In Over Her Head Chloe Babineaux Private Investigator

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter One

When are you gonna stop followin’ people around for a livin’?

When are you gonna stop thinking you’re human just because you have opposable thumbs? I said giving my cousin Luke a side long glance. I told you I no longer take divorce cases. Pay attention while grownups are talking.

My cousin Luke was a laugh riot. I’m Chloe Babineaux, a private investigator and my cousin, Luke Vandersypen, was an idiot. He thought he was funny, but he was the only one laughing at his joke. His sister Jean was laughing hard at mine.

He is hairy isn’t he? Jean Abbott, Luke’s sister, laughed, I think while he was being formed in the uterus, he became genetically flawed. I laughed, and she added shaking her head, Thank God my children were spared. If Luke weren't so obnoxious and thought all women wanted him, she wouldn’t have made that comment.

Luke glared at us but didn’t say anything. Probably because he couldn’t come up with a witty comeback. I was kind of surprised he didn’t stick his tongue out at us. No, more likely flipped us off. His fingers must be tired from all the flipping he had been doing today.

Luke was my cousin on my mother’s side and had thick, dark hair not only on his head but all over his body. The hair on his arms was long enough to braid, and you couldn’t see the skin on his legs through of the thick hair. Was he wearing pants? No. I shuddered privately, he was wearing shorts. His two brothers Graham and Toby are hairy but not like Luke and luckily his sisters, Jean and Elaine, didn’t inherit the hairy gene. He was also the baby of his family and was three years older than I which made him 35. We were close enough in age to have grown up aggressively aggravating each other our entire lives. He was obnoxious and an all-around bonehead, but we could get along when we had to. It was just that we had been around each other all morning and thirty minutes was too long with Luke. Put stress into the mix, and it was agonizing.

We had been sitting in the ICU waiting room at Rapides General Hospital because my Aunt Grace, Luke’s mother, had a heart attack. She’d probably be in a private room tomorrow; today’s ICU was just a precautionary thing. That was what we were telling ourselves anyway, although the Dr. did say she would be out of ICU soon.

My butt had fallen asleep, and I couldn’t care less about the parent magazine I had been flipping through. I wasn’t married, and I had no children. The two were not synonymous. I just thought I would explain why I didn’t care why I should never bribe my child; I should give them an incentive instead. What was the difference in a bribe and giving your child that extra slice of pie for doing something you wanted them to do? In my case, I’d bribe my child with five dollars since I didn’t bake. Okay, I rarely baked. I had on occasion baked a frozen pie or thrown a lasagna in the microwave for my boyfriend, Rick Thompson. Do you think that was why he was still my boyfriend and not my husband? Nah, I didn’t really think he cared how much I baked. His cooking was actually suitable for consumption.

Thinking about baking was why I wished I hadn’t taken my book out of my purse. That and the fact I was bored silly. Jean was obviously bored too, or she wouldn’t have laughed so hard at my joke. Stress can make a perfectly lame joke seem extra funny, so she was clearly stressed as well as bored. Although, everyone else in the room got a good chuckle out of the joke too. Yes, we were all totally stressed and bored.

I glanced at my watch and noticed it was time for a meeting with my employer. Suzanne Reynolds was an attorney I occasionally work for because I enjoy eating and paying my rent. She hired me to follow a questionable man around and take notes of everywhere he went and if possible the names of the people he associated with. Not an easy task since she wouldn’t let me place a bug on him or break into his house. I had to use other methods. My twin brother, Cody and my boyfriend Rick, were detectives for the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Dept. and kept telling me they were going to arrest me. I kept telling Rick he just wanted to put handcuffs on me. He’d grin and tell me he doesn’t have to arrest me for that.

I know what you were thinking, ‘She’s dating her brother’s partner?’ Yeah, it was a long story, so I’d tell it later. Right now I had a meeting to go to. Let’s suffice it to say I was still on speaking terms with my brother. He was happy I was someone else’s headache. I told him he missed not knowing everything I did. That usually made him grab the bridge of his nose and shake his head.

