Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was like a scene in the movies, when everything goes quiet and the music shuts off, because that’s exactly what happened. Someone killed the music and everyone in the bar turned and stared.

“Well…” Ida Belle looked at Gertie and waved at the floor.

“Good Lord, I’ll never get up from there,” she said and looked at the other patrons. “You’re really going to make an old lady get on the floor? When was the last time it was mopped?”

“It’s not just the law, it’s the curse,” a man said. “You get on that floor or everything in this town goes to heck. Last time someone refused, a hurricane rolled in a week later and darn near took out this bar. So get to it, granny. Your friends can help you up.”

“I’m not shooting our way out of this one,” I said. “I’ve only got fifteen rounds and my hand hurts from twisting around in your bra. So I suggest you get to dipping.”

“She probably can’t even cross her legs,” Ida Belle said.

“I can too!” Gertie argued .

Ida Belle motioned to the floor again and Gertie sighed and climbed off her stool.

She started to bend, then her knees apparently said to heck with it all and she plopped onto the floor, probably giving herself a decent butt bruise. She pulled her legs in, but as Ida Belle had predicted, they weren’t interested in crossing.

“All the way,” the man said. “You have to get the legs up.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll break and bend them if you don’t,” I said, glancing around at the stern faces.

Gertie grabbed one leg and pulled it in, then grabbed the other and after much huffing, managed to get one ankle over the other.

“Good enough,” the man said and turned back to his friends at the bar. The music fired up again, and the crisis was over.

Except for getting Gertie off the floor.

She pushed her legs apart, but I could tell by the way she moved that the twisting had really angered her left knee. Even more concerning, she probably had something from Nora in her purse. God only knew what kind of horror that might bring.

Ida Belle extended her hand and Gertie glared at her.

“Now you want to help?” she asked. “I can manage.”

She twisted to the side and grabbed the barstool, then got onto her knees. I saw her cringe when her left knee touched the floor and knew I’d called that one correctly. She pulled herself up to a standing position, still leaning heavily on the stool, and I could tell the majority of her weight was on her right leg. Then she gave Ida Belle a triumphant look.

“Told you so!” she said and let go of the stool.

And Gertied.

The instant her hand came off the back of the stool, her weight involuntarily shifted onto her left leg to maintain her balance, but her left knee wasn’t having any of it. She let out a yelp as she pitched forward, slamming right into the back of the man who’d made her sit.

The man, who had just picked up a full mug of beer, stumbled forward, cracking the man in front of him right in the nose with it, which sent the beer flying right into the face of a woman walking toward the bar. Beer Mug man and Broken Nose man both cussed, then flopped onto the ground and scrambled to get their legs crossed.

The woman who’d gotten a beer bath stumbled backward, temporarily blinded, and sat on a plate of boiled shrimp on the table behind her. She came up as quickly as she went down, cursing like a sailor, and I could see shrimp lodged in her butt. But before anyone could warn her, she plopped onto the floor and let out another round of cursing that put sailors to shame, then bolted up onto her knees and started swiping her butt to remove the lodged shrimp.

A man seated at the table decided to take the opportunity to ‘help’ and at the first swipe of his hand on her rear, she punched him dead in the face. He cussed as his chair went flying backward and crashed into a guy just gearing up to throw a dart. The dart flew out of his hand and landed right in the middle of the back of a huge man with motorcycle gang tattoos who was playing pool.

The dart guy cursed and dropped down to the floor, and the motorcycle gang dude spun around, cursing about everything under the sun and looking for someone to kill. In his spin, he clocked two men and a woman with his pool cue.

By now, half the bar was down on the floor and the three of us just stood in wonder of it all.

“I didn’t even get video of this,” Ida Belle said.

The bartender tapped a camera over the bar. “Twenty bucks and I’ll put it on a USB for you. ”

I pulled fifty out of my wallet along with a business card. “That’s for the beer and the video. Can you mail it to that address? I think we should probably leave before everyone gets up.”

“Good call,” he said and pocketed the money and card.

