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Authors: Jana DeLeon
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widened. “That Raylan Givens is so hot he almost makes my television melt. You would like him, Fortune. He’s always killing people.”
“But it’s all justified,” Ida Belle said. “Get it?”
I stared at them, as confused as ever. “There’s a show on killing people? I thought only the federal government could sanction that sort of thing, and they usually don’t want anyone knowing about it. I’m not sure I could work with a film crew following me around.”
Ida Belle looked upward with her prayer face. “It’s not a reality show. It’s fiction. Like a novel but on television.”
“And he is a federal marshal,” Gertie pointed out.
“That explains everything,” I said. “Those marshals are loose cannons.”
“Ha!” Ida Belle laughed. “Said the spook.”
“This hot, gun-slinging marshal sounds really interesting,” I said, “but it doesn’t help with our current situation. As long as Pansy’s murderer is unidentified, I’m going to be a suspect. I’m sure you’re right that Carter is no fool, but he doesn’t have as much at stake as me.”
Gertie nodded. “And he has to follow the law and all sorts of other rules in order to investigate.”
“But we don’t,” Ida Belle said.
“Exactly.” Gertie smiled.
A small trickle of excitement went through me, followed by a larger trickle of fear. “I don’t know. Look what happened last time we got in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“Yes, let’s look at that,” Ida Belle agreed. “Our friend was exonerated, two bad guys died, and we all found out just how much our friends cared about us and us for them. Horrible, awful things.”
“And we got to see Fortune in action,” Gertie added. “That was better than Justified , even though she’s not my type.”
“You forgot about the trip to the island of stink,” I said, “my having an extension ripped out of my head and retrieved by Rambo Rottweiler, almost getting shot at the Swamp Bar, and Deputy LeBlanc catching me in far too many states of partial to pretty-much-full undress. You two might have been entertained, but I was mostly horrified.”
Ida Belle frowned. “There is that. But you have to weigh it against the other risk—that Carter will conduct a very careful and deliberate investigation, but it won’t move as quickly as we would. I don’t have to tell you that the faster this whole nightmare is put to rest, the better your chances of maintaining cover.”
I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. But the mere thought of launching into Nancy Drew mode with the two seniors of doom was definitely not what I’d had in mind, especially only days after I’d barely escaped with my life and cover. My dignity was long gone and not even worth mentioning at this point, which I guess could be seen as a positive. Depending on how you looked at the situation, I had one less thing to lose.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look into a few things.” I pointed my finger at them. “But…no islands of stink, no redneck bars, no trespassing at Deputy LeBlanc’s house, and no riding naked in cars.”
Ida Belle grinned. “Well, if you’re going to take all the fun out of it…”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. You two can find some other form of entertainment. My humiliation level is maxed out, and I thought it had reached its peak before I arrived here. Besides, Deputy LeBlanc already told me straight-out to leave this alone. He’ll be watching me for more reasons than one.”
“Well, he can’t spend all day and night watching you and conduct an investigation,” Ida Belle pointed out. “We’ll have to make sure we know where he is at all times so we can choose the best opportunities to do our own investigating.”
“Sinful doesn’t have any more law enforcement?”
“Just Sheriff Lee.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. Sheriff Robert E. Lee was a hundred if he was a day, and still rode a horse everywhere. The horse was also a
“But it’s all justified,” Ida Belle said. “Get it?”
I stared at them, as confused as ever. “There’s a show on killing people? I thought only the federal government could sanction that sort of thing, and they usually don’t want anyone knowing about it. I’m not sure I could work with a film crew following me around.”
Ida Belle looked upward with her prayer face. “It’s not a reality show. It’s fiction. Like a novel but on television.”
“And he is a federal marshal,” Gertie pointed out.
“That explains everything,” I said. “Those marshals are loose cannons.”
“Ha!” Ida Belle laughed. “Said the spook.”
“This hot, gun-slinging marshal sounds really interesting,” I said, “but it doesn’t help with our current situation. As long as Pansy’s murderer is unidentified, I’m going to be a suspect. I’m sure you’re right that Carter is no fool, but he doesn’t have as much at stake as me.”
Gertie nodded. “And he has to follow the law and all sorts of other rules in order to investigate.”
“But we don’t,” Ida Belle said.
“Exactly.” Gertie smiled.
A small trickle of excitement went through me, followed by a larger trickle of fear. “I don’t know. Look what happened last time we got in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“Yes, let’s look at that,” Ida Belle agreed. “Our friend was exonerated, two bad guys died, and we all found out just how much our friends cared about us and us for them. Horrible, awful things.”
“And we got to see Fortune in action,” Gertie added. “That was better than Justified , even though she’s not my type.”
“You forgot about the trip to the island of stink,” I said, “my having an extension ripped out of my head and retrieved by Rambo Rottweiler, almost getting shot at the Swamp Bar, and Deputy LeBlanc catching me in far too many states of partial to pretty-much-full undress. You two might have been entertained, but I was mostly horrified.”
Ida Belle frowned. “There is that. But you have to weigh it against the other risk—that Carter will conduct a very careful and deliberate investigation, but it won’t move as quickly as we would. I don’t have to tell you that the faster this whole nightmare is put to rest, the better your chances of maintaining cover.”
I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. But the mere thought of launching into Nancy Drew mode with the two seniors of doom was definitely not what I’d had in mind, especially only days after I’d barely escaped with my life and cover. My dignity was long gone and not even worth mentioning at this point, which I guess could be seen as a positive. Depending on how you looked at the situation, I had one less thing to lose.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look into a few things.” I pointed my finger at them. “But…no islands of stink, no redneck bars, no trespassing at Deputy LeBlanc’s house, and no riding naked in cars.”
Ida Belle grinned. “Well, if you’re going to take all the fun out of it…”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. You two can find some other form of entertainment. My humiliation level is maxed out, and I thought it had reached its peak before I arrived here. Besides, Deputy LeBlanc already told me straight-out to leave this alone. He’ll be watching me for more reasons than one.”
“Well, he can’t spend all day and night watching you and conduct an investigation,” Ida Belle pointed out. “We’ll have to make sure we know where he is at all times so we can choose the best opportunities to do our own investigating.”
“Sinful doesn’t have any more law enforcement?”
“Just Sheriff Lee.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. Sheriff Robert E. Lee was a hundred if he was a day, and still rode a horse everywhere. The horse was also a
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