by Lucy Quinn
But they had work to do. Had she really thought it would be so easy to find the Buddha that they’d be out partying on Bourbon Street by now? It had been wishful thinking.
The fact was she hated that Dora was caught right in the middle of a money laundering scheme and the accidental death of her boss. She didn’t have any idea what she’d do if Dora took the fall for the corrupt bastards she’d worked for at Two to Tango, the restaurant chain where Dora had been an accountant until last week. But the one thing Evie did know was that she’d do anything to help her friend, even if it meant leaving Pensacola and her boyfriend Trace, who had no idea where she was at the moment.
Trace. Evie sighed. He was her boyfriend of two and a half years, yet Evie hadn’t even told him she was leaving town. He was out on the road with his band when she and Dora fled to New Orleans earlier that day. But Trace wasn’t the type to worry about her too much. He understood how that could make a free spirit feel trapped. Besides, Evie had earned her flakey reputation, and this wouldn’t be the first time she hadn’t filled him in on her plans. If they didn’t find the Buddha soon and get back to Pensacola, she’d have to find a way to get in touch with him or he would be worried. And that was the last thing she wanted.
Straightening her shoulders, Evie turned to the pile of packages stacked near the door and got to work.
Three hours later, a starving Evie emerged into the living room where she found Dora sitting on the floor with her back against the exposed brick wall, looking defeated. “No luck?” she asked her friend.
“None. I’ve sorted package after package and looked in every drawer, cabinet, and box. That Buddha doesn’t appear to be anywhere.” She pushed her dark hair back, leaving a smudge of dust on her forehead.
Evie felt exactly how Dora looked—frustrated and disheveled from hours of fruitless digging. “That’s it. We need beignets.”
Dora slumped down onto a stool, defeated. “We’ve been through most of the apartment. Maybe Marco really did get here first. What if he has the evidence and he killed Gertie? It would be our fault.”
Evie placed her hands on her hips. “First, it’s not our fault. I’m not taking the blame for anything that scumbag does. Second, we’re not giving up yet. There’s still a ton of cabinets to go through in the kitchen and an entire guest room. But first we’re going out.” She turned to her pup who had curled up in the one unencumbered arm chair. “Come on, Sunshine. Time to take a walk.”
The small dog jumped down off the chair and scrambled to the door.
Evie chuckled. “Looks like I’m the not the only who’s feeling cooped up. Off your tush, Dor. It’s time for a break.”
Dora frowned. “I don’t think we should go anywhere until we either have the Buddha and the flash drive or we’re certain it isn’t here.”
“That’s going to take hours,” Evie complained. “If I don’t get beignets in the next ten minutes, I’m going lose my shiz. Up, Dora. Or Sunshine and I are leaving you here with stale crackers and outdated spices.” Evie swept over to the door, hooked Sunshine to her leash, and raised one eyebrow at her friend. “You coming?”
“You can’t have beignets without me,” Dora said, scrambling to her feet.
“That’s my girl.” Evie grabbed the keys hanging on a hook and led the way out of the apartment.
The French Quarter was alive with happy tourists and plenty of chatter. Despite the long day, Evie had a small bounce in her step from the energy filling the air around her. New Orleans was her kind of place. If she had to be stuck somewhere, the French Quarter was about as good a place as any. “I could live here,” she blurted.
Dora cast her a sidelong glance. “No, you couldn’t.”
Evie met her skeptical glance with one of her own. “Really? Try me.”
Rolling her eyes, Dora tsked. “This is definitely not my kind of place. Too loud. Way too many people. And there isn’t a beach in sight. Which means I wouldn’t last more than a few weeks.” Dora gave her friend a little smile and a shrug. “And since we both know you can’t live without me…”
Evie let out an exaggerated, put-upon sigh. “I guess. But we definitely need to come back for a visit after we get this all worked out. Deal?” She held her fist out to Dora.
Dora cracked a smile and completed the fist bump. “Deal.”