Ida Belle and I each grabbed one of Gertie’s arms, to make sure she didn’t set off Stop, Drop, and Leg Cross War II on the way out, and practically ran out the door. We shoved her up and into the SUV and Ida Belle tore out of the parking lot and down the bumpy road so fast I couldn’t even get my seat belt on. When one dip finally had us all hitting our heads on the roof of the vehicle, she slowed.

That’s when Gertie started laughing.

Ida Belle glared at her in the rearview mirror, and I knew that if the road had a shoulder and we hadn’t been on a getaway run, she might have pulled over and made her walk back, sore knee and all. Since everyone was in one piece and the only real casualties had been some beer, shrimp, and that woman’s dress, I figured we’d come out better than usual.

“Wasn’t that a hoot?” Gertie said. “Stop glaring at me like you didn’t enjoy it. You’re the one who was sad about not having video.”

“I wanted video because it’s a spectacle that bears rewatching when I’m not in fear of being pummeled by the locals,” Ida Belle said.

I nodded. “It was like a human pinball machine. Fascinating really. Because I don’t think any of them really care much about the law. Apparently, it’s superstition that has them adhering to the rules. These small-town things never cease to amaze me.”

“Given the situation Corndog and Petunia are in, I don’t know that we can rule out curses,” Gertie said.

“That’s not a curse,” Ida Belle said. “I’d bet money that’s a sorry excuse for a sheriff using a bad situation to benefit a friend.”

“Curses aside,” I interrupted, “because a curse didn’t kill Justin, let’s discuss our conversation with Amanda and Morgan. Talk about a doozy.”

Gertie frowned. “Was it? I mean, there was some stuff we already knew and that sad part about Nicole. Did I miss something?”

“Apparently so,” Ida Belle said. “Starting with the fact that Justin bullied Tyler and Morgan in high school and was apparently hard at it again at the B and B.”

I nodded. “Then there was the whole Nicole and Justin thing, with Justin claiming he hooked up with her to get more digs in at Tyler.”

“And Tyler wears an earring,” Ida Belle said, “but he didn’t have one on while we were there. I think the first thing we should do is comb his social media and see if we can spot him wearing that earring.”

“So Tyler is in love with Nicole, who is in love with a married man, who is in love with his wife,” Gertie said. “The whole thing sounds like a bad soap opera. Do you think Amanda’s right on all of that?”

“Yes,” I said. “Morgan told me that Amanda noticed everything and stored it away. Whether she uses her powers for good or evil apparently depends on the situation.”

“So why spill Nicole’s secret to us?” Gertie asked.

I frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe because we’re strangers and there’s not really anything we could do with the information, at least not as far as she knows.”

“It seemed like it bothered Amanda a little, which is odd,” Gertie pointed out. “Amanda and Nicole appear to only be friends because of Brittany and being cousins. And Amanda doesn’t strike me as the emotional, overly sympathetic type when it comes to romance tomfoolery. So why would it bother Amanda if Nicole is wasting her life pining for a married man?”

I smiled as it hit me. “Because that man is married to her sister.”

“What?!”

“No way!”

They both yelled at once.

“You think Nicole is carrying a torch for Daniel?” Ida Belle asked.

“It makes sense,” I said. “Amanda was completely certain in her statement that the man had only ever loved his wife and they were living their happily ever after. And I took her statement to mean Nicole had loved this man since she was old enough for man-woman romance. That’s high school. If Nicole had her heart broken after high school, Amanda probably wouldn’t have known the details of it because they’re not close.”

“Brittany could have told her,” Gertie said.

“She strikes me as too proper to share her best friend’s personal heartache, even with her twin,” I said. “Besides, Amanda has to know who the married man is and that his life is happy. Why would she know that person so well if it was someone Nicole met after high school?”

“Good Lord,” Ida Belle said. “Do you think Brittany knows?”

“Amanda doesn’t seem to think so,” I said. “She doesn’t seem to think either of them know.”

“But you think they do?” Gertie asked.

“I think Daniel might,” I said. “That’s probably why most of Brittany and Nicole’s visits are girls only and seem to be more in New Orleans than in Houma. I mean, it’s possible he’s giving the besties time to themselves, but it’s also possible he’d rather it not be just the three of them. ”

“Because he knows Nicole has always had feelings for him,” Ida Belle said. “And being around her is uncomfortable.”

