We didn’t talk as Kase drove toward the Masters’ property. Once there, he guided the truck off-road, drove through a field behind their property line, slipped the truck into park, and cut the engine.
“The lake is just over there,” he said, pointing into the darkness.
“I’ll take your word for that.” It was too dark for me to see anything. I will say that the stars shone brilliantly. However, I was deeply grateful that we were in a locked vehicle and not traipsing around outside. Between the alligators and a shooter that might be lurking nearby, the cramped cab of a truck suited me just fine, thank you very much.
I’d had more than enough fun for one day.
“STEPHANIE, WAKE UP.”
Although the words were whispered, they somehow broke through my slumber. I sat up. I was still in Kase’s truck, asleep on my first stake-out. Hardly impressive. I looked over at him. He looked like it was the middle of the morning after a good night’s sleep. “Sorry, I fell asleep.”
His only answer was a nod. His eyes were focused on something outside. I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus but the only thing I took in was an all-encompassing darkness.
“I’ll be right back, darlin’.” He already had one hand on the door handle. “Stay put.”
I held my breath for several long seconds after Kase disappeared into the darkness. Breathe, Stephanie, breathe. Horrific visions of Kase being attacked by an alligator danced in my mind’s eye. I didn’t even want to think what might happen if he interrupted someone making a drop. My only source of comfort was that the passenger window was open a tiny bit and I didn’t hear tortured screams. I counted to one hundred at least twelve times before Kase returned to the truck. Without a word, he turned the engine over and we started back the way we’d come. He didn’t turn the lights on until we were on the road.
“False alarm?” I asked, wondering what had put the frown on his face.
“We’ll let Carter and the divers he’s going to have to call in decide that.” He looked over at me and favored me with a half-smile. “You okay, darlin’?”
Agent Kase Mayeux was sexier than he had the right to be, but if he didn’t already know that he wasn’t about to learn it from me. I schooled my features so that I looked like I was at a board meeting. “Certainly. Just another stake-out.” I appreciated his being kind enough not to mention that I’d napped through more than half of it. “What’s this about divers?”
“I’d bet ninety-nine cents to a dollar that I just witnessed the gun that was used to take a potshot at Donny Masters being thrown into their lake.”
“Really?” I shifted in my seat. “What makes you so sure it was a gun?”
“What else do you think someone at a crime scene is going to want to sneak out and dispose of in the middle of the night?”
“Right, I see your point.” I thought a moment. “I don’t suppose you saw who it was that was doing the throwing?”
Kase nodded. “I most certainly did.”
“And are you going to tell me who it was?”
“None other than the mother of the bride-to-be, Kitty Masters.”
Chapter Nine
“JUST WHAT WERE YOU two young’uns doing in Mudbug this late?” Aunt Ida Belle appeared none too pleased as she looked between Kase and me. We stood on her front porch as if we were two shamefaced teenagers rather than the professional, independent adults we actually were.
“We know what they were doing,” Gertie piped up from the porch swing, her voice decidedly merry for so late in the evening. “We just don’t know why they had to go all the way to Mudbug to do it.”
Kase slipped his arm around my waist and leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Aren’t senior citizens supposed to be early to bed and early to rise?”
“We’re also supposed to be hard of hearing, but I just heard every impudent word you said.” Aunt Ida Belle fixed a stern glance on Kase.
“I left a note,” I said in our defense. “It wasn’t our intention to cause you any distress.”
Fortune settled next to Gertie on the porch swing. “I don’t think your aunt’s upset with you, Stephanie. I think she’s actually concerned that she might have missed out on something related to the attempted shooting. Any truth to that, Ida Belle?”
“Oh, hell’s bells.” My great-aunt threw up her hands. “Guilty as charged. I hate getting left behind.”
“You didn’t miss much, although we did learn one thing that was interesting.” I motioned toward the house. “Shall we go inside?”
