by Lucy Quinn
As Dora stood before the crowd in just her bra and panties, she straightened her spine a little but not completely because she still had one more thing to do. She hooked her index finger into the strand of pearls she was wearing and slid it back and forth over the smooth white beads. She let herself recall the accidental death of her boss, Steve Franklin. She almost felt the cold hard metal of his gun in her hands when she’d grabbed it in an effort to stay alive, and her ears rang a little from the memory of the deafening blast when the weapon went off under the power of Steve’s trigger finger. Her stomach even clenched when she thought about the horrible gurgling of Steve’s blood frothing at his mouth.
The truth behind the tragic and traumatic event was that it wasn’t Dora’s doing. A fact she did know, but the guilt of accidentally killing a man was her largest piece of baggage, and it was one she wasn’t sure she could ever lose. However, she could check it instead of carting it around. Quickly, she reached back and unclasped the strand of pearls. She dangled them in front of her body with an outstretched arm and took a deep breath before letting them drop to the floor. The crowd gasped as the necklace clattered onto the stage.
Dora blew out a slow breath and stood up straight as a pin. She gazed into the nameless faces to see tears and compassion, hope and acceptance. No words she could utter could have done more. She offered them a gracious smile for the gift they’d given her. The gift she’d given herself. “Thank you,” she said.
The audience erupted into applause, and as she bowed at the waist, people came to the stage and deposited money on top of her clothing. Her fellow poets stood too and somehow it didn’t feel strange to Dora when she hugged them all before gathering her money and getting dressed to return to Gertie’s apartment.
It wasn’t until she was inside the apartment and staring at Evie and Trace cuddled on the couch that it hit her what she’d done.
“Dora!” Evie cried as she jumped up from the couch and glanced at the wad of cash in her friend’s hand. “Where did that money come from? I leave you alone for an hour and you go stripping?”
“No!” Dora gasped, but then she smiled. She chuckled, holding off on the deep belly laugh she felt might come. “Actually. I kind of did.”
“What?” Evie asked. “Oh my god.” She grinned with the excitement and anticipation of hearing good gossip.
Trace raised an eyebrow at her, making Dora laugh and decide the story of her naked poetry reading was better kept to herself for the time being.
They had more important things to discuss. “You’ll never guess who I saw leaving Myrtle’s apartment, carrying a duffle bag bulging with stuff.”
16
“Ricky?” Evie asked. Her mind was spinning. Dora was holding a lot of money in her hand, laughing at however she managed to get it, but she wasn’t sharing the story. She had to know Evie’s mind was going to all sorts of crazy places, but she pushed her need for a juicy story aside, because… “Ricky the housekeeper?”
“Yes,” Dora said. “When I got back from leaving you at House of Blues, I saw him sneaking out of Myrtle’s. I couldn’t do anything to stop him, but I followed him home and I know where he lives.” Dora’s smile of satisfaction lit up her face.
Evie was a bit puzzled how her friend, who for all intents and purposes had pretty much given up on life this morning, now appeared to be the happy, lighthearted Dora she remembered. She was glad to see it. “That’s good.” But Dora’s drastic mood change made her want to know what Dora had done to get the money even more. “Now tell me how you got the money.”
Dora shook her head. “Another time. We need to focus on how we’re going to snoop on Ricky later.”
Evie realized what Dora was really saying was that it wasn’t something she wanted to share with Trace. Evie let out a silent groan, knowing she was going to have to wait for details.
Trace asked, “Who is Ricky the housekeeper?”
“A guy who cleaned for Gertie,” Dora explained. “He showed up here the other day with an empty duffle bag. He let himself in not expecting us to be here.”
“Yeah,” Evie confirmed. “Super shady because”—Evie swept her arm out—“look at this place. No way did Gertie have a housekeeper.”
“Exactly,” Dora said. “When we called him on it, he slinked back out saying he’d stop by later.” She added, “We think he was here to take some of Gertie’s vintage clothing. We’re pretty sure he’d already stolen a rhinestone Dolly Parton bra and cowgirl getup the night we arrived while we were out getting beignets.”
