“Seems reasonable,” Ida Belle said.
I stared at her for a moment, trying to formulate an argument, then suddenly realized that I didn’t even want to argue. “To hell with it. I haven’t done anything illegal in days. Let’s do it.”
Gertie clapped her hands. “Nothing says a night with girlfriends like a little B&E.”
Chapter 6
At 10:00 p.m., I hopped in the backseat of Gertie’s Cadillac and we set off down the highway toward New Orleans. I’d suggested taking my Jeep—one, because it was the more reliable vehicle, and two, because I was the more reliable driver—but Ida Belle had insisted that Gertie’s car blended while mine was more easily remembered. As every fifth car on the road seemed to be an old Cadillac driven by an even older woman, I couldn’t really argue the point.
“Shirleen is meeting us in the parking lot,” Gertie said. “She’ll slip in the back door and get the key from the housekeeping drawer at the front desk, then bring it to us.”
“Won’t the person working the front desk notice?” I asked.
“Apparently, the night clerk works a day job as well and sleeps most of his shift,” Gertie said. “As long as Shirleen hears snoring, she’s in the clear.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said.
Gertie shot Ida Belle and me a guilty look. “There’s just one little thing.”
“Uh-oh,” I said.
Ida Belle narrowed her eyes. “What thing?”
“Well, Shirleen has been dating the night maintenance guy and she thinks he’s seeing someone else on the side.”
“And what does that have to do with us?” Ida Belle asked.
“She thinks he’s doing it during his shift,” Gertie said. “You know, getting a free room and having a little fun on the clock. So I told her we’d see if we could catch him in the act.”
“Why doesn’t Shirleen catch him herself?” I asked.
“Everyone at the hotel knows her,” Gertie explained. “She can’t just stroll in during the middle of the night and roam around the hotel without someone asking her why she’s there. And she definitely couldn’t follow Winky around without him noticing.”
“Winky?” I asked.
“On account of the eye tic he has,” Gertie said. “Or maybe he’s just a big flirt. I never really figured it out.”
“So in exchange for the ability to break and enter,” I said, “we also have to follow around Winky the cheating maintenance man. This sounds like a bad sitcom.”
“I couldn’t tell her no,” Gertie said. “She wouldn’t get the key otherwise.”
“I don’t see this ending well,” Ida Belle said.
“It usually doesn’t,” I concurred.
The drive to the hotel went quickly, and Gertie pulled into the parking lot and spotted Shirleen’s car in the back of the lot behind a row of SUVs. She pulled in beside it and a woman jumped out. I got out of the car, eager to get a look at the troublemaking Shirleen.
Early fifties but looked older, five foot three and a hundred and twenty pounds of what Ida Belle would call piss and vinegar. I could take her, but she would fight dirty.
I could see the piss and vinegar part in her stance. And her facial expression. And her tattoos, one of which said “Trouble” and another that said “I did it.” I couldn’t help but appreciate both her honesty and her self-awareness.
Shirleen eyed Ida Belle and me, and I wondered if I was going to have to arm wrestle to get the key. Gertie pointed to us. “These are my accomplices, Ida Belle and Fortune.”
Shirleen must have appreciated the word “accomplices” because she nodded and handed Gertie a key. “This is a master key. It will get you into any room in the hotel. Why do you want in that conference room anyway? Just a bunch of men in suits with stacks of paper everywhere. The manager said they was some sort of accountants.”
“They’re auditors,” Gertie explained. “They’re investigating the mayoral election in Sinful. It’s being contested.”
“That mean bitch that won did something sneaky, didn’t she?” asked Shirleen. “Momma said she don’t know how that woman steps inside of church without it exploding. You going to fix it where she’s not the mayor anymore?”
“Not exactly,” Gertie said.
Shirleen nodded. “Smart. Don’t give me the details, then I can’t testify against you or nothing. All right. You guys do your thing. Drop the key off at Jerry’s Pool Hall when you’re done.”
“We might be a while,” Gertie warned.
Shirleen grinned. “So will I.”
She gave us a wave and jumped in her car. We studied the front of the hotel, trying to decide the best way to enter.
“All the rooms are accessed through the front lobby,” Gertie said.
“Which means walking by the front desk,” I said. “Is the conference room on the first floor?”
Gertie nodded. “Shirleen said it’s at the end of the hall past the elevators.”