The scent of shrimp gumbo and baking bread pervaded the house as Allie followed the sound of voices to the kitchen. Her cell phone clenched in her hand, she paused in the doorway, her gaze sweeping over the occupants—Aunt Evelina, Tom, and Remy.
When Remy glanced at Allie, he washed his hands then stepped away from the sink where he’d been peeling uncooked shrimp. “Can you finish, Papere? I need to have a word with Allie.”
While his grandfather nodded and took his place at the counter, Aunt Evelina looked at her and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Although she heard their words, all Allie could really comprehend were Bo’s. They kept ringing in her mind like a death knell.
Remy appeared in front of Allie and guided her through the living room to the front gallery. The second he was outside he scooped her into his arms and pressed her against him. “What happened, Allie? You look like you’ve seen a rougarou.”
His concern pierced through the numbness, and she tilted her head back and peered up at him. “Bo left me a message on my phone. He’s my stalker.”
“What did he say?” As only Remy could do, his question sounded both coaxing and fiercely protective.
She lifted the hand clasping the cell phone and gave it to him.
While he punched the button to listen to what Bo had said, Allie moved away, trying to block the words from her mind. She couldn’t.
“Allie, I’m so sorry about the wreck.” Bo’s voice caught on the last of his sentence. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I’ve loved ya for years.” Sobs intermingled with words the more he talked.
She stiffened, gripping the railing of the gallery.
“Please forgive me. You deserve better.”
Then the phone went dead.
Allie sagged against the wooden post, both relieved to know the truth and swamped with sympathy for Bo.
Remy came to her side and half sat, half leaned against the railing. “This call was an hour ago. I’m going to see if the sheriff can track his cell phone. I couldn’t find him in town. No one knew where he was.”
Tears blurred her eyes as she swung her attention to Remy, so close she saw every nuance of concern in his expression, from his eyes to the lines carved into his tan features.
“We have to find him. He sounded so bereft. I’m worried about him.”
“After everything he put you through?” The set of his jaw hardened. “Where’s the anger you felt earlier?”
As she listened to Bo, all she could hear was the regret and sorrow. She’d tried to muster the fury she’d previously felt, but the part of the Lord’s prayer about forgiveness wouldn’t stop echoing through her thoughts. “Deflated. But I’m not saying he shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions. He should.”
Remy used her phone to call the sheriff about Bo and to track his location with his cell number. When he disconnected, he handed it back to her. “Don’t erase the message. It’s evidence against Bo. Sheriff Guice will call me when they have something.”
“Then we should eat as soon as possible in case you need to leave.” Allie lounged against the railing next to Remy, their arms brushing against each other. “I know you’re mad at Bo for his actions, but holding onto the anger won’t change what he did. No harm was done except to my car.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because for years I held onto my anger at my mom for being a drug-addicted alcoholic. It only hurt me in the long run. I was even upset at Landry for dying on me in a stupid boating accident that should have been avoided. I’m tired of carrying it around. It weighs me down. God is right about forgiving others for their transgressions against us.”
He moved to stand in front of her, clasping her upper arms. The hard edge to his features softened. “One of things I love about you is how much you care about others. I guess I can’t be mad at you for being who you are. I’m just not sure I can be like you.”
“Are you talking about your mother?”
He nodded once.
“I begged her to let me go with her. Then when she left here, she didn’t even let me know. She went shopping one afternoon and didn’t come back. That’s when Papere found her note and read it to me. The bottom line was she had to do what was best for her.”
Allie shivered at his icy tone. He’d never told her about the way his mother had left Port David. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, hoping to convey her support and love. “You have a lot of people who care about you. I wish you’d move back here. Coming home a few times a year isn’t enough.” As she said that, she realized how much she wished he would stay. He filled a void in her. She missed the close friendship they’d had, which went beyond anything she’d ever had with another—even Landry.
That thought sent a shock wave through her. She stepped back several paces. What was going on with them?
At his quizzical look, she started to say something, but the ring of her cell phone cut into the moment. The sheriff was calling for Remy. As she listened to his side of the conversation, she could tell the news wasn’t good.
