Rue Toulouse by Debby Grahl Page A

is.”
    “Whose?”
    “It belongs to a princess.”
    “A what?”
    Before Remi could explain, a black Mercury Mountaineer stopped at the curb and Paul jumped out.
    “Hey, Vince, where y’at?” Paul asked, stopping in front of the two men.
    “All right, Paul. I hope you can make more sense than this one.” Vince pointed at Remi. “He’s telling me the blood on the sidewalk might belong to a princess.”
    Paul glanced at Remi, then back at Vince. “He’s right. It does.”
    Vince sighed. “Okay, I’m listening.”
    “Her name is Caterine Doucette, and she’s in trouble.”
    “Doucette, as in Doucette Shipping?” Vince asked.
    “That’s the one.”
    Remi lit another cigarette.
    “Hey, I thought you quit?” Paul asked.
    He received an icy stare in reply.
    With a shrug, Paul continued. “Caterine’s grandmother just called me. It seems Caterine was attacked earlier when she left work. They aren’t sure if it was an attempted kidnapping or family related. She managed to get away and make it to the airport. Her grandmother told her to get on the next plane out of here. I stopped here on my way to talk with Miss Dauphine.”
    “Did Miss Doucette say whether she got a look at her attacker?” Vince asked.
    Paul shook his head. “That’s all I know. I’ll call you when I learn more.”
    “I take it this business . . .” Vince indicated Ma Chérie, “belongs to the Doucettes.”
    Again Paul nodded. “That would be Miss Dauphine Doucette. Vince, I need to get going. Do what you need to do here then lock up. I’ll be in touch after I speak with Miss Dauphine.”
    “Will do.”
    Paul and Remi headed for the SUV, Remi climbing into the passenger seat.
    “Elaine told me what happened between you and Caterine at the party,” Paul said after he pulled from the curb.
    Remi narrowed his eyes. “Everything?”
    “As much as Elaine thought I needed to know. It wasn’t hard to figure out the rest.”
    Remi turned and stared out the side window. “How long have you known her?”
    “Caterine, Elaine, and I have been friends since we were kids. Why?”
    Remi shrugged. “Just curious. Until tonight I didn’t even know her name.”
    Paul’s brows rose. “You two didn’t introduce yourselves?”
    “Sure. I was Jean Lafitte and she was a princess.”
    “I can’t believe this is Caterine we’re talking about. She’s always been pretty straight-laced. In fact, I’ve heard her called a frigid princess. And now you’re telling me that you and she, ahhh . . .” Paul hesitated. “Got close and she didn’t even ask you your name.”
    Remi snorted. “We weren’t real interested in talkin’, cher .”
    “I told her I wanted to introduce her to a friend of mine, and she didn’t say a word about already knowing you.”
    “She didn’t know the man she’d met at the party was the friend you were talking about?”
    “Actually she did. She found out from Elaine that night who you were.”
    “Is that right?” Remi scoffed. “I guess when the uptown lady realized who’d she’d just done the dirty with, she didn’t want anyone to know.”
    “Remi, Caterine isn’t a snob. She’s always been kind and giving. She’s never let a person’s background or social standing influence her. She cares more about them than about their bank accounts.”
    “Then why’d she run away from me like the hounds from hell were at her heels?”
    Paul sighed. “Buddy, I don’t know. Who knows why women do the things they do. But I do know Caterine well enough to tell you it wasn’t your background that made her run. And if you’re thinking she’s another Desiree, forget it.”
    “Yeah right.”
    “I’m telling you the truth. Caterine could no more act like Desiree than I could deal drugs to little kids. It’s not in her to use people the way Desiree did. In fact, if you remember, I warned you about getting involved with her. So if I thought Caterine would screw you over the way Desiree did, I sure as hell