Lost on the Bayou Read online

  Gina took a bite. “I don’t know,” she said with a mouthful of food. People could be so strange.

  When I felt eyes on us again I glanced over my shoulder. The inspector was staring again. Actually, the entire table of men was staring this time. What had we done? Was this some special diner that we weren’t supposed to be in?

  “Why are they staring at us?” I whispered.

  Gina shrugged, but didn’t look up. “I don’t know.”

  How did she even know who I was talking about if she didn’t look at them? Did this guy have something against me? Or was it my uncle? Maybe it was Gina and she didn’t want to tell me.

  I should have walked up and asked him what his problem was, but I didn’t want to cause problems after I’d just come back to town. It was as if Gina was avoiding looking over at him on purpose. Was she afraid of him? He did seem as if he was a big bully. I just needed to get in touch with my uncle and get out of Belle Grove. There was nothing here for me now. Although there didn’t seem to be much for me back in Arizona either. In a way I was lost and still hadn’t found myself.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Gina said, jumping up from the table.

  I watched as she hurried across the restaurant toward the ladies’ room. She had barely disappeared behind the door when the waitress appeared by the table.

  “How’s Taylor?” she asked.

  So now she was going to make small talk with me?

  “To be honest, Anna Louise”—I looked at her name tag—“I haven’t talked with him. As a matter of fact, we can’t find him.”

  She pulled off my ticket and placed it on the table. “Is that right?” Anna Louise didn’t act surprised.

  “Yes, that’s right. Have you seen him?”

  “I haven’t seen him. He likes to go on little trips. He did that all the time. He probably just wants to get away from Gina. She tries to act sweet and innocent, but she’s far from it. I wouldn’t trust a word she said.” Anna Louise cast a glance over her shoulder.

  Okay, now I didn’t know who to believe. They were both saying the same thing about the other. I didn’t want to be in the middle of a love triangle.

  “Will you let me know if you find out anything about where he could be or if he calls you?” I asked, handing her my business card.

  “I’ve read some of your books,” she said with a little smile.

  Just then I noticed Gina coming back to the table. She frowned, but continued across the room. Anna Louise must have noticed that I was watching over my shoulder because she abruptly turned and walked away without saying another word. I felt bad because maybe she was a sweet person and I had just listened to what Gina said without knowing the facts. Anna Louise could be right, Gina could be the one who hadn’t been very nice. I was already falling into their tug of war.

  “Is there something wrong?” Gina asked as she made it back to the table.

  I shook my head. “No, she was just giving me our tickets. She said she’d read some of my books.”

  Gina rolled her eyes. “Oh, she’s probably just saying that. I doubt she has read anything.”

  Wow, Gina really didn’t like this woman. I wondered if there was more to this story or was she just jealous because Anna Louise had been with my uncle? It was probably a little bit of the jealousy thing. I wasn’t even going to ask because I knew Gina wouldn’t be truthful.

  Gina focused her big brown eyes on me. “Are you sure there isn’t something else?”

  “No, there was nothing else. We should go,” I said as I pushed up from the table.

  My uneasiness increased by the minute. The inspector was still watching us with what I could only describe as a look of disdain on his face. That was all I needed to know that it was time for me to get out of there. We walked over to the counter to pay for the food. After getting my change I turned and headed out the door. The inspector wasn’t at the table anymore. I had no idea where he’d gone.

  When we stepped out into the parking lot, Porter Brennan was leaning against Gina’s car.

  “What is he doing?” I asked. A bit of uneasiness sounded in my voice. I didn’t want any trouble with this man. I didn’t even know him.

  “I don’t know,” Gina said in a low voice.

  I would just tell him that I would be leaving Belle Grove soon. But what did he care if I was here anyway? The last I checked he didn’t own the town. I still knew plenty of people in town and I was sure they didn’t have a problem with me being here.

  “How was breakfast, ladies?” he asked with a smirk as I approached the car.

  “It was fine, thank you.” My accent was quickly returning. It probably had never gone away. You could take the girl out of Louisiana, but not the Louisiana out of the girl.

  “Good, good, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said as he leaned against the car door. He was blocking me from getting into the car.

  “You’re in my way,” I said.

  He glared at me. “I think it’s probably best if you just left Belle Grove.”

  “Excuse me?” I snapped.

  He stood a little straighter. “You heard me.”

  “What business is that of yours?” I demanded.

  His face turned red and he stepped closer to me. “I don’t like you, that’s why.”

  He was a lot taller and a lot bigger than me and I didn’t like that he was standing so close. “You don’t know me,” I said.

  “It doesn’t matter if I know you or not,” he said.

  When he reached out to grab my arm, someone yelled from behind me. His expression changed and he dropped his arm. He stepped back, but he was still standing in front of the car door.

  “Is there a problem here?” Grant asked as he approached.

  The man stared at him for a moment and then finally said, “I have no problem.”

  “Is he bothering you?” Grant took a defensive stance in front of Porter.

