A Darker Shade of Midnight (16 page)

District Attorney Hazelton pushed through the glass entrance doors. “What’s going on here?”
 

Tommie Savoie, the mayor, came with him. The town council president brought up the rear. Both politicians frowned at the scene before them. The mayor owned a large grocery store in town. He hated public drama and bad press.

“There are cameras and reporters crawling all over my office saying you went to a funeral to arrest some mourners.” The mayor glared at Deputy Gautreau.

“We agreed to handle this situation quietly, with no grandstanding,” the council president added. “Remember that discussion when we appointed you to this
temporary
position of authority.”
 

“I’m taking control and getting things done,” Acting Chief Gautreau shot back.

“You arrested the woman at her grandmother’s funeral in front of three reporters.” The council president glared at Gautreau.

“Deputy Arceneaux, please take over while we talk to Brad,” The mayor said. He marched off toward the chief’s office. The DA nodded for Brad to follow him, and the men disappeared.

“Come to an interview room, if you don’t mind,” Deputy Arceneaux said to Savannah.

“Thirty minutes, at most, and if the questions aren’t new we leave.” Savannah nodded to LaShaun who then followed the deputy.

Deputy Arceneaux shook her head at Chase when he started to join them. “We don’t want to cause more trouble for this investigation than we’ve already got.”

“Yeah.” Chase looked unhappy, but he complied.

After a short walk down two hallways, they settled in the same cheerless interview room LaShaun had been in before. Deputy Arceneaux sat patiently and flipped through a few pages in a thick file. A round clock on the wall loudly ticked off the minutes. Savannah leaned forward and was about to speak when Deputy Arceneaux beat her to it.

“Your cousin Azalei Shropshire hasn’t been able to give us much to explain what happened to her or Rita. She does seem terrified when your name is mentioned.” Deputy Arceneaux looked at LaShaun steadily. She did not turn when the DA slipped in and quietly shut the interview room door.

“Did she say my client attacked her?” Savannah said.

“No, but the victim’s behavior could mean your client was somehow involved.”
 

“She’s a traumatized woman whose reactions could mean anything. She didn’t act terrified at the funeral with she saw my client. Interview a few people who were there. You can believe I’ll get statements.” Savannah rested her hands on the top of the metal table between them. “Has Ms. Shropshire been examined by a psychiatrist, and has the psychiatrist made a determination about her mental state?”

Deputy Arceneaux pursed her lips for a few moments. “Yes. She’s suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and memory loss. She could only write notes saying she and Rita went out. Then she veers off into disjointed rambling.”
 

Savannah nodded, and looked at the DA. “I thought so. If you’re through harassing my client, we’ll bid the Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office and its acting boss anything
but
a fond farewell.”

Gautreau pushed through the door and brushed past the DA. He held up a cell phone showing a photo. “You wanna explain this?”
 

“What?” Savannah stared at the phone.

“It’s a photo of your client taking a swing at our murder victim.” Gautreau squinted at Savannah.
 
“Ms. Shropshire took it, and her mother brought it in.”

LaShaun stared at the smart phone’s clear picture of her with one hand drawn back to slap Rita. They’d been arguing at Monmon Odette’s house only days before Rita and Azalei disappeared.
 

“We weren’t exactly in agreement on the way she handled my grandmother’s money, but I didn’t kill her.” LaShaun stood. For the first time she felt trapped, as though she might lose her freedom.

“This is the smoking gun if you ask me. Shows your client had a violent altercation with our victim, and her alibi is flaky. You’re under arrest on suspicion of murder, Miss Rousselle.”

“Don’t say anything,” Savannah said to LaShaun. Then she faced Gautreau.
 
“This so-called smoking gun won’t hold up in court.”

“You better not count on that,” Gautreau shot back.
 
“The jury will be made up of folks with good old common sense. They’ll be able to put two and two together, and get a conviction for your client.”
 

Savannah turned to the DA. “You and the mayor better get a grip on your acting Sheriff, or he’ll have you in deep legal trouble.”

.” Gautreau spun to face Hazelton. “We have enough probable cause to detain her
 

“The evidence is mounting.” Hazelton did not look pleased, or very convinced of his own words.

“C’mon.” Gautreau pulled LaShaun from the room.

Savanna followed them out with Hazelton. “You’re going to be very sorry you wasted time. Gautreau is not acting rationally, and you know it.”

“Our investigation is on-going, but you know very well that your client has the strongest motive.” Hazelton replied in a dead tone.

“Very sorry,” Savannah repeated with force.

Despite the objections of her attorney, LaShaun was charged and placed in a holding cell. Even Gautreau knew that her bond would be posted quickly. The judge on duty set the amount at a modest fifty thousand dollars. Uncle Leo made the arrangements, and by ten o’clock that night LaShaun was home. Tired, shaken, but at least out of the kind of cell Gautreau wished could be her permanent home. Her uncles wanted to linger and talk, but she managed to get rid of them. Savannah stayed behind.
 

“God, I’m glad they’re gone.” LaShaun said when she came back to the living room after locking the front door.
 

“They’re trying to help.” Savannah shrugged at the look LaShaun gave her. “Yeah, they really wanted to talk about the estate.”

“I’m exhausted and, oh hell.” LaShaun groaned when the front door bell rang. “If this is a reporter Gautreau is going to arrest me again for kicking somebody’s butt.” She marched to the door and jerked the curtain aside before opening it. She groaned again when she saw Chase. After she let him in, he kissed her on the forehead.

“Yes, I know. I should avoid you, and this is a bad idea, blah, blah, blah.”
 

She followed him to the living room. “You must not want to be sheriff, or have any chance at a decent reputation in this town.”

