Chaos in California

by Lucy Quinn

  Dora blinked, trying to let all of that sink in.

  Evie leaned forward. “Was Kyle having an affair with Mitchem’s wife?”

  Luke nodded. “Like I said, messy. It’s why Mitchem killed her.”

  “That’s terrible,” Dora said, shaking her head. “Poor Kyle. He didn’t deserve any of that. I mean, cheating is wrong, but I can’t imagine what Nadine’s life must have been like being married to an actual murderer. Kyle was probably everything Mitchem wasn’t.”

  “Probably,” Evie agreed. “I’m glad we were able to help get Jared off the streets.” She turned to Luke. “I imagine this means the elder Mitchem is going down, too?”

  Luke nodded. “It sure looks that way, unless his lawyers find a way to dismiss the video as evidence. Anyway, he’s already in custody, and the judge is likely to deny bail.”

  “That’s…” Dora eyed Luke. “How do you know all of this?”

  “Yeah, Luke,” Evie chimed in. “How does a chef know all of this?”

  He glanced between them, giving away nothing in his easy expression. “Can’t a guy have his secrets, too?”

  “Not when it comes to our futures,” Dora said, moving away from him so that their legs weren’t touching. There was something weird going on, and she couldn’t afford to have her brain muddled by his mere presence.

  Luke reached over and took her hand in both of his, making Dora curse in her head. This was not what she had in mind when she tried to put distance between them. “Listen, Dora.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a reason I was there to help you escape from the dry cleaners that night when you were both abducted. I, um… I have kind of been keeping an eye on you two while the Franklin case works its way through the system.”

  “You’re undercover, aren’t you?” Evie blurted. “I knew it! Regular chefs are good with their knives, but they aren’t known for their alligator whispering or lock picking skills.”

  Luke didn’t answer her. Instead, he squeezed Dora’s hand and held her gaze.

  “Is that true? Are you an undercover cop?” she asked, not sure if she should be relieved or terrified.

  “No. Not exactly.”

  Dora yanked her hand from his. “Are you part of the mob? Are you working for—”

  “No!” he insisted. “I am definitely not working for the criminals.” He turned and pressed his palms to both of her cheeks. “Hear me when I say I am one of the good guys. There are things I can’t tell you right now, but you need to understand that I’m on the right side of the law and will do everything in my power to keep you safe and out of jail.”

  “Oh, my heart,” Evie said with a loud sigh. “If that isn’t the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “What’s romantic?” Trace asked as he slid in beside Evie and placed an overflowing plate of seafood in front of her.

  “Those two.” She waved a hand at Dora and Luke. “They’re like a Lifetime movie, only this one is going to have a happy ending.”

  Trace laughed. “Yeah. I can see that.”

  “Dora?” Luke asked, sounding worried. “Are you okay? I would’ve told you sooner, but technically, I’m not supposed to say anything at all.”

  She stared into his eyes, reading the sincerity there. He had been nothing but helpful to them through the whole ordeal from Pensacola to New Orleans and now meeting them in Reno. If he’d meant them harm, he’d already had every opportunity to carry out any nefarious plans. She gave him a soft smile. “I’m okay. Just…” She shook her head and laughed. “I guess I’m not surprised. Evie’s right. You have talents most mortals don’t.”

  His lips twisted into a wry smile. “I’d love nothing more than to show you my talents.”

  “I bet,” Evie chirped, and Dora’s face flushed with heat.

  “Um, yeah.” Dora glanced away, but it didn’t stop her from thinking about following him to one of the hotel rooms after lunch.

  “But that’s not really in the cards right now. We have some things to discuss, and you two need to get that flash drive so we can get this case wrapped up,” Luke said.

  “Right.” Dora straightened her shoulders as if she were ready for battle. “We’re on that. Should have it tomorrow.”

  “Good.” Luke gave them a nod of approval. “In the meantime, you’ll be glad to know that Marco’s businesses are suffering. Some of his smaller endeavors are already closing down. There’s suspicion that he’s been involved in criminal activity for years, and once you get that evidence, it looks like it’s going to be easy to clear your name.”

  Dora felt a huge weight that had been pressing down on her chest lift, and she sucked in a deep breath. When she let it out, she said, “You have no idea how good that is to hear.”

