Chapter Thirty-two

“When was this?” Jessica asked the deputy who’d signed her in that morning for her visit with Kara.

“Like I said the last three times, the judge released her this afternoon. I don’t know where she went after that.”

“Why didn’t anyone call me?”

“Because Dr. Nicolas isn’t a minor and you aren’t her legal guardian, from what we could tell.” Sheriff Carl stepped up and waved his deputy off. “She walked out of here under her own steam, so what’s the problem?”

“She didn’t have a ride and had no way of getting in touch with me.” Jessica hit her fist against her leg. “You knew she didn’t have anyone else to turn to.”

“She couldn’t have gone far. Just take a ride and find her, but tell her not to forget her court date before she decides to try anything cute.”

The place where Jessica was staying wasn’t far, but she hadn’t seen Kara on the way to the jail. She tried again before doubling back and heading in the opposite direction, then stopped at every open store, café, and hurricane shelter she came across. No one had seen Kara. Everyone was either helping those who had evacuated out of New Orleans or talking about the storm that had changed the landscape in more ways than just flooding.

By seven that night Jessica was frantic and still hadn’t found the first clue that would lead her to Kara. That desperation led her to the last place she wanted to be. Alma and Gaston’s driveway was loaded with cars, but none of them belonged to Tully. She was debating the wisdom of her choice of turning to Tully again when she heard voices coming from behind her.

She recognized Tully’s laugh first, sounding so carefree that Jessica squeezed the steering wheel until her fingers hurt. She ignored the pain and squeezed harder when she saw her walking up the drive holding hands with Libby. After sharing her life with Tully for such a long time Jessica felt strange at the sight of her being so demonstrative with someone else.

Tully’s and Libby’s hair was damp, and they were chuckling as they walked up the drive. All that ended when Jessica opened her car door and stepped out.

“What’s wrong?” Tully asked, sounding concerned, but she didn’t let go of Libby.

“I need to talk to you and I need your help.” Jessica blew out a long breath, trying to control her emotions.

“Let me go in and tell everyone we’re back,” Libby said. She brought her other hand up and sandwiched Tully’s between hers. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“If this has to do with Dr. Nicolas—” Tully started.

“Trust me, Tully, if I could deal with this alone I would.” Jessica started crying, and before Tully could move away she stepped forward and just fell into Tully’s chest. “I just don’t…” She stopped to release some shuddering sobs.

“Come on.” Tully turned her around and led her to the porch. Libby walked away from them, going through the open front door toward the back of the house. “Sit down and let me go get you something to drink, and then you can tell me what’s wrong.”

Libby met her in the hallway just off the foyer of the house with a large glass of ice water.

“I’m sorry about this, baby,” Tully said.

“For what? Caring about the mother of your children?” Libby pressed the glass into her hand. “I have no doubts about where I stand in your life, my love, and I also know the path you had to take to get you to this point.”

“Thanks, and could you keep Bailey and Ralph in the house until I see what this is about?”

“Just try to talk her into staying this time, for their sake.”

Tully nodded before going out and handing the glass to Jessica. Her crying had slowed and she just appeared fatigued. “Try to drink some water and tell me what’s wrong,” Tully said softly.

“They let Kara out today.” Jessica didn’t take her eyes off the ice in her glass as she spoke.

“I’d think that should be making you happy.”

“I can’t find her and I think something’s happened to her, but Carl won’t do anything about it.”

The wood under Tully’s rocker creaked when she sat down and set it in motion. Had this been the afternoon she’d found Jessica in bed with this woman, she would have welcomed the news. “What makes you say that? She could just have caught a ride out of town.”

“I know how you feel about this whole situation, but she wouldn’t have done that. Kara wouldn’t have left without me.”

“Okay, then why automatically assume something’s wrong?”

