And as I’d predicted, Blair had gotten a nice promotion and a commendation for her role in bringing down a long-standing criminal organization. She’d also traded her bullet-ridden BMW for a shiny Mercedes G 63, citing the need for a vehicle that could handle rough terrain. And Bomber Bruce had reported a sharp uptick in his skydiving business, everyone wanting to imitate Gertie and Blanchet. The first two glitter paint targets had been Celia’s house and Farmer Frank’s llamas.
The women and children looked so happy as they milled around Harrison and Cassidy’s backyard and were thrilled to have a chance to hug and thank everyone who’d played a role in their rescue. There was a lot of crying and so much smiling that I was certain people’s faces were going to hurt. Finally, everyone settled down with plates of food and Ida Belle, Gertie, Blanchet, and I moved off into our own little group. Ronald was holding makeup court with the women, as he'd brought them bags of samples he’d received and was promising to give them all a makeover. Blair had been unable to make it but had sent chocolate-covered strawberries and flowers.
“I got some information on Otto,” Ida Belle said.
I perked up. “Really?”
Since I’d told my original theory about Otto to Blair, she’d taken a hard look at him and Spinner, even though we’d already bagged June as the boss. As I suspected, they were unable to make a connection between the two men and the Brethren. But no matter how you looked at it, their behavior was still suspicious.
“So this has to stay between us but since the cops couldn’t make a connection between him and Spinner and all this other mess, I took a drive to Mudbug yesterday and confronted him straight out. Told him what we’d seen and how it looked.”
“And what did he say?”
“He got all sheepish and begged me not to rat them out. Apparently, the FBI and state police had already questioned him and he’d lied to them.”
“What is he up to that he has to lie to the cops?”
“Mushrooms. Spinner found rare and very tasty mushrooms out in the swamp. Otto’s brother owns a restaurant in NOLA and has practically launched his business using them. But Spinner doesn’t have the proper credentials for acquiring the mushrooms, and the sales are under the table…”
“So no taxes and no licensing.”
Ida Belle nodded. “And therefore, no way for anyone to clue in on where his brother is getting such an excellent product. Apparently, he’s cleared out his last location and was scouting for a new one, which he found in Brethren territory.
“Which wasn’t a problem for him because he’d been an explosives expert,” Blanchet said.
“Then why did he give us their location?” I asked.
“He didn’t say, but I have to wonder if he was hoping we’d clear the Brethren out so he had easier access to the mushrooms.”
“And the cell phone?”
“Found it in the swamp and gave it to Otto. It had been in the bayou, so it was ruined.”
I shook my head. “Mushrooms. Unbelievable.”
“So for once, coincidence was actually coincidence,” Gertie said. “Go figure.”
My cell phone buzzed, and I checked the text, then smiled.
“Blanchet, I have a special delivery for you,” I said.
Despite the FBI’s attempts to locate Maya Delgado, they’d come up with nothing, especially with a less-than-cooperative Mexican police force, who were already coming apart at the seams as some of them had been exposed as part of the cartel. But the FBI didn’t have the resources I did. When it came to putting people in prison or getting them out, no one trumped the CIA.
I pointed at the back door of the house as a CIA agent I’d worked with years ago stepped out with an older woman beside him. Blanchet took one look at her and dropped his entire plate. Then he jumped up and ran across the backyard and grabbed the woman, likely squeezing the life out of her.
“Maya! Is it really you?”
He released her from the stranglehold, but still clutched her shoulders as he studied her face. She stared at him in shock, and then huge tears fell down her face as she reached up with one hand and placed it on his cheek.
“My Andy. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Why did you go back to them? I would have protected you.”
She shook her head. “Because they would have killed you, like they did your father. I was their best transporter, and they didn’t want to lose me. So they wouldn’t kill me, but they made it clear what would happen if I didn’t return. Your father was a warning. You would have been next. I was selfish. My staying cost you your father. Can you ever forgive me?”
He gathered her in his arms again. “There was never anything to forgive.”
“Mama?” Lara’s voice cracked, and Andy released Maya so she could reunite with the daughter she hadn’t seen in over ten years.
Gertie looked at me and smiled.
“Best. Day. Ever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I jogged up the path to Emmaline’s house, practically pulling Tiny behind me. Emmaline hadn’t been lying when she’d called him lazy. At one point during our jog, he’d lain down in the middle of the sidewalk, and I’d had to wait ten minutes for him to get up. The sad thing was, he wasn’t in horrible shape. He just hated to exercise.
Ida Belle and Gertie were sitting with Emmaline on the front porch, drinking iced tea as we came up. I put Tiny in the backyard with a bowl of fresh water, filled my own glass, and headed out to join them.
“Thank you for trying to get that dog moving,” Emmaline said. “If I so much as take his lead out, he goes and hides under the bed.”
“He doesn’t fit under the bed,” Gertie said.
“He thinks if he sticks his head under it that I can’t see him.”
We all laughed.
It had been ten days now since I’d gotten the text from Carter saying, ‘I’m sorry’. Neither Emmaline nor I had heard another word, and although we were both doing our best to remain positive, I could see the strain showing on her face, and I felt it myself with my lack of sleep. Carter’s best guess for the mission had been two to three weeks. We were approaching the two-week mark, but I knew that didn’t mean anything. Those estimates almost always changed and rarely in a good way. They either called off the mission altogether or they had to make changes at the last minute, which often doubled the time.
“I met Maya yesterday,” Emmaline said. “She was visiting Andy and he brought her by. Such a lovely woman with an absolutely horrible story. You three are my heroes—rescuing those women and children, bringing Maya back to Andy.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Andy is doing a great job filling in.”
Gertie nodded. “He really is, and it’s so sweet to see how happy he is.”
“How are the other women doing?” Emmaline asked. “I’m on schedule to help out tomorrow.”
“They’re doing really great,” Ida Belle said.
The Sinful Ladies had made up a schedule and rotated cleaning and cooking among local volunteers, but the women and children were happy to pitch right in, especially now that they had access to modern conveniences. Truth be told, they probably didn’t need the volunteers’ help any longer, but the socialization was good for them, so Cassidy had encouraged them to keep coming if they wanted to. Everyone had wanted to.