Where The Devil Won't Go: A Lucas Peyroux Novel (18 page)

Chapter 28

Her vantage point from the crowded
balcony lining Bourbon Street kept Cozy well hidden from view. The burner cell
rang for the first time and she examined it like a bomb that had just started a
countdown, but then she relaxed. Only one person had the number, unless it was
someone trying to reach Sal.

“Hello,” Cozy answered, putting her
finger into her other ear.

“All clear, Sugar. Ray wants you here
right away.”

“I’m just around the corner. Be there in
a sec. And Tabby, thanks.”

Cozy kept her wits about her, waiting for
Lucas to blip on her radar like an enemy warplane. She entered Molly’s
expecting a possible ambush if Ray had betrayed her, however she rushed to the
changing room uninterrupted. Coincidently, she brought a police bikini for the
first show. However, before she could undress, Ray poked his head in.

“Keri, you’re not working tonight. Put
your clothes back on and come in my office.”

Cozy felt her blood pressure drop,
glancing at the other girls. “Sure, be right there.”

She entered the office for only the
second time, but with more confidence.

“Am I doing something else tonight?”

“Close the door.”

She did as instructed, having a flashback
of the greasy detective that had questioned her in an interrogation room after
shooting her father.

“You look like you should be on the cover
of Vogue. Any particular reason?”

“I needed a change.”

“The cops questioned us about Vince and
the murdered girl that worked here.” He waited for Cozy to respond, but she
didn’t. He continued. “I noticed you were conveniently absent. Tabitha said you
were going to be late.”

“Yeah, had an errand.”

“You want to tell me why the cops showed
me a picture of you.”

She twitched a bit, but then collected
herself. “Vince followed me to the Moon Walk last night and we talked a while.
I suppose there could have been a witness or a security camera.”

He spoke in a conversational tone. “And
the picture he showed me? How’d that come to be in his possession?”

“My drug addict mother gave them pictures
when I ran away. With all my petty bullshit, they don’t like me very much.”

Ray stood and rounded the desk, stepping
behind Cozy. His hands rubbed her shoulders. This time, the grip threatened her
collarbones. “Can you imagine how I feel about cops questioning me in my own
office?”

“They aren’t after you or me, right?
They’re investigating Vince.”

His manicured nails sunk deeper. “They
asked me about one of my dancers who also turned up dead. And they asked about
you.”

“I can’t be blamed for Vince following
me.” She resisted pulling out the switchblade to cut off each finger embedding
in her flesh.

“Is there anything else you’re not
telling me, Keri? Anything at all?”

“Who’s clean in this business, Ray? I
used to shoplift. I stole things. I made bad decisions. Ray, you’re hurting
me.”

“Sorry.” Ray let go and nodded with a flat
expression. “I had to tell them I recognized you, because one of the staff was
sure to say they saw you dancing.”

“I understand. I’ll leave.”

“Relax. I have an alternate plan but only
if you’re on board.” Ray returned to his chair.

“You know I am.” Her shoulders and neck
burned from the release of pressure.

“I’m going to call this detective and
tell him you showed; I confronted you and then you quit. We’ll make it a point
to have the staff see you walk out pissed. As far as I’m concerned, you just
vanished.”

“Why not just say I never showed?”

“Too suspicious for you to go missing
after I get questioned about you. Especially with Vince and Haley.”

“So, I’m done here?”

“Not quite. I like how you took care of
our VIP the other day.”

“Putting your mouth on a dick isn’t
exactly rocket science.”

“Don’t devalue your talents. If you dodge
jail time, I can use you for private parties and it’s very lucrative. There’s a
party being held at a plantation house on River Road the night after tomorrow.
Some very rich men will be there and I supply the entertainment.”

She brightened. “A Civil War, real life
plantation? Really?”

“Yes. You and four of the girls will be
classed up with elegant evening dresses.”

She questioned, “Just four of us?”

“There will be other girls from around
the state.”

“Cool. So, what’s my cut?”

He smiled like a proud father. “All goes
well? Could be three grand. I’m afraid I have to ask a personal question.”

“Can’t imagine what you’d consider
personal.”

“You can’t attend a party during your
time of the month… Unless we have a guest who requests it, of course.”

“Ew. No problems, there.”

“Good.”

“So, if I wasn’t on board, you’d play the
cop card and blackmail me?”

“That’s not my style. It’s this, or I
wish you well. You impressed the organizer of this party. He wants you.”

“So, how do I end up all gussied up?”

“Your outfits will be supplied to you at
the mansion. But, tomorrow evening when Tabitha’s done with the books, she’ll
take you shopping at Canal Place for a nice dress to arrive in. You two can
have dinner anywhere in the city – on me. Now leave like you’re upset,
and be sure to bitch that you’re quitting to the bartender.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and Keri, be careful with your body.
No bruises or cuts. Clean yourself thoroughly. You have a chance to make a lot
of money.”

