Page 61 of Beau
“I’ll cook, but I can’t keep an eye on you if you’re out here and I’m inside.” He tipped his head toward the door. “There’s a comfortable sofa in the living room. An added bonus for me is that I can see the living room from the kitchen.” He raised his eyebrows. “What do you say? Or you might consider feeding the little rat while I prepare our food.”
“That’s a good idea.” Aurelie gathered Lady into her arms and stood. “Since we’re feeding her smaller quantities, it should be more often until she gets used to eating regular meals.”
Beau held the door for Aurelie and the dog. Once they were inside, he closed and locked the door, glad she’d decided to come inside while he fixed breakfast.
While Beau cooked eggs, bacon and toast, Aurelie poured a small amount of dog kibble into a bowl and refreshed the water bowl for Lady. “I’ll wait to put the food down until we’re ready to eat,” she said. “That way, Lady can eat while we do.”
“Bacon’s done, and the eggs are almost ready.” Beau used a spatula to lift eggs from the skillet to the waiting plate. “Just waiting on the toast.”
Aurelie checked the doggy door in the laundry room and found a lever she could set to lock the door.
Beau carried two plates to the dining table.
Aurelie carried glasses of orange juice.
Beau returned to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. “Do you want a cup?” he asked.
“Please.” Aurelie carried her cup of coffee and Lady’s dog food bowl into the dining room.
Lady ate her dog food while Beau and Aurelie ate their breakfast.
After cleaning his plate, Beau sat back with his cup of coffee, reviewing what he knew about the attacks and the information she’d shared with the sheriff and Remy. “You say your work to preserve the bayou has gotten certain corporations in hot water with the EPA. How so?”
“A couple of businesses claimed they were following the EPA’s guidelines for disposal of toxic chemicals generated in their manufacturing processes.” Aurelie laid down her fork and lifted her coffee mug. “One company flat-out lied, and their records were fabricated.”
“How do you know that?”
She gave a grim smile. “I got a tip from an insider who knew the truth. He gave me a date and a location in the bayou where the toxic chemicals would be dumped. I rented a boat and made sure I was there to capture the act on video. They came to the same spot the next night. I had an EPA agent and the sheriff for that parish with me that time. They caught them in the act.”
“Wait.” Beau frowned. “Were you alone the first night?”
Aurelie nodded. “I knew I wouldn’t get law enforcement or the EPA to listen unless I had evidence. The video was very convincing.”
Beau shoved a hand through his hair, shocked that this woman had gone out into the bayou alone, at night, to a location where men were performing an illegal act that could get them thrown into jail. “Were the men dumping the chemicals armed?”
“Yes.” She grimaced. “When they tried to escape, the sheriff had two other boats nearby to block them from getting away. They exchanged gunfire.”
Beau couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “They let you go with them? An unarmed woman?”
“I had to show them where to go,” she said. “When shit hit the fan, they couldn’t let them get away, and they didn’t have time to drop me off before pursuing the bad guys.”
“You’re lucky to be alive,” he said solemnly.
“The point is, they caught them,” Aurelie said. “In a plea bargain, the men doing the dirty work told the EPA agent everything they needed to know about where the chemicals came from and who’d given the order to dump them in the bayou. They paid a visit to the company and shut them down until they put the process in place to safely handle and dispose of toxic byproducts.”
“The man you have a meeting with today...is his company violating EPA guidelines?”
“I won’t know until I conduct my investigation.” She took a cautious sip of her coffee and swallowed. “I start by looking through their records. If anything jumps out as a red flag, I dig deeper.”
“How?” he asked, afraid of her response.
“I observe.” She lifted her chin. “Sometimes, I sneak onto their grounds or follow their trucks.”
“Oh, babe.” Beau shook his head. “No wonder they’re after you.”
Aurelie frowned. “If they were doing what they were supposed to, I wouldn’t have to go to such extreme measures.” She leaned forward. “Don’t you see? What they’re doing to the bayous is killing them. Maybe even killing the people who live there. If I didn’t do anything about it, who would?”
He set his cup on the table and took her hands in his. “You have great intentions, and you obviously care about the bayous and the people. Is it worth your life?”