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Two full days had passed since Celia floated out of Francine’s on cloud nine. I had been invited to afternoon tea with Victor and Bessie Bloom. Ida Belle and Gertie joined me. Victor was laughing loudly as Ida Belle and Gertie replayed the conversation with Celia. His chortle reminded me of a laugh Santa Claus would use.
“Well, no matter how this turns out, I certainly thank you all for your efforts on my sister’s behalf,” Victor said. “Miss Ida Belle, I think we should rename you, Stradivarius.”
“Stradivarius,” she repeated. “Why?”
“Because you played Celia like a fiddle,” he replied.
Everyone began to laugh. There was a knock on the door. Bessie answered. It was Carter. He stepped inside.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” he said. “From outside, it sounds like quite the party going on in here. I can come back.”
“Nonsense, Deputy LeBlanc,” Bessie said. “Come in—sit. Would you like some tea?”
“No thank you. I won’t be long. I heard some news just a little while ago. I was certain you’d want to hear it as soon as possible.”
The smiles all disappeared from our faces.
“Well, don’t keep us waiting, Carter,” I said. “What is it?”
“I just got off the phone with Dan Wurgler,” he said, “the ADA, the man in charge of . . .”
“Yes, we know who he is, Carter,” Ida Belle chimed in. “What’s the news?”
“It seems as though there was an anonymous witness who had testimony that may have been very damaging to the people’s case against Gus Proctor. The witness came forward several days ago . . .”
“When all of a sudden . . .” Victor prompted, rotating his hand in the air, trying to move the conversation along.
Carter frowned at the interruption, “It seems the witness had a change of heart. Apparently, she originally thought she saw something that would have ended up helping the defense. It’s all above my pay grade. I don’t know particulars. What I do know is that, out of the clear blue sky, the witness phoned in and claimed that the more she thought about things, the more uncertain she was about what she saw. She said she was too far away and didn’t have her glasses. She claimed to be totally confused and asked to withdraw her earlier statement. She said she could not, in good conscience, testify as to what she saw, if anything at all.”
We collectively cheered. Ida Belle and Gertie gave each other fist bumps. I hugged Bessie, and carefully avoided hugging Victor.
“That’s terrific news!” Bessie said.
Carter smiled, “Well, if you liked that news, you’re really going to enjoy this. Apparently, this morning, Gus Proctor’s lawyer approached Dan Wurgler, wanting to make a plea bargain—a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced sentence.”
My smile faded. I was elated to hear that Proctor was going to plead guilty but was not happy at all about hearing the words, reduced sentence, in any form. I saw Victor’s and Bessie’s faces. I could tell they felt the same.
“But . . .” Carter added.
“But what?” I asked.
“Apparently, that plea request came after the judge was informed that the anonymous witness had recanted. He then ruled that the video of the confession was admissible.”
“Oh,” Bessie said. “How did Mr. Wurgler react to that?”
Carter’s smile broadened, “He told Proctor’s attorney there would be no plea bargain—that he’d see them in court. In short, Gus Proctor is going down, and he’s going down hard.”
“Yesssss!” Bessie cried out. Gertie woo hoo’d.
“This is cause for celebration,” Victor said. “Bessie, break out that bottle of Duckhorn Merlot we’ve been saving for a special occasion. Deputy, will you join us?”
“No, I’m on duty. I need to get back. Fortune, could I have a word?”
“Of course. Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll catch up.”
Carter nodded and left. I turned back to Victor and Bessie, “I’m going to go ahead and take off.”
“No wine?” Victor said.
I shook my head, no, “It’s time I turn my attention back to other matters I’ve been neglecting.”
I nodded toward Carter.
Victor raised his eyebrows, “Ah, our good friend Deputy LeBlanc,” he said. “I understand. He is one lucky man. I hope he realizes that.”
“Thank you. You know, there is only one dark cloud remaining.”
“What would that be?” Bessie said.
“Your new PR Manager, Celia Arceneaux. She is going to want to know when she starts.”
