by Jana DeLeon
Ida Belle and Gertie stared at me, both looking somewhat confused.
“What?” I asked. “It’s cheerful. I didn’t say it made me want to cook or anything.”
Lucinda laughed and set a pitcher of tea on the table. “It was this way when I bought the house. The whole thing was rather bright. The living room used to be this very odd shade of orange and the master bedroom was a vivid purple. I changed everything but the kitchen. I don’t like rooms shouting at you as soon as you walk in, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to change the kitchen. It just looks right somehow, even though it’s not my taste at all.”
She placed glasses with ice on the table and poured us all glasses of tea, then took a seat across from me. “So what are you ladies out doing this fine hot day?”
I looked at Ida Belle, indicating I wanted her to take the lead. I didn’t know Lucinda and still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of that Southern chat thing they were so good at.
“Actually,” Ida Belle said, “we wanted to talk with you about the Seal brothers.”
Lucinda nodded. “The café wasn’t really a good place to get into such talk and God knows, Ralph has a conniption fit every time I mention them.”
“Has he heard from them since they got out?” Ida Belle asked.
“Yes,” Lucinda said. “They called the day they got out, asking for money. I thought Ralph was going to have apoplexy just trying to tell me about it.”
“Did they really think Ralph would give them money?” Gertie asked.
“Who knows what they think,” Lucinda said. “Those boys were never bright and always trouble. Their mother bailed them out until she drank herself into that car wreck and then they wound up with Ralph. I think they thought he’d be a pushover like their mother. I’ll give him credit for trying, but those boys were more than Ralph was equipped to handle.”
Gertie nodded. “Hard enough taking on kids that aren’t your own, but when you’ve never raised any yourself and the kids you’re taking in have been running wild all their life, well, he didn’t have much of a chance.”
“No, he didn’t,” Lucinda agreed. “I tried to help what little I could, but I had never raised children either and quite frankly, had no idea what could be done. I think he finally just gave up and prayed nothing horrible happened until they turned eighteen.”
I shook my head. “They must have been really desperate to hit Ralph up for money. Surely they knew the answer before they called.”
“Oh, they tried to assure him it was just a loan,” Lucinda said. “That they had a line on work and would pay him back in no time, but he didn’t buy it.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Ida Belle asked.
Lucinda sighed. “I’d never say this to Ralph, of course, because it would just cause him to stress over something he can’t control, but I can’t help but wonder if it was them that broke into Hot Rod’s place.”
“But New Orleans is their home turf,” I said. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to boost cars there? Why come all the way out here? Hot Rod had a couple of nice things, but nothing like the cars you can get off a lot in the city.”
Lucinda shook her head. “That’s something I don’t have an answer for, and I could be completely wrong besides.” She paused. “But the timing just seemed odd, you know? All these years and no car thieving around these parts—I mean no more than drunk teens joyriding—and then this.”
Ida Belle nodded. “I see why that might have occurred to you, especially given that you had close proximity to their past exploits.”
“I pray I’m wrong,” Lucinda said. “For Ralph’s sake. He’s a bore and a grump but he doesn’t deserve any more grief from those boys. He did what he could, but they were too far gone by the time they got here.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “Gertie told me the brothers claimed they were related to Barry Seal. Is that true?”
Lucinda rolled her eyes. “That old story again. I never met the boys’ father. That loser died before I met Carol. Always unemployed. Always running some kind of scam. Do you know he was killed while trying to steal equipment from the drilling company he worked for?” She shook her head. “I doubt the boys even remember him very well. Carol sure knew how to pick ’em.”
“So the boys made it up?” I asked. “I just wondered since they did go to prison for drug dealing…”
“Of course.” Lucinda nodded. “Makes sense to wonder from an outsider’s perspective and it is a good yarn, but I’m guessing the boys made it up to make themselves more important. I know it sounds odd.”
“Not really,” Ida Belle said. “Given that the boys ran with a rough crowd, having a famous criminal as a relative might have gotten them street cred.”
“Even though he was a snitch?” I asked.
Lucinda shrugged. “The people who made Barry Seal into a folk legend like to believe he was playing the federal government and was supposed to be recovered from that work crew and whisked off to live the rest of his life on an island, rather than killed, like he was.”
“I guess when you don’t have anything,” Gertie said, “that’s as good a lie to believe as any.”
“They were a pitiful case,” Lucinda said. “And not very bright. I heard the police clued in to their gig in New Orleans because of their spending habits. Flash and show are not good traits to have if you’re doing something illegal.”
“A low profile is definitely the more common route for that type of career,” Ida Belle agreed.
Lucinda sighed. “I really hoped they’d get out of prison and try to do things a different way.”
“But you don’t think they’re going to?” I asked.
She shook her head, her expression sad. “No. I’m afraid I don’t.”
Chapter Fifteen
When I pulled away from Lucinda’s house, I looked over at Ida Belle and Gertie. “I’ve burned off my sandwich,” I said. “Let’s grab some dinner at the café. That way, no one has to cook anything and we get something better than sandwiches.”
“You don’t have to convince me,” Gertie said. “I always end up doing the cooking, which normally, I don’t mind. But I’m not feeling it today.”
