by anna snow
We sat lost in thought for what seemed like forever until it hit me.
“What if we lie?”
“What are you talking about now?” Ida Bell scrunched up her face at me.
“What if we put out word that the recipe taken out of Francine’s safe was a dummy. A fake.”
“But a lot of people already saw Francine freak out that her recipe was missing.” Fortune said.
“We could say that she was just putting on a show that way the thief would think they got the real recipe and wouldn’t come back after the real thing.”
Ida Bell grinned. “We could quietly put out word that Francine keeps the real recipe in a cubby in the bottom of her desk drawer. You know how secrets rage like wildfire around here. When the thief gets wind that they have the wrong recipe, they’ll come back for the real thing.”
“Then we hide in the cafe and when the thief comes back for the real recipe, bam! We got them.” Fortune finished the idea.
“Exactly.” I smiled. “Let’s let Francine in on out plan and get this show on the road. The festival is tomorrow and I’ll be dipped in the outhouse before I miss out on Francine’s banana pudding.”
Chapter Four
I pulled the black ski cap down over my forehead. The three of us stood in Fortunes living room, decked out in our frequently used, totally black, up-to-no-good gear.
“Let’s go over the plan again.” Ida Bell said.
“We take Fortune’s new boat down the bayou and dock behind Francine’s. Café.” Fortune began. “Once there, we enter the café through the back door with the key Francine gave us.”
“I’ll take up post in the shadows beside the main entrance. Ida Bell will be hidden behind Francine’s desk in the office, and Fortune will be camped out in the shadows near the rear entrance.” I added.
“Right.” Ida Bell continued. “Then we wait. Once the thief enters the office, Gertie and Fortune will lock the entrances. At that point I will flick on the light and make myself known. From you two will make yourselves known and hopefully whoever it is will give in without a fight.”
“But if they do, you have your pepper spray don’t you?” Fortune asked.
Ida Bell nodded and patted her pocket.
“Then let’s get this show on the road.”
* * * *
The boat ride to Francine’s lasted all of three minutes and was shockingly accident free. We docked behind the café and using the full moon as a spotlight, made our way to the back door.
The already open back door.
Fortune looked back at us and shook her head, then placed her finger over her mouth.
We eased the door open and I said a silent thank you that the hinges didn’t squeak. The three of us tiptoed in and saw a light coming from beneath the office door.
Someone was definitely inside and from the rustling noises coming from within, it was obvious that our thief was looking for the recipe.
Fortune waved her finger in the air, directing us to take up positions at the entrances. She stayed by the office door.
Once in place we gave her a thumbs up.
She didn’t really need to kick the door in or draw her gun, but I think Fortune had been feeling a little constricted and needed to let out some aggression. Especially since I’d smashed her nose only hours before.
Her foot slammed into the door and it flew open, hitting the wall behind it.
“Don’t move!” Fortune yelled.
There was a loud squeal followed the sound of a crash. Ida Bell and I hurried to the office and flanked Fortune on both sides.
“Who the hell are you?” Ida Bell asked the tall, thin redhead standing with her hands in the air and a frozen look of fear on her face.
“C-Cathy.” She sputtered.
Fortune put her gun away and asked. “The Cathy that Francine just hired?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“You’re the one who stole the recipe? Why?”
She dropped her hands and shook her head. “I never intended to hurt Francine, I swear, but I’m in college. My parents died six month back and ever since then I’ve been struggling to pay my tuition. Two men from New Orleans came in a couple of days ago and asked about the recipe. I told them that I didn’t know anything about it, but they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. If I don’t pay the college within the next two weeks, I’ll have to quit. So, I followed Francine to the door of her office, watched her key in the safe combination, and then hurried back out front. When we were busy this morning, I snuck in and took the recipe.”
We all exchanged glances. “That’s one hell of a reason to steal the recipe.” I admitted.
“Yes, but it doesn’t make it right.” Ida Bell said.
“I care about Francine and this town, but my entire future rides on me finishing college. I didn’t know what else to so.” Cathy said.
