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The Tessarae Inn |
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Suspicions In Scarlet Repose CHAPTER 28
The hospital room reminded her of too many hospital rooms she had been in with Todd. Too many rooms where the doctors and nurses moved with slow, deliberate speed to come and tell her that the baby was gone—he, they had all been boys, would not breathe on his own, or see sunlight, or hear her voice not filtered through a fluid filled chamber. Heather was not her favorite person, never would be, but she did not wish that experience on her. Cal was sitting on the bed next to Heather with his arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders. He was talking to her in a low soothing voice, reassuring her that everything was going to be all right. It was obvious that there were feelings between the two of them. When and how in the world had that happened? She’d ask questions later. Right now all that mattered was that Cal’s presence seemed to be giving Heather a measure of peace. Somewhat like the peace she had felt when she realized who it was that was pulling them from the wrecked car. The doctor’s face was unreadable. She held her breath and prayed that God would spare Heather the pain of losing a child. “Miss Shuttlesworth, I’d like to speak to you. You’ll need to ask your friends to leave.” Heather’s eyes grew wide. “No. Please. I’d like them to stay.” The doctor glanced down at the nurse who had accompanied him and she nodded up at him. He waited a few seconds as if he was considering his options, then sighed in resignation. “All right then as you wish. You were very lucky. The fetus is usually well protected during this first trimester, but severe blunt force trauma such as what you experience during the accident can be extremely dangerous. All of the tests we conducted, however, indicate that your baby is fine.” Blair told herself to breathe. It was all right. It was all right. She saw that Heather was crying, but at least they were tears of joy. The doctor and nurse left after discussing the precautions Heather needed to take and answering her questions. Cal hugged her. “See, I told you that it was all going to be just fine.” “What else have you been telling her and telling my wife?” Everyone turned toward the door. It was Todd. Blair couldn’t pretend that she was not relieved to see him. Whenever trouble swooped down, it always seemed better once they were together. “I bet you haven’t been telling them the truth,” Todd said as he positioned himself in Cal’s direct line of sight. Blair cringed. Couldn’t things ever be simple-complicated instead of complicated-complicated? She moved next to him. “Todd, what’s going on?” He glanced down at her then put his arm around her waist. “You okay, babe?” “Yeah, I’m fine.” “You know I asked all about you before I came in here and they told me you were fine, but good to hear you say it, too. I’ve got my people working on who ran you off the road. Just a matter of time before I have their ass in a sling.” He switched his gaze back to Cal. “So what have you being telling them?” “Cal is the one who rescued us,” Blair said quickly. “It was a miracle that he was there. He got us to the hospital.” “A miracle? Yeah, I bet.” Blair stepped back and studied him for a second. Did he know about Cal and Key West? But then what was there to know? A little flirting, a few drinks, a lifetime ago. “Does the name Henri Maxwell Broussard ring a bell, Mr. Evans?” Cal sighed then removed his arm from around Heather’s shoulders and stood up. He moved away from the bed, planted his feet solidly on the ground and then squared his shoulders. “It rings a bell,” Cal said. “I bet it does.” Blair tugged on Todd’s sleeve. “What’s going on, Todd?” He looked at her for a second but then shifted his gaze back onto Cal. “I think we’ve finally found out who killed Carmen and why.” “You don’t mean Cal!” Blair said obviously shocked. “Oh, yeah.” “No, Todd.” Todd waved a manila file folder in the air. “Got the proof right here and don’t worry. These are just copies. Why don’t you tell them who Henri Maxwell Broussard is, Mr. Evans.” Cal ran his tongue over his upper teeth and then puffed out his left cheek. Finally, he said, “You seem to have the floor. Why don’t you continue the show?” "Don’t try to skip out of here, Mr. Evans. I have already alerted security and they are waiting outside for you.” Cal shrugged. “I have all of my papers in order. What are they going to do, take me in because I’m on the Todd Manning Don’t Like list?” “Tell us, Todd,” Blair said. “Who is this Henri Whatyoumacallit person?” “He was Carmen’s husband or at least he was Celeste Dumas’s husband. The one she ratted out to the cops and then robbed him blind and disappeared once her testimony helped put him in