All I Want Is Forever (22 page)

“Don't worry, Talia,” Monette said quietly. She wiped a hand over her face and went on. “Anyway, I started runnin' with somebody else behind his back. Real smart, right?”

“Earl?” Talia said.

“Damn,” Derrick murmured, when Monette gave a sharp nod.

Monette nodded. “Drugs drain what little sense you got right outta your brain. About two weeks after Earl was gone, Winn told me he knew.”

“I'm assuming he didn't take it very well.” Jim frowned.

“He acted real cool like he didn't care. Winn smiled, and said, ‘I'll see you're taken care of, sugar.' Six months later I got arrested. He wore that same smile the first day I saw him in court.”

They all fell silent for a long time, each contemplating the implications of having a powerful man as an enemy. Monette had gone to prison. Derrick stood close to Talia, hoping she'd turn to him. She stiffened when he put his arm around her. Talia shrugged free of his embrace and stood.

“The fact is, Monette, you were with those guys, and they were carrying drugs,” she said in a flat tone.

“It's true I was partyin' with them, but they got the coke
after
they dropped me off. They made a buy, then picked me up again. Winn offered each of them a deal, made it clear I was supposed to go down. Jerome knows.”

“No wonder—” Derrick broke off when Jim gave a slight shake of his head.

Monette glanced at him then at Derrick. “What?”

Talia waved a hand at the two men. “They always kid themselves that they're protecting us. Jerome Hines was beaten up. The newspapers say it was a botched home invasion.”

“Like hell,” Monette retorted promptly.

Talia's eyebrows drew together. “I'd bet he was the guy that called me.”

Monette wore a pensive expression for several minutes. “If he's turned on Winn, then he's tryin' to protect himself. Of course he might feel bad about me bein' in prison.”

“Too bad I can't ask him.” Derrick crossed his arms.

“Dead?” Monette asked and the others looked at Derrick sharply.

“No, but he's been slipping in and out of consciousness. The doctors won't even let the police detectives question him. Not that they'd get much,” Derrick replied.

“So my best witness might not live another day, much less another three weeks,” Jim said, his voice glum.

“We don't know he would have cooperated. He certainly wasn't too happy to answer questions when I talked to him,” Derrick said.

“That's not all, Winn was always cuttin' shady deals. Jerome knows where the bodies are buried,” Monette said.

Talia took a step back from them all. “Just leave it alone. Too many people have gotten hurt already. It's not like you can prove anything. Monette's kept her record clean in prison. That should be enough to influence the parole board.”

“Winn got me convicted of a crime I didn't do. Every two years he wrote letters to the board arguin' against me bein' released,” Monette said, and strained forward. “I ain't takin' this lyin' down.”

“Relax, Monette.” Jim gently guided her against the pillows.

“Well, maybe I'm gonna have to take it lyin' down for a while.” She smiled weakly at Jim.

“I know how you feel. I take heat for working with the district attorney. But it's about the truth, not just locking people up,” Derrick said heatedly. “I'm with you, ma'am. Sick or not, I'm going to talk to Hines. If he did call Talia, then he's willing to right this wrong. Either way I'm going to find out.”

“Be careful. Your boss is close to Barron,” Jim said.

“Larry won't stand by him if he knows about this,” Derrick said. “But he's going to want hard evidence before he believes it.”

“Who would? All they gotta do is look at my history and compare it to him. He's old money, from judges, congressmen, a lieutenant governor even.” Monette closed her eyes. “Time for me to quit doin' things the hard way. I'm always stirrin' up trouble. I been so selfish all my life. Here I'm puttin' all of y'all in danger and for what? Talia's right.”

“Monette—” Jim held her hand.

“No, the fact is I was hangin' with them dudes. I paid the price for makin' one more bad decision. Just present my record before the board and forget the rest.” Monette's voice faded, and her eyelids fluttered closed.

She seemed drained of energy as her breathing became regular. Jim nodded toward the door, and they left quietly. Derrick led them down the hall to the elevator.

“I've never seen her give up like this.” Jim glanced back over his shoulder.

“She's being realistic,” Talia said. “I don't want her hurt again despite what's gone down between us. Just do what she asked. I'm going home to check on Mama Rose.”

“Wait, let's talk.” Derrick reached out and grabbed her arm. He hated the sight of her walking away.