“Consider me a China Doll.” She beamed at
being invited to a party that had Haley’s killer as a guest. Would this be the
party where they take her for good and sell her to the highest bidder? Or would
she net two or three grand and walk away? She understood how easily these women
could fall into this hole.

Chapter 29

Instead of hitting the firing range this morning;
I headed straight into the station. Raymond Corondelet sat on one of the
outside benches wearing tight designer jeans and a form-fitted T-shirt. Sunglasses
hid his eyes, but he seemed alert. He stood and waited for me to reach him.

“Ray, this must be an early morning for
you.”

He shook my hand. “I don’t sleep much. I
suppose that’s the case with most business owners.”

“You want to talk inside? Or grab a
coffee?”

“That won’t be necessary. Right here is
fine.”

“What brings you by?”

“Keri Sullivan came in and quit last
night.” He took of his sunglasses and sat back down.

“Wait – she showed up and you
didn’t call me?”

“There wasn’t enough time.” Ray looked up
at me, apparently exasperated.

“What does that mean?”

“Honestly? I’m a bit of a hot head. It’s
gotten me into trouble before. The more I thought about Keri being involved
with the police and possibly Vince’s murder, the more I stewed. She came in
about ten. I confronted her about being with Vince… About the police
questioning me, and she ran out of my office before I could stop her.” He
paused. “She was gone. It wouldn’t have done any good to call you so late.”

“Why confront her at all?”

“My temper, I told you. I’m used to
making the decisions. I run things. I wanted my own answers and that was a
mistake. I apologize. What else can I say?”

Liar
. I reached out and gripped his hand in a
tight single shake. “I appreciate your coming down to tell me, Ray. She might
keep in contact with someone on your staff. Tell them to let you know if Cozy
contacts them, and then you call me –
at
any hour
.

“Naturally.”

#

The case had gotten sticky and far from
linear. I sat at my desk surrounded by my notes and the pictures of the
Robicheaux sisters. It was possible Cozy, a.k.a. Keri Sullivan, had seen us
parading around Molly’s last night and made herself scarce, but I had a hunch
that Ray might be protecting his new investment. I don’t buy the ‘
wasn’t thinking
’ bullshit. Ray wanted us
off his trail.

Dr. Jerry hadn’t called me yet on
Ashton’s fingerprints like he had promised and the DNA results hadn’t come in
from the lab, which was always less than expedient. The NOPD was forced to use
the slowest crime labs in the country and, due to that, had the worst
conviction rate. I’d be lucky if that glass didn’t end up in one of the lab
worker’s kitchen cabinet.

My desk phone rang. Again, it was the
uniform at reception downstairs.

“What’s up, Ted?”

“Seems you’re a popular guy. There’s a
Ms. Mozart down here to see you.”

“Mozart?”

“Sure, why not?” he asked, deadpan.

“I’ll be right down.”

One of the dancers from Molly’s fidgeted
as I popped into the reception area. The tattoo of a snake wrapping around her
neck gave her away. She waved with a weak smile, wearing smart reading glasses,
jeans and a Neville Brothers T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back with a
scrunchie.

“I’m sorry. What’s your name again?” I
asked.

“Sophie. I was hoping we could talk
somewhere private.”

“Sure, let’s go next door and get a
coffee.”

We crossed over to a beignet place and
found an open table hidden from the street by a tree in a planter. She had been
reluctant to tell Tara anything at the club, but clearly something was on her
mind. I ordered two coffees at the counter while she ripped a napkin into tiny
strips. At the club, make up applied like cake frosting had covered many
imperfections on an otherwise plain face, however sitting here; she could very
well be a college student.

I placed the coffees down and sat,
waiting for her to speak.

“I know Ray just left.”

“You followed him here?”

“Sort of. I knew he was coming here. I
was just with him.” She ripped another strip from the napkin.

I sipped my coffee, making this
conversation as easy as possible for her. “You two involved?”

“Better shifts, more protection.”

“He told me Keri showed last night.”

“She did. I saw her leaving pissed off. I
want to clarify some things.”

“I imagine you couldn’t speak freely at
the club?”

“I won’t testify to anything. I’ll deny
this conversation.” Her eyes were on me, despite facing forward.

“Sure. We’re just talking over coffee.”

“I thought I could keep this to myself,
but it’s about to happen again.”
Another perfectly torn
strip.

“What?”

“Is this off the record?” Her deep brown
eyes continuously scanned the street.

“This isn’t an official statement. We
have many informants that give us information and don’t get involved.”

She took a break from her napkin for a careful
sip of her coffee. “I know what Haley Robicheaux was doing the night she was
murdered.”

“Go on.”

“I don’t know how she was murdered or who
did it, but I know why she was in the river.” She waited a beat, but I kept my
mouth shut. “Ray supplies women to these uber-secret parties. The guests arrive
like everything is on the up-and-up, but there’s some crazy shit that goes on.”