Ida Belle nodded. “Too much other stuff cluttering things up there. I could do with a good hot meal and no dishes afterward.”
I headed for Main Street and parked in front of the café. Ally was working the dinner shift and waved us to our favorite table in the back when we walked inside.
“Any news on Hot Rod?” she asked as we sat down.
“No change in his condition,” Ida Belle said.
Ally looked disappointed. “I didn’t figure, but I still had to ask. There’s always the chance something good could have happened between now and ten minutes ago when I asked someone else.”
Ida Belle nodded. “We’re still hoping for positive news but right now, I’m afraid it looks pretty grim.”
“Speaking of grim,” Gertie said, “where’s your aunt? She’s been suspiciously quiet and it’s making us all a little nervous.”
“That’s a good question,” Ally said. “I went by her house Monday evening to check on her…you know, the whole niece thing, and I saw a suitcase in her living room. She tried to shove it behind the coffee table, but it was sticking out enough that I saw it.”
“Did you ask her about it?” I asked.
Ally shook her head. “She would have just lied. Clearly, she didn’t want me to know she was going somewhere. I stopped by her house this morning and rang the doorbell and knocked for a while, but no one answered. I went around back and peeked in the windows, but other than a light on in her kitchen, there was no sign of life.”
Ida Belle frowned. “I wonder what she’s up to now.”
“If she had any kind of sense,” Ally said, “she’d get out of town long enough to give people time to forget her latest stunt.”
“She doesn’t have enough sense to be embarrassed,” Ida Belle said.
“True,” Ally said.
“Besides, she’s back already. I saw her driving down Main Street toward the highway about an hour ago. So whatever she’s up to only required a day.”
“You’re just assuming she was gone somewhere overnight,” Gertie said. “For all you know, she could have been hauling body parts out with that suitcase.”
Ida Belle shook her head. “If she’d been hauling body parts, one of us would have been in there.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see if someone doesn’t turn up for church on Sunday,” Ally said. “Let me go grab your drinks.”
“Any ideas?” I asked as soon as Ally walked away.
“Plenty,” Gertie said, “and none of them good.”
“I’m afraid she’s right,” Ida Belle said. “Celia doesn’t leave Sinful for just any old reason, and if she was gone overnight, it must have been something important.”
“Do you realize,” Gertie said, “that if it were anyone but Celia, we’d think she had a booty call.”
“There’s an image I didn’t need in my mind,” I said.
“Just replace it with one of Willie and the bullet hole through his head,” Ida Belle said. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry than whatever nonsense Celia’s up to. And whatever it is will come out soon enough.”
I nodded and looked out the window at the street. The sun was setting and the light from it had disappeared over the back side of the building. The streetlights were just starting to flicker on, but it wasn’t so dark that I didn’t see the black sedan parked at the edge of town with two shadowy figures inside.
Immediately, my senses went on high alert. I didn’t recognize the car. Not that I knew what everyone in Sinful drove, but I’d probably seen most every vehicle in town at some point or another. It was a black sedan, and there were plenty of those around, but what made this one different was the limousine tint on the windows. I wasn’t sure about the laws in Louisiana, but in most places limo tint was illegal for regular vehicles. I’d never seen it on a car in Sinful.
And even if the car hadn’t stood out, I could feel them inside, watching the café storefront. With the streetlamp reflecting off the glass, they probably didn’t have a good view of us, if they could see us at all, but if they saw us pull up, then they knew we were inside.
“Fortune?” Ally’s voice broke into my thoughts.
She smiled when I looked up at her. “You must be thinking about Carter,” she said. “You were a million miles away. What can I get you to eat?”
I gave her my order and watched as she walked away. I glanced back out the window but the car was gone.
“What’s wrong?” Ida Belle asked.
“There was a black sedan parked at the edge of town,” I said. “Two people inside. Limo tint on the windows.”
Ida Belle and Gertie glanced at each other.
“Where did it go?” Gertie asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It was gone after I finished giving Ally my order.”
“Do you think it’s the same people who were watching Ida Belle’s house?” Gertie asked.
“Yeah. I do,” I said.
“Is it one of those feelings you have?” Gertie asked.
I nodded.
“Then that’s as good as having a signed confession,” Gertie said.
“It’s probably the disappearing Seal brothers,” Ida Belle said.
“So what do we do about it?” Gertie asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I mean, nothing that we didn’t already have planned. We all bunk at my house and be ready if needed.”
Gertie frowned. “They’ve seen us all together. When they find Ida Belle’s place empty, they’ll know to check yours and mine.”
“Let’s hope so,” Ida Belle said, her jaw set. “I’ve moved past worried and right to pissed off. They hurt Hot Rod, one of the nicest people in Sinful, and he might die from it. They killed Willie, and even though we don’t know what the key is hiding, I’m guessing it’s not something he should have died over. I’m ready for them.”
I knew exactly how Ida Belle felt. I’d been there several times on mission when things crossed the business-only line and I developed personal feelings about a victim. It was best not to, of course, but sometimes it was impossible to avoid. In this case, it was personal to Ida Belle. It was her truck they were after, and that vehicle was the reason Hot Rod was in critical condition.
