The cat leaped off the mantel, knocking the ivy on top of the safety strap wench, lodging it in place, then he wrapped himself around the shoe, digging his claws into Gertie’s ankle. Gertie let out a yell and kicked her leg out and connected with the mantel, sending her spiraling around the pole like a top. But the cat was not deterred. He clung to her foot as she spun around, screeching as if someone were killing him.
The crowd scattered but not before Gertie’s foot—wearing the cat—connected right in the face of someone who’d rushed toward the pole rather than away. Between the whirling Gertie, the flashing lights, and the people scrambling, I couldn’t tell who it was until I heard him yell.
Carter!
I ran forward as Gertie continued rotation and the cat flew off her foot and across the living room. Mannie, who’d just entered the room with Ally, grabbed a wicker basket from the floor, caught the cat with it, and then slid the basket down the hall before the angry ball of fur could take out his failure to have a fish dinner on the nearest set of hands.
I reached out to grab Gertie’s leg and right when I got a good clutch on her, the safety strap broke, and my arm went straight through her bra as she fell and yanked me to the ground with her. Before I could untangle my arm, a blanket dropped on top of me and I had a flashback to the time I was caught in a target’s net. I sprang up, flinging the blanket with one arm and pulling my nine with the other. As I got in firing position, I could see Gertie’s bright pink bra hanging from my wrist.
Carter, who had scratches across his forehead, stepped in front of me and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not going to tell you to hold fire,” he said. “But you have to start with either Gertie or that cat.”
Ally rushed forward with the discarded blanket and Jeb yelled that he’d found Gertie’s tank top. I looked down to see Gertie clutching throw pillows across her chest and laughing like a maniac, and the reason for the blanket became clear. Ally flung the blanket over Gertie again, then Jeb ran over and smuggled the tank top under there so we could avoid an R-rated event.
I was just about to ask Carter what he was doing there when Nora rushed in.
“I heard there was an accident,” she said. “Is Gertie all right?”
“I think so, but she probably flashed your guests,” I said.
Nora waved a hand in dismissal. “That probably won’t be the last time someone gets flashed tonight.”
Gertie flung the blanket off her head and looked up at Nora.
“That was fantastic fun,” Gertie said. “I hope I didn’t break anything.”
“There was a situation with the cat,” I started to explain.
“Drunken Idiot will be fine,” Nora said.
“Are you talking about me?” Gertie asked.
“No. The cat,” Nora said. “His name is Idiot and he’s been drinking out of the fountain all afternoon. He does some odd things and has a substance abuse problem.”
Finished with her declaration, Nora turned around and headed out of the room, citing a need for another drink as she left. Ida Belle, Mannie, Ally, Walter, Gertie, and I burst into laughter. Then I remembered Carter was standing behind me and looked back. He wasn’t nearly as amused.
“Who died?” I asked him.
He frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
“Because you’re standing in Nora’s living room in the middle of her New Year’s party. The party you said there wasn’t enough money or beer in the world to get you to attend, even for five minutes.”
“Can we talk outside?” he asked.
Ida Belle raised an eyebrow as I followed him out. There were people milling around the porch, so he kept walking until we reached the sidewalk.
“I feel like that kid whose mother walks him out of the party that the other kid threw while his parents were out of town,” I said.
“At least Nora never had kids,” Carter said. “One thing to be thankful for.”
“So what’s got you breaking hard promises to yourself?”
He glanced around to double-check that no one had walked within hearing range, then leaned toward me. “Someone took a shot at RJ.”
“What?” I couldn’t say I was necessarily surprised that someone might have a go at RJ after what had happened to Brock and given what I’d learned from Mannie, but it was still far down on the list of possibilities.
“She was at the Swamp Bar for a while, then said she had a headache and headed home. When she got out of her car at her mother’s house, someone put a bullet through the window. She said it would have gotten her if she hadn’t dropped her phone and bent over to get it.”
“So what did she do?”