“You know who throws these parties?”

“No.
But there’s this
guy that comes in the club once and a while.
It seems the parties
coincide with his visit, put together in just days. I guess to prevent word of
mouth. This one party with Haley was at a warehouse on the river. There have
been other parties where the girls don’t come back, but this is the first one
that turned up dead.”

“If I show you a picture of the guy,
could you identify him?”

“Sure, but I won’t do it in a line up.”

I pulled out my cell and went online,
pulling up an image of Harry Winslow. “Is this the guy?”

“No, that’s not him.”

I hid my disappointment, wishing I had
pictures of all his employees. “Okay. What other girls were working the party that
night?”

“Don’t know. The girls are told not to
talk about it. I don’t want another girl to end up dead. It could be any one of
us.”

“How many parties have there been?” I
handed her my napkin to continue her nervous habit.

“I know of three. From what I hear, any
deep south politician worth their weight in corruption has been to one.”

I patted her hand. “There’s no way anyone
will track this information back to you. I don’t think you’ll be in harm’s way
for telling me.”

Her eyes dropped. “You’d think.”

“Would Ray hurt you?”

She didn’t answer.

I asked, “Do you think Ray killed Haley?”

“I think he could have, but I don’t think
he did.”

“Why?”

Her eyes darted around. “Two reasons.
One, Haley was a money-maker.”

“So, her hours weren’t being cut back?”

“Hell, no. She was one of our most popular
girls.” She smiled for the first time. Her overbite was cute.

“And Ray let her keep all the money she
made?”

She surprised herself with a full laugh,
putting her hand over her mouth. “Oh, no. Haley danced under the ‘no questions
asked’ option, which meant Ray probably took half her take.”

“I see. And the second reason?”

“If Ray killed her, you wouldn’t have a
body.” She balled up the strips of napkin and looked into her lap. “I stopped
getting close to the girls because they just come with too much baggage and
then when you like one, they just stop coming to work.”

“What’s Ray say about these girls that
don’t come back?”

“He preaches the unpredictability of
troubled girls in this industry. How can you argue?”

“Why do you stay?”

“Money. That, and
I’m
not the brightest bulb. After this, my options will be the fast food industry.”

“Go back to school with your money.”

“I appreciate the effort. As stupid as it
sounds, I dream of a fairytale ending where a lonely man with money –
ugly, fat, I don’t care – a man that adores me for I how I make him feel
will tell me he loves me and wants to take me away to be his wife.”

“Like that movie.”

“Sounds pathetic with feminism and all,
but I would treat him like a king. I would like that.”

Our conversation ran dry of information,
but I wanted to keep her close. “You think you can find out where the next
party is being held and when, without putting yourself in danger?”

Her fingers needed a new napkin to tear apart.
“I’ll try to bring it up casually, but I won’t ask directly. If someone says
something, I’ll let you know.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

#

Many elements from the case were
beginning to gel, but I feared everything rested on the next party Ms. Mozart had
confided to me. I told Tara of my recent visit with Ray and the dancer, as she worked
a different case. Just after returning to my desk from a delicious lunch, I
received a restricted call on my cell.

I answered while paying more attention to
my laptop. “Peyroux.”

“You can’t trace this. I’m on a burner.”

The hairs on my neck stood on
end like a ghost brushed past. “Cozy?”

“I got one question and you need to
answer me honestly. My life depends on it.”

“Ask me.”

“I know you questioned Ray and Tabby at
Molly’s. Did you tell them my real name?”

“No. As far as they’re concerned, you’re
Keri Sullivan.” I quickly typed the name Keri Sullivan into the database,
realizing there were five ways to spell that name.

“Good. It’s possible they know who I am,
but I can’t be sure.”

My fingers ran through my hair. “Cozy,
you can’t play that game. Tell me where you are. You are in way over your
head.”

“Just outside Shreveport. I don’t want to
die. I’m going to Canada and never coming back.”

“Really? You made it to the north side of
Louisiana after just quitting Molly’s Girls late last night? Without your car.”
I finally rocked back in my chair to let the conversation happen.

“I stole one. Drove through the night.”

“You’re lying, Cozy. Did you kill Titus?”

“Titus was rapist and a drug dealer.”

I waited a beat. “I know what you’re
going through.”

“Their payment to the legal system is
very different from their payment to me.”

“Let me help you, Cozy. You trust me to
do that, right?”

“I do, Lucas. But, I have one more
question.”

“What is it?” I rubbed my eyes.

“Why did you pull away from me when I
hugged you?”

This time I hesitated. “…
Because I really wanted to hug back.
It scared me.”

“We ever meet again, Lucas; I won’t let
you pull away.”

“Let’s meet now, Cozy.” My elbows fell
forward onto my desk.

“Goodbye, Lucas.”

The phone went dead and my body coiled,
ready to spring into action, yet there was nothing to be done.