Fortune Hunter (A Miss Fortune Mystery Book 8) (12 page)

Gertie pulled into the drive of a pleasant two-story house with light gray siding and bright white shutters. No other vehicles were parked in the driveway or on the street near the house, so it looked like we were in the clear. We made our way up the driveway and Ida Belle rang the doorbell.

A minute later, a somewhat harried-looking Peaches opened the door and peered out. When she saw the three of us, she looked a little surprised, then smiled. “Good morning, you guys,” she said and pushed open the screen door. “Come on in. This is a nice surprise.”

“I hope we’re not intruding,” Gertie said. “We’re on our way to the Bishop house to take over for Marie but I had this shawl I made for your daughter and thought we’d drop it off on the way.”

“Are you all right?” Ida Belle asked. “You look a little out of sorts.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Peaches said. “I just got done watching Barclay Monroe. If it wasn’t so early in the day, I might toss back a shot of whiskey.”

“He’s a bit of a stinker,” Gertie said.

“That’s putting it nicely,” Peaches said. “I tried to tell Brandi that everything she thinks is cute when he’s three isn’t going to be so amusing when he’s fifteen, but you can’t tell that girl anything.”

“Never could,” Gertie agreed.

Peaches grinned. “You had your hands full trying to corral all us youngsters, didn’t you? I’ve only got the one and she’s a really good baby, but when I think about the job teachers have, it makes me itch just a little.”

“Me too,” Gertie said.

“You guys come in and have a seat,” Peaches said. “You’ve got time for a short visit, don’t you? Ever since I had the baby, I don’t get to chat with people as often as I’d like. And with Brandon working so much, I start to crave conversation that includes two-syllable words.”

Peaches shoved a set of plastic toys off the couch and grabbed a box of Cheerios from a chair. “Does anyone want coffee or tea? I can make up a pot.”

“I would love some water,” Gertie said. “Tap is fine. I’ve had this scratchy throat. Probably allergies.”

Ida Belle and I declined a drink, and Peaches went down the hall and returned with the baby and a bottled water. She handed the water to Gertie and stuck the baby in a swing set in the corner.

“That thing is a lifesaver,” Peaches said as she flopped onto the love seat, then reached underneath her rear and pulled out a rag doll and tossed it to the side. “Unless she’s hungry or wet, she’s always happy in the swing. Gives me a bit of a break, if there is such a thing when you’re trying to keep up a house and take care of a baby.”

“She seems to like it,” Gertie said. “Does she sleep in it too?”

“Only if she’s dead tired,” Peaches said. “She can’t stand light when she’s sleeping. It took us forever to figure it out, but if even a sliver of light gets into her room at night, she pops right up and starts crying.”

“You said Brandon has been working a lot?” Gertie asked, then chugged back some of the water.

Peaches nodded. “Jumbo shrimp have been running strong this summer. Not everywhere, but Brandon’s been finding good patches of them almost every day. The extra money comes in handy, but it sure is tough being here alone all the time. Makes for long days and even longer nights.”

“I guess you gotta make it while it’s there to be made,” Ida Belle said.

“That’s what Brandon always says,” Peaches agreed. “You said you were going to relieve Marie? How is Nolan doing? Have you heard anything?”

Ida Belle nodded. “We stayed with him some yesterday as well. He’s shocked and overwhelmed, but is managing about as well as one could expect.”

“It’s so sad,” Peaches said, “and so wrong. I don’t know how anyone could do that to Gail, especially with it leaving Nolan in the situation he’s in. I know I complain about having to do everything alone, but then I think about Nolan and figure I should shut up. I have a whole lot to be grateful for.”

“We all do,” Ida Belle agreed, “but sometimes it takes a thing like this to remind us.”

“Did you hear anything?” Gertie asked. “I mean, that night?”

“Nothing at all,” Peaches said, “but then, I sleep like the dead, especially since I don’t get as much as I used to. Unless the baby cries. Then I pop out of bed like I’m spring-loaded, but otherwise, a bomb could go off in here and I probably wouldn’t even stir.”

