Reel of Fortune

by Jana DeLeon

  Ida Belle grinned. “Let me know about the damage.”

  We set out down the road for Ida Belle’s truck. Carter and Gertie had pulled away while we were talking to Young Huck.

  “Should have caught a ride with Carter back to the SUV,” Ida Belle said.

  “Nah. I think Carter and I need some time apart. Besides, if I smelled that skunk for a minute longer, I was going to hurl.”

  Ida Belle looked over at me. “You and Carter have had a rough start to the rest of your life together.”

  I shrugged. “It is what it is. I used to worry about it, but what’s the point? I’m not going to change who I am and as soon as I’m legit, we’ll have every right to be poking our nose into things. Carter knows I’m not going to sit around watching television or fishing or doing whatever other innocuous thing he can think of. I’m made just like him. He’s not doing any of those things.”

  “He is when he’s off work,” Ida Belle said. “But I get your point. Hard for the man to argue when you’re cut from the same cloth.”

  “We’ll have our arguments, I’m sure. But at least now it’s better than in the beginning…before he knew.”

  Ida Belle nodded. “At least now he knows you can defend yourself. And likely a small city.”

  I grinned. “Depends on the layout and my options for weapons.”

  We reached the SUV and checked on Bones. He was upside-down, all four legs in the air, snoring so loud he sounded like a chain saw. Ida Belle closed the back of the SUV and we headed out.

  Then I remembered the letter. “I found something in the wardrobe,” I said.

  “Really? I thought you were taking a while just to retrieve our things.”

  “I knew Gertie didn’t have a chance to search it and I didn’t want to leave things incomplete.” I told her what I’d found and showed her the pic I’d taken.

  “So it looks like maybe there is some oil on the land,” Ida Belle said. “That’s interesting. But you didn’t find anything else?”

  “No.”

  “So we don’t know how much oil we’re talking about or if Hooch even contacted the drilling company, much less if they made him an offer.”

  “I guess we’ll have to contact them and find out. We’ll have to play it off as something else, though—grieving widow, attorney for the deceased, something.”

  Ida Belle nodded. “We’ll figure out something and make a call tomorrow. I keep a burner phone. We can use that.”

  “Cool. I probably need to stock up on burner phones, with that whole PI thing and all.”

  “Wait until you have your license. Then it’s tax-deductible.”

  I nodded and yawned. “I cannot wait to get some shut-eye. This has been one of the longest days of my life.”

  “Going to be lovely for me listening to that all night,” she said, and pointed to Bones.

  “How does Marie stand it?”

  “She wears those noise-canceling headphones,” she said. “Got the idea from you.”

  “You’re welcome to borrow mine,” I said. “Should be quiet at my place. Merlin doesn’t make noise unless he’s pissed off or hungry.”

  “No worries. I’ll stuff my ears with cotton and turn on the television. That should drown him out well enough.”

  “Well, if you change your mind—”

  My cell phone ringer went off, and I frowned as I pulled it from my jeans, hoping there wasn’t already a Gertie issue at hand. I glanced at the display and felt my back tighten.

  “It’s Ally.”

  I answered, but she was talking so fast and was so stressed, I couldn’t make out what she was saying. “Slow down,” I said. “Take a deep breath and repeat that.”

  I heard an intake of breath and then the exhale.

  “Someone threw a rock through my living room window,” she said. “It had a note that said ‘Murderer get out.’ How could people believe I killed someone? I’ve lived here almost my whole life. These people know me.”

  “Did you call the sheriff?” I asked.

  “Yes. Myrtle said Carter would be here in a few minutes, but there’s a hole in my window and it’s the middle of the night. I’m scared, Fortune. This had to be someone I know. How could anyone who knows me be this mean?”

  “I’m on my way. Gather up some things. As soon as you’re done with Carter, you’re coming to my house.”

  “No! I can’t bring my problems to you. That’s not fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair. Either you come to me or I start sleeping on your front porch.”

  There was a couple seconds of silence, then a quiet, “thanks.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I assured her before disconnecting.

  I explained the situation to Ida Belle, who’d already assumed there was an emergency and had been pushing far past the speed limit ever since we’d turned onto the highway. She cruised through downtown Sinful at a fast clip and pulled up to the curb at Ally’s place. Carter’s truck was already in the drive. There was no sign of Gertie, so I assumed he’d dropped her off first.

  Ida Belle and I rushed to the house and went right inside. Carter was standing in the living room, holding an evidence bag with the rock in it. Ally was sitting on the couch but as soon as we came in, she launched forward and threw her arms around me.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said.

  I looked over her shoulder at Carter as I hugged her, and he gave me a grim look.

  “Of course I came,” I said as she released me. “Did you pack some things?”

  “I didn’t,” she said. “I forgot. Let me go grab a toothbrush and change clothes at least. I’m still in my pajamas. And with Carter in my house. The tongues will be wagging tomorrow.”

  “To hell with people and their tongues,” Ida Belle said. “And to hell with changing clothes. It’s bedtime and you’re properly dressed. No sense in putting on something fancy to go to Fortune’s house and go back to bed. Just grab a set of clothes for tomorrow and a toothbrush and call it done.”

