by Quinn, Lucy
“I’m Darcy, remember?”
“Right, dear,” her mother said absently.
Darcy let out a frustrated sigh as a pained look flashed over her face. “Mom, we have to do a stop payment on this check. You can’t afford this.”
“But Lenny will be so disappointed.” She pouted.
“Who’s Lenny?” Darcy asked her.
“The one who collected the money,” Aggie said.
Dora’s heart sank. Lenny wasn’t Brian. Was it possible he used a different name when he was working the home? Or did he have a partner in crime?
“Lenny runs the Little Barkers Rehoming charity?” Darcy asked.
“Yes! I always knew he’d grow up to do great things. When we were kids, he was always the one collecting the neighborhood strays.” Aggie gave them a bright smile. “Now he can afford to feed them.”
Darcy sank back down into the couch. “Oh no.” She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her temple. “She’s talking about her younger brother Glen. He passed over forty years ago. That isn’t who she gave this money to.” Darcy turned to Dora with pleading eyes. “Do you have any idea who took this money? We have to get it back and stop him from doing this again.”
“We could look it up online,” Dora said, already pulling out her phone. “See who the contact is.”
“Of course,” Darcy said, breathing a little easier.
Dora found the website easily enough, but as she clicked through the pages, her frown deepened. “There isn’t any identifying information or background on here. No phone number or address. Just an email.”
“Oh, no.” Darcy started to wring her hands together. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it doesn’t. Hold on. Let me try one more thing.” Dora quickly pulled up the DNS record. What she found made her eyes bug out. “Surely he can’t be this stupid.”
“Who?” Darcy jumped up off the couch and ran to Dora’s side, squinting at the screen. “Who’s Brian?”
“My neighbor,” Dora spat out as her fingers flew over the touch screen. She pulled up the Florida government website, searching for the charity registration. There wasn’t one. They’d caught him. Mentally, she threw a triumphant fist in the air, but she kept her expression concerned for the sake of Darcy. Brian had five thousand dollars of her mother’s money, and unless Brian had the money stashed in his house, she wasn’t likely to get it back. “There’s no record of this charity being filed with the state.”
“And that makes it illegal, right?” Darcy filled in, her expression becoming fierce.
“I should think so.”
“Good.” She grabbed her own phone and started tapping in numbers. After a moment, she said, “Janelle, we’ve got a problem. A big one. Mama’s been scammed out of some money, and we need to take a jackass down.”
Exactly seven minutes later, a tall woman with dark black hair and brilliant blue eyes walked in wearing a sundress. She had a pad of paper in her hand and a scowl on her face. “Tell me everything.”
“Jessica, this is my sister Janelle. Janelle, this is Jessica. She helped me figure out this is all a scam,” Darcy said.
“I did not get scammed,” Aggie insisted from her bed near the wall.
Darcy’s nostrils flared as she clearly did everything in her power to hold onto her temper. “Either way, Mama, we can’t afford that donation. Janelle is going to deal with it.”
“Tell me everything,” Janelle said.
Darcy and Dora took turns relaying what they found out, and when they were done, Janelle scowled. “I knew he was dirty!”
“You know that Brian guy?” Darcy asked with a gasp.
“Yeah, he works at the station. I’m going to gather everything I need and then bring his ass down.” Janelle glanced at Dora. “You can keep this to yourself for a while, right?”
Alarm bells were going off in Dora’s head. Janelle worked at the station? Was she corrupt, too, or could Dora trust her? “I’m not comfortable lying about—”
“I didn’t mean to imply you should lie about anything,” Janelle said. “I’d never do that. I meant just don’t spill that we’re onto him so that I have a day or so to make sure I have the evidence I need before I turn his money-grubbing butt in.” She glanced down at her notes and chewed on the inside of her cheek, clearly thinking something through. “I knew he was up to something; I just didn’t know what.”