“Quite normal, I would think,” Ida Belle said.

Gertie downed more of the water, then squirmed a bit. “I wonder if I could use your restroom,” she said, and got up from the couch. “The downside of all that water for my throat is the constant trips to the ladies’ room.”

“Of course,” Peaches said. “It’s down the hall. First door on the left.”

Gertie headed down the hallway, giant purse in tow, and I braced myself for whatever she had planned. I knew she was going to disable the toilet somehow, but neither Ida Belle nor I had been able to get her plan out of her. She said she wanted us to be as surprised as Peaches. None of that sounded particularly good.

Ida Belle asked Peaches about her mother, and about that time, Gertie came back into the living room, looking a little sheepish. “I’m afraid there’s a problem with your toilet, dear, and I couldn’t reach the shutoff valve…”

Peaches jumped up from the love seat and ran into the bathroom. She came out a couple seconds later, her shoes leaving wet footprints everywhere she stepped. “What happened?” she asked Gertie.

Gertie held up a sponge ball. “I fished this out of the bowl when I got in there. Then I thought I’d better make sure it was working properly before I used it, but I’m afraid this ball might have a friend that got lodged down there.”

Peaches sighed. “Barclay. I try not to let him out of my sight, but he’s like a tornado. He probably sneaked in there when I was cleaning fruit punch off the living room rug. I need to grab a mop, if you ladies will excuse me for a minute.”

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble,” Gertie said. “Is there another restroom I could use?”

“Oh!” Peaches said. “Of course. There’s one in the hallway upstairs.”

“Fortune,” Gertie said, “if you wouldn’t mind helping me up the stairs. My knee’s been giving me heck lately.”

“No problem,” I said, and jumped up from the chair. I grabbed Gertie’s arm and headed upstairs with her.

At the top of the stairs, there was a large game room with a hallway beyond it. The game room had an enormous television hanging on the wall. Below the television was a nice ornate entertainment center with an expensive stereo and two gaming consoles. A leather reclining sofa sat against the far wall facing the television. We headed past the television and couch and straight for the windows in the game room, but a large oak tree in Peaches’ backyard completely blocked the view. The next room on the back wall of the house was the bathroom, and it only had one small frosted window. The room after that was the master bedroom. Instead of windows, French doors led out onto a deck.

Gertie handed me her purse and I almost dropped it from the weight. “What the heck do you have in here?” I asked.

“Necessary stuff,” she said as she unzipped it and pulled a camera with a huge, zoom lens out. The purse got lighter, but not as light as I thought it should have. I didn’t even want to think about what kind of firepower was weighing it down.

“Go close the bathroom door,” Gertie said, “then head back to the landing and make sure Peaches doesn’t come up here.”

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to keep Peaches from coming upstairs in her own house if she wanted to, but I figured there was no use worrying about it until it happened. Hopefully, the flooded bathroom floor would keep her occupied long enough for Gertie to get some pictures.

I closed the door to the hallway bathroom and headed back into the game room. I peered downstairs where I had a clear view of Ida Belle and gave her a thumbs-up. I headed over to the window in the game room and looked out again, trying to peer through the foliage and get a peek at the back of Nolan’s house, but the oak tree was simply too large and full to see through it. I glanced over to the left and spotted Gertie on the far end of the deck.

She lifted the camera, then lowered it and cursed. She squeezed as much as possible into the corner of the deck and leaned out over the railing, then lifted the camera again. Once again, she lowered it and cursed. Because of the big oak tree, I couldn’t see what was going on, but assumed something else between the lawns was impeding the view from the deck. It had been a good idea, but we might have to give the whole thing up.

I figured Gertie would head back inside and we’d find another avenue to investigate, but I should have known better. Not about to be deterred, she pulled a deck chair over, climbed up it and slung one leg over the railing. I grabbed the drapes and clenched, probably putting a set of wrinkles in them that would need an iron to remove it. No way was this going to end well.

