"We'll go over all that later," Aunt Ida Belle said, her voice thick with emotion. "For now, we're just happy you're okay." She cleared her throat. "Let's deal with these gorillas first."
I smiled. She really was an old dear. Gruff but loving. For the first time, I realized how lucky I was to have her as my aunt. I was lucky to have all three in my life, the life they'd just saved. My eyes filled with tears.
"Wow, hold on, it's not time for a meltdown yet," Fortune called. "We've got a confession to hear first. Don't we, Mr. Sidorov?" She tightened her hold on his arms and he swore.
Really, he just had to stop that.
"Why did you kill Misha?" I demanded. "What did he ever do to you?"
Vladimir spit in the direction of my shoes. I jumped back. My eyes narrowed.
"I'm just itching to plug one of these bullets into your useless head." Aunt Ida Belle jabbed his head with her gun. "Now, do you want to answer my niece's question or do you want to be shot?"
Vladimir growled.
Aunt Ida Belle cocked the trigger.
That action appeared to loosen Vladimir's tongue. "Mikhail was a spoiled brat. His whole life he was a major pain in the ass. But my father always saw him as the golden boy. The perfect little son. I was tired of the bullshit."
Again with the bull-sheet. "So you killed him?" I demanded.
Vladimir shrugged. "What do you care if I did? You didn't want him."
True enough, but hardly the point. I wanted a full confession, even if I wasn't wired.
"So what you're saying is that you're too much of a coward to admit the truth," I goaded him. "You killed Misha and yet you can't say it like a man." I hoped the "like a man" comment would be tantamount to waving a red cape in front of a bull.
"Yes, I killed Misha. He was a worthless bastard and I'm not sorry I poisoned him."
Olé!
The sound of sirens heralded the arrival of Sinful's finest. In yet another flurry of activity, Carter and his deputy burst into the cabin. I stood back against the wall and watched as Vladimir and his two lackeys were cuffed and taken out to the patrol car.
A moment later, Carter returned to stand in the doorway. He surveyed the scene, his eyes taking in the broken glass, shattered objects, and the disarray of the premises. He shook his head. "I won't even ask how you got here before I did or where you got those guns." He gave Aunt Ida Belle and Gertie a pointed look. "Just don't let me see them again."
Both women nodded.
Carter's eyes settled on Fortune. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"
She smiled. "I'm fine. You go, we'll see you at the station. With a taped confession I know you'll want to hear."
I gasped. "But how? Who?"
Aunt Ida Belle lifted her shirt to expose a wire taped to a patch of the most wrinkled skin I'd ever seen. It was a beautiful sight. We had Vladimir's confession, and it wouldn't surprise me if he sang like a Russian songbird when interrogated.
Life in prison would be far preferable to what his father would do to him when he found out that it was Vladimir who'd killed Misha.
"Great," Carter looked pleased for the first time since I'd met him. "Get that down to the station right away, would you?"
"Absolutely," Aunt Ida Belle said. "There's just one thing we didn't get on tape. Vladimir told us that Misha's body is in a coffin at the bottom of the bayou right behind Fontenot's. That doesn't make any sense to me, but I thought you'd want to hear it."
I stared. Her innocent shrug was Oscar worthy. But as shocked as I was at her blatant lie, I was also pleased that Misha's body wouldn't be submerged for long.
Not even he deserved that.
***
Several hours and one bubble bath later, I was once again ensconced in my pink satin robe. I settled into Gertie's sofa with a contented sigh. I had never been so grateful to be anywhere in my life. I looked at the three women who'd welcomed me to Sinful a couple of days earlier. They'd not only offered me a place to hide out, they'd saved my life today. How could I thank them properly?
"Well, that was fun." Gertie sat beside me, a bottle of cold beer in hand. "It was my first little go around with the Russian mob."
"Are you hungry, Stephanie?" Fortune gestured toward the kitchen. "Francine sent over several days' worth of meals. She feels terrible about what happened."
"I'm not hungry, but I am confused." I frowned. "How did Vladimir know we'd be at Francine's?"
"Well, now, that's my fault." Gertie's expression was apologetic. "I'd called the diner before lunch to ask Francine about today's special. I had a terrible hankering for chicken fried steak. I told her we'd be heading over in the afternoon. Best I can figure, our phone was bugged."
Ida Belle shook her head. "And there you were, acting like the idea to go to Francine's just popped into your head when you were fixin' to go all along."
"Trust me, I feel bad about it."
"Don't, please. You saved me." I felt my eyes mist up. I laid my hand over my heart. "I have to tell you all--"
Aunt Ida Belle scrambled to her feet, a look of horror on her face. "Don't cry, or give us a mushy speech." She looked at Fortune and Gertie, who wore equally horrified expressions. "We're not the overly emotional types." She smiled warmly. "We're happy that you're safe. That's all that matters."
I nodded. They might like to act tough as granite but they were softies at heart, all three. But I'd play along with their tough girl act if it was so important to them. "So, I guess it's time to look up bus schedules. I'll see if I can catch one tomorrow afternoon after I give Carter my statement."
"Let's not be hasty, Stephanie," Aunt Ida Belle said. "You've only been here a few days. There's no real reason to rush off, is there?"
I tried to keep a smile from my face, but I was unsuccessful. It felt good to know that I was wanted.
"Come to think of it," Gertie said, "you should spend the entire summer here with us. Once old man Sidorov gets wind of the fact that you got Vladimir to confess to killing Misha, he's going to be on the war path. You might be safer here than in Boston."
I hadn't thought of that. I had to admit that the idea of a long visit was appealing. "So you think Sinful's a decent place to hide out for awhile?"
Fortune laughed. "Oh, yeah, I'll vouch for that."
About the Author:
Caroline Mickelson is a huge fan of Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune series. Caroline’s also the author of the Sophia Mancini ~ Little Italy mysteries. From Mangia to Murder is the first in the series. Learn more HERE.
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The Miss Fortune Series: Summer in the Bayou (Kindle Worlds Novella) (A Miss Prim & Proper Mystery Book 1) Page 8