by Jana DeLeon
Ida Belle shook her head, clearly disgusted. “You know, the more we find out about that girl, the more I wish she’d left and never come back. I don’t wish anyone dead, but Venus was a plague on everyone who knew her.”
“So Melanie arranged to meet Venus at the schoolyard after Jeff left for his night shift,” Gertie said. “But why did Venus go to work that night if she was going to get the documents and the money? Why not sit around and wait for her exit?”
“Because Venus was never one to sit around and wait,” Ida Belle said. “She probably figured she could lift a good bit of cash off of customers that night—maybe even out of the register—giving her more cushion for her escape.”
“Not to mention taking a swipe at Whiskey before she left,” I said. “Bart Lagasse said Venus hated men. I don’t think that was far from the truth.”
“And that’s why she went around crotch grabbing,” Gertie said.
I nodded. “Melanie told us what happened at the playground. Melanie called Jeff afterward and he hurried out of work, later claiming it was because of the baby. They buried the body in the construction site and Melanie took the money, documents, and Venus’s phone. Then they hurried home and called the paramedics for Melanie.”
“But Jeff went to the hospital with Melanie,” Gertie said. “We picked them up the next day because he didn’t have a vehicle. So when did he have time to get rid of the car?”
“This is where I’m guessing,” I said. “But I’m thinking Jeff didn’t ride with Melanie.”
“Neighbors saw him get in the ambulance,” Ida Belle said.
“Then I’ll bet he rode a block or so, then said he forgot something—wallet, phone—and would meet them there.”
“So he got out and went back for the car,” Gertie said. “But how did he get from Nickel’s camp to the hospital?”
“Melanie’s bicycle,” I said. “Remember the one you said she used to ride everywhere? The one she claimed she got rid of? Jeff sneaked back to the house to get the bicycle, put it in Venus’s vehicle, and that’s what he rode to the hospital after dumping the car.”
“Nickel’s camp is only a couple miles from the hospital,” Ida Belle said. “That’s completely doable and it wouldn’t have taken long to execute. I bet you’re right.”
“So they got away with it,” Gertie said. “And chances are they would have continued to if you hadn’t put it all together. Starlight and Catfish would probably have gone down for the crime or at least been the biggest suspects for the rest of their lives. But how did we get from everything contained so well to Melanie trying to kill Jeff?”
“Guilt,” I said. “I think Jeff was having a hard time dealing with the fact that Melanie had killed Venus and that he’d helped her cover it up. Their marriage was strained already and Jeff was exhibiting signs of depression. Jeff said in the bar that nothing was the same since that night, and then he said he couldn’t do it anymore. People took that to mean his marriage but I think he meant keeping their secret.”
“So when Venus’s body was found, his guilt was multiplied by a thousand,” Ida Belle said. “That’s why he was drinking in the Swamp Bar, even though he rarely drank.”
“Yep,” I said. “I think after Bart dropped him off, he took the money to Percy’s house and stuck it through the mail drop. Catfish insisting he found the money on the living room floor and refusing to change his story is the second thing that really struck me as odd.”
“That makes total sense,” Ida Belle said. “Returning the money to Percy was one of the few things he could do to make things right.”
“He was going to tell,” Gertie said. “That’s what happened. He returned the money to Percy, then went home and told Melanie that he was going to the police the next day to tell them everything.”
“I think so,” I said. “So Melanie managed to dose him somehow with sleeping pills so it would look like he killed himself, but she didn’t get the job done. At some point, he was conscious enough to know something was wrong and call 911.”
“Why didn’t he tell the doctors that?” Gertie asked.
“Because he probably didn’t remember,” I said. “My guess is he repeated whatever Melanie told him. He was drunk and the drugs would have affected his memory. But there’s a good chance he would have eventually remembered. Melanie couldn’t afford that, and since her initial plan didn’t work, she took advantage of it by acting like she wasn’t sure his overdose was accidental.”
“So when he took a dive headfirst into the bayou and didn’t resurface, no one would question it because a pattern of behavior had been established,” Ida Belle said. “That’s beyond devious.”
