Between Dusk and Dawn (6 page)

“
Pooh, I don’t wanna even
talk about it. Crazy stuff. I just wish Patsy and her latest fling
would let somebody know where they ran off to, and this circus can
be over.” Chase sat down on the small sofa in the seating area
LaShaun had added to the kitchen. He turned on the flat screen
television. Flipping the channels he found a sports network. “I’m
just glad to have a few days off.”

“
I’ll bet.” LaShaun sat
next to him and smiled when he took her hand in his without taking
his eyes off the sports news. She tapped her foot for a few
seconds. “Did anybody identify the dead woman y’all
found?”

“
No, we’re circulating a
drawing. I figure we’ll get something sooner or later.” Chase
stretched out his long legs and settled back against the cushion.
After a few moments he laughed at a joke one of the sports
reporters made. “That guy’s a real wise ass.”

“
Yeah, funny.” LaShaun
waited a few more moments. “So what’s the cause of
death?”

“
Prelim says blunt force
trauma, but there was some decomp so...” Chase looked at her
sideways. “Hey, we’re not talking dead bodies, murder and grim
reaper stuff. For two days we’re going to discuss nothing heavier
than the weather or what we’re going to eat.”

“
I know. You want to get
away from crime and punishment. I don’t blame you.” LaShaun patted
his hard thigh.

“
Good.” Chase kicked off
his leather cowboy boots and stood up. He stretched, and then went
to the stove. He lifted the pot and sniffed. “Is it
ready?”

“
Sure. I mostly cooked it
the other day. The seasonings should be well into the shrimp and
chicken by now. I’m going to drop a few oysters in, the way you
like it, and let them simmer for about ten minutes,” LaShaun
said.

She got the covered bowl of oysters
from the refrigerator. Chase went to the window and looked out as
LaShaun dropped the oysters in and set the kitchen timer. He picked
up the folder LaShaun has been so engrossed with.

“
So this is what had you so
hypnotized you couldn’t hear anything.” His voice trailed off as he
flipped the pages. “Honey?”

“
Yes, babe.” LaShaun
stirred the pot then covered it back up. She took out the electric
fryer and filled it with oil.

“
Why are you reading about
a serial killer on the eve of our quiet weekend, the days we
planned to love on each other and think nice thoughts?” Chase asked
as he continued to scan the pages in the folder.

LaShaun watched the oil heat up
quickly. She took out the hushpuppies, but waited longer for the
oil to get to the right temperature. “I was just looking over
information Miss Clo brought me.”

“
Sweet Miss Clo is riding
around the country side with a serial killer scrap book,” Chase
said. He walked over to stand in front of LaShaun. “M.J. would be
more than a little disturbed to hear this.”

“
You don’t want to discuss
this stuff on our special weekend.” LaShaun reached for the
folder.

Chase moved it just beyond her reach.
“Maybe just a little bit.”

LaShaun turned around and dropped six
hush puppies into the oil. They started to sizzle immediately.
“Miss Clo and her friend Joyelle came to see me this afternoon.
According to them, strange things are going on in Vermillion
Parish, and... Joyelle said prayers over Manny Young about a year
before he was arrested.”

“
And?” Chase prompted when
she paid more attention to the cooking rather than telling him
more.

“
Joyelle says Manny was
acting strange like Patsy Boutin and a few of her other patients,
for lack of a better word. You know Joyelle is a traiteur.” LaShaun
took two ceramic gumbo bowls and plates to set dinner on out of the
cabinet.

“
Yes, I but I don’t get the
connection.” Chase let out a sharp hiss. “Oh wait a minute, they’re
saying something supernatural is going on.”

“
Not really in so many
words,” LaShaun said calmly. She used a slotted metal spoon to
remove the now golden brown hushpuppies. She put them on a small
serving plate lined with a paper towel to soak up excess oil. Then
she faced him and crossed her arms.