  He squeezed her hand again. “I think I might.”

  Across from them, Evie and Trace had their heads bent and their foreheads touching, and it occurred to Dora that it might be the most intimate moment she’d ever seen between them. Being apart had somehow brought them closer together, and Dora wondered how long it would take for Evie to get over her commitment issues once they were back in Pensacola. Probably not long by the looks of it.

  “Listen, Dora,” Luke was saying. “I’ve gotten you another vehicle. I didn’t want you to be driving the bus. It’s time for a change.”

  “We were actually driving a VW Bug that belongs to Windy, but it’s probably too recognizable, especially where we’re going. What did you get for us?”

  “It’s a truck, a crew cab. It’s older and a little beat up, but it runs great,” Luke said.

  “Oh. Em. Gee!” Evie exclaimed. “It’s perfect considering we’re…” She cleared her throat. “Guess I shouldn’t blurt out our destination.”

  “Probably not,” Dora said dryly.

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get cowgirl hats and boots!”

  “With what?” Dora asked.

  Evie grinned. “It’s on Sunshine. She won three hundred bucks playing quarter slots.”

  Dora laughed. “Of course she did. Where is she now?”

  “Being Windy’s lucky charm at the craps table.” Evie grinned again, and then as if she hadn’t eaten in a week, she dug into her crab legs.

  Dora, who’d stopped eating to talk to Luke, followed her lead, and for the first time in weeks, she started to think that just maybe everything was going to be okay.

  25

  Evie was still daydreaming about the night before as Dora drove the truck down a bumpy dirt road. After lunch and a trip to buy hats and cowboy boots, Evie and Trace had left Dora and Luke so that they could spend a little time alone together. They’d gone down to the Riverwalk, wandered around some of the shops, and after night fell, they’d danced under the stars while Trace sang softly in her ear. It had been magical, and her only regret was that they hadn’t been able to spend the night together.

  Luke had insisted that they needed to get back, and after both couples clung to each other and then said their goodbyes, Evie and Dora went into the casino to find Windy, and the three of them, along with Sunshine, took off in the truck Luke had provided for them.

  Windy had been so hyped by her excellent day at the craps table that she’d driven most of the night northeast toward Montana. Dora and Evie had taken turns napping in the back seat. They were almost there, and Dora had switched off places with Windy and started driving. Evie had to admit that Montana was gorgeous with its giant mountains and rivers and gorges. If the state wasn’t like the tundra for five months of the year, she might’ve actually considered moving there. Not to mention that Trace had looked hot in the cowboy hat she’d made him try on the night before. He could so be the cowboy to her cowgirl.

  “Dora, what do you think of Montana? Maybe after this is all over, we could convince Luke and Trace to spend the summers here. It would be a nice break from the Florida humidity,” Evie said.

  Dora glanced back at her in the rear-view mirror. “Stop making plans based on how Trace looked in that hat. Once th
is is over, I’m never leaving Pensacola again. Haven’t you had enough adventure for one summer?”

  “But he looked so sexy,” Evie whined. “Please, Dora? Think about Luke riding a bull. Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “He’d probably sweettalk it into strolling,” Dora said with a laugh. “If the man can get a gator to do his bidding, what do you think he’d do with a bull?”

  “Nah,” Windy said with a yawn. “Bulls are stubborn beasts. Seriously doubt he could charm one of those.”

  Evie turned her attention to Windy. “So, you know something about bulls?”

  “Sure. We have one or two on the farm.” She sat up and pointed to a driveway. “Turn right here. The house isn’t far.”

  Dora did as she said, and a moment later after they cleared a few trees, a modest cabin came into view. It wasn’t rundown, like Evie had imagined. It was well taken care of with a pretty front porch and a couple of rocking chairs out front.

  “Pull around back,” Windy said.

  “You want me to just drive over the grass?” Dora asked, eying the property.

  “Yep. It’s better if the truck is hidden in case anyone comes through here.”

  “Okay.” Dora did as she was told, and a moment later they were parked beside a large green tractor.

  Evie immediately pushed her door open and jumped out. Sunshine wiggled to get down and took off across the field toward a rail fence where cows were sectioned off and chewing their cud. Evie ran after her dog, calling for her to stop.

