Swamp Team 3 (A Miss Fortune Mystery)

by DeLeon, Jana

  “I’m glad you did.” I slid back into my chair. “Were you able to get back to sleep last night?”

  “Finally. For a couple of hours, I swear I heard every noise in Sinful. Exhaustion must have caught up with me and then I slept like the dead. I can’t believe I didn’t wake up until eight o’clock. I almost never sleep past six.”

  I jerked my head toward the kitchen clock. “Jeez, it’s after nine o’clock already.”

  “So what? Today is my day off, and you’ve got a whole summer off, sorta.”

  “I’ve been trying to sleep late since I arrived. I just haven’t been overly successful. And I’m surprised Ida Belle and Gertie haven’t already stormed the gates. Every time there’s a whisper of a chance of my sleeping late, Gertie shows up with the chickens, banging on my door.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out when someone knocked on my front door.

  “Speak of the devils,” I said and headed to the living room to answer the door.

  I flung open the door, still clutching half of my second muffin, but it wasn’t Ida Belle and Gertie standing on my porch. It was Carter.

  “Looks like I’m just in time,” he said, staring at my muffin. “Or maybe too late? Please tell me I’m not too late.”

  I waved him inside and headed back to the kitchen. “Another ten minutes and I’d be giving you a different answer. But as it is, you’re in luck.”

  Ally jumped up from the table as Carter walked in. “Oh, crap, I’m still wearing my robe.”

  “Hey,” Carter said, “if you can cook in it, the robe is okay by me.”

  A blush ran up Ally’s face. “I’ll be right back. Help yourself.”

  “I intend to,” Carter said as he pulled a muffin from the tray.

  I poured him a cup of coffee and pointed to the butter as I sat back down. He slid into the seat Ally had vacated. I expected him to tear into the muffin as I had, but instead he glanced back, then leaned toward me.

  “I just finished talking to the arson investigator.”

  I felt my pulse tick up a notch. I’d thought he was here to bitch at me some more about the creeper. I’d never considered that he’d have information on the fire so quickly. “That was fast.”

  “He came out first thing this morning. It didn’t take him long to find the source. The fire was definitely set, and it’s no professional job. Someone poured gasoline on the back corner of her porch and tossed some up on the walls.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone want to hurt Ally?”

  Carter shook his head, his expression grim. “I don’t know, but you can bet I intend to get to the bottom of this.”

  I heard the floor creak overhead and glanced up. “Do you have to tell her?”

  “I don’t see any way around it. Her insurance company is going to require the investigator’s report before processing a claim.”

  “Crap. Have you had any other suspicious fires in Sinful lately?”

  “No. The fire incidents we have here are mostly the usual illegal trash burning or accidents while working on boat motors. The last house fire was the homeowner’s fault. The fool was barbecuing and when it started raining, he thought it would be a good idea to move the grill into his living room. He tripped and dumped the entire mess in the middle of his floor. Sent the house up in flames.”

  I stared. “Incredible.” I blew out a breath. “I hate this.”

  “Look. I know you’re trying to protect her, and I’d like to as well, but the reality is, if someone is trying to hurt her, Ally is the person in the best position to know who and why. And if she’s on alert, she’ll be more careful.”

  He was right, but that didn’t make it suck any less. “What about footprints or any other evidence? I know a lot was probably destroyed by the fire and all the water spray, but you processed the crime scene, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me and I saw the shift in his expression. Carter the man who asked me to dinner was long gone. Carter the cop was in full force. “I did and will do my job, as I always do. What I need you to do is keep an eye on Ally and stay out of my way.”

  “Of course,” I said, and I thought I sounded pretty convincing, especially considering I had zero intention of complying.

  Apparently, I wasn’t as convincing as I thought.

  Carter pointed his finger at me. “Do not get in the middle of this, Fortune. You’ve been lucky so far that your meddling hasn’t resulted in a blown case or something far worse. And just in case you’ve conveniently forgotten what interfering in a police investigation can result in, I brought something for you.”

  He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his jeans pocket and handed it to me. I unfolded the paper and stared at it in disbelief.

  “You’re billing me for the sheriff department’s toilet repair?” During my last adventures in investigating, I’d gotten into a bit of trouble with the toilet at the sheriff’s department. I was of the opinion that I’d sustained more damage than the toilet, but apparently, I was wrong.

  “You’re the one who broke it,” Carter said. “Just because I don’t know what illegal or unethical thing you were up to at the time doesn’t mean I don’t know for certain that you shouldn’t have been doing it. So from where I sit, the toilet was likely broken in the commission of a crime.”

  “Are you serious? The only crime I committed was stepping in gum.” By God, that was my story and I was sticking to it.

  “Well, that step cost you a hundred and twelve dollars. And I will point out that if you’d been at home instead of downtown inciting a riot, you wouldn’t have stepped in anything.”

  “You know good and well it wasn’t me who started the riot.”

  “Maybe not. But what I know for certain is that you broke the toilet.”

  “Maybe if it wasn’t a million years old, it could have stood up to me dipping my foot in it.”

