Where The Devil Won't Go: A Lucas Peyroux Novel (19 page)

Chapter 30

Evening had fallen as dinner at Antoine’s
continued on longer than a meal should. Cozy and Tabby left arm-in-arm after
the rain had subsided, strolling on the wet slate of Jackson Square, adding
movement to the dark patches of shadows. Several pockets of kids stood around as
if planning something sinister, but this was just their Friday night. Dates
held hands in no rush for the night to end. Cozy envied them.

“Thanks for letting me stay on your
couch,” Cozy said.

Tabby leaned into her as they walked. “No
problem. You ever hold a black light to those motel sheets?”

“I imagine it would look like the Emerald
Room.”

“Touché. We should have added another
hundred dollar bottle of wine to take with us.”

Cozy moaned, saliva rushing into her
mouth at the mere memory. “The food and wine were so good and so expensive.”

“Get used to the nicer things.”

Cozy put her arm around Tabby’s waist and
kissed her cheek, which sent them reeling a few feet to the left. “I like you,
Tabby-cat.”

“Ditto.”

Once inside Tabby’s surprisingly large
two-bedroom apartment on Royal Street, she uncorked another bottle of wine as
Cozy toured the local art on display. Posters of past Mardi
Gras
hung next to each other. Brightly colored African art sat perched on shelves.
Tabby hadn’t felt the need to fill every space with furniture or knick-knacks.
There was room to breathe.

They
relaxed on the plush, cream sofa with unobtrusive, soft music filling in the
silent moments. They chatted about the inspirations for art and music, keeping
their glasses topped off. When the conversation wore thin, Cozy snuggled to her
side and sang to the music while leaning back on Tabby’s arm.

Tabby inhaled the scent of her hair.
“You’re just a babe.”

“It’s all relative.” Cozy reached over for
her last sip of wine on the nightstand. “We killed two bottles.”

“You want a third?”

Cozy put her glass down and faced this
worldly lady, staring with drunken eyes into a striking deep well of brown.

“You’re not even twenty yet.” Tabby said,
examining every contour of Cozy’s face.

“And yet, I’ve lived a lifetime.”

Tabby extended her glass to the end table
without looking. Their lips touched gently at first, each pulling back as if
asking permission. And then they joined together again and Cozy couldn’t help
but curl her toes.

#

The sheet had been pushed down to their
waistlines. Tabby propped her head up with two pillows as Cozy rolled over and
threw her thigh over Tabby’s hot legs. She moaned with sleepy eyes and gently
kissed Tabby’s nipple before resting her cheek on it.

Tabby stroked her arm. “You were amazing
and I’m not saying that ’cause I’m drunk. I actually didn’t think I’d finish,
but you made it happen.”

“Same here.” Cozy exhaled.

“I’m sleeping with a criminal.”

“What?”

“Wanted by the cops… You.”

“I wanted to ask you, what kind of
questions did that cop ask?”

Cozy felt her tense up. “Just general
questions about Vince and Haley and you, but Ray told me you explained about
your momma.”

“Is Ray in trouble?”

“No. He’s covered.”

“What did you tell the cop about me?”

“About you? Nothing. That we had no
contact info.”

Cozy stretched up and kissed her
tenderly. “What did you say about that Haley girl?”

Tabby’s expression turned curious. “That
Haley was about to be fired from the club just before she died.” Tabitha kissed
her hair, running her hand down to the small of her back.

“Convenient.”

“That sounded accusatory.”

“I imagine myself in that girl’s place. I
just want to know what happened.”

Tabitha shrugged, her lids closing. “What
else can I say?”

“Could Ray be protecting the guy who
killed that girl?”

Tabitha stiffened. “You’re asking some
very dangerous questions. What’s going on, Keri?”

Cozy shrugged and then inched down to
squeeze one of Tabitha’s breasts like a water balloon, taking the nipple in her
mouth. Tabitha sighed. “Stop.”

“Alright.”

“Are you nervous about tomorrow night? Is
that what all these questions are about?”

“I know my way around a dick and the
little button.” She bit her bottom lip with a smile.

“That’s only part of it.” Her speech was
sloppy. “These men want their fantasies. You might have to fawn over them or
dominate them, or
hell,
they might want you to shit on
them. They might expect you to know what they want and get pissed when you
don’t. They may think they are in charge, but you have to control them.”

“How do you do that?”

“Confidence, sugar.
Each
girl develops their
own method. If you’re unsure about how things are
going, you might find yourself uninvited to these events.”

“You nervous for me?”

“Sure. You don’t come off as experienced
and that’s why they want you. Everyone will want you. Hell, I wanted you.”

“You got me.”

“You know I’m not a lesbian, right?”
Tabby’s eyes were closed. “At least not full-time.”

