“I don’t suppose we can get out of it,” I said.
“Not this week,” Gertie said. “If you don’t go to church Halloween week, everyone will think you’re a devil-worshipper.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” I asked. “Hey, will Celia be going all skunked up then?”
Ida Belle shrugged. “Probably. But since she’s not Baptist, we don’t have to care.”
I laughed. “I’ll text Mannie and request the police report when I get home.”
“So what’s on the agenda tomorrow after church?” Gertie asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “We already talked to Judith and I want the police report before we head to New Orleans. I guess we should try to talk to that horse breeder.”
Gertie nodded. “And maybe we should spy on Liam and Tiffany some more.”
“Because the last time was such a success,” I said.
“Hey, we got a bit of information, some boudin, and a couple hours in a hot tub out of it,” Gertie said.
“As much as I hate to agree,” Ida Belle said, “she’s probably right. That conversation between Liam and Tiffany bothers me a lot. They warrant a closer look.”
“Okay, but no stealing things,” I said.
“No getting locked in the meat cooler,” Gertie said.
I smiled. “Touché.”
I heard a burst of thunder overhead and a couple drops of rain splashed on my face.
“Now it rains,” Gertie said. “Could have used it back at the burning maze.”
“Oh well,” I said. “At least it will wash off most of the foam. Maybe I won’t have to mop my floors.”
I had a nice long shower and sent a text to Mannie explaining what I needed while I heated up some beef stew. He promised me something the next day, which worked perfectly. My corn dog and caramel corn had worn off ages ago and the smell of the stew heating up had me practically salivating. For extra measure, I heated up some garlic breadsticks and gave a piece of cheesecake the side-eye as I closed the refrigerator.
“I’m coming back for you,” I said, then turned around to see Merlin staring at me.
“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “You already had your dinner and you’re not going out again. You’re going to be fat as a horse before Halloween is over from all those bribes. And I don’t have any more fish thawed, so head into the living room and take a seat.”
I pointed to the doorway and I swear if a cat could give you the finger, he would have. Finally, he stalked by and I heard him jump onto what I was certain was my recliner. I had no doubt that when I got up to go to bed, he’d dash upstairs to lie on my pillow. Living with a disgruntled cat was worse than living with a teenager. I was just getting ready to dig in when there was a knock on my door and Carter called out.
“Kitchen,” I yelled.
He came back looking exhausted and dripping all over my floor. Since I hadn’t mopped it after my own drenching, I figured it didn’t matter. He stepped into my laundry room and grabbed a towel, then plopped down at my table.
“You want me to heat up some more stew?” I asked. “I have another serving.”
“No thanks. The vendors loaded up Deputy Breaux and me with their leftovers when the rain cleared everyone out. I have enough food for a week. I’ll bring some over tomorrow when I can get it all sorted because I’ll never finish it before it goes bad. They just sort of threw stuff into big containers.”
“That’s a good score. I guess being the last one standing and getting wet has a few advantages.”
“Very few.” He ran the towel over his head and his face. “I hate to say it, but I was kinda happy to see the rain. Those two hours gained are going to feel good on my pillow, and hopefully tomorrow will be a slow day, it being Sunday.”
I nodded. “The festival has been a bit challenging this year.”
He raised one eyebrow.
“Okay,” I said. “So last year wasn’t exactly a picnic. What happened to Celia, anyway? Did she run all the way home and have a heart attack? Please, please, please.”
“I’m going to give you a pass on that somewhat horrible comment given who it was about. And no, unfortunately for all of us, Celia did not run home. Instead, she stood around braying about filing a police report and making everyone within a ten-foot radius’s eyes bleed. I finally told her I wasn’t even going to listen to her a second longer until she’d bathed in tomato sauce for a week.”
“What the heck is she going to file a report on—the skunk?”
“She’s insisting that someone tossed the skunk into the maze.”
I held my hands up. “We were behind her.”
“I know where you were. I got a detailed report with much laughter from Walter and Scooter and a somewhat disturbing recount of Thor worship by the three of you and Ronald. Besides, there’s fire extinguisher foam in your living room to back up their story.”
“Crap. I’m going to have to mop, aren’t I?”
He shrugged.
“So how did Celia propose that someone tossed a skunk into the maze?” I asked.
“She said as she was headed for the exit, that the skunk flew into the maze, right at her. Like someone has done a low toss of him into the last tunnel.”
“But that’s crazy. If someone was carrying around that skunk, they’d be as stinky as Celia.”
“Exactly. And since Gertie doesn’t smell, I figure it’s all bunk.”
I shook my head. “We get blamed for everything around here. And why? This town is full of crazy people.”
“Oh, I never said it was crazy. Risky, yes, but if someone could manage to throw a skunk at Celia for a good laugh without getting sprayed themselves, I’m not sure I’d call that crazy at all.”
“Yeah, but even if someone let that skunk loose, they couldn’t guarantee it would chase after Celia.”
“And that’s where her ‘I was targeted’ theory falls apart.” He rose from his chair. “Anyway, I’m going to head out, get a shower, eat some food, and try to get eight solid hours.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere but to the living room to watch TV and then to bed, so you won’t be getting a call about me.”
“You know, most boyfriends would hear ‘you won’t be getting a call from me,’ not ‘about me.’”
“You’re not most boyfriends.”
He laughed and leaned over to give me a kiss. “’Night, Fortune. Turn on your alarm after I leave.”
I waited until the front door closed behind him and heard the lock click into place, then grabbed my phone and armed the alarm. I knew he’d be standing out there in the rain waiting to hear the beeps. A more determined woman would have let him stand there a bit, but I took pity on him. It couldn’t be easy dating me. I looked at Walter and Ida Belle and thought Walter deserved sainthood. Carter would probably be sitting on the right-hand side of God after putting up with me.
I polished off my dinner and headed into the living room, ignoring the foam on the floor. Then I moved Merlin to the couch and sank into my recliner. I clicked through the channels and stopped when I saw Thor.