Voodoo River

Rossier turned in the front passenger seat and gri

"Willets isn't the only cop who knows. A lot of people are in it, and Jo-el Boudreaux is going to take you down. The blackmail won't work anymore."

Willets licked his lips. "He's right, Milt. We oughta not play it this way."

Milt said, "Who else knows?"

Willets was licking his lips again. "The guys out at the station, Jo-el's wife and that lawyer from Baton Rouge, and Merhlie Comeaux. Comeaux went home, and the two women are at the Boudreauxs'."

Milt Rossier nodded and gri

I said, "You're out of your mind."

Willets said, "Jesus Christ, that's crazy."

Milt nodded. "We'll see."

Willets said, "You can't just kill all these people."

Milt nodded and asked Be

Milt cocked his head and looked at Willets as you might a slow child. "Son, simple plans are best. What else can I do?"

Willets squirmed in his seat, holding the service revolver limply in his lap. I wondered if I could move fast enough to snake it from him before Milt shot me. Willets said, "But that's three officers. That's Jo-el's wife. How we go

I said, "Hey, Willets, how do you think he's going to explain you being the only one left alive?"

Milt Rossier said, "Oh, that one's easy." Then he pointed LeRoy Be

LeRoy said, "Man, dat was loud as a pork fart, yeah."

Milt reached back and took Willets's revolver and had Be

Milt said, "Uh-hunh."

We drove to Jo-el Boudreaux's house and turned into the drive, Prima pulling the highway car in behind us. I said, "If you hurt them, Rossier, I swear to God I'll kill you."

LeRoy said, "Save the big talk, asshole. You go

Milt got out of the car and met Prima and the mustache, and together they went to the front door. Around us, the street was quiet and well lit and masked by the rain. Just another dreary southern evening in paradise.

Milt rang the bell, and Edith Boudreaux answered. The mustache pushed past her into the house, and as quickly as that they were bringing Lucy and Edith across the lawn to the highway car. Lucy was struggling, and the mustache had to keep a hand over her mouth. You never expect the bad guys will come to the door. You never expect that they'll ring the bell. When Rossier climbed back into the car, he was smiling. "We'll see what ol' Jo-el does, now. Yes, I guess we will, won't we?" I'm not sure he was saying it to me or to Be

They brought us to the crawfish farm, driving through sequined curtains of rain, and put us in the processing shed. Escobar's BMW was already there, René standing in the rain and mud like some great oblivious golem. When Milt Rossier saw him, he shook his head and made a tsking sound. I guess you never get used to it. They taped Lucy's and Edie's wrists with duct tape and made the three of us sit on the floor beneath the gutting tables. Rain hammered in through the big, open front of the processing shed, but we were well back and protected. The rear of the place was open, too, and more rain dripped there. Milt and Prima and Be

Lucy didn't smile. The beautiful ta

I said, "It's not over. There's Pike, and there's me. I'll get you out of this."

She nodded without looking at me.

"Did I tell you that I'm an irresistible force?"

A smile flickered at the edges of her mouth, and her eyes came to me. She said, "You really know how to show a girl a good time, don't you?"

"Irresistible," I said. "Unstoppable. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

She relaxed the tiniest bit and nodded.

I said, "A moment will come. When it does, I want you to move back under these tables. You, too, Edith. Did you hear me?"

Edith was as waxy as a ma

We sat on the damp cement floor and watched Rossier and Prima and the mustache move around the processing shed, making their plans. René followed Rossier like a dog after its master. Rossier went up to the main house and came back with a couple of pump shotguns and a thin, weathered man with mocha skin. Another thug. He gave one of the shotguns to the mustache and the other to Donaldo Prima. They talked for a while in the doorway, Rossier pointing and gesturing, and then the black man and the mustache went out into the rain. Setting up a field of fire. I worked at the duct tape with my tongue and rubbed it against my shoulder and the gutting table's leg, and it began to peel away.

Milt stayed in the sliding doors, looking out, and in a little bit lights appeared and LeRoy Be

Edith straightened to see, and so did I. From where we sat you could see through the wide opening and out to the highway car. Parked in the killing field. Joel got out of the near side of his car and stood in the rain, and Berry and Dave Champagne climbed out the other side. I thought I saw a shadow slip from the rear of the car when Berry got out, but I couldn't be sure. Milt Rossier said, "Where's the other one?"

Be

"The one knocked you on your ass, goddammit!" Pike wasn't with them.

Be

Rossier swatted at Be

"We couldn't find him, Milt!" Whining. "Hell, we'll get him come light."

Milt Rossier said, "Shit!" then went to the big door and yelled, "Come on in here, Jo-el, and let's talk this thing out!"