by Lucy Quinn
Evie’s heart stopped for a moment as she imagined losing Dora. She grabbed her friend and hugged her tight. “Exactly. Proof Gertie was killed. The question is after Marco killed her, did he manage to get the flash drive?”
“We don’t have proof. Only a suspicion with no way to back it up because I already tossed the scampi down the garbage disposal. Still, the real question is why are we still standing here? Your theory is entirely plausible given everything we know about Marco.” Dora squirmed out of Evie’s embrace. “C’mon, we need to go!”
“Hang on.” Evie raced after her. She understood Dora’s panic; she was itching to get out of there too. But when her friend hit crisis mode, Evie knew someone needed to step in and be logical. She watched as Dora grabbed her duffle bag and began toss in her piles of folded clothes willy-nilly, which was evidence of a pure freak out for her friend if Evie had ever seen it. “Those are going to get wrinkled that way.”
Dora glared at her. “Works for you.”
Evie was tempted to snap back but bit her tongue and said, “We need a plan.”
“The plan is to go somewhere Marco can’t find us.”
“How far do you think we’re going to get on the few hundred dollars we have?”
Dora froze, let out a sigh, and plopped down on the edge of the bed. “You’re right. We would end up in some cheap motel eating vending machine food. And even then, we’d only last so long. That gas guzzler we’re driving isn’t helping either.”
“It’s still a sweet ride.”
“With a sweet owner,” Dora said in a small voice as she gazed out the window. The sun was rising, and warm yellow light bathed the room to welcome the day. “If we don’t have the flash drive, we can’t go back and...”
Evie thought about Trace, and sadness washed over her, too. “Marry the men of our dreams.”
“What?” Dora smiled at her. “You just said the M word.”
Had she? Evie quickly corrected herself. “I meant you. You’re going to marry the man of your dreams when we, and we will, get the evidence to prove you are innocent.”
“Okay,” Dora said with a skeptical look that made Evie squirm a little and feel emotions she didn’t want to deal with. “But first we have to figure out how to stay hidden from Marco. Since we can’t run off without money, we may need to find jobs.” Dora winced when Evie added, “Ones that pay under the table.”
Evie understood her straitlaced friend’s hesitation, but she smiled, because this situation was definitely in her wheelhouse. “We’re in the right town for that, but we can’t work as Dora and Evie.”
“Agreed. We can’t be sure that Marco doesn’t know we’re here, either.”
Evie’s smile grew into an ear-to-ear grin. “We need to hide in plain sight with a disguise. Makeover time!”
Dora tilted her head at her friend. “That’s not a bad idea. At least until we have enough money to get out of here.”
“And it’s a fun one.” Evie lifted up her hair and turned to gaze in the mirror over the bureau. “What do you think about me as a redhead? I’ve got the personality for it.”
Dora chuckled. “That you do. Go for it.”
Evie turned to her friend. “I think you should go blonde.”
“What?” Dora got up to stand next to her. She pulled her straight brown hair over her shoulder to the front. “No way. I’ve never colored my hair, and I’m not about to start.” She lifted it up off her neck. “I could do with a good cut, though. Pageboy?”
“But Jessica, blonde is sooo sexy,” Evie cooed using the name Dora had taken when they’d gone undercover in a senior living facility. When Dora scowled at her she tried a different approach. “Nobody who knows you would ever expect it.”
Dora shot her a sideways glance that said she was considering it. That was all Evie needed. She charged ahead, knowing that it would be easier for Dora to accept dying her hair if she felt like it was a compromise. “You know what else you need? A perm. Nobody would think of you with curly hair.”
“Perm? Oh my god, what is this, the eighties? No way. Can you imagine how frizzy my hair would get in this humidity?”
Evie lifted up one of her curly locks and smiled. “As a matter of fact, I can, but we’re hiding out, Dor. You gotta take one for the team here.”
“Fine,” Dora sighed. “I’ll go blonde, but I draw the line at the perm. Got it?”
Evie bounced on her toes, excited by the thought of seeing Dora as a blonde. She knew from experience that most men noticed blondes first, and that meant Dora was finally going to get the attention Evie had gotten most of her life. Heck, it might even loosen her up a little. “There’s a drug store around the corner. I’ll be right back.”