“Monette made herself clear, and so have I. Let me go,” she said coldly.

Derrick drew his hand back. “You're both making a mistake.”

She didn't answer him. Instead, she got on the elevator when the doors opened. Talia did not look at either man as she punched the button. The doors whisked shut.

“Two very willful ladies,” Jim said finally. “Now what?”

Derrick stared at the elevator wishing it would open and Talia would come back to him. He knew she wouldn't. “I'm going to do what I think is right,” he said.

Talia rubbed her forehead. The dull thud in her temples seemed to have taken up permanent residence. She stared at her laptop screen. Her last report to Pete was coming along, but slowly. At least she'd accomplished her goals on the sentencing project. Senator Jackson and Marti were pleased at the progress they'd made. With a sigh, Talia went to the kitchen to refill her cup with coffee. With any luck she could wrap up this report, make sure Mama Rose was settled, and get out of Rougon. She willed herself to leave the window.

“Get back to work. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can go home,” she muttered.

A crunch of gravel and a car door slamming stopped her. Moments later Mama Rose and Karl came through the back door. Karl carried two large plastic bags and wore a big smile.

“Hey, little sister.” He wore a relaxed expression. “I talked to Monette, and she's feeling better.”

“Hi, baby.” Mama Rose kissed Talia's cheek. “Whew! The Dollar General Store was packed, but I got a lot of bargains. Can't wait for the doctor to say I can drive. Then I won't have to worry you children.”
Mama Rose put away napkins and other household supplies as she talked.

“It's no problem, Miz Rose. You know I don't mind.” Karl went back to the car and returned with more bags.

“Looks like you're stocking up for the whole town,” Talia said with a teasing grin. She shook her head at the packages of toilet tissue, aluminum foil, and other items.

“Habit, sugar. From the days when I never knew when the social workers would drop a buncha kids on my doorstep,” Mama Rose said.

“And you loved it,” Karl chimed in.

“That I did.” Mama Rose laughed.

“Well, I'm on my way back to work. I'm working the late shift tonight. Hate it, but the money is good.” Karl rubbed his hands together. “Call me if you need anything, ladies.”

“Thank you, baby.” Mama Rose patted his face with affection. “But you got your family to look after. We'll be just fine.”

Karl nodded. “Yeah, anyway, you got Derrick lookin' out for y'all.”

Mama Rose raised her eyebrows. “Uh, we don't mention that name these days. They had a little spat,” she said in a stage whisper.

“He's a good guy, Talia. Hold on to him. I know how hard it is to find the right person, somebody that's always got your back.” Karl launched into a big brother lecture with a serious expression. “See I—”

“Thanks, but I'll deal with my personal life on my own. Bye-bye.” Talia pecked him on his cheek.

“In other words stay outta your business.” Karl wore a good-natured grin. “Okay, but you know I'm right. Bye.” He blew them both a kiss and made a quick getaway.

“That's not minding your own business.” Talia stood
in the back door with one hand on her hip. He only laughed and waved good-bye as he got in his van.

“He's right.” Mama Rose stacked cans of fruit in her pantry.

“What's for dinner?” Talia said with forced cheer.

“Fine. I'll drop it.” Mama Rose stood back to look at her handiwork and sighed with satisfaction. “Think I'll bake some cakes for the brunch at church.”

“Good for you. Don't tire yourself out though.” Talia poured out the now-cold coffee from her cup. “I'm going to get this report finished so I can e-mail it to the office.”

“Running away again.” Mama Rose folded her arms and gazed at her.

“No, my work and home in D.C. mean a lot to me,” Talia replied. She headed for the living room.

Mama Rose followed her. “Okay, sugar. I won't argue about it. You got a great job and a nice home up there.”

“Yes, I do.” Talia sat down at the desk and started to type.

“Of course you're weak in the romance department, but we know why.” Mama Rose cleared her throat. “I'm going to make some chicken salad for lunch. Want some?”

“Yeah, get busy at something other than dropping hints at me.”

“I don't know what you mean.” Mama Rose strolled out.

“I bet you don't.” Talia tapped the keys harder than necessary as she willed words onto the screen.

“Hi, Talia.”