“Crawled under the car and called 911. She got lucky. The shot woke up her mother, who flipped on every light in the house as she made her way downstairs. I’m guessing the shooter knew he had a very limited window to get out of there and there was no light in the driveway at all, so he wouldn’t have been able to see if she was still under the car or behind it.”
“Why no light?”
“The bulbs on the garage and porch had both been smashed, and the streetlight is too far away and blocked by trees to help much.”
“Premeditated.”
He nodded.
I frowned. “So why are you here telling me now? You never offer up information like this.”
“Because I know you and know there’s no way you’re going to let this thing with Brock go. But this and the parade makes two attempts on RJ. Whatever the two of them were mixed up in, they probably dragged it back to Sinful, and you need to stay out of it.”
“I thought Brock set the float on fire.”
He shrugged. “That’s what I thought as well, but he sure as heck didn’t fire that shot through her car window. Maybe it was your mystery guy in the shadows. Or maybe it was someone else entirely. All I know is there are way too many variables here and I don’t like it.”
“What does RJ say?”
He frowned.
I sighed, frustrated by his required silence. “Well, where is she now? Can you at least tell me that?”
“She’s still at her mother’s house and complaining loudly about it. Deputy Breaux is sitting on the house for now, but I’m requesting some help from Mudbug if they have anyone to spare. I really don’t want to have to call the state police in on this.”
“Because they’ll take over. So I assume RJ is wanting to get out of Dodge?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Why not let her go? She doesn’t have the means, or quite frankly the aptitude, to skip the country. If you really think she and Brock brought trouble here, then it should leave with her, right?”
“She doesn’t have a place to go back to in Nashville. She was evicted from her apartment a week ago, which is why she turned up in Sinful to begin with. With no fixed address and no employment, she would be in the wind, working for tips in any bar across the country.”
“And you couldn’t have that because of Brock’s death,” I said, probing for more information. “Can’t let a suspect leave town, right?”
He gave me a sort of nod.
I groaned. “Don’t tell me she has an alibi.”
“Yeah, and I’m going to share it, so the two of you don’t cross paths again. The neighbor across the street was working on a motorcycle in his garage all night. He saw her come home with her mom right after the parade. Neither her mother’s car nor RJ’s left the house while he was outside and he was in the garage until around 2:00 a.m. Sawyer confirmed that they went straight home after the parade, had dinner, watched some television, and went to bed.”
“I know there’s some people with grudges,” I said. “And I can see someone taking a crack at either one of them in a bar or whatever, but knocking out light bulbs and sitting on a house is a planned event. Do you really think a local was holding on to hate that long?”
“We’ve both seen stranger. I can’t exclude anyone in Sinful from scrutiny.”
“I get it. Did you question any locals today?”
His jaw flexed but he didn’t respond, which I took to mean he’d probably talked to Gina and Cecil.
“You know as soon as you question people, they’ll be subject to the Sinful rumor mill and everything that comes with it,” I said.
“What can I do about that?”
I shook my head. Gina’s and Cecil’s troubles couldn’t be his focus.
But they could be mine.
Saturday morning came entirely too early. I’d drawn my blinds so my room was nice and dark, but that didn’t stop Merlin from knowing it was time for breakfast. I’d been smart enough to close the bedroom door but given the odd happenings in Sinful, I’d been hesitant to put on the noise-canceling headphones. He gave me until 8:00 a.m. before he started his siren wail in the hallway, so at least I got in a couple hours more than usual. But given that I hadn’t dropped into bed until close to 3:00 a.m. I would have liked a little longer.
I needed to get those new earbuds I’d seen. I could put them on with earmuffs or a headband to keep them in while I slept. Then I’d be connected to my phone but not the cat. Of course, there was always the question of what kind of havoc he’d create if his starvation cries went unanswered, so I’d have to weigh the risks on that one. The good news was, there were no schedules on national holidays, so naps were totally on the table.
Not that I had a regular schedule anyway.