“Hold on,” Trace said.
Evie grimaced because she had an idea what her boyfriend was going to say, and she wished Dora had kept the last bit of information stored away with the details of her new money-making scheme.
Trace stood up and paced the room as he said, “Some guy stole from Gertie while you were here, shows up again to take more stuff, and then steals things from Myrtle’s?” He clenched his fists as his voice got stern. “And you ladies are talking about it like it’s the weather.”
“No, we’re not,” Evie said. “We’re just trying to be logical about the whole thing.” She placed a hand on his arm in an effort to calm him down. “You know, keep our emotions in check?”
“Or ignore them. Evie, this man is dangerous.”
“Oh, we’re aware,” Dora said. “That’s why I didn’t confront him or let him know I was following him.” She looked at Evie. “I’m thinking we go late tonight. Maybe pull out our black commando outfits.”
Evie eyed Dora’s blonde hairdo and thought about her own pink locks. “And hats, we both need a hat.”
“Right,” Dora said.
Trace shook his head in disbelief. “This isn’t some secret agent fashion show.”
Evie had a feeling her boyfriend was about to get Neanderthal on them and demand they leave the job to some man, or worse, the police. He’d worn her down about why they’d skipped town and were hanging out in New Orleans. Evie had given him just enough details that he had the gist that they were in trouble, but didn’t know enough to be useful if the police questioned him. She asked, “Well, what would you have us wear, Trace, sweetie? Because heels aren’t going to cut it if we’re sneaking around. Have you seen the state of the asphalt in this town?”
“You shouldn’t be going at all!” Trace cried, losing his patience.
“We don’t have a choice,” Dora said before Evie could reply.
“Of course you do,” he snapped. “Why do you need to worry about a man stealing from two dead women?” Evie had told him about Gertie and Myrtle’s deaths earlier and that she and Dora believed they were not accidental.
“Trace,” Evie said. “Neither Dora nor I could live with ourselves if we didn’t try to find justice for Gertie and Myrtle.” She frowned. “You know this already.”
“I do.” Trace raked a hand through his hair and sighed. “Fine. I get why you two have to follow Ricky instead of just reporting him, but I’m not letting you do it alone.”
And there it was, the cavalry in the form of one bass player, albeit a sexy one, thinking he needed to rescue two women in distress. She put her hands on her hips and stepped in front of Trace. “No. You are not. I will not have you get involved in this. It’s too—” Evie stopped herself before she said the word that would confirm Trace’s fear… dangerous. She recalled how he’d had a meeting with a record label, and according to his Instagram account it had gone well. “You’ve got a music career that’s taking off, and that’s what you should be focused on. Congrats for signing with a label, by the way.” Sadness filled her because it was a milestone she wished she could have celebrated with him.
“Thanks, babe.” Trace reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Evie just about melted at his touch. “But I believe taking time off to help you is a decision I can make for myself.”
“And who we let help us is one we get to make.” She looked over at Dora for backup, but she was busy counting her money. When she glance
d back at Trace, the gutted expression on his face nearly broke her heart. “It’s not that I don’t want your help,” she said. Her statement was mostly true, but the fact remained that she didn’t want him anywhere near this. She knew without even thinking about it because she loved him too much. “It’s that I couldn’t live with myself if I was the reason for you missing your big shot with the band. Please, Trace. Try to understand. This is just something Dor and I need to do.”
His hand tightened on her fingers, and Evie could tell he was fighting to keep from saying something more. But in the end he just nodded and said, “If that’s the way you want it, then I guess I’ll just have to find a way to be okay with it.”
She took a step closer to him and placed a hand over his heart. “I really appreciate the offer, though. You know that, right?”
“I guess,” he said, his expression softening. “I only want to make sure you’re safe. It’s really hard not being able to swoop in and be your savior.”