“Tully, no offense to your hometown, but there’s one way in, and the only way out is to turn around and head in the opposite direction. If you’re looking for someone, it’s hard to miss them, even if they’re walking on the opposite side of the bayou.” She lifted her head and looked Tully in the eye. “I’ve been driving up and down the road all afternoon. She’s not here, and since she wouldn’t have left without me, then something’s wrong.”

“What would you like me to do about that?”

Jessica put the glass down and put her hands over Tully’s. “Talk to Carl and have him look. It’s getting dark, and if she’s hurt I want to find her before it’s too late. He knows you and would do it for you if you ask.”

“I’ll talk to him, but I want you to stay put here with the kids after I do. You’re tired. There’s no sense in something happening to you too.” She stood up and waved Jessica into the house. “Actually, I’m going to have to drive over to the sheriff’s office since the phone isn’t working yet.”

Bailey and Ralph came out and faced Jessica. “Grandma set up the room upstairs for you to get some sleep after you take a shower,” Bailey said.

After hearing Bailey’s flat tone, Tully put her hand at the back of Bailey’s neck and kissed her on the forehead. Bailey’s lack of emotion signaled that she had figured out Jessica’s sudden return had nothing to do with her and Ralph.

“Tully, I think I should come with you,” Jessica said, ignoring Bailey’s offer and grabbing Tully’s bicep.

“Mom said she’d do it, so let her,” Ralph told Jessica as he jerked her hand off Tully and pointed her into the house.

Tully could tell that Jessica’s continued indifference had really upset Bailey and Ralph. “Try to get some sleep, and I’ll wake you if there’s any news,” she said as they stood at the foot of the steps inside.

“Thank you, Tully. I know this is the last thing you want to be doing, but I really appreciate it.”

Tully nodded and held her hand out to Libby. “Want to come with me?” she asked when they were outside.

“Sure.” They crossed the street to the Land Rover. “What do you think could’ve happened to her?”

“What was it Chase called her? A crankhead? Well, someone with a habit who’s been in jail for a couple of days would probably make for the nearest dealer to get a fix. We may be in the middle of nowhere, according to Jessica, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t drugs around here. Someone in jail could have told her who to call, and she made for an address after she got out.”

“It’s really depressing to think someone can be so dependent on something that she can’t live without it.” Libby picked up Tully’s hand and kissed her knuckles.

“You mean you’re not addicted to me and can live without me?”

“No, I’m a certified Tully junkie, but you’re not exactly bad for my health, lover.”

They arrived at the sheriff’s office as Carl was walking out the front door, and he stopped at the driver’s side window and smiled. “I might have to start hanging out with you, Tully, if this is the kind of company you keep.”

“You told me I couldn’t flirt with your wife, so the same goes for you.” Tully introduced the two before telling him why they were there. “I’m sure she’s sleeping off her high somewhere, but in case I’m wrong, could you send out a directive to the deputies on patrol to keep an eye out for her? If they find anything, send them over to Mom’s and let us know. I left Jessica over there taking a nap.”

“Sure thing. Can’t be too careful since the woman couldn’t shut up about having everyone’s badge for what she thought was unfair treatment. All I need is for her to fall into the bayou and float on out to the Gulf.”

“Thanks, Carl. If you need me I’m going over to Elijah and Simone’s place to talk over a few things.” They both waved as Carl headed back inside.

“If she got out this morning and something happened to her, she could be in trouble now that it’s dark. Walking out here at night is a dangerous proposition even for the locals, and if she’s not sober it could be suicide,” Tully said as she turned back to the main road.

When they drove up, Elijah was sitting outside mending a net, which he dropped into his lap when Tully got out of the car. She knew Jo had been able to get in touch with them that afternoon, by some miracle, so he already was aware of the settlement. Still, he didn’t look like a man who had just won his case.

“Came by to see if you or Simone had any questions,” Tully said as they reached the porch stairs.

“She’s inside watching television.” He tilted his head that way as his line of sight came to rest on Libby.

“Why don’t I join her?” Libby took the obvious hint.