“You go ahead, ladies. I’m going to track down LeBlanc.” Agent Mayeux leaned down and deposited a gentle kiss on top of my head. “Try not to miss me too much, darlin’.” He waved as he walked toward his truck but then stopped and looked back. “I highly recommend you ladies stay safely inside until morning.”
I stifled a groan. Those words were tantamount to waving a red flag in front of this crowd. I shepherded them inside and soon we were back at the kitchen table, also known as Shenanigans Command Central.
“So, what’d you find out?” my great-aunt asked.
“Agent Mayeux—”
Gertie held up her hand. “Stephanie, if you and Agent Sex Pot are really dating, shouldn’t you call him by his first name?”
“Oh, right. We drove out to do some surveillance behind the lake at the back of the Masters’ property—”
This time it was my great-aunt who interrupted me. “Then what was that cockamamie story about going to Mudbug?”
I suddenly felt exhausted. Why weren’t these two women, both decades older than I, showing signs of fatigue? “Kase contended that if you knew where we were, and what we were doing, you’d have joined us. I agreed with him. Was he wrong?” My great-aunt’s silence was all the admission that I was likely to get. I pressed on. “I lost track of how long we’d been waiting.” Why mention that I’d dozed off? It wouldn’t earn me points with this group. “But eventually Kase caught sight of someone and followed them.”
“Was it Donny Masters?” Fortune asked.
I shook my head.
“The Colombian bombshell?” Gertie asked.
Again, I shook my head. “Guess again.”
“Like hell I will,” Aunt Ida Belle grumbled. “Put us out of our misery.”
“It was Kitty.” I could see their surprise. “Kase saw her pitch something, a gun he thinks, into the lake. He’s gone to tell Carter what he suspects about the drugs.”
“So he said.” Aunt Ida Belle scratched her head, her brows knit into a frown. “Who knew mousy little Kitty had it in her to destroy evidence?”
“You never really know about people.” Fortune blew out a long breath. “Now we just need to figure out why she threw the gun in the lake.”
What? Fortune was having trouble understanding Kitty’s actions? And we were supposed to believe that she was an undercover operative? Ha. CIA agent my left foot. “To get rid of it, obviously,” I said.
Their expressions were pitying. “Yes, Stephanie, we’ve worked out that much,” my great-aunt said. “But why? Was it because she used it to take a shot at her ex-husband? Or did she know who shot him and wanted to stop them from trying again?”
“If it were Shawn or Cassandra, it’s only natural she’d want to shield her children.” Gertie absentmindedly stroked Priscilla, who was curled up on a chair of her own. “I doubt she’d want to protect Charo. There can’t be any love lost between those two.”
I pressed my fingertips to my temples. We weren’t getting anywhere, and the more we talked about it, the less sense it all made. “I feel bad that we weren’t able to help Kase discover anything concrete. Cassandra’s wedding was the only reason we had for being anywhere near the Masters. But now we don’t have a single excuse to be in their world.”
Gertie met my eye. “It ain’t over until it’s over, kiddo.”
“But it is,” I protested. “Now that the wedding’s been called off—”
“Where’d you hear that?” my great-au
nt demanded.
My eyebrows rose. “You can’t seriously believe that there’s going to be a wedding after someone tried to kill the bride’s father?”
“Sure I can,” she shot back. “Almost murdered and murdered are two very different things.”
“Gotta agree,” Gertie chimed in. “If they aren’t throwing a funeral by the day after tomorrow, they’ll be throwing a wedding.”
Throwing a funeral? Was that how it was done here in Sinful? I shuddered to think. Today’s bridal shower had been bad enough. I stood. “It’s been an incredibly long day. Anyone else think it’s time to call it a night?”
Everyone agreed. We made it as far as the front hall when the doorbell rang. We exchanged puzzled looks. Aunt Ida Belle looked out the peep hole. “Mercy me,” she whispered. “It’s the blushing bride.”
Cassandra? What was she doing here this late?
