Free Dangerous Mercy: A Novel by Kathy Herman Page A

house. But I avoided him.” Adele pursed her lips. “Who do you suppose wanted him dead? Goodness gracious, there’s entirely too much killing going on in this town.”
    “I doubt this is related to the bathtub killings either,” Zoe said. “Jude is going to have his hands full with two separate investigations.”
    “I wonder how Murray’s taking it.”
    Zoe shrugged. “Hard to say. Flynn was the least popular guy at Haven House, but this has to affect the others on some level. Father Vince, too. I feel sorry that Noah’s in the middle. Just because he butted heads with Flynn doesn’t make him capable of murdering him.”
    Adele traced the rim of her glass. “From what I understand, almost everyone butted heads with Flynn.”
    Isabel stood in the doorway with a pitcher of raspberry tea. “Yes, but his body was found on the property where Noah works. You have to admit it looks bad.” She came to the table and refilled their glasses.
    “Looks can be deceiving,” Adele said. “Noah Washington is a fine man. I don’t believe he had anything to do with Flynn’s death.”
    “Neither do I,” Zoe said.
    “Saying it won’t make it so.” Isabel set the pitcher on the table. “He’ll have to account for his whereabouts at the time the murder happened.”
    “What about Vanessa and Ethan?” Adele said. “Won’t they have to do the same? Surely his being black won’t be a factor.”
    “I doubt this is racial,” Zoe said. “They questioned Vanessa pretty hard. And I’m sure they will do the same to Ethan.”
    “But they’re not the ones who had issues with Flynn,” Isabel said. “Noah is.”
    Adele bit her lip and glanced up at Isabel. “You’ve never been comfortable with my dealings with any of the men from Haven House.”
    “No, I haven’t. I know you just want to give them a break. But it’s risky, and I wish you wouldn’t do it.”
    “Nonsense.” Adele waved her hand. “Flynn gave me pause. But Noah and Murray are gentlemen and have been nothing but polite and efficient.”
    “You’re not responsible for them,” Isabel said.
    “No, but I am responsible for how I respond to them.” Adele looked out at the flower beds that Noah had so carefully tended. “If the Lord has opened this door, I don’t need to shy away from it.”

     
    Sheriff Jude Prejean walked out on the back deck at Langley Manor after being briefed on the facts in the Gillis murder case by Deputies Stone Castille and Mike Doucet.
    He spotted Noah sitting in a rocking chair, facing the cane fields, and walked up behind him. He coughed to avoid startling him.
    Noah stood and turned around. “Sheriff, I’ve already told the deputies everything I know.”
    “Mind if we sit for minute?” Jude went over and sat in the rocker next to Noah. “First time I’ve been here since the deck was added. Pretty amazing view from back here.”
    “Yes, sir. I cleared out a few trees and opened it up. Now you can see a country mile.”
    “You’ve done an amazing job of landscaping.”
    “Thanks. But I had nothin’ to do with those cane fields. They sure do make a nice backdrop though.”
    Jude looked out beyond the live oaks to a sea of tall green stalks bathed in sunlight and undulating in the breeze. He enjoyed the postcard picture for a few moments before continuing.
    “My deputies tell me you have no idea how Flynn Gillis’s body ended up in the bayou.”
    “That’s right.”
    “The coroner places the time of death between eleven last night and one this morning.” Jude turned to Noah. “Flynn didn’t drown. He was strangled.”
    Noah’s hands turned to fists.
    “It takes a lot of pressure to break someone’s hyoid bone, Noah. You have strong hands.”
    “A lot o’ men have strong hands. And I imagine plenty o’ them disliked Flynn as much as I did.”
    “My deputies just finished talking with the other residents at Haven House. They all agreed that Flynn was a real pain.”
    “That’s right.”
    “In fact,