“Good, ‘cause I think one visit to Café Du Monde isn’t gonna cut it.” Evie led the way into the iconic business across from Jackson Square. Ten minutes later, with Sunshine curled at Evie’s feet, a waitress set two plates of beignets that were covered in a vat of powdered sugar in front of them. Evie held one of the fried donuts up and bumped it to the one Dora was holding. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” Dora said, and then her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she took a bite.
“I told you this was gonna be good,” Evie said and moaned as she took a bite. It was the first time since they’d arrived at Gertie’s apartment that she didn’t feel as if she was having trouble breathing. Beignets made everything better.
3
Pounds of fried dough and powdered sugar later, Dora pressed a hand to her gut and groaned. “I ate way too much sugar.”
“You didn’t eat that much,” Evie said. “I think you could’ve downed a couple more to be honest.”
“Nope. Not until I get some protein in me anyway,” Dora insisted. She hadn’t had anything except road trip food all day, and that meant junk. If she didn’t eat something nutritious, she was probably going to end up with a headache.
“We’ll search Gertie’s fridge. I’m sure she has something that will tide you over until morning,” Evie said, pressing the button to Myrtle’s apartment. They didn’t have the main door’s access code and hadn’t thought to look for it before they’d left.
“Yes?” the woman’s voice sounded over the intercom.
“Myrtle? It’s Evie. Can you buzz us up? We just ran out for some beignets.”
“Of course, dear.” A buzzer sounded, and Dora pushed the door open, grateful they weren’t going to have to sleep in the car. Luke had actually given them some cash, but Dora wasn’t about to spend it on a hotel if she didn’t have to. Considering they hadn’t found the Buddha yet, who knew how long they’d be in town?
They took the elevator up to the third floor, but when they got to Gertie’s door, instead of it being locked, the door was cracked open. Dora froze and turned worried eyes on Evie. “I know I closed this door.”
“Maybe it just didn’t lock and popped back open?” Evie asked, but her shaky tone gave her away. Even though she’d offered up the explanation, she didn’t believe it any more than Dora did.
“Myrtle?” Dora called tentatively. “Are you in there?”
No answer.
Dora and Evie glanced at each other. They couldn’t call the police. It was too risky for Dora. “What do you think? Check it out?”
Evie glanced at Sunshine. The pup had shoved her nose into the crack. Her snout was working overtime trying to take in all the scents, but she wasn’t barking. If someone was in there, Evie had no doubt that dog would be losing her mind. “Yeah. I guess we’d better.”
Dora inspected the door and determined whoever had opened it must have had a key or was good at picking locks. Her heart skipped a beat remembering how Luke had picked a lock or two for her only a few days ago. She took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open with one finger. The door creaked, but otherwise there was silence. With sweaty palms and her heart racing, Dora poked her head into the apartment and scanned the room as Sunshine darted in. The pup ran around the living room area and then into the second bedroom. A second later, she darted into the master bedroom. Still, she didn’t bark.
“No one is in there,” Evie said from behind her. “Sunshine would’ve let us know.”
Still tense, Dora nodded and forced herself to walk into the apartment. She knew Evie was right. Sunshine wasn’t a quiet dog. She barked at everyone. If there was an intruder, they’d know about
it.
Sunshine darted out of the bedroom and ran straight for Evie, jumping up on her mistress’s leg. Evie reached down and scooped the dog up, cuddling her against her chest and cooing about the dog being a good girl. Dora had to agree. Sunshine was a smart cookie.
“Is anything missing?” Dora asked, glancing around and double checking the bedrooms. Empty, thank the heavens. Honestly, it was hard to tell if anything had been taken. With the sheer amount of clutter, how could they know?
Evie took a moment to look around the apartment. She started to shake her head, but then she pointed at the garment rack she’d drooled over earlier. “Look! Dolly’s gown is gone.” She ran over and scanned the area. “And so is that fabulous rhinestone bra!”
