Murder, Malice and Mischief

by Quinn, Lucy

  “Yes, please.”

  Luke handed her his ready drink and grabbed a mug from the cabinet for himself. His fancy cappuccino machine hissed as he poured out boiling water into the cup. “Too wired to sleep?” he asked.

  Dora sighed. “I am. Evie, however, is passed out with Sunshine. I’m jealous.”

  “I’m always amazed at people who can sleep no matter what. Stress really affects my ability to get shut eye.”

  She wrapped her hands around the warm mug, wishing it could take away the chill of her day. Heck, her week. “Me too.”

  “Come sit with me on the couch.” Luke led them over to the living room, and once they sat, he said, “You’ve been through a lot, Dora. It’s no wonder you can’t sleep. Are you okay?”

  Dora shook her head as tears burned in her eyes. Ever since she’d discovered Marco’s money laundering scheme, she’d been on high alert, and it was taking its toll on more than her sleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted but couldn’t seem to turn off the fight-or-flight instinct to get some rest.

  “Hey,” Luke said softly. He set his drink down on the coffee table and leaned back to put his arm up over the top of the couch. “I’ve got a big, strong shoulder. Lean on it.”

  Dora nodded and set her tea down before she snuggled into Luke. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Better?”

  It was. His T-shirt was soft on her cheek, and his embrace was warm. She realized that if she needed to ball her eyes out, Luke was the kind of guy who’d hold her until she was done. And strangely that made her tears dry up. As if he was already soothing her frazzled nerves with just his touch. He was good at this. She looked up at him. “You have sisters.”

  He chuckled. “Two younger ones.”

  “I knew it. You’ve been way too accepting of me and this situation for anything else to be true.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m a mess, Luke. A big, awkward, hot mess on a daily basis. Yet you don’t seem fazed.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “Wow. You clearly have no idea how amazing you actually are. Want to know what I see?”

  She nodded, curious but a little afraid of what he really thought.

  “I see a woman who managed to save her own life doing something nobody should ever have to do because she had no choice. Then she was smart enough to get the hell out of Dodge before someone else tried to kill her. She then discovered someone she trusted wasn’t to be trusted at all. With her back up against a wall, do you know what she did?”

  “I got my best friend and myself kidnapped.”

  “You came up with a plan and did some dangerous things to get yourself out of the horrible situation you were thrown into, Dora. And today, even after you were almost gator food, you still were willing to climb into Cecelia’s lair to save Billy. You were courageous in a way that impresses me more than you’ll ever understand.”

  “Courageous?” She frowned. “I wasn—"

  Luke put his finger on her lips. “Don’t you dare let one self-deprecating comment come out of your mouth. You’re too smart for that.”

  That was where she was going to go. It was a knee-jerk reaction she’d cultivated over the years. But it was time to stop doing that. She couldn’t afford the luxury of wallowing and self-pity right now. She needed to be at her best, and that meant believing in herself. Dora thought about what Luke had said, and she smiled. Just a little. She had been courageous. Although it was more likely she’d just been too scared to realize how stupid she was being. But she’d take courageous from Luke. And somehow his praise was working to calm her, and she felt a welcome yawn come.

  She leaned forward to take a sip of her tea. “You’re pretty amazing yourself, Luke.” She squinted at him as she wondered again if he’d had some training for the situations they’d been in. “Not only are you a fantastic chef, but you’re also capable at lock picking, making realistic sketches, and you have the ability to hypnotize an alligator and a room full of people. I have a feeling there’s more to Luke Landucci than most people know.”

  He winked at her. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you my secrets.”

  Dora dropped her gaze as her heart skipped a beat, and she took a gulp of her tea.

  Luke drank too, and then he asked, “Are you hopeful about tomorrow?”

  She suppressed a yawn and nodded. “If we could learn something to get both Brian and Marco into trouble with the law, it would sure make this whole thing a lot less scary.”

  “And then you wouldn’t have to leave.” Luke set his empty mug down. “Then maybe we could have that date sooner rather than later.”

