Secrets in the Water

Chapter 2: Whiskey on the Rocks

     The Lakeview Investigators Office was a small building tucked in between apartments, but it was a nice area and the agents made it work. Gia set her sunglasses back on her head as they stepped in, hanging Sam’s leash up on the rack next to the door. She hit the lightswitch, moving to the small room she called her office. 
     Her desk sat in the middle of the room, facing the door, her computer whirring quietly as she sat and flicked it on. A bookshelf (filled to the brim) sat in the corner, a dog bed under the window. Armchairs sat in front of her desk for clients, and anyone who may come to chat with Gia. She got Sam’s vest off his wriggly body, smiling a little as he trotted back out the door for his water bowl. Liam leaned in the door frame, quiet as he watched her toss her sunglasses onto the desk and untie her boots.
“...drink with me at seven, okay? You need to loosen up today, after what’s happened.” Gia stared at him a bit as she kicked off her shoes, muttering lightly.
     She didn’t want to drink with Liam at seven. But fine.
     She’d go with him tonight.   
                          *****
     Gia muttered to herself as she stepped outside of her small apartment, locking the door and heading down the stairs to the street. She lived above a small library, another apartment above her own. It was a younger couple, but luckily they were quiet enough and she never saw them. 
     She made sure her keys were in her pocket as she made her way down the street, heading for the Fire Rose Bar. It was her favorite drinking spot, and as a bonus they made good jambalaya. Liam waved at her from the bus stop, grinning as he got off. “Boudreaux! Hey, you look great!” She snorted. She had changed into a black pair of skinny jeans, with a white shirt and red cardigan. The holster on her thigh was hidden, and her badge was in her back pocket.
     "You clean up well too, Mr. Hill." He smirked at her, taking her arm and leading her up the sidewalk. People were already enjoying their Friday night, Gia eyeing the docks and the lake across the street. Liam followed her gaze, sighing. “Fine, fine. We can question the owner while we’re here.” Gia grinned at him, Liam getting the door to the Fire Rose Bar. The whole area smelled of alcohol and food, Gia leaning against the bar. 
     The bartender, and owner, was a handsome young man named Taylor Richard. Gia scowled as he leaned against the bar next to her. 
He and Cameron had been old friends, until they had a falling out about a year ago. She had never learned what it was about, but they hadn’t spoken since. It was an okay theory…but Gia figured Taylor didn’t hold that bad of a grudge. Did he?
     He grinned at her, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. There was an ugly bruise on his cheek that spread up to his eye that Gia took note of.
“Gia Boudreaux…long time no see.” He drawled. Gia rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Richard.” He snorted, getting her favorite drink. A whiskey on the rocks. 
“Should I just put it on the tab, doll?” Gia scowled, but nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I have a few questions for you, though.” He tilted his head, but started cleaning the glass he was holding. “Fire away, Boudreaux.”
     “Did you see Cameron at the docks last night? Getting into a small brown boat?” Taylor tensed at the question, quiet. “...yeah, I saw him. He was by himself.” Gia nodded a bit, quiet. “I see…I know you didn’t talk to Cameron much, but did he say anythi-” Taylor slammed the cup down, glaring at her.
“Gia. I don’t know why you’re asking me so many questions about Cameron LeBlanc, but I don’t have an answer for you. He and I stopped talking a long time ago, and he never told me anything. Okay?” Gia just blinked, before grabbing her drink. “Thanks for the help, Taylor. Have a good night.” She moved to where Liam sat in a corner booth, eyeing her. “...That went well, huh?” She rolled her eyes, sipping at her drink as she sat. “Well…we know that Taylor saw Cameron leaving the docks. We know that Minnie had no idea about where her brother was…but that’s about it.” Gia sighed, nodding. 
“Well, I suppose-” She stopped talking as a waitress brought over a plate of her favorite jambalaya, Gia glancing at Liam. He shrugged, but smiled as she dug into the meal. Gia finished it quickly, eyes a bit brighter as she sat up a bit. “Well, there’s security cameras all outside the bar. We could come in tomorrow morning and ask Taylor for the footage.”
     Liam snorted a bit. “Yeah, as if he’ll give it to us willingly.” She snorted softly, taking another drink. “We’ll get a warrant. We need that footage.” She continued eating, her phone lighting up with a text. It was from someone at the medical office, who was looking at the snake from the crime scene. “Hey Gia. We were just looking over the specimen when we found this.” Gia scrowled through the photos, nearly choking on her jambalaya. Liam was scrolling through them on his phone, eyes wide. The snake’s teeth were out, as if it had just bit someone. “The snake had just buried its teeth into something when it died. We found a bullet in the skull that matches the bullet residue we found at the scene.”
      Gia glanced at Liam, the male tapping furiously. “Liam, this gives us a hint. We check hospital records for people with snakebites.” He took a breath and nodded, quiet. “Alright…fine. We’ll look for someone with a cottonmouth bite.”