“Yes, but we have no reason to assume she’s scared because she’s in danger. Maybe there’s a sick friend or family member she never told you about.”
“She would tell me about a sick friend. I’m a nurse, for goodness’ sake. That’s enough of a reason for me to assume she’s in danger. If the problem was benign or anyone else’s to bear, why wouldn’t she tell me?”
He blew out a breath. As much as he hated it, the fact that Anna hadn’t contacted the only person she’d become close to didn’t add up, unless Anna herself was the one in trouble.
“You said she didn’t have family,” he said.
“She said she didn’t have family.” Colette shook her head. “Look, clearly I don’t know Anna as well as I thought I did. Maybe I don’t know her at all, but the woman on that tape didn’t know anyone was watching her, so she had no reason to fake being scared.”
“I agree, but we need a starting point. Her past is the most likely choice.”
“Okay.”
“You said her hometown was on this highway, right?”
“Not exactly. I said it was on the way to her hometown.”
Something in her tone let him know he was in for more answers he didn’t want. He looked over at her. “Where is Anna from?”
“Cache.”
He stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I were.”
“The entire village is the Louisiana swamp version of a unicorn. The name itself means ‘hidden.’ Even if it really exists, which I’m not certain of, how in the world are we supposed to find it? Every teenager I know, including me, tried to find Cache. No one ever came close.”
“It’s there … somewhere in the swamp. It has to be.”
Max shook his head. “Even if it is, there are other things to consider. You grew up in New Orleans, right? You know the stories.”
“What—that the entire village materializes at the will of the village people and can disappear just the same? That no one’s ever seen it and lived to tell about it? That if an outsider sets foot in the village, a curse will descend on ten generations of their family?”
She blew out a breath. “It’s all just stories made up by parents to keep their kids from wandering in the swamp. Maybe even made up by the villagers to keep people from looking for the village. A bunch of old Creole lore can’t possibly concern you.”
“It’s more than a bunch of lore. Mystere Parish is different.”
“Different how? The Louisiana mystique extends beyond that one parish.”
“Things happen here,” he said. “Things that aren’t possible. When we went into the swamp as boys, sometimes I’d feel a presence, something watching our every move.”
“Well, of course, there are animals out in the swamp and probably hunters—”
“It wasn’t anything like that. Look, I don’t know how to explain it to you without sounding crazy. I just know that you can’t take things in Mystere Parish at surface value.”
Colette bit her lower lip. “You think they’re practicing voodoo in Cache?”
“Maybe, if the village even exists. But regardless of whether or not they’re practicing the old ways, they will not take kindly to intruders. Finding the village could be enough to put us at risk to the same thing that happened to Anna.”
Just going into the swamp will expose us to whatever’s out there watching. He thought it, but didn’t say it.
“Are you telling me you won’t try?” she asked.
“No, I’m telling you why we shouldn’t try. But if you still want to move forward, then I will.”
“Of course I want to continue,” she said, but Max could see the uncertainty in her expression. “You saw her on the tape. She needs our help.”
He pulled out of the bank parking lot and merged onto the highway, directing his Jeep down the lonely stretch of road. “Pirate’s Cove is the closest town to where Cache is supposed to be. We’ll see if we can get some help locating the village there, and we need access to a boat.”
“I do know one thing about Cache,” Colette said, her voice wavering. “Until Anna Huval, no one’s ever left the village and talked about it. And they made her promise never to return.”
ANNA STUMBLED THROUGH the wall of decaying moss, the thick brush scratching her bare arms as she ran. Her leg muscles burned from the exertion of an hour-long race through the swamp, and her head throbbed above her right eye, where the creature had struck her. She paused for a couple of seconds and looked up, trying to ascertain that she was still running in the direction of the highway, but the thick canopy of cypress trees and moss choked out any view of the moonlight.
If she could get to the highway, she might be able to get help. The only town anywhere near was Pirate’s Cove, where she’d left her car, but she had no idea which direction it was anymore. Besides, the residents of Pirate’s Cove had to know about the curse. Someone was shielding the creature … either by helping it remain hidden all these years or by calling it up from the darkness if it hadn’t been there before. Either way, it was likely that person was in Pirate’s Cove.
The highway was her safest bet. There wasn’t much traffic, but truck drivers often used that stretch of road because it was wide open and not cluttered with regular traffic.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed forward again, knowing that the creature was behind her somewhere … tracking her as it would an animal. And if it found her, it would kill her like one.
As soon as she told him her secret.
Chapter Four
It was almost one o’clock when Max pulled into Pirate’s Cove. The town consisted of six buildings, scattered on both sides of the highway. The swamp stretched behind the buildings and went on for thousands of acres. Max pulled up to a café and parked.
“I figure we can get a bite to eat and use the time to feel out the locals. See if we can get some information on the location of Cache.”
Colette nodded. Her stomach had started rumbling after leaving the bank. With all the stress of the morning, she was a bit surprised that food even entered into her thoughts, but apparently, biology prevailed.
They exited the car and walked to the café entrance.
Max paused outside the front door and said, “Don’t tell anyone about Anna.”
“Then what do we say?”
“I’ll think of something. Let me get a read on the people first, and then follow my lead.”
She nodded and followed him inside, reminding herself of Alex’s confidence in Max’s abilities. No matter how much she wished the investigation could progress faster, she had to take a step back and let Max do the work she’d hired him to do. He’d struck just the right note with the bank manager in getting access to the video footage. Hopefully, he could find a way to do it again with the citizens of Pirate’s Cove.
The lunch rush was either over or there wasn’t much of one to begin with. Two men with sparse gray hair were the only patrons in the café, along with one cook and a waitress. All four stared as they took seats at the counter.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the waitress asked.
“Iced tea,” Colette said.
“Same for me,” Max chimed in.
The waitress filled the glasses and placed them on the counter. “You want something