“He dumped his body?” Chantal’s voice cracked.
“That’s not what I meant. He dumped him alive, along with Rene and Lourdes’s bodies, but your father figured he’d bleed to death from the sedative, or drown when it filled with water, or suffocate when the walls collapsed,” Rosalind explained.
Chantal saw Noah’s hands form and release fists. “Where, Mother?”
“I told you. You know how I don’t like blood or smells,” Rosalind said.
Chantal frowned. “She’s telling the truth. Okay, you get to see her for one minute. She can’t focus too much, so looking at you shouldn’t scar her.”
Noah knocked on the door, and Mia came in. She handed the pink bundle to Chantal. With the baby resting in her arms, Chantal pulled back the blanket from around Lisette’s head.
Tears fell silently down Rosalind’s cheeks. “She looks just like you did. She’s beautiful, Chantal.”
Chantal looked at the clock. “That’s a minute. Goodbye, Mother.”
As the door closed, she heard her mother plead, “Don’t go.”
Tobey and Tuck stood waiting for her. Chantal threw her shoulders back. “You heard her. Where is the son of a bitch?”
After kissing Lisette, she handed her to Tuck. Tobey knocked on the door, and Julian let her in.
“Ah, Chantal, I figured they’d use one of you as a patsy to try to get me to talk,” Pierre said.
“You are an ass. And a stupid one at that. You see, Father,” she said with contempt, “youare the patsy, doing Mom’s bidding. The Rousselle women are the powerful ones. Let’s end this mess. Where is Kip Brennan?”
“How would…” Pierre was cut off when the door opened, and in flew a new hurricane in the form of Harper.
“Where is he? Don’t tell me you don’t know. Mother already admitted you dumped him off the river. Where?” Harper demanded.
“Come on, Harper. Cry. Or are you the one who pouts? No, that’s Chantal,” Pierre belittled them.
Harper’s hand flew, slapping her father across the face. “Don’t you dare. I won’t allow you to criticize either one of us again.”
“You bitch. I’m your father!” Julian pushed him back to sitting when he tried to stand.
“You’re a sperm donor,” Chantal said. “Here are some facts, Daddy Dearest. You are a poor example of a businessman. The only way for you to succeed was to commit fraud and murder people. You considered yourself a champion of children’s causes. I call bullshit.
“You orphaned triplet boys and two baby girls. At least that’s what we know about as of now. But your friends have made a nice choir. And they’re all pointing fingers at you,” she continued.
“You were always a drama queen, Chantal,” Pierre continued his obstinance.
“As the embarrassment of the family, my restaurant just got a Michelin star. I’m engaged to a wonderful man, who happily wants to adopt your granddaughter conceived with the bodyguard you assigned to protect me. And if you’re interested, Kyle’s bank account has seven figures plus seven figures in investments. And Harper hasn’t gotten to Kip yet,” Chantal gloated.
“You said granddaughter?” he asked.
“Lisette. I won’t let her share your air until you tell us where you dumped Lourdes and Rene Sommerstone,” Chantal asked.
“How would I know that?”
“Because they are in the same place as Kip Brennan. Oh, yeah, we know that too,” Harper said. “You did your best to make me feel weak so you could control me. Then you pawned me off on Jerrold Sommerstone, another weak individual you could control. Then Jerrold almost killed me. And lying in that hospital bed, and then at Rene and Lourdes’s home, I realized I deserved better.
“Thanks to Channy, I started to find my way. Then I met Kip Brennan. He taught me and reinforced that I have two strong legs. One of the men you drugged when you kidnapped Kip repeated what you said when he awakened. I’m not weak-willed. And I have an amazing family. I have Channy and Lisette.” She then named every man and woman she knew at Chase-New Orleans.
“Finally, there is Dr. Hunt Montgomery. He’s about your age, and he’s a far better human being than you will ever be. Plus, he’s a better father to me. If you are counting on my withering away if Kip succumbs, then you are a fool. I hope you live a long life behind bars.”
Kieran Chase joined them.
“Kieran, will you help me figure out how I can get space on the two huge billboards coming into the city and by the airport?”
