“Grand-mere recognized one of the photographs as having been taken in a small clearing on one of the islets. She said the Comeaux family has an old trapper cabin out there somewhere. She knew the old man, and he trapped and fished the bayou. He often stayed there for months on end and his wife would finally send one of the boys after him to bring him home.”
“The Comeaux family?” Flame repeated. “But if she’s being held there, why would they take her out there, let her take pictures, and then bring her back? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“You think one of the Comeaux brothers would touch Joy? They’re our people. They’d never lay a finger on that girl.”
“What about Vicq? I’ve heard he’s as mean as a snake and brutal with women.”
“Vicq? He’s mean all right, but he…” Wyatt trailed off.
Flame did turn then, catching the sudden rage on his face. “Don’t go running off on your own before we know what we’re doing. If we tip them off, they’ll kill her and we’ll never find her body. We have to be very certain and go at this the right way. Come on.” She caught his arm. “Let’s go back inside and tell the others what your grandmother said.”
Wyatt went with her reluctantly, but at least she got him in the house. They interrupted a heated argument between Ian and Gator. Ian wanted to bring in the police and Gator absolutely refused, afraid Parsons would be tipped off.
“We’re only going to have one chance at a rescue, only one,” Gator emphasized. “If we hit the wrong place, she’s dead. I say we go in quiet, get her out, and just take care of this. Let them all figure out from the evidence the why of it. They’ll say vigilantes in the bayou did it.”
“You can’t leave those discs of Joy behind,” Wyatt decreed.
“No one’s going to see those discs, Wyatt,” Gator assured.
“Did Nonny tell you she recognized a clearing where the Comeaux family owns a trapper cabin way out in the bayou?” Flame asked. “I think it’s a big coincidence that Vicq tried to kill you the other night at the Hurican Club and then he followed us today. He dated Joy once and she broke up with him.”
“He got into a really heated argument with James Parsons at the club,” Ian added. “And strangely enough, it was the driver who stepped in and calmed everything down. The minute he spoke to Comeaux, the man backed off.”
“Vicq Comeaux doesn’t back off anyone,” Gator said, unless there’s a reason.”
Kadan came in, poured himself a cup of the rich, thick coffee Nonny kept hot, and turned around to regard them all. “That was some of the sickest stuff I’ve ever seen. They’re hooking her on drugs, but they evidently like filming her frightened and fighting, so whatever they gave her in the car to calm her, they aren’t doing anymore. I think they’re stringing her out so she’ll cooperate. They’re using terror tactics, beating her, most of the time in some sexual display. I saw two men, but there was at least one more in the shadows, who stayed out of the view of the camera. She stared at him a lot, very frightened.”
“You recognize the men from any of the photos or files you’ve looked at?” Gator asked, avoiding looking at his brother.
“One was the Parsons kid. He’s a real piece of work. The other is the driver.”
“Carl Raines,” Flame supplied.
Kadan nodded. “He’s the one who I think must have arranged the grab. He spends a lot of time with her. Most of the video clips are of him.”
“No evidence of the old man participating? You get the idea it was him in the background?”
Kadan shook his head. “Couldn’t say one way or the other, but whoever it is, she’s very afraid of him.”
“If she’s at the Comeaux cabin, why would she have pictures of the area?”
“Maybe they were going to grab her then and something went wrong,” Tucker offered.
“Or that sleazy kid got high just bringing her close to the cabin, knowing what was coming,” Kadan said. “He’s really screwed up and he’d savor the idea of showing her around, all the while knowing what he was going to do to her.”
Flame felt sick. Joy was caged up with monsters torturing her. She had no hope left by this time and she would be sick and confused. “If we pull Joy out of there, she can tell us who else is involved. She won’t be as afraid of me. I can check out the Comeaux cabin and if she’s there, go in quietly while you all…” She hesitated, glancing at Nonny. “Secure the place.”
“She’ll have to go to the hospital,” Kadan advised.
“We’ll notify the doctors and her family when we have her,” Gator said. “I don’t want to wait until dark.”
“If Vicq Comeaux is guarding her out there, he’ll kill her and dump the body if he hears you coming,” Wyatt said.
“He won’t hear us,” Gator assured. “We know what we’re doing.”
“I’m coming with you.” It was a declaration and Wyatt looked every bit as stubborn as Gator.
Gator shook his head. “You can wait nearby, Wyatt, but you’d be a liability we can’t afford. This is what we do. One mistake and it’s all gone to hell.”
“How could something like this be goin’ on in our t backyard, Raoul, and we not know it?” Nonny asked. “Do you think they took that other poor woman?”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” Gator said.
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Tucker said. “We’ll do our best to get a lead on finding her if she’s still alive.” Gator’s grandmother appeared very agitated, wringing her hands together, her back ramrod straight and her features very set. Flame rubbed her hand over Nonny’s ann. ‘We’ll bring her back to safety, Nonny,” she reassured gently. “I’ve seen your grandson in action. He’s very good-and so am I. We’re not leaving her there and we’re not messing this up.”
“Should I call her family?”
Nonny’s thin body was trembling. Flame put her arm around the woman and led her out of the kitchen to the more comfortable couch in the sitting room, mouthing the word tea over her shoulder to Gator. “No, I don’t think that would be a very good idea. No one can know what we suspect until she’s safe.” She helped her to sit down and Gator put a cup of tea in front of her. “We’ll do this. I promise you, we’ll do this.” Flame pushed the tea into her hands. “Will you be okay until we get back?”