“Um, sure.” What else could Dora say? Nothing. Not until she had that flash drive in her hands. The proof that would keep her out of jail. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t know—”
“Where is she?” a loud man barked, his footsteps so loud on the tile floors that they seemed to echo through the slightly open door.
“Back here,” another man growled. “The little harlot tried charming me right out of my pants.”
Dora moved to the door and peeked out. Her heart stopped, and her breath got caught in her throat. It was Brian. His dark eyes were wild and his face beet red as he stomped toward a short, pudgy old man with a bald head.
“No, I did not!” Evie cried. “As if!”
Dora groaned and whispered, “Oh no. Daisy, what are you doing?”
“That limp wanker,” Janelle said from behind Dora. “I’m going to enjoy throwing his no-stamina butt in jail.”
Again, Dora mentally cheered. She’d like nothing better than to see him rotting in jail. The rat. But she needed to find a way to get Evie out of there. Brian had obviously already spotted her.
Janelle strode out of the door and promptly ran right into Evie. The two bounded off each other, but Janelle maintained her balance while Evie flew backward and landed on her butt with a loud “Oomph!”
“Sorry,” Janelle said, barely glancing at her. She moved straight for Brian, a stern look on her face. “Why are you bothering people in an assisted living home?” she demanded.
Brian came to an abrupt stop and glanced around nervously. “I—uh, I volunteer here.”
“Right. And I wax every two days.” She started to move toward him, but Brian bolted, aiming for the front door.
An older man who’d been on a ladder changing a light bulb chose that exact moment to climb down. He slipped on the last wrung, flung his arm out, and knocked Brian over. He went down in a heap, his head smacking the tile with a loud thunk.
The older man rolled and started to moan as he clutched his arm.
Brian didn’t move.
Janelle ran over to Brian and started checking his vitals. Tsking to herself, she pulled out her phone and called for backup and an ambulance. “I’ve got a runner here. Gonna have to cuff him,” she said into the phone. “And chief? He’s one of ours. Internal Affairs is gonna need to be let in on this.”
Dora stepped out of Aggie’s room and grabbed Evie by the arm. “Let’s go.”
Evie let out a sigh of relief just as the old, pudgy man at the far end of the hallway called, “Hey, Daisy. Don’t forget you offered me a hand job. I’ll be waiting.”
Evie turned around and glared at the dirty old man. “I did nothing of the sort. And if you say anything like that again, I’ll tell old Miss Peaches that you have HPV.” She stuck her tongue out at him, spun back around and stalked to toward the exit.
“Ha! She’s the one who gave it to me,” he called back.
Dora shuddered and tried to block out the exchange. All she wanted to do was get out of there before Janelle figured out she was involved in Steve Franklin’s death.
As she passed the handyman, he sat up and winked at her. Dora did a double take when she realized it was Billy. He was wearing a white wig, and she wondered where that had come from. Likely Enrique’s closet.
Get out of here, Billy mouthed. I’ve got this.
Of course, he did. The man survived delivering mail in the brutal Florida heat. He could do anything. She gave him a grateful smile and rushed after Evie.
As soon as they were outside, they met Luke at the car and Dora handed him the keys as he said, “Let’s go!”
/> Chapter 29
“Where are we headed?” Dora asked, squirming in the front passenger seat of Luke’s car and tugging at her too short dress again. Evie and Dora had just filled him in on what they’d found out about Brian and that Janelle was arresting him.
“Home. Then you two are getting on the road,” Luke said. Evie, while she’d been trying to flirt information out of Tuttle, found out that Brian had gotten money from him, and when Evie tried to point out that it was likely a scam, the old man had gotten belligerent and turned on her. If he came to his senses, that would be two victims that they knew Brian had stolen from.
Dora glanced over at Luke, wondering what he’d been up to while they were getting the dirt. He was wearing blue overalls and dark sunglasses. “Nice disguise.”
