Authors: Jana DeLeon
“Me? I don’t know anything about it.”
“Really?” He removed his phone from my hand and scrolled to the next picture before turning the phone back around. “Are you going to deny that this is you?”
I looked at the phone and cringed. It was a picture of me standing on the stage, drenched across the chest and sporting the Best Boobs sash.
“I also have video,” he said, “in case you want to argue this was Photoshopped. And the video has a clear shot of the shoes you were wearing.”
Busted.
“Do I get any brownie points for winning the contest?”
“I think your title has to rank a little higher than Best Boobs to keep you from being arrested.”
“Are you accusing me of killing Floyd?” I asked.
“No. When Floyd was killed, you were pacing in your bedroom.”
I frowned. “You were watching me?”
He shook his head. “I was watching your house in case the creeper returned.”
“Oh. How do you know what time Floyd died?”
“His watch broke when he fell.”
“So I’m in the clear?”
“With me, but how do you think the evidence would look to the state prosecutor?”
I blew out a breath. “Not good.”
“That’s a huge understatement. The man chased you out of a bar, threatening to kill you, and was found stabbed to death with the heel from a shoe you were wearing when he took off after you. A jury wouldn’t be out ten minutes on this.”
“But you saw me in my house. You’re a deputy. Surely that means something.”
“Uh-huh. I’m also the deputy who asked you out on a date.”
“Oh. Crap.”
He leaned forward and looked me straight in the eyes. “So, even though it’s my sworn duty, I’m asking you to give me a reason not to connect the dots for the prosecutor. I want the truth, Fortune. All of it.”
I nodded. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Let’s start with the weapon. Do you have any idea how the killer acquired your shoe?”
“That part is easy. Floyd walked into the Swamp Bar right when the contest ended. He saw me on stage and started yelling.”
“About what?”
Double crap.
Everyone in the bar had heard Floyd. Odds were, Carter already had the answer and this was a test. I sighed. “About his fence.”
Carter shook his head. “Something else you denied being part of.”
“Anyway, I ran off the stage, hoping he’d lose me in the crowd and I could get out of the bar, but one of my heels got stuck in a rotten piece of plywood. He was coming at me, so I cut the straps on the shoe so I could get away.”
“So you left the shoe in the bar?”
I nodded.
“Which means anyone in the bar could have taken it. Damn.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You lied to Ally.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said one possibility was that Floyd interrupted something going on at her house and whoever it was took him out. But if someone took my shoe from the Swamp Bar and used it to kill Floyd, that was premeditated.”
“Unless Floyd took the shoe.”
“What use would that be?”
“Maybe to identify you. Maybe to extort money out of you.”
“That’s thin.”
He nodded. “But a better alternative than someone stealing the shoe to frame you for murder.”
I slumped back in my chair. He had a point.
“So why were you at the Swamp Bar to begin with?”
“Because we were trying to find out where Floyd was when the fire started at Ally’s. Ida Belle and Gertie knew he frequented the Swamp Bar, so we were trying to eliminate him as a suspect.”
“And it didn’t occur to you that checking Floyd’s alibi was one of the first things I would do? His bad attitude and disrespect for authority aren’t exactly a secret. Floyd was the first on my list of suspects.”
“So you already know he was in jail in New Orleans.”
“Yes.”
I sighed. “I don’t know why I let those two talk me into these things. It sounded so simple—dress up sexy, go to the bar, ask a couple of questions, then leave. We just wanted Ally to be safe, and if the guy who tried to burn down her house was living right next door, that would suck.”
“I get that, but can you please explain to me why you think I’m not capable of doing my job? I thought we were friends…maybe a little something more, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why my friend would consistently attempt to undermine me.”
A wave of guilt washed over me and I had the sudden urge to curl up in a tiny ball and disappear. I knew my actions could potentially cause Carter trouble with his job, but I’d never stopped to consider that I might be insulting him on a personal level. I’d been so focused on my own thoughts on the matter, I’d never seen it from his viewpoint.
“I think you’re very capable,” I finally managed, but couldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Then why do you keep interfering?”
I shrugged. “We figured the Swamp Bar crowd would be more likely to talk to a woman than a cop. I swear, your capability never entered into the equation. I mean, except for the part where you don’t have boobs.” I frowned. “I guess that’s not much better, is it?”
“Not really. Look, I appreciate and respect your loyalty to your friends, even Ida Belle and Gertie, although they are probably the two worst influences you could have come across. But the three of you are going to get hurt or killed with these pursuits. Do you really not see how lucky you’ve been?”
Although it rankled me to no end to pretend incompetence, I nodded.
“Then from this point forward, I expect you to stay out of my investigation. I won’t issue any more warnings. If I catch you, Ida Belle, or Gertie doing anything that I even remotely suspect is related to my case, I’m going to throw you all in jail, for your own good.”
“I understand.”
He cocked his head to the side and stared at me. “Do you? Because it seems like you think I’m only trying to restrict what you do. Has it ever occurred to you that I care about what happens to you? That if something happened to you while you were nosing into my work that I’d carry the guilt of not preventing it around with me forever?”
My heart clenched and my stomach started to churn. Did he mean he cared about me more than he cared about the other citizens he protected? Attraction was one thing, but was Carter alluding to an emotional connection with me that was different? That thought made me warm and tingly and scared and panicked, all at the same time.