She started at the deep familiar voice and looked around. Derrick stood in the doorway of the living room as though reluctant to come farther. His tall lean
body filled up the space, and his head almost brushed the top of the frame. He wore a dark olive short-sleeved cotton knit shirt that molded to his chest outlining his well-defined torso. Talia's gaze drifted from his stunning masculine form to the smooth brown skin of his muscled arms. She remembered very well what it felt like to press her breasts against his body, to feel those arms around her. The room became too hot and close.

“Hi.” Talia went to a wall switch and turned on the ceiling fan. She needed cool air fast.

“Can we talk?”

“No.” Talia turned from him. “Please don't make this any harder. We both know saying good-bye is better for you and me.”
Harder for me,
she mused. All she could think of at the moment was peeling that shirt from his body.

“No problem. I'm here to talk about Monette and this investigation.”

“Oh, well—” Talia turned to him. His composed expression combined with his words was like a cold dash of water on her face. “Nice to know you've moved on so quickly,” she muttered softly.

“Isn't that what you wanted?” Before she could reply, Derrick held up a thick folder. “I've got three more stops to make, so let's get to this.”

Talia clenched her teeth at his curt attitude but said nothing. After all, he was right. Instead of tossing out an acid reply, she folded her arms and assumed an all-business demeanor.

“Okay, what's up?” Talia leaned against the desk.

“Obviously the attack on Hines is related to the attack on Monette. Unless, of course, you believe in incredible coincidences.” Derrick opened the folder on the desk next to her. He held up a cassette tape. “Here
is a recording of an interview Hines did. Let's see if you recognize his voice.”

She took it from him and looked at it. “The sound system is in the den.”

Derrick followed her down the hall into a wide room with brown leather sofas, a big-screen television, and a compact stereo system. Talia put the cassette tape in and pushed the button. A man identified himself as a sheriff's deputy after stating the date and time. Then Hines introduced himself. As the two men talked with a male witness in another case, Talia frowned.

“Well?” Derrick looked at her expectantly.

“Sounds a lot like the voice on the phone, but it's hard to tell. The tape isn't that clear,” Talia said, shaking her head and waving him to silence before he could speak again. She listened for five more minutes. “I'm pretty sure it was him. Sorta kinda.”

“Close enough. I'm going to talk to him as if I'm sure he called you. When he's able to talk that is.” Derrick hit the
STOP
button and removed the tape.

“He's bad off, huh?” Talia shivered. “My God, there are some cold-blooded people in this world.”

“They beat him pretty bad, ruptured his spleen. But they were sending a message.” Derrick slipped the tape in the folder again.

“Some message. They tried to kill him.”

“No, if they'd wanted to kill him they would have put a bullet in his head.” Derrick stared at the brown folder as if the answers were in it. “I think he's holding some kind of incriminating evidence.”

“So they're trying to convince him that being loyal is more healthy than being moral?” Talia threw up both hands. “I'm starting to talk like you. Now I know it's time to get out.”

Derrick gazed at her with a glint in his dark eyes.
“As a matter of fact I think you'd make a good private investigator.”

“Oh please! I've had my fill of sordid people, places, and things—thank you very much.” Talia rolled her eyes.

“And you went to Washington, D.C., with wall-to-wall politicians to escape?” He wore a tight grin. “Yeah, right.”

“Funny man.” She shot him a severe look. “So what's next?”

“Like I said, I'm going to talk to Hines. But first I'm going to see if his wife knows anything. She might be able to give me leads on a wall safe in the house, a safety-deposit box, anywhere he might have stashed away a security blanket.”

“Brave man to keep the goods on Winn Barron,” Talia said.

“No, a scared man. He must have foreseen the need to cover his behind should it ever hit the fan.” Derrick slapped the folder against the palm of his left hand.

“If he knew Monette well enough, he must have known it would most definitely hit the fan—big-time—one day.” Talia put her hands on both hips.

“Yeah, she's one of a kind,” Derrick said.

“Thank the Lord.”

“Gotta give her an A+ for making things happen.” Derrick grinned. “She finally got the Tulane Law School project on her side.”

“Oh, she always passed that test with flying colors.” Talia heaved a deep sigh. “Before she went down so low on the drugs, she had style. I used to watch her every move. She dressed with class even from the thrift shops.”