“Something on your mind, Elijah?” Tully sat close to him and picked up a casting net that was next to be fixed. In their talks she had learned that Elijah mended equipment as a sideline to his fishing. She wasn’t as practiced as he was, but she had the skill to do a good job, and she guessed he would open up if she wasn’t staring him down.

“Are you still my attorney?”

“Unless you want other counsel, I am.”

“So nothing we talk about, you can tell anybody, right?”

Tully worked the needle through the edge of the hole and started to make new webbing. “That’s correct.”

“I was brought up to think your life was like the seasons.” Elijah gripped the wooden block that held the line he used to repair nets and kept his eyes on Tully’s hands as she tied and wove. “You sprout, you grow, you bear fruit, and then you enjoy watching the seeds you sow grow and continue the process.”

“That’s a good way to think about life.”

“I’m not going to have that last part now. My baby, she’s gone, and Simone and me won’t have any more.”

“I was brought up to believe that God works in mysterious ways, my friend, so don’t count yourself out on a family just yet. None of us know what the future holds in store.” Tully double-knotted the last stitch and cut the line before standing up and folding the net to hand back to him. “Why do you think you need an attorney for that story?”

“Because we might not know what the future is, but sometimes our pasts come back to haunt us when we least expect it. If that happens to me, I want to know you’ll help me out. I don’t want Simone left alone. She’s suffered enough.”

“Is there something you want to tell me? Like you said, the conversation would be just between the two of us.”

Tully stepped off the porch and waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, and they walked to Elijah’s boat, moored across the street like her father’s. It was the most private place to have this conversation since Tully didn’t have the use of her office.

“I don’t need to talk with you now, Tully, but the day might come when I do.”

“Did you understand Jo today when she explained that Dr. Nicolas is going to be let go from Children’s Hospital?” She felt like she had cast her line and was looking for a bite. “It’s not the jail sentence you were hoping for, but you took away the one thing she loved.”

“You’re right.” Elijah stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder. “Kara Nicolas got what she deserved, and her sentence was no less punishing than what my little girl got.” He squeezed her shoulder, but his face showed no expression. Then he just let her go and started walking down the road, staying close to the water.

Tully watched him leave and knew that no matter how much she pushed him, he wasn’t going to say anything else on this subject, and most probably wouldn’t for the rest of his life. Her gut was warning her, though, that there was plenty more to this story and that Jessica’s worries weren’t unfounded. “Her sentence was no less punishing,” she repeated softly. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

A patrol car was driving slowly toward her, and the deputy rolled his window down and stopped. “Evening, Tully.”

“Any luck with Dr. Nicolas?”

“We drove up about twenty miles and came back on both sides of the bayou, but no one’s seen her. Even stopped and talked to most of the old-timers who like to sit outside and watch the world go by. They promised they’d be watching for her, but they hadn’t seen her either.”

“Thanks for stopping. I’ll take a drive myself before I head on back home.” Tully said the words, but she was willing to bet a month’s salary that she wouldn’t find anything either.

At midnight, after an extensive drive through some of the less populated areas of Montegut, she and Libby found Jessica waiting for them in the living room wearing a new T-shirt and jeans. When Tully just shook her head, Jessica didn’t ask anything.

“Get some sleep and we’ll start looking in the morning. I talked to Carl’s night commander, and he said they’ll keep up the patrols tonight. If she’s still in the area they’ll find her.”

“I’ll go back to the bed and breakfast.”

Alma stepped in from the kitchen and took Jessica by the hand. “Nonsense, there’s no reason for you to be alone, so go upstairs. The kids fixed up one of the beds for you. Tully, the kids are waiting for you across the street. Your father’s over there keeping an eye on them until you two got back.”

When they stepped on board the boat, Gaston was sitting in a lawn chair peering out at the water. He kissed them both and headed off to bed.

They carefully stepped around the air mattress they’d put out for Chase on the floor, with Bailey and Ralph sleeping in the bunks.