prison.” “What does this have to do with Cal?” “It turns out that Henri Maxwell Broussard, he likes to be referred to by his full name by the way, is not a very nice man and he believes in vengeance. Cal there is family.” Blair’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Cal. “Henri Maxwell Broussard’s first cousin on his mother’s side,” Todd continued. “Cal was sent here by Henri Maxwell Broussard to find Carmen and take care of her.” Heather gasped. Blair walked close to Cal. “Is this true? What’s going on, Cal?” Cal locked his soft brown eyes on her face and shook his head gently. “You know me well enough to know that I don’t operate that way.” “What do you mean she knows you?” Heather asked suddenly fully alert. “What the hell is he talking about, Blair?” Todd demanded Blair glanced at Todd then exhaled loudly. “Cal and I met while we were in Key West.” “Key West? You mean our Key West? When the hell did you have time to meet him?” “When you were out on your date with the lovely Rebecca. Remember that?” “Come on, Blair. That’s… that’s so juvenile.” “Wait a minute,” Heather said, “please tell me there is no way in hell that your Rebecca could be the one married to my…my mother’s son.” “I could,” Todd said, “but I’d be lying.” Blair sighed. “Small world, huh?” Todd slammed his gaze on Blair. “So I went out to catch up on old times with an old friend and you took that as permission to go pick up some old jerk? Where? At a bar or did you just use a street corner?” “Shut up, Todd,” Blair said, “or I will do it for you. We met at Fancy’s place…at Poe’s. We had a few drinks and talked for a while and then—“ “He brought you home on a motorcycle,” Todd said softly. He and Blair stared at each other. Finally, Todd whistled and said, “Damn.” “What the hell does this have to do with anything?” Heather asked in full hiss mode. “Did you kill Carmen, Cal? Did you let me sit in jail for something you did?” Cal turned around and faced Heather. “No, that would be your supposed ex-boy-friend.” Heather dipped her head and studied her fingers. “Bryan didn’t kill Carmen.” “So you’ve said before.” Heather ignored Cal and looked directly at Todd. “Can I see that file,” she asked. Todd shrugged and handed the folder to Blair. She narrowed her eyes but then took the folder over to Heather and perched on the bed next to her. They opened the file folder and began to look over the written information. Cal watched Heather and Blair for a moment then said firmly enough to attract their attention, “I finally figured out who did kill her though.” “Who?” Todd, Blair and Heather asked in unison. “I’m working on it. Need to take it slow and not spook him.” “Who is this guy?” Todd demanded. “He’s someone who knew Carmen back in the day.” Todd snarled. “Stop it with the riddles, Evans. Who killed Carmen?” “Justin… I think it was Justin, Henri’s younger brother.” Todd’s eyes flashed. “Who and why the hell?” Blair looked at Cal directly. “So it’s true, Cal? This Henri Broussard person sent you to find Carmen?” “Yes, but not to kill her. I owed him a big favor so I took the job. I was only supposed to find her.” “Yeah, right,” Todd said. “And those bears would have invited Little Red Riding Hood to lunch if they had caught her.” Cal glared at Todd but then said, “Look, you have to understand that Henri was a very rich and powerful man in Louisiana. Carmen may have helped but it took a lot of coordinated and concerted effort by his enemies to bring him down. Carmen did scam him out of a boatload of money though and he did want revenge but what he wanted more was information—he wanted to know how she did it.” “How did she do it?” Blair asked. “I don’t know but now that I have the who I have my suspicions about the how and the why.” “Damnit, Evans,” Todd snarled. “Once again stop talking in riddles. Tell us what you know and suspect--all of it.” “OMG,” Heather said. “Is this the guy you’re talking about?” Heather held up an 8 x 10 color photograph of a man. Everyone glanced at it. “Yeah, that’s him,” Cal said. “OMG! OMG! Don’t you see it? He looks like… like… OMG!” “Treyscott,” Blair said slowly. “Now that you mention it the resemblance is remarkable. Not so much in the face but the build and they way he holds his head and body.” “Yeah,” Heather said vigorously nodding her head. Blair studied the picture for a minute longer then said, “I’ve met this guy!” “Another one?” Todd growled. “You’ve been a really busy beaver, haven’t you, Blair?” Blair ignored Todd. “And you know when I met him… I only talked to him for a few minutes at most--I had a feeling that he reminded me of someone but I didn’t get it until now.” Cal frowned. “Where did you meet him?” “At RJ’s… Capricorn. It was a few nights or so ago. He was at the bar asking questions about her. I told him to ask her. And he said his name was Henri