Ida Bell shook her head. “Where’s the recipe that you took this morning?”
“The fake? It’s right here.” She pulled a tattered brown card from her front pocket.
I reached out and took it. “This isn’t really a fake. We lied. We spread word that it was a fake in order to catch you.”
She looked completely defeated.
“I’ll call Carter.” Fortune left the room.
“What will happen to me?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out.” I said.
Chapter Five
The next morning came faster than we’d have liked. After our mid-night rendezvous with Cathy the Pudding Thief, we were all dragging, but the promise of Francine’s pudding had us up and headed into town before seven o’clock.
Sinful was decorated in all the usual fall colors, and booths lined the sidewalks and down the center of the main street.
We spotted Francine standing outside of her café with a huge grin on her face, and a table full of banana pudding in front of her, and made our way over.
“I can’t thank you gals enough!” she came around the table and crushed each of us in a bear hug.
“A bowl of that pudding is thanks enough.” I said and grabbed a bowl before it was all gone.
“What’s going to happen to Cathy?” Ida Bell asked.
“Well,” Francine sighed. “After Carter picked her up he called me down to the station. I talked to Cathy and she told me the reason why she stole my recipe. I felt bad for the girl. I asked myself what I would’ve done in her position. Any one of us would sit right here and say that we wouldn’t have done what she did, but the truth is, we don’t really know what we’d do until we’re in that position.”
“So, you just let her go?” I asked around a spoon full of pudding.
“Not necessarily. Carter and I worked out a type of community service, and I’m going to see what I can do to help her come up with the money to stay in college.”
“I can’t say I’d be as forgiving. You’re a good person, Francine.” Fortune said.
We turned away from Francine’s table.
“If only every situation that cropped up in Sinful was that easy to solve.” Ida Bell said.
I nodded. “We wouldn’t be so tired all the time.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m not tired all the time, and you wouldn’t be either if you’d get yourself in shape.”
“It looks like our good sheriff could use a swift rescue.” Fortune interrupted our bickering.
We spotted the good sheriff trying to get away from an obviously complaining Celia, and I laughed.
“Well, let’s give the man a hand before another situation pops up, but by the way Celia’s complaining, it looks like it might already have.”
We were a rag tag team, Fortune, Ida Bell, and I, but I don’t know what I’d do without my partners in crime.
The End.
About the Author
Anna Snow began writing as soon as she could hold a pen and hasn't stopped since.
(Before writing as Anna Snow, she published several books as Chastity
Bush)
She loves life, and can think of nothing she enjoys more than spending time with her family and friends.
She loves archery, reading, writing, kitties, spending time outdoors, and did I mention kitties? *Big grin*
Anna also loves to hear from her fans and answers all correspondence she receives.
You can reach her at:
[email protected]
http://www.annasnow.info
http://www.facebook.com/authorannasnow
Enjoy a sneak peek at Anna’s upcoming contemporary romance Bubblegum Blonde.
Chapter One
It’s entirely possible to have both boobs and a brain.
I knew five years ago when I stepped into the role of private investigator that I would encounter a handful of the opposite sex who would disagree. I just never thought a handful would turn into ninety-nine percent.
They took one look at my ample chest, full lips, and blond hair and laughed. Apparently the ability to do ones job is now based on hair color.
I must have missed the memo.
But despite then occasional sexism and chuckles, I’ve done pretty well for myself. My P.I. firm is one of the most respected in the city and I have the client list to prove it. A list that included the wife of the cheating politician I was currently watching on surveillance tapes via my computer monitor.
“Barb, there’s someone here to see you.”
I glanced up from the screen I’d been staring at for what felt like a century and spotted Kelly closing the office door behind her. She was my assistant, a great girl, and my all time best friend. We’d met when I first opened the business and had been so close an industrial sized crowbar couldn’t pry us apart ever since. She didn’t take crap from anyone, but gave none either. She sported a number of tattoos, loved the color black, and was amazingly pretty with her own set of full lips, high cheekbones, and long, black hair.
We were polar opposites, but that didn’t matter.
We were ‘sistah’s from anotha mistah’.
