Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

shook his head. “When the old man got sick, he told us to take over the night deliveries. That was when we knew. So about three years ago, we get a call and we go. We should have stopped as soon as we figured it out, but the money was good and we didn’t want to keep huntin’ gators.”
    “And there was Evangeline,” Beau added. “We both felt we had to protect her.”
    “Did someone threaten her?” Remy asked.
    Beau looked at his brother. “Not outright. One night we came home and Evangeline’s room was wrecked. There was a knife stuck in the middle of her mattress. We’d hesitated about makin’ the delivery, hedgin’ a little when the call came in. We didn’t do that anymore. We figured whoever made those calls was tellin’ us we play ball with them or Evangeline dies.”
    “Who made the calls?”
    The two men looked at one another. Gilbert shrugged. “I don’t know. They used something, a device, to change their voice to a mechanical sound.”
    “So after all this time working for the Merciers, you want us to believe you don’t have a clue who gives the orders?” Drake demanded.
    Beau shook his head. “We didn’t want to know. We thought it was safer that way. They have a master gardener and crew tending the flowers. We just make the deliveries. To the dock, to the local shops and the special ones.”
    “So what were you coming here to tell Joshua?” Drake asked. They were telling the truth. They’d closed their eyes to everything but the money for a lot of reasons, but their voices resonated with the truth.
    “We thought if we told him what was goin’ on he’d think of a way to get us out without puttin’ Evangeline in danger,” Gilbert admitted. “We argued about it. Beau didn’t think you’d believe us. In the end we didn’t really have a choice. We knew you had to have seen us. That girl—Saria—she’s good in the swamp. She got you to the point in time to see the boat dockin’. She just doesn’t know how to quit.”
    “She got us there,” Drake said. “In plenty of time to identify both of you.”
    “Well, we finally quit arguin’ and came up through the canal and swamp in our boat. It’s docked down there at the lake. When we got close to the inn, we could see smoke. We tried the doors downstairs, but they were all locked,” Gilbert explained.
    “Gilbert was goin’ to break in, but then we heard glass shatter on the second-story balcony. We ran, afraid if you saw us, you’d think we started the fire. But when we got down to the lake, both of us couldn’t just leave, knowin’ there were people maybe burnin’ in the inn, so we ran back.”
    Again, there was that ring of truth in Beau’s voice that Drake couldn’t ignore. He glanced at Remy, who nodded. He thought they were telling the truth as well. They were guilty of taking drug money, but neither man was a killer—certainly not a serial killer. And Drake doubted if either possessed the brains to mastermind placing opiates in perfumed soaps.
    “Your old man never told you who came up with the idea to put opium bricks in the soaps?” Drake asked, already knowing the answer.
    “I didn’t even know that was what was in the boxes,” Beau said. “I didn’t want to know.”
    “Where do they manufacture the soaps, lotions and perfumes?” Drake asked.
    Beau frowned and looked at his brother. “The factory is in town, not out in the swamp. The laboratory where Charisse works is on their property, but everything is made in town. We pick up our deliveries there.”
    “And your special ones?” Remy prompted.
    “They’re waitin’ at the Mercier dock for us, already loaded in the boat.”
    “Beau, how dumb can you be,” Remy burst out in disgust. “Runnin’ drugs, for God’s sake. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
    Beau hung his head. “We were losin’ everythin’, Remy. The house, the boat, everythin’ and we’ve always done what pa told us to do. We got good money for makin’ the deliveries and workin’ for the Merciers gave us great benefits. They’re fair employers.”
    “Other than you have to run drugs for them,” Drake said.onet>
    Beau didn’t reply.
    “What are you goin’ to do with us?” Gilbert asked.
    “I haven’t decided yet,” Drake said. “For now, go home and keep your mouths shut. If you get another call, you’d better let us know immediately. And then take Evangeline to the Boudreaux home. You understand me? Don’t make me come looking for you.”
    Remy