“
If Miss Clo or Joyelle
thinks there is a connection to a known crime, talking to law
enforcement is what they need to do,” Chase said, wearing his
professional lawman expression.

LaShaun sighed. “Joyelle doesn’t have
anything more substantial than her experience and a gut feeling.
You want to interview Joyelle about her intuition?”

“
So they come to the local
paranormal detective.” Chase raised an eyebrow at her.

“
Coming from anyone else
I’d say you were mocking me,” LaShaun shot back, and grabbed the
folder from his hands. She put it on the small desk in a corner of
the kitchen.

“
You know better. The last
time things got dangerous. Now we’re talking a psycho serial
killer.” Chase grabbed her by both shoulders. “Yes, I know you can
handle yourself in most situations, but why take
chances?”

“
So I guess you don’t think
visiting the Blood River Ripper is a great idea either,
huh?”

“
What the hell?” Chase
stared at her with a stunned expression.

“
I’m joking, ha-ha, a joke.
Had you going there for a minute.”

LaShaun wrapped her arms around his
waist and smiled up at him. No need to mention that Joyelle brought
it up. In fact, LaShaun was intrigued by the possibility of looking
into the killer’s eyes. She wondered what she’d see, and sense,
from him.

“
Visiting Manny Young maybe
the
worst
idea of
all possible ideas.” Chase gazed at her pointedly. “You agree,
right?”

“
I can see the downside of
visiting a vicious murderer,” LaShaun replied. She gave him a peck
on the chin then stepped away. “Let’s eat.”

“
No more talk about
murders, murderers, and cheating wives on the run. I’m going to
wash up.”

Chase padded on sock covered feet to
the master bathroom. When he came back they feasted on hot gumbo,
hush puppies and cold root beer from a local soft drink company.
Chase steered the conversation firmly away from his work. Even when
they settled in front of the television, he turned off a popular
crime show and found a pirate movie instead. The sweet comfort of
being with him wrapped around LaShaun like one of her favorite
quilts. Later in bed his kisses and the touch of his long fingers
banished any other thought outside their own little world. Hours
into the early morning, Chase snored softly next to her. LaShaun’s
eyes popped open to see the glowing digital clock show her the
time. A strange howl echoed from a distance. Or had she been
dreaming? She closed her eyes and tried not to think of Manny
Young.

Chapter 4

LaShaun and Chase spent Sunday fishing
in a pond only a few miles away from Chase’s house. They took their
time getting back to his house. There they showered and changed,
and drove down river to a charming seafood restaurant. LaShaun
suggested The Cafe Long Vue because of the delicious food; and
because it was far away from Beau Chene in St. Mary Parish. She was
still worried about Chase’s election chances. The view of the water
and boats motoring by outside wide the windows served as lovely a
backdrop. Chase seemed totally relaxed as he talked about his
nieces and nephews. His eyes sparkled as he recounted what made
each one uniquely wonderful. Then he glanced up, and LaShaun knew
what was coming.

“
Too bad you couldn’t come
to our family barbecue Labor Day weekend,” he said in a casual
tone.

“
We agreed that it would
have been awkward,” said LaShaun as she speared a plump grilled
shrimp and dipped it in sauce before eating it.

“
No, I agreed that
you
would feel awkward.
My family would have welcomed you.” Chase tilted his head to one
side. “My daddy can put anybody at ease in any situation. The man
is a born diplomat, and big teddy bear.”

“
We’ve only been dating a
few months. Why don’t we give them a little while longer to get
used to having their son involved with the voodoo priestess of
Vermillion Parish,” LaShaun quipped, and then glanced out of the
window. “Hey, there’s my dream boat.”

Chase reached across the table and
grabbed her right hand. “I’m not going to push you on meeting the
family. Just know that I’ll issue the invitation every once in a
while.”

“
Okay.” LaShaun relaxed
beneath his touch.

“
Like right now. My brother
and his wife always have a big blow out Halloween party, and it’s
Jessi’s birthday,” Chase said quietly, still holding her hand.
“You’ve got a good three weeks to think it over.”