Maxwell. How could I have forgotten that? He even told me he was from Louisiana! I never even thought about it until right now. He obviously wanted me to pass his name on to her.” “He probably wanted to shake her up,” Todd said. Todd walked closer to the bed and studied the picture. “He does have a similar build and all to Treyscott. And his coloring is the same.” “And if you were a hormonally driven, hysterical ninny,” Heather said, “and glimpsed him going into Carmen’s room, you just might think you’d seen Bryan go into her room.” “And this would explain the reports of Treyscott supposedly being in Creedyville,” Blair said. “He was telling the truth. He was never there. This guy was.” “So is this guy dangerous, Evans?” Todd asked. “Under the right circumstances,” Cal said then shifted his gaze to the far corner of the room. Todd suddenly stood so straight it was as if he’d been hit by a thunderbolt. He shook his head as if to realign his brain cells to a more normal pattern. He glared at Cal and said, “He’s the one who ran them off the road. This Justin creep deliberately ran Blair off the road.” Cal nodded. “I’ve been trailing Heather. I figured she knew more than she thought she did. Treyscott’s alibi was rock solid. I checked it myself and through means that would have caught any lies no matter how much money he had used to create an alibi. He was telling the truth. But Heather did see someone that night. I was afraid he might come after her.” “Bullshit,” Heather yelled. “You used me as bait. You were hoping he’d come after me, you bastard.” Cal shrugged. “Things are not always simple. There was no way you’d ever do anything I suggested so I decided to let you be yourself and just keep an eye on you.” Heather glared at him. “You put my baby at risk, you asshole.” “I didn’t know about the baby. Not until we got here.” Blair stared at him. What the hell was he saying? He admitted at the crash scene that he knew about the baby. Was Heather right? “If I had known,” Cal continued. “I would have—“ Heather cut him off. “Done things differently? Ass.” “Enough of this shit,” Todd said. “Where can I find this bastard?” “I think I can get him now that I know who I’m hunting.” “Screw you! This bastard almost killed my wife on your watch. I’ll take care of it.” “And f**k it up! Hell no.” “Todd, Cal is an ex-cop,” Blair said. “Maybe you should give his plan a chance.” “Headline in The Sun tomorrow: Clues to the Carmen Duvet case found. Sun Exclusive! Will Turn Over Evidence to the Police Department Tomorrow.” Cal grimaced. “He’ll break into The Sun tomorrow night,” Blair said. “And I’m such a jerk that everyone would believe I would find evidence, hold onto it and print a story about it before turning it over to the cops. That’s the advantage of being a known bastard.” Cal pinched his lower lip but then said, “It might work, but I have to be there.” “You don’t have to be anywhere.”
Todd hated it when things were predictable almost as much as he loved it. The prey had stepped into the trap without, it seemed, a moment’s hesitation. It had almost been too easy. Now, they—he, Blair and Cal—were gathered in his office at The Sun along with the intruder, who was sitting in a chair with this arms strapped to his side and his feet bound together—in other words, he was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey and wasn’t going anywhere. Todd was sitting behind his desk and Blair was perched on the edge of the desk with her legs crossed while Cal paced back and forth. The only light on in the office was his desk lamp, which he had positioned to illuminate Justin Broussard’s face, and the door was locked. Cal was running an interrogation and seemly enjoying showing off his skills for Blair--police tactics as the new mode of flirting. Todd didn’t care. Cal had at least three strikes against him—he lied about the real reason he was in Llanview, he let a psycho run her off the road, and he obviously had feelings for Heather. The last reason was the clincher and Blair was more than done with him. Cal leaned down and stared Justin in the face. “What were you scared of, Justin?” he asked in a menacing tone. “What did Carmen have over you to get your balls in a vise strong enough to threaten you?” Justin seemed to bristle. He struggled to lean forward but then just settled for glaring at Cal. “That bitch ran a game on my brother. She should have been dead a long time ago.” “But she wasn’t. Why was that, Justin?” “Because I couldn’t find her.” “Yet you showed up here not long after she did.” “Henri told me what you were up to. I decided to follow you and get a front row seat for the bloodletting.” “But Henri didn’t want her dead. He loved her.” Justin snorted. “He wanted his money,” Cal continued, “but he wanted her back, too.” “He’s not that crazy, Cal, and you know it.” “But he’s that