5
“What have I done?” Dora groaned as she stared at the woman in the mirror she didn’t recognize. Her big brown eyes were huge as she first took in the blond pageboy hairdo she was sporting. And it was really blonde. She’d made the mistake of believing Evie when she told her that if they didn’t bleach her dark hair first it would turn orange. She wasn’t so sure now that Evie had been completely truthful.
“I think you look hot,” Evie said as she came to stand beside her. Her hair was a little shorter too. She still had the wild curls both women decided would be too hard to tame in this humidity, and they were a shocking shade of pink. A strange color for a disguise, but considering they were in New Orleans and Evie had opted to go retro 1970s with an assortment of fashion pieces discovered in Gertie’s treasures, it looked completely normal. “Want to go to Bourbon Street and test out the theory that blondes have more fun?”
“No!” Dora decided to focus on the one part of her new disguise she did like. When they’d gone through Gertie’s vast array of wardrobes, Dora stumbled on a vintage collection of Chanel she could mix and match with her usual conservative style, making her look as if she were wealthy. She pushed her shoulders back and tilted her chin up, liking the way her hair emphasized her strong jaw line. This was definitely a look she could pull off with enjoyment and ease.
“My god, you’re kind of scary looking, Dor. I feel like you’re going to order me around or call me James and make me bring the car.”
Dora laughed. “Maybe I should. We still have to give the convertible its disguise.” When Evie ran out to get hair color, she’d also found a car accessory shop that sold vinyl wraps that could be applied to a car to protect its paint job and change the appearance. She glanced over at Sunshine and noticed the way the dog was squinting and tilting her head as if she couldn’t figure out how to hold it still. She was still wearing the black blingy collar, and Dora wondered if the intense reflections were bothering her eyes. “Hey, girl, would you like a makeover too?”
Sunshine hopped up and ran around in a circle as she yipped.
Evie laughed. “Okay, okay. Sorry we didn’t ask sooner.”
When Evie left the bedroom to go search through Gertie’s things for Sunshine’s disguise, Dora leaned in close to the mirror to experiment with her makeup. She knew they had to stick around until they found the flash drive, and while her new look would provide some cover, she couldn’t help worry it wouldn’t make a lick of difference. She drew on eyeliner in a cat eye-style and leaned back to assess it. “Ugh, no. All I need is some arched eyebrows and I’d be Cruella de Vil.” She tried a few other versions and finally settled on no eyeliner at all, instead using serious face contouring to make her cheekbones look prominent and her nose appear narrow.
She was smiling at herself when Evie called out, “Dora! You’ve got to see this!” And when she got in the living room, she chuckled at the getup Sunshine was wearing.
The pup had traded in bling for bad boy, or girl in this case. She was wearing a black leather collar with silver spikes, a red bandana on her head like a cap, and the tiniest leather vest Dora had ever seen, complete with patches. Evie said, “You can call her Sushi.”
“Sushi?” Dora knew it was the nickname Trace used for the dog.
“It’s a great biker-chick name.” Evie held up her phone to snap pictures. “Smize, Sushi!”
Sunshine, err, Sushi let out a tiny growl that was too darn adorable. “Oh my goodness, you are so cute!” Dora said.
Evie crouched down to get a better angle with her camera. “I know. She’s so going to crush Insta.”
“Insta?”
“Don’t worry, I’m making her a profile under the name Sushi. I figured that way Trace might see it and…” Evie moved to plop down on the couch with a big sigh.
“Know you’re okay,” Dora finished.
“Yeah.” She gazed at her friend with a sad expression. “I miss him, Dor.”
Dora joined her on the couch. “I know. I’m so sorry I got us into this—”
The living room door suddenly hit the credenza with a loud thud.
Dora gasped.
Evie let out her own squeak of surprise as whoever was at the door pushed harder, and when a man stuck his head in, she screamed.
Dora echoed her scream as she jumped up off the couch.