We found out soon enough. Within minutes we were back at the kitchen table. Yet another plate of Ally’s cookies sat in the middle of the table. I poured several glasses of milk. Gertie had suggested a round of cough syrup shots, but I vetoed that idea. I still had my standards. Perhaps Cassandra had come to collect apologies from each of us for ruining her bridal shower. Fair enough. I’d start.
“I can’t apologize enough for what happened today.” I set a glass of milk in front of her and sat beside her. “You deserved so much better than that. I’m sorry.”
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “I don’t blame you.” She cast a polluted look at my great-aunt first, then at Gertie, and lastly at Fortune. “We all know who’s to blame and it certainly isn’t you, Stephanie.”
I was torn. Family loyalty dictated that I rush to Aunt Ida Belle’s defense. I looked across the table at her. She was a gruff woman at times, most definitely rough around the edges, but she’d been kind to me since my arrival in Sinful. Granted, she had to have known that instigating a game of “Pin the Tail on the Bitch” wasn’t going to end well but, in fairness, I had asked her to distract the shower guests. And that she did. I cleared my throat. “I can only repeat that I’m truly sorry, Cassandra. I know I’m not alone.” When no one chimed in, I verbally nudged them. “Right, Aunt Ida Belle?”
Her head snapped up. “Oh, yeah, right. Sure. I am sorry.” Her gaze settled on the plate of cookies. “Shame about the cake.”
“It certainly turned into a disaster,” Gertie concurred, “but take heart, honey. With the divorce rate as high as it is, you’re likely to get another chance at this whole bride thing one day.”
Incredulous, I could only stare. What could I follow that up with? These women were going to be the death of me. The absolute death.
“So, is the wedding off or still on?” Fortune asked. “We heard about your dad.”
Well, that was certainly direct. Cassandra must have agreed because she blinked rapidly several times before she answered. “Oh, it’s on. One thousand percent on. A few stray bullets aren’t going to stop me from marrying Devon. In fact, that’s why I’m here.” She turned and laid a hand on my arm. “Stephanie, promise me you’ll come to the wedding. I absolutely need you there.”
It was my turn to blink. Had I heard that right? She was re-inviting us to the wedding, not disinviting us? “Of course, I want to be there for you, Cassandra, but what about my great-aunt and friends?” I knew I was about to push the envelope, but I had to. One for all and all for one. “I’ll only attend if we’re all invited.”
A quiet few seconds passed. “If you feel so strongly, then of course you must bring your friends.” Her grip on my arm tightened. “But you’ll impress upon them how important my big day is to me?”
I patted her hand. “Absolutely, I will. I promise.”
I’d hammer it into them if that’s what I had to do.
“AUNT IDA BELLE, YOU need to let Walter hold you closer.” I motioned for her to take a few steps toward him. “You cannot properly waltz if there’s two feet between you.”
“Says who?” she grumbled.
Gertie, sitting in a folding chair against the church basement wall, snorted. “Miss Prim and Proper, that’s who. And she knows more than you do about this dancing crap. Ah, heck, everyone knows more about it than you.”
“Pardon me, Kase,” I said as I extricated myself from his arms. “This should only take a moment.” I made a beeline for my great-aunt. Once I reached her, I laid a gentle hand on Walter’s shoulder. “You’re going to have to hold her closer, Walter. The man leads, so don’t be hesitant.” I placed my free hand on my aunt’s back and moved her toward Walter. “There, now hold that stance while we practice.”
“Come on, Ida Belle, it can’t be all that bad to be in my arms.” The twinkle in Walter’s eye and his teasing tone put a blush on her cheeks and a smile on my face.
I turned to check on Fortune and Carter. In contrast to Walter and my great-aunt, they were standing indecently close. I clapped my hands. “Carter, please take a step away from Fortune. That’s right. You two need to maintain a proper distance between you.” I sighed. Perhaps borrowing the church basement for a last-minute dance refresher course hadn’t been wise. But, based on the dancing I’d seen thus far, it had been necessary. Had these women never waltzed before? Only around the truth, would by my guess.