  Ally nodded, seeming somewhat relieved to receive orders from an older woman. I suppose it was that whole child-mother thing. She headed upstairs and I turned to Carter.

  “Well?” I asked.

  He showed us the rock. “Typical of any rock found in the woods around here.” He turned the bag around and showed us the note. “Typed. I’ll run it for prints, but I don’t expect I’ll get anything.”

  Ida Belle shook her head. “And I’m sure no one saw anything because it’s the middle of the night and they were all asleep.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to ring doorbells,” Carter said, “but that’s what I’m expecting to hear. I probably won’t bother canvassing the neighbors until tomorrow. No sense waking up the whole block to find out they were all asleep.”

  I nodded, understanding how frustrated Carter was at the situation because it held little chance of resolution and was almost definitely done by a local. Sinful residents liked to pretend the town was some sleepy little Southern hamlet with eccentric characters and mostly good people. No one liked a reminder that hateful people called it home as well.

  “It’s good you’re taking her to your house,” Carter said. “She won’t be able to rest here. Not yet.”

  “Especially not with that broken window,” Ida Belle said.

  “I’ll call someone about it tomorrow,” Carter said, “but it will probably take some time to get it replaced. In the meantime, I’ll board it up for her.”

  “And she’ll stay with me until this entire mess is over,” I said.

  Carter nodded and gave me a rueful smile. “Cuts a bit into date night, but I’ll feel better about this if you’re keeping an eye on her.”

  Ida Belle snorted. “Please. You don’t think there’s any real threat against Ally. Just some nasty coward flinging rocks in the middle of the night. What you do think is that having Ally in her house will keep Fortune from doing things you don’t necessarily approve of.”

  The tiny fl
ash of guilt in Carter’s expression let me know that Ida Belle’s comment had hit the mark. He recovered quickly, but it was too late. He’d already given himself away.

  “Carter knows better than to think anyone influences my decisions,” I said. “Right?”

  He sighed. “Unfortunately, that is correct.”

  “You wouldn’t be even remotely interested in me if I were a pushover.”

  “But I’d have a lot less worry,” he said. “And I wouldn’t be hauling off skunk-infested senior citizens in the middle of the night.”

  “There are a handful of available young women here who fit your bore-me-to-death description,” Ida Belle said. “Of course, I notice that you never bothered to ask any of them out…”

  “I’m ready,” Ally called out as she hurried down the stairs with a tote bag.

  “Then let’s get you back into bed,” I said.

  “I’ll be by Fortune’s sometime tomorrow to talk to you,” Carter said. “And don’t worry about your window. I’ll get it addressed.”

  “Thanks,” Ally said. “Do you have any booze?” she asked me as we left her house.

  “Of course,” I said. “I’m an official Sinful resident now. I thought that was a requirement.”

  Ally hesitated for a second before climbing into Ida Belle’s SUV, then jumped when Bones let out a big snort. She glanced into the back of the SUV, then frowned.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, giving me a look of dismay. “You and Ida Belle were having date night, or whatever you call it when you’re doing things that Carter doesn’t approve of. And since you arrived at my house together, I gave you away.”

  “Carter was already aware that we were out cavorting,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “You’re sure?” she said. “I don’t want to cause any problems with you guys, especially since you were probably out tonight doing something to help me.”

  “Actually, we were hunting,” I said. Might as well keep up the charade.

  “Hunting?” Ally looked confused. “Is that why you have Bones?”

  I nodded.

  “Did Carter buy it?” she asked.

  Ida Belle laughed. “About as well as you did. But he’s got nothing on us, so don’t worry about it. We’re all sleeping in our own beds tonight, although Gertie might need to burn her sheets and mattress tomorrow. She had a run-in with a skunk.”

  “Oh no.” Ally giggled. “It seems Ms. Hebert is always having a mishap.”

  “Funny,” Ida Belle said. “We pointed out the same thing.”

  Ida Belle pulled into my driveway and Ally and I climbed out.

  “I’ll call you in the morning,” I said.

  She gave me a nod and a wave and we headed inside.

  “You can take whatever room you’d like,” I said. “The bed in the back guest room is more comfortable than the bed in Marge’s room.”

  “You mean your room?”

  I laughed. “Yeah. I guess I should look into replacing the mattress now that it’s mine. I think Marge probably had that one a while. It’s still strange though. Anyway, go ahead and take your stuff up. I’ll bring you a big shot of whiskey.”

  “Are you going to bed too?” she asked.

  “I’ve got to take a shower first, but yeah, eventually.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”

  Ally smiled. “You know, that statement would have made me feel better before, but now that I know the real you, it adds a whole other layer of meaning.”

  “There’s nothing in Sinful that’s a match for me, except maybe Carter if we’re talking hand-to-hand combat. Get some rest. No one is going to bother us.”

  Ally gave me a hug and headed upstairs. I could tell by her slow tread that she was exhausted and a bit defeated. I understood why she’d feel that way, but I didn’t agree. All the rock had done was make me even more determined to find out who had killed Hooch and completely clear Ally’s name. I imagine it had done the same for Carter.

