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Michelle Guilliot checked into the hotel in New Orleans and let herself into the room. After making sure the door was locked, she spent a few moments leaning against it. She slowly relaxed.
Walking into the bathroom, she splashed cool water on her face. She couldn’t believe she was back home. She had no idea where her baby sister was, but she feared she was in trouble or worse, something horrible had happened to her.
Michelle let out a deep sigh as her turbulent thoughts focused on her sister. She would find Caroline. Somehow trouble always found her sister, but she kept landing on her feet.
Caroline called her at least once a week, and it had been several weeks since she heard from her. They lived in different states now. Michelle wanted to move far from here, but Caroline refused to leave. Caroline never said how she made a living, but she suspected that it was something she would never to admit to. Caroline was always entertaining her with her crazy adventures and romantic affairs. The last few times they’d talked though, Caroline had sounded depressed. She talked paranoid, swearing someone was following her. She would catch a glimpse of a man lurking in the shadows. Caroline laughed it off, but Michelle had a feeling she was really frightened.
Caroline told Michelle one night she thought it might be an ex-boyfriend that had not taken their breakup well. When she didn’t call her the first week, Michelle assumed she was busy. But it had been three weeks, and Michelle was fearful something happened to her.
Michelle called the New Orleans Police Department to report her sister missing, but they blew her off. Every day that passed and she didn’t hear from Caroline, the more convinced she became that something bad happened to her.
The police had her information and assured her they would look into it, but she suspected they were just feeding her platitudes and reassurances. She didn’t believe that they would even look into Caroline’s disappearance. Not feeling comfortable with her sister missing, Michelle boarded a plane and headed south to Louisiana.
The next morning Michelle woke up early and put a pot of coffee on to brew. She had a long day ahead of her if she wanted to look for her sister and hopefully bail her out of whatever trouble she had gotten herself into. She would do anything for Caroline, including coming back here to search for her.
The aromatic smell of coffee filled the room. She hurriedly got dressed and headed out after pouring her a cup to go. She still had no idea where she wanted to start, but figured a good place would be the New Orleans Police Station.
As she headed out a local newspaper article caught her attention. She walked back over to the newspaper machine and had a hard time believing her eyes. The reporter wrote about bodies being found in a small town not far from here. A feeling of dread came over her. One of the unidentified bodies had been dead for approximately a month. As much as she hated to admit it, that fit in with her sister’s disappearance. She searched her purse for fifty cents to purchase the paper. Once she got it, she read the story in further detail.
Without thinking twice about her decision, she knew she needed to head to Bear Corner and learn more about these bodies found. She would bring a picture of her sister along with the toothbrush and hairbrush she found in her small hotel room. Maybe if she provided them a DNA sample they would be able to help her out more. She prayed her gut feeling was wrong, and it was not her sister among the unidentified bodies there.
The sky rolled with a mass of gray clouds, and the air became thick with humidity. Michelle glanced anxiously at the ominous clouds. She didn’t like the idea that she may have to drive back to New Orleans in the rain. Hopefully, the rain held off. Bayou roads were no place to be driving during a thunderstorm, especially if you were unfamiliar with the area.
It took longer to get to Bear Corner than she had expected. By the time she made it there her stomach was growling, reminding her she had missed breakfast and lunch. She slowed down and searched for a place to eat. An antique metal sign announcing Bear Corner Diner swung under the awning of the old building. The painted lettering on the old sign was fading. She pulled into an open parking space almost right in front of the small diner and hurried inside. Bells on the door jangled as she entered and the few patrons still there stopped what they were doing to see who walked in. She found a seat at the bar. A waitress came over with a menu and asked, “Can I get you something to drink sugar?”
“A coffee would be great.”
“Coming right up.”
Along with her coffee, the waitress handed her several packets of sugar and creamer. She breathed in the rich coffee aroma and added her usual two sugars and cream. “Would you like something to eat cher,” the waitress asked.
Starving, she looked over the menu, “I’ll take a shrimp po’boy.”
While she waited for her food, Michelle thought about everything that had happened recently. She prayed that her sister’s body wasn’t among the bodies.
As she set her food in front of her, the waitress asked, “What brings you to the area?”
“My sister went missing in New Orleans.”
“New Orleans is a bit away?”
“I saw the article about the missing bodies found here and I am worried that my sister may be among them.”
“Mon Dieu! I hope dat’s not true.”
“So do I, but I haven’t heard from her in a while, and I wanted to make sure.”
“Well, cher, this may be your lucky day. You see dat man over at the end of the bar. Dat is Sheriff Riley. He would be the man dat you need to talk to.”
Without waiting, the waitress called out, “Sheriff Riley, dis young woman needs to talk to you.”
Michelle watched as the man sauntered over. He wasn’t like the sheriffs she had met. He was tall with broad shoulders. The expression on his lean, tanned face was stern, almost brooding.
The way this man looked at her sent bolts of electricity pulsing through her body. There was something wickedly sexy about him. She swore the way he looked at her he could see right through her clothes. She forced herself to snap out of it. This was not the time to fantasize about a man. She was here to search for her sister.
“What can I help you with?” His voice was low and smoky, that Cajun accent of his sent shivers down her spine.
