by Jana DeLeon
“No. But a nice bottle of wine might,” Ida Belle said. “And I’ve been holding a good one for a special occasion.”
“I don’t know that I would call this special,” I said. “Or that I’d give up good wine for Starlight.”
Ida Belle shrugged. “You can reimburse me. Business expense and all.”
“Hey,” Gertie said. “If she gets reimbursed for wine, then I want reimbursement for explosives.”
“Really?” I said. “And how would you like me to categorize that on my tax return—in the illegal equipment category?”
“I suppose that might stand out in an audit,” Gertie said.
Ida Belle shook her head. “Sun’s starting to set. Let’s get out of here before it gets completely dark. I need a hot shower, a good dinner, and cool sheets. I suppose your steak dinner with Carter is delayed?”
I nodded. “He’s on car duty for the duration. But I’ve got some chicken we can throw on the grill if you want.”
“No need,” Gertie said. “I made enchiladas, tamales, and two Bundt cakes last night.”
We stared.
“I couldn’t sleep with that bird chattering, so I cooked. Turns out good for the two of you. Everyone grab a shower, then we’ll meet up at my house for dinner. You’re on your own for cool sheets.”
I stood in the shower until I used every ounce of hot water, which wasn’t nearly as long as I thought it would be. I’d have to ask about getting a second hot water heater. Was that even possible? Or maybe one of those tankless ones where you never ran out of hot water? I’d never been a homeowner before, so these were questions that had never come up. Now I found myself humming happily as I dried off, thinking about all the completely normal things I was responsible for.
It was a far cry from my previous life, and I was loving every minute of it.
I brushed my wet hair and left it alone. I didn’t feel like taking the time to dry it, especially since I was starving, so I pulled on some clothes, grabbed my keys, and headed out to Gertie’s. I didn’t figure on seeing Carter tonight. He had the car to deal with and that would take a while. And since his day had been even longer than mine, he’d probably want a hot shower, food, and bed. He’d probably start going over every inch of the car the next day with the forensics team, so he’d need to be back at it early.
Gertie’s foray into Mexican food was the stuff dreams were made of. At least, the kind of dreams you had after you spent a day trying to hunt down a killer. I ate way too much, but that was expected. I probably should have stopped at the second piece of pound cake or maybe the sixth enchilada, but my willpower had clocked out for the night.
Once we were essentially immobile, we shifted the plates to one side and I grabbed my laptop from my backpack. Ida Belle pulled out a notebook that she and Gertie had been using to make the list of suspects, and we were ready to work. I had already started a document with notes on the case and took a few minutes to add some about locating the car and our visit with Percy.
“All right,” I said when I was done. “Let’s talk suspects. I know Starlight is on the must-see list for tomorrow.”
Ida Belle nodded. “I’ve already verified through my sources that she’s at the motel. Paid for a single night but didn’t give a checkout date.”
I made a note in the document, not even bothering to ask Ida Belle how she’d come about the information. The Sinful Ladies always had a niece or nephew or fifth cousin or friend of their banker or doctor or whoever that worked somewhere and could filter information. It was a big advantage to me. Like having my own local information network, but the off-grid kind.
“Okay, who’s next?” I said.
“They’re not suspects, necessarily, but I think we should start with the two girls Venus was friends with before she left town,” Gertie said. “I don’t think they were close or anything. Not sure Venus was even capable of a real friendship, but I’m guessing they’d have a take on her that went further than most.”
“Probably so,” Ida Belle agreed. “Girls are just young women, and unless a woman is silly, she notices things. They probably know more about Venus than what she put out to be seen.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Names and background?”
“First one is Melanie Breaux,” Gertie said. “She was the nice girl I mentioned before. The one that Venus took up for when she got picked on. She married a local boy. He works road construction—night shift. Currently on the highway job just out of Sinful. Melanie is a part-time teller at the bank.”
I typed as Gertie talked, then looked up when I finished.
“Second one is Haylee Wills,” Gertie said.
“Not a nice girl,” Ida Belle said. “Haylee and Venus were cut from the same cloth. Her parents spent more time in jail than at home and Haylee worked hard at following their path. Had more juvenile arrests than Gertie has dynamite.”
“Probably true,” Gertie agreed. “Haylee seemed to straighten out a bit later on, but as far as I know, she still lives the wild life compared to regular Sinful. Works as a tattoo artist, rides a crotch rocket, probably still into the wrong kind of man. Since her cousin moved away, I haven’t gotten updates. Her mother and father both split some time before. I have no idea where they are.”
“Cool,” I said. “Two completely different personality types might yield a decent picture. What about people who had a grudge?”
Ida Belle turned the notebook around and I looked at the list of names that went all the way to the bottom of the page.
“There’s more,” she said.
I flipped the page over and saw more names covering half a page. “There’s at least forty names here.”
“I’m afraid so,” Ida Belle said. “Started with around sixty, but we managed to narrow it down some by eliminating those without opportunity.”
“Eliminated them how?” I asked.
“They weren’t here,” Gertie said. “Either on a trip, or visiting a sick relative, or in the hospital themselves, or injured so that they couldn’t go running around digging holes and burying bodies.”