“Remember the time she threw a party, and the cops showed up because there was too much noise?” Der
rick perched on the wide arm of one of the two large sofas.

Talia nodded. “We lived in a pretty good neighborhood. Monette had straightened up and gotten me out of foster care again.” They'd moved around the area, but never left the parish.

“The churchgoing ladies next door did not approve of your mama I'm afraid.” Derrick laughed again.

“Maybe it was the way she made their husbands' heads spin and their tongues hang out. Skin tight jeans and tank tops will do that to a guy,” Talia said and laughed with him. “Not to mention teeny-tiny skirts up to your ying-yang.”

“The cops showed up, and she charmed 'em.”

“Monette always had a way with men.” Talia's smile faded. “She also had a habit of choosing guys with a mean streak. Of all people, she had an affair with the district attorney.”

“Amazing.” Derrick shook his head slowly. “But very practical.”

“Wait a minute.” Talia closed the door to the den. “Monette is still keeping something from us. You didn't ask her if she knew Earl was an informant.”

“The other day was the first time I'd talked to her since she was stabbed. I don't know that it matters though.” Derrick shrugged. “Sounds like Barron set her up out of revenge because she dumped him.”

“Maybe.”

Talia sat down on the other end of the sofa. Neither spoke for several minutes. She tried to sort through all the twists and turns of the facts. Monette had lived a complicated life on the edge. Good memories of being with Monette were tainted by the bad ones and far outnumbered by them. For all her charm, Monette had a hard core formed by a tough childhood and adolescence. Monette seldom took any action that wasn't cal
culated to get something she wanted. Everything she did had layers upon layers of motives. A chilling thought took root in Talia's head.

“Monette knew Earl was informing on her and her pals. When did he start getting payments from the DA?”

“Nineteen eighty-six I'm pretty sure. I still haven't seen anything that suggests Monette knew.” Derrick looked at her with interest. “What are you thinking?”

“Let's say she knew or found out. He's making money while she gets tossed in the parish lockup.” Talia did not like the picture forming in her head.

“I don't see it, Talia,” Derrick said.

“She started the affair with Barron around April or May in 1986 off and on, right? I was out of foster care and back with her in August of 1986, but Barron isn't somebody she would have brought home.”

“You kidding? He'd have stuck out like crazy in our neighborhood. Monette said they mostly went out of town to see each other.”

“She started sneaking around with Earl about the time I got out of foster care. She shoots him two months later and he's out of the picture.” Talia looked at Derrick. “In the meantime Barron knows about them, for how long we're not sure.”

Derrick continued to flip through pages. “Monette was arrested in April 1987. But I still don't see why it matters.”

“I can come up with lots of motives for murder among the three of us. Barron could very well start thinking about Earl's disappearance and Monette.” Talia leaned forward and pointed a forefinger at him. “Let it alone, Derrick.”

“I doubt he even remembers Earl. We can't just pretend Monette wasn't attacked. They could go after her again. She's a threat as long as she's breathing.” Derrick stared back at her with a determined frown.

“You're being totally unreasonable!” Talia stood.

“No, I'm using my head. You're letting fear blind you to what we need to do.”

“You want to fight crime, then do it without me. I'm going to do what Monette wants.”

“Because it's easier for you.” Derrick slapped the folder shut and stood. “Just like it's easier to walk away from me and blame it on the past.”

Talia blinked hard. His words cut like sharp rocks being thrown in her face. “You think this is easy for me? I've never had anything easy.”

“But now that's all you want.” Derrick let out a gruff laugh.

“Yes. I don't want surprises, police interviews, courtroom drama, or looking over my shoulder.” Talia waved her arms. “Excitement is another name for chaos.”

“So you'll settle for a bland life and a predictable guy.” Derrick looked at her hard.

“What you call bland, I call normal.” Talia met his gaze without flinching.

His clenched his jaw until the muscles jumped. “Well, I'm not able to give you either one. And I'll be damned if I'm going to try.”

Before she could react, Derrick tossed the folder down and kissed her. His kiss wasn't hard or demanding, but a searching tender caress. His hands rubbed her back, then slid down to cup her buttocks. She gasped and stood on her tiptoes, wanting to taste more of the spicy sweetness he offered. Taking her cue, Derrick offered more by pressing his hips to hers. For a long tantalizing time they moved against each other.