  Oh, how Dora wanted to believe it could be that simple. But she had no doubt Marco Franklin wouldn’t go down easy. No. She needed that flash drive. “I wish,” she said as she set her cup down with a solid thud. “But I’m afraid I need the evidence on that flash drive, and that means I need to go to New Orleans to get it.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  It would be so easy to let him. But if tomorrow went as planned, then New Orleans would be nothing more than some convoluted Evie scheme to get a stranger’s package in order to retrieve the flash drive. And if it didn’t go their way and Brian or Marco somehow found their way to—

  She shook her head. She couldn’t involve Luke any further into her troubles. “You shouldn’t take off from work for this. It’ll be a cake walk. And knowing Evie, she’s going to want to experience a little Bourbon Street, beignets, and girl time. After the way she’s helped me, she deserves it.”

  Luke frowned but said, “Okay. I’ll let you off the hook this time, but I swear to god, Dora, if you find yourself a hot Cajun and ditch me—”

  Dora slapped at his chest as she laughed. “And never find out your secrets? Not a chance.” This time when her yawn came there was no hiding it. It made Luke yawn too.

  He stood up to take their mugs to the kitchen. “Bedtime. For both of us.”

  Dora stood up, and when Luke turned to her, she said, “Thank you. This was just what I needed.”

  He smiled. “Same for me. Sleep well, Dora.”

  “I will. You too, Luke.”

  Chapter 25

  Evie slowly inhaled the salty ocean air as she waited for Sunshine to do her business. It was early in the morning, but the heat was already settling in as people jogged and walked by, music in their ears or chatting with a friend. She’d woken up before anyone else, and even though people were her thing, Evie was enjoying the quiet. The past three days had been a whirlwind of activity that exhausted even an extrovert like herself.

  She thought about Dora, who was conked out in the bed they’d shared last night. She was glad her friend had finally managed to fall asleep. Dora was an anxious person on a good day, and Evie knew that sometimes her friend’s mind raced with so much information it was hard for her to make it all stop.

  Sunshine gazed up at Evie and wiggled her little fluffy tail as if she wanted to play. “You know what?” Evie asked the pup. “Let’s take a little walk to clear our heads. What do you say?”

  Evie was barefoot in a pair of the short-shorts and a tank top like those Billy had mentioned to Brian back at the gator farm, and she glanced down at herself, second guessing the wisdom of her walk in what she was wearing. She shook her head because she was afraid Dora was rubbing off on her. Since when did Evie care about what other people thought of her choices? Besides, it was Florida after all, and the heat made it necessary to wear as little clothing as possible. She didn’t feel as if she was any more scandalous than women running in sports bras and jogging shorts.

  And it was true that she was hardly making a splash when she noticed the people she passed only smiled in a greeting or, in the case of the runners, gave her a sweaty grimace if they glanced at her at all. In fact, it was a little insulting she hadn’t turned any heads.

  The concrete sidewalk was smooth under her feet as she walked. She did care what Dora thought of her, however, and she grimac
ed when she recalled how she’d almost told Luke and Billy about her best friend’s lap dance. One that had shocked Evie but pleased her as well when she realized Dora was capable of moving way out of her comfort zone to keep them alive.

  In fact, she was proud of Dora and the changes she’d been making. Her friend could have easily fallen apart by now, considering all she’d experienced in the last couple of days, and nobody would blame her one bit. But she hadn’t.

  And that made Evie think she needed to try a little self-growth herself. Starting with keeping her urge to blurt out her every thought in check. As she and Sunshine turned the last corner of the block, she looked down at her adorable puppy. “Sunshine, today is going to be a good day. Let’s go save some lives and put away some bad guys. What do you say?”

  “Baby, you can lock me up any time!” said a young man who was jogging by her with a friend and had obviously overheard what Evie had said.

  She turned to call back to him, pleased she hadn’t lost her sex appeal. “I’ll do that and give your momma the key!”

  His friend elbowed him. “Burn!”

