Dangerous Mercy: A Novel (10 page)

Murray sat in the living room at Haven House, listening to the ball game on the radio, when the front door opened.

“Noah!” Murray jumped up, rushed over to him, and slapped him on the back. “Man, am I glad to see you. Too bad about Flynn. What a mess.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Did the sheriff finally come to the realization you had nothing to do with Flynn’s murder?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Noah said. “But they couldn’t trip me up, and I think I wore ’em out for now. They didn’t have anything to charge me with.”

“Come sit. Let me go get Father Vince.”

“No.” Noah’s eyes had a spark of defiance. “I’ve answered all the questions I intend to for one day. But I’ve got one for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Why’d you tell sheriff’s deputies that this mornin’ at breakfast I made that comment about Flynn not comin’ back?”

“It came up in the normal course of their questioning.”

Noah’s eyebrows came together. “No one would’ve known to ask you that, man. And you wouldn’t have volunteered it unless you thought there was a chance I killed him.”

“There’s no way
you
killed Flynn.”

“Then why’d you mention my offhanded crack to the cops? Didn’t you know it would just make them suspect me?”

“I’m sorry.” Murray sighed. “Look, they pressed us pretty hard too—one question right on top of another. I really don’t remember how it came up—or even in what context.”

“Really? Because you also told them you overheard me tell Flynn he’d better watch his back. You knew I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just tryin’ to get him off
your
back.”

“I told the deputies that.”

“Yeah.” Noah rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna go crash.”

“You should tell Father Vince you’re back.”

“You tell him. There’s nothin’ left to say.”

Noah started up the stairs.

Murray called out to him. “Wait … I guess for a split second I thought it was possible you did it. But only for a split second. I swear.”

“The deputies took you seriously.”

“I told them I thought you were kidding.”

Noah turned around. “Yeah, well. That’s not how they took it.”

“I’ll go down there tomorrow and straighten it out.”

Noah swatted the air. “Let it be. I said what I had to say.”

“I guess we were all a little intimidated by the authorities,” Murray said.

A row of lines formed on Noah’s forehead. “I just thought you’d have my back, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry. Cops scare me. I didn’t have time to think it through. I just told the truth. I figured I couldn’t go wrong if I told the truth.”

Noah shot him a crusty look and then turned around and started walking up the stairs. “We’re about to find out.”

CHAPTER 10

Vanessa sat in a rocking chair on the deck at Langley Manor, glad that the last of her guests had retired happily to their rooms and she finally had a moment to let go of the day’s tension. She inhaled the smell of damp earth mingled with pine and let it calm her.

The full moon shone brightly, hiding the stars and exposing a layer of fine white haze that hovered ghostlike above the cane fields. An owl hooted from somewhere nearby and she mimicked its sound, enjoying the back-and-forth and wondering if the creature was really responding to her. A rustling noise interrupted her game, and she saw a white tail vanish into the woods. Probably a deer.

She glanced over at the pan of Critter Crunch she had set at the bottom of the steps and wondered how many raccoons, opossums, and foxes would help themselves once she had gone indoors. And whether the mother bobcat was out with her three kittens, teaching them to hunt for food.

It was magnificent here, raw and unspoiled. Had Ethan’s ancestors enjoyed the wild beauty of the bayou—or were the hardships too great? It couldn’t have been easy living in this climate without air-conditioning. Would they have felt safe keeping the windows open, knowing that a menagerie of hungry wildlife, including feral hogs, roamed these woods at night?

An uninvited flashback of Flynn Gillis’s dead body invaded her peace, and she blinked it away. She could not let what had happened in the bayou defile how she thought of this place.

The door opened behind her, and she heard footsteps.

“Carter’s out like a light.” Ethan came over and sat in the rocker next to her. “Day camp wears him out. I read him
The Velveteen Rabbit,
or I should say he read it to me.”

Vanessa smiled. “His teacher said he was the best reader she had. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he starts second grade in the fall.”

“How are
you
doing?”

“Oh, fair. It feels good to be out here where I can finally get quiet and think. The guests have all retired for the night. That nice couple from Missouri stayed out here until a few minutes ago. I was so hoping we’d get a glimpse of the bobcats, but it didn’t happen.”

