I scrolled back, then went to stand in between Ida Belle and Gertie to show them the pictures. “These are good shots of the trellis,” I said, “but I don’t see that it tells us anything.”
Ida Belle studied the photos as I flipped through them. “We need a larger screen. Then we might be able to see some detail that we’d otherwise miss.”
I nodded. “There are also some close-ups of the ground below. I think I can make out footprints, but I agree, we need to download these to a computer to get a better look.”
I flipped through a couple more close-ups of the ground, then the next photo was a blurred canvas of blue and white. It took me a minute to figure out what it was, then I realized Gertie still had her finger on the button when she fell. That was a rather confusing picture of the sky. The next was a blur of green with spots of blue and I assumed that one had been taken from her vantage point inside the shrub.
Ida Belle shook her head. “You should have that ankle looked at,” she said.
“Why?” Gertie asked. “Doctors can’t do anything for a sprain. They’ll make me wait forever, charge me a mint, then send me home with instructions to rest.”
“What if it’s fractured?” Ida Belle asked.
“Then they’ll send me home with one of those funky boots to wear and instructions to relax,” Gertie said. “Amounts to the same thing.”
“I’m afraid Gertie’s assessment is correct,” I said. “There’s not much they can do for a sprain or a hairline fracture. And honestly, if it was broken, I don’t think she’d be walking on it at all.”
“You’re probably right,” Ida Belle said. “But one of these days, Gertie’s aversion to medical treatment is going to send her straight to the coroner.”
“So what now?” I asked.
“I wish we could get a peek at Gail’s laptop,” Gertie said.
I shook my head. “Oh, no. That laptop is locked up in the sheriff’s department. We already had an almost-fiasco at the hotel, and if those security cameras hadn’t been broken, we’d all be sitting in a jail cell about now.”
“I didn’t say we should do anything,” Gertie complained. “I was just commenting that it would be nice to see it so we knew what Gail and the catfish were talking about after she changed her password.”
“Well, it’s not going to happen,” Ida Belle said, “so put the thought right out of your mind.”
Gertie pursed her lips and slumped back in her chair. I knew if she had her way, we’d be formulating a plan to blow open the back door on the sheriff’s department and make off with the laptop, but no way was I getting dragged into something that crazy. I was already on thin ice with Carter and my boss at the CIA. If I kept drawing attention to myself, Director Morrow would pull me out of Sinful and stick me someplace far worse.
“We’ll think of something,” I said.
But I had no idea what.
*
Marie returned at 6:00 p.m. and we briefed her on the meeting with the insurance agent.
“That’s great news!” Marie exclaimed. “I wonder how she managed it? She didn’t think she could.”
“She talked to you about it?” Ida Belle asked.
“Not so much talk as mentioned that she’d inquired about a policy but was a bit shocked at the cost. Being an insulin-dependent diabetic drove the cost up, even though her diabetes has always been controlled.”
“Ah,” Ida Belle said. “I’d forgotten she was diabetic. Yeah, I imagine it took a pretty penny to get that much coverage.”
Marie nodded. “Did you get him to eat anything?”
Gertie nodded. “Lasagna, bread, and half a piece of pie.”
As happy as Marie had been about the money, she seemed even more excited to hear about the food. She thanked us again for helping out, and I hurried Ida Belle and Gertie out of the house as quickly as I could.
Ida Belle drove again, and as soon as we closed the car doors, she turned around and narrowed her eyes at me. “What was that about?” she asked. “You were practically pushing us out the door.”
I felt a flush creep up my neck. “I, uh, didn’t want to see Emmaline.”
I hadn’t seen Carter’s mother since the breakup and wasn’t prepared to answer the questions I was certain she’d have for me. Emmaline was a straightforward, no-nonsense lady, and I liked her a lot. I didn’t like that I had to keep lying to her, and felt even more guilty for putting Carter in a position of having to do so.
“I see,” Ida Belle said. “I guess I can’t blame you. That would be uncomfortable.”
I nodded. To say the very least.
“Do you guys mind if we swing by Mary Esther’s place before we go to Fortune’s?” Gertie asked.
“Swing by?” Ida Belle asked. “She lives a good five miles up the highway.”
“Okay, so we’ll drive there,” Gertie said. “I promised her I’d drop off some knitting plans two days ago and with all that’s going on, I keep forgetting. She’s starting to stalk me on Facebook.”
Ida Belle shook her head and turned the next corner, directing the car to Main Street.