Between Dusk and Dawn Read Online Free Page B

becoming Acting Sheriff, M. J.
stuck to the rules even closer than before. No way would LaShaun
put M. J. in a bad position, especially by dropping in to chat with
her at the station. So that left Savannah. LaShaun timed her
shopping trip to make sure Savannah would be in her office. She
parked in a space on Broad Street and walked a half
block.
    “ Good morning. How can I
help you?” A fresh faced young woman beamed up at her. Savannah’s
new legal secretary had big hazel eyes and bouncy reddish brown
curls. Her smile suggested that any legal problem brought to their
door could be solved. The name plate on her desk read “Ginger
Roberts” in black letters.
    “ Hi. Nice to meet you,
Ginger. I’m here to see Savannah. LaShaun Rousselle. I don’t have
an appointment,” LaShaun added before the young woman could
ask.
    “ Oh, I see.” Her light
brown face grew serious, as though not having an appointment meant
LaShaun was in serious trouble. “I’ll check with Mrs. Honoré right
now.”
    “ Thanks.”
    LaShaun grinned at the way the young
legal secretary hustled off. Moments later Savannah led the way
back to the lobby. Her secretary blinked rapidly at
LaShaun.
    “ Good morning,” Savannah
smiled. Then she tilted her head to one side. “I hope this is
purely a social visit.”
    LaShaun laughed. “It is, I
promise.”
    Savannah grinned back and walked to
her office. “Okay, then you can come on in. Otherwise I was going
to send you over to my friend in Lafayette Parish. I can’t take
another action-packed episode in the life of LaShaun
Rousselle.”
    “ Hey, I’m not the only
source of turmoil around here,” LaShaun tossed back, and sank down
in a comfortable leather chair in the seating area.
    Savannah brought out a box of donuts,
and then poured coffee in two mugs. She sat across from LaShaun in
a matching chair and propped her feet on the seat of a third
one.
    “ I’m not going to comment,
except to say you provide the most interesting commotions at least.
None of this routine, penny ante trouble. Why can’t people manage
their lives a little neater?” Savannah bit into a donut and chewed
for a few moments. “I mean, is that too much to ask?”
    LaShaun selected one of the glazed
treats that had a filling. “Apparently the answer is yes. Life is
messy.”
    “ Oh well, I could have
stuck to marine law, and mineral and oil rights practice. But I
wanted the human side of law.” Savannah sipped from her
mug.
    “ Be careful going after
what you want, as the old saying goes.” LaShaun gave her shoulder a
pat and laughed at the scowl on her friend’s face. “Speaking of
messy lives, Miss Clo came to see me. For once, somebody other than
me is being accused of putting bad gris-gris on folks.”
    “ Humph, that’s small town
Louisiana for ya. Your neighbor trips and breaks a toe after y’all
get into a fuss, and bam! You must be burning black candles on ‘em.
It’ll blow over soon enough.”
    “ Like it blew over with me,
you mean?” LaShaun looked at her.
    “ You have a point. So Miss
Clo came to consult our local expert in the dark arts, eh?”
Savannah smothered a laugh when LaShaun’s eyes narrowed to
slits.
    “ Funny. What have you heard
about Patsy Boutin? She’s younger than us, right?” LaShaun asked as
she licked icing from her fingers, then grabbed a napkin and wiped
her hands.
    “ Yeah, about twenty-four.
Patsy was in school with one of my cousins on mama’s side. She
married her high school sweetheart. Vic ignored all the talk, and
his mama’s advice, and marched down the aisle with her
anyway.”
    “ What talk?” LaShaun
said.
    “ Patsy’s hobby is
collecting male admirers. Rumor has it her current back door man is
a handsome fella who moved here three years ago; a very married handsome fella.”
Savannah carefully selected a second donut and sat back in her
chair. “Not that I’m one to spread gossip, you
understand.”
    “ Oh, of course not; you’re
simply sharing