“Neither am I, but with you, it just
seemed right.”

“It did.”

Cozy separated from Tabby’s body and
propped herself against the headboard. “Should I be worried about these
freaks?”

Her eyes opened for just a moment to see
that Cozy shifted to a higher position, looking down on her. “I don’t think so.
It’s like I’m a doctor telling you the risks of an appendectomy. Ninety-nine
percent go fine.”

Cozy watched her chest swell with each
breath in the candlelight. “Would Haley be the one percent?”

“Haley wasn’t killed at the party, Sugar.
It had to have happened right after. Bad things could always happen. I want you
to be careful.”

“You miss Haley. You get really sad when
you talk about her.”

“We really liked each other.”

“Like, how we’re liking each other?” Cozy
had to force her mouth shut.

“Sometimes gender doesn’t matter.”

“Sometimes we all need a friend.”

“You’re having second thoughts, aren’t
you?”

“I didn’t come all the way out here from
Manchac for nothing.” Cozy clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut.

Tabby paused for five
drunk
seconds, and then it registered. “Manchac? You said you were from Empire. Haley
was from Manchac.”

“Empire… That’s right. Someone told me
Haley was from Manchac. I’m drunk.” Cozy hoped the darkness hid her skin
warming up.

Tabby scooted to a sitting position.
“Now, I remember. That alligator pendant was Haley’s, wasn’t it?”

Cozy let out a breath. This bell couldn’t
be un-rung. After an eternity of silence, she confessed. “Haley is my sister
–
was
my sister.”

“What the fuck is this?” She threw the
blanket off and stood at the edge of the bed.

“My name is really
Cozy
…
Cozy Robicheaux.”

Tabitha attempted to keep balance and
poise while putting on a robe. Her face became hard and aggressive. “What
exactly are you doing,
Cozy
?”

“Maybe I should start from the
beginning.”

Tabby pulled a gun from her dresser and
held it on her with wide eyes and steady hands. “Damn well you better.”

“I guess the story starts when I got shot
in the throat.” Cozy pulled the covers up to her chest. She explained the
entire story where she lay, as if there wasn’t a weapon pointed at her. Tears
had slowly gathered and fell from time to time until she finished. Cozy
sheepishly looked at Tabby. “… And that brings us here.” Cozy smiled and the
last tear dropped.

The gun bobbed in its descent. Tabby
eventually put it back in the drawer. “I’ll make a pot of coffee.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tabby held Cozy’s
hands at the kitchen table. “That’s incredible. The fact that you’re ready to
throw your life away makes me sad.”

“If I can’t avenge my sister, I might as
well kill myself anyway.”

“So, wait.” She looked at the bed. “Was
all this a way of eliminating me as a suspect?”

“I didn’t have to sleep with you to do
that. I knew in my heart you didn’t do it. Deep down, I think I wanted to
experience what my sister did with you. Like, maybe it would bring me closer to
her.”

“Did it?”

“I don’t know. I was doing the same thing
with her boyfriend back home; but that was more to hurt her for abandoning me.
This isn’t the same.”

“Why?”

“The memory of Haley still exists in you
and I like you for that. So, I guess the question now is, what are you going to
do about this?”

“Nothing, sugar. Absolutely nothing.”

“You’re not going to tell Ray?”

“I tell Ray and he might have you killed…
Seriously. He’s unpredictable. He has a long fuse, but once you reach the end
of it, he just explodes.”

“Great. I’ll have to be careful when I
question him.”

“Question Ray? You
do
have a death wish.” Tabby gently pecked Cozy on the lips. “I
know Ray didn’t kill Haley.
He doesn’t murder you
,
he just throws you away
. Whether he knows who did is another
story.”

“All I want to do is get him to tell me
who was with Haley the night she died. That’s all.”

“If you think you can get him to say, be
my guest. But be very careful. When he figures out what you’re hinting for and
he shuts you down, don’t push it.”

“Right. Act like it’s not important. Will
he be at the club tomorrow?”

“Not ’til late, so you won’t have any
time with him. Here, I’ll give you his home address and you can see him early
tomorrow.” She reached for a pen. “But, you better think up an amazing excuse
for showing up at his house.”

“You won’t betray me?”

“My loyalty to Ray is hanging on by a
paycheck.” Tabby gave Cozy a lingering kiss on her cheek. “If I betray you, then
I betray Haley.”

Cozy smiled. She could see why Haley loved
Tabby.

Chapter 31

Cozy woke with Tabby spooning her, their
bare bodies creating an intoxicating scent. Her hangover wasn’t even a
consideration. The moment couldn’t get more perfect. Was this love? Or would
Dr. Clair say this was some kind of Electra complex with a mother figure
instead of father? Both her parents had been lacking, but Cozy had to live with
her momma’s warped sense of reality. No, Tabby was too young to be a mother
figure and she didn’t want any other sister. Tabby was just perfect.

