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“I’ve never been so embarrassed,” I said, whispering into the phone. “How could you?” Gertie and Ida Belle didn’t respond. “Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was riding in between those two?” I was holed up in the restroom, pacing in front of the porcelain sinks.
“If it will make you feel any better, go ahead and tell us about it,” Gertie said, always in the mood for a good story. “Sounds like you have plenty of time on your hands.”
“Ha. Ha.”
“I thought it was funny,” Ida Belle said, meaning she could laugh at one of Gertie’s jokes when it was at my expense and involved Carter.
“Carter put his hand next to my leg like he meant for me to hold his hand. Can you believe that?” I was still processing the whole event. “Meanwhile, my new...new...whatever he is...”
“Neighbor?” Ida Belle suggested.
“Yeah, that. He did the same thing. I mean what’s wrong with those two?” Again, before they could answer, I blurted, “And how could you? Why would you? This is the most embarrassing night of my life.”
Gertie and Ida Belle went into hysterics.
“It. Is. Not. Funny.” I glanced up and acknowledged two ladies as they entered. Nodding at them, I clutched the phone tighter against my ear and said, “Incoming.”
“Gotcha,” Gertie said. “We’ll do the talking. We’ve been reviewing Casey’s journal. As much as I hate to admit it...”
“She needs glasses. She’s finally willing to admit it because of this journal. Lord knows we’ve mentioned it how many times?”
“That journal was written for Casey’s eyes and his alone. Why, even you’re having a hard time making heads or tails of it.”
“I’ll read it when I get there,” I said.
“You won’t read it in one sitting,” Gertie said.
“Yes I will. It’s a man’s journal, not a volume of encyclopedias.”
“Nearly 800 words on each and every page. No one is reading this thing in one sitting. Not even you, Sandy-Sue,” Ida Belle said.
“Librarians read quicker than the average old maid,” I said, trying to insult them after this caper.
“Watch it,” Gertie said. “I understand that you’re upset with us, dear, but name-calling is unnecessary.”
“And setting me up on a double-date without my knowledge is acceptable? It’s not even a real double-date. We’re minus a woman in case you failed to notice.” I should’ve thought like a well-prepared CIA agent and phoned Ally for backup. Maybe she would’ve stepped in and helped a friend. Thinking of Ally, I asked, “Any word back from Celia?”
Gertie groaned at the mention of their rival’s name. “Very little.”
“Ally said she’s coming up empty,” Ida Belle said. “Celia claims that Baylor had a family connection but Kathleen insists that he isn’t related. Meanwhile, news continues to churn in the rumor mill. Marabelle knew Casey from high school but kept in touch with him after he moved to New York.”
“Interesting.”
“And not good for the home team,” Ida Belle pointed out. “We could have a problem if Marabelle knew about the journal, flyer or stiletto.”
“A problem would be if Mini Monster knew about all of the above.”
“True,” Gertie said. “Kid would probably blackmail us.”
“Definitely.” A wave of sadness washed over me. I needed to talk to Harrison. Other lives were at stake. If Marabelle, Mini Monster, or her freaky husband knew about me then it was only a matter of time before someone else showed up in Sinful with ten million reasons to kill.
“Fortune, are you still dodging your dates?” Gertie knew me so well. Too well.
“Yes. Why?” I brushed dark lint away from my white shirt and stared at my reflection. I liked the short hair better than the long Sandy-Sue locks.
“Your fellas are probably wondering if you bailed, dear.”
Let them wonder.
Ida Belle laughed. “Some women might think you’re in a pretty unique position. Go enjoy yourself.”
“Are you kidding me? You have no idea what it’s like to be sandwiched between two men.”
“Ooh, do tell,” Gertie said.
About that time, laughter broke out behind me and I slowly turned to find three young women. They’d undoubtedly entered quietly, overheard me, and couldn’t contain their amusement. As if I needed to explain myself, I said, “This isn’t how it sounds. I’m not the kind of woman who spreads it around like peanut butter.”
“Who are you talking to?” Gertie asked.
“Three women I’ve never seen before.” That probably didn’t matter. By the looks on their faces, they wouldn’t soon forget me.
“Where are you?” Ida Belle asked, her tone now serious.
“In the girl’s bathroom on the backside of the school. I’m assuming you know which school because I sure don’t. Place reminds me of a movie. We’re in the middle of doomsday, after the apocalypse. Any minute now, zombies will appear.”
“So you’re still at the fall festival?” Gertie asked.
“Yes.”
“And you’re at the school, the one with all the windows knocked out?”
“That’s the one. I’m surprised this place has running water.”
“Look up,” Gertie said.
“What?” I tilted my head back. Oh boy. “What’s on the other side of the concrete wall?”