  I really didn’t want any problems, so I said, “No, everything is just fine. He was just moving out of my way so I could get in the car, right?”

  The man nodded as he glared at us one last time. He turned and walked away. I hoped that I never saw him again while I was in Belle Grove. I’d grown up here, it wasn’t as if I was truly a stranger.

  Grant turned to face me. “Are you all really okay?”

  I nodded and Gina climbed behind the wheel.

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know.”

  Grant frowned. “He looked as if he was about to grab you.”

  I nodded. “I think he was. Something tells me he doesn’t like me very much.”

  Grant crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Does he know you?”

  “I’ve never seen him before until I got here.” I glanced in at Gina. “Thanks for coming over. I’d better go. She’s waiting for me.”

  Grant stared for a moment and then nodded. “Take care, okay?”

  Chapter Eight

  Grant will always be there for Chloe

  I’d never really liked Porter Brennan anyway. Why had he treated Chloe that way? He didn’t even know her. Porter had come to town after Chloe had left. Not to mention he had acted as if he owned Belle Grove from the moment he’d set foot in town.

  He’d moved here to take the building inspector position. From what I’d heard, Porter had lived in St. Louis previously, but that was all I knew about him. That wouldn’t stop me from finding out more. I wouldn’t let him treat Chloe that way. There was nothing she could have done to deserve the harassment.

  I’d look into why he had acted that way. Ty would want to know why I was interested if I asked him. He’d never let me hear the end of it if he knew my probing was because of Chloe. But who else could I ask? I wanted to keep my questioning quiet because word spread quickly in Belle Grove. From what I’d heard Porter was a bit of a ladies’ man around town. How he managed to attract any woman was beyond me. Had he hit on Chloe and she’d turned him do
wn? That was a possibility.

  After watching Chloe drive away, I was more than a little curious about her uncle. It was strange that he’d taken off without a word to anyone. Taylor had always been an odd one though. He’d probably just wanted to get away for a few days.

  It wouldn’t hurt if I went to his house and took a look around. Maybe he’d left a clue as to where he was heading. I knew that was a long shot, but I was curious now and wanted to take a look for myself. If Chloe caught me at Taylor’s house she would want to know why I was there though. I didn’t want to make her more nervous.

  Within a few minutes I’d passed my driveway and arrived at her uncle’s place. I’d almost expected to see her car in the driveway when I pulled up, but she wasn’t there. I was a little disappointed, but also relieved at the same time. At least I wouldn’t have to explain why I was there.

  I jumped out from my truck and scanned the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. If I could just find something that would give me a clue where Taylor was, then Chloe could stop worrying, although that would mean she would probably go home to Arizona.

  A sidewalk lined the front of the house. Grass and weeds were beginning to get out of hand. I walked along the path toward the front door and then up the porch steps. Someone had left the stacked-up newspapers by the door. I reached down and picked up the bottom one. It was dated from a week ago. So he’d been gone a week. I’d say it was about time that he came home.

  I knocked on the door, but after a minute, I realized that in fact he wasn’t home just as Chloe had said. What if he hadn’t left on his own? Maybe someone needed to check the house. God forbid her uncle was in the house.

  After trying the door and finding that it was locked, and then trying a couple windows, I figured there was no way I was getting in that house. My only option was to call Ty. The other officers’ assumption that Taylor Beaumont had gone away on his own didn’t ring true for me. I liked her uncle and I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. Not to mention I didn’t want Chloe to have to deal with that. She might not want anything to do with me, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from helping her. Maybe it would be best if she didn’t know that I was helping.

  As I made it halfway back to my truck, I dialed Ty’s number.

  “What’s up?” my brother asked as I answered. “I was just going to call you. Where are you?”

  “I’m at Taylor Beaumont’s house,” I offered.

  “What are you doing there?” Shock sounded in his tone.

  I knew what he was thinking. “I came by to check on him.”

  “What did you find out?” he asked.

  “Nothing much actually. There’s a stack of newspapers on the porch. The first newspaper was dated from seven days ago, so I know he’s been gone that long.” I opened the truck door.

  “Good detective work,” he quipped.

  “Someone has to do it,” I said.

  After a pause he said, “The uncle was turned down for a permit for his new house.”

  I jumped behind the wheel of my truck. “It’s funny you mention that because I have some questions about the inspector.”

  “Like what? Other than he’s a jerk?” Ty asked.

  “I caught him giving Chloe a hard time today at the diner.”

  “Is that right? What were you doing with Chloe?”

  I knew Ty wouldn’t wait long before asking.

  “I wasn’t with her. I just happened to be there and saw it,” I said.

  “Then how do you know he was giving her a hard time?”

  “I could tell by her expression.”

  “What else happened?” Ty asked.

  “He moved toward her as if he was going to attack her. That’s when I stepped in.”

  “Maybe I should go pay him a visit,” Ty said.

  “Yeah, well, I’d like to go on that visit with you,” I said.

  “I have to work now, but we’ll track him down. I’ll give you a call.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “What did Chloe say?” he asked.

