Page 29 of One Last Regret

I blink. “Well, as Amelia said, I was given permission to leave. In fact, I was instructed to leave, to take them with me to the fair.”

“I see.” He makes another note, then asks, “So what happened after you left the street corner?”

I am hugely relieved that he doesn’t ask me how I lose the children in the first place. “I followed the crowd. Amelia seemed fascinated by the party, and her brother usually goes where she goes, so I looked for her there. When I found her, she said she had been separated from her brother. I know he adores music and he’s shown a great deal of interest in playing like his grandfather, so I decided to check the club.”

“Which club?”

“The Midnight Melody. That’s the club the Lacroix’s own. I found Gabriel there as expected, and we returned home at once.”

I leave out the part aboutVie Apres a la Mortsplaying at random and driving the patrons and performers from the venue. I also leave out the seemingly sudden appearance of Gabriel behind the piano.

Officer Nathan makes another note, then looks me squarely in the eye. "At any time, did you consider contacting the police?"

Heat climbs my cheeks. “I… I assumed the young man had made the call.”

“And if you’d been wrong?”

“Well… I wasn’t wrong. And I found the children.”

Nathan nods. He does a respectable job of keeping an even tone, but there is judgment in his eyes, another condemnation I absolutely deserve.

Still, I was not wrong to look for the children. "If I had called your department, you would have told me to stay where I was and talk with officers. Then you would have looked for them only after you finished talking with me, and you might not agree that I knew where they would go. At best, it would have delayed theirrescue and, at worst, prevented it. I knew where the children would be, so I found them."

Nathan crosses his arms. Thankfully, he seems to be truly weighing my response. “It worked out this time,” he finally admits, “and the only way thiscouldhave worked is sheer dumb luck or you actually did know them well enough to track them down. That being said, I think we can both agree that it was irresponsible to take the children to Mardi Gras with only you to watch them. If someone had really wanted to take them from you, you wouldn’t have been able to stop them.”

I lower my eyes and reply softly, “Yes.”

He nods again and says, “Hang tight for me while I talk to the Lacroixs and see what they want to do.”

Another chill runs through me. “Are they going to press charges?”

“We’ll talk to them and see what they want to do,” he repeats.

He walks inside, and I look away from the house to the city beyond. The lights and sounds of Mardi Gras are as loud and boisterous as ever. Even in this quiet residential neighborhood, groups of revelers stumble through the streets, laughing and slurring as they look for more private places to continue the night’s enjoyments. Soft moans in between the louder sounds tell me that some have already found their places.

There are three officers outside of the house. They stand in front of their vehicles, talking in low voices. They pay no mind to the debauchery going on right in front of their faces, but from time to time, they steal a glance at me. For me, they make no attempt to hide their judgment.

After a few minutes, the door opens, and Officer Nathan steps out. Etienne shakes his hand at the door, and Nathan turns to me and nods. “Have a good evening, Miss Wilcox.”

He walks down the porch steps toward his car. The other detective inside says his goodbye to Etienne and follows him. Aminute later, the officers pull out of the driveway, and I am alone with Etienne on the porch.

I'm afraid to look him in the eye, but I am a grown woman, and if I am to be dismissed for my mistake, then I will take that dismissal with dignity. I turn to him, intending to apologize, but I stop when I find a pensive look on his face rather than the angry one I expect.

He starts to speak but stops himself several times. Finally, he nearly blurts out, “My mother is not well, Mary. She’s been despondent ever since my father died, and lately it’s affected her perception of reality along with her memory and her decision making. I spoke with the children, and they both confirmed that Amelia pressured my mother into giving you permission to take them to Mardi Gras.” His lips thin a little. “I’m afraid Amelia has learned when to take advantage of my mother’s moods.”

He meets my eyes. "I'm telling you all of this because I want you to feel empowered to deny my grandmother's wishes if necessary to protect the children. Don't allow Amelia—or Gabriel, for that matter—to use her word against yours. I fear… Well, I'll stop there. Thank you for finding them. In the future, if you're ever unsure about something my mother says, feel free to call me."

“I will. And I’m very sorry about all of this. I’m sorry we had to pull you away from your business trip.”

He shrugs, and his face falls further. “It doesn’t matter. That wasn’t going to go through anyway.” He sighs. “Sometimes I really do feel this family is cursed.”

He looks past me at the party, and his lip curls in disgust. Absently, he says, “You can come in now if you want. The children are in bed, and Mother’s cloistered in her room. I’ll stay here until things smooth over, and then I’ll see if I can repair things on the business end. Thank you.”

I bow slightly, then rush inside and head straight to my room. I strip quickly and step into the shower, eager to wash away the stench of the day—both literal and figurative. As the water washes over me, I close my eyes and sigh with relief.

“Do you feel it?”

I shriek at the sound of the voice, but when I spin around, no one is there.

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