Rue Toulouse (45 page)

“Hey,
cher
, I had to come over and tell you how beautiful you are. If this is the way you looked the first time Remi saw you, no wonder the poor bastard lost his heart. It’s a good thing he got to you first, because otherwise you’d be mine.”

Caterine raised her brows. “And what about Suzette? She might have something to say about that.”

Antoine smiled. “Suzette would definitely be a problem. And who’s this lovely lady?” He turned his attention to Elaine.

Caterine did the introductions. “Elaine was on her way to go visit with my grandmère. Antoine, would you take Elaine over and introduce her to your grandmother?”

“I’d be happy to.” Giving Elaine a gallant bow, he held out his arm. “May I escort you, Your Majesty?”

“You certainly may,” said a smiling Marie Antoinette as she took the offered arm.

Momentarily on her own, Caterine took the opportunity to study the people around her and the elaborately decorated room. Aunt Hyacinth certainly hadn’t spared any expense. She must have emptied every greenhouse for miles. There were fragrant flowers placed in vases of every size throughout the room. Elaborate bows of intertwining green, purple, and yellow fabrics were tied around the vases and brass wall sconces, and more bows held back the filmy white curtains around the open French doors. White-jacketed waiters and waitresses moved efficiently through the crowd, carrying silver trays of crystal flutes filled with champagne and an assortment of tasty canapés. Against the far wall, a stage had been erected where the Crescent City Kings, a popular local jazz band, began to play.

Caterine gazed in amusement as flouncy, frilly Little Bo Peep went dancing past in the arms of Mark Twain.
For God’s sake, Paulette even has a crook tied with a big white bow,
she thought in amazement.

The smile left Caterine’s face as her eyes met Scarlet O’Hara’s glower.
She’s caught me laughing at her little girl, and Mama isn’t pleased.
Caterine took a sip of her champagne and turned her attention to Aphrodite, who seemed to be getting a rather stern lecture from Jesse James. Miss Dauphine and Annabelle were holding court at the ballroom’s entrance, and Robert E. Lee and his wife were happily greeting guests.

It all seemed perfectly normal.
How could there be a killer lurking among them
? Caterine smiled as she recognized an old friend from school approaching her. She then spent a couple of uneventful hours speaking with friends, dancing with boys she’d grown up with, and catching up on New Orleans gossip. When Remi appeared in front of her and asked her to dance, she had almost forgotten why they were really there.

“You look as if you’ve been having fun, Princess.” Remi led her onto the dance floor for a slow blues number.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m having a good time. I feel like the old Caterine again.”

Remi scowled. “It’s still early. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Excuse me, mind if I butt in?”

“Bobby!” Caterine cried, leaving Remi’s arms to wrap hers around the neck of a tall, handsome man with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile.

“Hey, Cat, how’s my favorite girl?” Robert Doucette picked Caterine up and twirled her around.

She laughed delightedly. “Bobby, put me down before I get sick. I want you to meet someone. Bobby, this is Remi Michaud. Remi, this is my cousin, Bobby.”

Remi shook Bobby’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“And I’ve just been hearing a lot about you from Ray,” Bobby said, returning Remi’s handshake. “What the hell’s going on here, Cat? Ray has somewhat filled me in, but I’m not sure I’m following it all.”

“I can explain,” Remi said. “But let’s move from the middle of the dance floor.”

“Okay. First I’ll take my things upstairs and say hello to Grandmère. Then I’ll be back down.”

“Bobby, weren’t you supposed to get here earlier?” Caterine asked.

Bobby snorted. “Yeah, Cat, about four hours ago. Thanks to the snow, my flight kept getting delayed. I’m lucky I made it out at all. Becky and the girls are staying with her parents, so at least I don’t have to worry about them. You two do know there’s a blizzard hitting the Midwest, don’t you?”

Simultaneously Remi and Caterine looked toward the open French doors where the curtains billowed in a gentle breeze.

Bobby laughed. “Okay, obviously a snow storm a thousand miles away isn’t of major interest here.” He bent and kissed Caterine’s cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can get away from Grandmère.”