  “She didn’t say much of anything.”

  “Did she talk to you?”

  “We haven’t spoken other than general conversation,” I said.

  “Maybe you should change that.”

  I leaned my head back against the truck’s headrest. “There are probably a lot of things I should do, but I don’t,” I said.

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you later.”

  After hanging up the phone, I sat there for a moment thinking about what had happened. Chloe had looked as beautiful as usual this morning. I couldn’t get her smiling face out of my mind. After all these years, she was just as I’d imagined she’d be. I had seen her picture online when I’d looked her up, but she looked even better in person.

  I needed to get my mind back to the task at hand. It was time for me to get to work. Looking for her uncle would have to wait for now.

  There had to be more to the fight with her uncle and Gina. I tried to think of someone who knew Gina. That was when I remembered a colleague from the next town over. He’d talked to her a few times. I hadn’t known until recently that they’d had a romantic involvement, only that they’d definitely had some kind of friendship. When I got to the office, I’d look up his number and give him a call.

  I cranked the engine and made my way out of the driveway and over to my office. I was so engrossed in thought that afterward I barely remembered the ride there.

  I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. Looking out across the area, I remembered why I loved working on the bayou. The water gave me peace and the surroundings calmed me. I glanced down at the dock. Her uncle’s boat was still out there in the water, just where he’d left it. Once inside, I found the number for Larry Wells, the guy who had dated Gina, and gave him a call.

  “How’s it going?” Larry asked.

  I didn’t want to waste time with small talk, so after a quick couple of questions, I segued into asking about Gina.

  “Yeah, I know her, but we haven’t talked much lately.”

  “Why do you think that is?” I asked.

  “I assume it’s because of her new love interest. I guess she’s been too busy with him.”

  “Well, you know he’s taken a little vacation, don’t you?” I asked.

  “Oh, yeah? Where did he go?” Larry asked.

  “No one knows. Apparently he had a disagreement with Gina and hasn’t been seen since.”

  “Interesting, so I guess that’s why you want to know about her.”

  “Yes, what can you tell me?” I asked.

  “She was involved with someone who came to Belle Grove recently.”

  “Who is that?”

  “I don’t know the guy’s name, but I can try to find out for you,” he offered.

  “Is he still around?” I asked.

  He paused, and then said, “That I’m not sure about.”

  “Do you know why he came back?” I asked.

  “I guess to see if they could get back together.”

  “Sounds like they had a serious relationship at some point.”

  “I suppose,” he said.

  “What about Porter Brennan? What do you know about him?”

  “I’ll be honest, they saw each other a few times. I think it wasn’t a serious fling.”

  “From what I hear he never has a serious fling,” I said.

  “Yeah, he’s a real ladies’ man.”

  “That’s what I heard.” Everyone in the area apparently knew this about Porter.

  “I’ll see what I can find out,” he said.

  “Thanks for the info. I’ll talk to you later.”

  That conversation had raised more questions than answers. That was the way it usually worked though.

  What would I do in the meantime? Right now I had work to do, but after that, while I waited on more information, what would I do? I couldn’t let Chloe handle this on her own. Helping find Taylor Beaumont was the one thing I could do
for her. Maybe it would make up for the past. Even if she didn’t know that I was doing it, at least I would know that she’d had help.

  I had a hard time focusing on work all day because I just wanted to get on with helping Chloe. I’d thought about it all day and tried to figure out what to do for her.

  I’d had a few ideas of how to get to the bottom of this. One of them involved talking with Gina. She had to have more details on what was said right before Taylor left. If she truly didn’t feel he’d left on his own, then I had to find out what she thought had happened to him. If she was close to him then she had to have at least a little bit of a clue. Who had he talked to in the days leading up to his disappearance? Had anything unusual happened? Maybe he’d had a disagreement with someone else.

  After work, I climbed into my truck and headed for Gina’s address. I wasn’t sure if she would talk to me, but it was worth a shot. If she really wanted to find him, then she’d be willing to talk with anyone who wanted to help her. I know if I was in that situation it would be exactly what I would do. But everyone was different, and I had no way of knowing exactly how she would react. I was about to find out though. I hoped that this visit went well and that she actually talked with me.

  I pulled up in front of Gina’s little white cottage. A car was in the driveway and I assumed that it was hers. I wasn’t sure if she would remember me. I had met Gina on a couple of occasions when she was with Taylor.

  I should have waited for Ty, but there was no time to waste. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to help Chloe. Maybe if I helped her, she would actually talk to me. Hell, maybe we could go out for dinner. I’d even take going out for a cup of coffee. That would be better than nothing.

  After knocking on the door, I studied my surroundings. Everything looked pretty straightforward. A large trash can and recycling bin stood by the garage. The only thing in the bin was a few newspapers. When Gina didn’t answer the door, I was ready to turn around and leave. Then the lock turned on the door and opened wide. She looked shocked to see me standing at her front door. She frowned and said, “Is everything okay?” Maybe she thought I was with the police.