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MARY-ALICE HEARD THE swell of shouts from the crowd of reporters first. Then she heard Gertie’s old Cadillac pull up in front of her house. She recognized the wet engine rumble announcing the need for a total ring-and-valve job (which would cost more than the car was worth, which was why Gertie was putting off the work).
Mary-Alice ducked into the garage and pressed the button to open the door. Gertie slid the Cadillac into the garage as soon as the door had lifted enough, after which Mary-Alice pressed the button again to reverse the door’s direction. One bold young man had started to duck underneath the door, but sprang back outside at the last minute.
“My goodness, Miss Gertie,” Mary-Alice exclaimed, ignoring the banging on the closed garage door. “That was awfully brave of you to come on through. Why don’t you come inside?”
“In a moment, Mary-Alice. You go back inside and set up tea. I’ll deal with this.”
“But Miss Gertie—”
“Trust me. Go in and close the door. That’s one problem with living in a dry town. If we had a bar nearby, they’d all be down there by now instead of hanging around here.”
Mary-Alice did as Gertie instructed. Then she went to the living room and moved aside the curtain, so she could see what was going on. If she leaned forward, she could just see the front of her garage.
What had earlier seemed like a throng turned out to be only half a dozen weedy-looking young men, and a slight woman holding a camera as big as her head. They all turned toward the garage and stepped back as the door began to slide up.
“Miss Gertie, no!” Mary-Alice cried, suddenly afraid that Gertie was planning to run them over.
Then a primal, bloodthirsty roar rang out and echoed through the trees.
It was not Gertie’s Cadillac engine.
The small crowd turned as one, and the reporters charged up the winding driveway as if their lives depended on it. All but the small woman with the big camera, who lingered for a few seconds to snap photos before turning and fleeing with the rest. Mary-Alice heard the sounds of engines starting up and cars peeling out, tires crunching over crushed oyster shells.
A moment later, a gigantic alligator sauntered out of the garage and calmly surveyed Mary-Alice’s empty front yard.
Gertie was nowhere to be seen.
Mary-Alice yanked the curtain shut, her heart pounding. She tried to remember where she’d left her phone. She would have to call Carter—
A knock on the front door interrupted her frantic planning. Mary-Alice opened the door to see Gertie standing there, holding one end of a bright-red leash.
On the other end of the leash was the alligator.
“We got rid of ‘em for you,” Gertie announced.
Mary-Alice opened her mouth, found herself at a complete loss for words, and closed it again.
Gertie knelt and scratched the alligator’s enormous head.
“You met Godzilla yet?” Gertie asked.
Mary-Alice shook her head, afraid to move. Gertie braced her hands on her knees and slowly stood back up.
“Well, that’s probably because Godzilla doesn’t live with me full time. Bus he still comes to visit from time to time. You probably don’t want to ask him in, Mary-Alice. He doesn’t mean any harm, but that tail can do some damage.”
Mary-Alice, who had had no intention of asking Godzilla in, nodded mutely, her manners having temporarily deserted her.
“But he made himself pretty useful today. Didn’t ya, darlin?”
Godzilla gave a toothy yawn as Gertie scratched him between the eyes. Mary-Alice stepped back.
“Okay, boy,” Gertie urged the grinning reptile as she undid his collar. “Time for you to go back home. Go, git!”
Godzilla scampered off behind Mary-Alice’s house, and a gentle splash let them know that he’d slipped back into the bayou.
“How’d you get him here?” Mary-Alice gasped.
“He rode in the back seat. Kinda rough on the suspension. He’s gotta weigh almost half a ton. I must say, I’m just as proud of him as I can be. He got rid of those reporters when even our brave deputy sheriff couldn’t. Oh, and speaking of him. Ida Belle thinks you should tell Carter about the man you saw in Lafitte. You ready to go on over?”
Mary-Alice blinked and came back to herself.
“Yes, I will talk to the deputy sheriff, Miss Gertie, and I’d be grateful for your company. But I believe we have time for a glass of tea first.”