I grabbed my purse and thought about walking to my mother and her brother Charlie. Their other siblings sat near them gossiping, and bragging/complaining about their children’s spouses and their grandchildren. My mother was probably doing the most complaining about yours truly, but she loves me no matter what she says. And I was going to keep telling her that. She loved talking about Cody’s two boys and says that’s what keeps her sane. I tell her good for her she needed to keep that happy thought. Thinking she was sane that is.

My intention was to walk over to my mother, but I didn’t make it out of my chair before my cell phone rang, probably because my butt was asleep and it was rude to wake the sleeping. It was Cody calling to check up on Aunt Grace. He said he couldn’t take time off, I told him he didn’t want to be trapped for hours with Luke. He grinned but didn’t deny it. I had met him at a nearby restaurant and made him pay for my breakfast.

Hey, Cody, I answered cheerfully. I wanted him to think I really didn’t mind that he wasn’t here and I wasn’t mentally choking Luke. I could handle anything that was thrown at me. And most times I could, so throw your best at me, Cody.

Hey, how’s Aunt Grace?

Better, the Dr. said she’ll be in a private room soon so you can see her then. She’s difficult to see while she’s in ICU so it’s okay you couldn’t make it. Yeah, he owes me big.

Yeah, yeah, Luke is a horse’s ass, and I owe you big. I get it, he said laughing. He’s my twin and knows me well. I’ll come by later. I’ll call Morgan so she can meet me.

Good, I’ll tell Mama you’ll drop by this evening. His wife, Morgan, was a nurse at the hospital, so all she had to do was walk down a few flights of stairs when her shift was over.

Okay, good, Rick wants to talk to you.

A second later an upbeat very pleasant male voice said, Hey babe, everything all right? It took Cody a while before he got used to the idea that Rick and I were seeing each other but he seemed to have adjusted. When I met Rick, he and Cody had just become partners and Cody hadn’t introduced us yet. When I found out they were partners I didn’t want to have anything to do with him but Rick was like a stray cat. You fed him once or rather he brought food to my apartment—we ate together—he just wouldn’t go away. Not that I really wanted him to. He was just over six feet, dark brown wavy hair, brown eyes, a nose that was a little too long, had a look that said he’d eradicate you but would still sleep well at night and was far more than just sexy.

Couldn’t be better, baby cakes, I said smiling. My extended family tended to think I was rough on men and the reason I wasn’t married was because I was bossy. Hell, everyone I knew tended to think that about me. Can I help if the men I had dated in the past didn’t let me be me? Rick doesn’t back down, and I love that about him. I also think it had to with him being a Navy SEAL; he doesn’t know the meaning of the words ‘back down.’ Well, he was a Navy man; after all he was a detective now. He doesn’t like it when I say he was retired because it makes him feel old. Truth was he was only a couple years older than me.

Luke rolled his eyes, and Jean grinned broadly. She’d met Rick and his studliness and understoodd why I hadn’t run this one off. It might have had something to do with the fact we actually got along because it usually didn’t take much effort to run a man off. Their other siblings Graham, Toby, and Elaine were caught up in their own conversations, so they were ignoring me, only a glance when my phone started singing to me.

Okay good, Rick laughed. Are you still picking up Tony at the airport? Tony Fernandez was a good friend of Rick’s from the SEALs and the boyfriend of my friend Fiona, a.k.a. Nona Garcia. I was picking him up because I was the only one without a real job and was able. I had initially gone to the police academy but dropped out due to unforeseen circumstances. That sort of put a damper to my law enforcement calling. Now I snuck around and apologized later if I was caught. I liked it that way.

Yep, right after my meeting with Suzanne. I’ll pick him up and then dislodge him at Nona’s office. I said standing up and shifting from foot to foot trying to get the feeling in my derriere. My mother was eying me; maybe I should ask her to massage my rear end for me to help circulate the blood. Maybe not, she was shaking her head like she could read my mind. I really didn’t think she could otherwise she would have buried me years ago.

Sounds good, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.

Love you, too, I said while giving Luke a shit eating grin.

You make me wanna puke, Luke said rolling his eyes. Luke was in fact, married at one time. Reality hit his ex-wife after four years of marriage when she realized Luke cared about numero uno more than anyone else, which included their three children. Everyone in the family still liked her, which drives Luke crazy.