“Good Lord, that’s a mess,” Gertie said.

I nodded. “What did you guys think about Morgan offering to say he brought in something with peanuts?”

“Sounds like he was being nice to me,” Gertie said. “Amanda said he was always the nice one.”

“Or he’s feeling guilty,” Ida Belle said.

“Guilty about what?” Gertie asked.

“Killing Justin?” Ida Belle said. “Amanda said Justin bullied Tyler and Morgan and we have no reason to doubt her statement, especially given everything else we know about the three of them.”

I nodded. “And Amanda also said, ‘Morgan wouldn’t defend himself. Not back then.’”

Gertie’s eyes widened. “You think she meant he defended himself now. Wow. That was one I didn’t see coming. So the guilt is because Corndog is on the hook for what he did.”

“It’s possible.”

“But Morgan came from upstairs when the person broke into Justin’s room and went out the window,” Gertie said. “And he doesn’t wear an earring.”

“We don’t know that the killer and the earring wearer are the same person,” I said. “Maybe it was like we originally thought and one of the girls hooked up with Justin and didn’t want anyone to know. The peanut consumption could have happened after that interlude. Morgan could have left something laced with peanut oil in Justin’s room for him to find later that night.”

Gertie sighed. “Which means everyone is back on the suspect list. So if we go with the killer and the acrobat being two different people, who was the woman with the lipstick?”

“My money’s on Brittany,” Ida Belle said. “She used to have a thing with Justin in high school and she teaches gymnastics. She could have easily made that climb down.”

I nodded. “It would definitely explain why she was willing to take the risk to recover the earring even if it meant scaling the house in a storm.”

“Good Lord,” Gertie said. “What about Amanda? She was outside too.”

I frowned. “I can’t see it, but I also think Amanda is gifted at making people see what she wants them to see. Still, neither Amanda nor Nicole for that matter have anything to lose by hooking up with Justin. They’d just take grief from their friends over it. But you’re right. We can’t take her off the table.”

Ida Belle frowned. “You think Amanda is hiding things?”

“They all are. The question is whether or not it’s relevant to Justin’s death. Let’s head to the hotel and get checked in. We can work on the internet searches until it’s time to get into position for the dance. And I want to check out this ‘buyer’ who blindsided Corndog and Petunia. I’m sure he’s connected to Bryce, but it would be nice to have proof before I take all of this to Alexander.”

I stared out the car window as Ida Belle drove, all the things I knew running through my mind. And it was a lot. Unfortunately, the list of things I didn’t know was longer. But I had a feeling that this case was about to break loose.

We managed to get checked in and up to our suite without anyone in the group spotting us, which was good. The more time between “run-ins” the better, and we’d just had one with two members. I knew the friends had all seen Ida Belle’s SUV at the dock, so I had her park in the employee lot behind the hotel in a spot that gave them a direct shot at the smoking porch with the parabolic microphone but that was far enough away that hopefully, none of them would lock in on it.

On our way to the hotel, Gertie had looked at the hotel amenities and pointed out the limited room service options, so we’d picked up lunch on the way and were now at the table in our suite enjoying a stellar round of fried shrimp, jalape?o hush puppies, and coleslaw. The batter on the shrimp was thin and flaky and they’d been expertly fried. The hush puppies were the stuff legends were made from, and the servings had been generous. We had plenty for leftovers and since the suite came complete with a mini fridge and a microwave, we were all set for a post-investigative snack later that night. And we hadn’t even dug into the pint of banana pudding yet.

Gertie leaned back in her chair and groaned. “Good Lord, that was some fine eating. I’m glad I don’t have to wear a dress or heels tonight.”

“You can’t walk in heels on a normal basis,” Ida Belle said. “With that gimpy knee, you wouldn’t make it one step in a pair now.”

Gertie waved a hand in dismissal. “I have some of Nora’s latest concoction. My knee will be fine by tonight.”

Ida Belle stared at her in dismay.

“You and Ida Belle will use the side exit after dark and head to the SUV,” I said. “It’s not a long walk and you’ll be sitting the rest of the night, so you should be good. Worst case, Ida Belle can pull around to the exit and drop you off when you’re done.”

