least little thing that happens around here—they call the cops.”
She nodded tightly, then changed the subject. “What do you think happened to the men who brought the car yesterday?”
“You saw them drive away.”
“Yes!”
He sighed. “I don’t know what happened. But I think I’d better go look for them.”
“Let me help.”
“No,” he said quickly and firmly. “If something happened in the bayou, I want you safe in the house. Is that understood?”
“I could help you,” she insisted. “Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
“Not necessarily. I told you, I know my way around the backcountry—since I’m there every night. I know how to avoid the dangers. If you were with me, I’d only worry about you. And your going off by yourself is out of the question.”
“Rick could be waiting to jump you.”
Andre nodded tightly. She wanted to insist on going with him. She wanted to say she would be worried every moment he was gone. But she kept those words locked inside and clamped a hand on his arm. “You’re willing to help him? Even if he hates you?”
His gaze scorched hers. “Especially if he hates me.”
A noise from the landing made her glance up, and she saw Janet gazing down at her—looking upset.
“Come in,” she said to Morgan in a quiet but insistent voice.
Two against one, Morgan told herself. She still could have protested, but now she and Andre had an audience.
Lowering her voice, she said, “We have to talk—about Linette and Andre.”
“Yes.”
At least he’d conceded that much, although maybe he was just agreeing so she’d stop arguing with him.
“I have to go,” he added. “Don’t make me worry about you tonight. Promise me you’ll stay inside.”
“All right,” she whispered. Then, before she could change her mind, she climbed the steps. At the top, she turned and stared down at Andre, who was looking up at her. “Stay safe,” he growled.
Then, stiffly, he turned and trotted away. She wanted to ask what he was thinking right now. She wanted to ask where he would look for the men and how he could possibly locate them in all that wilderness. Instead she watched him disappear into the trees.
Shoulders slumped, Morgan followed Janet into the house.
“He told you he goes into the swamp at night?” the housekeeper asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s more than he’s told anyone else.”
“And what do you know about it?” Morgan demanded.
“I won’t give away his secrets, child,” the woman said before turning away.
Morgan wanted to follow her into the kitchen and demand a better answer. She knew she’d be wasting her time. Janet was loyal—and stubborn.
So, she went up to her room and tried to do some online research. But she couldn’t find anything on the history of Linette Sonnier and Andre Gascon.
A knock at the door made her glance up sharply.
“Come in,” she called out.
Janet opened the door. “Would you like to have dinner?” the housekeeper asked.
After a silent debate, she answered, “Well, I’ve had a pretty tiring day. Would you mind if I just took a sandwich up here?”
“Since I got the oven back, I made a nice shepherd’s pie. You could take some of that.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Morgan said. “I was just trying not to make any extra work for you.”
“The dinner’s already made. You can eat on the sun porch,” Janet said quickly.
Morgan wasn’t sure what the polite thing to do was, but she decided that Janet might not want her company, either. So, she followed the housekeeper downstairs, then took a tray of food out to a room at the side of the house where she hadn’t been before. It was furnished with wicker chairs and a wrought iron patio set. Several ficus trees and pots of flowers were set around on the slate floor. Through the big windows, she could look out at the last glimmers of light from the sunset.
The view would have been appealing if she’d been able to relax and enjoy it.
She had very little appetite. But since Janet had gone to the trouble of making dinner, she finished as much of it as she could.
When she took the tray back to the kitchen, she was relieved to find the room empty. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she scraped the remaining food on her plate into the disposal and ran the appliance before putting the plate in the dishwasher.
Up in her room, she stood at the window for a long time, wishing she could see something—even a light in the swamp. But it was pitch dark, and she