Page 62 of Secrets & Desires
PartFour
ChapterTwenty-Four
Back in New Orleans,Nox and Livia made a plan. Nox would go to the police and ask them to reopen his family’s case; Livia would research as much as she could about the family and his father’s businessconnections.
At first the police were hesitant to even listen to Nox, but finally, a younger detective, Brian Jones, called him back. “Mr. Renaud, I want to help. I’ve been working cold cases for a couple of years and although the official record is murder/suicide, something has always struck me as off.Let’stalk.”
Nox called Liv. “That’s fantastic,” she enthused, “a real step forward. Haven’t found anything online yet, but I’ll keep digging. I do have to go into worktonight.”
“I’ll try and be back to take you, but if not, make sure you take Jasonwithyou.”
“My pet bodyguard,” she sighed but agreed to hisrequest.
Livia searchedthe internet and looked at every news story, feature, article, blog post she could find on the Renaud family tragedy. More than one linked it to Ariel’s death, calling Nox cursed, which just made Liv angry. By the end of the afternoon, her eyes were sore and she went upstairs to change for work. As she walked into their bedroom, she froze. On the bed was an envelope, which she knew for certain hadn’t been there that morning. She felt her chest cramp up with unease. The envelope looked like the same heavy paper brand as the one that had been left for her at the college. Expensive paper. Careful not to touch it too much, she eased the note out of it. She couldn’t help the gasp thatescapedher.
Itoldyou to leave him. Now everyone will have to die before I kill you, beautifulLivia.
“Jason!”
Her bodyguard came running, flanked by another couple of Nox’s security men. She showed Jason the letter. Grim-faced, he told the men to search thehouse.
“And you’re sure it wasn’t here before thismorning?”
“Positive.”
Jason nodded and got on his phone. One of the security guards came back, his face ashen, and visibly shaken. “Boss, the wine cellar. You need toseethis.”
Livia insisted on going with them, but immediately wished she hadn’t. “Oh,Jesus…”
Blood. Lots of it smeared across the whole room, stinking, rotting. The corpse was leaning up against the wall, belly sliced open, entrailshangingout.
All of them retched. Jason kicked the corpse with his toe. “Who the hell brings acowdown here togutit?”
Livia, covering her mouth and nose, nodded at it. “Someone sending a message. It’s what he’s going to dotome.”
“Get the police down here now,” Jason barked at his men, then turned to Livia was trembling. “Ms. Chatelaine, we need to get you someplace safe. I’m taking you to Mr. Renaud’s offices. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out inpublic.”
“No, I need to go to work,” Livia insisted. “Marcel is always shorthanded near NewYear’s.”
Jason wasn’t happy and called Nox. When he spoke to Livia, Nox listened to her. “I don’t want to be the one to tell you what to do, even if I think this is beyondworrying.”
“I want to go to work,” she insisted. “It was acow, someone’s idea of trying to scare me. Fuckthem,Nox.”
He gave a low chuckle. “Fuck them. Okay, but I’m taking you to work, and there will be a fleet of security with you allnightlong.”
“Deal.”
Marcel greetedher with a warm hug, but Livia noticed the strain in his eyes. “Youokay?”
Marcel shook his head. “Liv, I don’t want to pile on but…have you seen or heard from Moriko? She didn’t come in last night, and it’s not like her. I tried to call her but there was noanswer.”
Livia looked at Nox, and there was terror in her eyes. Nox nodded to Marcel. “We’ll go to herplace.”
In the cab, Livia held Nox’s hand tightly. “Please be okay, please be okay,” she kept whispering as she tried in vain to reach her friend on the phone. In the elevator to Moriko’s apartment, she grew almostangry.
“Why the hell isn’t sheanswering?”
As she spoke, something hit her shoulder. Liquid. They both looked at it. Blood. It had dropped from above. They both turned to look as they approached Moriko’s floor and with mounting horror, they realized that the floor was covered with blood and that it was definitely pooling out from Moriko’sapartment.