Gertie shrugged. “Sure. Like I said, it’s no big deal.”

“It’s no big deal because you won’t be moving,” Ida Belle said. “We’re making sure you’re clear on that part. So no need to take whatever Nora has cooked up. ”

“You say I won’t be moving, but how many times has that actually worked out?” Gertie asked.

I shook my head. There was no use arguing. She was going to take whatever it was regardless of our plans, and I had research to do. I pulled out my laptop and Ida Belle and Gertie retrieved their iPads, then we divvied up the group and started the long, boring process of looking for earrings. I’d taken Brittany, since I considered her the most likely suspect in that regard, Ida Belle took Amanda, and Gertie took Tyler.

We’d been scrolling for an hour when Ida Belle placed her iPad on the table and leaned back and stretched her arms over her head.

“If I never see another earlobe in my life, it will be too soon,” she said.

Gertie nodded. “They’re supposed to be sexy, I think, but if they ever were for me, they’re certainly not now. For all we know, the earring belonged to Justin.”

“His ears weren’t pierced,” Ida Belle said.

“Some people have piercings where only sexy-time people can see them. Once, on Bourbon Street, I saw a guy get a piercing right through his?—”

“No!” Ida Belle said and held up her hand.

“Just flopped it all out there on the table, right in front of the picture window,” Gertie said.

Ida Belle stared at her in dismay. “What part of ‘no’ did you not understand? I don’t want to hear about some man’s business being pierced in public.”

Gertie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, he passed out on the spot. But I talked to the piercing guy afterward, and he said the earring is great for women during sexy time.”

“For the love of all that is holy!” Ida Belle cried out. “We get it. The earring might have belonged to Justin. And maybe it got caught in a hole in his underwear and he yanked it out. Or maybe it was chafing. Or he lost it during…a business meeting.”

Gertie snorted. “Is that what we’re calling it these days?”

I couldn’t help smiling at their exchange, but Gertie had also made a valid point. Maybe the earring had belonged to Justin. And if he was wearing it in places he couldn’t post online, then we wouldn’t be able to track it down.

“Did Amanda look flustered at all when you mentioned Petunia finding an earring?” Ida Belle asked.

I ran the scene back through my mind and shook my head. “No. But then, she never does. The only time I’ve ever seen her venture outside of calm and collected was when she was drunk, and even then, she was still very aware of what she said.”

“Attorney,” Ida Belle said. “Full scholarship to Berkeley and about to be made partner at a top firm before she’s thirty. You realize if she did it, we’ll probably never be able to prove it. Out of all of them, she’s the one best equipped to pull off a murder and get away with it.”

I held in a sigh because my personal feelings weren’t relevant to the case. But if I was being honest, I didn’t want it to be Amanda because I liked her. I appreciated clever, intelligent, and direct. But I also agreed that all those talents, combined with years of studying case law, gave her the ability to commit the perfect crime.

“Back to it,” Ida Belle said and picked up her iPad. “That earring isn’t going to find itself.”

I nodded and moved to the next post, which was a video of Brittany and Nicole teaching two young girls—probably around ten—how to do flips on a trampoline. The two women demonstrated, then the girls took turns trying. It only took a few attempts for the girls to nail it .

The description read Helping my neighbors’ girls prepare for cheerleader tryouts. I’m betting they make it.

I froze the video on the ears and zoomed in, but they weren’t wearing earrings. On to the next one. It was a picture of Brittany and Daniel, having dinner at a restaurant on a bayou at sunset. It was pretty and they were dressed up. I checked the description.

Nine years of marital bliss. Over a decade of love.

Corny, but I had to admit, they did look happy. If Brittany had ‘settled’ for Daniel, then she was committed to making it work. Or at least making it look as though it worked on social media. But that was the entire problem with social media, wasn’t it? You didn’t see people’s real lives. You only saw the parts that made them look good. The things they wanted you to see.

I scrolled through a few more landscape and decorating pictures, some pictures of Brittany’s students performing, and then I paused on a picture of Brittany at an awards banquet. She was being honored as businesswoman of the year, but it wasn’t the award that caught my attention, or even what she was wearing. It was the form of the award.

Fleur-de-lis earrings with a single sapphire in the center.

Bingo.