I managed to get showered, dressed, and in the kitchen heating up a piece of pie by the time I heard my front door open.
“Kitchen,” I yelled.
He trudged in and slumped into a chair before giving me the eye. “Did you get your spa business in NOLA taken care of?” he asked, his tone one of complete disbelief.
“Yep,” I said.
I put a beer and the piece of pie in front of him, then popped another piece in the microwave. Then I grabbed the folder from the hot tub company and slid it in front of him. He opened it up, pulled the brochure out, and eyeballed it, then saw the receipt and his eyes widened.
“You bought it?” he asked.
“I told you I was going to,” I said. “One of these days, you’re going to give me the benefit of the doubt on things.”
He grunted and put the folder back on the table.
“A little more enthusiasm is in order here,” I said. “That hot tub is going to be awesome to decompress in and quite frankly, you look like you need it. Problems at the festival?”
“No. It’s actually been quiet, for Sinful. Probably because you three haven’t been there.”
“Hey, we didn’t have anything to do with that skunk in the maze thing. We barely got out of there without the stink on us. And we definitely didn’t cut off Gil’s head and put him on that horse.”
“I notice you didn’t mention the glitter skunk explosion.”
“We weren’t even in town. So what’s eating you, then? The investigation not going well?”
He scowled and I knew it was coming.
“I wouldn’t know,” he said. “I’m no longer in charge of the investigation.”
“What? Why not?” I asked, putting on my best surprised look.
“Because a detective from New Orleans contacted me this morning and informed me that since Gil was killed there, it’s already their case.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
He gave me a dirty look.
“What? You’re the one always preaching to me about jurisdiction and rights and all.”
“That’s not the point,” he grumbled.
“Why? Because it’s you who’s getting cut out this time? Is the NOLA detective an idiot?”
“She seems very competent, but again, not the point.”
“She? Good for her. Can’t be easy making rank in the city. Not with the good ole boy thing and all.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” he said, rather begrudgingly.
“So since it’s no longer your investigation, that means you can talk about it, right?”
He raised one eyebrow and stared.
“What? It’s not your case. So all bets are off on the confidentiality thing.”
“So you think this is an opportunity for you to load up on information and get in the middle of a NOLA police department investigation? That doesn’t sound like a very good plan, even in theory. And since I know the guy who runs that department, I’m going to warn you that poking your nose in would be a very, very bad idea.”
“Doesn’t like civilians?”
“He doesn’t like PIs. His wife left him for one.”
I winced. Okay, so that doubled down on the risks of getting caught.
“So I guess that means you won’t be sharing the gossip with me?” I asked.
“I don’t deal in gossip. I deal in facts.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “Are you still working the case or not? I don’t want to waste time trying to get something out of you if it’s pointless. I have better things to do and much to your dismay, there are easier ways to get information if I wanted it.”
“Don’t pretend that all this doesn’t interest you.”
“Of course it interests me. A dead man rode through the park and lost his head right in front of me. Movies aren’t that engrossing, and they’re fiction. People in Sinful who died ten years ago want to know what happened. You’re not breaking new ground here.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I don’t suppose there’s a single person in town who isn’t looking for the inside scoop or making their own predictions.”
“Maybe not Nora. Depending on what she’s smoked.”
He gave me a pained expression and I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit sorry for him. It sucked when you were told you weren’t allowed to do your job. I didn’t like it either, but I also didn’t let it stop me. Since Carter was official, he didn’t have that luxury.
“Look, I’m sorry you got kicked off the investigation,” I said. “But if this detective is smart, then she’ll ask you to help. It’s a small town and you know all the players. She could spend weeks drumming up background that you have at your fingertips.”
He sighed. “And that’s pretty much what she said when we talked. She got the rundown on the major players before she headed out to interview them herself and said she’d check with me tomorrow to update me on anything I needed to know.”
“It could be worse. Do you want some dinner to go with your dessert? I still have tons of the food you brought over.”
“I thought you’d never ask. I don’t suppose I could borrow your shower too, and then maybe crash here after.”
“What about Tiny?”
“He’s staying with my mom until the festival is over. My hours are too odd.”
“Works for me.”
And then I said a quick prayer that there was no pink glitter in my shower.
I was in the middle of a very odd dream where I was playing the lead role in a play about a crime-solving librarian when a beeping noise jolted me awake. I bolted up—almost levitating out of bed—landed feet planted on the ground, pistol in hand, and spun around, ready to fire. Carter looked at me and smiled, holding up his cell phone. Merlin, who’d played this game more than once, glared at me and set off down the hall.
“No matter how many times I see it,” he said, “it never ceases to impress me.”
“You wouldn’t be so impressed if I actually fired.”
“Why do you think I haven’t gotten out of bed yet? At least the shot would go over me.”
“So you think,” I said. “Well, are you going to answer that? It’s 2:00 a.m. Nothing good happens in this town at 2:00 a.m.”
He frowned and answered. His expression shifted to worried as he listened.
“Are the paramedics on the way?” he asked. “Good. I’ll be there in five minutes. Tell her to sit tight and don’t touch anything.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Is someone hurt?”
“Someone broke into Tiffany’s house and cracked her over the head.”
Chapter Eighteen
“What?!” I yelled, still trying to process what he’d said. “Do you need me to come with you?”
I had no idea what I could do as I wasn’t a medical professional or a cop and not friends with Tiffany, but this was Sinful and it was my town too now, and that was the sort of thing you offered when there was a crisis.
“No,” he said as he pulled on his clothes. “I’ve got to secure the scene and get a statement, and I suppose I have to call Detective Casey and fill her in as soon as possible.”