reading something into this that isn't there."
"I don’t think you’re telling us the whole truth." Drexel stood and edged closer to Jimmy, invading his personal space.
"I'm sorry–I don't know what else to tell you."
"Why don't you start with the truth?" Drexel demanded.
"I am telling you the truth."
Drexel grabbed Gill by his shirt. He pulled the frightened man's face to within an inch of its own.
"My good friend was killed right before your daughters were returned safe and sound by a lunatic who enjoys killing people. That is a huge coincidence, and I don't believe in huge coincidences. Tell me I'm wrong." Drexel tightened his grip on the man's collar.
"Drexel," Donna put her hand on her friend's arm. "Don't do this. It's not the way Niki would have wanted us to go."
Robinson turned and bared his teeth, a look of possession by some internal forces unseen by others.
"Get out of here," he yelled at his friend. "I’ll find out what this bastard knows or he will never see his daughters again."
Jimmy's face blanched. There was no doubt in his mind the private investigator meant every word he said. He began to explore any options to get out of this alive. He came up empty.
"Drexel, don't do this," Donna's voice was quiet but firm. "Let him go."
Drexel shoveled Gill back, and he fell into the water just as a rifle shot rang out. All three were immediately shocked, Jimmy in the water and the two private investigators standing by the pool.
Drexel jerked his revolver from its holster and fired two quick shots in the direction of the sniper. Donna jumped for the cover of the table, turned it over, and then drew her weapon.
Drexel drove behind the table beside her.
"Where's the shooter?" Donna screamed.
"Hell, I don't know. Somewhere up there at the top of the hill."
"Then why were you shooting?"
"Seemed to be a better idea than to let her keep shooting at us. At least, she knows we can shoot back now."
Diane burst through the back door.
“What's going on?” She yelled. “I thought I heard a shot.”
Then she saw her husband flailing around in the pool, spitting water out of his mouth.
"Oh, my God." Diane's hand went to her mouth.
Donna charged to the house, grabbing Diane on the way. When she got inside, she released the scared woman.
"Jimmy is okay, at least right now," she told Diane. "Keep the girls inside, and call the police. I'm going back out there to help Drexel."
Donna did not wait for a response. She ran in a half-crouched position back t
o the table on the patio. Jimmy splashed to the edge of the pool.
"Keep your head down, you fool. They're trying to kill you," Drexel hollered.
It took a second for Drexel's instructions to sink in, but then Jimmy went back under the surface of the water.
Drexel breathed in short hard gasps. Donna peeked around the edge of the table. Drexel grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked.
The second shot hit the edge of the table where her head had been. Drexel released her shirt, rose just above the table and fired two more quick shots. As he was coming down, Donna rose and pulled the trigger twice. Then she sank down behind the tabletop.
They heard sirens in the distance.
"Just stay down until they get here," Drexel said. "We don't have a clue where she is out there in the dark, and she can see us fine with all the light."
"She?" Donna questioned.
"Paula Netterville," Drexel snorted. "Has anyone else tried to kill you lately?"
The sirens arrived at the house along with flashing lights and armed policemen. Leading the force was the immense figure of Samson Mayeaux. Five officers followed him, three with police issued pistols, one with an assault rifle, and one with a pump shotgun. All had flashlights attached to the weapons or held in their free hands.
"What's the deal?" Samson demanded.
Drexel and Donna rose from behind the table. Jimmy's head emerged from the water.
"Somebody tried to kill us," Donna said.
"Actually, somebody tried to kill Jimmy. We just got in the way," Drexel corrected.
"Jimmy was nowhere near the table when the bullet hit within an inch of my nose." Donna pointed down at the missing piece of the table they had hidden behind.
Mayeaux walked over to the pool and extended a hand down to Gill. With very little effort, he yanked him out of the water.