  Evie laughed. The smile was still on her face when she let herself back into Luke’s townhouse, but it fell when she noticed all the somber faces of her friends who were sitting at the kitchen table. Sunshine let out a questioning whine, and Evie asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s talent show rehearsal day at Riverwoods,” Dora said. “No pets allowed, and they won’t be until sometime next week.”

  “And?” Evie glanced down at Sunshine. “Since when has that stopped us?”

  “Oh, no,” Dora said. “We all know what happened the last time we smuggled Sunshine into some place.” She gave the dog a stern look.

  Sunshine whimpered and leaned against Evie’s leg.

  “Hey,” Evie said. “She learned a valuable lesson, and I know she’ll be good this time.”

  Luke raised his eyebrows and wisely got up from the table to find something to do in the kitchen, while Billy’s head was on a swivel watching the interaction between the women. He definitely found them entertaining judging by the smile on his face.

  “No,” Dora said. “We can’t take any chances with this because I think we’re only going to get one shot. It’s not a place we can break into.”

  Evie opened her mouth to give a snippy comeback, but then she remembered her vow for self-growth and closed her jaw so she could give her next words some thought. Dora was right, they probably did have only one chance, and it wasn’t like Sunshine had to go. She’d be fine hanging back at Luke’s. “Okay. Fine. We do this without Sunshine.”

  Sunshine let out a whine that sounded a lot like What?

  Dora blinked a couple times as if she wasn’t sure who had taken over Evie’s body, but she recovered quickly and sighed. “I guess we have to decide who we’re going to be so we have a reason to be let in to Riverwoods.”

  Sunshine let out a sigh, and her little bones thudded on the hardwood floor when she laid down, resigned to being left out of the mission.

  Billy perked up. “You two can be Mr. Tuttle’s relatives, and Luke and I will apply for jobs.”

  Evie exchanged a surprised glance with Dora because that was actually a good idea. Who knew the mailman had a mind for schemes? Maybe he was just the man to help her get Bert Jolen’s junkyard collection off his front yard. That stained toilet of his always reminded her of… But that thought was for another time. She said, “That could work.”

  Dora nodded. “I’ll be Ida, his niece.”

  “Ida?” Evie chuckled. “You sure? Because you can pick any name you’d like, and you want Ida?”

  “Hey, it was my great-grandmother’s name.”

  “And that’s exactly who should keep it,” Luke said as he returned to the table and handed Evie a latte just the way she liked it. “I say you go with something hotter, like Jessica.”

  “Jessica?” Dora asked. “Like Jessica Tandy? Or Jessica Fletcher?”

  “Oh, the detective lady on Murder She Wrote!” Billy cried. “That’s good.”

  “No,” Luke shook his head. “Like Jessica Biel, or Jessica Alba, or”—he pumped his eyebrows at Dora—“Jessica Rabbit.”

  Evie chuckled at the way Dora flushed because of Luke’s flirting. “Definitely Jessica for you, and I’ll be…” Evie glanced down at her short-shorts. “Daisy, as in Daisy Duke.”

  Billy nodded in agreement, while Dora said to Luke, “Let me guess. You’re going to be James, as in Bond?”

  He gave her a smirk. “James works.”

  “I’ll be Clark, like Clark Kent.” Billy puffed up his chest. “A hero in disguise.”

  Evie tried not to spit out her coffee. But she supposed it was appropriate. Nobody would have expected the stout little mailman to have run fast enough to grab his mailbag to protect the mail. “I like it.” Her stomach growled as if things were settled, and she hopped up from the table. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “I’m on it,” Luke said as he stood.

  Dora got up too. “No. Evie—I mean, Daisy—and I can make breakfast. It’s the least we can do considering all you’ve done for us. How would you like your eggs?”

  “Scrambled with a little bit of—” Luke stopped himself and shook his head. “I’ll take them any way you make them, Jessica.”

  Dora giggled and nearly tripped over herself as she tried to walk backward and turn around at the same time. Fortunately, Evie was there to grab her shoulders and steady her friend. And she was glad to do it, because no matter who they were pretending to be, Dora and Evie made a great team.