He chuckled. “Billy and I got the maintenance jobs. Or at least we got a tryout. I think both of us failed. I’m supposed to be dealing with some plumbing right now, and Billy was supposed to be mopping floors, but he got sidetracked by the bad lighting.”
Evie snorted. “Can’t take direction huh? Hopefully you’re better at that in the sack.”
“Evie!” Dora shot back. “That’s—”
“Funny?” she supplied with a wink.
Dora rolled her eyes and turned to Luke. “How did you know we needed to get out of there?”
“I saw Brian go in. I figured you’d be making a quick escape,” he said. A horn blared as they weaved in and out of traffic.
“And Billy?” she asked. “We can’t just leave him there.”
“Don’t worry about him. I’ll go back for him.” Luke turned a corner, and as Dora braced herself, she was surprised to find they were almost to his house. A few moments later, he opened flipped his visor down and pushed a remote that opened one of many garage doors in a long building Dora had assumed was storage space for the townhome complex residents. When the door was up it revealed a purple convertible.
“Sweet!” Evie said, jumping out of the black sedan and running over to the sporty car. “When did you get this?”
“A few years ago,” Luke said. “It belonged to my mother. She gave it to me before she moved up north. Convertibles and snow don’t mix.”
Dora barely spared a glance at the car, although she did store the information for later. Instead, she hurried inside and straight to the bedroom where she promptly changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She’d had just about enough of the short, clingy, wrap dress. When she came out, Luke was waiting for her with a key ring.
Her took her hand in his and gazed down at her with a serious expression. Dora’s mind raced with all the things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him she didn’t want to go. Or take him up on the offer to join them. But then she thought about how much danger she’d brought to too many people as it was.
“Here,” he said. “You guys take the convertible. You can’t be seen in Evie’s car. Marco and his gang know what that looks like. And they’d recognize your Toyota, too.”
“We can’t do that!” Dora insisted.
“The hell we can’t,” Evie said from behind Luke. She reached over and snatched the keys. “You can take VW that’s sitting at the dildo shop and have it as collateral. It will be fine.”
Dora sighed. “Evie…”
“We’re kind of in a predicament here, Dor. Let Luke do this nice thing.” She shoved the key into the pocket of her Daisy Dukes. “I’m gonna go get our stuff while you two say your goodbyes. Be ready to fly in ten.”
Dora watched her friend move toward the bedroom, and when she turned back to Luke, she didn’t think too hard about what she did next. She threw her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to us without you.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Dora,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you.”
She let out a small sigh and hugged him tighter.
“I have something else for you.” He pulled back and pressed an envelope into her hand.
When she glanced inside, she saw a stack of green bills. “Oh, no. Absolutely not.” She shoved it back at him. “This is way too much.”
He wrapped his fingers around hers, closing her hand around the envelope. “Don’t be stubborn, Dora. Neither of you have jobs, and you can’t use your credit cards unless you want to be tracked. Just take it. You can pay me back when you return.”
“If we return,” she muttered, feeling a little sorry for herself.
“Hey,” he said softly, lifting her chin up with one finger. “You’ll be back. All you need is that evidence, and then everything will be fine. Right?”
“Right,” she said bravely, forcing herself to smile.
“Good. Now take the cash. You’ll need gas and a hotel room. Not to mention road trip food.” He winked at her.
Dora resigned herself to the fact that as much as she hated taking his money, she didn’t think they had a choice. He was right. They needed cash. She shoved the envelope in her pocket and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for everything. I don’t think I deserve this but thank you anyway.”
“Dora—” he started.
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Don’t say it.”
“Can I at least kiss you?” he asked.
She didn’t hesitate. Nodding, she stepped a tiny bit closer. Luke tilted his head down and brushed his lips over hers, sending a shiver all the way to her toes despite the summer heat.
“When you get back, I’m taking you out on that date you owe me.”
“I can hardly wait.”
