“Which means he’s probably got Whiskey within listening distance,” Ida Belle said.
“More likely, he hasn’t gotten out of bed yet,” Gertie said. “It’s not afternoon.”
“That’s true,” Ida Belle said. “I forget these bar owners keep late hours working and sleeping. And Nickel wasn’t ever one to turn down a beer. I can’t imagine him working in the bar is the best idea for keeping him straight, but I don’t see that Whiskey has a choice in the matter, either.”
“Has their father signed the bar over to them yet?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Ida Belle said. “You’d think he would have done everything up legally when he first got sick but he’s a stubborn old cuss.”
“So based on the very limited information we have on Silas, what do you think we’re walking into?” I asked.
“Someone who shoots trespassers on sight,” Ida Belle said. “We’re gonna need to park right in the middle of the driveway or dirt patch or whatever serves as parking and walk with our hands in clear sight as we approach the house.”
“Yep,” Gertie said. “And if there’s a warning shot or even an indiscernible yell or grunt, we get the heck out of there. I’d sooner mess with gators than one of those rooted-in Creoles.”
“I really hope he doesn’t shoot,” I said. “I’m not interested in killing anyone today. Well, most days, really. Unless they’re bad guys and they start it. Then I’m good.”
Ida Belle grinned. “As long as you have your standards.”
“I’ve had to get a bit more stringent being a civilian and all,” I said. “The CIA was surprisingly lenient when I had a few more hits than assigned. Of course, they sent me in dens of the worst criminals on earth, so it wasn’t like I had to discern the nice florist from the mix and make sure he didn’t take a stray bullet.”
“Our legal system definitely gets in the way sometimes,” Gertie said. “Makes everything harder and takes more time. The Old Testament was a lot more immediate.”
“Well, it’s been a while since God burned bushes and parted seas,” Ida Belle said. “I think we’re going to have to work this without hoping for a lightning strike to come down on the bad guy.”
“Probably so,” Gertie said. “But I’ve still got hope.”
My cell phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket. “Carter,” I said, hoping he didn’t lead off the conversation by asking what we were doing.
“Hey,” Carter said when I answered. “Where are you?”
I smiled. This one I could answer. “We’re on our way to New Orleans. Last-minute wedding stuff. What’s up?”
“There’s a video online of you three with the bear ripping the door off the van.”
“Yeah, Gertie was videoing.”
“You were in a stolen van!”
“No one knows that. Maybe we had permission from the owner to borrow it.”
“The owner is missing.”
“Which means no one can prove that we didn’t ask beforehand.”
“I give up. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I had to turn Dexter loose. Jails are full and the DA said he’ll probably walk with a fine or minimal probation at best. Bail was so low, Tiny could have paid it.”
Tiny was Carter’s rottweiler.
“Well, crap,” I said. “I was hoping he’d be visiting with you a bit longer than this. Did you call Ally?”
“First thing,” he said. “And I gave Dexter a very stern warning before I let him go. She’s at the café working today but this evening, we’ll all be taking a pass by her house to make sure Dexter isn’t as stupid as I think he is.”
“Can he get back into Molly’s house or is it considered a crime scene?” I asked.
“You know I can’t tell you—”
“I just want to know if it’s likely he’ll still be in the area or if he’s going to have to head back for the rock in New Orleans he crawled out from under,” I said. “I think Ally would feel better if she knew he wasn’t in the same parish any longer.”
“Okay then,” Carter said, apparently mollified. “Dexter has no rights to Molly’s home. He’s not on the deed or any of the utilities. He doesn’t receive mail there that I could find, and his driver’s license still shows a New Orleans address. I took his house key and told him I’d be changing the locks.”
“And he didn’t give you grief?” I asked.
“He groused about his personal belongings, and I told him I was happy to make him an appointment to collect them when an estate attorney and someone from the sheriff’s department could escort him and would let him know when that could occur.”
“You need to call Ally back and tell her all of that,” I said. “Trust me, she’ll rest a lot easier knowing Dexter is probably back in NOLA.”
“You’re right. Should have thought of it myself. Maybe I’ll just have a late breakfast and tell her in person.”
“Thanks,” I said and disconnected.
“So Dexter is free and loose,” Gertie said. “I wonder if he’s going to try to head back to that apartment he used to rent.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Winky Bear is a silly nickname but the dude sounded like a demon. Dexter isn’t the best of fighters, so if I were him, I’d just lie low until I could get some new friends and a new line of work. I don’t think that cage wrestling is going to pay the rent.”
“Do you think he’ll be stupid enough to razz Ally again?” Gertie asked.
“I hope not, but just in case, I’ll have her stay at my place tonight,” I said.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Gertie asked. “If you stayed at her place, you could take out that idiot if he shows up.”
“I don’t need the hassle, especially over someone like Dexter,” I said.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll show up at your house and Godzilla will take care of him,” Gertie said.
I shook my head. “Godzilla hasn’t been back since he ate that guy. Maybe he’s full.”
“Or has indigestion,” Gertie said. “Godzilla should be pickier about his diet. Eating terrorists can’t be good for his stomach.”
“Worked out great for the rest of us, though,” Ida Belle said.
“There is that,” Gertie agreed. “So you’ll let Carter know Ally is staying at your house for the night?”
“Definitely,” I said. “I still want them patrolling her house tonight but the sense of urgency is different if she’s not actually there.”
Gertie nodded. “Sure as you don’t tell him, he’ll show up at your place in the middle of the night and scare ten lives off of Ally.”
“He always texts first if it’s the middle of the night,” I said. “If I don’t answer, he doesn’t stop by.”
“I thought he had a key,” Gertie said.
“He does,” I said. “But he also dates a woman who is former CIA, sleeps with a gun, and has an itchy trigger finger when it comes to being ambushed.”