Evie let out a chuckle. “If I was gonna let anyone be my superhero, it’d be you. But you know how I like to do things my own way.” She winked at him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll keep me up to date on what’s happening, right?”
Evie bit down on her lower lip. “Well… that’s what Sushi’s Instagram page is about. You will always know what we’re up to by following her. She has all kinds of adventures.”
He snorted. “I noticed. Just promise you’ll call if you need me for anything. Or if you find yourself in trouble. I’ll be here. All right?”
“Okay,” she said, giving him a soft smile. But as she pressed the side of her face to his chest, she knew she’d do everything in her power to keep him far away from their troubles. Not only wouldn’t she stand in the way of his dreams, but she sure as heck wasn’t going to be the reason he got into trouble with the law. He deserved far better than that.
17
“It’s entirely too early for this,” Evie said with a moan as she and Sunshine slid into Luke’s purple convertible, which they’d disguised with a vinyl car cover in a flame design.
Dora rolled her eyes and tried not to feel too jealous of her friend. “If you hadn’t stayed up half the night rolling around naked with Trace, I might feel sorry for you. But since you woke up with a satisfied smile on your face, I don’t have a lot of sympathy to spare.”
Evie giggled. “Yeah. Okay. You have a point. But even you have to admit that this hour shouldn’t really even exist. I mean, it’s five o’clock. I haven’t been up this early in the morning since my clubbing days. And that meant I hadn’t gone to sleep yet.”
“I know.” Dora put the car into drive and carefully maneuvered them out of the parking lot and onto the streets of New Orleans.
“Didn’t you follow Ricky on foot yesterday?” Evie asked with a yawn. “Why are we driving?”
“Yes, I did, but it was quite a hike, and this will give us cover.”
“Cover?” Evie snorted. “The car is covered in a faux-flame paint job.”
“So? Have you seen the vehicles people drive here? Besides, Ricky has no idea what kind of car we have. We just need to stay hidden.”
“Okay. Fine with me. I’m still too sleepy to do much of anything else,” Evie said.
Dora cast her a sly glance out of the corner of her eye. “Too sleepy to hear about how I made all that money yesterday?”
Evie sat straight up and turned her full attention to her friend. “Oh. Em. Gee. I’ve been dying to hear this. Spill.”
Dora felt her face flushing as she remembered how bold and powerful she’d felt back on that stage. It was something Evie would have done, not Dora. But she knew Evie would be proud of her, so she cleared her throat and blurted, “I needed to hide from Ricky and ended up in a club that was hosting a naked poetry reading. Long story short, I came to terms with what happened back in Pensacola while I stripped all my clothes off on stage.”
Evie blinked. “You did what?”
Smirking, Dora said, “You heard me.”
“You got naked? In front of strangers? Like birthday suit naked?”
“Well, mostly.” Dora shrugged. “I was wearing my bra and underwear, but I really felt like I was baring my soul for those strangers. It was oddly freeing.”
“Dora!” Evie shouted into the wind. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” she said, making the turn onto Ricky’s street. She glanced at the back door of the club and felt an odd sense of pride. She’d really done it, hadn’t she? It seemed kind of like a dream, only Dora had the cash to prove her performance really happened. “That’s the club. I bet if we circle the block, the flyer announcing a naughty poetry reading is still on the front window.”
“You’re…” Evie shook her head, her eyes lit with excitement. “You’re freakin’ amazing, Dor. I’m so proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Of course I am.” Evie reached over and gave her a fake punch on the shoulder. “First you slayed that lap dance back in Pensacola, and now you’ve upped the game by managing to perform in a semi-naked poetry reading. What poem did you read?”
“None. My silent performance was the piece.” Dora went on to explain that the audience seemed to understand her piece was more about baring her soul than her skin and that they’d loved it.
“So meta,” Evie said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I missed it. Though, I’ve seen you in your undies more times than I can count, so it’s not like I missed that much.” She winked at Dora and placed a light hand on Sunshine’s back, who was now looking at Dora with interest.