I took off for the master bedroom, walking as fast as I could because running would echo downstairs. When I got to the bedroom, I hurried out the patio door, just in time to see Gertie lose her balance and fall off the railing.

I
ran across the deck
, but the
thud
I’d expected never happened. I looked over the railing and saw Gertie lying in a thick shrub.

She held up the camera. “Didn’t even break it.”

“I’m more worried about you than the camera.” Camera lenses were a lot easier to repair than a broken bone.

“Is everything all right up there?” Peaches’ voice sounded from downstairs.

Holy crap!

I dashed out of the bedroom and hurried to the landing and looked down at Peaches, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Everything’s fine,” I said. “I’m afraid we took some time admiring your oak tree from the game room window, so it’s taking a bit longer than it should.”

Ida Belle’s eyes widened and I could tell she knew things had gone horribly wrong.

“Okay,” Peaches said, but still looked a bit confused. “I thought I heard a noise like something falling, but maybe it was outside. I just need to dry the bathroom floor and I’ll be right back.”

Right back. Downstairs. Holy crap part two!

Gertie couldn’t exactly stroll in the front door, and Peaches had a clear view of the downstairs entry from the hallway the bathroom was situated on. I hurried back out onto the deck and looked down. Gertie was upright now and appeared to be mobile, although I bet she’d be sore as heck the next day.

“I think I can climb back up,” Gertie said. “If I could find something to stand on.”

“No way. Duck down and get to the front of the house.”

“What about Peaches?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

I hurried back into the bedroom, grabbed Gertie’s purse from the bed, and headed to the landing, pulling out my cell phone as I went. Just as I hit the top of the stairwell, I heard Peaches come back into the living room and speak to Ida Belle.

Ida Belle glanced up at me, and I waved my phone in the air, then sent a text.

Get Peaches out of the room. Way out!

She pulled out her phone and glanced at it. I saw her jaw flex, but otherwise, she managed to keep her expression blank.

“One of those text reminders,” Ida Belle said as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. “I need to take blood pressure medicine at the same time every day. If I didn’t set up these alerts, I’d never remember. Could I take you up on that offer for something to drink? I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Oh, it’s no inconvenience at all. I didn’t realize you had high blood pressure.”

“It’s a fairly recent occurrence,” Ida Belle said drily.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Peaches said. “What would you like to drink?”

“I don’t suppose you have any sweet tea? The pills have an awful chalky taste. I can never get them down very well with plain water.”

“I only have unsweetened. I’ve been trying to watch my diet to get off the last of this baby fat. But I can add some sugar for you.”

“That would be great. Thank you so much.”

I heard footsteps leading away from the living room and Ida Belle motioned to me. I hurried down the stairs, tossed Gertie’s purse on the couch where she’d been sitting before, and hustled to the front door. Ida Belle followed my every movement but didn’t say a word. Gertie was standing at the side of the front porch, just out of sight. I glanced back to make sure the coast was clear, then waved her in.

Gertie came inside the house, shuffling as fast as she could to get to the couch. I yanked two sprigs of bush from her hair as she passed by and tucked them in my pocket before jumping over the chair and landing in place. Gertie shoved the camera into her purse just as Peaches reentered the room with Ida Belle’s tea.

Ida Belle put her hand up to her mouth and pretended to swallow a pill. She even grimaced a bit before downing a big gulp of tea. I had to give her props. She was good. The silence was uncomfortable, so I looked over at Gertie, hoping she’d get a topic started, but one look at her flushed face and slightly heaving chest and I knew she was breathless. Since Ida Belle was chugging tea like a prizefighter with a jug of water, I figured it was left up to me.

“That’s a pretty vase on the bookcase,” I said. “I really love that shade of blue.”

