Page 48 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
She sank back down on the sofa and found herself once again fighting back tears. Why was she so emotional? It wasn’t like she was pregnant. She didn’t think she was having a mental breakdown, so what was bringing tears to her eyes so often?
Maybe it was just because there was so much going on in her life right now. She had just learned that the man she’d believed had killed her mother was probably innocent. She had a dangerous man trying to kidnap her and make her his own, and she still grieved for the mother she had lost. It was enough to make a grown woman emotional.
Even though she was working the dinner shift the next day and it was still early in the evening, she decided to go to bed. Only in sleep did she escape the tears that haunted her far too often lately.
She awoke early the next morning and turned on her generator so she could get some coffee brewing. Once the coffee was ready, she poured herself a cup and then sat on the deck to watch the sunrise.
It was always quite stunning at this time in the morning as the sun rose just enough to send golden rays across the landscape. The dark water beneath her lit up as if it had swallowed a lantern. Fish jumped, telling her good morning with their splashes.
Morning birds sang from the top of the tupelos and bald cypress trees. The waves lapped against the wooden stilts that held the shanty up, creating a pleasant, rhythmic sound that was as soothing as the squeak of a rocking chair.
She sipped her coffee, her mind filled with the beauty of the swamp and nothing more. The Spanish moss that draped from the trees sparkled in the soft glow from the sun.
This was what would be hard to leave behind if she ever decided to move into town. Granted, it would be far more convenient for her coming and going to work if she got an apartment in town. But it would be hard to leave the place that had cradled her since her birth.
She finished her coffee and then moved inside and got out the two-top cooking burners to make her breakfast. She had nothing on her agenda today until she had to go into work at two.
After she ate a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, she cleaned up the kitchen and then took a shower. She dressed in one of her housedresses and then sank down on the sofa with a book she wanted to read.
She needed to keep her mind occupied and reading was the perfect way to do that. It wasn’t long before she was captivated by the story unfolding in the book.
Time slipped by and before she knew it, it was time to get ready to go to work. As she dressed in her jeans and the official Dark Waters Café pink T-shirt, she congratulated herself on getting through the day without thoughts of Luke.
Surely it was just going to take some time, and then she’d eventually stop missing his presence in her life.
It had been a while since she’d worked an evening shift. When she’d been chasing after Pierre, she had requested to work only mornings and afternoons, but now she was back to her normal routine and that often had her working in the evenings.
She got to work and for the next six hours she put on a happy face and served her customers with care. None of her regulars were there, which made her time more pleasant.
There was still an awkwardness between her and the men she used to banter and tease with. She felt a wariness when she served them now, as she wondered who was tormenting her with scary notes and dead birds. Who had thrown a burlap bag over her head with the intention of kidnapping her?
By the time her shift ended, she was exhausted. The café seemed to have been particularly busy tonight. She stepped out of the back door to head to her car that was parked next to the large trash container in the corner of the lot.
It was just a little after eight when she got home. She changed out of her work clothes and into one of the housedresses she favored when she was home alone.
Even though she was tired, she wasn’t ready for bed yet. She picked up the book she’d been reading and curled up in the corner of the sofa.
She’d only been reading a few minutes when a knock sounded at her door. She frowned and her heart beat a little quicker as she stood. Who would be at her door at this time of night? Friend or foe?
She walked to the door. “Who is it?”
“Dominique, it’s me… Luke.”
Relief fluttered through her and she quickly unlocked the door and opened it. “Luke, what are you doing here?” she asked. He was clad in a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt and as he entered the shanty, he filled it with his familiar scent.
She closed the door after him. “I just wanted to check in with you,” he replied.
She gestured toward the sofa. “Do you want something to drink?”
“No thanks, I’m good.” He sank down on the sofa and she joined him there. “I wanted to see how you were doing since Pierre was alibied for your mother’s murder?” His soft gaze held hers for a long moment.
She broke the connection and looked at a space just over his head. “At first, I was so shocked. You know how much I believed he was guilty.” She looked back at him. “Now I’m just depressed that we have no idea who killed her.”
“I just wanted to let you know that we’re starting all over again and tearing our investigation apart to see if there’s something we missed. We’ll find the guilty party, I swear we will,” he said fervently. “Your mother needs justice.”
She smiled. “I hope eventually you’ll get it for her. I had just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry,” he replied.
