“Not that I can think of,” Ida Belle said. “His father died in a boating accident when he was ten. His mother passed away a couple years ago. Massive heart failure.”
“She was riding with Hot Rod when it happened,” Gertie said.
I stared. “He gave his own mother a heart attack?”
“No,” Gertie said. “That’s not what I meant. He was driving normal, taking her to get groceries, and she had a heart attack on the way. I’m pretty sure he broke some records getting her to the hospital, but not even Hot Rod’s car was fast enough. The doctors think she died within minutes.”
“Does he have any other family?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” Ida Belle said. “I’ve never known any to visit, and I can’t think of a time that Hot Rod has left town for more than a day, and that was always to look at a car.”
I frowned. While what had happened to Hot Rod was horrifying and I hoped he pulled through it all right, I hadn’t figured out what the emergency part of the story was. This was definitely a police matter. No way could I get involved in something like this, or Carter would arrest me and throw me in jail, dating or no.
“Okay,” I said. “This entire thing sucks, but explain why it’s an emergency. Clearly, I’m missing something.”
Ida Belle blew out a breath. “I talked to the paramedics who brought Hot Rod in. They said he was still conscious when they found him, but just barely. He kept repeating ‘gotta warn Ida Belle’ until he passed completely out.”
“Okay, that’s not cool,” I said.
“Maybe he was loopy,” Gertie said. “I mean, he’d been hit so hard he blacked out.”
“Maybe,” Ida Belle said, “but if he really thought I was in some sort of danger, it would have to be because of the Blazer. We don’t have anything else in common.”
Gertie nodded. “And if other vehicles were missing…maybe they were SUVs.”
“Hold up,” I said. “While I agree that we need to take this seriously until we can figure out what’s going on, the reality is we are speculating as to cause. For all we know, Hot Rod remembered something he intended to tell Ida Belle about the Blazer and before he got a chance to call, somebody took him out.”
“That’s true,” Ida Belle said, “but it feels like there’s more to it, you know?”
Ida Belle wasn’t a fanciful person. She had written the book on practical, so when she said something didn’t feel right, I paid attention. Those same instincts had saved my life on more than one occasion. Smart people were in tune with them and didn’t ignore them.
“Maybe Fortune can find out more from Carter,” Gertie said.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” I said. “He’s been very careful not to mention any of his casework to me.”
“But that was when Celia was watching him like a hawk, looking for a reason to fire him,” Gertie said. “Surely things are different now.”
“His job is no longer in jeopardy,” I said, “but it’s about more than the job. Carter won’t admit it, but he doesn’t want me doing things that put me at risk.”
“No one wants their loved ones at risk,” Gertie said, “but when you fall for a woman like you, then you have to fish or cut bait.”
“I think Carter is firmly in the fishing camp,” Ida Belle said, “but remember, Fortune’s situation is bigger than the things happening in Sinful. If she’s wrapped up in a crime here that puts her in a position to have to testify, or that makes national headlines, she’s in serious crap.”
Gertie sighed. “I keep forgetting about that. I wish the whole thing with Ahmad was over so you could stop pretending and do whatever the hell you feel like doing.”
“You and me both,” I said.
“Have you had any news from Harrison?” Ida Belle asked.
I hadn’t intended to tell anyone just yet, but Ida Belle and Gertie were my best friends and biggest supporters. They wouldn’t leak it to Carter, and they would probably be able to throttle high hopes.
“I heard from him just a bit ago,” I said, and described our exchange.
Gertie’s eyes widened, and I could tell she was excited by the news. Even Ida Belle looked pleased.
“When I get home,” Gertie said, “I’m going to put on my lucky underwear, find my rabbit’s foot, pray harder than I ever have before, and keep my fingers crossed for as long as it takes.”
“You have lucky underwear?” I asked.
Gertie nodded. “I’ve had them for a while. Ida Belle and I took this weekend trip to New Orleans and I met this hottie in one of those strip bars. We hit it off right away and I had a night to remember. That pair of undies has been my lucky pair ever since.”
Ida Belle stared at Gertie in dismay. “Good Lord, woman. Those things should have dry-rotted by now. Dinosaurs still roamed the earth when we took that trip.”
I grinned. “What happened to the hottie?”
“He probably went home to his wife,” Ida Belle said.
“He did not!” Gertie said. “He was on military leave. He went back to fight.”
“The Civil War,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie shot the finger at Ida Belle, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
More than anything in the world, I wanted to figure out a way that moments like this could continue forever. I just needed one bad guy to die.
It wasn’t too much to ask.
Chapter Three
It was almost 9:00 p.m. before I got a call from Carter. I’d gotten a brief text earlier that evening letting me know he had to work late and would reschedule our grill night for later this week. He started apologizing as soon as I answered.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was on something serious and couldn’t call.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. You’re doing your job. Of all people, I get that.”
“Yeah, I know, but all those manners my mom taught me won’t go away.”
He sounded exhausted, and I wondered just how bad things were. Surely if Hot Rod had taken a turn for the worse, Ida Belle would have gotten word of it.
“Have you eaten anything?” I asked. “I have some leftover roast beef. I could make you a sandwich with chips and toss in some of Ally’s peanut butter cookies. Maybe even a beer unless it would put you facedown on the kitchen table.”
“That sounds perfect, but I don’t want to be rude and eat and run. And I’m afraid I won’t be very good company.”
“I don’t mind the eat-and-run or the bad company. I get the job, Carter. I might be the only person in this town who does.”
There were several seconds of silence and finally he said, “I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
I headed into the kitchen and started making up a sandwich. A couple minutes later, I heard a knock on the front door and went to let Carter in. He looked as tired as he’d sounded.
“I just put everything on the table,” I said. “Come and get it while it’s cold.”
He followed me back to the kitchen and sat in front of the plate of food. He pulled the cap off the beer and took a long drink, then blew out a breath.
“I’ve got the harder stuff if you prefer,” I said.
“No thanks. It will just make my headache worse.”