Hermes spun around so fast he probably twisted an ankle, then retreated at a half jog. We all burst into laughter and Blanchet looked up at Ronald, tears streaming down his face.
“You’re a genius.”
Ronald shrugged. “Macho bullies like Hermes never know how to handle another man hitting on them. At Nora’s last night, I heard about what he did to Ally at the bakery. I figured I’d give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“What’s with the outfit?” I asked. “You usually don’t dress up this much midweek.”
“Oh, just a bunch of us girls are getting together for a Judy Garland night in New Orleans, and I’m trying to pin down my outfit.”
“Are there prizes?” Gertie asked. “Because I bet you win.”
“There are, but I heard that hussy Caspien got a real terrier. Well, I must run. Good day, ladies, and very handsome gentleman.”
Ronald flicked his hand over his head in a wave and disappeared through the bushes again.
Blanchet wiped his eyes. “I might have to move here. Seriously, nothing interesting ever happens in my town.”
“We’re definitely not short on interesting,” I said. “But we have another problem. Hermes is keeping tabs on us. I mean, he didn’t follow us into the bayou, but my yard makes the third place he’s accosted us today. I had my suspicions when we ran into him in Mudbug.”
Blanchet sobered a bit. “I thought you stopped for the fish because you wanted them for dinner, but I get it now. You figured he might show up here and wanted them for cover.”
“The one advantage to people like Hermes is they’re predictable,” Ida Belle said.
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t evolve before we solve this case,” I said.
Blanchet frowned. “He might be predictable, but he’s not psychic.”
I nodded. “He’s got spies.”
I’d just stepped out of the shower when my phone started ringing. I grabbed it from the counter and checked the display. Harrison.
“The bas—he did it!”
“Did what?”
“He got the girl released from the hospital. Cassidy called me fit to be tied, but her boss said he didn’t have a choice. Apparently, Hermes ran it up the pole and someone with enough juice to sway him made a call. He’s not happy about it either, but the test results don’t give them enough to insist she stay.”
“Where is she now?”
“A social worker took her and said she’ll be placed in a temporary foster home until her parents are found or they decide they need a long-term plan.”
“Do you know where the foster home is?”
“No. The social worker won’t share that kind of information, of course, even though the foster parents are required to bring her back to the hospital for follow-up in two days.”
“What do you want to bet Hermes will do everything he can to get her pulled from the hospital.”
“Bet on it. Cassidy got the social worker’s name, but I don’t know that it will do us any good. Not like she’s taking the girl home with her.”
“Crap. We need to know where she is. We ran into a problem today looking for the Brethren.” I described our hunt to Harrison and the subsequent explosion.
“That sounds more like a cartel than a religious group.”
“Yeah. That’s what I was thinking, but I haven’t floated that idea yet. I mean, they’re buried out in the swamp, It’s not the right conditions for cannabis. Too wet.”
“Meth?
“Definitely a possibility. Not like anyone blinks at explosions around here. Could be an illegal still or someone lazy fishing.”
“Or Gertie’s purse.”
“That’s a given. But you need a lot of supplies for cooking meth, and no one in Mudbug has seen the Brethren in years.”
“They wouldn’t shop local for that kind of supplies. Might have moved all their shopping to the city. Less likely someone will pay attention.”
“That’s what I was thinking. They started local and small but as they made more money, they could afford to take their business to NOLA. That would be the most likely hub for distribution as well.”
“That and all those boats roaming the Gulf,” he said.
“True. Crap, there’s too many possibilities here to attack them from another angle.”
“I wish Hermes hadn’t zeroed in on you. Then you could try to track them from the supplier end. But if he’s accosted you that many times today, then he’s got people watching.”
“This whole thing has been like going down a rabbit hole.”
“You made good progress today, though. You got a general location for the group, and we know they’re worshipping something besides Jesus, or they wouldn’t need all that firepower.”
“And they have some people trained in explosives. Blanchet didn’t even realize what had happened. Only someone with a high level of military training or experience with this on the ground would have reacted the way I did.”
“You thinking they got military in there?”
“Not everyone goes in to serve their country. Some are running from prosecution to begin with. When they get out, they’re just more dangerous criminals with a larger knowledge base.”
Harrison sighed. “I’ll let you know if I get anything else on the girl. Cassidy knows people with social services back in DC. They might not have any insight to things down here, but she’s going to make some calls anyway.”
“I get it, but tell her I said there’s nothing she could do to prevent this one. Hermes is on a mission.”
“His mission is going to get that girl killed or sent back to some kind of hell on earth.”
“We’re just going to have to see that it doesn’t.”
I disconnected and got dressed. By the time I’d made it downstairs, Ida Belle, Gertie, and Blanchet were pulling up. Blanchet was moving a little stiffly. Gertie, who’d had her own tumble, appeared right as rain. I gave her a suspicious look as she skipped into the kitchen.
“You’ve been taking meds from Nora again, haven’t you?” I asked.
She grinned. “It’s like I never even fell out of the boat. That woman could make a fortune selling this stuff.”
“She’s already got a fortune,” Ida Belle said. “And way too much time on her hands.”
“What did you take?” Blanchet asked, easing himself into a chair.
“Nora’s recently started using her foreign country finds to mix up her own drugs,” I said. “God only knows what’s in those pills Gertie’s taking.”
“Something awesome,” Gertie said. “Look at me and look at Blanchet.”
“To be fair, Blanchet was hit by an explosive blast,” I said. “That’s a far cry from falling out of the boat.”
“You got any more of those pills?” Blanchet asked.
Ida Belle and I stared at him in dismay.
“Really? You’re going to hop on that train?” I asked. “You don’t even know if the stuff in those is legal, much less safe.”
He shrugged. “Retired, remember? Don’t have to drug test, and I’m closer to death than further away. My whole body aches, and I’m pretty sure you tore my rotator cuff when you pulled me. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Besides, I ate a piece of cake at her party and haven’t felt my knees ever since. I wouldn’t mind my shoulders going the same direction.”