“You’re amazing with the guests, you know.” Ethan reached over and took her hand. “You make them feel as if they’ve known you all their lives.”

“It’s fun—most of the time. I’d like to leave today blank in my mind’s diary.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m sure it was horrifying to see a dead body in our bayou. And I imagine it took you back to my cousin’s murder.”

“Actually it didn’t. I guess I’m getting over Drew’s death, though it’s hard to believe it’s been six years.”

Vanessa sat with Ethan in comfortable silence for several minutes.

“Honey,” he finally said, “we’re going to have to talk about what happened today and what the implications are.”

Vanessa shook her head. “Noah didn’t kill Flynn Gillis. He’s a gentle, kind human being and couldn’t hurt anyone.”

“Why do you think the sheriff grilled him all afternoon?”

“Noah went willingly down to the sheriff’s department. No one forced him. He realized it could look suspicious that Flynn’s body was found on the grounds where he’s the groundskeeper.”

“Do you think?” Ethan took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Sweetheart, we have to consider the
possibility
that Noah might have killed Flynn. From what I understand, the guy was totally obnoxious. He ruffled a lot of feathers. Maybe something happened and Noah just lost control.”

“He didn’t.”

“You can’t be sure.”

“I
am
sure,” she said, more loudly than she had intended. “I wish he was already moved in at the caretaker house.”

Ethan’s silence said more than the words he was holding back.

“Just say it,” she said. “I can tell you don’t agree with me.”

“It’s not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing.” Ethan pushed the dark curls off his forehead. “The circumstances have changed.”

“Why—because someone dumped a dead body out here? In your heart of hearts, you can’t believe Noah had anything to do with it.”

“I’d certainly like to be sure.”

Vanessa stopped rocking. “You have doubts? Good grief, Ethan! If you suspect Noah—have any doubt at all—there’s no way we can keep him on!”

“You need to stay calm. I don’t know
what
I think, but we can’t just blow it off. We have to take a hard look at the facts and work through this.”

“Don’t use your counseling tone with me.”

“I’m not trying to counsel you. It’s just my tone, all right?” Ethan got up and stood at the railing, looking up at the moon. “We owe it to our son, to ourselves, and to our guests to feel a hundred percent sure that Noah wasn’t involved.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“First of all, we need to listen to Noah’s explanation with a totally open mind.”

“We agree on that. What else?”

“We need to remain objective and weigh whatever evidence the sheriff has.”

“Ethan, he’s not going to share it with us during an open investigation.”

“But if he’s concerned for our safety, I think he’ll say so.”

Vanessa blinked the stinging from her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening. I love Noah. He’s like family now.”

Ethan turned around and leaned on the railing. “Don’t you think I feel the same way? I don’t want to believe he could’ve done this. His family’s story is as important to the history of Langley Manor as mine.”

“Of course it is.”

“I want to do everything we can to help clear Noah’s name. But why do you suppose the deputies grilled him all afternoon and only spent thirty minutes talking with us?”

Vanessa bit her lip. “We don’t fit the profile.”

“And Noah does. So before we decide to move him out here, don’t you think we should at least take a closer look at how this plays out?”

Zoe stood on the gallery outside her apartment, listening to the lively Cajun music coming from Breaux’s and looking down on the swarm of tourists that covered
rue Madeline
. It was a different world after dark when the city closed off the street to traffic. Colorful neon lights, horse-drawn carriages, and street entertainers created a carnival-like atmosphere. Vendors stood in the doorways of shops, trying to lure passersby with everything from authentic Cajun food to rubber alligators.

The sweet aroma of warm caramel corn flavored the night air and made her mouth water. She glanced at her watch. How hard would it be to walk over to Kernel Poppy’s?

“There you are.” Pierce came outside and stood next to her at the railing. “I thought you were reading.”

“I was. I couldn’t concentrate. I decided to let the smell of caramel corn tempt me instead.”

“Why don’t I go get you some?”

Zoe shook her head. “Thanks. But I need to exercise some willpower if I’m ever going to get my waistline back.”

“You look great to me.” Pierce patted her behind.

Zoe smiled. “Thank the Lord I’m married to a chef. I can blame it on your cooking instead of my sweet tooth.”