I just grinned broader and walked to my mother. I squatted down in front of her and grabbed her hands so she couldn’t pull me down in the chair across from her to make me stay longer. I have to go now. I have a meeting I really need to go to since she’s paying my rent this month. Suzanne Reynolds’ law firm had a private investigating firm they used for the divorce stuff and whatever else they need P. I’s., but hired me for the small nitpicky things. Workd for me. I handled the small things, and everyone was happy.

I touched Uncle Charlie’s arm, smiled and said, Bye Uncle Charlie, I’ll be back to see Aunt Grace tomorrow, and Cody said he and Morgan would try to come by tonight when they got off work. He smiled but looked tired and very sleepy. His gray hair was poofed up on the sides as if he ran his fingers through it. Considering the night he had, he looked pretty good.

That’s fine. He really doesn’t need to come by tonight. He can wait till Grace’s in a private room. He smiled and added placing his hand on mine, Although, you and Luke kept me laughing. If I didn’t know better, I’d think y’all really didn’t like each other,

If he only knew. I glanced at my mother and saw she had narrowed her eyes at me and clenched her jaw. That must really hurt. She must have thought I was going to tell my poor worried Uncle Charlie the truth about his moron son. Nope, not today Mama.

Yeah, Luke and I will do anything to keep your mind off of Aunt Grace, I said smiling sweetly and winking at my mother. She visibly exhaled and smiled back. I told the others goodbye and walked out to the corridor. I could be downright considerate when I wanted to.

While walking to the elevator, I called Suzanne and told her I was on my way, and she said she would be ready for me.

I felt someone touch my arm and say, Excuse me. Did I over hear you say you were a private investigator? He was a little shorter than me which would make him about 5’6", blond hair and blue eyes, very thin and very average looking. The kind of face that blends and was forgettable.

Yes, I am, I said a little cautiously.

Oh, good, he said nervously. Do you think you could help me?

I don’t know, I said glancing up at the white industrial ceiling searching for air vents. I had a sudden chill. Why don’t you tell me why you would need an investigator?

Well, he said looking around. The mail man found a dead man near my house, and now the cops are questioning me about it.

He made me feel sort of paranoid, so I looked around as well before answering. Wait…what? Dead man? That’s what they do. Question people when dead people were found. Why don’t you just ask the cops what they found out about the man? I was very proud of myself. I didn’t even widen my eyes when he mentioned a dead man was found near his home. Well, they might have widened a little. He said it like the mail man delivered the dead man.

He took a deep breath and let it out before answering, I did ask. They won’t tell me anything. He looked at me like I could magically find the answers to his query. Not likely since we were standing in a hospital corridor and not at the police station.

I glanced at my watch and noticed I really had to get going; Suzanne would be waiting for me. I shrugged my shoulders and said, Even though it’s an ongoing investigation, and I could get my license pulled, why don’t you come by my office around noon and tell me what you know and the name of the cop that talked to you and I’ll see what I can do. I pulled out my wallet and handed him my card with my office address, office phone number and cell phone number.

Great, he said relieved.

By the way what’s your name? I asked while pushing the down button on the elevator.

He smiled and said, Kirby Neals and I’ll see you at noon.

I smiled stepping in the elevator and said, See you then.

Chapter Two

Suzanne Reynolds was Rick’s ex-girlfriend which should make it strange that I was not only friends with her but also working for her. She pays a lot better than my average client. One case from her pays my rent for a month.

I parked my forest green Toyota Tundra in front of her downtown office and grabbed my bag with my notebook, report, and photos. This meeting wouldn’t take long. The man I was following wasn’t that interesting. I really couldn’t guess why she wanted me to follow this guy. She swore to me it wasn’t a divorce case, so I took it and did my best.

I had quit taking divorce cases when I started getting serious about Rick. I just couldn’t do that any longer. It didn’t feel right. Yes, the men and women that were cheating needed to be caught and pay for what they were doing but there were times when the paying spouse really didn’t believe it, and they were heartbroken when the truth came out. So, I swallowed my pride and my rent money and quit. There was nothing wrong with finding a lost pet now and then.