“She’s right over there.” Caterine pointed to where the two women had been sitting. She frowned. “Well, they were sitting over there a minute ago.”

“Ray told me Grandmère’s foot was beginning to hurt, so they decided to go to her sitting room to be more comfortable. I’ll go see her and be right back.”

Remi guided Caterine off the dance floor. “I need to speak with you, Caterine. Let’s go over here where it’s more private.” As they reached a secluded alcove, Vince and Andre, with troubled expressions on their faces, joined them.

“What’s happened?” Remi asked before either man spoke.

“Remi, we’ve got to leave. We just got a call some fucking nut in a devil costume shot up the Triple Aces casino and is on the loose.”

At Caterine’s horrified gasp, all three men turned.

“What?” Remi asked, his hard eyes boring into hers.

Caterine stared into their rigid faces. Even if Randal was an incredible ass, he was still her family. She found herself blinking back tears before saying, “I haven’t seen Randal all night.”

“Are you talking about Randal Doucette?” Vince asked.

“Yes, but he’s not supposed to be dressed as a devil. He’s supposed to be a riverboat gambler.”

Vince turned to Remi. “Considering what you told us about Randal and his dealings with Rivette, is there a chance Doucette’s gone off the deep end?”

Remi shrugged. “I don’t really know him. You need to talk to his brother, Ray. That’s him over there.” He pointed to where Ray stood speaking to a beautiful girl dressed as a flapper.

“We’ll talk to Ray, then we’re out of here. Remi, I’m sorry we’ve got to leave you short-handed,” Vince said. “Good luck.”

Remi put a restraining hand on Vince’s arm. “Wait. Did they say whether anyone was killed?”

Vince and Andre exchanged glances before Vince replied, “We shouldn’t be telling you this, so keep it to yourself. There’re five people down, and they think one of them might be Rivette.”

Remi swore. “Good luck trying to find one costumed devil among hundreds on Mardi Gras.”

Vince scoffed. “No shit.”

Tears trickled down Caterine’s cheeks. “Oh, Remi, it can’t be Randal. He couldn’t do something like that.”

Remi put his arm around her and held her close for a second before releasing her. “Ray’s leaving with Vince and Andre.” He pointed behind her. “But what the hell’s wrong with Bobby?”

Cold fear gripped Caterine’s heart at the stricken expression on her cousin's face as he hurried toward them, Paul right on his heels. In a voice barely above a whisper, Caterine asked, “Bobby, what’s happened?”

“Grandmère’s missing, and Annabelle’s been knocked unconscious. Remi, you’ve got to come.”

Chapter Forty-Two

“Oh . . . my . . . God,” Caterine cried. “Remi, I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not!” Remi had to shout to be heard over the band’s lively music. “Listen to me. You have to stay right here where you’re safe. Do you understand? Now calm down, and let me find out what’s happened.”

“I’ll stay with her, Remi,” Paul said. “Just go.”

Without another word to Caterine, Remi turned to Bobby. “I have to find my cousin, Antoine. Then you’ll have to show me where Annabelle is.”

Dread constricted Caterine’s heart as she watched Remi and Bobby disappear into the crowd.

Paul put a comforting arm around her shoulders and bent close. “It will be all right, Cat. Whoever’s got Miss Dauphine can’t get far. I need to alert my men outside not to allow any cars to leave. It’s too loud in here for them to hear me on my two-way radio. I’m going to take you over and leave you with Elaine.”

As Paul stepped away, Caterine heard him grunt, then saw him crumple to the floor. She looked up into Travis Jenkins’ angry face. As she opened her mouth to speak, he held a black gun against her ribs.

“Don’t say anything, Caterine. If you want to see your grandmother alive, turn into my arms and dance your way out the closest French door. We have two minutes to get outside. If we’re stopped, you’d better act natural or Miss Dauphine dies.”

Caterine looked at Paul’s still form and began to shake. “Travis, what have you done?”

“Damn it, Caterine, he’s not dead. I just tased him.” Travis jabbed her in the side again. “Now, move.”