“The men’s restroom,” Gertie replied. “I taught at that school years ago.”
“What happened to privacy? What happened to the days of solid walls, the kind that reached from floor to ceiling?”
Gertie laughed. “The school’s been abandoned for almost a decade. It’s only used once a year for the fall festival.”
“This should be illegal.” Carter entered the men’s room before I walked inside the women’s. He’d likely spent the last ten minutes eavesdropping.
“Let me guess, dear. Carter’s on the other side of that wall?”
“Yes. And for the record, I’ve heard enough from you two. Wait for me tomorrow. Do not show up on my doorstep at seven in the morning.”
“Must mean she has plans,” Gertie said.
“I do. My plans include going home, going to bed, sleeping late, and waking up all alone.” I disconnected the call before they could respond. Maybe if I hurried, I could avoid Carter. After my conversation with Gertie and Ida Belle, I didn’t want to face him.
Peering around the concrete wall leading to the exit, I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t avoid him for the rest of the night, but a few minutes without a Carter-sighting would buy some time. I’d find Baylor, strike up a conversation, and then once Carter caught up to us, all would be forgotten.
“There you are,” Carter said, taking my hand and leading me through the crowd.
“Let go,” I snapped, pulling my hand down and trying to break his hold.
He tightened his grip. “Just wanted to make a point.” We turned the corner of the building, and before I knew what happened, he whipped me around to face him. I gasped at the impact as my back landed against the brick wall.
“Ouch!” I groaned.
“Quit whining. That didn’t hurt and you know it.”
“Oh yeah? Let me throw you against a brick wall and see how you like it.”
“Careful cause I might like it a lot.”
His dimples were hot as sin which made this conversation all the more difficult. “Are you flirting with me?”
“I’m making a point.”
“And what point is that?” I had a few I could make, too, but right now my options were somewhat limited. If I made one, it would probably blow my cover. My first instinct was to put Deputy Carter LeBlanc on the ground.
“If I want to hold your hand—and I might—I won’t place mine beside your thigh or ease into the whole hand-holding bit. I’ll grab hold of it like this.” He squeezed. “I’ll lace our fingers together like so.” He made a point to show me. “And that’s the way it’ll go.”
I felt my lips moving but I couldn’t be sure if I’d uttered a sound. “Okay.” That was the best I could manage at the moment. Clearing my throat, I pushed away from the wall. “Thanks for clarifying. Really means a lot.”
Threading my way through the crowd, I could’ve sworn I heard him laughing at my back. Before I could turn around to confront him, I spotted the devil’s kid brother. Under my breath, I grumbled, “It’s the night that refuses to end.”
“That’s her!” The France kid pointed and took off at a run, like he was in hot pursuit. I’m not sure why, but I ran in the other direction. It was a stupid move, but what could I do? The boy reminded me of a plastic doll with wide eyes and a wicked smile.
I was living in the throes of a horror film.
“Daddy! Hurry! That’s the one! She’s the one who was with the woman who killed my bike!”
Coming to an abrupt stop, I wheeled around to face Gertie’s accuser. “Killed your bike? Please. Is that the best you can do?” Understanding now why Gertie hadn’t behaved like an adult in this child’s presence, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “How old are you anyway?”
“Age is just a number,” Mini Monster said.
“Yeah? Well regardless of that number, you need to act like a nice young man. My friend apologized and you wouldn’t hear of it. She offered to pay for the bike and—”
“That’s what’s wrong with this world today. People like you believe you can buy your way out of trouble,” Marabelle said, joining her son.
I thought of my bank account and almost laughed aloud. Instead, I said, “Well, if I’d known you’d accept coins or credit, I would’ve offered to pay for the bike myself.” Maybe they hated taking money from a senior citizen. I grinned at the thought and pretended to search in my handbag. “Shall I write you an IOU for a few hundred dollars?”
Marabelle snorted. “I see you’ve been in town long enough to form alliances and you chose the wrong side. Now it’s time to learn some manners of your own.”
“What are you talking about?” I knew darn well what she was talking about. The separation between church and state ran deep in Sinful, Louisiana. Division of church boiled down to the Catholics versus the Baptists. To my knowledge, they only fought over Francine’s mouthwatering banana pudding. On the local political front, the Sinful Ladies Society versus God’s Wives made the Republicans and Democrats look like weaker parties without any real issues to debate.
As luck would have it, Carter joined us. “She’s the one, huh?” He tousled the kid’s hair.
The menacing child looked up and grinned. “Yep. That’s her.”
On a positive note, Carter didn’t look angry. On a negative one, the night was still young and looks could be deceiving.
“She was with the two elderly ladies earlier today?”
Little France nodded his head up and down like a puppet on a string. “They ripped paper and scattered it all over Mommy’s yard. And they left my wheels in the street. And...and...” The child told everything he could as quickly as his lips would let him.
