there’s no working lock on your back door. And the cop sitting outside your door? For all we know you could still be in danger. I’m at Bud Bailey’s B&B on High Street. I want you to stay with me when you get out of here. I want to keep you close.”
Delsey rose up on her elbows. “Griffin, you know very well the Hispanic guy could have killed me if he’d wanted to, which means he didn’t want me dead. That’s good, isn’t it? Henry can get the lock fixed on my back door.”
Griffin said, “There’s no way we can know what the killer intended, who that second man was, or if they’ll start to worry that you’re a witness. You’re staying with me, subject closed.”
Griffin didn’t much expect for her to cave, since he could picture her going toe-to-toe with him when she’d been five years old and so he wasn’t surprised when she said, “You’re going to be out and about, Griffin. I doubt you’ll want to take me with you, so how about I stay with Anna? I’ll be plenty safe with her. Do you mind, Anna?”
Griffin saw something flicker over Anna Castle’s face. Alarm? Then her expression was smooth and easy again, and she leaned toward Delsey, smiling, her dark hair loose, curtaining her face. This musician/waitress, with her beautiful drawl and very nice mouth, could protect his sister? Sarcasm slipped right out of his mouth. “What did you say your instrument is—the violin? Are you going to hit these guys over the head with your fiddle?”
Anna swiveled about to look up at him. “Do you know, Agent Hammersmith, I might have to belt out a nice song with full vibrato for that bit of snark.”
Griffin hated being a jerk, hated having it slap him back in the chops. “Sorry for the comment. Please, not full vibrato.”
Anna patted Delsey’s hand. “I think your brother’s right, sweetie; it’s better you stay with him. I have to work, too, and he’s the big bad Fed with a gun.”
“But you’ve got a gun, too, Anna,” Delsey said. “She’s got a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum,” she added to Griffin. “I saw it when I happened to barge in on her and she was cleaning it. When I asked her what she did with that sucker, she said she liked to shoot cones off the pine on Lone Tree Hill.”
Griffin laughed. “What are you doing with a .44 Magnum, and not a small handgun?”
Anna said, “It belongs to my mom. She insisted I take it since I was moving here to the boondocks. Like her, I also believe in self-protection, and yes, I can use it. I won’t shoot myself in the foot. And yes, I have a license for it. But, Delsey, that’s not the point. Despite his snark, I agree with your brother. We have no clue what the killer’s intentions toward you are. Those two men—they could have thought you were dead and simply left you on your bathroom floor. Tell me again, Delsey, you’re sure the man who struck you down was a young Hispanic? Do you remember enough about him to help give them a sketch?”
“I told Griffin I only got a quick look. He was young, younger than me, but I was terrified, Anna. It was so fast, it was really only an impression. As for the other man, I didn’t even get a glimpse of him, only heard him yelling.”
Anna turned to Griffin to see him staring at her, and stopped asking questions. Her voice became quiet and calm as the falling snow outside the window. “I know Bud’s B&B has a two-bedroom suite that’s usually available.”
The gun-toting violinist who served up boudin and Slap Ya Mama spice at Maurie’s Diner agreed with him? She thought Delsey could still be in danger? She never seemed to say what he expected, and it had nothing to do with her accent.
“You from New Orleans?” he asked her again.
“Nope, but nearby. Bosard is only about thirty miles from New Orleans. It’s a little flyspeck, even on a good map.”
Delsey said, “I remember once, when I told her about falling out of a tree when I was ten and landing on you, she told me how she shot
Delsey rose up on her elbows. “Griffin, you know very well the Hispanic guy could have killed me if he’d wanted to, which means he didn’t want me dead. That’s good, isn’t it? Henry can get the lock fixed on my back door.”
Griffin said, “There’s no way we can know what the killer intended, who that second man was, or if they’ll start to worry that you’re a witness. You’re staying with me, subject closed.”
Griffin didn’t much expect for her to cave, since he could picture her going toe-to-toe with him when she’d been five years old and so he wasn’t surprised when she said, “You’re going to be out and about, Griffin. I doubt you’ll want to take me with you, so how about I stay with Anna? I’ll be plenty safe with her. Do you mind, Anna?”
Griffin saw something flicker over Anna Castle’s face. Alarm? Then her expression was smooth and easy again, and she leaned toward Delsey, smiling, her dark hair loose, curtaining her face. This musician/waitress, with her beautiful drawl and very nice mouth, could protect his sister? Sarcasm slipped right out of his mouth. “What did you say your instrument is—the violin? Are you going to hit these guys over the head with your fiddle?”
Anna swiveled about to look up at him. “Do you know, Agent Hammersmith, I might have to belt out a nice song with full vibrato for that bit of snark.”
Griffin hated being a jerk, hated having it slap him back in the chops. “Sorry for the comment. Please, not full vibrato.”
Anna patted Delsey’s hand. “I think your brother’s right, sweetie; it’s better you stay with him. I have to work, too, and he’s the big bad Fed with a gun.”
“But you’ve got a gun, too, Anna,” Delsey said. “She’s got a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum,” she added to Griffin. “I saw it when I happened to barge in on her and she was cleaning it. When I asked her what she did with that sucker, she said she liked to shoot cones off the pine on Lone Tree Hill.”
Griffin laughed. “What are you doing with a .44 Magnum, and not a small handgun?”
Anna said, “It belongs to my mom. She insisted I take it since I was moving here to the boondocks. Like her, I also believe in self-protection, and yes, I can use it. I won’t shoot myself in the foot. And yes, I have a license for it. But, Delsey, that’s not the point. Despite his snark, I agree with your brother. We have no clue what the killer’s intentions toward you are. Those two men—they could have thought you were dead and simply left you on your bathroom floor. Tell me again, Delsey, you’re sure the man who struck you down was a young Hispanic? Do you remember enough about him to help give them a sketch?”
“I told Griffin I only got a quick look. He was young, younger than me, but I was terrified, Anna. It was so fast, it was really only an impression. As for the other man, I didn’t even get a glimpse of him, only heard him yelling.”
Anna turned to Griffin to see him staring at her, and stopped asking questions. Her voice became quiet and calm as the falling snow outside the window. “I know Bud’s B&B has a two-bedroom suite that’s usually available.”
The gun-toting violinist who served up boudin and Slap Ya Mama spice at Maurie’s Diner agreed with him? She thought Delsey could still be in danger? She never seemed to say what he expected, and it had nothing to do with her accent.
“You from New Orleans?” he asked her again.
“Nope, but nearby. Bosard is only about thirty miles from New Orleans. It’s a little flyspeck, even on a good map.”
Delsey said, “I remember once, when I told her about falling out of a tree when I was ten and landing on you, she told me how she shot
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