a reputation, but more than that, I only show my best work—work I’m proud of. Those sketches last night were all wrong.”
“He’s dead, Arnaud,” Remy said as gently as he could through gritted teeth. “He won’t be publishing photographs anymore. I’m looking for the man or men who may have abducted him, took him out to the swamp and then murdered him.”
“At least he’s giving back to the planet and doing something constructive rather than hurting people like Bijou,” Arnaud said pragmatically. “He wasn’t a very good man, was he?”
Remy sighed. “I suppose not. But even men who aren’t worth much need someone to stand for them.”
“This isn’t working. Let’s try something else,” Arnaud said, ignoring, or not hearing Remy’s comment. “Will you allow me to put your head in the position I need you to be in?”
“I don’t have very much more time,” Remy said, glancing at his watch again.
“Just give me a couple more minutes,” Arnaud pleaded. “I know I can do this.” He jumped up, but it wasn’t jumping so much as gliding. He was very graceful, a man who under any circumstances, even when he was at his most frustrated, still seemed elegant.
He hurried around Remy and caught his chin, his touch almost gentle as he turned his head. The moment Arnaud put his fingers against Remy’s skin, Remy’s leopard raked and snarled, forcing Remy to breathe deep to keep control. He glanced down at the floor, at Arnaud’s beautifully polished immaculate dress shoes. Bits of grass and mud stuck, not to the shoes, but to one hem of his trousers. He registered the information and alarm spread. As he started to turn to face the threat, Remy felt a sting in his neck.
His leopard tried to protect him, leaping for the surface, a wave of fur moving under his skin, but the ketamine was fast acting on both of them.
* * *
BIJOU stood outside the Inn with Saria, admiring the full moon. “It sure is beautiful here, Saria. What a wonderful weddin’ gift Miss Pauline gave you. The location couldn’t be more perfect.”
“Especially for a leopard,” Saria agreed. “Miss Pauline was always in love with Amos Jeanmard. When his wife died, he married Miss Pauline, and she gave me the Inn.”
“I remember him. We used to have to hide from him when we were sneakin’ into the swamp at night.”
“He’s leopard. He was leader of the lair, but he claimed he got old and tired. Miss Pauline’s leopard never emerged and he didn’t marry her when they were young because he thought it would be best for the lair if only leopards mated. I think the real reason he gave up leadership was so he felt he was free to marry Miss Pauline.”
Bijou leaned against Saria’s car. Hers was going to need a lot of work before she could drive it—if she could make herself get into it after the things Carson had done to it. “If my leopard hadn’t emerged, do you think Remy would have walked away?”
Saria frowned at her. “I always forget you lack self-confidence, which is insane when it comes to my brother. He’s head over heels for you. Believe me, I’ve never seen him act like such a goofball.”
“Remy is never a goofball,” Bijou said. She looked up at the sky again, at the stars. “I’d forgotten how to be happy until I came back here. Which is rather awful to say when all these murders are going on. I don’ know how Remy does it every day.”
“He’s good at his job and he’s passionate about it. Remy lives life to the fullest. Now that he has you, I won’t worry so much about him,” Saria said. “He can be so serious, and that leopard of his is so difficult.”
“Are you afraid of your leopard?” Bijou asked, crossing her arms across her chest. “Because I’ll admit, I find the entire idea of being a shifter very scary. What if I can’t control her when she’s out?”
“I felt that way at first as well,” Saria admitted. “You have Remy, and he’ll guide you through it. There are seven main families that live in the swamps and bayous that date back to the first settlers. They did intermarry with others who weren’t leopard, but if they have one of the seven last names, you can pretty much bet, they’re one of us. The thing is, Bijou, we’re a small community so we’re intensely loyal to one another. We have to be.”