As we flipped through the pages, we came upon page after page of financial and banking information for the catering company. I was starting to wonder what the point was of collecting all these months of activity when I found a letter in the back of the book I was checking.
“Jackpot,” I said.
Ida Belle and Gertie looked up expectantly.
“It’s a letter from a large catering outfit with multiple locations,” I said. “They’re thanking Dexter for the financial statements and will make an offer when their appraiser is finished reviewing the paperwork.”
“Molly would never sell her business,” Ida Belle said. “She quit cage fighting for that business. Besides, you met her and you see the numbers. Molly wasn’t just good at cooking, she loved it. And her income was great. Why sell off when she’s just getting started and she’s winning out of the gate?”
“I know,” I said. “It makes no sense unless Dexter thought that whole ‘I’m a partner’ claim was really going to fly.”
“Well, if he did, then twenty bucks says he produces some trumped-up set of documents to stack his claim against Ally,” Ida Belle said.
“Look at this,” Gertie said and passed us a couple sheets of paper. “It’s charts of all the waterways surrounding Sinful. And there’s a big X on Molly’s place.”
“Dexter wasn’t from there, so he’d need a way to learn the bayous if he planned on pulling off a boating accident,” I said. “I’m making a copy of these and keeping them for myself.”
“I wouldn’t,” Ida Belle said. “The main channels are right but at least a third are wrong. The weather changes a lot of things. But if you make a copy, I’ll mark it up for you.”
“Do you really think Dexter is stupid enough to think this half-baked plan would work?” Gertie asked.
“Yes.”
Ida Belle and I both answered at once.
“Me too,” Gertie said. “Which makes me even more angry. Still, you’d think he would have given it a little more time—convince Molly to let him help with setup and other things so that people saw him. At least then, when he claimed he was a partner, people would back him up in saying he was helping with their event.”
“Stupid people aren’t always the most patient,” I said.
“Or…” Ida Belle held up a photo of Dexter and a woman. A woman who wasn’t Molly.
“Who wants to place bets that Dexter promised this woman something that required money?” Ida Belle asked.
“That’s a sucker bet if I ever saw it,” Gertie said. “That woman is too good-looking and way too young for Dexter. And Lord knows, she wasn’t with him for his winning personality.”
Ida Belle flipped the photo over and sighed. “No name on the back. Why can’t people go back to old-school ways, like listing people, locations, and dates on the back of photos? It would make this so much easier.”
“I wish there were a way to find her,” Gertie said. “I’d love to know if she knew about Molly. I’m guessing that’s a big fat no.”
“Or Dexter passed her off as his business partner and made sure the two were never in the same place,” Ida Belle said.
“We might be able to find her,” I said.
“How?” Gertie asked.
“After we talk to Angel, we’ll hunt up that bar that Dexter frequented,” I said.
“You want to stroll into a bar in that part of town?” Ida Belle asked.
“We’re armed,” I said. “And probably far more dangerous than any of the patrons. They just don’t realize.”
“And because they don’t realize, that’s why we could have problems,” Ida Belle said.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Are you seriously suggesting that I back off of something just because there’s risk involved?”
“Not at all,” Ida Belle said. “I’m suggesting you weigh the risks of going to a NOLA jail against my upcoming wedding. There’s not a big margin for error there.”
“Hmmm.” I considered this. She was right, of course. If I got into a scuffle, whoever started it wouldn’t fare as well. Once the police found out I was former CIA, they would probably take me in just because it was a good time to razz a Fed. And an ambitious DA could sit on it for a bit, trying to make me sweat. I wouldn’t shed even one drop of perspiration over sitting in jail. I’d sat in way worse places. But if I missed Ida Belle’s wedding, that could lead to trouble I might never get out of.
“Okay,” I said. “So we check it out and at the first sign of trouble, we scoot. And if the people there clearly aren’t willing to talk to us, same thing. I have a feeling a couple of twenties might grease up lips and if we can get there before the regulars arrive, we can hit up the bartender before it gets crowded. If the bartender doesn’t know anything about Dexter, that would mean Dexter just drank quietly and then went home. I have a hard time believing that.”
“I think that’s a good compromise,” Ida Belle said. “I’m sorry this wedding of mine is causing such a shift in our norm.”
“Hey, at least it’s not the Swamp Bar,” I said. “How bad can it be?”
Angel had arrived at her apartment just minutes before we did and excused herself to change into her uniform as soon as we were done with introductions. We took a seat in her living room to wait and about five minutes later, she popped back in wearing a black skirt and white button-up shirt.
Five foot ten. One hundred eighty pounds. Based on the strain on her skirt and shirt, both of which looked fairly new, I’d say the weight gain was recent. Based on the five million pictures scattered around the living room, I’d put that weight gain down to her having a baby.
“Thanks so much for meeting me here,” she said as she hurried into the kitchen. “Do you ladies want anything to drink? I only have unsweet tea and water, I’m afraid. Still trying to take off the baby weight.”
“How old is your baby?” Gertie asked.
“Eight weeks,” Angel said. “My husband works on the rigs and is offshore right now. On days when I have school and work, the baby stays with my in-laws. They’ve been an enormous blessing in that regard.”
Ida Belle grinned. “But not necessarily in others?”
“Well, you know how it is,” Angel said. “One man, two women. Even if one of the women is his mother, it can get crowded.”
“I waited to get married until his parents were dead,” Ida Belle said. “Saves some trouble.”
Angel laughed. “Well, we sort of put the cart before the horse with our son, so I didn’t want to wait quite that long. When did you finally get married?”
“A week from Saturday,” Ida Belle said.
“Oh, well, congratulations,” Angel said.
“Molly was supposed to cater my reception,” Ida Belle said. “I can’t tell you how sorry we are. I know it must be taking a toll on you, especially with a newborn.”
Angel nodded and I could see the tears in her eyes. “It’s been horrible. Aside from when she went to prison…well, and jail, Molly has always been there for me. Ever since we were babies. We were practically raised together. My mom and her mom were friends and then after Molly’s mom took off, mine took her under her wing best she could. Silas was worse than worthless.”