“Is something wrong?” Libby asked. She’d tried the same question a couple of times while they were riding around in the car, but Tully had just shaken her head and turned down another street. “And please don’t tell me it’s nothing.”

“I just have a bad feeling about this, and I have a clue as to why, but I don’t want to believe I might be right.”

“Right about what, baby?” Libby asked.

“We can’t have this conversation now.” Tully pointed to the kids sleeping around them. “Because when we do, it’s going to be as attorneys talking about our client, not as partners.”

“You don’t have to tell me at all if you don’t want to. I just thought you’d feel better if you talked about whatever’s bothering you.” Libby snuggled closer to her; the air conditioner was set low enough to hang meat.

“When we’re out looking again tomorrow, we’ll discuss it as much as you want.” They shared a long kiss before Libby drifted off to sleep.

Another deputy stopped by in the morning to tell them they still hadn’t had any luck in finding Kara. Tully wasn’t surprised—the real shock would’ve been if they’d found any evidence of Kara at all.

Jessica joined them and Tully gave her the job of trying to get in touch with Kara’s family in Texas while they went out to look again. The phones were still sporadic, but the assignment would keep Jessica busy while they continued their search.

“I don’t think we’ll find Kara Nicolas no matter how hard we try,” Tully told Libby as soon as the car door closed. They were going to drive to some of the more out-of-the-way locations that hadn’t been covered yet because Carl lacked the manpower.

“What makes you so sure?”

“My talk with Elijah yesterday. He didn’t come out and say it, but I think he had something to do with her disappearance.” She told Libby verbatim the words Elijah had used when he talked about punishment and his daughter.

“What are you going to do?”

“There isn’t anything I can do. He was smart enough to make sure I’m still his attorney. I can’t tell Carl about this because of privilege. My hands are tied until Elijah decides to say something or Carl puts together a case.”

“Did you try to talk to him about it?”

Tully took a road with marsh on both sides, and because of the storm, the water was lapping over the edge, which made her take it slow. She was sure, though, that if Elijah had done something to Kara, she was currently somewhere well offshore feeding the crabs and the fish. If that was the case, Kara would never be found, and for as much misery as she’d brought into Tully’s life, Kara wasn’t some rabid dog to be taken out back and disposed of. If that was what he’d done, Tully understood his motivation, but it wouldn’t be easy living with the fact that she hadn’t tried to do something about it. Kara’s parents deserved better.

“This is the part of this career path that’s going to take some getting used to.” Libby placed Tully’s hand in her lap and rubbed her fingers as she scanned the area. “You must get tired of carrying the weight of other people’s secrets.”

“I try to always do right by my clients, but I also steer them to do the right thing. Problem is, darlin’, you can drag them to the pool, but you can’t always make ’em swim.”

“Does it bother you?”

Tully nodded. “I don’t go out of my way to help people break the law and get away with it.”

“That’s not what I meant. I know you better than to believe that about you.”

Seeing a tree that the storm had more than likely put across the road, Tully turned the SUV around. “It bothers me that if Elijah is involved, he would gamble with his future like that, because Simone loses here too. But in his soul he blames Kara for the death of his child. If it was Bailey or Ralph that I’d lost, who knows what my grief would push me to.”

“I guess I spoke too soon when I said this is over. If something happened to her, this is just the beginning. And you know Jessica will find some way to blame you.”

“Jessica’s going to have to accept that karma came back to bite Kara in the ass, and I certainly didn’t have anything to do with her choices.”

Tully turned down another road with a few homes built up at least fifteen feet in the air, keeping them out of harm’s way when it flooded. Everyone they passed waved, but stayed on their porches watching them.

By the end of two days, Tully and Libby had covered the same territory four more times, with still no luck.

When they returned every afternoon they found the kids sitting with Jessica, who would start a fresh bout of crying when Tully shook her head. It was as if the ancient land with its cypress knees and moss hanging from the tree branches had opened up and swallowed any sign that Kara Nicolas had ever existed.