“And you’re sure we can eliminate them?” I asked. “Someone could have claimed to be gone and doubled back.”
Ida Belle nodded. “We only took people off the list who were gone, hospitalized, or injured before Venus disappeared. Since it doesn’t appear as if it was planned, we figure none of them were setting up an alibi.”
“Okay,” I said. “So are there any on the list you like for it more than others?”
“Bart Lagasse would be one of my top five,” Gertie said. “Venus dated him in high school. Of course, he thought it was a relationship. The feeling was not mutual. He caught her with other boys but never could shake the habit. His stereo equipment went missing from his bedroom the night she took off for New Orleans. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Venus took it.”
“What is Bart up to now?” I asked.
“Handyman and maintenance sort of stuff,” Ida Belle said. “When he can keep a job. He’s got a temper. Always has. Tends to tell people what he thinks, which usually isn’t much. Doesn’t work so well when you’re telling the boss. Definitely doesn’t work well when you follow it up with a right cross. That’s how he got fired the last time.”
“Sounds like a lovely guy,” I said. I made a note to be dressed for a fistfight when we cornered Bart. “Did he hook up with Venus when she made her return trip?”
“The rumor is he was making another play for her when she took up with Whiskey,” Gertie said. “That backed him off. He’s a hothead, but he’s not going toe to toe with Whiskey. Especially not over someone like Venus. There’s no future in it.”
“Got it,” I said. “Who else?”
“Dean Allard is the top of my list,” Ida Belle said. “Local fisherman and regular at the Swamp Bar. Rumor has it that he spent some quality time with Venus when she first returned. When he didn’t fork over enough cash, she told his wife, who promptly left him and filed for child support for
their six kids. He couldn’t make rent anymore on their house. Last I heard, he moved back in with his mother, who makes the proverbial cat lady seem sane.”
“Ouch,” I said. “I can see why he might be holding a grudge.”
They continued down their list, giving me their picks and why, but no one seemed as good a bet as the top two. Finally, I saved the file and closed my laptop.
“This is great,” I said.
“Now we just need to figure out which one of them is the killer,” Gertie said.
“Remember, all we have here is the information you guys could round up through your channels,” I said. “It’s entirely possible that Venus made enemies you haven’t heard about. That’s why I want to talk to the girlfriends first. They might be able to put us on to one over the other or add someone we didn’t know about to the list.”
Ida Belle nodded. “That’s smart. And you’re right. Venus was certainly capable of making a new and bigger enemy whose misfortune hasn’t made it our way. I imagine most go to great lengths to keep people from finding out they were made a fool.”
“Definitely,” I said. “We’ll hit the girlfriends first and then try Starlight. Then we’ll move on to the guys. Maybe we’ll luck out and some of them will be off work this week.”
I shoved my laptop into my backpack, preparing to wrap things up and head home for some much-needed sleep. Then someone knocked on Gertie’s front door.
“Hide the drugs!” Francis yelled.
I checked my watch and glanced at Gertie and Ida Belle. Almost 10:00 p.m. Much too late for a social call. We hurried into the living room and Gertie peered through the peephole.
“It’s Carter,” she said, and pulled open the door.
He stepped inside, looking like a running year of bad weather.
“Run!” Francis said. “It’s 5-0.”
Carter shook his head. “Are you supposed to run before or after you hide the drugs?”
“Depending on what you have, maybe run with the drugs,” Gertie said.
“What’s up?” I asked. “You don’t look so good.”
“It’s been a long day, and things are going from bad to worse,” he said.
“Did you find something in the car?” Ida Belle asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I did a preliminary search for evidence and found a pocketknife on the floorboard. It had ‘Whiskey’ engraved on the handle.”
Crap!
“That doesn’t mean Whiskey did it,” Gertie said. “Venus probably stole the knife. She didn’t seem to be able to help herself. If something was there and her fingers could reach it, she took it.”
“I know,” Carter said. “But I’ve got to record my findings, and when the DA reads the case file…”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Whiskey had threatened Venus and she was killed the same night. She’d cheated on him and stolen from him and played him for a fool. His knife was in her car and that car had been dumped into the bayou at his brother’s camp. Everything pointed to Whiskey and that’s exactly how the DA was going to see it.
“I’m sorry,” Carter said. “I know Whiskey’s situation with his father and the last thing I want is for him to go up on charges for a crime he didn’t commit. But my hands are tied. I have to report the facts as they arise.”
“No one is blaming you,” Ida Belle said. “That’s the job you’re entrusted with and you have to do it correctly. You won’t do any of us a bit of good if you get yourself fired, least of all Whiskey. Another deputy would stop looking now, figuring his work was done. We know you won’t stop digging until you have the truth.”
“I just hope I find the truth before it’s too late for Whiskey and his father,” Carter said.
I put my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. I knew he felt horrible about the situation and had probably spent a while trying to figure a way out of it before he’d come over here and broken the bad news to us.
“I appreciate you letting us know,” I said. “When will the DA have the updated file for review?”
