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Jacob steered close to the curb. Up the street, BJ Donovan was hiding out in a stranger’s house. He cut off his headlights. Hunkered down, he quickly made his way to the rear of Sonnier’s place, praying he didn’t encounter a dog.
Squatting below the kitchen window, he raised his head in time to see BJ lean across a handmade distressed wood and wrought iron table to set a cup and saucer in front of Northcutt. Long blond curls falling forward hid her face. Gary winked, smiled at her. Mouthed the words thank you. She barely paid attention as she nudged the sugar bowl closer to him.
“I didn’t know he was doing her.” Jacob thought Northcutt’s interest in her was only on a professional level. He got in his car, slouched down low in the driver’s seat. Alternated between watching the fading colors of sunset and Sonnier’s house. Fought the urge to have a smoke.
Less than fifteen minutes later, when he was about to call it a night, Donovan and Northcutt stepped out onto the porch. Jacob jerked his cap down lower on his brow.
Northcutt’s taking her somewhere else?
“Dammit.”
Why didn’t he share the information with the department?
“Because he’s doing her, dumbass.”
The couple sat in Northcutt’s car. Talking, Jacob guessed, since the vehicle wasn’t rocking side to side. He drove past them without drawing attention to himself. By the time he went around the subdivision and returned, the detective’s car was gone. BJ’s car wasn’t there when he first arrived, unless it’s in the garage, so he had no way of knowing if they had parted company in separate vehicles.
Jacob stayed in the street with the motor humming. Lamplight peeked through a slit in the drapes of Sonnier’s house. Rolling up to the garage door, it occurred to him that he didn’t notice if the living room light was on when they came outside.
Did they have a little love spat and say goodnight?
He advanced on the door. If BJ’s alone, he fully intended to carry out his plan of taking her to a hideaway of his own. She was his to bang not Northcutt’s. Jacob looked again at the windowless door of the garage. If she’s not alone he had a readymade excuse for being there, courtesy of Detective Northcutt.
He thumbed the lighted doorbell button a couple of times to no avail.
One hand on his hip, the other hand continually rubbing the back of his neck, he paced the painted concrete porch guesstimating where they might’ve gone. He snapped his fingers. Damn. He backed his car onto the street, went left. If Northcutt had gone to the right he would’ve seen him when he circled the neighborhood earlier.
Jacob accelerated. When he reached the stop sign at the far end of Sonnier’s street, he looked left, then right. He easily spotted the detective’s powder-blue Mustang beside a gas pump at the busy service station farther up ahead. BJ was in the passenger seat staring out the windshield. Jacob stayed where he was since there wasn’t any traffic at the moment. Northcutt turned left onto the main street, drove forward one block, then got in the right lane.
Left-right-left, Jeebus Christ, I feel like I’m back in the Army.
The Mustang’s right turn signal flickering, Jacob watched until Northcutt took the upcoming exit before following them.
The exit road tapered off and became flat again. He slowed down, giving Northcutt time to move out of his line of vision. Theirs were the only cars in the area in that short span of time.
Coming out of a long curve the road abruptly straightened. The taillights on the Mustang were nowhere to be seen. Jacob drove faster in order to close the gap.
Two more miles, he knew for certain there was no gap.
Gary Northcutt had gotten off the road.
Somewhere behind me.
He pulled over. His mind backpedaled.
Didn’t I pass a sign?
Cursing under his breath, Jacob retraced his steps, slowly scanning the side of the road. When he tracked down the frickin’ sign, he didn’t understand how he’d missed it. Damn thing was bigger than the broadside of a barn.
S.S. NATCHEZ
Dinner and Jazz Cruise
By the time he located the Mustang the riverboat carrying Northcutt and Donovan had already departed. Jacob slapped his forehead.
“Now what?”