Page 39 of Dreaux: The Corporate Assassin

* * *

Pulling up to the park,I looked around in hopes that I wasn’t stood up. Surveying the area, I found her seated near a pond at the far end before the woodsy walking trails started. Gathering my things, I took a deep breath and proceeded her way.

“Good afternoon. Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Boudreaux. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

The night Andre popped up at my home, I was shocked, to say the least. I knew immediately that something was wrong, so there was no way I was going to turn him away. He may have thought I was sleeping when he bared his soul, but I was wide awake as I turned into a recorder. It took everything in me to keep my breathing steady and my heart from beating out of my chest. When he admitted that his mother hated him, the wheels in my head began to turn. I took a chance by reaching out to her, but I had to do it if I wanted any information that would lock him away for life.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Officer Atkins.” She stood from her seat and shook my extended hand. “Thank you for looking into my husband’s case.”

When I contacted Ms. Boudreaux, I may have lied about who I was and my intentions. I called and told her I was a highway patrol officer looking to close my file on Claude Boudreaux’s accident and was hoping she could clear a few things up for me. I offered to visit her at home, but she informed me she was in Milly Grove. I was confused at first, but then it clicked, and I assumed her being in Milly Grove had something to do with why Andre ended up at my house the other night.

“It’s not a problem at all.” I gave her a small smile and gestured for her to reclaim her seat on the bench. “First, I want to offer my condolences. I’m sure losing your husband in such a tragic way had been heartbreaking, to say the least.”

Her eyes misted as she nodded. “It has been tough, but I will feel better once my Claude receives the justice he deserves.” She dapped her eyes with her Kleenex and continued, “I’m not convinced it was an accident. That’s why I’m hoping you can help me.”

Confused, I opened my notepad and looked through my notes. “It says here… he was in a car accident. That he was driving drunk, and?—”

“I don’t care what the file says!” She threw her fists on her legs and glared at me. “I know my son and that gang of his is the reason my Claude is no longer here. I know he murdered my husband!”

Hearing her say Andre was the cause of his father’s death caused my heart to stop. That couldn’t be true, could it? I knew Andre was a ruthless killer, but would he go as far as killing his own flesh and blood?

“Those are serious accusations, ma’am.” I shook my head and jotted down a few notes. “Based on the findings in the accident report, it says your husband’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.”

“Listen here, sweetie. I don’t care what you or anyone else has to say. I know that bastard and his cousins killed my husband!” She stood and began to pace before me. “That’s why I can’t go home without him admitting what he did! He has to admit it!” The wild look in her eyes couldn’t go unnoticed, and I became a little uneasy as she continued to rattle off allegations.

“You see, my Claude was part of the Boudreaux Mafia, and he told me he was on his way to the top! He was next to be in charge. See… his brother was always jealous of him and stole the position right from under my husband’s nose. Samuel’s death was supposed to solidify Claude’s new role, but Rosier came in and took it right from under him!”

“Rosier?” I asked as I flipped through my notes, pretending not to know who he was. “Your nephew?”

“Yes!” She nodded as she continued to pace. She looked as if she was on the verge of a breakdown, and I was second-guessing my decision to come here. There was obviously something wrong with her. “Zoo is what they call him. He has an actual zoo too! Gators, gorillas, and kangaroos—he uses the animals to murder people and dispose of the bodies. Don’t get me started on that little witch boy brother of his!”

“Jules?” I asked with a raised brow. “Did you just call him a witch?” I sighed before closing my notebook and standing. “Maybe we should end this conversation. I was hoping I would be able to help you?—”

“Don’t you see! They’re all dangerous!” She snapped, turning to face me before gripping my shoulders. “They killed my husband, and now… they’re going to kill me! I know it, oh God, I know it! I tried to set my boy up! I was wearing a wire, and he found it!” She looked around in a panic. “They’re watching me!” She looked around frantically and caused me to do the same. Snapping her eyes back to me, she shook me with so much force that I thought my neck was going to crack. “Now they’re watching you too! They’re going to kill me! They’re going to kill us both!”

Taking a few steps back, she twirled and dashed across the park before I could stop her. I shouted her name repeatedly, but there was no use. She was long gone.

Standing there stunned, I thought about the strange encounter. Ms. Boudreaux was mentally unstable, but I wondered if there was some truth to what she said. Dre killing his father in a car crash is possible because I’m all but certain he did the same to my cousins. I couldn’t prove it, but it was a feeling I couldn’t shake.

“Maybe I’m in over my head,” I told myself as I walked back to my car. “Maybe I should?—”

Stopping in my tracks, I felt the chills run down my spine as the hairs on the back of my neck stood. Looking around, I had the eerie feeling I was being watched. I glanced around, and the park was as empty as it was when I arrived. High-stepping to my car, I hurried inside and locked the doors. I didn’t give the oil time to flow before I pulled off. I eyeballed my rearview several times to ensure I wasn’t being followed, but no cars were behind me.

The farther away I got from the park, the better I felt. Maybe his mother’s paranoia had rubbed off on me. Her talks of the mafia alone let me know she wouldn’t be a reliable source. Mafias haven’t existed for years, and if their existence were true, you wouldn’t be able to prove it. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find anything incriminating on Andre. I was thinking I should leave well enough alone. If Dre and his family are as dangerous as his mother says, I’m in way over my head.

* * *

“Damn,sis! Let me find outthisis why Rissa was mad.”

Slapping Rome on the shoulders as he passed, I stared at myself in the mirror. Tonight, I was accompanying Andre to his business partner’s event. I was nervous—not because of the event itself, but because I would be back in Andre’s presence. It would be the first time since I had a conversation with his mother, and I was anxious.

In the days after meeting with Dre’s mother, I was on high alert. Everywhere I went, I felt as if I was being watched, but I could never pinpoint anyone lurking. I thought about reaching back out to her to make sure she was okay but thought better of it before I could pick up the phone. She was volatile, and I didn’t want to do anything else to jeopardize what I was trying to do.

“That’s not a nice thing to say about the dead,” I said over my shoulder as I snapped on my earrings. “How are you not torn up about losing our cousin?”

"R.I.P. to that hoe but fuck her.” He shrugged as he came over and helped me fasten my dress. “She hated our guts and shitted on us every chance she got, sis. Excuse me for not caring about a bitch who could give two fucks about me." Spinning me back around, he judged my reflection in the mirror. “You look beautiful tonight, and whatever has been on your mind these past few days needs to be placed to the back of your mind. This is the first time in a long time that you’ve been able to go on a date and actually let your hair down—unless you count letting that man finger fuck you at dinner.”

“Rome!” I gasped in embarrassment. “Why did you say that?”

---