“My guess is she was going to shoot him, weight the body with the anchor, and dump it in the bayou,” I said. “Then she was going to drive somewhere else and claim that’s where he jumped in.”
“And her being pregnant, no one would question why she didn’t go in after him,” Gertie said.
“If she was even pregnant,” Ida Belle said. “I wonder now if that’s just another lie she told, trying to keep him in line.”
“But eventually, that lie would catch up with her,” Gertie said.
“I think she’d been teetering on the brink of sanity for a while,” Ida Belle said. “When Gertie unearthed Venus’s body, it just pushed her over the edge. Her decisions beyond that point were no longer rational. She was just scrambling to keep her secret.”
Gertie sighed. “Even if it meant killing Jeff.”
“In her mind, she’d already lost him,” Ida Belle said. “When I tried to reason with her, she didn’t even look like the same person. I think the Melanie we knew was long gone. What a tragedy, all the way around. It’s amazing that a single person could incite so much sadness.”
“But there is a silver lining,” Gertie said. “We saved Jeff and solved the case. Whiskey will be free and clear of any doubt or suspicion.”
“She’s right,” Ida Belle agreed. “We did an excellent job, and Fortune proved that she has excellent analytical abilities. You’re going to make a fine detective. Not that I ever doubted it.”
Before I could reply, there was a knock at my door. I knew it wasn’t Carter but I wasn’t expecting anyone else. I swung open the door and was pleased to see Whiskey standing there, smiling. I waved him in and led him back to the kitchen where Ida Belle and Gertie gave him enthusiastic hellos.
“I know you’ve had a bitch of a day,” Whiskey said. “And I won’t keep you. But I had to thank you in person, and it couldn’t wait. I have no idea how you figured all that out, but it impressed the heck out of me. I knew you were smart when I hired you, but you’ve blown my expectations out of the water.”
“I’m just glad you’re out and that it’s all over,” I said. “And mostly, that we won’t be tending bar again.”
“I’m kinda sad about that part,” Gertie said.
“You guys are welcome to work the bar any time you’d like,” Whiskey said.
Ida Belle and I groaned.
“Don’t encourage her,” Ida Belle said. “She was almost beheaded in a boating incident.”
He grinned. “Heard about that. Always some excitement at the bar. That’s why I love it.” He looked at us and sobered. “You ladies risked your life today and though I’ll be forever grateful that you figured all this out, it’s a sobering thought to know I could have sent you into the ground.”
“Not you,” I said. “Melanie. You didn’t do anything wrong and none of this was your responsibility. You were just one more casualty slung from Venus’s orbit.”
“All the same,” he said, “I hope you ladies are more cautious going forward. I knew Venus was a bad one but the talk I’m hearing tells me I didn’t know the half of it. And that’s bad enough. But when people like Melanie Breaux become killers, then it’s time for all of us to take a hard look at everyone in our lives.”
“We’ve been doing a lot of that lately,” Ida Belle said.
“Well, I’m g
oing to let you ladies get back to it,” Whiskey said. “Goes without saying that you’ve got free drinks for life at the bar. Anytime you want. Just stop in.”
After Whiskey left, Gertie looked at Ida Belle and me, her expression animated. “I might take him up on that work thing. I made two hundred bucks last night and even got a phone number.”
“Who gave you his phone number?” Ida Belle asked.
“Some cute guy sitting by the dartboards,” Gertie said. “I might just give him a call.”
“Let me see that number,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie reached into her purse and pulled out a bar napkin with a number written on it. I leaned over and took a look.
“That’s the number to the bar,” I said.
Ida Belle laughed.
“Well, crap,” Gertie said. “I guess that means I’ll have to go find him myself. I don’t suppose—”
“No!”
We both answered at once.
Ida Belle wagged her finger at Gertie. “You and I don’t have enough lives left to hang out at the Swamp Bar. Besides, you have fishing and that ridiculous bird to occupy your time.”
“And working for me,” I said. “I bet solving this case gets us some clients.”
Ida Belle frowned. “The question is, with Whiskey giving out the accolades, what kind of clients will they be?”
