Peril in Pensacola

by Lucy Quinn

  Brian didn’t move.

  Janelle ran over to Brian and started checking his vitals. Tsking to herself, she pulled out her phone and called for backup and an ambulance. “I’ve got a runner here. Gonna have to cuff him,” she said into the phone. “And chief? He’s one of ours. Internal Affairs is gonna need to be let in on this.”

  Dora stepped out of Aggie’s room and grabbed Evie by the arm. “Let’s go.”

  Evie let out a sigh of relief just as the old, pudgy man at the far end of the hallway called, “Hey, Daisy. Don’t forget you offered me a hand job. I’ll be waiting.”

  Evie turned around and glared at the dirty old man. “I did nothing of the sort. And if you say anything like that again, I’ll tell old Miss Peaches that you have HPV.” She stuck her tongue out at him, spun back around and stalked to toward the exit.

  “Ha! She’s the one who gave it to me,” he called back.

  Dora shuddered and tried to block out the exchange. All she wanted to do was get out of there before Janelle figured out she was involved in Steve Franklin’s death.

  As she passed the handyman, he sat up and winked at her. Dora did a double take when she realized it was Billy. He was wearing a white wig, and she wondered where that had come from. Likely Enrique’s closet.

  Get out of here, Billy mouthed. I’ve got this.

  Of course, he did. The man survived delivering mail in the brutal Florida heat. He could do anything. She gave him a grateful smile and rushed after Evie.

  As soon as they were outside, they met Luke at the car and Dora handed him the keys as he said, “Let’s go!”

  29

  “Where are we headed?” Dora asked, squirming in the front passenger seat of Luke’s car and tugging at her too short dress again. Evie and Dora had just filled him in on what they’d found out about Brian and that Janelle was arresting him.

  “Home. Then you two are getting on the road,” Luke said. Evie, while she’d been trying to flirt information out of Tuttle, found out that Brian had gotten money from him, and when Evie tried to point out that it was likely a scam, the old man had gotten belligerent and turned on her. If he came to his senses, that would be two victims that they knew Brian had stolen from.

  Dora glanced over at Luke, wondering what he’d been up to while they were getting the dirt. He was wearing blue overalls and dark sunglasses. “Nice disguise.”

  He chuckled. “Billy and I got the maintenance jobs. Or at least we got a tryout. I think both of us failed. I’m supposed to be dealing with some plumbing right now, and Billy was supposed to be mopping floors, but he got sidetracked by the bad lighting.”

  Evie snorted. “Can’t take direction huh? Hopefully you’re better at that in the sack.”

  “Evie!” Dora shot back. “That’s—”

  “Funny?” she supplied with a wink.

  Dora rolled her eyes and turned to Luke. “How did you know we needed to get out of there?”

  “I saw Brian go in. I figured you’d be making a quick escape,” he said. A horn blared as they weaved in and out of traffic.

  “And Billy?” she asked. “We can’t just leave him there.”

  “Don’t worry about him. I’ll go back for him.” Luke turned a corner, and as Dora braced herself, she was surprised to find they were almost to his house. A few moments later, he opened flipped his visor down and pushed a remote that opened one of many garage doors in a long building Dora had assumed was storage space for the townhome complex residents. When the door was up it revealed a purple convertible.

  “Sweet!” Evie said, jumping out of the black sedan and running over to the sporty car. “When did you get this?”

  “A few years ago,” Luke said. “It belonged to my mother. She gave it to me before she moved up north. Convertibles and snow don’t mix.”

  Dora barely spared a glance at the car, although she did store the information for later. Instead, she hurried inside and straight to the bedroom where she promptly changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She’d had just about enough of the short, clingy, wrap dress. When she came out, Luke was waiting for her with a key ring.

  Her took her hand in his and gazed down at her with a serious expression. Dora’s mind raced with all the things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him she didn’t want to go. Or take him up on the offer to join them. But then she thought about how much danger she’d brought to too many people as it was.

  “Here,” he said. “You guys take the convertible. You can’t be seen in Evie’s car. Marco and his gang know what that looks like. And they’d recognize your Toyota, too.”

  “We can’t do that!” Dora insisted.

  “The hell we can’t,” Evie said from behind Luke. She reached over and snatched the keys. “You can take VW that’s sitting at the dildo shop and have it as collateral. It will be fine.”