I sighed as I put on a pot of coffee. I’d just spent the entire walk downstairs thinking about sleeping. I was either tired or bored. With the coffee brewing, I fixed up Merlin’s breakfast, which he scarfed down, then I let him out the back door for his morning routine. The coffee was done by then, so I sat with that first cup, savoring every hot, rich drop. The party had still been in full swing when I went back inside Nora’s after talking with Carter. I’d filled Ida Belle and Gertie in on the basics, but we’d decided to leave the big discussion for today when we couldn’t be overheard.
I’d give Mannie a heads-up sometime today but hadn’t wanted to put a damper on his date with Ally. She was regular people and didn’t handle murder attempts with the same nonchalance as the rest of us. Same with Walter, Jeb, and Wyatt. And since everyone was having a good time and none of us had any risk that I could see, there was no point in spoiling the mood. Nor was there anything actionable that we could partake in right then.
So we’d drunk and danced—Scooter had managed to get me up for a song or two, much to Gertie’s and Ally’s delight. And at one point during the night, Nora had shut down the music long enough to announce to the crowd that I’d won the Queen vote, and everyone had cheered and congratulated me. I’d given a shout-out to my team, including Ronald, who was so drunk at that point that he’d swapped shoes with Gertie and was wearing her bra on his head. He’d waved the cat in the air when I called his name, then tucked the animal under his arm and headed off, claiming they both needed a potty break. I was pretty sure the cat was as drunk as he was.
Drunks, stripper poles, wardrobe malfunctions, and flying cats aside, the party had been a good time, and I was a little surprised by how much I’d enjoyed it. Large, noisy crowds weren’t usually my thing, but the food and the company had been good. Nora scored major points for the quality of her booze, hiring Molly to cater, and not inviting any of Celia’s crew. Ida Belle said we’d pick up a gift for her and take it around next week to show our appreciation. We just had to come up with something Nora needed. I suggested liability insurance.
I’d barely finished my first cup when I heard a knock at my front door, then Carter called out from the entry. I yelled back and he came shuffling into the kitchen, looking as if he hadn’t slept in days, which I was going to guess was close to accurate. He poured a cup of coffee and sank into a chair.
“I saw Merlin on the porch and decided to check in before I head home,” he said. “I’m surprised you’re up this early. I figured you’d be sleeping it off.”
“If it wasn’t for Merlin, I would be. I don’t have a hangover, though. I spaced my drinking out and made sure I had plenty to eat. It would have been nice to get a couple more hours, but I’m guessing I got far more than you.”
“Considering I haven’t been home since very early a.m. on Friday, you’d be correct. I dropped off Tiny with my mom yesterday and given everything going on, I might just leave him there for another day or two.”
I nodded. “Was the rest of the night quiet? I mean, for Sinful on New Year’s Eve.”
“No more attempted or successful homicides, if that’s what you mean. But with Deputy Breaux keeping an eye on RJ, I didn’t have a second of downtime.”
“Why didn’t you have the sheriff sit on her? Surely he can still shoot a gun or call for backup if he sees anything suspicious.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would try to get to her again last night. Quite frankly, I seriously doubt anyone is going to try again at her mother’s house.”
I frowned. “Then why…oh. You were afraid she’d make a run for it.”
He nodded. “And the sheriff is not known for staying awake on overnight stakeouts. RJ might not have killed Brock, but she knows something she’s not telling me.”
“So what are you going to do about coverage today?” I asked.
“I sent Gavin over. He jumped at the chance.”
Gavin was the fairly new day dispatcher at the sheriff’s department. He had big dreams of becoming a supercop, but I wasn’t sure he had the ability for it. Or the maturity. But I supposed sitting in a car and calling someone if RJ left wasn’t going to tax his abilities any.
“So who’s running dispatch?”
“Actually, Marie showed up early this morning and volunteered to help out.”
I smiled. I’d had a chat with Marie at Nora’s party about the need for more manpower over at the sheriff’s department.
“You’ve got the mayor working the phones?” I joked.
“She insisted. And I wasn’t about to turn down competent help. Plus, with her being mayor, she has the town’s best interest first and understands the discretion necessary.”
