False Pretenses (27 page)

Maybe not
. Jude bit his lip. “Have you heard from Vanessa?”

“No. Ethan asked me the same thing, not ten minutes ago. I got the feeling there was something he wasn’t telling me.”

“There is. He just called here. Vanessa was supposed to pick up their son at a friend’s house where he spent the night—and she never showed. She hasn’t returned Ethan’s calls. And now her cell phone isn’t working.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Is Zoe where she can hear me?”

“I’ll get her, hold on … Zoe, Jude’s on the phone. He wants to talk to both of us.…”

A few seconds passed, and he heard a rustling sound.

“Okay, she can hear you.”

Jude picked up a pencil and started drawing arrows, the way he often did when he was processing. “Zoe, the lab put a rush on the DNA analysis of the clothes you were wearing when you met with Shapiro. They found his sweat DNA on your tank top. And it matches the blood DNA they found on Remy’s T-shirt. It belongs to a man named Reagan Cowen. He’s wanted in Texas for aggravated assault and drug trafficking.”

“Are you saying Shapiro—I mean Cowen—killed Remy?” Zoe said.

“Looks that way. At the very least he’s an accessory. Can you receive photos on your disposable cell?”

“No,” Pierce said. “Why?”

“I’ve got Cowen’s mug shot in front of me, but it’s a few years old. He probably looks different now. Didn’t you tell me the man you know as Shapiro was around forty, tall and thin, has a mustache and medium brown hair down to his collar?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And sinister eyes,” Zoe added.

Jude made some notes, aware that the clouds were getting darker.

Finally Pierce said, “This isn’t good news for us or for Vanessa, is it?”

Jude sighed. “It’s hard to say. I want you two to stay put. Keep the doors locked. We’ve got an APB out on Cowen. He’s probably listening to our radio communications and knows we’re on to him.”

“What if he forced Vanessa to tell him where we are?”

“We don’t know that he’s even talked to Vanessa. Her being unreachable might be totally unrelated. I still think you should stay where you are. As soon as I can spare them, I’m going to send a couple deputies out there to stay with you—at least until we know more.”

CHAPTER 28

Vanessa stood in a jungle of sugarcane stalks that were considerably taller than she, swatting at the pesky bees and flies that tormented her. She was soaked with perspiration, including her hair. All of her exposed skin had been whipped and slashed by the sharp leaves of the sugarcane plants. How badly had the bullet grazed her? She tried to examine it, but the blood had started to dry, causing her sleeve to stick to the wound.

The heat was stifling, and the heavy air seemed hardly breathable. A clap of thunder startled her, and the ground seemed to shake. Would rain help or hamper her ability to get away from Shapiro? How close was he? If she moved, would he hear her? Was he angry enough to kill her with his bare hands?

Lord, You brought me this far. Help me find a way out. Help me get to safety!

Vanessa thought of Ethan and Carter and felt her determination strengthened. Without her car or cell phone, wasn’t her only means of escape to cross the field and get to the Langley property? If she could lock herself in the manor house with Zoe and Pierce, she could use their cell phone to call for help.

She took a few more steps, pushing aside the unforgiving leaves of the sugarcane plants, wondering if she had ever been thirstier—or more afraid. She heard a swishing sound behind her and froze, intently listening. There it was again. Something shot out of the green maze, evoking a squeal from her. A dark bird, a glint of red and yellow visible in its wings, landed a few feet in front of her, then clawed through a tangle of leaves and disappeared.

She slapped her hand over her mouth, her heart hammering. Had Shapiro heard her?

Savannah poured coffee refills for Hebert, Father Sam, and Tex and placed lunch menus on the table.

“
Mes amis
, are you going to have lunch, or do you just want to hang out?” She glanced out the window. “Looks like we’re about to get rained on.”

“We’d like to hang out here, if that’s okay,” Father Sam said. “We’re hoping to hear any minute that the sheriff has found this Reagan Cowen they think was involved in Remy’s murder. It would be some consolation to us all if it happened before Remy’s funeral tomorrow.”

Savannah nodded. “Sure would.”

“I wonder what makes the sheriff think the guy is still in the area,” Tex said.

Hebert shrugged. “If he changed his looks, how dey going to find him?”

“He can’t change his height,” Savannah said. “They said he’s six-two and slender.”

“I imagine there’s some tall fellas around town gettin’ double takes.” Tex patted his round belly. “I’m not one of ’em. No one’s accused me of bein’ slim in a long time. Guess I can chalk it up to Zoe B’s—and Pierce’s cookin’.”

“I miss Zoe and Pierce,” Father Sam said. “Seems a little strange today, with both of them out.”

Hebert looked up at Savannah. “When dey come back?”

“I’m not sure. When Zoe left, she didn’t even mention Remy’s funeral tomorrow. She sounded … I don’t know, almost detached.”

“When I was workin’ for the oil company,” Tex said, “I took on a stress-mode demeanor that my wife said made me seem detached from people. Maybe that’s all it is.”

“Probably so.” Savannah picked up the menus. “Benson is happy to cover the kitchen in Pierce’s absence, so we’re good to go. If you fellas change your mind about lunch, let me know. Otherwise, stay as long as you like. Coffeepot’s on all day.”

Zoe sat on her air mattress, hugging her pillow. Was Pierce scared or angry—or both? He hadn’t said anything to her since they hung up the phone after talking to Jude.