Peaches perked right up. “Isn’t it? I got it from one of those ridiculously expensive antiques shops in New Orleans. I’ve been admiring it for a year now but never thought I’d be able to afford it. But with the big shrimp running, we had some extra money. Brandon wanted to buy me a wedding ring with a larger diamond, but I’m perfectly happy with the one we got engaged with. I told him if he was dead set on spending some money on me, then what I really wanted was that vase. Every time I walk into this room, it makes me smile.”

“I can see why,” I said. I didn’t have a domestic bone in my body, but it really was a pretty decoration.

Ida Belle checked her watch and cleared her throat. “I’m afraid we need to get going,” she said as she rose from the couch. “I’m sure Marie is dying to have a shower and change clothes.”

“She’s such an angel,” Peaches said. “I really hope this election audit puts her in charge. I can’t imagine why people voted for Celia Arceneaux. She’s so, well, mean.”

“I think more people are starting to figure that out,” Ida Belle said.

“It’s a shame they didn’t come to their senses before we voted,” Peaches said.

Gertie started to get up and lifted about an inch off the couch before falling back down. “Darn this knee,” she said.

I walked over and helped her up, checking out her gait as we headed for the front door.

“Thanks so much for the baby shawl,” Peaches said to Gertie. “You always make the prettiest things.”

“You’re welcome, dear,” Gertie said, “and I’m so sorry about the downstairs toilet.”

Peaches waved a hand in dismissal. “That wasn’t even your fault. I swear, I’m going to start charging Brandi a damage fee to babysit. Although I suppose mine will be walking soon enough. I should go ahead and get those lock things for the toilets.”

We headed down the sidewalk to the car.

“Let me know if I can do anything to help with Nolan,” Peaches called.

We gave her a wave, climbed into the car, and headed down the street. As soon as we rounded the corner, Gertie stopped the car. “Would you mind driving?” she asked Ida Belle.

Ida Belle narrowed her eyes. “Less than a block?”

“My guess is she’s sprained her right ankle,” I said. She’d tried to disguise it, but I had noticed the limp when we left and given that the right foot was the driving foot, I figured that’s where the problem was.

“What the heck did you do to yourself?” Ida Belle asked.

“Well, she walked upstairs,” I said, “then reentered the house through the front door, so that should give you an idea.”

“You fell out of a window, didn’t you?” Ida Belle asked.

“I did not,” Gertie protested.

“Well, you didn’t fly down from the second story,” Ida Belle said.

“She fell off the deck,” I said. “A giant shrub broke her fall, which is why we didn’t have to call 911.”

Ida Belle shook her head. “If that shrub hadn’t been there, more likely we’d have been calling the coroner.”

“Hey, at least I saved the camera,” Gertie said.

“Wonderful,” Ida Belle said. “Please tell me you got a picture before you went deck diving?”

I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t even considered that all that might have been for nothing.

“Of course I did,” Gertie said. “I had it on that rapid thing, you know, where I get a bunch of pictures at one time.”

Ida Belle shook her head. “Why in the world did you bring that fancy camera with you? It’s too complicated.”

“We needed the zoom lens,” Gertie said. “The phone camera wouldn’t have taken as good a picture.”

“Uh-huh,” Ida belle said. “I suppose if the pictures are in focus, we might be in business.”

“I had the camera on the autofocus setting,” Gertie said.

A ray of hope beamed in. If we weren’t relying on Gertie’s sketchy vision for focus, then the pictures might be usable.

“Great,” Ida Belle said as she climbed out of the car. “If you had your glasses on when you selected the autofocus feature, we might be in business.”

Crap.

* * *

M
arie looked tired
, but happy to see us. She said Nolan was taking a shower—the downstairs bathroom was equipped for him to manage by himself—and should be out soon. A lady from the insurance company, whose associate had left a message the day before, would be there in fifteen minutes for an appointment. Marie had managed to get Nolan to eat eggs and toast around 10:00 a.m. but suggested we start pushing lunch on him after the insurance lady left. Half of Gertie’s casserole from the day before remained, and the ladies of Sinful had dropped off a collection of other items.