Then man screamed, too. Kind of like a girl, Dora noticed. Sunshine barked as Evie restrained her, and Dora’s logic stepped in. The dark, slender man did have a key, so she asked, “Who are you?”
He slithered through past the credenza and demanded, “Who are you?”
“Gertie’s nieces,” Evie proclaimed as she tried to contain a squirming and still barking Sunshine.
“Gertie didn’t have nieces,” the man said as he eyed the two women.
“She most certainly did,” Dora said with authority as she attempted to look down her supposedly regal nose at the guy. “We’re here in her apartment, aren’t we? So, who are you?”
The man tossed what appeared to be an empty duffle bag over his shoulder. “I’m R—Ricky,” he rolled the R as he said his name. “I’m her housekeeper.”
“Housekeeper?” Evie asked as she crossed her arms and scanned him with her gaze. “You clean this place?”
“I—” He scrunched up his waxed eyebrows as he looked around the room full of accumulated piles. “Well, just the… Okay, fine.” He rolled his eyes. “I just do the bathroom, the kitchen and some vacuuming.”
“Sure, you do,” Dora said. Her BS meter was in the red zone. “Where’s the vacuum?”
His cheeks darkened a bit before he said, “I can see Gertie has guests, so I won’t interrupt.” He began to back up. “I’ll reschedule.” He slithered behind the credenza. “Just tell her to call when she’s ready for me,” he said quickly before he slipped out the door.
As soon as they were sure he was out of earshot, Evie said, “Think he took Dolly’s dress earlier?”
“I’d bet money on it. I think he was he wearing eyeliner.”
“And those legs? Not a single hair on them.” Evie said.
The new theory made more sense than Marco coming back for it. A tissue whooshed out of a small box on the coffee table as Dora removed it then handed it to Evie to dry the tears that had begun falling before Ricky barged in. Dora tapped her chin with a finger. If someone like Ricky could just wander around the building undeterred, that meant Marco could too. “I wonder about the security of this place.”
“It doesn’t seem too stringent, does it? It sure made killing Gertie easy for Marco.”
“It could have.” Dora wasn’t sure if she should hope Marco did or didn’t kill Gertie, but she still wanted to know. “It might be a good idea to go talk to Myrtle. Maybe she saw something that could confirm whether or not Marco was here.”
“It would be good to know for sure if he’s got the flash drive.”
“I’d also like to find out how many keys Gertie may have given out. It would be nice to know if we can expect other visitors.”
“Oh, and we can try out our disguises, too,” Evie said with excitement in her voice. “Relax, Sunshine!” Evie adjusted her hold on the squirming dog. “Myrtle is going to love you.”
Sunshine growled as if she was as tough as her outfit suggested, but neither Dora nor Evie could take it seriously, and they laughed as they made their way to Myrtle’s apartment.
6
Myrtle blinked in confusion when she opened her door. “May I help you?”
“Myrtle,” Evie said, “It’s us, Dora and Evie.” She turned to grin at Dora, pleased their disguises had worked so well.
“Oh—oh! Wow.” Myrtle reached out and plucked at one of Evie’s curls. “Pink suits you, dear.”
“Thanks,” Evie said and watched Myrtle look at Dora.
“So yesterday was casual Friday?” Myrtle asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Evie snickered, because she’d tried to get Dora to go in a sexier direction, but her friend had chosen to button up even more. Stylishly though, Evie had to admit. Because, Chanel…
“The blond hair is nice. Shame you aren’t showing a little cleavage with it. Talk about a one-two punch,” the older woman said with an exaggerated wink.
“Thank you?” Dora said skeptically.
“And you,” Myrtle turned to Sunshine and switched over to puppy speak. “Aren’t you the cutest little bad girl this side of the Mason Dixon line?”
Sunshine let her tongue loll out as the older woman scratched under her chin.
Dora said, “We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about the security in this place.”
“Of course.” Myrtle stepped aside and pulled her door open wide. “Would the two of you like to come in for lemonade?”
