Bullets and Beads

by Jana DeLeon

  “You are so dramatic,” Gertie said.

  “Me?” Ida Belle sighed.

  “If it was so much fun, how come you’re not still there?” I asked. “The parade is still going strong.”

  “I got them to drop me off in front of the apartment,” Gertie said. “The end of the parade is way down there. I’d never get a taxi and I didn’t figure you’d be able to get close enough to pick me up.”

  “We wouldn’t even have tried,” Ida Belle said. “That SUV is not moving out of the garage until we are going home.”

  “Well, at least you two spoilsports can go out on the balcony and watch the rest of the parade,” Gertie said as she pulled her pistol out of her bra and put it on the counter. Then she headed outside as Ida Belle swirled all the beads around in the sink.

  I grabbed three beers out of the refrigerator. “Parade?”

  Ida Belle took one of the beers. “We’ll stand downwind on the balcony.”

  I clinked my beer with hers and headed outside to join Gertie, who didn’t smell nearly as bad once she was mixed with the outside. Ida Belle and I grabbed chairs and sat to watch the fray from a safe distance. Gertie, who apparently had not collected enough beads, stood at the balcony, waving and yelling at the floats.

  Ida Belle shook her head. “So help me God, if she took that gun out of her bra so that she could start flashing, I’m locking her out on this balcony for the night.”

  “She’d make so much noise you’d end up shooting her,” I said.

  “Probably true. How much beer did you buy when we stopped at the convenience store?”

  “Two cases. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here.”

  “Good thinking. We’re going to need it.”

  We made it through the first beer and went for a second round, watching the floats and the crowd. I had to admit that I enjoyed the float part. Some of the themes were really clever and the amount of work that went into them was incredible.

  “I can see why people come from all over the country to see this,” I said.

  Ida Belle stared. “You’re actually enjoying this melee?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I don’t want to be down there, and we owe Big Hebert something seriously cool for hooking us up with this place, but the floats are incredible and everyone seems to be having a great time.”

  “The floats are a sight to behold and we definitely got the hookup from Big,” Ida Belle agreed. “I have to admit that I’m enjoying it myself. From up here. Not when we were down there. Sinful parades are enough excitement for me from the ground level.”

  “Well, we did have a murder, so that’s kind of a high bar.”

  “True.”

  A huge cheer went up and something whizzed past my head. Immediately, I dived out of my chair and was reaching for my gun when Ida Belle yelled.

  “It’s just doubloons!”

  I picked up a purple coin and stood up. Gertie grabbed it from my hand and started dancing around.

  “This is one of the best ones!” she yelled.

  I looked over at Ida Belle, who shrugged. The way Gertie was acting, you must be able to exchange the doubloon for a keg of beer or a box of puppies. The float was stalled in front of our balcony and Gertie stood at the railing, waving her hands and yelling for more goodies. An older lady on the float saw her and gave her a thumbs-up before digging in her bag for more doubloons. The lady tossed a handful of the doubloons at the balcony and Gertie leaned over the railing and stretched her arms out, trying to catch the goodies.

  But she stretched just a little too far.

  Her upper body flipped over the railing before I could stop her, but I made it there in time to grab on to one leg. Ida Belle rushed up and grabbed the other and we took a second to make sure we had a good grip before attempting to haul her up.

  “We should let you drop!” Ida Belle yelled.

  “We’ll catch her!”

  I looked down and saw a group of drunk frat boys standing beneath Gertie, hands extended. Half the hands held a beer and I didn’t figure they could catch anything but a cold at that point, but the thought was there.

  “Get me up!” Gertie yelled. “I’m showing off my new bra.”

  I looked down again and realized that Gertie’s top had crumpled up at her neck and her new bright pink sports bra was clearly on display. Oh well, except for the frat boys, at least most people were only seeing the back. I nodded to Ida Belle and we both pulled at the same time, then grabbed her waist and dragged her back over the railing. Then I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck.

  Immediately, I let go and Gertie fell to the ground with a thump. I scanned the crowd, trying to find the source of my unrest, and saw him on the opposite side of the street. He was standing on the corner, leaning against the street sign, but he wasn’t watching the parade. He wore blue jeans and a black hoodie, and his head was turned down. But I knew he was the one. He’d been watching me.

  Six foot one. A hundred eighty-five pounds. No physical limitations to spot because he was too far away and wasn’t moving.

  Then he lifted his head in my direction.

  My father!

  Chapter Thirteen

  I flipped over the railing and dropped onto the sidewalk below, earning a round of applause from the frat boys. I heard Ida Belle and Gertie yelling behind me, but I didn’t have time to stop and explain. I ran into the street, dived under a float, and rolled out the other side. He was no longer standing at the street sign so I shinnied up it to see if I could spot him. But it was no use. The crowd was too thick with too many people wearing the same type of clothes.

  And my father knew how to disappear better than anyone I knew.

  “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to get down from that pole.”

  A voice behind me sounded and I whirled around and spotted a cop standing there frowning. Crap!

  “How much have you had to drink?” he asked.

