Peril in Pensacola

by Lucy Quinn

  “Sure, babe. I’ll get Jax to text it to you.”

  “You’re the best. Good luck tomorrow night!”

  After Evie ended the call, her heart felt lighter, and the wave of doom that had settled over her chest had eased. It wasn’t a lot, but with a Riverwoods employee’s number, at least they had a place to start.

  Evie rose from the bed and bounded down the stairs, anxious to give Dora the news.

  When Dora saw Evie, she said, “You’ve got to hear this. Billy was just telling us what he overheard Brian and Jock talking about.”

  Sunshine jumped into Evie’s lap once she sat to listen, and a plate of food thumped before her as Luke set it in front of her.

  Billy said, “I was telling them about the fight Jock and Brian had over donating to an animal rescue place.”

  “Jock does have a thing for animals,” Evie said.

  “Big enough he was willing to steal for them.” Billy gazed longingly at Evie’s plate, and she pushed it over to share with him.

  “Thanks. I can’t believe I’m still hungry after the feast I already inhaled earlier,” he said as he stabbed a piece of beef with his fork. He chewed a bite, and when he swallowed, he got right back to business. “I’m not quite sure on the details but it sounded to me like the two were fleecing old folks at some home.”

  “Probably Riverwoods,” Dora added.

  “Jock said he saw the check Mr. Tuttle had given Brian for the animal rescue and that he didn’t think he was getting paid enough considering the amount.”

  “Hold on,” Evie said over a mouthful of food. She swallowed it down and asked, “Brian was getting checks from old people at Riverwoods to go to an animal rescue?” She recalled the conversation they’d overheard at the dry cleaners where he was annoyed that Jock wanted to save Sunshine. And the way Brian acted toward her pup, he was no animal lover.

  “That’s what it sounded like,” Billy said.

  Evie said, “Well that stinks more than three-day-old fish. How is this tied in with the Franklins? Why would Brian have cared about the flash drive?”

  “I have a theory,” Dora said. “Think about why one would launder money. So it can’t be traced.”

  “Like by relatives who aren’t getting the inheritance they expected,” Luke said.

  “Right,” Dora continued. “Brian was volunteering at Riverwoods and convincing people to donate to his animal rescue. Only the animal rescue part of his business doesn’t exist. It’s a front for his retirement plan. And he needed to wash the money so that it couldn’t be traced back to his shell corporation.”

  “Oh!” Billy said. “The flash drive they were after has that information.”

  “I bet it does,” Evie said as she and Dora locked gazes. Having that flash drive would be all they needed to put Brian away. It was also what they needed to clear Dora’s name and end this crazy adventure. The only problem was the flash drive was on its way to New Orleans. “But we don’t have it.”

  23

  The defeated look on Evie’s face made Dora want to hug her best friend. She understood exactly how Evie felt, but this latest development was in her wheelhouse, and she was a little bit excited when she said, “We don’t actually need it to implicate Brian. All we need to do is find a relative with power of attorney.”

  “Someone who has access to their elderly relative’s finances.” Luke said. “Smart.”

  “Thanks,” Dora said as the familiar feeling of pride for being right filled her, like she’d just gotten the best grade in math class. Again. “Then we can find proof of a check to Brian’s fictitious animal rescue.” She grinned as an even better idea came to her. “In fact, I bet this charity doesn’t even have 501c3 status. I know a nasty IRS accountant who’d be perfect to tip off.”

  “How do we make it happen?” Luke asked.

  “For starters, I need the name of the rescue charity.”

  “Well,” Evie said as a smile Dora recognized turned up her lips. “This sounds like we need to scheme, and I have some ideas.”

  Dora laughed. It was good to have her friend back doing what she did best. And she never thought she think that, but it turned out Evie’s scheming ways were darn handy when one was on the run from the law. “I bet you do. Throw them out there.”

  “Oh boy, here we go,” Luke said.

  Billy grinned. “Whatcha got, Evie?”