I rejoined Kase, feeling remarkably comfortable in his embrace despite our height difference. There was something solid and steadying in his presence. I was even growing accustomed to his snake tattoo. But, of course, this had less to do with a personal attraction than it did with my appreciating his sanity. A rare commodity in this town. “Are we ready to try again?”
Without waiting for an answer, I motioned for Gertie to hit the music. I can’t speak for the other ladies, but I enjoyed the next half an hour as Kase guided me around the room. I lost myself in the rhythm of the waltz, right up until the basement door flung open and crashed into the wall. We all stopped dancing and stared at the human tornado that had just blown in.
Celia, Sinful’s mayor-from-hell, stood in the door way, complete with a sour expression that would curdle milk.
“What in tarnation do you want, you old gas bag?” my great-aunt called out. “We’ve got this room for another thirty minutes. Now shoo.”
Celia ignored her. “Carter, you unhand that bottle blonde this instant and report for duty.” Celia’s tone took imperious to a whole new level.
“I’m not on duty, Celia.” Carter’s voice was strained but still professional. “Deputy Breaux is working tonight. Have someone at the station get ahold of him.”
Celia strode across the room until she stood before him. “No one else can handle this. It’s an emergency.”
Gertie cut the music.
Carter released his hold on Fortune and settled his hands on his hips. His face was a deferential mask. “What’s so all-fired important that only I can handle it?”
“Drugs.”
Kase and I exchanged a startled glance. What had Celia stumbled across that we’d missed?
“You got a drug problem? Go to rehab,” Gertie said. “Take all the time you need there. We’ll hold down the fort here.”
Carter held up his hand before Celia could blow her top. “Drugs? What are you talking about?” His tone had changed, though. He sounded less annoyed and more alert.
“There’s a drug czar here in Sinful and I want them eliminated.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Arrested or shot, dead or alive, I don’t care. Just get it done tonight.”
“Can you give me a little something more concrete to go on?”
Celia whirled around and pointed directly at me. “Ask her. Miss Prim and Proper. She’s in it up to her fancy little neck.”
Instinctively, I touched my string of pearls. Kase’s arm tightened around my waist. “Me?” I squeaked out.
Celia’s expression was triumphant. “See, the drugs are getting to her brain already.”
Gertie shot to her feet. “At least she’s got a brain. More than we can say for
you, Madam Straw for Brains.”
Aunt Ida Belle lunged for Celia, but luckily Walter was able to grab her before she could wrap her hands around Celia’s neck. Carter moved between the two women.
“Celia, you’d better hush up right now before you say something even more slanderous,” Carter warned her.
“It would be a shame to see you get sued by Stephanie’s hotshot Boston newspaper,” Fortune said, although her tone implied the opposite. “A lawsuit like that would cost the town a pretty penny, and I bet the city council would vote your sorry butt out of office faster than you could say ‘I resign’.”
“Enough.” Kase’s voice cut off the blow-up we all knew was coming. “Celia, I can assure you that Stephanie is the last person in Sinful who would be involved with illegal drugs. I’m going to tell you just once that you’d better not level that accusation again.” He took a step toward her. “Do you need me to repeat that?”
Eyes wide, Celia shook her head. I’d never seen the woman cower in front of anyone before, but she was doing so now. I don’t know if it was Kase’s size or his snake tattoo that she found menacing, but she remained silent.
“Good. I’m glad you understand me. Now, what is it that you know that you think Deputy LeBlanc needs to know?”
Celia swallowed hard. “Brazilian nut.”
We all exchanged confused glances.
“Come again?” Kase crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m talking about that Brazilian woman flouncing around town today acting as high as a kite. She said she knew Ida Belle’s niece.”
A Bayou Wedding Page 6