I laughed. “Is that your roundabout way of telling me not to bother pumping her for information?”
He shrugged. “You can try.”
“I wouldn’t put Marie in a bad position.”
“Why not? You’ll do it to me.”
“You’re getting benefits that Marie isn’t.”
“Try offering them to her and see if it works.”
“Nah. She’s too good for me.”
He grinned. “You and I might just be the only two people who could handle each other.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s a fact.”
“So what do you have planned for today?”
“You’re looking at the extent of my plans that I’m aware of. Well, I’m going to refill my coffee, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m sure Ida Belle and Gertie will surface at some point and we’ll go through all things seen and heard last night. And we probably should get Gertie’s bra back from Ronald, assuming he still has it.”
“That’s my cue,” Carter said and rose. “I’m off to bed. Try not to do anything that Marie will wake me up over. At least for three or four hours.”
He leaned over and kissed me and headed out. I refilled my cup and grabbed my laptop, figuring I’d check the news and see how the world had rung in the New Year. I was on my second pot of coffee and had just heated up a cinnamon roll from Ally’s bakery when the front door opened, and I heard a croak that sounded somewhat like Gertie’s voice. Footsteps shuffled down the hallway and finally, Ida Belle and Gertie appeared. Ida Belle looked the way she did most every other day she appeared in my kitchen. Gertie, on the other hand, looked as if she’d been pulled out of bed and dragged out the door after a month of spring break parties.
She went straight to the counter, picked up the coffeepot, and started to drink straight from it. Ida Belle just raised an eyebrow and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. When Gertie had finished a good eight ounces or so, she sank into a chair, still clutching the pot as though it were full of liquid gold.
“You all right?” I asked.
She looked at me, clearly confused. “All right? Good Lord, woman, that was the most fun I’ve had since Ida Belle’s bachelorette party. I’m still basking in the New Year’s glow.”
Ida Belle shook her head. “You’re basking in stale alcohol and cat hair.”
“Well, if you drag me out of bed at the crack of dawn and then make me leave the house before I shower, you get potluck,” Gertie said.
“First off,” Ida Belle said, “you were lying across your entry rug. If I weighed a pound more, I wouldn’t have been able to squeeze in the door. And you’re the one who declared walking all the way to your bathroom was too much work. You said you’d worry about it later, much to the dismay of everyone who gets within ten feet of you today.”
“Francis said I smelled great,” Gertie said.
“He said he smelled grapes,” Ida Belle said. “You were lying on top of a bag of them.”
I rose from the table and grabbed my spare coffeepot from the pantry. “I’ll just make another round with the strongest stuff I’ve got. So why were you sleeping on the entry rug? I thought Jeb and Wyatt were both staying at your house last night and driving back home today.”
Since Walter and Ida Belle had arrived separately, I’d gotten a lift with Walter when he left, and as Ida Belle had stopped drinking long before the party was over, she volunteered to get Gertie and her guests home safely.
“Jeb stayed the night, but Wyatt found a better offer than my guest room,” Gertie said.
I stared. “He did not stay at Nora’s!”
Gertie grinned and nodded. “He showed up this morning at my house at the crack of dawn, insisting that he and Jeb had to get home right away because redfish were going to be biting today. But I know the walk of shame when I see it. He couldn’t even look me in the eyes.”
“That’s not particularly easy to do when you’re facedown on the doormat,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie waved a hand in dismissal. “I must have fallen asleep there after they left. Locking the door took a lot out of me. But I’ve totally knocked that video of Fortune at the parade off the YouTube top one hundred.”
“That’s because everyone is concerned for the cat,” I said.
“The cat came out of the entire thing better than I did,” Gertie said. “Between the claw marks on my ankle and the pole burn in places I’m not going to mention, I’ll be keeping Nora busy making that secret salve for a while.”
Ida Belle cringed and shook her head.
“So why did you drag me out of my house unkempt and still half looped?” Gertie asked.
“Because I have news,” Ida Belle said. “Cecil Tassin is missing.”