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THERE, GAGGED AND TIED to three chairs as if they were three little bears, sat Aunt Ida Belle, Gertie, and Fortune. Their expressions were a mixture of outrage, embarrassment, and resentment.
“Kase has Lenora cuffed,” I told them as I whipped off their gags. “The paramedics are on their way.” I untied Aunt Ida Belle first and helped her to her feet. She pulled me toward her in a brief but ferocious hug. “Walter?” she asked, her voice cracking.
I squeezed her arm. “He’ll be fine. Go on, I’m sure Kase will let you ride to the hospital with him.” When she was gone, I turned my attention to a now sheepish-looking Fortune and Gertie. I cocked my head to the side. “Is the five to seven minutes up yet? Wasn’t that how long you said you needed to handle the situation?”
“Gloat later, kiddo.” Gertie strained against her ties. “I don’t want to miss what’s going on out there.”
Clearly, the only thing wrong with these two was a pair of badly bruised egos. I circled their chairs. “What happened? Did Lenora jump you both? At the same time? How’d she simultaneously tie you up?” I really shouldn’t enjoy this so much, but I confess I was. “I just can’t figure it out.”
“Don’t mess with me, Stephanie,” Fortune growled. “Untie me.”
I tugged at the ropes around Gertie’s wrists. “You don’t want Carter seeing you like this? I totally understand. How would a federal agent of the United States Government possibly explain how she’d been overpowered by an octogenarian?”
Gertie rubbed at her wrists before she bent down to untie her ankle restraints. “Okay, you’ve had your fun, Stephanie. But you’ve got to promise not to tell anyone that you found Fortune and me tied up. Not a soul. Ever.”
“On one condition.”
Fortune’s frown was thunderous. “What?”
I reached up and touched my necklace. “Even though you and Gertie were right about Lenora, I was the one to take her down. Therefore, I want to keep my pearls.”
“Fine, whatever,” Fortune grumbled. “I didn’t want the blasted thing anyway. Untie me.”
I did. When we stepped into the cabin’s main room, we saw Walter being wheeled out on a gurney. Aunt Ida Belle was beside him, and a hugely relieved-looking Carter stood talking to Kase. I was buzzing with an adrenaline rush that lasted throughout the evening.
***
ONCE WE WERE BACK HOME and seated around Aunt Ida Belle’s kitchen table, however, exhaustion settled in. We were all safe, although we were collectively reeling from the news that Cassandra had confessed to her father’s murder. Lenora was in the jail cell next to her granddaughter, facing charges of drug trafficking as well as kidnapping. Word at the hospital was that Shawn would likely recover from his near-fatal overdose. Kitty had confessed to throwing a gun she’d found in Shawn’s room into the lake because she’d been afraid that her son had tried to kill his father. Which of course, he hadn’t. His sister had pulled the trigger. What kind of charges Kitty was going to face for interfering with an on-going police investigation, I didn’t know. Once he recovered, Shawn would be charged for his part in the drug ring, although I knew he needed a trip to rehab more than a stint in jail. With the exception of Donny’s widow, Carmen, the entire Masters family faced quite a bit of jail time. Talk about family bonding.
What really mattered, though, was the news that Walter’s gunshot wound hadn’t been nearly as bad as it had looked, and he was expected to make a full recovery.
I shook my head. “I can’t wrap my mind around the idea that Cassandra killed her father. And on her wedding day?”
Gertie shrugged. “Can’t explain crazy.”
“Carter said she’s acting as cool as a cucumber,” Fortune said. “She obviously takes after her step-grandmother more than her mother.”
“How much do you think Kitty knew about the drugs?” I asked.
Aunt Ida Belle cocked an eyebrow. “She may say she only suspected but I’m not buying. I believe Carmen was clueless and that Donny was the last to know, but Kitty knew something was going on. I can’t prove it, but I’d bet my last bottle of beer I’m right.” She turned her attention to me, a frown knitting her brows together. “Now, let’s just get this over with. Why aren’t you questioning why you found us tied up?”
“First I’d like to understand why you left the house with her when the wedding was about to start.”
“She faked chest pains and Walter bought it,” Ida Belle said. “I saw through it, but I decided to tag along to the hospital because I thought she was up to something. She pulled a gun on us once we were on the road.”
“If I were you,” Gertie said, “I’d be mocking all of us until the sun comes up tomorrow.”
I shrugged. “I simply assumed that Lenora overpowered you.”
Fortune dropped her head into her hands with an embarrassed moan.
“Well, she didn’t,” Aunt Ida Belle snapped. “So you can get that fool notion out of your head.”
I dunked an oatmeal raisin cookie in my coffee. “I don’t see why you’re all so upset. It could happen to anyone.”
My great-aunt’s only answer was a growl.
“Remember in the car how I told you that I feared that Lenora planned to frame Ida Belle for Walter’s murder?” Gertie asked me.
I nodded.
“One summer, when we were in our early twenties, the Mudbug library offered a creative writing class. Lenora and I both took the class. One of our assignments was to write a short story about a murder. I read Lenora’s story, and that was it in a nutshell. Sure, she changed the names, but it was clear that the main character was Lenora, and the man who was killed was Walter. His true love was framed by the main character, and even though she was innocent she was sent to prison for his murder.”
My head was spinning. “And this got you and Fortune tied up how exactly?”
Fortune blew out a long breath. “We crawled in through the window and found Lenora with a gun at Ida Belle’s temple.”
My stomach dropped. Poor Aunt Ida Belle.
“Gertie and I were both afraid that Lenora would kill one or both of us and find a way to make Ida Belle look guilty.” She glanced at my great-aunt. “And I know Ida Belle well enough to know that she’d rather lose her life than her freedom.”
