A Darker Shade of Midnight by Lynn Emery Read Free Book Online Page B

promised an uneasy truce. When the young Antoine fell in love with someone else, the woman who had become Savannah’s mother, the feud didn’t just continue. Things got nasty. Francine spiraled into self-destruction. Monmon Odette blamed Antoine, and LaShaun saw Savannah as the enemy. Yet, in her hour of need Monmon Odette had reached out to the St. Julien family.  
    “Hello,” Savannah said. She looked into LaShaun’s eyes intently as trying to detect some sign of trouble to come. “So I’m guessing you want to find out why your grandmother hired a St. Julien to be her lawyer.”
    LaShaun let out a long sigh. “Hello to you, too, Savannah. We’re gonna skip the small talk I guess.”
    “No sense wasting time being phony. So, what’s the deal, LaShaun? You wanna start a riot in town, too?”  
    “Well at least you have a sense of humor these days.”  
    “Not seeing you for ten years helped,” Savannah shot back.
      “I’m back to visit my grandmother. This may be my last chance to spend time with her,” LaShaun replied quietly.
    Savannah’s expression softened a little. “Of course. So you must have plenty of questions about this dramatic peace treaty between the St. Julien family and your grandmother.”  
    “You betcha I do,” LaShaun said and shook her head.
    “Come over to my office. It’s on the other side of the building.” Savannah turned back and waved to two employees in the shop. Then she led the way to the south side of the building. Gold letters on a glass window had her name and “Attorney” under it. They went into the small lobby. A young man was on the phone.
    “That’s Jarius. He’s my part-time paralegal, and full-time criminal justice student. Mostly he’s a student.” Savannah waved to him. She went into her office then shut the door when LaShaun followed. “Let’s start with the biggest mystery I guess, why Mrs. Rousselle would call me of all people.”
    “I’m all ears.” LaShaun sat down in a dark red leather chair opposite its twin in front of Savannah’s desk.
    Savannah laughed and sat down next to her. “Actually she called my daddy.”
    LaShaun fell back in the chair. “This just keeps getting stranger.”
    “I know, I know. When she called, I actually begged him not to go see her. He told me to stop being silly. Daddy always thought that talk of her being a voodoo woman was a bunch of nonsense.”
    “You didn’t. I used to really creep you out.” LaShaun started to smile at the memory of her childhood antics. But, she stopped. “I’m really sorry about all that.”
    “Gee, thanks. Scaring me into nightmares is really amusing,” Savannah shot back.   Then she sighed and shrugged. “But that was a long time ago.”
    “And the Claude Trosclair murder?” LaShaun studied her closely.
    “Okay, I’ll admit it. I thought you were at least in on it at first. But the investigation didn’t produce any credible evidence to support that you were involved.” Savannah used lawyer speak.
    “So you’re not completely convinced I’m innocent,” LaShaun replied.
    “Oh I know you’re not innocent ,” Savannah said with a snort. “But I don’t think you killed him. And by the way, slapping around your kinfolk is not the way to prove you’ve changed.”
    “They provoked me, especially that loud-mouthed Azalei.” LaShaun frowned then looked at Savannah. “Which brings me back to you representing Monmon.”
    “Daddy and Miss Odette talked a long time, not sure when. I don’t know what they discussed either, he wouldn’t say. Just came in one day, and said she needed my help. The next day he brought her to my office, and she apologized for causing me any pain. We talked about my mother, and how Miss Odette took her grief out on us for all the wrong reasons.”
    “I can’t take much more of these shocks to the system, girl.” LaShaun placed a hand on her chest.
    “I was pretty damn near speechless myself. Thing is my father acted like it was no