“I like enforcing the law and bringing guilty people to justice. Brad doesn’t care who goes to jail if it helps him politically. If the public doesn’t see that, then they deserve him.” Chase waved to Savannah. “Good job, Ms. Attorney.”

“I would have earned that compliment if my client hadn’t been arrested.” Savannah met him in the archway before he could enter the living room. “Stop right there Deputy Broussard. You need to leave.”

“I’m not the enemy.” Chase frowned at her.

“No, but you’ll make defending her more difficult. People will say you’re covering for her. The superstitious natives will say she put a spell on you. Trust me there are a lot of them left. We’ve got enough of a challenge when it comes to public opinion and perception, two things that will help a DA with only circumstantial evidence.” Savannah let out a long slow breath. “You care, I get that. But you know I’m right.”
 

“Yeah, I do.” Chase’s frown relaxed. “Before I go you might be interested in the latest development. The mayor and council rescinded Brad’s appointment as acting Sheriff. Myrtle Arceneaux is our acting boss now.”

“Ah hell, I wish I could have been there to see Gautreau’s expression,” Savannah said. She let out a cackle of delight. Then she noticed Chase and LaShaun staring at each other. “Uh, I’ll be in the kitchen making us some strong coffee.”

Chase stood silently for several long once they were alone minutes. “If you need anything…”

“I’ll be fine.” LaShaun walked close to him.
 

 
“Damn I don’t want to walk out of here tonight,” Chase said, and put his arms around LaShaun.

“Knowing you believe in me is more than enough.”
 

LaShaun savored the comfort that she would miss all too soon. She buried her face against his chest breathing in the delicious masculine smell of him. A memory that would help her through the long, lonely nights to come.
 

“Now go,” she said softly.

“Okay, but one more thing.”
 

He wrapped both arms around LaShaun and gave her a long, slow kiss. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless. Chase stepped back and looked at her one last time before he walked out. LaShaun stood shivering from the impact of giving him up. Then she recovered. She locked the front door and went to the kitchen. Savannah sat at the long breakfast bar nibbling a teacake.

“Hope you don’t mind. I’m starving.”
 

“I could warm us up something to eat.” LaShaun went to the refrigerator and took out a platter of roasted chicken and a large covered bowl of homemade potato salad.

“Don’t go to any trouble.” Savannah’s eyes widened as LaShaun brought out buttered rolls. “But if you insist.”

“I’ll heat the rolls. The chicken will taste great cold.”

“Let me serve myself. You must be worn out,” Savannah said.
 

LaShaun waved her back. “I’m okay. Just sit. I have a feeling you’ve got something you want to tell me, and you didn’t want Chase around to hear it.”

Savannah sat on the stool again. “So you
are
psychic, and right on the money. There’s some real bad stuff going on around here.”

“You mean worse than one cousin getting her tongue cut off, and another cousin turning up dead? If there is then I haven’t heard about it.” LaShaun put the rolls in the microwave and set the timer.

“I hired an investigator to dig around. Rita and Azalei were keeping bad company, just like Rita’s mama said. They were partying hard and throwing around cash. Some wild private parties have been going on around here. They say Quentin Trosclair
 
financed the good times. Lots of liquor, drugs and sex.” Savannah shook her head.
 

“Quentin always loved exotic good times.” LaShaun crossed her arms.
 

“So I’ve heard.” Savannah cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows.

“Chase knows about Quentin and me. Well, not all of the details. But enough to know I’m no angel.” LaShaun shrugged.

“Okay.” Savannah digested that news for a few seconds then went on. “Quentin is backing Gautreau for sheriff, but keeping it quiet. But, this is the thing that only a couple of people were brave enough to even whisper; Gautreau has been to a few of these private parties. He’s got a healthy campaign fund from his party ‘friends’.
 
Some of them include business folks looking to locate to this area, and get lucrative contracts.”’

The microwave timer dinged and LaShaun took out the steaming rolls. She brought Savannah a plate of food. “Azalei and Rita must have been in on some juicy secrets.”
 

“Maybe, but I don’t need know those juicy secrets. Just having this information means I can make a nice case for reasonable doubt.”
 
Savannah smiled as though looking forward to facing Hazelton. She ate a forkful of potato salad and sighed.
 
“You should eat something.”

“I can’t,” LaShaun said and pushed the food away.
 

The thought of eating twisted her stomach into a knot. While Savannah enjoyed the down home feast, LaShaun went to the bay window and looked out into the dark. She could only imagine the terror Rita and Azalei suffered that night. LaShaun shivered at the evil that must be inside a man to strike out in such vicious way. Or was it at the hands of a man? As she concentrated hard on that question, LaShaun focused on dense black shadow of trees at the edge of manicured lawn. The bright security lamp did not touch the dense darkness of the woods; just as compassion or goodness did not touch the thing that had maimed one woman and killed another without mercy. After a few seconds, a blue vapor glowed. LaShaun blinked to see if she was dreaming. The light wrapped around a huge oak tree like a vine. No, like a snake. Savannah’s voice sounded distant.

“That was some delicious. Thanks for the food. Look, don’t be too concerned about what the DA thinks. His so-called theory of the crime is of full of holes. A revocable trust is a done deal. Your grandmother had already given you the assets. Rita and Azalei had more of a motive to come after
you
than you had to harm them
.
”
 

“Yeah, right,” LaShaun said without taking her gaze from the woods.

“You shouldn’t worry, okay? The DA has a steep hill to climb, and you better believe he knows it.”
 

LaShaun gasped when she realized Savannah was standing next to her. She took Savannah by the arm and pulled her from the window. “Thanks for everything, Savannah. You’ve been great through all this, but you must be tired. I’m sure your husband is worried about you being out so late. Go home and get some rest.”