Page 163 of Buried Too Deep

Phin scowled. “Not enough to check on you sooner,” he mouthed.

“I’m okay, Harry. I told you that on Tuesday. I have to say that I figured you’d be hovering over me, though.” He hadn’t called back and that was odd.

“I had to go to Shreveport. My sister took a fall and I just got home late last night.”

“Is Henrietta okay?” Cora asked.

“She will be. She has a broken ankle. I brought her to my house and she’s resting. I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I drove by your house last night on my way home to check on you. I noticed a number of cars parked at your house and lights on in the attic. I called you but you didn’t answer, so I called that detective we spoke with on Tuesday and he said that there was nothing to worry about. But I woke up with a bad feeling. What’s happening, Cora? Are you all right? Say ‘pralines’ if you need me to call 911.”

Molly smirked.

Phin rolled his eyes.

Cora just smiled. “I’m fine, Harry. I hired a PI firm to help me find out what happened with my father.”

“That same PI firm you were visiting on Tuesday morning?”

“The same. They’re good people, Harry.”

“Why were you in the attic?” Harry persisted, sounding suspicious.

Molly turned her tablet around. She’d written Ask him to come over. One hour.

Cora nodded. “It’s a long story. Can you come over this morning? Say in an hour? I’ll tell you everything.”

“Now I’m too curious to say no,” Harry grumbled. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Do you have someone to stay with Henrietta?” Cora asked.

“My neighbor is here.”

Cora grinned. “Miss Barbara?”

Harry cleared his throat. “Yes, Cora. Miss Barbara is here. She made breakfast for us.”

“And dinner last night?” Cora teased.

“Cora Jane.”

“Well, did she?”

Harry sighed. “Yes. She did. Are you happy now?”

Cora grinned. “You sly dog, Harry.” This man was not guilty of anything. She was sure of it.

“Yes, well. I’ll see you in one hour, Cora Jane.”

She ended the call and looked at Molly. “Burke and Antoine are coming, I take it?”

“No. Burke’s on his way to Houma to check out the shops around the Damper Building to see who was there back in the day. Antoine’s back in the office. Said to record our conversation with Harry so he could hear it later.”

Cora thought about Antoine, working with his headphones. Falling asleep wearing them, like he had on Tuesday when Joy had been shot.

“Will he be safe there?”

Molly nodded. “Lucien is back from a job. He’s one of our other guys you haven’t met yet, so Antoine won’t be completely alone.”

Phin put their breakfast plates in front of them. “Who is Miss Barbara?”

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