“
I’m sure I’ll make a
fabulous addition to the spooky festivities. The place will be
packed to see if I stir up any real goblins.” LaShaun once again
felt the old sense of isolation in the midst of a crowd, the
staring eyes directed at her as though she were an exhibit in a
freak show. She attempted to pull her hand away, but Chase held
on.

“
The party is all about
the
kids
. We have
more princesses and comic book hero costumes than any ghostly kind
of thing. We play old fashion games, but we also have some fun
video games, too,” Chase grinned. When LaShaun gave him a pointed
look he sighed. “Okay sure, they decorate with fake spider webs and
rubber spiders, a few old sheets made up like ghosts and maybe a
scarecrow.”

“
Right.” LaShaun freed her
hand and crossed her arms.

“
My sister is usually
dressed as something goofy, like a lady bug. It’s not what you’re
thinking at all. Good, clean harmless fun. They’re not inviting you
because of any kind of hidden agenda.” Chase grew serious. “I
wouldn’t stand for it even if my family was like that, but they’re
not. They’re caring, open-hearted people.”

“
Which is where you get
it,” LaShaun said softly. “Sorry for being so paranoid. I’m used to
it being me and my grandmother against the world. She’s gone now
and...”

“
You’re not alone. Besides,
you’ve got people who care about you. But I want you to feel
completely fine with it when it happens.”

“
Thanks for understanding,”
LaShaun said.

She tried to sound hopeful. When he
smiled and went back to his plate of baked trout, LaShaun felt a
stab of guilt. Chase kept talking about his family, including
uncles and aunts. Deep down she wasn’t sure she could be the woman
he needed. The thought left her cold. Although LaShaun had dreamed
of having a sister she could confide in, or a big brother to stand
up for her, the reality of an adopted family made her feel jittery.
She tried to imagine having expectations and frequent questions
directed at her. What Chase thought of as family closeness and
caring made LaShaun feel claustrophobic.

“
I’m used to being on my
own. It can get lonely, but on the other hand it’s...” LaShaun
hesitated before saying the word “freedom”.

“
What?” Chase wiped his
mouth with a corner of the cloth napkin.

“
Having to attend family
gatherings and talk about personal stuff is going to be tough for
me.” LaShaun knew she’d stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd of
chattering people blurting out their business and getting into
hers.

“
Small talk with people you
hardly know doesn’t come easy to you. I get it.” Chase tilted his
head to one side and studied her for a few moments. “Which is why
we’ll take it slow.”

“
Thanks,” LaShaun
murmured.

What if she was never ready for the
“meet the family” event? When she tried to look on the bright side
point of view it didn’t work. She was about to be more open with
him, but the ringing of his cell phone interrupted. Chase’s
expression became serious when he looked at the call ID
display.

“
Hello, boss.”

He signaled to LaShaun that he was
going outside. He walked through the glass doors that led outside
to the patio and found a corner away from the few diners out there.
LaShaun didn’t need her psychic gifts to tell her that call
couldn’t be good news. M.J. would only interrupt his day off for
serious business. Chase walked farther away until he crossed the
wooden bridge over a strip of water. Soon he was on the grass of a
high bank overlooking the river, well away from anyone. LaShaun
felt a familiar warm tingle along her spine, up her neck and across
her shoulders. The news Chase was hearing involved death,
specifically the dead woman they’d found that turned out not to be
Patsy Boutin. As Chase strode back toward the patio doors, LaShaun
waved to their waiter.

“
We need the check and two
boxes for our food, please,” LaShaun said.

“
Sure thing, ma’am.” The
tall thin young man left.

Chase sat down. “Sorry, but M.J. needs
me to come in for a couple of hours.”

“
I’ve already sent for the
check and to-go boxes.” LaShaun nodded toward the approaching
waiter.

“
That ‘seeing the future’
thing throws me off every time,” Chase said low so the family of
four sitting at the next table wouldn’t hear.