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It did make him feel better, actually. Except... “André knows that’s not true. What if he tells them where to find me?”
“He won’t,” Burke said, seeming confident. “Not without warning me first. And if he does, it’s a big bayou and I know lots of hidey-holes, so don’t you waste a minute worrying.”
“But what if HPD tries to hang something on Xavier even before they question him?” Manny asked. “That’s had me worried all day.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Willa Mae declared. “If they try, we’ll fight them. You have the advantage of someone who knows how they work. I know just about all the prosecutors in Harris County, so I know what approaches they might take. I’m not worried right now. If I get worried, I will be honest with you. Trust me on that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carlos set the game controller on the carpet. “But I’m still confused about the guy who called himself Paul Lott. He went to all the trouble of making a new ID. That had to have taken him a little while. Like maybe he planned ahead or something. But Lott was only killed last night.”
“Probably shortly before Xavier called him,” Burke agreed. He sat reclined with his feet up, his eyes closed, and his hands folded over his stomach, looking for all the world like a dad taking a snooze. “That’s a very good point, Carlos. I’m wondering if whoever killed Lott knew about you earlier, Xavier. If they’d already planned to impersonate Lott before you called.”
“Like that makes me feel better,” Xavier muttered.
Burke shrugged, eyes still closed. “Not trying to make you feel better. Trying to keep you alive. Had you received any other communication from Lott’s office?”
“No. Just the one call to my burner cell. The one I used with Rocky. Lott told me that he was sending some paperwork to the UPS box address, except he didn’t know it was a UPS box. I just let him think it was my real mailing address.”
“If I was an evil bad guy,” Burke mused, “and I wanted to find you because you were a witness to a murder I’d done back in Katrina, and I’d already made an ID with Lott’s name on it, planning to impersonate him, I’d check his files for any correspondence with you. And when I found that address where Lott sent your inheritance check, I’d have checked that out, too. It would have taken no time at all to find that it was a UPS box.” He was quiet for a moment, continuing to look like he was snoozing. “I’d check out that UPS mailbox location. And if I were truly smart, I’d send you a piece of mail with some kind of tracking device.” His eyes popped open. “Have you checked that box recently?”
Xavier shook his head. “Not since right after Rocky died and Paul Lott called me on my burner phone to tell me that he was sending me the papers.”
“Where is your burner phone?” Burke asked.
“At my house. I kept it in a lockbox in my closet.”
“Maybe that man this morning was looking for that burner phone,” Willa Mae said, her needles back in motion. “Maybe he was hoping you’d pack it.”
Burke nodded. “You could be right, Miss Willa Mae.”
She smirked. “I usually am.”
Burke closed his eyes again. “I’ll have Molly drive to Baton Rouge and check the box. If Lott’s killer was hoping to lure you there, maybe we can get some information about him.”
“What if Lott was involved?” Cicely asked.
Xavier frowned. “Rocky trusted him.”
Cicely shrugged. “I trusted Rocky. But I didn’t know this Lott character. I mean, he’s dead now, so he’s probably no longer a threat even if he was involved, but... what if?”
Burke made a humming noise. “It’s a valid question. I’ll have Molly add it to the list. She’s good at lists.”
Cicely smiled. “She was all about that whiteboard this afternoon.”
“That’s her thing,” Burke said. “She’s a thinker, and she organizes information in ways that make sense. It’s one of the things that made her a great cop and one of the reasons I wanted her to come work for me.” Abruptly he stowed the recliner’s footrest and stood. “I didn’t get much sleep last night myself, so I’m going to hit the hay. I think you all know where everything is. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen or anywhere else. But I don’t recommend taking a walk outside. Gators, y’know. They’re on the move in the night.”
Carlos made a face. “I didn’t need to be reminded of that, thank you very much.”
Burke’s grin was slightly wicked. “Wouldn’t want you becoming gator food, now would we? I’ve got all the perimeter alarms set. If anyone comes close, I’ll know, so y’all can sleep well.” He sobered. “I’ve also got my two part-timers standing watch outside. I trust them with my life and yours. They shouldn’t bother you, and they’ll stay outside. So sleep well.”
“ ’Night, Burke,” Xavier called as the man headed toward his room at the back of the house. “Thank you.”
Burke just waved.
Xavier sighed. “I know I need to sleep, but my brain is too wired.”
“I’m going to try,” Manny said. “At least Burke didn’t ask me to give up any of the weapons I brought with me. If anyone comes after us, I’ll be ready.”
Xavier didn’t want to think about using his father’s gun again. Even if Molly hadn’t taken it so she could get rid of it, the memory of using it the night before had left him queasy. “Maybe we should find a baseball bat or a golf club for Carlos. He was badass with those things. Wielded them like freaking swords.”
