Page 143 of Buried Too Deep

“Of course,” Sara said. “Clancy said you’d probably bring her. Come in, please. I’ve been talking with my minister. Reverend Beauchamp, these folks are from a private investigating firm in the Quarter.”

The minister rose, a smile on his face. It was a minister’s smile, the kind that was supposed to be warm and welcoming.

It made Phin miss his Uncle Trace. Trace was also a holy man—a priest—but, unlike Beauchamp, his smiles were always so genuine.

“I’m Burke Broussard,” Burke said. “My associates Val and Phin and our client, Cora.”

“Pleased to meet you all. Sit down and rest.” Beauchamp gestured to the sofa and chairs. He’d been sitting on a love seat and returned to it. They all took their seats, except for Val, who took her place standing behind Cora. “I’m sure you know that Miss Morton is grieving. I assume you have a good reason for the timing of your visit.”

Ouch. The reverend had just politely chewed them out.

“Our apologies, Miss Morton,” Burke said. “We’re looking for information on Medford Hughes. The two laptops that were found in his car belonged to my company. The police haven’t been terribly helpful in helping us find out why Hughes took them. The laptops themselves weren’t worth much and they had no sensitive data on them, but our coworker was shot in the process.”

“I heard about that,” Sara said. “I also heard she’s going to recover. I called the hospital and asked. I couldn’t stand it if Medford had killed her. I was never so glad to hear that someone would be all right.”

Sara Morton appeared to be under the impression that Medford had been the one to break into Burke’s office and steal the laptops. Phin wondered if Clancy had told her that the man had been murdered. That detail still hadn’t been shared with the media.

Of course, Sara Morton and Medford Hughes might have been working together. Seemed unlikely, but everything about this case seemed unlikely.

“Our coworker will make a full recovery,” Burke confirmed. “Joy’s important to us.”

The reverend was watching Cora carefully and his attention made the hair rise on the back of Phin’s neck. “Why are you here, Cora?” the man asked, his smile firmly in place.

Phin didn’t like the way he was looking at Cora. Like she was a bug to study.

“The person who shot our friend chased me through the Quarter,” she said. “I’ve had several break-ins at my house. I want to know why.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” Sara Morton looked genuinely upset. “I feel responsible.”

The reverend reached over and patted Sara’s hand. “We’ve had this conversation, Sara. You are not responsible for Medford’s actions.”

Sara didn’t look convinced. “Will your friend have any issues paying her hospital bill, Mr. Broussard? Does she need help?”

That had not been what Phin had been expecting.

Burke actually blinked, so he’d been surprised, too. “We have good insurance. But you’re kind to offer.”

The reverend was shaking his head, an indulgent smile on his face. “She’s one of my most generous parishioners. We’re lucky to have her as part of our flock.”

“I can see that,” Burke said. “We were hoping we could get information on Medford Hughes.”

“What do you want to know?” Sara asked. “I’ll help you if I can.”

“Was he involved in anything…sketchy?” Burke asked. “I hate to ask, but…”

“But he was found dead with your stolen laptops in the back seat of his car,” Sara said sadly. “If he was, I never knew about it and my sister never mentioned it. I think she would have. She had kind of a love/hate relationship with Medford.”

The reverend looked uncomfortable.

Phin wanted to ask why, but Sara Morton beat him to it. “What do you know, Reverend Beauchamp?” she asked.

The man hesitated. “I can’t tell you everything. Some of it is confidential. But I can tell you what I saw and heard from others.”

“From my sister?” Sara asked.

Beauchamp shook his head. “I can’t tell you who, as that compromises another person’s confidences, but Medford was involved with some bad people. Did the police find his personal laptop?”

“No,” Sara said, her eyes wide and frightened. “Why? What do you know about it?”

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