Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 13 - The Diamonds of Ghost Bayou Read Free Page B

house on ten-foot piers was gray with sparkling white trim. Thick cypress shingles covered the hipped roof
that extended beyond the walls to cover the porch on all four
sides of the house and the French doors that opened onto the
porch from each room. All very cute.
    The porch railings and balusters, as the stairs, were constructed
of cypress. Though they were painted white to match the other
trim, the stair details were rough and awkward, a jarring presence against the smooth details of the porch railings.
    They were not cute.
    Later I would learn they were part of the original house, but
regardless of their history, they were as out of place as a lump
of coal in a handful of diamonds.
    I slipped my .38 from the locked toolbox in the rear of the
pickup and dropped it into my pocket.
    Statues of the Virgin Mother stood at either side of the stairs.
The one on the left had no head; it lay on the ground beside it. I
picked it up to check its fit, figuring on using some concrete cement to fasten it back. I was surprised to see that the head was
hollow, and then I realized the entire statue was made of some
sort of fiberglass. Superglue would do the job.
    I chuckled. Superglue and duct tape, the adhesive’s that held
modern man together.
    Warily, I climbed the stairs. I could feel my heart thudding
against my chest, and my dry lips told me the rest of my respiratory system was speeding up from the tension.
    I opened the storm door and then unlocked the main door.
With the blinds drawn, it was dark inside. I felt along the wall
for the light switch.
    My blood pressure dropped instantly when the light came on.
I gazed around a neat living area, as modern and up-to-date as
the newest home in any gated community.
    I had expected the place to be a wreck, but none of the rooms
appeared disturbed, which meant that either the two goons I’d
seen leaving were very careful or that my arrival had stopped
their search before it had begun.
    A fireplace separated the spacious living area from the dining room. Off the dining area was the kitchen. And from the living
room, a hallway led to four bedrooms, each with its own bath,
including both shower and tub.

    Satisfied that I was all by myself and that no bogeyman would
jump out of a closet, I made sure all the doors and windows
were locked.
    With a grimace, I remembered I had promised Diane we’d go
out for dinner. I hated to leave. For all I knew, someone was out
there right now watching. If I drove away, they’d fall onto the
house like vultures. I drew a deep breath. In my business, lies
and half-truths are accepted practices. So I decided I’d tell her I
had car trouble. I didn’t figure she needed any more worry than
she had.
    I called her and said all was well. “How’s Jack?”
    “Oh, Tony. I’m so excited. He woke up after you left. I managed to get some soup down him. It’s hard with that broken jaw.
He had to use a straw. One arm is in a cast, and the other is full
of IVs. I had to feed him.”
    I suppressed a laugh. Jack was a meat-and-potatoes man. “Is
he awake now?”
    “No. But I told him you were here.” She hesitated and then
continued. “If you don’t mind, Tony, I don’t feel much like eating. I’ve got a Coke and a bag of chips. I’d sooner stay here with
Jack in case he wakes up again. I’ll come out tomorrow and get
a change of clothes.”
    “Fine. Look, things are going okay. Nothing to worry about.
You get a good night’s rest. I’ll be in first thing in the morning.”
I paused. “When you reported the assault to the sheriff, did you
mention anything about the diamonds?”
    Diane paused. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Why? Should I?”
    “I don’t know. For the time being, let’s just keep it between
us, okay?”
    I replaced the receiver and looked around the neat living room.
My stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since the
hamburger in Vinton just inside the Louisiana