Chapter 30
“Whoohoo! New Orleans or bust!” Evie cried into the wind. Not only was she driving the purple convertible with Dora and Sunshine sitting in the passenger seat, but they’d managed to take down Brian and get out of town safely. Luke texted Dora that he’d retrieved Billy without incident, although the man had insisted he had to return at some point to install LED lightbulbs to help the place go green.
While they still had Marco, Fred from the dry cleaners, Jock, and the rest of the money laundering ring to worry about, Evie believed Dora felt as though she could breathe again.
“Hand me those Cheetos,” Evie said to Dora. They were about an hour into the trip and had just stopped for gas and junk food.
“You know it’s only a three-and-a-half-hour drive, right?” Dora said as she handed over Evie’s hard-won treat. Dora had wanted to save their money for nutritious food that would fuel their bodies. Evie had to threaten shoplifting them to get her way. She wouldn’t have, of course. But considering the things they’d done the past few days, Dora had her doubts.
“It’s still a road trip. Don’t harsh my joy.” Evie slipped her sunglasses on and sped across the Mississippi State line. “Besides, we’ll be home before we know it. That package we sent may have already gotten to Gertie’s house.”
“I hope so,” Dora said. She was quiet for a long moment before she asked, “Does Trace know you’ve left?”
“Of course not,” Evie said, giving her friend a strange look. “Why would I do that? We’ll be back tomorrow or the next day at the latest. I don’t think Trace will be back before then.” It was a lie. Trace would likely be home in a few hours and would come looking for her. A pang of regret filled her. She missed him and hated that she was leaving him in the dark, but she didn’t want to pull him into this mess.
“Liar,” Dora said softly. “You should call him later and make sure he knows you’re thinking about him.”
Evie waved a hand and made a pfft sound.
“You can’t fool me. I know you love him, even if you can’t seem to make a commitment,” Dora said as she patted Sunshine’s head.
“It’s just not the right time to commit,” Evie said, sounding annoyed. “We’re off to New Orleans, he’s performing, and… I just don’t think I’d do well with a ring on it, if you know what I mean. I’m too much of a free spirit.”
<
br /> “That might be true,” Dora said with a nod. “But I still think you two are perfect for each other.”
“Just like you and Luke,” Evie said with a knowing smile. “You two are gonna make gorgeous babies someday.”
Dora turned away, but not before Evie saw her cheeks flush pink.
“It was hard to leave him, Evie,” Dora said. “I’ve never had a man be so sweet to me before.”
Evie’s heart swelled as she glanced at her friend, happy that she’d finally found someone who made her feel so special. But in true Evie fashion, she gave her friend a giant smile and said, “I know, sweetie. But don’t worry, you still have me! And New Orleans is gonna be lit! You’ll see.”
Dora glanced at her friend, chuckled, and then threw her head back and called, “New Orleans, here we come!”
The sun was setting low in the sky when Evie pulled the car into the parking lot on North Peter’s street. The French Quarter was alive with street performers and tourists while off-key music blared from the calliope on the nearby steamboat. Energy filled the air, and once they were out of the car, Evie stretched her arms out wide, happily twirling around. “I love it here!”
Dora wasn’t quite so giddy. She glanced at her phone, frowning. “Let’s just find Gertie.”
“Relax,” Evie coaxed, clipping the leash onto Sunshine’s collar. “Her apartment is just around the corner. We’ll stop there first, then head to Bourbon Street. By tomorrow night you’ll be back in Luke’s arms.”
Dora rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m not worried about Luke. I’m worried about evidence.”
“And that’s why you’re so uptight.” Evie slipped her arm through Dora’s and started to tug her down the uneven sidewalks. “Do you smell that?”
“What? The stench of rotten oranges?” Dora asked.
“No, party pooper. Beignets! As soon as we meet Miss Gertie, we’re heading to Café du Monde, and then we’ll do Bourbon Street and get a couple of hurricanes. We’ll find somewhere fabulous for dinner and—”
Dora stopped them short. “Please tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing,” she said with a gasp.