“The kind that aren’t boring?” Gertie suggested. “Are you sure we can’t bartend just one last time…I have this naughty elf costume.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
My house was hopping with activity the next day. I’d insisted on hosting my very first Thanksgiving in Sinful but had made it clear that while tables, chairs, and drinks were on me, everyone else needed to cover the cooking thing. For the first time in my life, I had a houseful of people and was loving every minute of it. Carter was there, of course, and his mother, Emmaline, her boyfriend, Carlos, Ida Belle, Gertie, Ally, and Walter.
There was enough food to feed all of Sinful for a week but I had every intention of putting a major dent in it. The fried turkey alone had my mouth watering as Carter and Walter supervised the frying in the backyard. Since the day was so pleasant and sunny, I’d forgone formal dining inside and opted for folding tables and chairs outside. Everyone seemed pleased with the arrangement.
I leaned over the fryer, taking in the awesome smell of the turkey cooking, and Carter grinned. “Just you wait,” he said.
“I saw Sheriff Lee at the store yesterday,” Walter said. “He finally took my advice and saw a dentist about his dentures. Ordered a pile of steaks.”
“Thank God,” Carter said. “If he was on soft foods for Thanksgiving, I was afraid I was going to have to shoot him. He’s been on a tear for over a week now. Even threatened to arrest Celia for crossing the street while glaring. Deputy Breaux and I have been covering double shifts because we didn’t want him on the clock.”
I smiled. Another mystery solved.
It took a bit of assembly, but finally, our Thanksgiving meal was ready for consumption. We all took our seats at the table and I asked Walter to sit at the head. Before we dug in, I stood and looked at everyone.
“Before we launch into this incredible feast, I just want to tell you all that being here with you, like this, is something I never pictured for myself. After my mother died, all semblance of family went with her. People tried, of course, but staging an event with others isn’t the same as gathering with those you truly care about. I never thought I’d have this. Didn’t even know I wanted it, to be honest. But now that I’m here, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Or anyone else I’d rather share my life with. Thank you all for making me a part of your family.”
As I sat, Carter reached over and squeezed my hand. There was a good bit of sniffling and Ally had tears in her eyes, but everyone was so happy that it made my heart clench.
“Praise the Lord and pass the turkey,” Walter said, breaking the silence.
Everyone laughed and reached for dishes. We all talked and ate, several different conversations going on at once. The food was incredible, especially the fried turkey. Everyone had been right. I would never eat turkey any other way again.
No one mentioned Venus, Melanie, or Jeff, and I was glad. There would be plenty of time to talk about the bad things that happened. Today was a celebration of everything that was good. Everything that we were thankful for, and for the first time in my life, I had a very long list. Good community, great friends, an interesting and challenging profession, and a boyfriend who made my heart flutter.
When the last fork had been placed on an empty plate and the last chair had been pushed back for more breathing room, the sun was just starting to set over the bayou. Walter cleared his throat and rose.
“Before we all retire to our homes to drop into a food coma, I have something I’d like to say. And it’s best said here, with all my family together.”
I glanced at Ida Belle, but she was staring directly at Walter. I looked over at Gertie, who shrugged.
“This past week,” Walter continued, “I asked Ida Belle to marry me. Now, we all know I’ve been down that road many times, and the result has never been what I’d hoped for.”
He motioned to Ida Belle to join him.
I held in a gasp as she walked to the head of the table and stood next to Walter, smiling up at him.
Walter looked down at her and I could see the vast amount of love he felt for her now, before, and would always. He looked out at us and grinned.
“This time, she said yes.”
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Will Walter and Ida Belle finally tie the knot? Will Fortune and the girls have a new mystery to solve? Find out in the next Miss Fortune series book, coming end of year 2019.
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More Miss Fortune Fun
Did you know that Jana created a publishing company that allows approved authors to pen their own stories in the Miss Fortune World? For a different take on Sinful and its residents, check out J&R Fan Fiction.
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Sinful, Louisiana has its own website! If you want to escape to a bit of hilarity, check it out!
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