much of an obsessed control freak. He wanted to know how she did it. How did she pull off that scam, Justin? She wasn’t that smart.” “Maybe she was. People don’t give beautiful women enough credit for brains.” He glanced at Blair. “I bet you agree with that don’t you?” Blair fixed him with an icy, dismissive gaze. Todd had to grin. His babe knew how to put jerks in their place. Cal squatted in front of Justin, and then lowered his voice. “She was beautiful, wasn’t she? It’s a shame she had to die like that—stab wounds in her perfect, flawless skin. What did it feel like to touch that skin when she was alive and all hot for it, Justin?” “Shut up, man. You’re family. Why are you helping this trash?” Cal stood up. “This is what I think happened. Carmen went after you. She cried on your big manly shoulders about your awful brother, she showed you flashes of that skin in all sorts of intimate places, she pouted those gorgeous lips at you, and bent forward and exposed the full depth of her cleavage just for you. And when poor Henri was away that mouse knew how to play and she picked you to play with.” “I wouldn’t do that to my brother.” “Maybe not before Carmen, but Carmen was no ordinary woman. Men ran into telephone poles just trying to get a look at her. And when she wanted something it would take a force of nature or an act of God to stop her and she wanted you.” “That wasn’t my fault.” “Yeah? I could see that. She married the wrong brother she said. If only you were the one with the money. Wasn’t there some way you could get the money? What if Henri was taken out of the equation? No, not kill him. Just put him out of commission—somewhere safe but out of the way. Where were the skeletons buried she asked. Tell her and she’d release the demons and take the weight. You would totally be in the clear, then you two would get the hell out of Dodge and live the high life together on your brother’s dime.” “Nice story, cuz, but I didn’t go anywhere.” “No, you didn’t because Carmen took the money and disappeared. And left you holding a ticking time bomb in the bag.” “I didn’t have anything to do with it.” “You’re the only one Henri would have trusted with the keys to his kingdom. And as stupid as you are, even you have to realize that Henri could figure it out some day. But that man loves you, so he hasn’t even considered the possibility yet.” Justin squirmed in his chair. “But he might one day, so you had to get rid of the one lying, backstabbing, scarlet loose end that was hanging over your head and could sink your ship. Now that she’s gone, you thought you could breathe again because you’d have plausible deniability in the face of any suspicion your brother might entertain. But that’s not gonna happen, Justin.” “You’re good at spinning tales.” “Maybe I am but this smells like the truth to me. You found Carmen first and killed her.” Cal shook his head. “I didn’t protect her because I didn’t know I had to. Never figured that I couldn’t trust you with the information about what I was doing. That was my screw up.” Justin was quiet for a long time. When he finally broke the silence everyone in the room jumped slightly. “We’re family and I’m going to trust that you will do the right thing and handle those two over there. There is no way you will take their side against me.” “What are you saying, Justin?” Cal asked. “It was an accident I didn’t mean to kill her. I just wanted the money back and a promise that she’d never tell Henri about my part in any of it. But the bitch swore she didn’t have the money and then she had the nerve to ask me for a loan.” “Carmen didn’t have the money?” “Lost it gambling. I checked and it’s true. Can you believe that? Bitch had a real problem with the dice and cards. Money ran through her hands like water. Lived the life of a high roller at some casino in the islands for a year or two until she lost every last cent of it. Had to work as a maid for the last six months she was there to settle her final debt. Stupid bitch.” “So you killed her?” “She was going to call Henri and tell him I forced her to testify. Do you believe that shit? Going to play the damsel in distress. I couldn’t believe that shit she was spinning.” Cal shrugged. “Henri might have bought it.” “I mean first she told me if I gave her another six months in Llanview she’d have enough money to give me Henri’s millions back with interest.” “You didn’t believe her?” “I might be stupid but I’m not a complete moron. She was almost convincing but I didn’t have six months. I mean she claimed she had some old goat in the starting gate and she was going to work him out of his fortune. Some Texas guy.” “Asa,” Todd and Blair said in unison.
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Suspicions In Scarlet Repose FAN FICTION SLIDESHOWS
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