“I’ll gladly take the blame. So tell me why you couldn’t concentrate on your book.”

“Listen, mister.” Zoe poked him with her elbow. “If you came out here to remind me you were right to be concerned about the men at Haven House, don’t.”

“Okay.” Pierce folded his arms on the railing and seemed to be taking in the sights and sounds below. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It still takes my breath away. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’m so glad we decided to knock out walls and make the two apartments into one after the Langleys moved out.”

Pierce slipped his arm around her. “Don’t you ever dream about a house with a yard?”

“Never. There are some trade-offs to living upstairs from the eatery, but this is home. This is where I want to raise Grace.”

“The gallery is hardly a yard.”

“When she needs to run or climb, the park is just down the street. And when she’s here with the babysitter, we can check in on her whenever we want.”

Pierce’s large nose suddenly looked aristocratic. “You think it’ll be enough space when we have another baby?”

“Absolutely. We’ve got three bedrooms and a den. And a Jack-and-Jill bathroom separating the kids’ rooms. That was the point of remodeling, right?”

“Right. I just want to be sure my woman is happy.” Pierce flashed a toothy grin. “You said kids—
plural
. I like the sound of that.”

Zoe linked her arm in his. “I haven’t thought much about having a second one. I’m enjoying Grace so much.”

“It’d be nice not to have too many years between them. Maybe we should start working on it. It might take a while.”

“I’m certainly open to it.” She bumped his shoulder with hers. “But not tonight, Bubba.”

“That’s
Chef
Bubba.” Pierce chuckled, then got quiet and seemed far away for a few moments. “Listen, babe. I know I’ve been on your case about the men at Haven House. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe Noah killed Flynn. We know what Noah’s made of. He risked his life to help us, and we’d probably be dead if he hadn’t.”

Zoe looked up at him. “Well, thanks for that much.”

“I’m not comfortable with any of the other guys, but I’m sorry I embarrassed you when Murray what’s-his-name came in.”

“I let it go yesterday when you apologized.”

“Good. Sure you don’t want me to jog over to Kernel Poppy’s and get you a bag of warm, delicious, chocolate-covered caramel corn that melts in your mouth and turns into the smoothest, crunchiest, most delectable—”

“Stop it!” Zoe put her hands over her ears.

“I could be back in fifteen minutes. It’s only ten o’clock. It’s open for another hour.”

“All right. Maybe a small bag. What am I saying? No! I’m only craving comfort food because I’m upset about Noah.” Zoe gave him a gentle shove and walked inside. “You’re worse than the Devil! I’m trying so hard not to give in to temptation!”

“Could you say that a little louder? You have the attention of everyone on
rue Madeline
.”

Zoe picked up a couch pillow and threw it at him, laughing all the while.

Pierce came over and pulled her into his arms, his voice suddenly low and sultry. “If you want to burn up some calories, we could get started on that long-range plan to add another Broussard to our family.”

Zoe locked her arms around his neck, studying his expression. “Can’t we just let it happen when it happens, instead of approaching it like a to-do list?”

Pierce smiled wryly. “I assure you, babe, that’s not the way
I’m
looking at it. But yes. We don’t have to start this minute. We can
plan
to be spontaneous.”

“I want another child. But I really need to lose ten pounds first. I’m afraid if I start out ten pounds overweight, I’ll never get rid of it.”

“Let me get this straight: You want to lose ten pounds before you gain thirty?”

Zoe nodded. “Exactly. If I start out at my ideal weight, I’ll be more inclined to lose afterwards.”

“Then I need to make you salads for a while and get you trimmed down. We don’t want Grace to start kindergarten before we have another one.”

Zoe unlocked her arms and flopped on the couch. “Maybe I should start walking again to boost the weight loss. I just don’t know if I can take an hour out of every day to do it.”

“Sure you can. You’re the boss. Savannah can take charge. She loves it.” Pierce sat on the couch next to her and was quiet for a minute. “I wonder how Vanessa and Ethan are handling Noah’s situation.”

“Interesting choice of words.” Zoe sighed. “Why is it
Noah’s
situation?”

“You know what I meant.”

“Pierce, what if his name never gets cleared? What if the Langleys don’t go through with their plan to make him caretaker? There’s a lot riding on Noah’s presence there.”