Rue Toulouse (29 page)

He reached across the table and took her hand. “I don’t know. Cocaine is an expensive habit, but that doesn’t mean Charlotte is hooked bad enough to kill over it.”

“And Laurie is the one who told you?”

He nodded.

She narrowed her eyes. “You never did tell me what Laurie was doing to get her perfume and lipstick all over you.”

“I told you she was so drunk she could hardly stand. I had to practically carry her to her car.”

She made a disgusted face. “Laurie has been a tramp from the time she was a teenager, and it sounds as if things haven’t changed. I can’t believe Ray actually wanted to marry her.”

Remi’s brows rose. “Ray, not Randal?”

She shrugged. “I imagine she’s been with Randal by now, but Ray did love her at one time. In fact, it was Bobby and I who caused their breakup.”

“What happened?”

“We were all out at the house on Lake Pontchartrain for a big Fourth of July party when Bobby and I saw Laurie go into the summer cottage with Curtis Dobbs.”

“State representative Curtis Dobbs?”

“That’s the one.”

“He’s quite a bit older than she is, isn’t he?”

She nodded.

“What happened?”

“Bobby and I went and got Ray. We probably shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stand Laurie even back then. As I said before, I always got along well with Ray.”

“What the hell did Ray do?”

“Needless to say, there was quite a scene. He called Laurie all kinds of nasty names and punched Curtis in the nose.”

Remi smiled. “Good for Ray, although I probably would have done more than punch the son of a bitch in the nose.”

“Yeah, but what about Laurie? I’m sure Curtis didn’t drag her into the cottage.”

“Trust me, Princess, you never want to know what I’d do if I caught the woman I loved in that kind of situation.”

“Yes, well, that’s not something we have to worry about.”

His eyes softened. “I wouldn’t think so. So tell me, what was Ray’s reaction to you and Bobby being the ones to show him what Laurie was really like?”

“Actually, after he calmed down, he thanked us for stopping him from almost making the biggest mistake of his life, though he soon married someone who was only interested in his money. That marriage didn’t work out. I’m sure he married her on the rebound.”

“Could it have been his way of repaying you, warning you that night to watch your back?”

She frowned. “I don’t know. He didn’t say it in a menacing way. In fact, when I told him he was scaring me, he said good, as if he wanted me to be on alert.”

“Damn, I wish there was a way we could talk to Ray alone.” Remi stood and began to pace the small kitchen.

“Perhaps Paul could arrange a meeting.”

He stopped and turned. “Caterine, this is important. If Ray were told about the attempt on your life, could he be trusted not to tell your family?”

“Ray is an attorney. Even though he mainly does corporate work for Doucette Shipping, if we met with him and paid him for his time, wouldn’t attorney-client privilege apply?”

Remi looked thoughtful. “If he’s honest and ethical, he’d be obligated to keep whatever we told him to himself.”

“Then I say let’s do it.” Caterine began to clear the table. “Call Paul and see if he’ll set up an appointment at his office this afternoon.”

Remi rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m still not sure about this. We’ll be taking one hell of a risk. What if you’re wrong and Ray goes directly to your family and tells them everything?”

“Even if he does, which I don’t think he will, what can he tell them but that I know that one of them tried to either kidnap me, kill me, or both?”

“That’s our problem. If that person is forewarned, we may never find out who they are and you’ll spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, not knowing if they’ll try again.”

“Remi, I want this all over with and my normal life back, and if that means taking a chance on Ray, I’m willing to take that risk.”

He studied the determined set to her jaw and acquiesced. “All right, but when we’re talking to Ray, do not tell him where you’re living, or that your grandmother hired me, or about our relationship. We don’t want to give him any more information than necessary.”

Caterine smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a quick kiss. “It will be okay. Really. I’m sure we can trust Ray.”

He held her tight before watching her hurry off to change.
For both our sakes, Princess, I hope you’re right.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Remi, you’re making me nervous. Will you please stop pacing and sit down,” Caterine said as they waited in Paul’s second-floor office for Ray to arrive.

“Caterine’s right. You’re making me crazy as well.” Paul took a seat behind his desk. “Instead of wearing out the carpet, let’s decide how much we’re going to tell Ray.”

“I’m too geared up to sit.” Remi leaned against a table stacked with papers. “What did you say to Ray in order to get him here?”

“I said I needed to speak with him about something of great importance to him and his family. That’s all.”

“And his reaction was?” Caterine asked.

“He started to ask questions, and I told him I’d explain when he got here. I also said this was to be confidential.”

“Shouldn’t I tell him exactly what happened to me?” Caterine asked. “Including the fact that Grandmère has been told?”

“You probably shouldn’t say anything about Miss Dauphine’s knowledge until after we see how he reacts,” Paul said. “If he reacts badly, it may be in her best interest to keep her name out of this.”

“I agree. Caterine, just explain what happened to you after you left Ma Chérie and nothing more.”

“So I shouldn’t mention the silhouette I thought I saw outside the back door?” She frowned. “What’s wrong? Why are you two staring at me?”

Remi took a calming breath. “Caterine, what are you talking about?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Remi’s jaw clenched. “No, you didn’t.”

Caterine shrugged. “It was the evening of the attack. I was planning on working late and decided I wanted some coffee. I was on my way to the alcove where we keep the coffeemaker, and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a man’s silhouette through the frosted glass of the alley door.”

Remi desperately tried to hold on to his temper. “Then what did you do?”

“I thought it must have been the fog playing tricks with the light. It had been a trying day, and by then I had a headache. I knew I wouldn’t get any more work done, so I called for a cab. They said due to the fog they didn’t know when they’d get there, so I decided to take the streetcar back home.”