  “Only a couple beers,” I said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  I figured he’d heard that one too many times tonight.

  “I thought I saw someone I knew,” I explained.

  “And you thought diving underneath a float was the best option? Why don’t you just send them a text?”

  “Because they’re supposed to be dead?” I offered, knowing exactly how it was going to sound.

  The cop sighed. “Ma’am, I’m tired and it’s getting close to the end of this nightmare, and I really don’t want to fill out the paperwork on this. So will you do me a favor and stay on the sidewalk from here on out? Don’t set foot in the street or on a street pole again. Understand?”

  I held my hands up in surrender. “Completely. In fact, I’m just going to head back to my apartment.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.”

  “Uh, I have to cross the street to do it.”

  He sighed. “Then do it in between floats. Not underneath one.”

  He gave me one last shake of his head before heading off toward three guys trying to board one of the floats. Ida Belle and Gertie ran up as the cop walked away.

  “What the heck was that?” Ida Belle asked.

  “I’ll tell you back at the apartment,” I said, trying to slow my racing mind. “Let’s get off the street.”

  I practically ran across the street, Ida Belle and Gertie scrambling to keep up, bolted up the stairs, then had to wait for Ida Belle to catch up with the key. Thank God someone was thinking. At least she’d locked the door before dashing after me. We hurried inside and I paced the kitchen, my hands hovering over my weapon. Ida Belle and Gertie slipped onto barstools and watched silently, probably trying to figure out if I was losing it.

  I was trying to figure that out myself.

  “I saw my father,” I said finally.

  Both of them jumped off the stools and hurried around the counter.

  “Where?”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Across the street. He was watching me. I felt it, and
when I scanned the crowd, I spotted him there.”

  “You’re absolutely sure it was your father?” Ida Belle asked.

  “Yeah. He’s older, of course. He’s going gray and his hair is thinning. It looks like he had a nose job at some point and maybe even cheek implants, but it wasn’t enough to get around the software and definitely wasn’t enough to get around me. Besides, he can’t change his eyes. It was him. I’d bet my life on it.”

  “Oh my God!” Gertie said. “What does this mean? What do we do? Good Lord, why did you run after him?”

  “One thing at a time,” Ida Belle said. “Fortune, you sit down and we’ll decide on a course of action. Obviously, this is serious business and we need to make sure we do the right things and in the right order.”

  I nodded and headed for a barstool. Ida Belle pulled out the bottle of whiskey we’d bought and poured me a shot.

  “I think a round is in order,” Gertie said, looking more worried than I’d seen her in a long time.

  Ida Belle poured the two of them a shot and me another, then looked at me.

  “Okay, so we know your father is in New Orleans,” she said. “What is the first action you need to take? Think like an operative now. Because that’s how your father and anyone who’s looking for him is thinking.”

  I whirled around and hurried over to the outside door to check the locks, then rushed from window to window along the patio wall, doing the same thing, pulling the shades as I went. Then I flipped up the panel for the security alarm at the front door and studied it.

  “I need a code to set this,” I said and pulled out my cell phone to call Mannie.

  He answered on the first ring.

  “I need to arm the security system at the apartment,” I said.

  “What happened?” he asked, immediately on alert.

  “I just spotted my father across the street.”

  “I’ll get right back with you,” Mannie said and hung up.

  I headed back to my stool but before I got halfway across the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door. I pulled out my gun and motioned to Ida Belle and Gertie, who had already grabbed their weapons. They took position several feet from each other and crouched behind the counter, guns aimed for the door and ready to fire. I unlocked the door and moved to the side, then turned the knob and flung it open, leveling my gun at what I hoped would be center mass of whoever was coming through.

  I got the center mass part right. But it wasn’t the enemy.

  It was Mannie.

  He stepped inside and glanced around, then gave us an approving nod. “I have to give it to you guys. You’re suspicious and prepared.”

  I stuck my gun back in my waistband and felt some of the tension disappear from my shoulders and back.

  “When you said you’d get right back with me, you really meant it,” I said. “Did Big send you to make sure we didn’t throw a party in his place?”

  Mannie shook his head. “Mr. Hebert isn’t concerned about his apartment. It represents something that is easily repaired or replaced. You, on the other hand, are not. After your discussion about the Katia murder, he was concerned, especially given Larry’s intel ties. He thought my being close would be a good idea. Just in case you were kicking over a hornet’s nest.”

  “That’s sort of our status quo,” I said.

  Mannie smiled. “Exactly.”

  “So were you outside in the fray playing security guard all day?” I asked.

  “Nothing so uncomfortable,” Mannie said. “Mr. Hebert owns the building. He sent the tenant in the apartment next to yours on a nice vacation so that I could take occupancy.”

  “Told you he probably owned the building,” Ida Belle said.

  “That’s a lot of expense for him,” I said. “And seems like an overabundance of concern. You didn’t tell him about my father, did you?”

  “No,” he said. “I would never break a confidence unless your life was in immediate danger. But it wouldn’t surprise me if whisperings of potential trouble hadn’t made it back to him. He has his fingers in many pots. I encourage you to tell him yourself, especially now that we know your father is in New Orleans. Mr. Hebert has resources in the state of Louisiana that few can match, including law enforcement and military.”