Dora pressed a hand to her belly, trying to calm her jittery nerves. She’d been telling herself that maybe they just hadn’t gotten the door closed. But if items were missing…
“The jewelry is gone, too,” Evie said, a growl in her voice. “I just know it was Marco who did this. I bet he came back here looking for the Buddha after he offed Gertie and couldn’t help himself when he spotted Dolly’s dress.” She sifted through the rack. “Cher’s outfit is gone, too. The bastard!”
“Evie,” Dora said with a sigh. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions? If it had been Marco, why would he wait for us to leave to barge in? Don’t you think he would’ve wanted to make sure we hadn’t found the flash drive?”
“Maybe he already had it and came back for those fabulous clothes,” she speculated. Evie walked over to the apartment door, pushed it closed and threw the dead bolt. Then she pushed a nearby credenza in front of it, barring it from being opened again.
“Why in the world would he do that? Wouldn’t he just destroy the evidence and take off?” Dora asked, opening the refrigerator. The sugar from the beignets had gone straight to her head. She needed protein before she went into a sugar coma.
“Because, Dora. I happen to know that Marco has a fetish for women’s wear.” She smirked. “He always used to bring outrageous outfits into the dry cleaners and say they were his wife’s. But all of the garments were way too big for her. They were more Marco’s size if you know what I mean.”
Dora turned and gaped at Evie. “You’re kidding.”
“Would I kid about something like that?” Evie looked almost offended. “You know I don’t judge or ever spill the beans on customers, but the information is relevant here.”
Dora tried to imagine Marco dressed up in Dolly’s dress and shuddered as she reached into the refrigerator and retrieved a covered glass container that looked to be filled with some sort of leftovers. She peeled the lid off the dish she’d found and took a whiff, hoping the food was still fresh. She’d started to get the jitters from all the sugar.
“What is that?” Evie asked, peering into the dish.
Dora grinned. “Looks and smells an awful lot like shrimp scampi.”
“Oh wow, people still make that?”
“Yep.” Dora loved the dish of shrimp and tomatoes floating in garlic butter, and she was happy to see there was very little butter, making it a healthier choice than the original recipe. She popped the glass container into the microwave and then retrieved a fork from a nearby drawer. “Want some?”
Evie wrinkled her nose. “Too much garlic for me. No thanks. I’m full.”
“Suit yourself,” Dora said as the odor of the pungent spice filled the kitchen. Her stomach growled in anticipation of the meal. She returned her thoughts to Marco stealing Dolly’s and Cher’s dresses. “Marco taking those gowns doesn’t add up. The waist on either of them wouldn’t work.”
“Come on, Dora. You’ve seen seamstress magic before. Remember Kelly? That woman could spell a potato sack to look like an evening gown. And if Marco has been here…” Evie got a pained expression on her face. “What if he comes back for us?”
“He won’t,” Dora said, decisively. She pulled her meal out of the microwave and stabbed a shrimp. “If, and this is a big if, Marco was here, then the Buddha is already gone and so is he. If he didn’t find it, he’d barge in here and demand we give it to him.” She paused to put food in her mouth. She moaned in appreciation when the tantalizing flavor of the seafood hit her tongue. After she swallowed, she said, “Remember when they tried to intercept the flash drive before? They weren’t interested in kidnapping us until they couldn’t get it. Marco doesn’t want the mess of prisoners. He just wants to make sure we can’t pin anything on him. After all, for all intents and purposes, he’s a pillar of Pensacola. No one will believe us over him without that evidence.”
“I hope you’re right,” Evie said, not sounding convinced.
“I hope so, too,” Dora muttered. She took another bite of food as she mulled the situation over in her head. It was too big of a coincidence. Marco couldn’t have gotten to Gertie before them, could he? She wished she could call Billy or Luke to find out if Marco had weaseled any information from either of them. But it was too dangerous to contact them. The police had to be looking for both Evie and Dora by now, and she didn’t want to get either of the men in trouble.