“I think Sunshine is jealous,” Dora teased. “I bet she’d love to attend a poetry reading.”
Evie glanced down at her dog. “You know, that’s probably true. I just need to find a chi-chi dog owner group who is totally into all of that stuff so Sunshine and I can both let it all hang out.”
Dora groaned while Evie snickered.
“I’m teasing,” Evie said. “Good for you, Dor. Really. I’m sorry I missed it.”
Dora gave her friend a shy smile. “It really was spectacular.”
“It sounds like it.”
There was a warmth in Dora’s chest as she pulled to a stop half a block down from Ricky’s door. Nothing ever actually felt real until she shared it with Evie. And now that Evie knew, it was as if Dora had lived it all over again. The experience made her feel powerful and more confident than ever. It wasn’t a bad place to be.
A half hour later, however, Dora was ready to tear her hair out. “Evie, if you complain about being bored one more time, I’m gonna—”
“You’re gonna what?” Evie asked, cutting her off. “Scream? Send me to my room? Make me go to bed without supper? Cut off my allowance? Go ahead, Mom. All of that would be worth it as long as I get to keep bitching about how freakin’ boring stake outs are. How long do we have to keep sitting here? My butt went numb fifteen minutes ago.”
“Honestly, so is mine,” Dora admitted. “We need a plan. There has to be a better way to do a stakeout than just sitting here until our feet go to sleep.”
“You’re right. What do they do in the movies and on TV?” Evie asked. “They get donuts, right? And coffee?”
“Yes. Yes, they do.” Dora grinned at her brilliant friend. She knew there was a reason she loved her so much. A donut was the perfect remedy to the complete boredom.
“Then let’s go. There are donut shops all over this town. You can pay with your stripper money.”
“Naked poetry money,” Dora corrected, knowing Evie was just messing with her. She started the car and pulled out, heading in the direction of Canal Street. She was sure they could find a donut shop along the major road.
“Whatever you want to call it, Dor. But rest assured that I’m going to forever think of it as that time you showed your unmentionables to a bunch of strangers.”
Dora laughed. How could she not? Evie was just the r
ight amount of ridiculousness to keep her entertained. “Sorry, Evie. But I left my stash of cash back at Gertie’s. You’re gonna have to pay.”
“Pfft.” Evie waved a hand. “What makes you think I remembered to bring money?”
“Ugh. Are you saying we’re out here without any money? How are we going to survive? Now that I have donuts on the brain, I’m never going to be able to concentrate.” She wouldn’t either. Her mouth had started to water, and all she could think about was the creamy goodness of an éclair melting in her mouth.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Evie pumped her eyebrows at Dora and then threw her head back and laughed. “Did I ever tell you about the time I worked at the Holey Donut?”
“Sounds vaguely familiar,” Dora said, eyeing the businesses as they whizzed by.
“Okay, when we closed up at night, we tossed the leftover donuts, because they had to be made fresh every day.”
“O-kaaay” Dora drawled out. She did know the chain claimed their donuts were baked fresh each day, and she wondered where Evie was going with this.
“So, that means there is bound to be at least a few garbage bags of perfectly good donuts in their Dumpster as long as the garbage collection truck hasn’t come yet. We only have to do a little Dumpster diving. It will be just like college.”
Dora pulled the car to a stop at a red light and gaped at Evie. “You want to Dumpster dive for donuts?”
Evie raised one eyebrow and gave her a half-shrug. “Have you got a better plan?”
Dammit. Dora didn’t. And to top it off, she really didn’t want to spend her hard-earned poetry reading money on donuts. She wanted to save that for gas and lodging for when they had to leave Gertie’s.
“Don’t be so squeamish, Dora,” Evie chastised. “You’re being a little uptight. Trust me. I’m sure the shop here does the same thing. It’s actually a huge waste. And this way, we’ll be doing our part in helping reduce the landfill.”
