you coming by and letting me know about the will, but if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to get good and drunk until I pass out.”
“Please call me if you need anything. Here’s the number for an attorney. If the police come after you again, call him. I’ve already explained the situation to him and told him I was going to give you his card.”
“Thanks, Judith.”
The front door opened and Judith came out. I picked up my binoculars and watched as she wiped her nose with her finger. Her eyes were red.
“She looks upset,” Gertie said.
“With good reason,” I said. “Let’s head back to the car so I can play this for you.”
We got everything loaded up and off from the Laundromat with incident. I kept looking behind us, waiting to see Liam, or Carter, or maybe a team of assassins. We never got away this easy. It was a little unnerving.
“What now?” Ida Belle asked as she stopped at the highway access road.
“We can’t go home yet,” Gertie said. “We won’t have had time to go to New Orleans, shop, and get back. Heck, we’ve barely had time to get to New Orleans.”
“Maybe we should go ahead and go,” I said.
“But I don’t need new underwear,” Gertie said. “I found this website called Sexy at Sixty and—”
“Nope!” Ida Belle said and held up her hand. “You are not sixty and even if you were, I still don’t want to hear about being sexy.”
“We don’t have to go shopping,” I said. “You know I’d prefer we didn’t, anyway. I was thinking maybe we could check out the parking lot where Gil was killed while there’s no one around. Then maybe late lunch and a movie.”
“Oh, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie,” Gertie said. “What’s playing?”
“Not Getting Caught by Carter,” Ida Belle said. “It’s really popular.”
I queued up the audio and played it as Ida Belle drove. When it was over they both looked troubled.
“No wonder Judith looked upset when she left,” Gertie said.
“I’m a little upset myself,” Ida Belle said. “This inheritance thing has a serious impact on our faked carjacking theory.”
“But Liam didn’t know about the inheritance,” Gertie said.
“Are you sure?” Ida Belle asked. “Because maybe he just pretended to be surprised because he didn’t want Judith to know that he knew about the change, especially since the cops are certain to ask her about it since she was a witness.”
“Crap,” Gertie said.
“Things are definitely getting messier,” I said. “Since Judith said Gil had tried to contact Liam recently, it might be that he told Liam about the change in his will, using it to try to prompt a meeting.”
“Or it could be that Tiffany was told or found out about the change and told Liam,” Ida Belle said.
“Or didn’t tell him but figured she’d try to pursue that angle again so she’d still have the whole lot in her kitty,” I said.
“That’s a really low opinion of the girl,” Ida Belle said, “but you’re right. People have done worse for less.”
“So how do we sort it out?” Gertie asked.
“I don’t know that we can necessarily,” I said. “I suppose the attorney might know what Gil’s intentions were with regard to telling Liam and Tiffany about the change, but he wouldn’t talk to us. Did Gil have any other friends that he might confide in?”
They both shook their heads.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Ida Belle said. “Judith was his only friend in town. Everyone else seemed more surface level. That being said, I don’t know anything about his acting buddies in New Orleans.”
I nodded. “I think a trip to New Orleans is in order tomorrow to meet those actors and see what we can find out. Rehearsal is Monday nights, right?”
“Another trip to New Orleans?” Gertie asked. “How many bras do I need?”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “I want to look at a hot tub and they’re not open today. We’re good.”
“Is Carter really going to buy that we drove all the way to New Orleans to look at a hot tub?” Gertie asked.
“He will when I buy it,” I said. “If it’s everything they advertised, I’m going to put that thing on order.”
Gertie hooted and Ida Belle grinned.
“I guess you can’t argue with a sales receipt,” Ida Belle said.
“Especially not when you’re going to benefit from the purchase,” Gertie said. “I can’t wait. That hot tub sitting the other day worked wonders for my back but good Lord, the stress of