She was about to take another bite of scampi but stopped when she glanced over at the door. It was locked and blocked by a credenza, but that wouldn’t stop a man like Marco. Suddenly her appetite was gone, because even if Marco hadn’t broken in to search for the flash drive and taken off with vintage treasures, somebody had been in the apartment uninvited. And since they’d only taken a sampling of the valuable merchandise, they’d likely be back.
Her fork clattered as she dropped it in the bowl, frustrated by the whole situation. As she walked over to the sink, she said, “I don’t think we’re safe here, Evie.”
“I know, Dor, but we can’t leave before we’re sure the flash drive isn’t here.”
Dora sighed because Evie was right. She pushed the leftover shrimp scampi into the garbage disposal before turning it on. The engine growled as it tore up the bits of food, and she glanced around the apartment, mentally calculating how long it would take to finish their search. Maybe, if they worked through the night… Her stomach rumbled as if it were just as frustrated as she was. She supposed it was since she’d only had three bites of the shrimp. She said, “Then I guess we’d better get to work.
4
The noise of feet thudding in quick succession made Evie bolt up in bed with fear, but when she heard the gagging sound of someone vomiting, she managed to blow out the breath she’d been holding. Sunshine hopped off the bed and scampered into the bathroom as Evie called out, “Dora? You okay?”
She heard another gag in reply before the toilet flushed.
“Oh, honey,” Evie said as she climbed out of bed to do what any best friend would and walked into the bathroom to hold Dora’s hair. She rubbed her free hand on Dora’s back. “Well, this sucks. You didn’t even drink anything.”
Her friend groaned and then rose up to her knees to heave again. Evie peered into the toilet bowl to inspect the contents. “Ewww, stomach acid now, Dor. That’s gross.”
“Says the one looking.”
Sunshine whined in agreement. Dora had a point, which Evie ignored. “At least if it was the leftovers you ate, you got it all out.”
“It was probably the shrimp.”
“You sure about that? It could be botulism. You don’t know where those tomatoes came from, Dor. My fourth cousin, twice removed, ate a can of tomatoes he found at his mother-in-law’s house when she died. Or was it his aunt?” She chuckled as she remembered the details. “Both, actually. Anyway, within hours he was a goner. We might need to get you medical attention.”
“So much is wrong with that story, Evie. But let me assure you I don’t have botulism. It starts off with paralysis of your face and throat.” Dora dry heaved before she sat back on her knees. “My mouth and throat are working just fine.”
Evie frowned with concern for her friend. Being sick was no fun. “Want me to run to the corner store and get you some g
inger ale and saltines?”
Dora shook her head. “I don’t think I want anything in my stomach for a while.” She got up off the floor and squirted toothpaste on her toothbrush.
Evie glanced around Gertie’s master bathroom. Sunshine had hopped into a basket of magazines sitting on the floor, and she noticed the top one was a fitness magazine for seniors. She reached in to lift it up from under the pup’s bottom and found a page was turned down as if to mark someone’s place. Opening up to the spot, she found it was an article with exercises for working out in your seventies. “Huh. Seems Gertie was interested in fitness.”
Dora raised her eyebrows at Evie as she brushed her teeth.
“Exactly,” Evie said as she nudged Dora aside. The medicine cabinet clicked as she opened it to look for medication. She pushed the contents around but couldn’t find one single prescription medication. “Check this out Dor, all Gertie took was something for a headache and”—she inspected a bottle of antacid tablets that had a label peeling up at the corner—“she didn’t even get heartburn, apparently, because this stuff expired five years ago.”
Dora spat. “When I was searching for the flash drive earlier, I noticed she had hand weights and exercise bands.”
“I don’t think Gertie died of heart attack. She was as healthy as a horse.”
Dora frowned. “We don’t know that, Evie.”
Evie could feel in her gut she was right. “You mean you don’t know that. But think about it. You almost died tonight eating something Gertie ate. What if—”
“Gertie was poisoned?” Dora gulped. “I guess it’s possible. I did only eat a little bit before I threw it out,” She stumbled back to lean against the wall and placed a hand on her throat. “What if I had eaten the whole thing?”
