He frowned. “You’re saying if we go poking around, we’ll probably be putting people at risk.”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “If that girl in the hospital wasn’t part of the equation, I think I could be convinced to let it go. It would kill me, but I’d manage. But that girl is here, and she went through something in that swamp—something bad enough that she risked her life to get away. And someone risked their life to get her to that camp. I can’t let her go back to wherever that was. And I can’t let the state put her with a family knowing that she might carry risk to everyone around her if the wrong people are looking for her.”
I nodded. “I agree. Then tomorrow morning, we’ll head into the swamp to try to track down a hermit who might know where to start looking for the Brethren.”
“Needle in the marsh grass?”
“Pretty much.”
Harrison pulled up in my driveway just a couple minutes after Ida Belle dropped me off, and as expected, he was still fuming. He went straight to my refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water, and flopped into a chair.
“I wish this was beer,” he said as he guzzled down half the bottle. “Or whiskey.”
“Why not just go for liquid cocaine? Cyanide?”
“If I have to put up with Herpes much longer, I’ll be opting for the last one, but it won’t be for me. Although I guess I shouldn’t complain. At least I’m out of the building. He has Deputy Breaux cleaning the place—I literally mean scrubbing toilets and mopping floors.”
“There’s a cleaning crew who does that.”
“Exactly.”
“Jesus. He’s trying to run anyone off who’s loyal to Carter.”
“Which is everyone.”
I nodded. “Have you talked to Cassidy today?”
“She called me right after the hospital showdown, mad enough to spit, as they are fond of saying here. She might be up to figuring out an untraceable option for that whole cyanide idea.”
“I know she can’t tell you stuff, but I assume she told you as much as I heard standing there for the doctor-versus-idiot showdown.”
“Oh yeah, I got an earful and he’s lucky I wasn’t there when he pulled that crap. She told me to let you know that the girl appears fine in every way except the memory. She didn’t go into details and couldn’t, of course, but she said to tell you not to worry about things on that front. That you needed to spend all your efforts on finding her family before that clown shoves a traumatized child off into a group home.”
“Not to mention that given how she was found, she’s probably in danger.”
He nodded. “Not to mention.”
“Did she give you any indication of how long she can hold her in the hospital?”
“Yeah, and it doesn’t look good. Loss of memory alone isn’t enough to keep her there. Cassidy says she can probably stall for another day, but that’s starting to push it. The chief of staff has her back, but we both know if Hermes runs this up the pole, then that’s subject to change, especially if her condition has improved to the point that he can’t medically justify it.”
“I imagine all it would take is a call from the governor to convince him to err on the side of less conservative if it comes down to it.”
“Bet on it. Hermes is determined to get his way, and I’m sure he already knows who Cassidy is and her relationship to me. That’s why he’s pushing so hard to get the girl out of the hospital. He doesn’t want to risk you having access to any information.”
“God forbid I do his job and a little girl is saved.”
“The girl isn’t important—not to people like him. His big concern is you showing him up when he’s making a play for the sheriff job. You’ve got a good reputation around here already, and if you take care of this on his watch, people will take notice, especially now. Then they’ll assume that you wouldn’t continue doing what you do if Carter isn’t elected sheriff.”
I frowned and he held up a hand.
“Before you start—I said, ‘they’ll assume.’ We both know that you’re not doing this for Carter, or at least not only for Carter. It’s that horribly burdensome and frequently inconvenient need of yours to make things fair and right, which is why you were both a blessing and a curse to the CIA. Bottom line is you’d be doing this even if the Antichrist was sheriff.”
“Hermes isn’t that far off.”
“Please tell me you have some leads.”
“Maybe. I definitely have some news.”
I told him about the DNA test and our conversation with Lottie. Harrison listened intently, then whistled when I finished.
“Boy, you weren’t kidding about things here. They definitely major in unusual. A twenty-year-old missing persons case and a secret cult? If that girl and her mother or any other adult escaped from a cult, then she needs to be in police custody, not a group home.”
“Yes, but that order would have to come from the sheriff, and we can’t even ask for it without telling him what we’ve found out.”
“Which means putting Blanchet and you on the chopping block. Jesus H. Christ. What a mess. Man, the Marines couldn’t have picked a worse time to need Carter.”
I nodded. I couldn’t help but agree.
Nora’s party officially started at 7:00 p.m. but she’d asked us if we’d come over an hour beforehand to help her get set up. I decided that included frisking her cat and ensuring all her handbags were stored. Ida Belle intended to sort the food on the table based on things that came out of packaging versus things that Nora had made. That way, we knew for sure what we could eat without rolling the dice into the psychedelic unknown.
Gertie, as expected, was planning on testing the other end of the table.
I took a quick shower and pulled on jeans, a purple T-shirt, and tennis shoes, blow-dried my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, then declared myself fit for society. Ida Belle swung by to pick me up and I was surprised to see the front seat empty.
“Isn’t Walter coming?” I asked as I climbed in.
“Yes, but he didn’t want to go early when the ‘Nora versus the rest of the crowd’ odds were lower. She scares him a bit.”
“Probably because she’s always flirting with him,” Gertie said. “She’s not serious, but then Walter is an old-fashioned guy.”
“What about Jeb and Wyatt?” I asked.
Gertie grinned. “They’ll be there at the official start. Wyatt is trying to play it cool, but I know he’s excited about seeing Nora again.”
“He hasn’t seen her since the New Year’s bash?” I asked.
At Nora’s previous throw-down, she and Wyatt had gotten more than a little cozy.
“He’s talked to her on the phone, and he says when she remembers who he is, they have great conversations.”
I laughed. “I’ll bet.”
“Anyway, I’m figuring she either sees him and remembers or she sees him and doesn’t. Either way, he’ll get lucky if he wants to. I don’t think there’s a big line of contenders in Sinful looking to take up with Nora. She scares more than just Walter.”