And while I didn’t doubt for a minute Ida Belle’s capability with a weapon, I also knew firsthand what being emotional could do to judgment. As much as I hated to do it, I was skipping dessert tonight and going with a cup of coffee instead. I needed to stay awake. Whatever happened, I had to be the first responder.
The door to the café swung open and Carter walked in. He spotted us and headed our direction, his expression grim. I stiffened and watched his approach, afraid that this was it. Something had gone wrong at Willie’s and he was coming to arrest me. He stopped at our table and motioned to the empty chair.
“Do you mind if I sit for a minute?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Gertie said. “Let me flag Ally down so you can order. We just put ours in.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I don’t have long and I ate a sandwich earlier.”
He glanced around the café, then leaned across the table closer to us and looked directly at Ida Belle.
“There was a report this afternoon of a suspicious car parked on your street,” he said. “It was a black sedan with two people inside.”
“Limo tint?” I asked.
“Yes. How did you know?” he asked. “Is Myrtle telling police business again?”
“No,” I said before he could get worked up. “The neighbor who reported the strange car is telling police business, and it made it around to us. Not the part about the limo tint, though. That part I know because the same car was just parked at the end of the street.”
“What?” Carter’s eyes widened. “How long ago? Did you see which direction they went?”
“About ten minutes ago,” I said. “I looked away to place my order and when I turned around they were gone. I would assume they went the opposite direction rather than pull right in front of the café, but that’s just a guess.”
“Probably a good one,” he said.
“Did you find out who the car was registered to?” I asked, figuring it was good to pretend we didn’t have that information he’d just accused Myrtle of handing out.
“No,” he said. “The plate doesn’t exist.”
“Does that mean the car was stolen?” Gertie asked.
“They’re car thieves,” Ida Belle said. “What do you think?”
Carter ran one hand through his hair. “Maybe the three of you should get out of town…take one of those girls’ trips you’re always talking about.”
“That’s your solution?” Ida Belle asked. “That we flee our homes for an indefinite period of time? Our lives are here. Our obligations and responsibilities are here.”
“Maybe it would only be for a day or two,” he said, but he knew he’d already lost the argument.
Ida Belle shook her head. “Those men aren’t going away until they can access my SUV and either retrieve what they’re looking for or ascertain that mine is not the vehicle they want.”
“Unless they find what they’re looking for somewhere else,” Carter said. “And that’s entirely possible. I went through that SUV with a fine-tooth comb. It’s possible something is still hidden inside, but not likely. I even brought in a dog. No drugs. No explosives.”
“There’s a bit of good news,” I said. “When you get your vehicle back, you won’t go up in a mushroom cloud of blow.”
“That’s an interesting visual,” Gertie said, sounding entirely too perky.
I kicked her under the table. The last thing we needed was Carter associating Gertie with explosives again. I still wasn’t sure we were out of the weeds over the fiasco at Hot Rod’s shop.
“Look,” I said, “we both know Ida Belle’s not going
to leave town, but we’re all bunking at my house. We’re on alert and so are you, and there’s not exactly a lack of capability among the four of us.”
I knew he understood exactly what I was saying. Other than me, Carter was the only person in Sinful who knew the truth about Gertie’s and Ida Belle’s military service in Vietnam. And he certainly knew my skill set. He’d seen it firsthand.
His shoulders slumped a bit and he sighed. “I’ll be on patrol all night, watching for the car. I’ll likely do a lot of it on foot so I’m not seen. But I will have my phone on me. If you see or hear anything, call me immediately. I don’t care if it turns out to be raccoons or loud frogs. You hear anything at all, you call.”
We all nodded.
“I do have a bit of good news,” he said. “I talked to the doctor before coming over here and he said Hot Rod’s condition has stabilized. He’s still unconscious, but his heart is working fine.”
I felt a bit of relief sweep through me. It was a small thing given the severity of Hot Rod’s injuries, but at least it was something.
“That’s great news,” Gertie said. “One step at a time. I’m telling you, he’s going to come out of this just fine.”
“Your mouth to God’s ears,” Ida Belle said.
Carter rose from his chair. “I’ve got to get back to work. Remember, call.”
He turned around and headed out.
“This tension between the two of you is horrible,” Gertie said. “I could practically cut it with my knife.”
“I know,” I said. My back was still tight and showed no signs of loosening any time soon. “But there’s nothing I can do about it right now. Might not be anything I can do later, either.”
“Surely the two of you care about each other enough to meet in the middle,” Gertie said.
“The middle of what?” Ida Belle asked. “Fortune skirting or downright breaking the law? Either she stops completely or he accepts that she does it. If that’s not a rock and a hard place, I don’t know what is.”
“Maybe you could have one of those relationships where you never talked about your work,” Gertie said.
“I’d be all for that,” I said. “And if we lived in a city the size of DC our work would probably never cross paths. But here in Sinful, what are the odds?” I shrugged. “Discussing it now is pointless because I don’t know when I’ll be free to make a decision about my future anyway.”