  “Well, we need to get close to the Riverwoods residents. We could try infiltrating the dirty-old men population. I know someone who gives a sexy lap”—Evie stumbled over the last word, catching her impulsive utterance too late—“dance”.

  Dora’s cheeks flushed red, horrified Evie had brought it up, and she thought Sunshine was on her side when the little dog let out a growl. Or maybe the pup was ashamed of Dora, too. She dropped her head to hide her face as she mumbled, “I have no idea who you mean.”

  “Joke!” Evie said quickly in an attempt to cover up her mistake. She let out a nervous laugh. “As if either of us would do something like that. Jeez.”

  Dora’s face was still heated though, and she knocked her fork onto the floor and bent to retrieve it so that her flush would fade before Luke could see it. But as she squatted down to get it, so did Luke. They bumped heads, and she jerked back as stars flashed before her eyes. “Sorry!”

  “No, I’m sorry,” Luke said. “I’ve got a really hard head. Are you okay?”

  Her forehead right above her left eye throbbed as Dora touched it gingerly, and to her horror she felt a welt already forming. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

  When she put her hand down, Luke frowned. “Oh boy, no you’re not. I’ll get some ice.”

  When Dora sat back up in her seat, Billy said, “Wow. That’s some goose egg you got there.” He frowned. “And it keeps getting bigger.”

  “Great.” Just what she needed on top of everything else that had happened. A third eye like Cyclops.

  Evie had the good sense not to stare too hard. “Ouch, Dor.” She mouthed, Sorry.

  You should be, thought Dora, a little peeved that Evie had almost let the cat out of the bag about one of her more embarrassing moments. But when Luke returned and lifted Dora’s face with one hand as he pressed a bag of frozen peas to her forehead, she forgave Evie in an instant. It was nice to see the concern on his face. All for her.

  “Thanks,” she said as she reached up to hold the peas and gazed into his eyes.

  He smiled and stroked her cheek with his finger lightly as he removed his hand. They stared at each other for a moment before Billy said, “Maybe you could do a cooking class. What do you say, Luke?”

  Sunshine gazed up at Evie and growled.

  “Good idea, but that would take a lot of planning,” he said. “And approval from the nurses for all the various diets the residents are on.”

  “Right,” Billy said. “I think they all know how to make mashed potatoes and Jello already.”

  Sunshine let out a yap and pawed at Evie.

  “Okay,” Evie said as she pushed her dog off her lap. “I think Sunshine needs to go out.”

  Sunshine didn’t head toward the door, though. She moved to the middle of the floor and danced around in a game of chase the tail.

  “What has gotten into you, Sunshine?” Evie asked.

  “Oh my god.” Dora knew exactly what Sunshine was trying to say. “It’s so simple; I can’t believe we didn’t see it.”

  Sunshine stopped moving to tilt her head at Dora as if to say It’s about time. Goodness people are stupid.

  “Places like Riverwoods love it when people bring in friendly pets. The residents who don’t have their own companions enjoy the chance to play with a dog.”

  Evie patted her legs. “Sunshine!” And when the little dog jumped into her arms, she nuzzled her. “You genius. That sounds like a solid plan.” Evie gave Dora with a mischievous look. “Although, not nearly as scheming as I usually like.”

  Dora grinned. “I know. We should probably wear sensible shoes.”


  “I don’t know,” Evie replied. “The stiletto as a weapon wasn’t a bad idea.”

  Dora knew an olive branch from Evie when she saw it and offered one of her own. “Neither was smizing. But really, Evie. How does one actually smize?”

  Luke and Billy had confused looks on their faces, and Luke said, “I’d like to know how to smize too.”

  “Fine. I’ll show you,” Evie said. “Everyone, smile as if I’m going to take your picture.”

  Billy, Luke and Dora pasted on camera-ready grins, and Evie said, “Now widen your eyes and think about something that makes you really happy. The point is to make your smile genuine.