Her lungs seemed incapable of taking in air as she thought of the reason she was here. She tried to draw in a slow, deep breath to steady herself, and tilted her chin up. Her legs shook, and panic clawed its way up to the back of her throat. Tears pooled and swirled in her eyes, blurring her vision of the sheriff. “My sister went missing in New Orleans and I’m worried she may be one of the bodies found here.”
He looked at her and watched as the tears formed in her eyes. “Well, now cher, don’t cry. Just because she is missing doesn’t mean she is dead.”
“I hope that my gut feeling is wrong, but I know you have unidentified bodies here and I brought my sister’s hairbrush and toothbrush.”
Sheriff Riley looked at her, “Let’s go to my office and talk about this a little more in private.”
Michelle looked around and realized everyone in the diner was listening to their conversation. By the time she finished explaining her fears and reasoning behind them, most of the afternoon had passed.
Before leaving, Sheriff Riley took the hairbrush and toothbrush over to the coroner for him to do a DNA comparison. He explained to Michelle, “It is unlikely that we will get a match. I should warn you that it is not a quick process, it will take at least a week to get results back, possibly longer.”
Michelle looked up at him, “I just couldn’t sleep at night knowing I didn’t do everything in my power to find my sister. She is the only family I have left. I have pored over her banking and phone records since the last time I heard from her. A few days after I talked with her, she dropped off the face of the earth. She has not accessed her bank account, used her debit card or used her phone in three weeks.”
“You yourself said that she had talked about leaving New Orleans.”
Michelle let out a deep breath, “I realize that my sister’s occupation made her vulnerable to people with dubious backgrounds. Regardless of that fact Sheriff, I don’t see her going this long without using her phone, even if she had a substantial amount of cash on her.”
“Is there a way I can get in touch with you if I need to? Also, my detectives may have some follow-up questions or want to check out where your sister was last seen?”
Michelle wrote down her cell phone number and where her sister had been living recently. “I have gone over her hotel room with a fine tooth comb searching for something that would point me in her direction. They are more than welcome to go there. I paid the manager up front to keep the room available for the remainder of the month. I have a hotel room at The Riverside Plaza, but I may stay here for a few days.”
***
SHERIFF RILEY DOUBTED she would have any more luck staying here instead of New Orleans. If her sister wanted to disappear, then it would be hard for her to be found.
Sheriff Riley could see that guilt was tearing her apart, “You aren’t planning on driving back to New Orleans tonight are you, cher?”
“I thought about it. Besides, I left most of my stuff in my hotel room.”
“Why don’t I find you a room here tonight? You look as if you are ready to drop.”
“I’m fine. It’s not that long of a drive.”
“I know you are staying up at night worrying about your sister.”
“I have, but sleeping here won’t change that any.” She gave him a wry smile, “I plan on talking to a few of her friend’s tomorrow. After that maybe I’ll come back here to see if you have found out anything.”
He gave her a look of genuine concern, “You shouldn’t talk to these people by yourself.”
She bristled at that remark, “I don’t need a babysitter. I went by myself the other day and was fine. Besides, I need you and your detectives working on identifying those bodies.”
He was still concerned about her talking to her sister’s “friends”. It didn’t take him long to figure out what Caroline’s occupation may be from her address in New Orleans.
“How do you plan on talking to your sister’s friends? They may suspect you are an undercover cop looking to make a bust.”
“I plan on acting like a newbie working the corner. It may take a day or two before they open up, but I can’t go home without answers.”
Sheriff Riley stared at her in complete and utter disbelief. Of all the asinine things he had heard over the years, that may take the cake. “That is signing your death wish. All it takes is asking just one person the wrong question and you will be alligator food around there. It is best that you contact the N’Awlins Police Department.”
She was shocked by his vehemence to her plan. “But...”
He continued to stare at her as if she had lost her mind. He interrupted her. “It is way too dangerous for you to ask questions down there. This is a different breed of people you plan on questioning. They would just as soon stab you in the back as talk to you.”
***
SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND why he was acting this way. He didn’t even know her or what she was capable of. She had a way of putting people at ease, getting them to trust her and open up. She had always been good at this. Besides, if she didn’t act on something as radical as this, she feared she would never find her sister. Despite Sheriff Riley’s assurances, Michelle was convinced that something bad happened to her sister.
After promising Sheriff Riley that she wouldn’t do anything crazy, she began the drive back to New Orleans. As she drove, she wondered what it would be like to be involved with him. He seemed so protective and caring. One look from the Sheriff’s meltingly sexy eyes almost had her forgetting why she was here. She even considered staying in town to be near the handsome sheriff. But finding her sister was her top priority right now. If only she had met him under different circumstances. He had her dreaming of dancing the night away in his arms and making love all morning.
She forced herself to snap out of her daydream. The last thing she needed was to become romantically involved with a man.
When she returned to the hotel she had just enough time to take a shower and get dressed. She had stopped by a local clothing store earlier and picked up a short miniskirt and a royal blue tube top. She slipped on a pair of high stiletto heels and prayed she didn’t break her neck while walking the streets. After one more inspection of herself in the mirror, she headed to Bourbon Street.