“And this one time at...” I stopped myself before I quoted a line from American Pie. It wasn’t exactly age appropriate.
“You never fail to surprise me, Fortune.”
“Why because I know a line from American Pie?”
“Not the kind of movie a librarian watches,” Baylor said, rejoining us. I didn’t bother asking where he’d been. I hadn’t missed him. “France.” He coolly nodded at Tadpole’s father.
“Madison.”
The men locked eyes. They didn’t shake hands. In fact, they stared at one another as if they couldn’t believe they’d been forced to breathe the same air.
“You two know each other?”
“They’re friends,” I volunteered, assuming Carter would catch on and form quick opinions, too.
These two were anything but friends. In fact, I was waiting to see which one drew first.
“Friends, huh?” Carter looked at one man and then the other while Little France continued to squawk about his bicycle. “How do you know each other?” He questioned Baylor. “I thought you just moved here, Madison.”
Men and their need for calling one another by their last names only added confusion to the mix. I took a deep breath, trying to tolerate the whole testosterone-laden scene. Stupid boys. Didn’t they realize that certain privileges were reserved for credential-slinging agents?
“I thought we’re here to have a good time,” Baylor said, now avoiding the France family. “Isn’t that why you tagged along, Deputy LeBlanc? Or do you make every outing into an opportunity for an interrogation?”
“Depends on the outing and those who tag along. So we’re clear, your good time isn’t at the top of my list.” Carter’s mood drastically changed after our run-in with the France family. It didn’t take an agent to see through the attitude. Carter’s suspect list included Baylor and one, maybe two, France family members.
My money was on the kid.
“I thought it was your duty to show the newcomers around town.”
Carter grimaced. “That wasn’t my motive.”
“Your motive is well understood, Deputy.”
“All right then.” It was time to break the tension. “Mr. and Mrs. France, nice to see you.” I stared down the length of my nose and decided to make peace with the kid when I saw his impish smile. “You too, Chucky.”
“Mommy! Did you hear what she called me!”
“Really Fortune. Was that necessary?” Carter shook his head.
I shrugged.
Marabelle’s glowering softened when her eyes met Baylor’s. She blushed and lowered her eyes. If Jake had missed that interaction, he wasn’t on top of his wife’s little subtle signals. I didn’t know the woman but I could spot a crush from a mile away.
“Mommy, I want money for my bike,” the boy said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“We’ll talk about it,” she said.
“Grief,” I muttered, catching a scowl from Carter.
“Enjoy the festival,” Jake said, tossing the boy over his shoulder as if he weighed less than a sack of potatoes.
“How do you know one another?” I asked, still aware of the kid squealing about how my friends owed him a bike.
“Are you two a couple or something?” Baylor wiggled his fingers in front of us.
“No,” I replied, wishing I would’ve let Carter respond first.
“We’re friends,” Carter said, smiling down at me. “Close friends. Good friends.”
“That’s enough,” I drawled, hoping he would choke on his unnecessary implications. I elbowed Baylor in a chummy fashion. “You’re changing the subject.”
“What was the question?” His dimples slipped up his cheeks. His shoulders relaxed and by outer appearance, it appeared as if he’d been given just enough time to come up with a believable response. Carter and I were about to hear a line of straight-up BS. Instead of repeating the question, I waited. Finally, he said, “Our friendship isn’t a big deal. We go way back. We work for the same technology company.”
“So you work from home?” Carter asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“What do you do exactly?” I asked.
“Tech support.”
“So you can do that from anywhere. Right?” Carter asked.
“Yes, but the France family settled here and seemed to like it so I decided to move here as well. People are friendly. I like the small town ambiance.”
Based on tensions, I could guess which France encouraged the move.
“So you knew one another well enough to follow the France family here? To Small Town USA?” I paused. “What I mean is, you knew one another from work and yet you worked from home. Isn’t that a little odd? Did you go to school together or meet during work-related training?”
Carter nudged me. My line of questioning was out of character so I shut up.
After a moment of silence, Baylor said, “You promised to show the newcomers the town, Deputy LeBlanc.”
“Yes I did,” he agreed, leading us to the carnival-style games with prizes hanging from their vendor spaces. “Let it go, Fortune.” He kept his voice low. He then waved his arm at the selection of games before us. “Take your pick, Madison.”
Baylor gave me a head-to-toe sweep and I cringed under the scrutiny. “If I do that, something tells me she’ll swat me or you will.” As if he were amused, he turned to the row of games. “Let’s play the ones with the biggest payoff in the shortest amount of time.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Carter said, stepping up and paying the merchant at the ring-toss booth.
Baylor smirked. “Let the games begin.”