  Dora thought about how nice it had been to have Luke’s help, and she glanced over at him. But when he looked back at her with the goofiest looking grin she’d ever seen, she couldn’t help it; she burst into laughter. He did the same, and before she knew it, Billy and Evie had joined in.

  And while it was probably a release of the day’s wild roller coaster of emotions, the truth was they did have something to smile about. They had a plan to take Brian and Marco Franklin down, and there was something about justice that did Dora’s heart good.

  24

  Dora leaned in close to the bathroom mirror to floss her teeth. Evie had gotten ready for bed first, and while Dora could have done so at the same time, she’d spent quality time snuggling Sunshine. She was still shaken up about the drama of the day and needed time to process it.

  It was decided that Billy would stay over until they were sure Brian and the mob weren’t in a position to do anything to him. Luke set him up in his office with a blow-up mattress for the night. The women were in Luke’s room, and Luke planned to sleep on the couch.

  In the morning they were going to call Riverwoods to schedule a dog visit with Sunshine for the residents, immediately, if possible. The hope was that they’d find a dog lover who also happened to donate to animal rescue charities. Maybe even Mr. Tuttle who Billy had mentioned. If they were lucky, they’d not only get the name of Brian’s charity for the IRS, but they’d also be able to get the name of a relative with power of attorney in order to facilitate getting their hands on a check written to Brian’s fake charity for evidence of the scam, which would lead to the money laundering involving the Franklins.

  Toothpaste squirted out of the tube as she put it on her toothbrush. The plan sounded solid to Dora. And like something that wouldn’t get any of them into hot water since there would be no breaking and entering, no fake personas, and no visits to a shady business dressed in skimpy clothing. But it didn’t seem to settle her nerves much. She looked at her toothbrush and sighed. She needed to talk in order to process her day.

  Without brushing her teeth, she walked back into the bedroom to chat with Evie. But when she got there, she heard light snoring from both her friend and Sunshine. Evie had a leg hanging off the bed out from under the covers, for temperature control, Dora knew. And Sunshine was curled up in a tiny ball and snuggled into Evie’s side.

  Dora smiled. It had been a long day for all of them, and she was glad to see they could sleep. She knew that was probably what she needed too, but it wasn’t going to come anytime soon. Too much was racing around in her head. Evie called Dora’s jumbled thoughts the voices in her head, but Dora refused to use that term since it made her sound crazy. Perhaps a cup of tea would help her relax. She heard Luke rustling around in the kitchen and figured she could make a quick cup before he finally settled down.

  She made her way into the kitchen to find Luke must have had the same idea, because he was dunking a tea steeper in a mug of steaming liquid when she walked in. “Hey, there,” he said. He lifted his mug up. “Chamomile. Want some?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Luke handed her his ready drink and grabbed a mug from the cabinet for himself. His fancy cappuccino machine hissed as he poured out boiling water into the cup. “Too wired to sleep?” he asked.

  Dora sighed. “I am. Evie, however, is passed out with Sunshine. I’m jealous.”

  “I’m always amazed at people who can sleep no matter what. Stress really affects my ability to get shut eye.”

  She wrapped her hands around the warm mug, wishing it could take away the chill of her day. Heck, her week. “Me too.”

  “Come sit with me on the couch.” Luke led them over to the living room, and once they sat, he said, “You’ve been through a lot, Dora. It’s no wonder you can’t sleep. Are you okay?”

  Dora shook her head as tears burned in her eyes. Ever since she’d discovered Marco’s money laundering scheme, she’d been on high alert, and it was taking its toll on more than her sleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted but couldn’t seem to turn off the fight-or-flight instinct to get some rest.

  “Hey,” Luke said softly. He set his drink down on the coffee table and leaned back to put his arm up over the top of the couch. “I’ve got a big, strong shoulder. Lean on it.”

  Dora nodded and set her tea down before she snuggled into Luke. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Better?”

  It was. His T-shirt was soft on her cheek, and his embrace was warm. She realized that if she needed to ball her eyes out, Luke was the kind of guy who’d hold her until she was done. And strangely that made her tears dry up. As if he was already soothing her frazzled nerves with just his touch. He was good at this. She looked up at him. “You have sisters.”

