“That sounds good to me, too,” he replied. He took the menu from her and then placed the two back where they belonged.
By that time Glenda Wright, one of the waitresses, appeared with two glasses of ice water and a bright smile. “Good evening, Chief… Angelique. Have you had a chance to look at the menu or do you need a little more time?”
“We’re ready to order,” Daniel replied and looked at Angelique to confirm it. She nodded and Daniel ordered two of the shrimp platters. They both ordered iced tea to drink and then Glenda left their booth.
Daniel leaned back and once again held her gaze. “So, you want the bad news first?”
“Sure, why not,” she replied. “Let’s go ahead and get it over with.” A wave of disappointment swept through her even though she hadn’t heard the bad news yet.
“We searched Charles Landry’s place today and found nothing to tie him to your mother’s murder.”
“So does that mean he’s off the suspect list?” she asked.
“Not at all. It just means we didn’t find anything in his house. But if he killed your mother and stole her book, he could have that book anywhere. We’re going to learn where he has offices for his business and we’ll see that all of those places are searched as well.”
“Then what’s the good news?” she asked.
He frowned. “I’m afraid there is no good news tonight.” He leaned forward and his eyes blazed with a fierce determination. “But we’re going to keep digging, Angelique. I swear I won’t stop until we have the killer behind bars.”
“Thank you, Daniel. I know finding the killer isn’t going to be easy, and there will be days when you have nothing to report to me. Now, do you want my bad news first?”
“Might as well get it all out of the way,” he replied.
“I thought about who might be my attacker all day long, but I still didn’t come up with anyone.”
“What’s the good news?” he asked.
She released a deep sigh. “There is no good news.”
At that moment Glenda reappeared with their iced teas. “Your food should be coming up in just a couple of minutes,” she said and left once again.
“I refuse to eat a meal where discouragement is hanging thick in the air,” he said. “It gives me indigestion. So, know any good jokes?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I am not a good joke teller. I always manage to mangle the punch line. Monique is the joke teller in the family. She has perfect timing and could make us all laugh no matter what our mood.”
“Were you and your sisters always close?”
“Always. We were…are best friends and there was never a moment when sibling rivalry was an issue. In truth, we had very few friends growing up because we always had each other.” She gazed at him curiously. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?” There was so much about him she didn’t know.
“No. I had a little brother but he was murdered along with my mother in a home invasion incident.” His eyes appeared to darken with pain.
She gasped in stunned surprise. “Oh my God, Daniel, I’m so very sorry. Did this happen here in Dark Waters?” So he knew intimately the kind of loss that occurred when evil took away a loved one. Still, she couldn’t imagine what he’d been through. His mother and his little brother? My God, it was positively horrendous to even think about.
“No, we lived in Baton Rouge, and my father was at work and I was at school when it happened. I was seven years old at the time and my little brother was four. Anyway, afterwardmy father wanted to get away and so we moved here. I don’t even know how he found Dark Waters. But he fell into a deep depression and when I was eighteen years old he wound up taking his own life.”
“Oh, Daniel.” She reached her hand out to take hold of his. “My God, I had no idea you’d suffered so much.”
“It was a long time ago,” he replied.
“Even so, it’s so horrible. Did they catch the person responsible for your mother and brother’s murders?”
“No, they didn’t. It’s now a cold case that will probably never be solved.” He squeezed her hand and she pulled hers back.
“Is that why you went into law enforcement?”
“Yeah. Growing up, all I wanted to do was put all the bad guys away, and I love this little town so law enforcement felt right for me.”
“So, you know what it’s like,” she said softly, giving voice to her earlier thoughts.