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “I was really hoping to keep people here out of it as much as possible, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”

  “First things first,” Mannie said. “Let me provide you with the alarm code and show you how to work the system. Then you can fill me in.”

  He went through the buttons and gave us the code, which we all committed to memory. Operatives never wrote that kind of thing down. Then Ida Belle offered him a shot of whiskey and went to pour. I headed across the living room and turned on the stereo. Ida Belle and Gertie looked even more confused.

  “Remember that long-range laser Mannie is trying to acquire for me?” I asked. “That’s why we’re staying in the kitchen.”

  “It’s harder to get clear sound through the brick,” Ida Belle said.

  “Exactly,” I said. “And the stereo distorts it even more.”

  “Tell me what happened,” Mannie said.

  I told him about spotting my father and my big leap to try to catch him. He stared at me the entire time I spoke, not saying a word. Just frowning. When I was done, he shook his head.

  “You took a big risk,” he said. “If your father found you here, so could others. They could have easily grabbed you in the crowd, chloroformed you, and dragged you off, pretending you were a drunk girlfriend.”

  “He’s right,” Ida Belle said. “This is the perfect environment for someone to disappear. You saw those people on the streets. How many of them are reliable?”

  “I know,” I conceded. “It wasn’t rational, but I didn’t think. I saw him and I just reacted.”

  “Understandable,” Mannie said. “You haven’t seen him since you were a teenager. Obviously, there’s a lot of things you’d like to say to him.”

  “Or just get close enough to punch him in the face,” Gertie said.

  I nodded.

  “Either is a bad idea,” Mannie said. “Quite frankly, so is staying here. He knows where you are. Others might as well.”

  “If he knows I’m here then he followed us from somewhere,” I said. “Since I seriously doubt he was lurking anywhere near the Heberts’ office, I have to assume he’s already located my home.”

  “And my SUV,” Ida Belle said. “There’s no way he followed us from Sinful to New Orleans without us noticing. Fortune and I are always looking.”

  I sighed. Why wasn’t my mind keeping up with what was going on? It was like my entire ability to think logically had been stripped away and replaced with something I wasn’t used to at all. Confusion.

  “He put a tracker on the SUV,” I said.

  Mannie nodded. “May I have the keys?”

  Ida Belle would lend someone her boat or even her gun before she handed over keys to her beloved SUV, but she didn’t even hesitate. She hurried back to her room and returned with the keys for Mannie.

  “I’ll take it somewhere and have it swept,” he said.

  “You need to assume you’ll be followed,” I said.

  He smiled. “I hope so, but I’m guessing that he’ll have eyes on this apartment. He’ll know that you didn’t leave.”

  “Will he?” I asked. “I’ve been known to escape a locked room before.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a moment,” he said. “But the way these buildings are constructed, there’s only so many ways out and even one man can monitor them as long as he has some well-placed equipment.”

  I blew out a breath. “So what are we supposed to do? Because I’m sure you know that sitting in here with the shades drawn is not an option. Not for me.”

  “I think maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Ida Belle said. “You saw your father, but you didn’t see anyone else and you haven’t gotten a feeling of b
eing watched until now, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Then maybe the people looking for your father don’t know you’re here any more than they know your father is here,” she said. “They haven’t located you in Sinful, so how would they know to look for you here?”

  “I’m sure they know where I live by now,” I said. “And it’s highly likely that some have been through town for a peek. They just haven’t been lurking around long enough to draw suspicion from the locals.”

  “But there’s nothing for them to see,” Gertie said.

  “Yet,” Ida Belle said. “But you have to figure that if the people looking for Dwight Redding tracked him into this country then one of the assumptions they probably made is that he would make contact with his daughter. His CIA operative daughter.”

  “Former CIA operative,” Gertie said.

  “I’m not so sure they believe that,” Ida Belle said.

  “Ida Belle is right,” Mannie said. “There are simply too many variables here and too many unknown players. I think we have to assume that people looking for Dwight will be here soon if they’re not already, and they’ll be watching Fortune, hoping to get a line on her father.”

  I threw my arms in the air, frustrated with the entire situation and angry with my father all over again for putting me and my friends in this situation.

  “Well, that’s just stupid,” I said. “If I was still active, why on earth would I meet with my father? He’s wanted by our government. For all we know, he’s a traitor.”

  “Or he’s not,” Mannie said. “Regardless of his status with this nation, I can only imagine the amount of knowledge he might have about the nations he’s traversed the past fourteen years.”

  Ida Belle and Gertie both gave me worried looks.

  “With everything that’s happening,” Ida Belle said, “maybe we should head back home. At least you’re better positioned to defend yourself there, and it’s a lot harder for strangers to blend in Sinful. NOLA is full of strangers and they all look the same except to you.”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. I’d still like to try to find a hospital employee or two who looked after Natalia. Besides, Mannie needs time to get the tracker off your SUV. I think we should stay put for now.”