“Lenora Masters may not have murdered her step-son, but she’s a mad cow.” Aunt Ida Belle pushed her coffee cup away. “I just want to forget the whole thing. I’m heading back to the hospital. Don’t wait up for me.”
Gertie grinned. “Going to spend the night with lover boy? Because we could whip you up a sexy nurse’s outfit.”
“Can it, Gertie. Nothing’s changed between Walter and me. I’m just concerned that those young nurses are scribbling on his chart in crayon.” She stood. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on him. Seeing as Carter’s busy at the station, I volunteered.”
“Give him a kiss from us.” Gertie lifted her hand and blew a loud smooch.
I shook my head as a smile stretched across my face. Gertie, bless her, just couldn’t help herself. She, too, got to her feet. “I’m going to catch up with Bull. You want a ride, Fortune? I’m guessing you’ll want to check in on Carter.”
I was relieved when Fortune accepted the offer. She and I were going to have to work out the issues between us, but I’m sure neither one of us was in the mood tonight. I also wanted a chance to talk to Aunt Ida Belle about Fortune sometime very soon. My gut instinct told me she knew something about Fortune that I didn’t, something that I needed to know if I was ever going to understand her. Besides, Kase had texted to say he was coming over and I wanted some time to make myself presentable. I waved the girls off, promising to meet up with them at Francine’s in the morning for an early breakfast.
Kase arrived just as I’d applied a light stroke of lip gloss. I grabbed a bottle of beer and a glass of lemonade and joined him on the front porch steps. He looked refreshed and smelled divine. Priscilla, the little traitor, ran straight to him and demanded to be admired. He sat down and settled my precious Persian on his lap. “You okay, darlin’? It was a heck of day.”
“I’m fine, just relieved everything ended the way it did.” I watched him take a long, slow sip of beer. Really, this man was simply too handsome for his own good. It was hard to concentrate on what I wanted to say while looking at him, but that didn’t mean I wanted to look away. “I’ve got a couple of questions for you.”
His lips turned up in a slow, satisfied smile. “I’ve got a question for you myself.”
“Me first.” Heaven only knew how long I would be able to remember what I wanted to ask if he kept smiling at me like that. “How did you know where to find us? We didn’t see you following us out to Walter’s cabin. It’s like you were magically able to track us down.”
Just as I thought, he winced ever so slightly at my use of the word “track”. “Guilty as charged. I confess that I used a tracking device to keep tabs on you just in case things went crazy, which they did.” He gently stroked Pricilla’s head. “It was wrong of me, and I believe you could bring charges against me if you saw fit.”
“I would never do that.” I saw that he was relieved at my words. “I know you wanted to make sure I was safe. But tell me how you did it.”
“I stopped by a couple of days ago and asked Gertie if I could see the shoes you were planning to wear to the wedding. I managed to slip a tiny tracking device in the very tip of one of the toes.”
My eyebrows rose. It must have been minuscule because I hadn’t felt anything. “Gertie just let you see my shoes? She didn’t question why?”
Kase grinned. “She questioned me, all right, and when I tried to sidestep a direct answer, she assumed I had a foot fetish. I didn’t set her straight.” He shrugged apologetically. “I hope that doesn’t make things too awkward for you.”
I waved away his concern. “Gertie believes what she wants to believe.”
“You’re not angry with me then?” Kase’s tone was uncertain.
“How could I be? If you hadn’t shown up and called for help, I don’t think we could have gotten medical care for Walter in time. Several more hours in that cabin and he would have lost too much blood. So, no. I’m not mad. But I’m not thrilled either.”
“Fair enough.” Kase placed a hand over his heart. “I promise to be up-front with you about everything from now on.”
“So, am I officially forgiven for the whole cookies and drugged milk fiasco?” When he nodded, I couldn’t help but smile. A conversation like this could only take place in Sinful. “I have two more questions.”
“Shoot.”
“When did you start to think Lenora might be involved in the kidnapping?”
“When you told me that Fortune believed it.” He saw me wrinkle my nose in response to that answer. “Think what you want, Stephanie, but her instincts are sound.”
That, I didn’t care to debate. Fortune was a puzzle I needed to solve, but not tonight.
“Last question. When I ran toward the cabin, what took you so long to catch up? I thought you were right behind me.” I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Did you give me time with Lenora because you thought I could talk her down? Did you trust that I could handle her?” I admit that I was looking for a yes answer to bolster my ego.
Kase shook his head. “You did great, darlin’, and I’m proud of you, but the truth is that I had to head back to the truck when dispatch called with questions. I didn’t want Lenora to hear the phone, or the ambulance to get lost on the way here. I felt like my own damn secretary.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. That wasn’t the answer I expected, but I appreciated his honesty. “So, what’s your question for me?”
Kase cleared his throat. “I was thinking – hoping actually – that you’d think about maybe taking a few days – well, I mean maybe you’d consider—”
I reached over, gathered up Priscilla, and unceremoniously dumped her on the top step so I could scoot closer to Kase. “I’d love to go away with you, if that’s what you’re trying to ask.”
The twinkle in his eyes signaled his relief at not having to finish his question, as well as pleasure with my answer.
“Just don’t ask me to go anywhere that involves a cabin, unless it’s a cruise ship. I’ve seen enough of them since my arrival in Sinful to last me a lifetime. Otherwise, I’ll happily go anywhere with you.”
He laughed as he took my hands in his. “You’re sure? Because what I have in mind isn’t exactly prim and proper.”
“I’m sure.” I leaned in and brushed my lips across his. It was time Kase learned that I didn’t need to be prim and proper. Not all the time.