  Dora sighed. “Evie…”

  “We’re kind of in a predicament here, Dor. Let Luke do this nice thing.” She shoved the key into the pocket of her Daisy Dukes. “I’m gonna go get our stuff while you two say your goodbyes. Be ready to fly in ten.”

  Dora watched her friend move toward the bedroom, and when she turned back to Luke, she didn’t think too hard about what she did next. She threw her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to us without you.”

  “There’s no need to thank me, Dora,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you.”

  She let out a small sigh and hugged him tighter.

  “I have something else for you.” He pulled back and pressed an envelope into her hand.

  When she glanced inside, she saw a stack of green bills. “Oh, no. Absolutely not.” She shoved it back at him. “This is way too much.”

  He wrapped his fingers around hers, closing her hand around the envelope. “Don’t be stubborn, Dora. Neither of you have jobs, and you can’t use your credit cards unless you want to be tracked. Just take it. You can pay me back when you return.”

  “If we return,” she muttered, feeling a little sorry for herself.

  “Hey,” he said softly, lifting her chin up with one finger. “You’ll be back. All you need is that evidence, and then everything will be fine. Right?”

  “Right,” she said bravely, forcing herself to smile.

  “Good. Now take the cash. You’ll need gas and a hotel room. Not to mention road trip food.” He winked at her.

  Dora resigned herself to the fact that as much as she hated taking his money, she didn’t think they had a choice. He was right. They needed cash. She shoved the envelope in her pocket and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for everything. I don’t think I deserve this but thank you anyway.”

  “Dora—” he started.

  She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Don’t say it.”

  “Can I at least kiss you?” he asked.

  She didn’t hesitate. Nodding, she stepped a tiny bit closer. Luke tilted his head down and brushed his lips over hers, sending a shiver all the way to her toes despite the summer heat.

  “When you get back, I’m taking you out on that date you owe me.”

  “I can hardly wait.”

  30

  “Whoohoo! New Orleans or bust!” Evie cried into the wind. Not only was she driving the purple convertible with Dora and Sunshine sitting in the passenger seat, but they’d managed to take down Brian and get out of town safely. Luke texted Dora that he’d retrieved Billy without incident, although the man had insisted he had to return at some point to install LED lightbulbs to help the place go green.

  While they still had Marco, Fred from the dry cleaners, Jock, and the rest of the money laundering ring to worry about, Evie believed Dora felt as though she could breathe again.

  “Hand me those Cheetos,” Evie said to Dora. They were about an hour into the trip and had just stopped for gas and junk food.

  “You know it’s only a three-an
d-a-half-hour drive, right?” Dora said as she handed over Evie’s hard-won treat. Dora had wanted to save their money for nutritious food that would fuel their bodies. Evie had to threaten shoplifting them to get her way. She wouldn’t have, of course. But considering the things they’d done the past few days, Dora had her doubts.

  “It’s still a road trip. Don’t harsh my joy.” Evie slipped her sunglasses on and sped across the Mississippi State line. “Besides, we’ll be home before we know it. That package we sent may have already gotten to Gertie’s house.”

  “I hope so,” Dora said. She was quiet for a long moment before she asked, “Does Trace know you’ve left?”

  “Of course not,” Evie said, giving her friend a strange look. “Why would I do that? We’ll be back tomorrow or the next day at the latest. I don’t think Trace will be back before then.” It was a lie. Trace would likely be home in a few hours and would come looking for her. A pang of regret filled her. She missed him and hated that she was leaving him in the dark, but she didn’t want to pull him into this mess.

  “Liar,” Dora said softly. “You should call him later and make sure he knows you’re thinking about him.”

  Evie waved a hand and made a pfft sound.

  “You can’t fool me. I know you love him, even if you can’t seem to make a commitment,” Dora said as she patted Sunshine’s head.

  “It’s just not the right time to commit,” Evie said, sounding annoyed. “We’re off to New Orleans, he’s performing, and… I just don’t think I’d do well with a ring on it, if you know what I mean. I’m too much of a free spirit.”

  “That might be true,” Dora said with a nod. “But I still think you two are perfect for each other.”

  “Just like you and Luke,” Evie said with a knowing smile. “You two are gonna make gorgeous babies someday.”

  Dora turned away, but not before Evie saw her cheeks flush pink.