“How kind of you to ask,” Evie said walking in. “We’d love to.” She took a moment to look around as Myrtle led them to the living room. While the space appeared to be the same layout Gertie had, the feel was drastically different. Myrtle’s love for color was apparent, with brightly-colored acrylics on the wall, a royal-purple floral rug on the hardwood floor, and a lemon-yellow velvet sofa Dora and Evie sat on.
Evie noticed a china cabinet that gleamed with layers of furniture wax. Behind the glass doors, she saw what she thought might be a sterling silver tea set, and she imagined the drawers contained sterling silver cutlery too. It made her think of the things she’d inherited from her grandmother along with the older woman’s house a few years ago. Since Evie hadn’t a need for fancy silver, she’d contracted an estate sale company to auction things off, and the silver had fetched a surprisingly hefty amount of money. Myrtle’s apartment was also very neat. Everything seemed to have a place, something Evie knew Dora appreciated.
Myrtle emerged from the kitchen with a tray that contained a pitcher of lemonade, glasses filled with ice and a bottle of expensive vodka. “Now what’s with the new looks, girls? Trying to grab yourself a hot Cajun?”
“The thought crossed our minds,” Evie said with a wink.
“We felt like a change,” Dora said. She took a deep breath and spread her arms. “Something about the energy down here is amazing. It’s like—well, I think I could live here.”
Evie shot Dora a quick glare, recalling she was the one who’d said that yesterday. “Me too.”
“It’s truly a wonderful city,” Myrtle said as she set the tray down on the coffee table with a thump.
When the woman lifted the vodka bottle Evie said, “I like how you do lemonade.”
“No alcohol for me, please,” Dora said.
Myrtle looked at Evie as she opened the bottle with a pop. “She’s a barrel of fun, isn’t she?”
Evie was quick to come to her friend’s defense. “She can be. But last night Dora ate something that didn’t agree with her.”
“Oh.” Myrtle splashed a hefty amount of vodka in two glasses. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you need something to settle your stomach? I bet Gertie’s got nothing in her cabinets to help. She was rather proud of being a woman her age and not taking any medications.”
“I’m fine, but thank you.” Dora took the glass of lemonade Myrtle filled for her. “So, Aunt Gertie was still a fitness nut?”
“Was she ever.” Myrtle leaned b
ack and crossed her legs as she took a sip of her drink. “She’d come knock on my door at the butt-crack of dawn to make me walk with her before the sun got too hot.” She frowned. “Seems so strange she’d die of a heart attack when she took such good care of her health.”
“It does,” Evie said settling back on the couch. She took a sip of her drink, which was as strong as she’d feared. She’d have to be careful with Myrtle’s heavy hand doing the pouring.
“Well,” Myrtle sighed as she bounced a lime-green-Croc-covered foot. “I suppose when it’s your time there’s not much you can do.”
But it wasn’t her time, Evie thought as Dora said, “I’m a little curious about the security of this place, Myrtle. Can anyone get in?”
“If they have the code. It’s handed out to dog walkers, delivery guys, friends…” She shrugged. “It’s never been a problem, though. People lock their doors, and you’d need a key to get in any of the apartments.”
“Did Gertie give out a lot of keys?”
Myrtle chuckled. “More than she should. That woman had an active social life. I told her she was going to get caught one day by one of her many boyfriends, but she never listened.” She lifted her drink and took a hefty gulp.
Evie grinned, imagining Gertie with a dozen suiters. “How many boyfriends did she have?”
“Well, they tended to overlap. I suppose no more than three at time, though.”
“Go, Aunt Gertie!” Evie cried.
Myrtle chuckled. “I think she was still seeing Bruce. Handsome fella, but a bit of a whiner. Always thinks he’s dying of something.” She took another sip of her drink. “And then there’s Mick.” She waggled her eyebrows. “He’s a hottie, only fifty-five, too. Did you know men’s butts start to sag around sixty?” She rattled the ice in her glass for emphasis. “Get him before then girls, because, whew. After that you’ve got to make sure to watch them coming from the bathroom, not going to it.”
Dora snorted and covered her mouth while Evie chuckled.
Myrtle continued. “Anyway, Mick was on his way out. Gertie caught him taking things that didn’t belong to him. Just sneaking out something here or there, you know?”
