Chapter Fourteen
Zach sat across from Captain Saucier, trying to figure out the best way to lie to him and still not cause a heart attack. The man was clearly suffering from the strain. He kept running his fingers across the top of his bald head, probably wishing he still had some hair to pull out.
“Nothing,” the captain complained, and banged one hand on his desk. “Four days and not a damned thing. Please tell me you’ve got something, Blanchard. Our futures here may depend on it.”
“I might have something, but it’s thin, and you’re not going to like where I got it.”
“I don’t care if Satan himself showed up with a tip. I’ll take anything at this point.”
Zach took a breath and blew it out. “It wasn’t Satan, but it could get us a one-way ticket to hell if anyone finds out.”
The captain stared at him for a couple of seconds, then shook his head. “Shit. That Bordeaux woman.”
“Yeah. She sorta called me. I gave her my card and—”
The captain waved a hand, cutting him off. “I know I’m likely to regret this, but I don’t even care. Do you know where the woman is now?”
“No.” At least that part was absolutely true.
“Could you track the call?”
“No.” Since she’d told him the phone wasn’t traceable, that part was technically true, also.
“Then fuck it,” the captain said. “What did the woman have to say? Did she bother to explain why the FBI is after her? Or what she had to do with the kidnappings? Please tell me she knows something.”
“She knows something, but I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“I need to know that the information she provides is credible, so let’s start at the beginning. What does the FBI want with her? Was she involved with the other kidnappings?”
“Sorta, but not in the way you’re thinking. She claims she’s former FBI.”
The captain sat straight up in his chair. “Is she rogue?”
“No. She’s the key witness in a huge case, but she fled protective custody when it was clear the bad guys could get to her anyway.”
“And you believe this?”
Zach tried to appear nonchalant. “I can’t see much reason not to. The FBI’s looking for her, sure, but all they sent was that dick Fields. If she were wanted for criminal activity, especially kidnapping, wouldn’t they have sent in a squad with guns blazing?”
“You have a point. Unless she voluntarily surrenders and puts on a set of handcuffs herself, Fields isn’t likely to apprehend her. That guy must be related to somebody important to keep his position. He’s useless. So was she on the kidnapping case?”
“No, but while she was undercover, she stumbled across something that made her think a member of her primary target’s family was part of it.”
“Undercover, huh? Please tell me she wasn’t a secretary or something in the mayor’s office. My ulcer is already killing me.”
“No, it wasn’t that kind of family, exactly.”
The captain frowned. “Then what kind of family was it?”
“The Hebert kind of family.”
Captain Saucier stared at him, a stunned expression on his face. “No shit. This broad claims she was undercover in the Hebert clan? No wonder she’s been hiding. I’m surprised she’s not hiding at the bottom of the Mississippi.”
“Me, too, but apparently Ms. Bordeaux is much more resourceful than the FBI or the Heberts ever imagined.”
“Unbelievable. Well, that’s a twist I didn’t see coming.”
“Me, either, sir.”
“So this Bordeaux woman thinks one of the Hebert family is involved? Did she say which one?”
“Yeah, but word is he hasn’t been seen for some time now. She doesn’t think he’s vacationing. At least not alive.”
“Shit.” The captain picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk. “So what do you make of this? It could be a different Hebert now, but what the hell? There’s never been a ransom request, so what’s the angle? The Heberts aren’t known to participate in not-for-profit activities.”
“I was thinking the political angle,” Zach suggested.
“With the mayor.” The captain dropped the pen and sat back in his chair. “Okay. So the question is, did they take the girl to strong-arm some favor or did they take the girl per mayor’s orders, to boost his reelection ratings for future favors?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Did the Bordeaux woman give you anything else?”
“Yeah. A Dr. Spencer. Apparently Ms. Bordeaux knew the girl. Used to see her go to a doctor’s appointment across the street from her shop. The mother and girl used to stop in her store afterward.”
“And did you talk to Spencer?”
“He’s a cancer Specialist and says the girl is sick, but apparently the mother lied about her identity, and even the girl doesn’t know what she’s being treated for.”
“Does the father know?”
Zach shook his head. “I don’t think so, and the mother’s definitely hiding something. She looked scared to death when I mentioned the mayor’s connection to the other kidnappings.”
“Please don’t tell me this kid’s going to die.”
“Dr. Spencer doesn’t think so, but the longer she goes without her medication…”
“Shit. Can you find this Bordeaux woman?”
Zach shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you telling me to go against FBI orders and look for her?”
The captain stared out the window for a while, then looked back at Zach. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m telling you to do.”
Zach rose from his chair, holding in a smile. He’d just been officially given permission to be in Raissa’s company, and God help him, that was something he wanted badly. Plus, he tried to tell himself, it would make things much easier going forward…for the investigation.
“And Blanchard,” the captain said as Zach stepped out of the office, “keep this between the two of us.”
Zach nodded. It went without saying.