When Remy returned her cell to her, he said, “Bo must have turned his phone off. They can’t track the signal.”
“What should we do?”
“I’m not sure we can do anything. There are a ton of places he could be hiding. If he doesn’t want to be found, he probably won’t be. I have several people in town that are going to call me if they see him. Until then, I’m staying here. I can sleep on the couch. It wasn’t too bad last night.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ve laid on that couch, and it isn’t that comfortable. The man I heard on my phone wouldn’t hurt me. You should sleep in your own bed.”
A tic twitched in his cheek. “No. If I have to, I’ll ask Evelina. She’ll agree I should stay.”
Allie needed some space between them. Her feelings were changing, and she wasn’t sure what to do about them. “Fine. Stay. But I don’t want to talk about what’s been happening. I want to forget it ever did. And when you hear where Bo is, I’m coming with you. I want him to know I don’t hate him.”
“It will be better if you don’t. I’m going to arrest him and take him to the sheriff’s office.”
She squared her shoulders. “Then you can’t stay here.” She put all her resolve into her glare.
He frowned. A few minutes passed before he sighed. “Okay, but you’ll be coming under my protest.”
“Duly noted.”
The front door opened, and Remy’s grandfather stuck his head out. “Are y’all through talking? We’re starving in here.”
The wonderful aroma of dinner floated to Allie, and her stomach rumbled. “We’re coming.”
* * *
The scent of coffee permeated the house and awakened Remy on the couch at Allie’s. He pushed himself to a sitting position, arching his back and stretching his arms. The couch was comfortable, just not long enough for his six feet four inches. He felt like a whale crammed into a sardine tin.
He rose and made his way to the kitchen. He’d grab a cup of coffee and head to town. This waiting around to see if Bo showed up somewhere in Port David was driving him crazy. These past few months, his life had been on inactive mode, and he’d had enough of that. He would find Bo if he had to search everywhere in town and the bayou. The idea Bo was somewhere out there and could come after Allie again didn’t settle well in the pit of his stomach.
Evelina sat at the table working on a crossword puzzle and nursing a cup of coffee. “You’re up early. I hope I didn’t wake you. I know you and Allie stayed up late last night.”
He crossed to the coffeepot and fixed himself a cup. “After her long nap, Allie wasn’t too sleepy.” Lounging against the counter, he took a sip of the hot brew, relishing its taste—strong with three teaspoons of sugar. “I’m going to go to town to look for Bo. Make sure Allie stays here. I’ll going to have Papere come over until I return.”
“How about church? We can always go later this afternoon.”
“I might not be back by then. I’m determined to find Bo and resolve this now.”
“So you can actually enjoy your visit?”
“That and I don’t want anything happening to Allie.”
“We’ll wait for your return, but didn’t you tell Allie she could go with you to confront Bo?”
“Technically I have no idea where he is. I’m searching for him.”
“Then are you coming back to get me when you find him?” Allie asked from the doorway, dressed in jean shorts, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes.
He’d hoped to get away before she woke up. He should be so lucky. Now he would have to convince her to stay inside her house until he returned. “Yes, if I can.”
Her fist settled at her waist as her gaze zeroed in on him. “At this moment you may think you will, but you won’t. If you leave without me, I’ll follow later, and I may or may not find you. But I’m looking for Bo too. I’m worried about him. I didn’t sleep well last night thinking about him. He was distraught when he called me.”
“He should be. He could have killed you. What if I hadn’t been behind you? What if you went off the road into the bayou and the Jeep sank?”
“I didn’t. It isn’t my time yet. I’m going with you if you want to keep an eye on me and know where I am.”
Remy squeezed his grip on the mug he held. He’d forgotten how stubborn Allie could be.
“Think of it this way. I’ll be safer with you than without you. You’ll know where I am at all times. It’ll be easier on your blood pressure.” She quirked a grin, marched to the pot, and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I can take this with me. I’m ready.”
He refilled his mug and said to Evelina, “Let Papere know what I’m doing.” At the exit, he glanced back. “She’s probably right. I’ll feel better knowing where she is.”
Evelina chuckled. “Smart man.”