  He chuckled. “Two younger ones.”

  “I knew it. You’ve been way too accepting of me and this situation for anything else to be true.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m a mess, Luke. A big, awkward, hot mess on a daily basis. Yet you don’t seem fazed.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “Wow. You clearly have no idea how amazing you actually are. Want to know what I see?”

  She nodded, curious but a little afraid of what he really thought.

  “I see a woman who managed to save her own life doing something nobody should ever have to do because she had no choice. Then she was smart enough to get the hell out of Dodge before someone else tried to kill her. She then discovered someone she trusted wasn’t to be trusted at all. With her back up against a wall, do you know what she did?”

  “I got my best friend and myself kidnapped.”

  “You came up with a plan and did some dangerous things to get yourself out of the horrible situation you were thrown into, Dora. And today, even after you were almost gator food, you still were willing to climb into Cecelia’s lair to save Billy. You were courageous in a way that impresses me more than you’ll ever understand.”

  “Courageous?” She frowned. “I wasn—"

  Luke put his finger on her lips. “Don’t you dare let one self-deprecating comment come out of your mouth. You’re too smart for that.”

  That was where she was going to go. It was a knee-jerk reaction she’d cultivated over the years. But it was time to stop doing that. She couldn’t afford the luxury of wallowing and self-pity right now. She needed to be at her best, and that meant believing in herself. Dora thought about what Luke had said, and she smiled. Just a little. She had been courageous. Although it was more likely she’d just been too scared to realize how stupid she was being. But she’d take courageous from Luke. And somehow his praise was working to calm her, and she felt a welcome yawn come.

  She leaned forward to take a sip of her tea. “You’re pretty amazing yourself, Luke.” She squinted at him as she wondered again if he’d had some training for the situations they’d been in. “Not only are you a fantastic chef, but you’re also capable at lock picking, making realistic sketches, and you have the ability to hypnotize an alligator and a room full of people. I have a feeling there’s more to Luke Landucci than most people know.”

  He winked at her. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you my secrets.”

  Dora dropped her gaze as her heart skipped a beat, and she took a gulp of her tea.

  Luke drank too, and then he asked, “Are y
ou hopeful about tomorrow?”

  She suppressed a yawn and nodded. “If we could learn something to get both Brian and Marco into trouble with the law, it would sure make this whole thing a lot less scary.”

  “And then you wouldn’t have to leave.” Luke set his empty mug down. “Then maybe we could have that date sooner rather than later.”

  Oh, how Dora wanted to believe it could be that simple. But she had no doubt Marco Franklin wouldn’t go down easy. No. She needed that flash drive. “I wish,” she said as she set her cup down with a solid thud. “But I’m afraid I need the evidence on that flash drive, and that means I need to go to New Orleans to get it.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  It would be so easy to let him. But if tomorrow went as planned, then New Orleans would be nothing more than some convoluted Evie scheme to get a stranger’s package in order to retrieve the flash drive. And if it didn’t go their way and Brian or Marco somehow found their way to—

  She shook her head. She couldn’t involve Luke any further into her troubles. “You shouldn’t take off from work for this. It’ll be a cake walk. And knowing Evie, she’s going to want to experience a little Bourbon Street, beignets, and girl time. After the way she’s helped me, she deserves it.”

  Luke frowned but said, “Okay. I’ll let you off the hook this time, but I swear to god, Dora, if you find yourself a hot Cajun and ditch me—”

  Dora slapped at his chest as she laughed. “And never find out your secrets? Not a chance.” This time when her yawn came there was no hiding it. It made Luke yawn too.

  He stood up to take their mugs to the kitchen. “Bedtime. For both of us.”

  Dora stood up, and when Luke turned to her, she said, “Thank you. This was just what I needed.”

  He smiled. “Same for me. Sleep well, Dora.”

  “I will. You too, Luke.”

  25