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THE GOOD NEWS WAS THAT Gertie’s peasant blouse did a great job of hiding the handgun hidden in her homemade pistol bra. The bad news was that the fabric she’d used for the holster, stitched into the bra below and between her boobs, had frayed from the wear and tear of being a busy spy. She could now feel the barrel of the gun poking through a small rip in the fabric, giving her a bit of an itch.
Gill tossed her a smile as he cruised down Sinful’s main highway toward Branley Road that would eventually take them to their picnic spot. She returned his smile and pointed out his window, eager to distract him so she could rearrange everything.
“Oh my Lord, is that an eagle?”
Gill turned his head to look and she reached in her bra and scratched, then shifted the barrel of the gun back inside the fabric.
“No, that would be a hawk,” Gill said.
She quickly yanked her hand out of her blouse as he turned his head back toward the center of the road. “Silly me. I never could tell the difference between the two.”
Gill laughed. “Then I have a lot to teach you. They’re vastly different. And so are their droppings.”
“Lucky me for finding a man who knows his stuff.”
Gill blew out a breath of relief. “I’m so glad to hear that. I fear sometimes my work isn’t very... romantic to hear about, especially on a date.”
“Are you kidding?” Gertie asked. “Then call me weird, because when I hear you talking about analyzing it, I kinda get all tingly inside.”
“Now you’re just pulling my leg.”
“No, it’s true. You’re a genius. I’m so eager to also hear about the analysis of the dog hair. I bet that’s exciting as well.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. What the results show will totally astound you.”
“And the results are...”
He reached over and patted her leg. “That I’m saving for our picnic. I want to see your face when I tell you.”
“You’re such a tease.” And probably a liar, Gertie thought. He never meant to have those dog hairs analyzed. He already knew they were either important or not because he was there when Guillory was murdered. That she was certain of. Why else was Gill in the woods next to the rental that night when the three of them were there searching for the missing baseball cap? She had thought he’d acted strange, especially after finding out what they were searching for. Did he kill Mr. Guillory to try to frame Bonnie, who was now seeing Deputy Broussard? Or was there some other reason?
“You look deep in thought,” he said.
“Oh, well, I was just thinking about what you said about your work not being exciting. Is that what other girls have said? Is that what Bonnie said?”
His smile switched to a frown. “I’d rather not talk about her, if that’s okay with you.”
Gertie reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “You know what I think? I think she hurt you in some way. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you harbored a lot of anger toward her.”
His grip on the wheel tightened. “Let’s talk about other things.”
“Sure.” She let a moment pass before saying, “I think I found the missing baseball cap.”
“The what?” he asked.
“The missing baseball cap. You know, the one we were looking for that night we ran into you in the woods.”
He appeared stunned. Was it real or was he acting? “Where did you find it?”
“At the moment I’m not at liberty to say. I haven’t even told Ida Belle and Marge about it. Between you and me, my friends sometimes underestimate my abilities. I plan on doing some investigating of my own about that cap and show them I’m not some creampuff.”
He shook his head. “I hope you’re not biting off more than you can chew. Real life isn’t some Nancy Drew story, you know. Besides, that cap could have nothing to do with the murder.”
She nodded. “You could be right. Oh, our turn is coming up.”
They came to an intersection and Gill stopped to wait for the oncoming vehicle to pass before turning.
He tapped the steering wheel. “Where did you say you got that cap again?”
Gertie ignored him and clapped her hands in delight. “Lookie there, it’s the Wienermobile.” She’d timed it perfectly. Gill turned on Branley Road behind them. Ida Belle was still taking it slow, so Gill easily drove past the Wienermobile.
He shook his head as he pulled ahead of the car. “Silly,” was all he said. If he knew his Aunt Dolly was a passenger in it, he wasn’t letting on.