“I can stall a little,” Carter said. “Wait until the forensic team is done, at least, but after that I have to get everything in. The fact that it’s a holiday week might help or hurt, depending on the DA’s mood. Everyone is trying to lighten their load before Thanksgiving. This isn’t the biggest thing the DA has on his desk at the moment, but it’s still murder. He’s not going to let it slide for very long.”
“So worst case, we have a couple days,” I said.
“There’s something else,” he said. “And I shouldn’t be telling you this, so I’m trusting you not to repeat it. Not even to Whiskey. I’ll question him about the knife, but this other thing is something I’m holding back.”
I stared at him, intrigued. “What is it?”
“I found Venus’s suitcases in the trunk of the car…packed with her belongings.”
Despite being exhausted and the enormous amount of carbs I’d consumed, it took me forever to fall asleep. And then when I did, it wasn’t restful at all. I dreamed all night of submerged cars and suitcases packed with pocketknives. Once I even dreamed of a suitcase with Francis in it. He was praying the entire time, then burst into a rendition of “I Saw the Light” when I opened it.
I finally gave up around 6:00 a.m. and shuffled into the kitchen for coffee, briefly considering snorting some of the grounds right out of the can. Merlin was awake and demanding breakfast, so I got him fixed up while I waited for the coffee to brew. Then I poured a thermos full and headed outside to my lawn chair.
As I sipped and watched the water roll by, I worked through everything we knew about the case. I’d been riding on a bit of a high yesterday when I found the car, thinking I was getting good at this detective stuff. Then Carter had blown a hole in my well-constructed theory and I was faced with revisiting everything all over again.
Ida Belle, Gertie, and I had discussed things briefly after Carter left Gertie’s house the night before, but none of us were firing on all cylinders given the hour and the fact that we all needed to sleep. I’d been restless ever since Gertie had unearthed the body and I imagined Ida Belle had been as well, even though she didn’t let much get through her calm demeanor. Gertie had lost at least one night to the noisy bird, and I wondered if putting a blanket over his cage last night had helped any. If it hadn’t, Lord only knew what Gertie had cooked up. We might have enough food to feed all of Sinful before she got that bird sleeping right.
Then there was the whole other issue—the one that had nothing to do with murder. I could tell Ida Belle’s energy level was down some and I figured that a lot of her thoughts were on Walter’s proposal. Neither Gertie nor I had broached the subject again, figuring all we’d get was a butt-chewing for our effort, at best. At worst, she was armed. But I couldn’t stop wondering why she was thinking about it now. Why, after all these years, did she not hand out the automatic “no” that she always had on tap? Whatever she was wrestling with had to be big because Ida Belle didn’t do drama. And she didn’t usually take much time to make up her mind about things. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, did it, and gave no excuses or explanations for her decisions.
I took another sip of coffee and blew out a breath. While the inner workings of Ida Belle’s heart and mind were an interesting puzzle to tackle, I had a more pressing issue on my plate. If we didn’t find a better alternative than Whiskey, I had no doubt Carter was going to have to arrest him. And based on his record and the evidence, bail was either going to be a big nope or so high he couldn’t swing it. I could only hope that the holiday delayed any action from the DA rather than prompting him to fill up jail cells before he bowed out of the office for a long weekend.
The suitcases.
Such common, uninteresting objects and yet in this case, they were the most fascinating thing I’d heard about in weeks. Even without access to the ME’s report, we knew the window of time in which Venus had been killed. Whiskey kicked her out of the bar around 11:00 p.m.
The cement workers showed up to start on the basketball court the next morning at 8:00 a.m., but the sun was up a bit before.
Venus’s car had been with her that night at the Swamp Bar and her belongings were gone the next day. Percy had been at home that night, and no matter how heavy someone sleeps, they couldn’t have failed to hear someone enter their home and start packing suitcases. And even if he’d thought it was Venus moving around and had ignored it, would the killer have been so brazen as to attempt it in the first place?
I couldn’t imagine that was the case, because it meant the killer had to stash the car that night, return the next day and pack up Venus’s belongings, then drag them through the woods to the nearest side street and get them to the car for disposal. Hauling the luggage through the woods wasn’t a quick or easy job and it increased the chances of being seen. Or what if he was stopped on a traffic violation, had an arrest warrant—which was fairly common in Sinful—and got caught with Venus’s belongings in his vehicle?
And then there were the additional issues with the car. Since it couldn’t have been ditched that night, that meant more chances of it being discovered. Even if the killer had stashed it at Nickel’s place, there was still a chance someone would see it before the killer got back with the luggage. Ida Belle and Gertie had already pointed out that kids would break into vacant camps to have parties or sexy time with girlfriends, and there was always the possibility of someone thinking they could find something to steal.
Quite frankly, someone might have shown up just to use his dock for fishing. Ida Belle had already verified through Myrtle that Nickel hadn’t been released from jail until a week after Venus was killed. My limited experience with boats had taught me that they were broken at least half the time, so someone could have figured that since Nickel wasn’t there to police his dock, it was open for business. Not to mention that any number of locals with boats that were operable could have been out fishing and seen the car go over the embankment during the day.