“Fortune?” Carter’s voice broke into my thoughts.
Despite my complete discomfort, I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry you had to worry about me. That wasn’t my intention. But I do think I’m more capable than you realize.”
He gave me a small smile. “I think you’re capable of a lot of things, but you’re still human.”
“You mean I’m a civilian.”
“That too.” He rose from his chair. “I’ve got to run. I need to figure out how to document this in a way that doesn’t make me a liar or incriminate you, and I’m not even sure that’s possible.”
I jumped up from my chair and circled to his side of the table, emotion overwhelming me. “Don’t put your job on the line. Document what you know. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
I knew my name going into his report would be the end of my stay in Sinful, but I couldn’t allow him to risk his career for me, especially when he didn’t know the truth. I put my hand on his arm. “This is my problem. Please let me handle it.”
He stepped closer to me and looked me straight in the eyes for several seconds. My knees started to quiver and more than anything else in the world, I wanted him to touch me, even though I knew it would only make things worse for both of us. He leaned toward me and I knew I should back up, escape his reach, but God help me, I couldn’t make myself do it.
His lips brushed against mine and all of my resolve drifted away like pollen in a hurricane. He reached up with one hand to cup the back of my head and deepened the kiss, parting my lips with his.
I swayed a bit and clutched his arm to steady myself as a wave of dizziness passed over me. Every inch of my body sprang alive—my heart raced, my breathing increased, and my skin tingled. He slipped his tongue in my mouth and began a sensual dance that had me on the verge of explosion.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’d already decided that personal involvement with Carter wasn’t fair to him, and only complicated things for me. But damned if my body agreed with my mind.
Just when I was ready to rip off all his clothes and have my way with him right there on the kitchen floor, he broke off the kiss and looked at me. “If it’s your problem, it’s mine too.”
Before I could formulate an argument, he leaned in for one hard, brief kiss, then spun around and left. I was still standing in the same spot when the front door clicked shut.
My problems had just gotten a thousand times worse.
“Fortune?” Ally’s voice roused me out of my stupor.
She gave me a critical look. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, fine.”
“What was that about? Or can’t you say?”
“I probably shouldn’t decree it publicly or anything, but Carter knows about my trip to the Swamp Bar. Apparently, there were pictures and, God help me, video.”
Ally’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Is he mad?”
“He’s mad and upset and worried. The whole bar saw Floyd tear out after me.”
“That would definitely justify upset and worried.”
“And I’m sure a few of them reported Floyd threatening to kill me as he left.”
Ally’s hand flew over her mouth. “Oh my God! Carter doesn’t think…he wouldn’t…”
“No. He doesn’t think I did it. In fact, he’s certain of it because he was watching the house last night. When Floyd was killed, I was busy pacing in my bedroom. Carter could see me from wherever he was hiding.”
Ally dropped her hand and exhaled. “Thank goodness.”
I nodded and left it at that. Ally didn’t need to know that Floyd had been killed with the heel from my shoe, or that Carter was running a huge risk in not reporting his knowledge to the DA’s office. There was nothing to be gained from both of us worrying about something that couldn’t be changed.
She grabbed her car keys from the counter and I put my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I know you planned on moving back in your house as soon as it was secure, but I hope you’ll rethink that. I think you should stay here with me until Carter figures all this out.”
Ally bit her lip. “All this stuff that’s happening, I want to say no because my staying here puts you at risk. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m scared to be there alone now.”
“You don’t have to be. Strength in numbers and all. Besides, apparently Carter is keeping an eye on us. We’ll be alert and smart, and we’ll both be safe here.”
Ally threw her arms around me and gave me a hug. “Thank you for being such a good friend. I’m so glad you came to Sinful.” She released me and sniffed, her eyes reddening, then she gave me a half wave and headed out of the kitchen.
I sank down in a kitchen chair, my mind whirling so fast I was afraid it would spin right out of my skull. What the hell had just happened?
My body completely sold out my mind.
That pretty much summed it up. And made it impossible for me to keep fooling myself into believing I wasn’t going to get entangled with Carter. The reality was, I already was.
Chapter Fourteen
I put in an emergency call to Ida Belle and Gertie, then tried to occupy myself with busy work. By the time they arrived, I’d already put on a load of laundry, mopped the kitchen floor, and dusted the living room, and was just about to start bleaching the driveway.
Ida Belle and Gertie took one look at me, standing in the garage and holding a bottle of bleach, and immediately flew into action. Gertie yanked down the garage door and Ida Belle grabbed the tarp that had covered the motorcycle the day before.
“Where’s the body?” Ida Belle asked.
“What? Jesus, there’s no body!”
Gertie visibly relaxed. “Thank goodness. This is a new blouse.”
“And bleach isn’t really the best choice,” Ida Belle threw in.
I stared, not sure whether to be impressed with their efficiency in shifting gears or horrified that they could move so easily from somewhat normal to Son of Sam. I decided to settle for impressed and slightly fearful.
“I was going to bleach the driveway,” I explained and stuck the jug of bleach back on the shelf.
Gertie frowned. “Is there blood? I thought I cleaned up the bit that dripped on the floor from your ankle.”
“No blood. No cleanup necessary. I was trying to occupy myself until you got here because I was afraid if I sat still, I would end up exploding.”
Ida Belle glanced at Gertie, her expression worried. “Then we best get inside so you can fill us in.”