  “Probably true, which is why I was sorely tempted to leave that ancient, leaky, moldy pile of bricks and move into the old firehouse building when it came up for sale. But the old firehouse doesn’t back up to the bayou, and I didn’t want to drive somewhere to access the sheriff’s boat.”

  “Maybe you should give up the boat altogether and just walk on water with all your perfection.”

  He sighed. “Look, I know you want to help your friends, and I find that admirable even though it usually causes me grief, but how many times do you have to have a brush with death before you realize you’re supposed to leave law enforcement work to law enforcement?”

  It was an argument I couldn’t win. Not unless Carter knew the truth about me. Sandy-Sue Morrow, librarian extraordinaire, had absolutely no business insinuating herself into a crime spree. And even though I thought billing me for the toilet was sort of a low blow, I understood where he was coming from. Carter thought he was protecting the defenseless of Sinful, and as far as he knew, I was just one more added to his list.

  “I don’t want any more brushes with death than I’ve had already,” I assured him. I held up my hand. “Scout’s honor.”

  That much was true, anyway.

  “That’s not Scout fingers,” he said. “You look like you’re swearing in for a trial.”

  “Fine then, grab a Bible and I’ll swear to stay out of police business.” I just wouldn’t tell him I was crossing my fingers under the table.

  Before he could saw anything else, Ally bounded back into the kitchen, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and looking perkier than anyone should before noon.

  She stopped next to the counter and stared at me. “Is he making you ask permission to speak? Because it’s kinda your house.”

  I dropped my hand. “No, I was considering slapping him, but it seemed sort of girlie.”

  She looked back and forth from Carter to me, then shook her head. “I don’t think I want to know.”

  Carter leaned back in his seat and took a bite of muffin. “These are great.”

  “Of course they are,” Ally said as she slid
into the chair next to me with a fresh cup of coffee. “Did you just stop by for muffins or did you get anything on the creeper?”

  “Nothing on the creeper, but I’m asking around.” He swallowed the last of his muffin and downed some coffee. “I spoke with the arson investigator this morning.”

  “Oh.” Ally sat up straight. “How long does he think it will take to figure out what started the fire? I mean, I guess they have to test stuff and all…”

  “Actually, he was able to identify the source fairly quickly, and I’m sorry to say, it was deliberate.”

  Ally’s hand flew up to cover her mouth. “No!”

  “He found traces of gasoline on your back porch flooring and walls.”

  Ally’s hand shook slightly as she lowered it back to the table. “Why would someone set my house on fire?”

  “I don’t know,” Carter said. “I hoped that was something you could help me with.”

  Ally’s eyes widened. “Me? I don’t see how.”

  “Have you had an argument with anyone lately? Even something small—even at work—anything that someone could have built up into a grudge?”

  Ally slowly shook her head. “I can’t think of anything. I mean, Aunt Celia’s given me some grief over being friends with Fortune, but I hardly think she’d come burn my house down over it.”

  “No,” Carter agreed. “That’s a stretch, even for Celia.”

  His attempt at lightening the mood generated a small, forced smile from Ally. “I haven’t had problems with anyone,” she said. “I swear. Not even a disagreement at the café. Ever since Ted’s murder, things have been really quiet, almost painfully civil.”

  Carter nodded. “I don’t want you to worry about this. I’m going to figure it out, but in the meantime, it might be a good idea if you stayed here while the repairs are being made to your house.”

  “I thought you said I’d be able to move back in after the initial cleanup and when the house could be secured.”

  “You can…I’m just not recommending it.”

  “Oh,” Ally said quietly.

  Carter rose from the table. “Try not to worry about this, and if you think of anything, call me anytime.”

  He looked at me as if he expected I’d escort him to the door, but I was too irritated over the toilet bill to be bothered with manners. “Thanks for dropping by,” I said, then went back to eating my muffin.

  Without another word, he turned around and left. I took a big gulp of coffee and watched him as he disappeared down the hall.

  “Well,” Ally said, “that wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable. What exactly did I interrupt when I came back downstairs?”

  “The usual—Carter telling me to stay out of his investigation. Me promising to stay out. Him not believing me.”

  “Surely he doesn’t think you get involved in things on a whim? None of the things that have happened to you since you came to Sinful were your fault. The only thing you’re guilty of is trying to help your friends.”

  “Yes, and he’d prefer that I did not continue that tradition.”

  “I see. And you promised not to.”

  “Yeah, but I had my fingers crossed under the table.”

  Ally stared at me for a couple of seconds, then laughed. “Oh my God. You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Of course. Did you really think I was going to take a backseat when someone is out to get you? Even if you didn’t bake the best muffins in the world, you’re my friend. And I’ll be darned if someone is going to hurt one of my friends on my watch.”

  Ally smiled. “I love that you feel that way, but what can you do about it? I know you’ve gotten to the bottom of some things recently, but you’re a librarian. You could have been hurt or worse. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

  “I have no intention of putting myself in danger,” I said, and that wasn’t a lie. It usually wasn’t my intent that got me in a pickle—it was Ida Belle and Gertie’s.

  “But you already have,” Ally pointed out. “You invited me to stay here. If someone is out to get me, that means you’re in danger simply by doing a good deed.”

