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Shelby pulled out her cell phone, called Sheriff Bergeron and hit the speaker button. “I think we found the boat that hit mine. It’s here at Bordeaux’s Best Boat Repairs in Thibodaux. Ethan Fontenot had a charter in that boat the evening I was attacked.”
“I should be mad at you for conducting an investigation while you’re officially on medical leave,” the sheriff said. “But I’m so short-handed, I’ve barely had time to think. I’ll get a tow truck over there to take it to the impound lot until the state crime lab can process it. And I’ll go personally to bring Ethan Fontenot in.” He chuckled. “Personally, because everyone else is tied up. Hurry up and get well. We need you back at work. And please tell me you didn’t drive yourself to Thibodaux.”
“No, sir,” Remy said. “This is Remy Montagne. I’m her chauffeur until she gets clearance from her doctor.”
“Good. Hey, Montagne, are you looking for work in the area? I could use another deputy.”
Remy smiled at Shelby. “Thank you, Sheriff Bergeron, but I’ve already got a job. Besides, you have one of the best coming back to work soon.”
“Damn right, I do. Deputy Taylor is top-notch. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He snorted. “Well, I do know now, and I hope it doesn’t last long. I’ll get on it. You get back to recovering.”
“Yes, sir,” Shelby said and ended the call.
They stayed until the tow truck arrived to collect the boat. The sun was setting by the time they got on the road back to Bayou Mambaloa.
Shelby leaned back her head and closed her eyes. “I want to be relieved that Ethan is being brought in for questioning, but I know it’s just the beginning. He’s not smart enough to conduct a drug trafficking operation by himself.”
“Hopefully, he can shed some light on who’s in charge,” Remy said.
Shelby’s cell phone chirped. She glanced down at the caller ID and hit the receive button. “Sheriff Bergeron.”
As she listened, her face lost all color. “I understand. Yes, sir, I’ll be careful.” She ended the call and stared out the front windshield as if in shock. “Well, damn.”
Remy shot a glance at Shelby. “What?”
Her lips were thin, and her jaw tight. “The sheriff went to Ethan’s home. No one answered. He checked the door. It was unlocked, so he went inside.” Her gaze met Remy’s. “He found Ethan.”
Remy knew before she said the words.
“He was lying on the living room floor, hands tied behind his back.” Shelby’s voice cracked. “He had a plastic bag wrapped around his head and an X painted across his chest. Dead.”
Chapter 15
“Do you have any woodworking tools, drills or power tools at your house?” Remy asked as they drove into Bayou Mambaloa.
Shelby shook her head. “I have some basic tools like a couple of screwdrivers and an adjustable wrench. Anything else, I borrow from Alan. He’s got every power tool known to man in the shop behind his house.”
“Will anyone be home?” he asked.
Shelby called Chrissy, who assured her she was home, cooking dinner for the kids, Alan and Gerard, and they were welcome to borrow any tool they needed.
Remy drove straight to Alan and Chrissy’s house.
Chrissy met Shelby at the door with a hug and a worried frown. “I heard about Ethan. Frankly, I’m terrified. You should come stay with us.”
Shelby shook her head. “I can’t. I shouldn’t be here now, but we need tools to install deadbolts on my doors.”
“By all means, help yourself to whatever you need in Alan’s shop,” she said, waving toward the rear of the house. “And grab Gerard. He’s in the living room with the kids. He might want a break from them.”
Shelby helped her sister butter garlic bread while Remy went through the shop behind the house, gathering the tools he’d need to install the deadbolts in Shelby’s home.
Chrissy pulled a lasagna out of the oven and set it on a trivet. “So, other than living in terror, how’s it going? Have any of your memories returned?”
Shelby nodded. “I remembered staying in J.D.’s fishing hut.”
Chrissy’s eyes lit up. “You remembered the storm and Remy finding you when your boat motor quit working?”
“I did,” Shelby said. “Everything about that night with Remy.”