Her words, not mine.
“Who is it?” I blinked my eyes in an attempt to bring the room around me back into focus. Watching a surveillance camera did a number on a sleep deprived eyes.
“Fuck if I know.” She shrugged with one palm pointed toward the sky.
Did I happen to mention that fuck was Kelly’s favorite word?
“He said his name is Jason King, and that he needs to speak directly to you about his situation but that’s about all he would tell me. He’s determined to see you, and a bit of an arrogant ass, if I do say so myself.”
She pressed her black-framed glasses up her pert nose with the tip of her index finger and waited for my response.
I nodded and chewed my bottom lip. “The name sounds familiar but I can’t place it off the top of my head. Did you recognize him at all?”
“Nope. He looks like every other businessman in this town.”
She had a point. I’d lived in the city since conception and at times all the businessmen appeared carbon copied.
Suites, ties, shiny black shoes, and there was often either a shiny bald head framed by thinning white hair or a full head of over-gelled hair setting on their shoulders. Neither of which I found the least bit attractive.
“Do I have any other appointments today?”
“Nope. You’re all clear.” She answered.
“Alright, I’ll see him since I have a little bit of time, but I want you in here on this one. Flip the sign, lock the front doors, and then follow him in.”
Kelly gave me a two-fingered, which was much more polite than her one usual finger, salute and left the room.
I paused the surveillance disk and powered off my monitor, then leaned back in my oversized desk chair and frowned.
I’d already seen all I needed to see to know the politician was cheating. The last thing I needed was some busybody seeing his bare ass bent over the hood of a car before I told his wife.
“Jason King. Jason King. Jason King.” I repeated as I tapped my bottom lip with the tip of my pen and tried like crazy to figure out why that name sounded so familiar, but nothing came to me.
If I’d had time I would’ve done a quick google search, but the pushy asshat was already in the lobby.
Moments later, Kelly opened the door and the bottom dropped out of my happy little world.
“Barb?”
My legs shook as I stood and I stared into the eyes of the one man who’d always sent my brain flying out the window.
“Jason?”
We stared at each other, taking in the others appearance for what felt like a silent eternity. He was the same as I remembered, tall, with a broad chest, blue eyes, and perfectly blond hair. For a moment all those old feelings, the ones I’d shoved in a drawer in the darkest recesses of my mind, came rushing back and it took everything I had in me to squash them before they roared to life and consumed me again.
Five years had past. Jason and I were long over and done with.
“You’re Jason, you’re Barb, and I’m Kelly,” Kelly interrupted the moment with a grin spread across her face. “I thought you didn’t know him?”
“I did, a long time ago.” I reluctantly admitted. “But at the time his name was Jason Charles.”
He chose that moment to breakout the gorgeous boyish smile that could melt a woman’s panties in two seconds flat.
“I started using my mothers’ maiden name when I opened my business. Personal reasons,” he half explained. “And knew each other seems a bit mild. After all, we were engaged.”
“Engaged?” Kelly gaped.
“It’s a long story, and one I don’t care to repeat.” I hedged, and when I caught Kelly still grinning at me out of the corner of my eye, I decided that if I was that transparent I needed to get my shit together because there was no way in hell this guy was getting under my skin. Not again. I’d been burned once and I wasn’t about to let it happen a second time. That shit hurt.
“Well,” I released a pent up breath. “Have a seat and we’ll get started.”
I pointed him toward one of the chocolate brown leather chairs situated before my cluttered desk, and took my seat while Kelly situated herself and her notepad in the matching chair next to Jason’s.
He glanced over at her, then back at me. “I was kind of hoping we could speak in private.”
“Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Kelly. She’s my assistant, so she’s going to hear all of the ins and outs of why you’re here.”
He cleared his throat and cast a furtive glance at Kelly, then back at me. “I understand that, but I’d feel more comfortable speaking to you alone. Please, Barb?”
For fucksake, enough with the puppy dog eyes already.
The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Jason, but if shooing Kelly from the room was the only way to get what he wanted out of him so he could hurry up and leave…