Remi ground his teeth, unable to believe what he was hearing. Before he could speak, Paul asked, “Why didn’t you have your car?”

“When I went to go to work that morning, it wouldn’t start.” She knitted her brows. “You know, that was really unusual. That car never gives me any trouble. I couldn’t even get the door open with the remote. I had to use my key.”

Remi slowly walked over to where she sat. Bracing his hands on either side of the chair, he leaned toward her until his face was inches from hers. His voice was harsh with suppressed anger. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling us that after Ray’s warning, and after your car mysteriously wouldn’t start, and after you thought you saw someone outside the door, you decided to go out into the fog and walk all those blocks alone to catch the streetcar. What the hell is the matter with you? For Christ’s sake, Caterine, you acted like those stupid women in movies who are alone and hear some sound in the basement and go down to investigate.”

Caterine winced as Remi’s voice rose.

“Cool down, Remi,” Paul said. “I’m sure she didn’t realize she was in that kind of danger.”

“Thank you, Paul. As for you, Remi, I didn’t actually think someone in my family would try and hurt me. Make my life miserable, yes, but cause me harm, no. And I don’t appreciate being called stupid. Perhaps I showed bad judgment, and if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have left on my own.”

Remi glowered while renewing his pacing. “If there was any doubt that someone in your family was behind the attack, what you’ve just told us clinches it. Your car had to have been tampered with sometime during the night. I wish we could get our hands on the car. Not only am I curious as to how it was disabled, there’s a chance they left prints.”

“Why not have the car towed here or to my house?” Paul suggested.

Remi smiled. “I have an even better idea. It so happens my cousin Antoine owns a garage and towing service that isn’t far from the Quarter.”

Paul glanced at the clock. “You’ve got about ten minutes until Ray arrives.” He handed Remi the cordless phone from his desk. “Call the man.”

“He’ll need these?” Caterine held out her car keys.

Still on the phone, Remi took the keys from her hand and put them in his pocket. After giving Antoine the Audubon Place address and warning him not to get his fingerprints all over the car, Remi hung up. “He said he’d go get it today, so we should be able to go over there and dust it for prints after we’re done talking to Ray.”

Caterine frowned. “I don’t understand. If none of my family has a police record, how will you know if any of their prints are on the car? Besides, anyone could have walked past and put their hand on the hood or door handle.”

“I seriously doubt it was someone in your family who tampered with your car,” Remi said. “We’re hoping whoever was hired to do it does have a record and left his prints.”

“So do I tell Ray everything that happened that night or not?” Caterine asked.

Remi turned to Paul. “What do you think?”

“I don’t see where it can hurt. Just not anything from the time you got into the cab.”

At that moment, Paul’s secretary buzzed his office phone to announce Ray’s arrival.

Tall and lean, in his late thirties, with dark brown hair and intelligent brown eyes, Ray Doucette exuded power and confidence as he strolled into the room. His eyes flicked past Paul and Remi to settle on Caterine. “Hello, Cat. So, what’s this all about? I thought you were out of town? When did you get back?”

“Have a seat, Ray, and we’ll explain.” Caterine motioned to the chair next to her. “You know Paul, and this is his partner, Remi Michaud.”

Ray shook both men’s hands then took the seat indicated. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Caterine swallowed hard before she began. “Ray, I have to ask you something first. Will you swear to me that everything you hear today will be kept in total confidence no matter what is said?”

Ray looked from face to face before settling on Caterine. “What’s going on? What kind of trouble are you in?”

“Ray, please, I need to know if you can be trusted to keep quiet about what you hear.”

He stared at Caterine and sighed. “Unless you’re about to tell me you murdered someone, or robbed a bank, you have my word anything said in this room won’t go any further. Now tell me what the hell is going on.”

Caterine smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Ray. I knew I could count on you. It seems a member of our family hired someone to kidnap me to get their hands on Ma Chérie.”

The color drained from Ray’s face as she described the events leading to her attack.

Paul rose from his chair behind the desk and opened a cabinet built into a nearby bookcase. He took out a crystal glass, poured two fingers of Knob Creek Bourbon, and handed it to Ray, who downed it in one swallow before handing the glass back.

“What proof do you have that it was someone in our family?” Ray asked when Caterine had finished.

“Because it wasn’t a random robbery. The man who attacked me wasn’t interested in anything but getting me into that van, and you yourself warned me to watch my back.”

“Ray, Caterine’s car was sabotaged two days after your family was told about her ownership of Ma Chérie.” Paul said. “Now, if these were random acts, whoever did this to her car could not have known that it would create the perfect setup for abducting Caterine that very night. Don’t you agree it’s all a little too coincidental?”

Ray rubbed his forehead. “Okay. Still, I ask, where’s your proof? What motive would any of them have to want Ma Chérie badly enough to abduct Caterine?”

As Caterine watched, Paul and Remi silently seemed to communicate. Then Paul nodded. Leaning forward in his chair, he rested his arms on his desk. “Ray, why would you tell Caterine to watch her back if you weren’t afraid she was in some kind of danger?”

Ray smiled, showing even white teeth. “Don’t you and your partner over there try to pull any bullshit cop interrogation tricks with me, Paul.”

Paul spread his hands. “No bullshit, Ray. You must have had a reason. I’m asking what it was.”

“And I’m asking you what motive you think someone in my family has to want Caterine hurt?”

“How about being hooked on expensive drugs and needing to inherit Ma Chérie in order to be able to sell it?” Caterine asked.

Ray’s eyes searched hers. “And who might that be?”