In Pursuit of a Princess

“You better believe it.” He grabbed his equipment and his many cameras. “I’ll be waiting with Malcolm out by the garage.”

Lara let out a sigh of relief. If she stayed focused on her purpose, this would be over soon. In the meantime, she also needed to keep Gabriel busy so he’d stop being an amateur sleuth.

* * *

Later that day, Lara glanced toward the dining room, where they’d just shared a meal Deidre had made. “I’m worried about Herbert. He always stays here in the house when I’m in town. But no one has heard from him since he finished cooking the other night. Not one word in three days.”

Gabriel nodded, checked his watch. “Even you have to admit that’s suspicious.”

Outside, the golden-pink dusk filtered through the mossy oaks and swaying palm trees. Night was coming. What would happen next? As much as she loved New Orleans, the city now held a sinister darkness that kept her on edge. But she couldn’t reveal her feelings to anyone right now. She wanted this over with and done. Starting to wonder at her own sanity, Lara reminded herself she had a goal and a plan to reach that goal.

Going back to Gabriel’s observation, she said, “Yes, it is. I got so busy and then with everything else that happened yesterday, I neglected to talk to Malcolm about that. Herbert is known for going off on weekends, but he always comes back. The police don’t think he’s a priority.” She whirled, her full-skirted dress twirling around her. “Better yet, I can go and check on him myself.”

“Oh, no.” Gabriel followed her to the hallway. “Not a good idea, Princess.”

She turned and leaned up, so he would hear every word. “But if I’m to trust no one, then I must find out for myself, don’t you think?”

A couple of silent seconds ticked by.

“Oh. No. No way. I refuse to go with you.”

Lara knew she was playing with fire, but she had to make sure Herbert was safe since the police seemed so nonchalant about his comings and goings. They’d questioned the entire household after the second intruder, but the locals hadn’t found anything to confirm that Herbert was missing, and they couldn’t connect him to the intruders at this point. But she could at least check his apartment. She’d often managed to sneak out for some girl time with her friends when she was first married, but those days seemed like a lifetime ago. She didn’t know Gabriel very well, but he was her best hope right now.

This is not a shopping trip, she reminded herself. This could get you in a lot of trouble.

She eyed him now. “You’re right. Silly idea.”

He turned to leave, stomped back. “You’re going without me, aren’t you?”

She lifted on her tiptoes to check the room. “I have to know. I’m worried and Malcolm will throw a fit if I ask him to do this.”

Gabriel rubbed his hand down his face, stared at the floor, then finally lifted his head. “I don’t like this at all, but I won’t let you go alone. And of course, you know that.”

Lara had hoped that, but she let out a sigh of relief, all the same. “Thank you. I’ll take full responsibility. But how can we get away?”

“I have ways of shaking off a detail.”

Lara wondered when and why she’d decided to trust this man. But after spending the day with him shadowing her like an unobtrusive knight, she’d seen the professional side of Gabriel Murdock. And she was impressed. He took pictures, lots of them, in a rapid session that never intruded. He took notes on a small pocket notebook, scribbling so silently, she forgot he was there. She had no doubt he could handle just about any situation. She needed someone like Gabriel Murdock in her corner.

“I can only imagine. After all, you are a reporter of sorts. You’d like to get the scoop on what’s really happening here, right?”

“Absolutely.” He walked her back to the parlor. “I’ve never tried to hide that. But I am professional and I won’t break the promise I made to you. This only goes public if you give me the word, but I’d be crazy to ignore the things happening to you. Until then, the only thing people will see in my pictures and story is the truth—that you’re here to do good work and to help the city of New Orleans.” He went silent, his eyes still following her. “That is the truth, isn’t it?”

Lara’s heart skipped ahead a couple of beats. He couldn’t find out the whole story. His eyes, so intense and so sincere, scared her. And intrigued her. She wanted to know his background, to understand why he chased stories and took pictures of both beauty and horror. She should tell him she’d changed her mind about finding Herbert, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. Herbert had helped her with certain aspects of this whole affair. Had she put the jovial chef in danger?

“Yes, that is the truth.” Now she felt really awful because that was only part of the truth. She didn’t want to involve him in the rest.

“Okay.” He seemed pacified with her declaration.

“Will you go with me, then?”

“Do you know where Herbert lives?”

“Yes. He sometimes stays across the river in Algiers.”

“Then let’s go.” He pulled her close. “But you have to do exactly as I say. Malcolm will be furious with us, and I don’t want to get shot.”

“I have a gun.”

“No!” He shook his head, his words a low growl. “We do this my way, Princess, or no way at all.”

That demand made her wary. “What if you’re the mole? What if you’re trying to lure me away from the people I pay to protect me?”

Gabriel’s gruff chuckle sent chills up her bare arms. “Seriously, you want to go back over that again? Do you think I’d leave those packages or set foot in a vehicle I purposely sabotaged?”

“You did accuse poor Deidre and you had the means and opportunity to leave those packages, same as she did. Maybe you knew the blown tire wouldn’t cause a serious accident.”

“You don’t believe that, do you?”

Lara couldn’t picture this man trying to scare her or kill her. No, the only way she could picture Gabriel Murdock in her mind involved him holding her close and whispering to her, the way he’d done several times in their brief time together.

Pushing that image away, Lara shook her head. “I don’t think you’re behind this. But I have to be able to trust you, Gabriel. Don’t sell me out, to the press or to anyone’s greed.”

“I gave you my word,” he replied. “Now, are we doing this or not? I have pictures to download and some captions to edit.”

“We are,” she whispered. “But how?”

He leaned close again. “Remember, do exactly as I say and I’ll have you gone and back before Malcolm can sneeze. If we find something wrong at Herbert’s place, we’ll call Malcolm and the police.”