“Oh no. Is Sheriff Lee all right? What about the horse?”
“The deputy got the worst of it, actually. The horse spun around and hightailed it away from the woods, and ran over the deputy, who couldn’t dive out of the way in time. Sheriff Lee did a death cling and managed to stay on until the horse wore out and stopped running. Believe it or not, he managed five miles at full run.”
“Wow. I can’t believe he didn’t keel over from a heart attack. Sheriff Lee, too.”
“When the horse finally stopped running, he lay down in the middle of the highway. Sheriff Lee kinda rolled off of him. We had the eastbound lane blocked for a good half hour.”
“But they’re both okay?”
“The paramedics checked out Sheriff Lee and said he’s fine, but he’s going to be sore as heck. Both of them received oxygen.”
“The horse received oxygen?”
“Apparently, he needed it. Anyway, a friend of Lee’s brought a trailer and they managed to get the horse on his feet and in it. The horse and Lee are officially on medical leave.”
“And the deputy?”
“Sprained wrist. Probably from trying to break his fall. I feel bad, though. Guy does me a favor and ends up injured.”
I nodded; the deputy’s situation was unfortunate, but I was relieved that there were no major injuries due to Gertie’s “mistake.” Given the players, it could have gone the other direction.
“Well, I’m glad everyone’s all right. More or less. That poor horse.”
Carter nodded. His smile had slipped away as he’d relayed the story, and I could see fatigue setting in.
“You look tired and frustrated,” I said.
“That’s probably because I’m tired and frustrated.”
“Did you catch the guy who hurt Hot Rod?”
Carter shook his head. “No. And that’s all I can say on the matter.”
“That sucks. Not the ‘all you can say’ part, but the part where you haven’t caught the guy. Ida Belle, Gertie, and I went to the hospital this afternoon.” I figured it was better for me to offer up the information. That way, it would appear innocent, whereas if I didn’t offer it up, he might think we were up to something.
“Why?” he asked. “They won’t let anyone into ICU except immediate family, of which there’s not any. Besides, I’ve got a guard on the door, and he’s been instructed to turn away everyone but medical personnel on a very short list I supplied him with.”
“I know, and I told Ida Belle and Gertie that would probably be the case, but apparently, there’s some Southern requirement to grease the medical staff?”
“Ah. It’s old-school, but given that Ida Belle just did business with him and he has no family, she would have felt obligated.”
“That’s what she said. I think it’s nice…in a what-the-hell-happens-if-you’re-not-bribing-people-to-do-their-job sort of way.”
He laughed. “They’d all be offended if you called it a bribe. It’s more of an appreciation thing. Kinda like tips for great service at a restaurant.”
“Except it’s prepaid,” I pointed out. “The nurse couldn’t tell us anything, but her expression said he’s not doing well.”
Carter sobered and shook his head. “No. He’s still critical, and the doctor says it’s too soon to tell. I hate this. Sometimes the vehicles he sells get people in hot water and more than a few have wound up in the ER, but he’s a good guy. The only problem I’ve ever had with him is speeding.”
“Makes sense. Are you hungry? I still have some roast beef.”
“I grabbed a sandwich earlier. I don’t think I’m going to get off in time for grilling, so our dinner is still on hold.”
“No problem. I won’t starve.”
“But if you want to come over for dessert, I wouldn’t complain.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m going to have to go on a short-term diet.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why? What’s up?”
“Why does something have to be up?”
“Because it’s you.”
“Well, nothing is up this time, except a problem with Ida Belle’s plumbing. She has a leak and had to turn off the water to her house, so she’s staying with me a couple days until some buddy of hers can take a look at it. He’s giving her the friends-are-free deal.”
“Why isn’t she staying with Gertie?”
“Gertie sleepwalks.”
“So?”
“She also sleeps in the nude.”
Carter stared at me in dismay. “Please don’t provide details as to how you know that. I don’t want to live with those images in my head.”
“Something we can both agree on.”
“Okay, so you’re putting up Ida Belle. So what? She’s a big girl and can sleep alone. And even if you’ve not told her about our sleepovers, I’m sure she knows. Ida Belle knows about everything that happens in Sinful, sometimes before it even happens. If she had any interest in working and I thought I wouldn’t want to shoot myself, I’d hire her as a deputy just for the intelligence gathering.”
“Oh, I’m sure they both know. They’ve said as much although I refuse to provide details, much to Gertie’s dismay. But I would feel bad leaving her here alone, and I’m sure it would be considered bad manners to abandon a guest in your home, even a capable one like Ida Belle.”
He sighed, but I knew I had him with the manners argument. For all his practicality, Carter was still his mother’s son, and Emmaline was a study in Southern manners. If she found out I was playing house with Carter while I had company, he’d never hear the end of it.
“It’s only a couple of days,” I said, hoping that was really the case. “Besides, you look like you could use some rest, and I’m not all that restful.”
“Ha! That might just be the biggest understatement spoken in Sinful this year.”
“Speaking of, have you had any more Celia problems?” I asked, Carter’s words making me think about big mouths and lots of hot air.
He frowned and shook his head. “Nothing. Honestly, that concerns me more than if she were spouting her vitriol all over town.”
“You think she’s plotting her revenge.”
“I’d bet on it. I’m sure I don’t have to say this, but tell Ida Belle to watch her back. No matter how things go down, Celia always figures out a way to bring it back around to Ida Belle.”
“Or me. You don’t think she’ll go poking into my background, do you?”
Carter’s eyes widened, and I knew he’d instantly processed all the possibilities, none of them good. “If she digs too hard…”
“She’ll find out that the real Sandy-Sue never came to Sinful.”
“But she has no way of figuring out who you really are.”
“No. But if she starts screaming loud enough to anyone who will listen, my picture and that bit of gossip could wind up all over social media. Do you really think Ahmad’s cronies aren’t monitoring that? They have better computer techs than Microsoft.”
Carter jumped up from the chair and cursed, then starting pacing. “We have to figure out something to do about this.”
“Like what? The only way to stop someone like Celia from talking is to kill her, and you keep telling me I’m not allowed to do that.”