Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 15 - The Mona Lisa Murders Read Free

call that Antone had cancelled his afternoon jaunt.
     
    Somewhere between the time we came in for lunch and went back out, the fish developed lockjaw. Valsin and I beat the Gulf to froth without a single strike.
    Frustrated, tired, and sweaty, I was anxious for a cold drink in a cold room.
     
    I opened the door to my room and jerked to a halt.
    Sitting on the couch, one slender leg crossed over the other, the Melungeon woman stared up at me. ‘Close the door,’ she said flatly.
    Surprised by her sudden appearance, I did as she said.
    Before I could manage a word, a small smile curled her lips. She pushed to her feet. ‘A least you could have stopped and changed my flat,’ she said with a pout. ‘That was not very gentlemanly to drive right on past and leave a lady standing.’
    I blinked once or twice, then realized she was the young woman who had run me off the room the day before. A myriad of confusing thoughts tumbled through my head. I managed to put together as astute a question as my puzzled brain would permit. ‘Who are you?’
    She arched an eyebrow. ‘If you’re Tony Boudreaux, then I’m your cousin.’
     

Chapter Three
    To say I was at a loss for words is as much an understatement as asserting Noah’s flood was simply a passing summer shower.
    A shy smile flattened her lips. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. I was looking for your white pickup. That’s what Leroi said you drove.’
    ‘Leroi? Leroi Thibodeaux?’
    ‘He’s my half-brother. His Daddy, Theophile, was my daddy.’
    I frowned. I remembered Uncle Theophile running off, leaving fourteen-year-old Leroi and his mother behind. We never heard anything from him. We figured he probably got himself killed in some bar or saloon.
    She grew serious. ‘My name is Latasha Domingue. I need your help. Leroi told me to find you. Your office said you were over here, so I ran you down.’ She paused. ‘I suppose you have a few questions.’
    That was putting it mildly. I managed to nod. ‘Well, yeah, now that you mention it. I might have one or two. Like, what the hell is going on? If this is some prank of Leroi’s, I’ll kick his no-good butt.’
    She suppressed a grin. ‘That’s how he said you’d act. The truth is—’ She hesitated. ‘It’s a long story.’
    I still didn’t know if this were a joke or not. ‘Then, suppose you tell it.’
    ‘I’m a sophomore at Houston-Billets University. That’s in Austin. I—’
    ‘A sophomore?’ I eyed her up and down.
    She laughed. ‘An older sophomore. I worked for a few years after high school so I could save enough for tuition to get started. I’m studying criminal justice. I plan on going into law. Just before school was out, I contracted to transport a package from Miami, Florida to a ranch on the Brazos River. Not far below the dam at Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas.’
    ‘So?’
    ‘So, someone tried to steal the package. When they couldn’t, they tried to run me off the road, and I’m not sure, but I think they even tried to kill me.’
    I narrowed my eyes. ‘What do you mean, tried to kill you?’
    In my years on this earth, I’d come to know people pretty well. After graduating from U.T., I taught English at Madison High in Austin, but parents, football, and ambitious administrators proved too much for me. I simply wanted to teach kids, but spoiled kids didn’t want to learn, buffaloed parents didn’t want to displease sissy or bubba, wimpy administrators didn’t want to antagonize doting parents, and all of them worshipped football like it was the biblical Golden Calf.
    Then I sold insurance for even a shorter period of time. I hated it. Blevins Security was next.
    And I guess you could say I blossomed there. I was familiar with computers, and within a couple years, discovered enough sites that for a nominal fee, I could find ninety percent of those individuals I sought.
    With experience, I got to the point where I could usually detect someone blowing smoke. Latasha was playing