  Sunshine stopped abruptly at the fence and sat, waiting for her mistress to arrive.

  “They’re fascinating, aren’t they?” Evie asked when she caught her breath. Sunshine stared at the cows as if she were enamored.

  “Now listen, those cows are not part of your harem, got it? They are way too big for you to be—”

  “Evie! Look out!” Dora called.

  “What?” She turned, but before anyone could answer her, she spotted a large bull charging right for her. She grabbed Sunshine and took off toward Dora and Windy. The bull charged on after them, and the next thing Evie knew, they were running away from the cabin through the thick grass.

  “This way!” Windy called, taking the lead as she headed toward a clump of trees that appeared to lead to a steep mountain rage. “Just a little further—oomph!”

  Windy disappeared into the earth and a second later, Evie, Sunshine, and Dora followed. They landed with a thump on a thick mattress as the opening they’d fallen into slammed shut.

  “Sunshine?” Evie said, sitting up and inspecting her dog, who was still in her arms. “Are you all right?” Sunshine licked Evie’s hand and then jumped from her arms as if nothing had happened. Evie shook her head, amazed at her dog’s resilience.

  “Where in the world are we?” Dora demanded as she got up and scanned the bare-bones room. They’d landed on a large mattress, but there wasn’t anything else in the underground room except some wall lights that flickered slightly, giving the place an eerie glow.

  Windy let out a chuckle. “So this is where we built the bunker.”

  Evie blinked at her. “You built this bunker?”

  The older woman got up and started running her hand over the far wall. “Sure did. Needed a safe house from the cops, right?”

  “And you decided to lead us here?” Dora asked.

  “Well, no. Not exactly,” she said. “To be honest, after we built it, I never was able to find it again.”

  “How is that possible?” Dora asked. “You built it and couldn’t find it?”

  Windy shrugged. “It was the seventies. We smoked a lot of mind-altering substances back then.”

  “Of course you did.” Dora ran a hand through her short, bleached hair. “Any idea how to get out of here?”

  Windy gave them both a sheepish smile and said, “There’s a lever somewhere, but to be honest, I can’t remember where we hid it.”

  “And if you don’t find it and we’re trapped here?” Evie asked, her fingers digging into her thigh as irrational claustrophobia started to kick in.

  “Then I guess we’d better hope the ranch hand hears us yelling when he shows up to check the fences.”

  “When is that?” Evie asked.

  Windy pursed her lips as she squinted her eyes in concentration. “He comes on Fridays.”

  Dora let out a gasp. “It’s only Monday. We could be trapped for days.”

  Evie met Dora’s gaze, and as if on cue, they both jumped up and started banging on the trapdoor, yelling for dear life.

  There’s more than cowboys and cattle in Montana, and Dora and Evie manage to step right into it, along with another mystery to solve in Mayhem in Montana.

  About the Author

  Lucy Quinn is the brainchild of New York Times bestselling author Deanna Chase and USA Today bestselling author Violet Vaughn. Having met over a decade ago in a lampwork bead forum, the pair were first what they like to call “show wives” as they traveled the country together, selling their handmade glass beads. So when they both started writing fiction, it seemed only natural for the two friends to pair up with their hilarious, laugh-out-loud, cozy mysteries. At least they think so. Now they travel the country, meeting up in various cities to plan each new Lucy Quinn book while giggling madly at themselves and the ridiculous situations they force on their characters. They very much hope you enjoy them as much as they do.

  Deanna Chase, is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans or playing with her two shih tzu dogs.

  Violet Vaughn lives on a small island off the coast of Maine where she spends most mornings walking along the water with her Portuguese water dogs.

  * * *

  lucy@lucyquinnauthor.com

  Also by Lucy Quinn

  Secret Seal Isle Mysteries

  New Corpse in Town

  Life in the Dead Lane

  A Walk on the Dead Side

  Any Way You Bury It

  Death is in the Air

  Signed, Sealed, Fatal I’m Yours

  Sweet Corpse of Mine

  Knocking on Death’s Door

  Highway to Homicide

  * * *

  Accidentally Undercover

  Peril in Pensacola

  Mischief in New Orleans

  Chaos in California

  Mayhem in Montana