“Plenty,” Gertie said, “and none of them good.”
“I’m afraid she’s right,” Ida Belle said. “Celia doesn’t leave Sinful for just any old reason, and if she was gone overnight, it must have been something important.”
“Do you realize,” Gertie said, “that if it were anyone but Celia, we’d think she had a booty call.”
“There’s an image I didn’t need in my mind,” I said.
“Just replace it with one of Willie and the bullet hole through his head,” Ida Belle said. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry than whatever nonsense Celia’s up to. And whatever it is will come out soon enough.”
I nodded and looked out the window at the street. The sun was setting and the light from it had disappeared over the back side of the building. The streetlights were just starting to flicker on, but it wasn’t so dark that I didn’t see the black sedan parked at the edge of town with two shadowy figures inside.
Immediately, my senses went on high alert. I didn’t recognize the car. Not that I knew what everyone in Sinful drove, but I’d probably seen most every vehicle in town at some point or another. It was a black sedan, and there were plenty of those around, but what made this one different was the limousine tint on the windows. I wasn’t sure about the laws in Louisiana, but in most places limo tint was illegal for regular vehicles. I’d never seen it on a car in Sinful.
And even if the car hadn’t stood out, I could feel them inside, watching the café storefront. With the streetlamp reflecting off the glass, they probably didn’t have a good view of us, if they could see us at all, but if they saw us pull up, then they knew we were inside.
“Fortune?” Ally’s voice broke into my thoughts.
She smiled when I looked up at her. “You must be thinking about Carter,” she said. “You were a million miles away. What can I get you to eat?”
I gave her my order and watched as she walked away. I glanced back out the window but the car was gone.
“What’s wrong?” Ida Belle asked.
“There was a black sedan parked at the edge of town,” I said. “Two people inside. Limo tint on the windows.”
Ida Belle and Gertie glanced at each other.
“Where did it go?” Gertie asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It was gone after I finished giving Ally my order.”
“Do you think it’s the same people who were watching Ida Belle’s house?” Gertie asked.
“Yeah. I do,” I said.
“Is it one of those feelings you have?” Gertie asked.
I nodded.
“Then that’s as good as having a signed confession,” Gertie said.
“It’s probably the disappearing Seal brothers,” Ida Belle said.
“So what do we do about it?” Gertie asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I mean, nothing that we didn’t already have planned. We all bunk at my house and be ready if needed.”
Gertie frowned. “They’ve seen us all together. When they find Ida Belle’s place empty, they’ll know to check yours and mine.”
“Let’s hope so,” Ida Belle said, her jaw set. “I’ve moved past worried and right to pissed off. They hurt Hot Rod, one of the nicest people in Sinful, and he might die from it. They killed Willie, and even though we don’t know what the key is hiding, I’m guessing it’s not something he should have died over. I’m ready for them.”
I knew exactly how Ida Belle felt. I’d been there several times on mission when things crossed the business-only line and I developed personal feelings about a victim. It was best not to, of course, but sometimes it was impossible to avoid. In this case, it was personal to Ida Belle. It was her truck they were after, and that vehicle was the reason Hot Rod was in critical condition.
And while I didn’t doubt for a minute Ida Belle’s capability with a weapon, I also knew firsthand what being emotional could do to judgment. As much as I hated to do it, I was skipping dessert tonight and going with a cup of coffee instead. I needed to stay awake. Whatever happened, I had to be the first responder.
The door to the café swung open and Carter walked in. He spotted us and headed our direction, his expression grim. I stiffened and watched his approach, afraid that this was it. Something had gone wrong at Willie’s and he was coming to arrest me. He stopped at our table and motioned to the empty chair.
“Do you mind if I sit for a minute?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Gertie said. “Let me flag Ally down so you can order. We just put ours in.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I don’t have long and I ate a sandwich earlier.”
He glanced around the café, then leaned across the table closer to us and looked directly at Ida Belle.
“There was a report this afternoon of a suspicious car parked on your street,” he said. “It was a black sedan with two people inside.”
“Limo tint?” I asked.
“Yes. How did you know?” he asked. “Is Myrtle telling police business again?”
“No,” I said before he could get worked up. “The neighbor who reported the strange car is telling police business, and it made it around to us. Not the part about the limo tint, though. That part I know because the same car was just parked at the end of the street.”
“What?” Carter’s eyes widened. “How long ago? Did you see which direction they went?”
“About ten minutes ago,” I said. “I looked away to place my order and when I turned around they were gone. I would assume they went the opposite direction rather than pull right in front of the café, but that’s just a guess.”
“Probably a good one,” he said.
“Did you find out who the car was registered to?” I asked, figuring it was good to pretend we didn’t have that information he’d just accused Myrtle of handing out.
“No,” he said. “The plate doesn’t exist.”
“Does that mean the car was stolen?” Gertie asked.
“They’re car thieves,” Ida Belle said. “What do you think?”
Carter ran one hand through his hair. “Maybe the three of you should get out of town…take one of those girls’ trips you’re always talking about.”
“That’s your solution?” Ida Belle asked. “That we flee our homes for an indefinite period of time? Our lives are here. Our obligations and responsibilities are here.”
“Maybe it would only be for a day or two,” he said, but he knew he’d already lost the argument.
Ida Belle shook her head. “Those men aren’t going away until they can access my SUV and either retrieve what they’re looking for or ascertain that mine is not the vehicle they want.”
“Unless they find what they’re looking for somewhere else,” Carter said. “And that’s entirely possible. I went through that SUV with a fine-tooth comb. It’s possible something is still hidden inside, but not likely. I even brought in a dog. No drugs. No explosives.”
“There’s a bit of good news,” I said. “When you get your vehicle back, you won’t go up in a mushroom cloud of blow.”
“That’s an interesting visual,” Gertie said, sounding entirely too perky.