Robicheaux (Dave Robicheaux 21)

HELEN WAS ON my case early the next morning. “You told Labiche to get out of your office?”

“I didn’t know he was a snitch.”

“He was trying to do his job,” she said.

“He’s a street rat.”

“I’m not going to put up with this, Dave.”

“Then don’t.”

We were standing by the water cooler out in the hall.

“Step inside my office,” she said.

I tried to play the role of the gentleman and let her walk ahead of me.

“Get inside!” she said. She slammed the door behind us. “Somebody pounded Kevin Penny into hamburger. The sheriff in Jeff Davis says Penny believes it was you.”

“He ‘believes’ it was me?”

“The assailant had a kerchief on his face.”

“Let’s see: Penny has been in Quentin, Raiford, and Angola. He was in the AB, but his wife was half black. He’s a pimp and a child abuser. Nobody besides a cop would want to hurt him, huh?”

“Where were you early Sunday morning?”

“Helen, I don’t blame you because you have to treat me as a suspect in the Dartez homicide. But Labiche is a bum. You shouldn’t have put him in charge of the investigation.”

“Don’t try to change the subject. Did you bust up Penny?”

“Somebody should have done it years ago. End of statement.”

“You’re going to end up in prison.”

“Not because of Penny,” I said.

She touched at her nose and sniffed. “Maybe you’re right about Labiche.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not comfortable with Labiche’s history, either. I never knew a guy in vice who didn’t get the wrong kind of rise out of his job. But he caught the case on his own hook, and to give it to somebody else because you don’t like him would be obvious bias.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“You did the right thing.”

“You’re a poor liar.” She punched me in the chest, hard. “I’m mad at you, Dave.”

* * *

AT FIVE, I’D left the office and begun walking down the long driveway to East Main, when I saw Levon Broussard turn out of the traffic and park his Jeep under the big live oak by the grotto devoted to the mother of Jesus. He opened the car door and held up his hand. “I need to talk.”

“I’m on my way home,” I said. “Take a walk with me.”

“No, right here.”