“I wonder why Vanessa hasn’t called,” Zoe said, talking more to herself than to Pierce.

“Let’s hope there’s a logical explanation,” he said quietly. “If anything happens to her, it’ll be our fault.”

“You mean
my
fault.”

“All right,
your
fault. I couldn’t believe the Langleys were willing to get involved in this in the first place! They have a whole lot more faith in God to get us out of this than I do.”

Zoe rocked back and forth. “I thought we had it worked out so that Shapiro—Cowen—wouldn’t suspect they knew anything. I would never have intentionally put them at risk.”

“There’re
a lot
of things you didn’t think would put anyone else at risk, Zoe. Yet look at the mess we’re in.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe we’re hiding from a drug dealer who’d just as soon carve you up as look at you—all because you lied about who you are.”

“There’s no way I could’ve seen this coming. I just wanted a different life.”

“Did you honestly believe that changing your name, adopting the Cajun ways, and operating a Cajun eatery would make you Cajun? You’re still the same person on the inside. Why didn’t you just hold your head high and be proud of who you are?”

Zoe sighed. “Have you heard
anything
I’ve been trying to tell you? There was nothing worthwhile about Shelby Sieger! I needed to put an end to her and to that part of my life.” She paused and composed herself. “I’m sorry for deceiving you, Pierce. I am. And I’m sorry I stole the ring from Mrs. Woodmore. But I’m not sorry I changed my name or that I disowned my family. I deserved to be free.”

“
Free?”
His resonant voice went up two decibels. “All you did was trade your secrets for a whole new set of secrets—and shame that you
are
responsible for. You weren’t responsible for your father’s sick behavior. But you are responsible for using it as an excuse to lie to get what you wanted.”

Zoe hung her head and wiped her eyes. Pierce was right. Had she ever been free? Hadn’t she, on one level, been in a perpetual state of worry that one day he would find out she was a fraud? Wasn’t the reason she confronted Adele Woodmore ultimately about preserving the perfect life she created for herself—and not about remorse?

“Pierce, you wouldn’t have given me the time of day unless you thought I was Cajun.”

“Don’t you dare put that on me!” He combed his hands through his hair. “I fell in love with your heart, not your pedigree. Did the fact that you said you were Cajun have some appeal? Sure. I’m as proud as they get. But it was never a prerequisite to finding a soul mate—though honesty and integrity
were!
Congratulations. You succeeded in faking all three.…” Emotion stole his voice, and he turned and stood in the doorway, his back to her.

Lightning flashed, followed by a boom of thunder that rattled the windows. It was as though God agreed with him.

Zoe hugged her pillow tighter. What could she really say in her defense? She thought of Vanessa. What could have happened to delay her phone call?

Vanessa stepped through the tangled weeds on the path between two rows of sugarcane, trying not to lose her sense of direction. It was darker. The wind had picked up and the temperature cooled. The smell of rain was pervasive.

She felt a tickle on her wrist and locked gazes with a hairy spider the size of nickel. Instinctively she shook her arm, a stabbing pain in her wounded shoulder taking her breath away. What if she’d been more than grazed? What if the bullet was lodged? How many times had she heard her mother say that a victim’s body would try to reject a bullet, that the person would get sicker and sicker until the bullet was removed—or the person died?

Lord, You’re the Great Physician. Help me!

A loud snap, followed by an explosion of thunder, cracked open the heavens. Rain started to come down, and then come down harder and harder—in torrents—rolling down the sugarcane plants and splashing on her from all sides. If Shapiro was combing the field, how could he hear or see her in this downpour? Wasn’t this her best chance to pick up her pace and get to the other side? But what if she couldn’t find her way out? What if she couldn’t escape his clutches? What if she couldn’t get home to Carter and Ethan?

Vanessa’s gaze fell on the ruby ring on her left hand, and she was, in an instant, transported back to the glider on her parents’ screened-in porch.…

Ethan got up and knelt on the porch on one knee and took her hand.

“What are you doing?” she said.

Ethan held her hand to his cheek. “Vanessa, it’s no secret that I love you. Or that you and Carter are the most important people in my life. You’re in my thoughts, on my heart, and in my prayers every hour of every day. I can’t imagine living my life without you. Our paths were meant to intersect—and I believe you and I were meant to become one.”

Ethan reached in his pocket, took out a ring, and held it between his thumb and forefinger.

“This ruby ring was my great-grandmother Langley’s engagement ring. My dad gave it to my mother when they got engaged, and she wore it until their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Someday, I want to buy you a diamond ring that we pick out together. But for now, while my money is going to pay for tuition and to keep the old Camry running, would you wear this special family heirloom and let it signify that one day, when the time is right, you’ll be my wife?”

A tear trickled down Vanessa’s cheek, and she heard herself say, “Yes! I can hardly wait for that day. The ring is beautiful. And it’s so special that both your great-grandmother and your mother wore it.”

Ethan slipped the ring on her finger and, ever so tenderly, pressed his lips to her hand. “I love you, Vanessa. I can’t imagine my future without you and Carter. We were meant to be together—”

A boom of thunder brought Vanessa back to the present. She pictured Ethan taking the ring off her cold, dead finger. Was she going to allow Shapiro to rob Carter and Ethan of the one they loved—or was she going to fight to stay alive?

She took a step forward, and then another, her arms folded in front of her face, shielding her from the sharp leaves. She was either going to make it Langley Manor—or die trying.