Page 37 of Beau
She glanced out the side window. “I got into a relationship with a guy I thought I knew. Then I found out I didn’t know him at all. He was married and didn’t bother telling me.”
“That sucks,” Beau said. “How did you find out?”
She gave a brief, humorless laugh. “I expected him for dinner one night. I’d roasted my first chicken, made scalloped potatoes, broccoli and cheese casserole and set the table with wine and candles. When I opened my apartment door, a pretty blonde stood there. She introduced herself as his wife. She showed me photographs of their children.”
Beau winced. “Ouch.”
“No kidding.” Aurelie stared down at his hands. “I was shocked. I was young and stupid. I never considered he might be married. Married guys aren’t supposed to ask a girl out who isn’t his wife.”
“Sounds like a real jerk.”
“He was. The problem was that I worked with the guy. I promised never to see him again, which was a no-brainer. But I saw him every day in the hallways. I was so angry that it was affecting my work. After a week of trying to avoid him, I turned in my resignation, tucked my tail between my legs and moved back to Baton Rouge to look for work. I wasn’t finding much of anything for someone with only a year’s experience.”
“In Baton Rouge? What about New Orleans?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t find work in either place. Then, the woman who’d been in charge of my dad’s philanthropy project announced that she was pregnant and wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. She handed in her resignation. My father offered me the position. I took him up on it.”
“The project to save the bayou?” Beau asked.
Aurelie nodded. “It was supposed to be an advertising campaign to save the bayou. We would educate the public and work with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure companies were doing right by the bayou. I didn’t see the companies doing right. I got tips from insiders telling me some companies were ignoring regulations and allowing toxins to seep into the bayou. I sort of became the bayou police, though that was not my intention.” She gave him a weak smile. “Anyway, that’s how I ended up working for my father. All because of a man.”
“The guy was a jerk,” Beau said. “He didn’t deserve you. For that matter, he didn’t deserve his wife.”
“Oh, I agree with you one hundred percent. If I were a more vindictive person with a violent streak, I would’ve cut off his balls. That would be the only way to keep him from screwing the next woman because you know that if he cheated on his wife once, he’ll do it again.”
Beau nodded. “Remind me not to piss you off, especially if you’re anywhere near a knife.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not the violent type. Though the thought did cross my mind.”
Beau pulled into the sheriff’s office parking lot and shifted into park.
Aurelie didn’t wait for him to open the door for her. Instead, she met him at the front of the truck. They walked into the sheriff’s office together.
The sheriff emerged from a door behind the reception desk. “I’m glad you came in this morning.” The sheriff held out his hand to Aurelie. “They finished lifting prints earlier this morning. We’ve already isolated yours. We got a good set of prints off the bedroom doorknob. We’re running it through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. If this guy has had his fingerprints processed before, we should be able to find a match.”
“Is it okay for me to go back to my house?” Aurelie asked.
The sheriff nodded. “We’ve done all the evidence gathering we can. Since the suspect is still at large, be careful. He might come back. I’d change the locks before you stay there for any length of time.”
“I’ll be careful,” Aurelie said. “You’ll let me know if you find anything?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the sheriff said. “And I’ll let the senator know as well.”
Aurelie’s brow dipped. “Has he been in touch?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the sheriff said. “He was worried about you—and we’re checking to see if this attack has anything to do with the attack at the Gautreaux Château. We’ll be working closely with the sheriff of that parish.”
“Thank you.” Aurelie turned to Beau. “Let’s go.”
She walked out to the truck, her thoughts spinning. “I really hope they find a match on that fingerprint. Because I have no clue who’s after me, and it’s bugging the crap out of me.”
“Same,” Beau said. “Makes you wonder if the same guy who attacked you at the château came here to destroy your home?”
“I had that thought as well.” Aurelie climbed into the truck and buckled her seatbelt.
Beau got in and started the engine.
“We went from the château to the parish sheriff’s office before coming to Bayou Miste. Would that have given him enough time to do all the damage he did?” she asked.