Not One of Us(72)

“What better time?” Holt argued. “They’ll deliver right there under everyone’s noses, and no one will think to question what’s happening. It’s damn perfect.”

Oliver nodded, his face grim. “We’ll do it. In the meantime, I’ll contact Mobile PD. Get your rest—we’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“Thanks, man.” Holt needed no further encouragement. He closed his eyes, and within seconds his taut face relaxed and his chest slowly rose and fell in slumber.

“I was hoping Dana was wrong and that the operation didn’t go so high up.” Oliver sank into a chair and set to work.

Wearily, he withdrew his cell phone and started making security arrangements with the Mobile chief of police, explaining the need for utter confidentiality in the case. He kept his voice low so the men outside the door couldn’t understand what he was saying. I strolled to the window and peered into the vista. From this view on the top floor, you could make out the horizontal line of the Gulf of Mexico in the distance. No matter what human tragedies played out, the sea was a familiar constant, its rhythm a steady comfort in my life.

Hank Rembert. Gilbert Dempsey. Leroy Granger. All dirty. I’d never liked any of them, but the thought they were involved in drug smuggling had never entered my mind. The room grew silent as Oliver wrapped up his phone call. That done, he walked over to stand next to me.

“Mind blowing, isn’t it?” he murmured. “What kind of town do you have here anyway? Bayou Enigma’s always had a somewhat shady reputation for cops turning a blind eye on crime, but this . . .”

“Unbelievable,” I agreed. “Guess you were right all along. The Strickland and Ensley murders might be drug related too. It seems to be a common motive here.”

“Your other leads were worth checking out,” Oliver said. “But it’s looking like the Trahern kidnapping and threats against their family appear to be unrelated to our murder case.”

“Yeah. Maybe that’s good news. Could just be a disgruntled relative causing trouble for Jori. They left threatening notes and then took Zach to their house for a couple hours, never intending to harm him.”

“It’s still a serious crime, but for now we need to focus on the drug sting.”

“You’re right, of course. I was just so sure that the Cormier case might have been linked to the other murders.”

“It’s still possible Louis Cormier was involved in drug trafficking. Once we arrest Rembert and the others, we’ll ask them who else was involved in the ring over the years.”

He shot me a warning glance. “Don’t say a word to anyone or act any different than normal around the mayor and cops. We can’t tip them off or give them any reason to change their scheduled delivery.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “Are you going to ask the Mobile chief to help us catch them?”

“Yes, along with the ALEA top brass.”

“If you want to get back to the office, I can stay here with Holt until the Mobile cop arrives.”

“Good idea,” Oliver said, glancing at his watch. “Someone should be here shortly. I’ll text you the name of the officer they’re sending as soon as I’m notified. Don’t let Dempsey and the other Enigma cops set foot in this room. Make up any excuse you have to.”

Grim satisfaction pooled in my belly as I thought of thwarting Dempsey and Granger. It would be great to see those jerks get their comeuppance. “No worries,” I told Oliver. “It will be my pleasure to deny them entrance.”





Chapter 29


JORI


I systematically walked from checkpoint to checkpoint, crossing items off my list as I confirmed that every facet of the Blessing event was progressing smoothly and on time. But amid the flurry of activity and cluster of tourists, I kept worrying about Zach and Mimi. Thank goodness Rose had agreed to stay at our house for the entire weekend; otherwise I couldn’t concentrate on my job.

My worry had increased after last night’s call from Tegan informing me that the police watch of our house would be reduced from full time to an occasional drive-by. Effective immediately. Anger still roiled my gut at the news. Tegan had seemed preoccupied and distant during the call, in a rush to move on to other matters, even after I’d explained that Aunt Tressie was most likely the one behind the threatening notes and Zach’s abduction. Her response? Come to the office first thing Monday morning for us to discuss the matter.

Did that mean she didn’t believe my theory? Or were Zach and our family considered unimportant? If it’d been the mayor’s son who’d been kidnapped, I’d bet every law enforcement officer in the county would be working around the clock to discover the culprit.

The injustice of it simmered inside me behind my professional calm and polite smiles at the Blessing volunteers. Without their support, the event would never have grown the way it had.

At the waterfront pier, the smell of seafood gumbo mingled with the scent of Vietnamese cuisine. Judging the cook-off was one of my favorite Blessing moments every year. I settled at a picnic table with the other judges and dug into the food, marking my rating of the individual fares.

With a full, happy stomach, I left the pier to check the progress of the 5K Blessing Race, but my attention was caught by a group of sheriff’s deputies clustered by the marina. Tegan was part of the crowd, her expression intense and serious. It struck me that the entire group’s mood was different. Usually, the deputies and cops on security detail casually strolled about, seemingly enjoying themselves as much as the tourists. Despite my grudge with Tegan, curiosity propelled me to walk toward them.