The receptionist at the front desk was demure and somber and was wearing a very professional soft blue business suit with her hair in a tight blond French twist. She probably worked at a titty club on weekends. Shame on me, just because she eyed me up and down while smirking and obviously didn’t care for the way I dressed when I came for a meeting, didn’t mean I should think such thoughts about her. There was nothing wrong with jeans, girly T-shirt and sandals. I didn’t like to wear business suits unless I had to and a meeting with Suzanne does not justify a business suit. Besides this was the way I always dressed. It was summer. Well, almost summer it was May, in the winter I wear boots. If I hadn’t come from the hospital, I had probably worn shorts just to blow the receptionist’s mind. No, probably not, I mean it was Suzanne’s office, and I did respect the woman who was paying me.

I smiled sweetly when I walked in and the blond titty club dancer narrowed her eyes at me and told me to go in Suzanne was expecting me.

I sailed past her and walked into Suzanne’s office while knocking. Suzanne was at her desk typing on her laptop. Dang, I thought I saw sparks fly out a few times. I sat across from her and took out my report and photos and waited. She was dressed very businesslike in her mauve suit with blond hair pulled into a pony tail. Her blazer was hanging on the coat rack beside her door, so when she sat back smiling at me, I could see her blouse stretching across her breasts. The woman had breasts that could make a man weep. Why Rick broke up with her before sleeping with her was beyond me. Hell, if I weren't straight I’d sleep with her. Okay, if neither one of us were straight I would sleep with her. I told her that once and she laughed.

So what have you got for me, sexy? She said leaning over her desk. Damn, I think she just covered her whole laptop with her boobs.

I pulled my eyes away from the laptop and answered making a face. Not much. Your man was boring. He didn’t do much over the weekend. I placed photos on her desk to show her the proof of his boringness. He just played golf and went home. If he went out on the town, I didn’t see him do it, and I stayed till one a.m. Friday and Saturday. He could have snuck away using his backyard pier, he lives on Kincaid Lake and has another car left at the lake’s boat landing, but I didn’t notice. I narrowed my eyes and added, You wouldn’t let me break into his house or set up surveillance around his house. And this man has one hell of a house. His house was a McMansion. It was a spread out ranch style that took up most of a half acre. The lot was only about two acres. You know, when I did a background check, I couldn’t come up with much. I couldn’t even find out who owned the house. It belongs to some organization called FNO. Do you know what that’s all about?

Suzanne looked at the photos and shook her head. No, I don’t know what that is, and I didn’t want you to do anything illegal, I was just curious. She looked at me while flipping through the pictures and asked, Why didn’t you get a shot of his face? I can’t really see what he looks like. He was wearing an LSU baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

Why? You want a date? I said dryly.

She cocked her head to the side, sneered and said, Smart-ass. His hat is covering his face; I can’t see what he looks like. She looked up at me, noticed my expression and asked, You mean he didn’t take his hat off the whole weekend? And how did you get photos on the golf course? Isn’t that private? Are you a member?

I took a deep breath, shook my head and said, If he had taken off his hat I would have taken his picture without a hat. I shook my head and raised my hands in front of me with my palms facing me and added sarcastically, "Do you I look like I belong to a private country club? And before you say, ‘Rick could belong,’ he doesn’t play golf."

She raised an eyebrow and asked, Then how did you get these photos of him swinging a golf club?

I smiled a smile with no warmth and said, I have my vays. I actually parked away from the parking lot. Far enough so it wouldn’t be obvious, I was trying to sneak into the club. The perimeter of the club was surrounded by a chain link fence, but it was easy enough to get over. It was a country club, so it didn’t have serious barbed wire fence to keep unwanted guests out. It was also in Alexandria, La. in the middle of the state, four hours north of New Orleans. Not a lot here to be concerned about. Okay, nothing here to be concerned about. It was a smallish town with about 154,000 people. Not big but it was home. The point was there wasn’t a lot here to bring a terrorist searching to blow things up. England Air Force Base used to be here, but it had closed years ago.

Suzanne looked up, laughed and said, Okay, you did your best, especially if you’re willing to break into a country club to take photos. She opened her desk and slid a check across to me.