Outside Remy opened the passenger door for Allie. “If you don’t follow my directions, I’ll take you over to the sheriff’s office and have them hold you on tampering with an investigation.”
“You haven’t lived here in years. I know some of Bo’s habits and might know where he’s hiding.”
“We’re checking in town first then branching out into the bayou.”
“How?”
“I’m borrowing Adrien’s boat. I called him last night.”
She climbed into his vehicle. “And you kept that from me.” Allie slammed the door hard enough that the car rocked a little.
Remy rounded the hood of his SUV and slid in behind the steering wheel. The atmosphere in the interior was frosty.
For as long as he’d known Allie, she had always tried to help and save a person if she thought he needed it. That was how they had become such good friends in the first place. When he’d come to live with his grandfather, anger had driven him. He’d been so mad at his mother for leaving him that he’d taken it out on the people around him—until Allie had called him on it one sunny day near the bayou. He’d ended up in the water when she’d pushed him in because he wouldn’t allow her to pass. She’d let him know in no uncertain terms what she thought of that. After he’d swam to the bank, she had offered to help him from the water. He’d started to pull her in, but she gave him such a withering look that he didn’t.
That had been the start of a beautiful friendship—no, relationship. He slanted a glance at her as he drove toward town, aware he wanted more, and this time, he wasn’t going to let someone beat him to it. When he had Bo in custody, he intended to tell Allie how he really felt about her.
Silence ruled the short drive into Port David. Most of the people were still in bed at six in the morning on Sunday, except some who were fishing. He parked at the marina.
“I’m checking David’s Folly first. Bo might have come back to the boat, and Captain DuBois didn’t know.”
“I agree. He might have been out drinking in another town and returned in the wee hours of the night when no one saw him. He may have called me from a bar.”
“You need to stay behind me, and if I tell you to get out of there, run to the marina office. It’s open by now.”
Allie pinched her mouth together like she did when she wanted to say something but was trying to hold it in. “You really think Bo would do something bad—”
Remy twisted around. “Yes, I do. He. Slipped. A. Drug. Into. Your. Drink.” He shoved at his door and quickly exited the SUV before he said something he’d regret.
Allie stood on the other side of the car. “You’re right. The Bo I used to know wouldn’t have done that.”
“Some people are good at hiding their true feelings from others.” He’d seen his share while being a police officer.
“But Bo has always seemed so transparent.” She gestured at an old black pickup. “His truck is here.”
After Remy investigated Bo’s vehicle and found nothing, He started walking toward the far end of the marina, dragging in one deep breath after another. His heartbeat hammered against his ribcage. Something was wrong.
Allie jogged alongside of him. “I’m sorry. You’re right. After his call when he admitted he was my stalker, it became obvious I don’t really know him like I thought. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try and help him.”
He shot her a look, wanting to kiss her and shake her at the same time.
As he approached David’s Folly, it looked deserted. Most fishing boats didn’t go out until between seven and eight. It wouldn’t be long before more than the handful of people he’d seen on his way here would be milling around. He’d love to find Bo, arrest him, and get him away from the marina before that.
Remy made a call to Captain DuBois. “I’m at the pier. Have you heard from your mate? His pickup is in the parking lot.”
“Bo isn’t there?”
Remy strode the length of the boat, glancing into the windows from the dock. “Not that I can tell. He never called you?”
“No, so he should be there getting everything ready to go out in forty-five minutes. I’m almost to the marina.”
“Do I have your permission to go on board and look around?”
“Yes. Bo has never just not shown up without calling me.”
Remy hung up and hopped onto David’s Folly then turned toward Allie, who remained on the pier. He held out his arm to help her onto the vessel. “Captain DuBois hasn’t heard from Bo. Stay back here while I check. If you see anyone, let me know. If Bo had been drinking, he might be passed out on his bunk.”
At the doorway into the main cabin, Remy peered over his shoulder. The past few days had taken a toll on Allie. She chewed on her lower lip when she was worried. She sank onto the bait box at the back, the breeze lifting her long hair as though playing with it.
He stepped inside. Gun in hand, Remy searched the galley then moved toward the sleeping area.
A woman’s scream pierced the air.