  She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. “Oh my God! What if the creeper was the guy who tried to burn down my house? That has to be it, right? He could have killed you last night.”

  “The way he screamed when I rounded the corner and darn near ran into him, I doubt killing someone was on his mind. I think I scared him more than he scared me.”

  “That’s only because he didn’t expect anyone to be out there. The point still is, I’ve already put you in danger.”

  “I don’t think so. He took off running. What kind of killer runs away from his prey?”

  “But why was he here in the first place? You didn’t have any trouble before last night. So it has to be because of me.”

  “Okay, let’s just say that’s true. What are your options? Staying with Celia would put her in danger, and regardless of my profession, I think I’m better equipped to handle a potential threat than her. There’s no hotel in town. Your job is here. Your house is inhabitable.”

  “It’s inhabitable right now.” Ally rose from the table. “I’m going to call my insurance adjuster and see if they can put a rush on things. As soon as the house is livable, I’m moving back in.”

  “No way—”

  She held up her hand. “Tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing if the situation were reversed.”

  I let out a huff. The truth was, I would have stayed in the house, breathing smoke and ash, and with a sniper rifle trained on the backyard, just waiting for the guy to come back and finish the job.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said and headed out of the kitchen.

  I slumped back in my chair. That had not gone as planned. If Ally went back to her house, I couldn’t protect her the way I could if we were under the same roof. And I couldn’t exactly tell her that I was an assassin and not a librarian, although that would instantly fix all my problems—with this situation anyway. It would open Pandora’s box for others.

  I didn’t doubt for a moment that Carter would do everything within his power to find out who was responsible. He was an honorable man and it was clear to me that he cared about the people he protected. What Carter wouldn’t do is things not within his power, and I’d already decided that the legal system was quite restrictive when it came to tracking down the guilty.

  Which left only one option—Swamp Team Three.

  Chapter Five

  Gertie plopped down on my couch, clutching a pair of tennis shoes, and looked over at me. “You’re sure Ally won’t be back for a while?”

  I nodded. “I called you guys as soon as Celia hauled her out of here. She’s taking Ally to the Catholic church for some sort of prayer vigil and lunch thing.”

  “Good,” Ida Belle said. “Someone should make a note. This might be the first time Celia has done anything useful.”

  “For us, maybe,” I said. “Ally might have a differing opinion.”

  “No doubt she does,” Gertie said, as she bent over to remove her loafers and pull on tennis shoes. “So explain to me again why we’re going to sneak over to Ally’s house?”

  “To find clues,” Ida Belle said. “Someone tried to burn down Ally’s house. Then was creeping around Fortune’s. We need to find out who it is. Have you been paying attention at all?”

  Gertie gave Ida Belle a dirty look. “I’m not senile. I’m just wondering why we’re going to go slipping around the back side of the neighborhood, then tromping through the swamp, when all the information we need is at the sheriff’s department.”

  Ida Belle threw her hands in the air. “What are we thinking? We should have Gertie walk down there and get Carter to make us a copy.”

  “Sarcasm is not a good look for you,” Gertie said.

  “Now she tells me.” Ida Belle grunted as she tied her shoe.

  “I’m not suggesting,” Gertie said, “that we stroll down to the sheriff’s department and
ask Carter to hand over his files. I was merely pointing out that we have managed to get confidential information out of the building.”

  “Oh no,” I said. “I’m not breaking into the sheriff’s department again. Heck, I’m not even going to walk past it on the sidewalk.”

  Ida Belle stared. “What’s eating you?”

  I grabbed the toilet invoice from my coffee table and passed it to Ida Belle. She scanned the document, then started laughing.

  “He asked you on a date,” Ida Belle said, “but he’s billing you for breaking the toilet? He needs some serious work on his romancing skills.”

  Gertie snatched the invoice from Ida Belle. “Well, this doesn’t make any sense at all. Why in the world would he bring this up now?”

  “To dissuade me from any thoughts of getting involved in his investigation of Ally’s house fire,” I said. “And given that I had a creeper and he got a cat thrown on him, he’s going to be watching me closer than ever. I want to protect Ally as much as you guys, but I can’t keep taking the kind of risks I have been.”

  “She’s right,” Ida Belle said. “And since Carter’s interested in Fortune on a personal level, he’s going to pay even closer attention to everything she does.”

  Gertie stared at us, a confused expression on her face. “But we’re about to sneak into Ally’s backyard, which has been roped off as a crime scene. Isn’t that a risk?”

  “Yes,” I said, “but it doesn’t count unless we get caught.”

  Ida Belle nodded. “Breaking into the sheriff’s department is a far bigger risk, especially since Carter’s convinced we’ve done it before.”

  “We have done it before,” Gertie said.

  “Of course we’ve done it before.” Ida Belle’s exasperation started to show. “But we’re not going to admit to it! And Fortune’s right—all the happenings here lately have put her under a spotlight. We need to do everything we can to get that light off of her.”

  “Who said she had to go?” Gertie asked.

  I looked over at Ida Belle, who frowned. “Well, hmmm, no one, I guess.”