I took the check and slid it into my purse and asked, What is it with this guy? Why did you want me to follow him? Yes! Act calm; do not act like you needed that check to pay bills and food and luxuries such as toilet paper.

Suzanne shook her head, leaned back and said shrugging, I went to a dinner party and heard a couple of people talking about him, federal people, so I was curious. They just called him this man but slipped up after a few drinks. Not that I wanted to represent him. I don’t like representing people like that. Her eyes glazed over and I could tell she was back at her party. Someone mentioned he lived on Kincaid Lake, so I asked enough evasive questions to get an address. As I said, Suzanne is a very good lawyer.

I stood up and said sadly, I’m sorry I couldn’t help.

Suzanne also stood, walked me to the door and said, No problem, thanks for trying.

I smiled and fingered waved the titty dancer as I walked out the office.

Chapter Three

It took about 30 minutes to drive to the airport, but I got there before Tony arrived. The drive gave me time to sing with the radio and think about the man I had been following for Suzanne. He looked to be somewhere between 35 and 40 years old and somewhere around six ft with dirty blond hair. I think. I couldn’t see his hair that well. Oh, well, forget him; I had other things to do today. See people that I could actually identify without hats.

Tony Fernandez arrived in the terminal caring his duffle bag with a broad smile on his face. He and my friend Nona looked good together. Neither one of them were too terribly tall but with huge personalities. What Nona lacked in height she made up for in attitude and Tony said he loved every height challenged part of her. It could also be because she made him feel tall. Nah, no one would fly all the way from Miami to entertainment challenged Alexandria for an ego boost.

Hey stranger, Tony said with a grin, looking good.

Hey, Tony, I said hugging him, been catching a few rays? His tan line around his eyes gave him raccoon eyes.

Yeah, I may have been playing in the sand, he said with a heavy New York accent and grinning. His bronze skin glowed in the bright sun while walking to my truck.

He threw his bag in the back seat of my truck and settled himself in. Thanks for picking me up Chloe, but you know I could have rented a car.

No problem, I said smiling. Like this you can drive Nona’s car while she’s at work. I turned my head to him, laughed and added, Just make sure you fill it with gas. That little hot pepper pops when you don’t pay for her gas. She hits too, I said laughing harder. I’ve seen her back bigger men than you against the wall. But I guess as a Navy SEAL you can block her moves. I brought my fisted hands up and moved them around as if I was blocking punches.

She does have some sweet moves, he said grinning.

Uh…are we still talking about fighting? I asked sheepishly. I wanted to know if I should be getting embarrassed.

Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about, he said still grinning broadly.

Ookay, then, let’s talk about Miami, I said changing the subject quickly. How’s Miami? Are you there long enough to enjoy it? Being a SEAL, he’s often called out, but it was a life he loved, so he dealt with it. The question was could Nona deal with it?

He nodded with a faraway look and said, Yeah, I’m there long enough to enjoy it. He turned to me so I glanced at him when he winked and added, The only thing that would make it better would be if Nona were there waiting for me when I come off mission. I didn’t think he had asked her to marry him yet, but it sounded like he might be getting around to it. Jeez Louise, I hope he doesn’t ask my opinion.

Nona’s one of my best friends, so I hoped he didn’t ask me if he should take her away. Fiona Garcia is a Mexican-Irish mix with a nice bronze complexion. If they decide to marry and have children, they’ll be short and bronzed. With a spicy attitude.

How’s Ricky? Thank goodness he changed the subject.

Good, real good, how are…uh… My mind went blank. I had met a couple of his friends once, but I couldn’t remember their names. That wasn’t anything new. I often forget names. Clients didn’t like it when I forget their names. Go figure.

How are Brian and Chas? They’re fine. He said dryly. They’ll be touched how you remembered to ask about them.

Sorry, blame it on the lack of sleep, I said shrugging my shoulders. I woke up early this morning. Oh, hell, it was way before daylight so let’s call it last night when my mother called and said her sister-in-law had a heart attack and was in ICU. I’ve had about four hours of sleep and had to put up with my moron cousin the whole blasted time. I shook my head and added, If that man had a brain he’d take it out and play with it.