Caterine felt as though her body had a mind of its own. She slowly placed one trembling hand on Travis’ shoulder, holding his hand with her other. Everything took on a dreamlike quality as she allowed him to twirl her around and around until, unchallenged, they slipped through the door onto the third-floor gallery.

When they reached the cooling night air, Caterine’s mind began to clear. She stepped quickly out of his embrace. In a shaky voice she demanded, “Travis, why are you doing this? What have you done with Grandmère?”

He shoved her toward the steps and snarled. “Don’t blame me for any of this. I wanted no part of it. That bitch and her fucking partner are forcing me.”

“What? Who are you talking about?”

“Paulette. Who else would I be talking about?”

Caterine stopped halfway down the stairs. “Are you telling me Paulette is threatening to kill Grandmère?”

“Yes, now keep moving.” Stabbing the gun into her ribs, he jerked her arm.

Caterine cried out in pain and quickened her steps.

“Damn it, I don’t want to hurt you, Caterine. Don’t you understand? I love you. You’re the reason I had to break my engagement to Paulette.”

Caterine stumbled on the stairs in her stiletto heels. “Travis, what are you talking about? I hardly know you.”

“Oh, my sweet Caterine, I fell in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you. I thought you looked just like an angel. I knew then we were meant to be together and you had to be mine. I couldn’t marry Paulette when I knew it was you I loved. But when I told her, the bitch told me she’d never let me go. I made the mistake of telling her I found out about my father’s crooked reconstruction deals after Katrina, and she told Jonathan. Now they’re forcing me to help them.”

“You’re telling me Jonathan Day has something to do with this?”

Travis snorted. “Yeah, well, you must have really pissed him off. Besides, he’s not the only one.”

Her mind in a whirl, Caterine tried to process all Travis was saying. When she realized he was steering her in the direction of a waiting van, she began to panic. Once he got her inside, she knew she wouldn’t have a chance of escape. “Is Grandmère in that big white panel van?” she asked as loudly as she dared.

“Keep your voice down,” he ordered. “Yes, she’s in there, along with the crazy bitch and her mother.”

Caterine’s head snapped up. “Aunt Hyacinth is part of this?”

He laughed derisively. “Hyacinth part of it? Whose idea do you think it was to kidnap you and Miss Dauphine? Can you honestly imagine it was Paulette’s? The only thing that bitch knows how to do is how to trap a man with kinky sex.”

As they approached the van, Caterine saw a figure standing beside it.

“It’s about time,” Jonathan said. “We were beginning to worry you fucked things up.” He turned to Caterine and smiled. “Well, if it isn’t the ice princess herself. Perfect costume for the most frigid woman in New Orleans. Now, get in the van. We’re going for a little ride.”

Caterine desperately prayed the hidden mike was working and Remi could hear her. Not caring how loudly she spoke, she said, “Jonathan, you and Travis will never get away with kidnapping Grandmère and me. And where are you taking us?”

Jonathan grabbed her and jerked her head back, clamping his hand over her mouth. “Shut up. I’ve wanted to knock you on your ass since you humiliated me in front of that low-life Cajun. Now I get to watch the mighty Caterine go down.”

“Wait a minute,” Travis said. “You told me Caterine wouldn’t be harmed. The plan was just to kidnap her.”

Jonathan laughed. “You really are stupid, aren’t you? We needed you to get her out here. Now get in the van and drive.”

Jonathan shoved Caterine hard through the van’s open side door.

Kicking and screaming, she landed half in and half out of the van, her long gown tangling around her legs. She fought Jonathan’s attempt to push her the rest of the way in. Every minute she could delay, the better chance Remi had of finding her.

“Travis, you idiot, zap her with the Taser,” Caterine heard Hyacinth cry from the front passenger seat. “We have to get out of here before that coon-ass boyfriend of hers finds us.”

Caterine knew that for her and her grandmother’s sakes she needed to stay alert. She stared directly into Travis’ eyes and silently pleaded with him not to use the stun gun. When Travis hesitated, she mouthed,
please don’t
.