  Chapter 26

  It wouldn’t be a scheme with Evie if costumes weren’t involved, and Dora should have known throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt wouldn’t satisfy her friend.

  Nope.

  “Ta da!” Luke said as he opened two French doors to a huge walk in closet in one of his neighbor’s townhouse. Actually, it was more like a room. Dora gaped in awe at the shelves covered with shoes and handbags. Clothing hung on both sides of the room while dressers were on either side of the door. There was even a small riser with a three-way mirror.

  “Who is this Erica?” Dora asked as jealousy burned in her gut. She gazed longingly at a Dolce and Gabbana bag.

  “Enrique,” Luke said. “And he keeps a variety of sizes for his friends he brings to vacation with him.”

  Evie winked at Dora as the situation became clear. She teased Luke, “Do we want to know how you know about this closet?”

  Luke chuckled. “I prefer to keep some of my secrets to myself.”

  Twenty minutes later, Dora had her hair in a high ponytail and was wearing a body-hugging dress with a push up bra that made her look curvier than usual. She put her hand on her stomach that was back to its usual tautness as she gazed at herself in the mirror. There was no trace of too many crab cakes now. Who needed a diet when you were running from the law, a dirty cop, and a crooked former boss? But she drew the line at the wedge sandals Evie pushed at her. She wanted the ability to run if necessary and was wearing practical flats.

  Dora glanced in the mirror at Evie, who was beside her trying to tame her wild curls, and said, “All I need to pull this off is some bubble gum to chew.”

  “Oh! Good one,” Evie said as she twisted to check out her backside. She was wearing super-short denim shorts that would have made Daisy Duke proud, and Evie had actually found cowboy boots that fit her, too. “We can stop and grab gum on the way. Now, practice your lines one more time for me.”

  Dora rolled her eyes and then raised her voice to sound as ditzy as possible. “Hi. I’m, um—” She let out a little giggle. “I’m supposed to visit my great uncle, but—” She let out a little huff. “This is so crazy, but I forgot his name. He’s a Tuttle, though. That I’m sure of. Uncle Turtle—” Dora slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oops, don’t tell him I said that.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s not a very flattering nickname.”

  “Oh my god, Dora!
That was fantastic.” Evie yanked on the top of Dora’s dress to reveal more of her pumped-up cleavage. “You’ve got airhead nailed.”

  “I ought to,” Dora groused as she tugged her neckline back up. “I’ve watched you put on that act for years. And my boobs will stay in my dress. Got it?”

  Evie threw up her hands. “Fine.”

  Dora sighed. She hadn’t meant to snap at Evie, and she said, “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

  “It’s okay. I know. And I can take it. Been doing it for years.”

  Dora smiled at her. “And I’ll let you for many more to come.”

  Evie chuckled. “C’mon. Let’s go see if the guys are ready.”

  They walked back to Luke’s, and when they stepped into his living room, Dora stopped in her tracks as her jaw fell open. Billy was in khaki shorts and a polo shirt, but Luke was the one who’d captured her attention. He was in a suit that was tailored perfectly to emphasize his broad shoulders and trim hips. His brow knit as he looked at her. “Dora? Is something wrong?”

  “No. I—” She smiled as she shook her head slowly. She didn’t have to hide how she felt considering this man had made his interest in her crystal clear. “Not at all, James. You’re stunningly handsome. That’s all.”

  He grinned as he took in her appearance. “And you, Jessica, are stunning as well.”

  “So, what do you think?” Billy put a foot out to twist his leg and flex his calf. “Do I have the legs of a gardener or what?”

  “You sure do, Clark,” Evie said with an exaggerated southern accent. “I’d hire you based on those legs for sure.”

  Billy gave her a dramatic bow. “Thank you, Daisy.” He held out his arm. “Shall we?”

  Luke mirrored Billy’s action and held out his arm to Dora. “I think we’re ready.”

  Sunshine let out a whine from her perch on the couch, and Dora glanced back at her. “Sorry, girl. Next time. Okay?”