Cozy had eaten a bowl of instant grits
with Tabby before returning to the hotel. Tabby had told her to come back for six
that evening in the new dress to get her makeup done. With the entire day
ahead, Cozy showered with the hotel-supplied toiletries, double-checked the gun
she got off Titus, and headed out the door with a weighted purse.

She rode the shiny,
old-school
streetcar down St. Charles, hypnotized by the shadows of the Oaks whizzing by
before getting off at Napoleon Avenue. She strolled towards the river like a
resident with her large handbag snug to her side. The charming houses were
impressive, but she found that without the bayou in sight, she was like a fish
out of water.

Blocks later, she approached the address
Tabby had supplied and saw two men in Ray’s driveway. Each had one end of a
large sack, obviously weighted, throwing it into the back of a cleaning van.
They didn’t look like a cleaning service. Confident they were gone; she stood
paralyzed in front of a magnificently manicured home. She admired the garden,
the rose bushes and freshly painted exterior shaded by a large Magnolia tree,
its huge white blossoms resembled decorative lampshades. She couldn’t believe
such slime lived inside.

Ray answered the door alone as Tabby had
promised, not liking his conquests to know where he lived. He was wearing only
a towel and a head of wet hair.

“Keri. Who told you where I lived?”

“Internet. Everything’s on the Internet.”

“Tabitha told you.”

“Don’t blame Tabby.”

“Tabby, is it?” He chuckled like he knew
of their intimacy.

“I’m freaking out about this party, Ray.
I need you to put me at ease or I won’t do it.”

“Come in. Forgive my towel, but I’m
getting ready for a meeting downtown.”

“I won’t keep you for long.” She took a
step in.

“You’re the first dancer I’ve ever had in
here; not counting Tabby.”

“That’s hard to believe.” Cozy trailed
her boss into his expansive living room. He pointed her to a leather studded
couch in front of an actual bear hide with the head still attached. It looked
as if he smoked cigars and drank brandy in this room often. When she approached
the coffee table, she noticed two empty cups of coffee and a napkin torn into
long, narrow strips.

“Company?” She pointed.

“I’m in a bit of a rush. Your question?”

A cleaning service that left a shredded
napkin next to their cup? Her mouth dried instantly. “You live here all alone?”

“Yes, but that can’t be your question.”

“It’s not.”

“Must be a tough question to ask.” He
gave up and sat in his towel, patting for Cozy to take a seat.

Cozy stepped up to edge of the sofa,
still amazed at the classy décor that contradicted this man’s profession. She
put her knee on the cushion next to his thigh and sat on her foot. She leaned
in, running her finger through the hair on his chest.

“I’m scared of embarrassing myself
tonight.”

“No you’re not. If anything, I’d say
you’re angling for more money.”

“No.” Cozy squinted at him.

“You’re playing games and I have a
meeting.”

“Fine.” She pushed herself onto the end
cushion and dug into her purse. “I got something for you.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Here, put these on.” She threw a pair of
handcuffs on his lap.

“Keri, this isn’t the place…”

She pulled out the gun and pointed it at
his face. “Put them on.”

He sighed as if he was inconvenienced,
reached under a throw pillow and pulled out his own gun. “I had such high hopes
for you.”

“Why the fuck you have a gun under your
sofa pillows?”

“I have guns hidden all over for moments
just like this.”

Ray picked up the cuffs and tossed them
back at Cozy, startling her into firing unexpectedly. A loud ping filled the
room as Ray’s gun popped out of his hand with a spark. After a frozen moment in
time, Cozy let out a loud, short laugh. “Like Clint Fuckin’ Eastwood.”

“Unbelievable.” Ray shook his hand as
Cozy affirmed her grip. “How the hell?”

“Just lucky.” Cozy kicked the cuffs to
Ray’s feet. “Now put those on or I aim for your head.”

Cozy rounded to the backside of the sofa
and intently watched as Ray’s stinging hand fumbled with the cuffs, making sure
they snapped closed. Moments later, the stunned prisoner held both cuffed hands
in the air and then let them fall back into his lap.

“Good. Now, I want you to sit that
contraption of a chair. What is that for? S&M?”

He stood and followed her command. Cozy
reached out to pull the towel off his waist. He hesitated before snuggling his
butt onto the solid metal chair. “This contraption is an antique barber’s chair
from the French Revolution, meant for royalty.”

“Perfect.” She kicked his gun across the
room and then eyed the back of his head. With one slow practice aim, she
brought the butt of her gun down as hard as she could on the spot where his
neck met his skull. Luckily he didn’t slump forward enough to fall out.