“It’s like a buffet exploded in there,” Marie said. “You should be able to entice him with something. I apologize that I haven’t had time to organize it all. As soon as I got one woman out the door, it seemed another showed up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gertie said. “We’ll get it all organized and make sure he eats.”

“And don’t rush back,” Ida Belle said. “You’re exhausted and need some rest yourself. Take a hot soak in the tub and a long nap. We’ve got all day.”

“You’re sure?” Marie asked. “I don’t want to interfere with your schedules.”

I held in a laugh. Since our “schedules” only included figuring out who killed Gail and why, and Nolan and this house were the only leads we had, the only thing interfering with our schedules at the moment was Marie and police tape.

“We don’t have anything scheduled,” Ida Belle insisted. “Please take your time.”

“Thanks,” Marie said, looking relieved. “Emmaline is going to come by tonight after I return. I feel guilty and hate admitting it but I’ll like having the company. It’s hard to know what to say. I don’t usually have trouble with grief, but…”

“This situation is hardly an ordinary one,” Ida Belle said.

“Get going,” Gertie said. “We’ll go organize the kitchen. If we run out of things to do, we’ll find some trouble to get into.”

Marie laughed. “If only that weren’t true. I’ll see you guys later.”

She headed out the front door and we trailed into the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway and stared. Marie hadn’t been joking. The countertops and kitchen table were covered with dishes, plates, and pans, all filled with yummy food. At least, all the scents hitting my nose smelled yummy.

“Wow,” I said. “Is this normal?”

“Of course,” Gertie said. “You never want grieving people to worry about things like food. And if it’s all sitting here in front of them, they’ll remember to eat and have plenty of choices.”

“How long does this go on?” I asked.

“Everyone usually makes sure the family has a weeks’ worth of food,” Ida Belle said. “In Nolan’s case, people will probably drop stuff by for a bit longer.”

“Because he’s disabled?” I asked.

Gertie shook her head. “Because he’s a man.”

“That’s a disability,” Ida Belle pointed out.

I grinned. “Well, I think it’s a very nice thing for people to do. So how do we arrange it?”

“First,” Gertie said, “we need to sort it by refrigeration required and not. Then we can group by entrées versus sides and desserts. You take the kitchen table and Ida Belle and I will start on each end of the cabinets. Set anything that goes in the refrigerator to one side.”

I stepped over to the kitchen table and started lifting lids and foil, dividing the offerings up. My mouth began watering about two dishes into the task. The food was way better-looking than any buffet I’d ever seen, and every time I opened something up, the rich aroma of Southern cooking wafted up. At least we didn’t have to worry about Nolan getting in enough calories. A couple bites of any of this should get him a meal count’s worth easily.

We were shifting the last of the desserts to the far end of the counter when Nolan wheeled into the kitchen. His color looked a little better than the day before but the dark circles under his eyes hadn’t diminished. He gave us a weak hello and we all said good morning.

“Would you like anything to eat?” Gertie asked.

“No, thanks,” Nolan said. “Marie made me breakfast.”

“What about something to drink?” Gertie said. “There’s a container of fresh-squeezed pineapple juice in the refrigerator.”

“That sounds nice,” he said. “Thank you for coming to check on me. I’m worried that Marie is wearing herself out.”

“We told her to take as long as she needs,” Ida Belle said.

“Good,” Nolan said. “I don’t want her to collapse before she gets that mayor position.” He forced a small smile and Gertie placed a glass of pineapple juice in front of him on the now-cleared table.

As he picked up the glass, the doorbell rang and he started a bit, sloshing some of the juice onto his hand. Ida Belle reached for a paper towel and I headed for the front door, hoping it was the insurance lady and not someone else bearing food that required refrigeration. The fridge was overflowing a bit. I opened the door and gave the woman a once-over.

Forty-ish. Five foot six. A hundred thirty pounds. Good general muscle tone. Corrective vision and boring suit. No threat and definitely the insurance lady.