  “It was hard to leave him, Evie,” Dora said. “I’ve never had a man be so sweet to me before.”

  Evie’s heart swelled as she glanced at her friend, happy that she’d finally found someone who made her feel so special. But in true Evie fashion, she gave her friend a giant smile and said, “I know, sweetie. But don’t worry, you still have me! And New Orleans is gonna be lit! You’ll see.”

  Dora glanced at her friend, chuckled, and then threw her head back and called, “New Orleans, here we come!”

  The sun was setting low in the sky when Evie pulled the car into the parking lot on North Peter’s street. The French Quarter was alive with street performers and tourists while off-key music blared from the calliope on the nearby steamboat. Energy filled the air, and once they were out of the car, Evie stretched her arms out wide, happily twirling around. “I love it here!”

  Dora wasn’t quite so giddy. She glanced at her phone, frowning. “Let’s just find Gertie.”

  “Relax,” Evie coaxed, clipping the leash onto Sunshine’s collar. “Her apartment is just around the corner. We’ll stop there first, then head to Bourbon Street. By tomorrow night you’ll be back in Luke’s arms.”

  Dora rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m not worried about Luke. I’m worried about evidence.”

  “And that’s why you’re so uptight.” Evie slipped her arm through Dora’s and started to tug her down the uneven sidewalks. “Do you smell that?”

  “What? The stench of rotten oranges?” Dora asked.

  “No, party pooper. Beignets! As soon as we meet Miss Gertie, we’re heading to Café du Monde, and then we’ll do Bourbon Street and get a couple of hurricanes. We’ll find somewhere fabulous for dinner and—”

  Dora stopped them short. “Please tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing,” she said with a gasp.

  Evie’s heart skipped a beat. “You don’t see two ambulances and four police cars,” she said with the hope it could make it true. The building directly in front of them was where they were headed. “Or that stretcher being rolled out of the building.”

  “No. This isn’t happening. Oh god, what if …” Dora said, pressing her hand to her stomach.

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Evie tugged Dora up to the small group of bystanders who were talking in hushed voices. “Excuse me.”

  A little old woman with short, brassy blond hair turned to look at them. “Yes, dear?”

  “Can you tell us what happened here? We’re supposed to meet our Great Aunt Gertie and—”

  The woman let out a small sob, clasped her hand to her mouth, and shook her head as tears sprang to her eyes. “You poor dears.”

  “That wasn’t…” Dora gulped.

  “It’s Gertie,” The woman cried. “My sweet Gertie. She was fine this morning. And now she’s dead.”

  Evie and Dora gazed at each other in shock. It was one thing to sweet talk an old woman into opening a Buddha-shaped piggy bank so they could get a flash drive. But one who was dead?

  A tear rolled down Dora’s face, and, to be honest, Evie wanted to cry too. She didn’t, though. She grabbed Dora’s hands and looked her hard in the eye. “We’ve got this, Dor. You’ll see.”

  * * *

  The End

  * * *

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  Why do Dora and Evie want beignets, étouffée and a Budda bank? Follow them to New Orleans to find out in Mischief in New Orleans.

  About the Author

  Lucy Quinn is the brainchild of New York Times bestselling author Deanna Chase and USA Today bestselling author Violet Vaughn. Having met over a decade ago in a lampwork bead forum, the pair were first what they like to call “show wives” as they traveled the country together, selling their handmade glass beads. So when they both started writing fiction, it seemed only natural for the two friends to pair up with their hilarious, laugh-out-loud, cozy mysteries. At least they think so. Now they travel the country, meeting up in various cities to plan each new Lucy Quinn book while giggling madly at themselves and the ridiculous situations they force on their characters. They very much hope you enjoy them as much as they do.

  Deanna Chase, is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans or playing with her two shih tzu dogs.

  Violet Vaughn lives on a small island off the coast of Maine where she spends most mornings walking along the water with her Portuguese water dogs.

  www.lucyquinnauthor.com

  lucy@lucyquinnauthor.com

  Also by Lucy Quinn

  Secret Seal Isle Mysteries

  New Corpse in Town

  Life in the Dead Lane

  A Walk on the Dead Side

  Any Way You Bury It

  Death is in the Air

  Signed, Sealed, Fatal I’m Yours

  Sweet Corpse of Mine

  Knocking on Death’s Door

  Highway to Homicide