“God help us all,” Victor exclaimed, laughing. “It’s a small price and, frankly, I think the role may actually be well suited to her.”
I nodded. “I also need a favor.”
“Tell us,” Bessie said.
“I need for Celia’s first act to be the arrangement for a community service award for Cindy Lou,” I said. “An award to be presented by Maxine Reed.”
“Who the bloody hell is Cindy Lou?” Victor asked.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Ida Belle said.
“Whatever. I don’t care. I agree,” Victor said.
“We can’t thank you all enough for what you’ve done,” Bessie said.
“Indeed,” Victor said. “All of you.”
“It was our pleasure,” I said. Ida Belle and Gertie both nodded.
“Will you be staying on in Sinful?” Ida Belle asked.
“We have a meeting with the real estate agent tomorrow morning,” Bessie said. “We head back to Vermont this weekend.”
“For good?” Gertie asked.
“Bessie and I need to decide what the future holds,” Victor said. “It seems the town of Sinful has taken a proverbial shine to us, and I must admit, the town does grow on you.”
“Like the boil on your butt?” I asked.
“Only time will tell. Who can say for sure?”
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Bessie asked Ida Belle and Gertie.
“Oh, I have some fun plans,” Gertie said.
“Really,” Bessie said. “What might those be?”
“Well, I decided I couldn’t really allow Celia to completely get away with almost allowing Proctor to go free, so I have prepared a little surprise for her,” Gertie said.
“Indeed? I’m intrigued,” Bessie said. “What is it?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” Gertie replied. “All I can tell you is, it involves cherry bombs and five pounds of fresh horse poop.”
“Ah, revenge. Now you’re talking my language,” Victor said.
Bessie nodded, “We have some spoiled fish we threw out yesterday. It’s still in our rubbish bin. It stinks to high heaven.”
Gertie’s eyes lit up, “I can use that. Can I have it?”
“Only if you let us in on your diabolical scheme,” Bessie said.
“If you really want in, sure.”
“Indeed. We’re in,” Victor added.
“I’m going to go now,” I announced.
“Thanks again, Fortune,” Bessie said.
“You’re always welcome in Sinful,” I added.
“Said the person whose future in Sinful is as nearly uncertain as ours,” Victor noted, smiling.
“Safe travels,” I replied, smiling in return. I left. Carter was waiting by his vehicle.
“Isn’t it wonderful how this is turning out?” I asked, as I approached Carter.
“I’m very happy that Proctor is going to get his comeuppance, yes.”
“You don’t seem all that happy, Carter.”
“Well, the whole confession thing troubled me, and then, there’s the matter of this anonymous witness coming forward and suddenly recanting. It just feels like the letter of the law was manipulated.”
I said nothing at first. We both stood there in silence for a moment. Carter was truly a man with unquestionable scruples. Finally, I spoke, “You know, Carter, in my previous life, before arriving in Sinful, we didn’t always have the luxury of dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T’, but I always acted for the common good. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in our system of justice. It’s just, there are times that it needs to be nudged to move things along. Gus Proctor is an evil man. The families of more victims are beginning to come forward. He preyed on vulnerable, defenseless women. If someone bent the rules a little to bring him to justice, and even one woman’s life was saved because of it, well, I can live with that. No one planted evidence. You saw the tape. He gloated about what he did, for crying out loud.”
Carter listened carefully, nodding all the while, not in agreement, but in acknowledgement of what was being said. Finally, he pulled me into him, hugged me and gave me a long, warm kiss.
“I’m free this evening,” he said. “What do you say you and I get together this evening and get caught up.”
“Now you’re talking. You’re place or mine?”
“Mine. I have a new recipe I want to try out on you.”
“Sounds marvelous.”
“Oh, and if you want, bring your toothbrush, and if you wouldn’t mind, you could wear that yellow dress with the white print I like so much.”
“Done and done. Any other instructions?”
He smiled in return, “Leave your pajamas at home.”