  Bottom line—the murderer didn’t stand a chance.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carter showed up around eleven thirty the next morning. Ida Belle and I had already decided that church today was off our to-do list. She promised to call Gertie early enough to fill her in on the situation with Ally before she started getting dressed. Between the late-night hunting and rocks through windows, I was happy to skip out on service this week. Besides, Francine’s cooler was broken and the fact that there was no banana pudding had already circulated. Therefore, my running skills weren’t needed.

  I answered the door, still half asleep, and shuffled off into the kitchen. He followed me and took a seat at the table as I put on a pot of coffee.

  “Did I wake you up?” he asked. “You never sleep this late.”

  “Well, when you spend a good majority of the night listening to Ally toss and turn, and you move back and forth from the couch to the recliner trying to find a comfortable spot, it takes a while to actually fall asleep.”

  “Why didn’t you sleep in your room? You don’t think anyone is going to bother you here, do you?”

  “No. But I think Ally felt safer knowing a former CIA agent was downstairs with a gun. Or two.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “I don’t suppose you found out anything from the neighbors.”

  “No. Didn’t expect to.”

  “Do you think they’re telling the truth?”

  “Yeah. This isn’t gang territory, where people are afraid to speak out of retaliation. If one of them had seen something, they would have told me.”

  “Probably did it on foot anyway,” I said. “Then scurried off into the woods like a good little coward.” I sighed. “I don’t get this whole small-town thing. It’s like some people want to believe the absolute worst about someone. And the nicer the person, the more they want it to be true.”

  “There’s some truth in that.”

  “But why?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Maybe inferiority. They know they’re not as ‘good’ as someone else, so they like seeing the people they picture as better than them taken down a bit.”

  “So basically, they want everyone to wallow in the mud with them so they can pretend to be better than what they are.”

  “Something like that.”

  “That’s crappy.”

  “It is, but it’s also not restricted to small towns. I saw plenty of it in the military. It’s everywhere, Fortune. It’s just more obvious in small places and it’s something you never would have noticed before.”

  “Maybe not.” I’d moved away from people after my mom died, and my career had been my only focus until now. Things like this had probably been going on around me but I hadn’t paid attention. Mostly because other people weren’t really on my radar. Not unless they were on my insertion team. Or a target.

  “So what do you do now?” I asked. “And please don’t give me the whole ‘police business’ speech. This is Ally. I’m not going to back off.”

  “I know. But even if I wanted to tell you my business, the truth is I don’t have anything to tell. I’m stumped. I have a list of people who had reason to have a grudge against Hooch, but not one that I think would lead to murder. And since most of the grudges are months or years old, it seems odd to think someone would wait that long.”

  “I guess opportunity is a bit of a problem as well what with half the town having access to the food or water at the fishing rodeo. I mean, it might have been a risk to do it out in the open but with so many people milling around the café and the dock, wouldn’t it have been impossible to do it without someone noticing? Maybe they just don’t know what they saw.”

  Carter nodded. “I’m not giving up. Someone knows something. Sooner or later, the truth will surface. It always does.”

  “I hope it surfaces soon. Too many rocks through windows and Ally might leave. I don’t want that to happen. It would be a big loss. To the town. To Francine. Mostly to me.”

&nbs
p; Carter reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “I’m not going to let that happen. I’ll figure this out.”

  I nodded. I didn’t doubt his dedication or his belief in himself. But Carter didn’t have the same connections I did. Couldn’t really, as they were criminals. I felt a tiny bit guilty for not telling him about Hooch’s request for money from Big and Little, but there was no way I could betray that trust. Carter would rush right in to question them and that would be the end of my working relationship with the Heberts. I owed them too much to put them in the middle of things. Besides, I had no doubt Carter would search Hooch’s house before he allowed people in and find the letter from the drilling company. He’d put two and two together and start taking a closer look at Junior and anyone else who stood to gain if Hooch struck the oil lottery.

  But no matter how convinced I was that all of us were doing everything we could, I couldn’t help but feel that we were completely overlooking something.

  Something big.

  Ally came down right after Carter left. Since he didn’t have any information for her, he’d elected to leave her sleeping and had asked me to bring her up to speed on the neighborhood questioning when she got up. She looked as if she’d had a rough night, which was fitting since I was positive that was the case.

  “You want anything to eat?” I asked. “I have breakfast stuff. I’m no gourmet, but I can manage eggs and toast.”

  Ally poured herself a cup of coffee and smiled. “I must look awful for you to volunteer to cook.”

  I shrugged. “You look how I expect you to look, given the situation. I’m sorry, but I’m not good at the whole lie-to-make-you-feel-better girlie thing. I can try harder, but I seriously doubt I’ll ever be any good at it.”

  She laughed. “Everyone needs that person in their life who will always be honest with them. Well, I mean, honest excluding that whole CIA thing. That one was outside of your control.”

  I felt a bit of relief sweep through me. My friendship with Ally was important to me, and now that I was going to be around for a long time, I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the only peer relationship I had. Peer as in age. In everything else, I was more like Carter, or Ida Belle if I needed to go for the female version.