#

Ray remained naked in the brushed nickel,
gold-plated throne of a chair, still handcuffed, duct taped to the backrest,
along with his legs. Cozy watched him wake with a struggle. This was a hairy
man, and she shuddered at the thought of his removing the tape.

Ray’s eyes strained to focus. “You duck
taped me?”

“I call it duck tape, too. Someone tried
to tell me it was
duct
tape, which
makes sense. But, I found out it was called duck tape during the Second World
War. Used to keep ammo dry. Then, it started being used for ducts. Interesting,
right?” Cozy’s kept calm, waiting patiently for Ray to get a grip on his
situation.

“Either you’re a psycho or you’re pissed
off at me. One of those, I can fix.”

“Can you bring my sister back to life?”

“No. I can’t.”

“So, are we done playing that game?”

“Honey, ever since you showed up to
Haley’s apartment, I’ve led you every step of the way.”

“You had Porter try to kidnap me?”

“No. He learned about you from going
through Haley’s apartment and did that on his own. He’s a pervert. Once he told
me you recognized him, I eliminated the problem.”

“Why not just kill me instead?”

“I like money and I didn’t like Porter. Porter
told me you killed Titus, so I told him to clean it up. I knew you would
eventually come to the club if Porter planted a business card. Why do things
the hard way?”

“Tell me who killed my sister. Did you?”

He stopped fidgeting as if he had
regained control. “I didn’t kill Haley and neither did Porter. Not to speak ill
of the dead, but she was a huge meal ticket. I would never do that.”

“But you would also think she was a dime
a dozen.”

“No. Haley. You. You’re not a dime a
dozen. You’ll make me lots of money at this party. Would have, anyway.”

“I believe you. I think one of the guests
killed her and dumped her body and you know who did that.”

“Haley left alive.”

“Like you’d rat out the killer.”

“I can get witnesses that saw her leave.
Get my cell phone.”

“No one is going to admit they attended,
much less say they saw her leave.”

Cozy patted down a strip of tape onto his
chest. He peered down with a gaping mouth. “What are you doing?”

“You’re a hairy fucker, aren’t you?” She
quickly ripped it off, leaving a decimated forest on rash-red, irritated skin.

His face twisted. “Bitch! I’m going to
kill you.”

“Oh, so you
do
kill people.
Who
did Haley hook up
with?” She applied another strip of tape across his nipple.

“Let’s go to the police together. I’ll
tell them everything I know about the girls at the party. Hell, bring the cops
here.”

She pulled the tape off with serious
effort. Blood came to the surface of skin as if permeating a cloth. Ray cried
out like he had been branded. “You’re dead. You bitch. You’re fucking dead.”

Another short length torn off the roll
created a tacky, ripping sound. “You think I’m stupid.”

Ray’s purple face glistened as he spoke
swiftly in short breaths. “Senator Folsom requested Haley, but he didn’t kill
her. When everyone left, Haley was alive.
I swear, she was
alive.”

“Then, Folsom’s my next target.”

“Dead end. He won’t know what you’re
talking about.” His eyes slowly met hers.

“You have video?”

“Yeah,” he laughed through the pain. “I
got loads of video of that.”

“Watch your tone. I suppose you might
believe that to be the truth. I’ll find out tonight.”

“You’re going to leave me tied up all
night?”

“If I don’t kill you, yes. You’re still a
scumbag. And I can’t have you coming after me.”

“You kill the senator, you’ll be put away
for life.”

“Once justice is served, I don’t plan on
hanging around.”

“Oh, you’re fucked up
and
crazy.” The fight returned to his
face. “Do I have anything to bargain with?”

Cozy wedged his legs open, wrapping the
tape around his testicles, giving them a light tap. “I looked around the place.
It’s beautiful. I found the Fort Knox safe behind that picture in your bedroom.
How original. I imagine that’s where you keep your illegal accounting, client
list, money and stuff like that. You give me the combo – you live. You
refuse, you die with no hair on your balls, perhaps no skin, either.”

“You’re in over your head, little girl.”

“Maybe.” Cozy put her face in his. His
sweat mixed with the fresh smell of soap. His labored breathing wafted
mouthwash. She whispered. “I killed my father. I killed Titus. I want to kill
you, Ray, but I’m giving you a choice. A chance for redemption.”

Ray jerked his head at Cozy’s face and
bit into the air, just inches away. His body rocked as his teeth clacked
together in an effort to take a chunk from her. She backed away silent and
wide-eyed, bending over to pinch the corner of the tape on his balls. She gave
it a short tug. “Ever been man-scaped?”

“Wait, wait, wait.” He grunted like a
punch-drunk fighter.

“If this doesn’t work, then I got a nice
little torture technique I read about. The Vietnamese used it on prisoners of
war and let’s just say you’ll never pee the same way again. All I need is a
hammer.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“The combination, please.”