“If he’s right, then we’re no closer to solving the murder than we were on the night it happened,” Clay said dismally.
“Before we jump to any conclusions, we need to thoroughly check out Lucien’s story,” Daniel said. “Clay, why don’t you look into the offshore fishing boat. See if you can find out when he was hired and when he left the boat.”
“Got it,” Clay said.
“And Luke, why don’t you head into the swamp and see what you can find out about the relationship between Guidry and Lucien,” Daniel continued. “Talk to George and any other men you come across. If it turns out that Lucien and Pierre are close, then I’ll be less likely to believe this new alibi for Pierre.”
“And if they aren’t close?” Luke’s question hung in the air.
Daniel released a deep sigh. “Then we’ll have to face the fact that we might have been chasing the wrong man for the murder.”
Luke felt as if the entire world was exploding apart. The murder they believed they had solved was no longer a sure thing, and he’d fallen deeply in love with a woman he knew he couldn’t live with and who didn’t love him back.
HE WAS READY. He was so ready to make her his own. Even though he had only communicated with her so far with the notes he’d left for her, she obviously cared about him, too. She’d stopped seeing the lawman, just like he’d told her to do. That proved to him that she wanted to please him.
Every time he saw her, she half stole his breath with her beauty. She was cheerful and lively and that’s what he needed, that’s what his house needed.
Once she was here where she belonged, there would be no more loneliness for him, no more grief to deal with. Her bright energy would fill up all the dark places in his house, and more importantly, all the dark places in his heart.
He needed her and he was ready to take her again. Only this time it wouldn’t matter if she had a knife. Once he pierced her skin with the injection he had ready, there would be no fight. She would fall into his arms and he would bring her here, to be his forever more.
Now it was just a matter of waiting for the right time and place. He would find that right time very, very soon. And he couldn’t wait. A sweet anticipation rushed through his body.
Soon, she would finally be his and his alone, and with enough time he would make her love him. Oh yes, all his dreams were about to come true. The beautiful Dominique would be his. She would fulfill the promises that had been broken by another. She would be his through eternity.
Chapter Eleven
Dominique sat with her two sisters on the sofa in her shanty, waiting for Daniel to arrive with an update on their mother’s case.
It was the first time he’d called them all together and all three of them were hopeful that Daniel was bringing them good news. Of course, the best news of all would be that they had found the evidence they needed to get Pierre behind bars.
She was hungry for something good to happen. Since Luke had walked out of her house two nights before, she had been filled with a sadness she didn’t understand and couldn’t quite shake.
She missed Luke desperately. He’d taken a big piece of her heart with him and had left behind an aching emptiness she certainly hadn’t expected.
Angelique now looked at Dominique. “You’ve certainly been quiet this evening.”
“Yeah, you haven’t been your normal bubbly self tonight,” Monique added.
“I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night and then I worked the early shift this morning,” Dominique replied.
“You haven’t mentioned your nightly stalking of Pierre lately,” Angelique observed.
“That’s because I gave it up a few nights ago,” she replied.
“Thank the lord,” Monique replied and placed a soft hand on Dominique’s. “I was so worried about you when you were doingthat at night. Even taking Luke with you didn’t make me feel much better about it.”
“I felt completely safe with Luke by my side,” she said. Again, a pang of sadness shot off in her. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she straighten out her emotions? “Didn’t Daniel give you an idea about why he wanted to meet with us?” she asked Angelique.
“No, he didn’t. He just called me at the store and told me to meet him here,” she replied. There it was…that love she had for her boyfriend so rich in her tone.
Dominique wanted that for herself, but she didn’t feel like dating at the moment. Still, how was she ever going to find her person if she spent all her evenings alone in her shanty?
A knock fell on the door and Dominique hurried to answer it. Not only was it Daniel, but Luke and Clay were with him, as well.
Luke looked wonderfully handsome in his blue uniform, but she refused to let her gaze linger on him. She missed him so much. Her life just wasn’t the same without him in it.
“Gentlemen, have a seat,” she said. She gestured to the chair across from the sofa and then hurried into the kitchen to grab two more chairs.
