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14
Bayou Gauche, Louisiana
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 9:15 P.M.
Xavier tried to relax. It wasn’t that Burke’s place wasn’t comfortable, because it was. They’d traveled to Des Allemands, then boarded a flat-bottomed boat that two of Burke’s part-time employees had waiting for them. Then they’d all traveled by water to the camp, arriving just before it got too dark to see.
Manny had been excited to see two gators slicing through the water, but Carlos hadn’t been as keen. Xavier was simply too tired to care, although the swamp was beautiful with its cypress trees and hanging Spanish moss.
The camp itself was located on the bayou bank, elevated up on pilings, and seemed to kind of melt into the vegetation. The two men who’d come with them stayed to guard the place. Which made Xavier both reassured and more scared.
The camp was surprisingly nice, with three bedrooms, hardwood floors throughout, and all new appliances in the kitchen. The living room had a huge flat-screen TV and an Xbox. Which Carlos and Manny had commandeered, of course. They sat on big throw pillows on the floor, trying to best each other in Call of Duty.
Burke had claimed an ancient recliner that was literally held together with duct tape. It was out of place in the room where everything else looked brand-new. The PI business must be lucrative. Burke didn’t seem like he was hurting for cash.
Willa Mae sat in a rocker, knitting and occasionally humming to herself. Xavier made a mental note to buy her some pretty yarn when this was over. Her very presence had calmed him today. He’d sometimes forgotten over the years that she was a lawyer. She’d always been Miss Willa Mae, his mom’s best friend, and she’d never talked about her job.
His mother sat on the sofa next to him, unusually pensive. Xavier was most grateful for her. Grateful that she’d stood with him, grateful that she was alive period. This day could have ended so differently. Hell, if she and Dad hadn’t adopted him, his whole life could’ve ended differently.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
She turned to him with a soft smile. “I was proud of you today, son. I’m proud of you every day, but today... Well, you’ve grown into an amazing man. I wish your father were here to see how well you’ve turned out.”
Xavier swallowed hard. “Mom. Stop it.”
She patted his hand. “I’m allowed to be proud. I’m allowed to be sentimental. Suck it up.”
He laughed, the sound surprising him. But the lightness evaporated quickly, leaving him cold. And scared. He was so damn scared. “I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me.”
She swatted him. “You stop it. As if I’d be anywhere else.”
“What did you tell work?”
“I told them that I had a family emergency and was taking some of the leave I have saved. That was this morning, though. If the fact that Houston PD was searching our house made the news, they’ll know why I left.”
That was something that they hadn’t really discussed. Houston PD had been in their house. And at some point, they’ll want to talk to me. “Will you be in trouble?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I was taking care of my son. And if there is trouble, I can find another job elsewhere. Nurses are in demand these days.”
He shuddered, thinking of his mother losing her job. “What if this takes a long time? What if we’re stuck here for weeks?”
“And what if we’re not?” she said softly, then glanced at Burke. “You planning on throwing us out anytime soon, Burke?”
Burke grinned. “No, ma’am. You’re welcome to use this place as long as you like. I mean that.”
“What will Houston PD do?” Xavier asked, still scared shitless. There were so many ways this could go wrong. More wrong.
“They’ll come and talk to you,” Willa Mae said without looking up from her knitting, her needles moving so fast that Xavier had a hard time following the movement. “You’ll tell them exactly what you told Captain Holmes. You’ll tell them that you had no idea why that guy was following you—and at the time, you didn’t. If they want to make a case against you, they’ll have to dig.” She did look up now, her eyes piercing. “They won’t find anything, will they?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve never even smoked a cigarette. Never even bought a beer until I was twenty-one.”
“I can attest to that,” Carlos said. “He always said no, no matter how many times I begged.”
“You are a bad influence,” Willa Mae told Carlos, but she was smiling. “You’re also a good friend. You’re going to tell HPD that you saw the man’s hands and he had a gun. And that there could have been two men, but you were so scared, you ran without finding out.”
“That’s true,” Carlos said, uncharacteristically solemn. “I was scared shitless, and that’s a fact.”
“I don’t plan on allowing HPD to talk to you, Xavier,” Burke said quietly, “if it makes you feel better. I have no idea where you are.”
