He grinned at me as I walked in the bar.
“Not your usual hangout,” he said.
“Oh, I’ve been here a time or two,” I said. “It’s…interesting.”
“Can get a little crazy.”
I shrugged. “I was in the sandbox for most of my missions. This place is like visiting a library compared to combat.”
He nodded. “Kinda puts it all in perspective. I’m surprised you’re not bored living here, given what you used to do.”
“Have you met Gertie?”
He laughed. “You’ve got a point. Anyway, you said you had an update, and I’d like to get that over with before Whiskey gets back and starts asking questions.”
“You’re not afraid those guys are going to tattle on you?” I asked, indicating a table of men in the corner.
“They’ve been here since yesterday. Slept right there in those chairs last night. I’m pretty sure they don’t even know where they are or what day it is.”
“Okay, well, here’s the deal.”
I filled him in on everything that I’d discovered—about Dexter and Marissa, the attorney that Molly spoke to, Silas and his back taxes, the insurance agent, the overheard conversation in the motel room. And finally, I told him that Carter had arrested Dexter and Marissa and they were being held in NOLA.
“Wow!” he said when I finished. “The rumors about you weren’t joking. I can’t believe you found all that out in just a matter of days. And Dexter and Marissa are in jail. I guess that’s something.”
He sounded about as excited over the news as I was.
“I know,” I said and slumped on my stool. “I hate that I couldn’t get more on Silas. I really, really dislike the man.”
“I think that’s pretty much how everyone who’s ever met him feels.”
“I’m sure. And I know he was up to something with that insurance policy but maybe Dexter and Marissa beat him to the final play.”
“Could be,” Nickel said. “I guess they was up to plenty themselves. Seems like Molly was walking around with more targets on her back than she had shirt for.”
“I know the feeling. The only difference is I was aware I was targeted, and it wasn’t by anyone that was supposed to have my back.”
“Can’t pick your family. And she shouldn’t have picked Dexter. But yeah, I wish Silas could have gotten what he has coming. You sure there’s nothing else you could come up with there?”
I shook my head. “I wish there was, but I just don’t see what it could be. And I covered the old ground too—about Johnny. I was hoping to be able to draw a correlation between the two disappearances.”
“You didn’t find anything there?”
“Nothing that mattered. I mean, his behavior that day is completely inconsistent with the man people who knew him well described, but based on the timeline alone, I can’t see how Silas could have been involved. And that’s not even taking into account his physical limitations.”
Nickel sighed. “Yeah. That makes sense given how you laid it out. I guess I was just hoping you’d see something that someone else didn’t. Or put things together differently and have that moment where you got it and no one else had. You know, like the movies.”
“I wish I had done that too.”
“Well, I appreciate the heck out of everything you did. I can’t imagine anyone else could have done better. So I guess both matters are closed. Now everybody just has to figure out how to live with it.”
I nodded. That was the hardest part.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I didn’t do much the rest of the day. Gertie was busy preparing for the upcoming party, and Ida Belle was probably over at the church praying or begging her doctor to commit her for the weekend. At the very least, infect her with a twenty-four-hour flu. Carter was busy wrapping up the paperwork on the case and I had absolutely nothing to do or avoid. Well, except laundry. I always had laundry to avoid.
I supposed I should have been happy but the truth was I was pouting. I couldn’t do anything to bring Molly back but I was really hoping I could balance the scales just a little. Silas inheriting completely ruled out the possibility of remotely fair and I was pitching a toddler fit. Internally, of course. Merlin, who had sensed my aggravation and unrest, had promptly asked to go outside after breakfast and I hadn’t seen him since. The fact that he wanted to be outside in a thousand-degree heat rather than inside with the AC and sleeping on something cushy spoke volumes about my mood.
I managed to pace, sleep, and sigh away the afternoon and finally headed up for a shower. I blow-dried my shoulder-length hair—finally my own and not extensions—and threw on jeans, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt. I knew Gertie would probably come in a ball gown or something so slinky everyone else spent the entire night blushing, but I was shooting for comfortable. When Gertie was involved, you never knew if you might need to run or fight, plus jeans allowed for easy access to my gun and my cell phone.
I arrived thirty minutes early, in case Gertie needed some help setting up, and thought for a minute that I was late. Vehicles lined the street on both sides and I could already hear music pumping from inside. Gertie had apparently foreseen the parking issue and had put cones in her driveway with a sign indicating that it was reserved for Ida Belle and me. I jumped out to move a cone on one side, then pulled in and parked. I didn’t bother knocking because no one would have heard it over the music. Instead, I said a quick prayer and walked inside.
Sinful Ladies Society members swarmed like ants, putting up streamers and setting up snack stations. They all looked over as I entered and called out greetings, wearing big smiles. I located the stereo and turned the music down just a bit and shook my head at them.
“I’m surprised you guys are so happy given that your fearless leader is crossing to the dark side,” I said.
Myrtle waved a hand in dismissal. “This is Ida Belle and Walter we’re talking about. For all intents and purposes they’ve been dedicated to each other forever. Besides, Ida Belle’s too old for Walter to change her.”
“I’m pretty sure Jesus couldn’t have changed her when she was five,” I said.
The ladies laughed and one of them shoved a container of mixed nuts at me.
“Dump those in the pink bowls that you see around the living room and kitchen area,” she said. “We’re spreading things out so everyone doesn’t have to lump in one place to get a snack.”
I distributed the nuts, working my way through the living room and back to the kitchen. Gertie was busy taking mini pizzas off a cookie sheet and putting them on a serving tray. A bevy of other goodies were scattered across the countertops.
I drew up short in order to examine her outfit.
The good news was Ida Belle didn’t have to worry about Gertie wearing the camo miniskirt to her wedding. The bad news was she was wearing it now. And that whole tuck-under thing wasn’t working too well as Gertie had a typical white woman booty, which meant very little. The skirt ended a couple inches below the relevant parts but as she bent over to pick up a wayward pizza, I saw that all bets were off.
“Doesn’t lime green clash with camo?” I asked.