He laughed and said, Four hours of sleep had to last us a week in BUD/S. BUD/S was the training Navy Seals had to go through to become SEALs. It took a while to remember, but I now know what the letters SEALs stands for. Sea, air, and land and they are experts in all of them.

I slanted my eyes at him and said dryly, Good to know that we of the United States of America are putting our lives in the hands of sleep deprived men with big guns and loves to blow things up.

God, I missed you guys. He grinned. Maybe it's around Ricky and Cody, but it takes a hell of a lot to impress you. He shook his head and said, I just wish I could tell you things that would really impress you, ladies.

I glanced over, and he started laughing. Yeah, yeah, I said rolling my eyes, seeing as Cody was in the Marines so being around him and Rick is like high stepping in a testosterone swamp, you just keep the machoness to an even keel.

Something tells me you can keep up, he said with a smirk.

I sighed dramatically and said, Yeah, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

####

We parked in front of my office which I share with my cousin, Cheri Babineaux. We’re double first cousins, our mothers are sisters, and our fathers are brothers. Which begs the question why wasn’t she at the hospital and therefore sleep deprived? I’d ask her later; she was the one that actually needed the office, she was a CPA, I only used one to make myself look important. She paied the rent, I just occupied space and kept her company. She thought what I did was amusing, so she partnered up with me when I needed help. Whatever, as long as she paid for space she can laugh all she wants. It was better than finding a real job.

Our office was sandwiched between Nona’s dermatology clinic and our friend Felicia’s Mattress Shop. Nona was a nurse, and Felicia is an accountant. It was a good thing they had real jobs because there shouldn’t be more than one of me. I loved my job; I could work my own hours and chose who I wanted to work for.

So Tony, I said while opening my truck door. Do you want to leave your bag in my office, or does Nona have room in her’s?

In yours, if you don’t mind, he said pulling out his bag. It’s hot in Nona’s car, and I don’t know how much room she has in her office. He shook his head while looking around and added, The last time I came for a visit I went straight to her apartment.

Yeah, and didn’t tell anyone you were here, I said shaking my head. Nona didn’t tell anyone about Tony until after he left. She said she wasn’t sure how we would feel about him coming for a visit. We, her friends, were a little disappointed. I mean, we could have really had fun goading her. But no. She had to ruin it by not telling us. Oh, well, life went on. Not that we didn’t goad her. It was just that it would have been a lot more fun if we knew about it before hand.

I took Tony’s bag and almost dropped it; it was a lot heavier than it looked. He then walked to Nona’s office without delaying the smooch that was bound to last for about five minutes. It was almost lunch, so they didn’t have too long to wait to spend time together.

I left his bag in my office and walked across the hall to Cheri’s and sat at her desk watching her work. I propped my feet on her desk, so I wouldn’t distract her by tapping my foot on the floor.

So, I see you’re back, she said without looking up. How’s Tony? I noticed she didn’t ask about Aunt Grace. She probably felt guilty about not going to the hospital. Right.

He’s Tony, I said leaning my head back and staring at the ceiling. I think he might be thinking about asking Nona to marry him.

Really? She asked looking up at me. Did he say he was? Cheri was getting married next month to Brent Thibodaux, a lawyer. Brent didn’t like it when Cheri helped me on my cases, but what was he going to do? Sue me? I guess he could have my toothbrush. It was the only thing I owned that was paid for.

"No, I said I think he’s thinking about it. I closed my eyes because honestly, the ceiling wasn’t that interesting. He said something about wanting Nona in Miami when he was off mission. I picked up my head and peeled my eyes open and said, By the way, someone is coming in to talk to me about a case. A body was found near his house, and the cops are questioning him but not telling him anything. I told him to come in and tell me what’s going on and I would see what I could do. She nodded and then went back to work. I narrowed my eyes at her and added, You would know this if you would’ve gone to the hospital this morning. Didn’t anyone call you? Oh, wait. I widened my eyes, I did call you, but you refused to answer your phone this morning when I called you at the bright and oh, so late hour of seven a. m. I narrowed my eyes again and asked, Are you screening your calls? I gave her a not happy grin and said before she could answer, No. Brent was with you and grabbed your phone. He saw it was me and told you it was a wrong number."

She took a deep breath and let out a loud exhale and said, "No,