Gertie both shook their heads but none of us were happy. Things didn’t look good for Tiffany and unfortunately, that would end up implicating Liam as well, especially after the terms of Gil’s new will came to light. I had empathy for both but the biggest piece of that definitely went to Liam. I really didn’t want him to be involved but the more we learned, the harder it was to rule it out.
I was surprised that we made it out of Sinful and up the highway by a good twenty miles before Carter called. I motioned to Ida Belle to exit the highway and told her to pull into the gas station at the pumps. She flew off the highway and skidded to a stop in front of the pumps and I managed to grab the call on the last ring.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Toby’s on the highway.”
“The gas station?”
“That’s usually where you stop for gas.”
“Where are you going?”
“New Orleans.”
“How many pairs of underwear does Gertie need?”
“We’re not going for underwear today. I have appointments to see hot tubs. They were closed on Sunday.”
“Uh-huh. Then I don’t suppose you know anything about an explosion behind Tiffany Forrest’s house?”
“No! Is she all right?”
“She’s fine but scared. After the chicken thing, she believes someone is after her, but I have to tell you, I don’t think she’s right on this one.”
“No?”
“Unless she was under siege by a group of kindergartners during craft time, I can’t work it out. You see, there’s pink glitter all over the area where the explosion happened. There’s a skunk back here wearing pink glitter and Deputy Breaux had the misfortune to make his acquaintance.”
“Oh wow! That sucks. Sorry, but we can’t help you.”
I took a pic of the gas station sign and texted it to Carter.
“Just sent you a pic of the gas station sign. We’re nowhere near your kindergarten-glitter-skunk crime scene.”
“Of course not. So then you won’t mind FaceTiming me.”
“I only have one bar. It would never work. Anyway, sounds like you’ve got your hands full, so I’ll let you get back to it.”
I hung up the phone and stared at the display for a couple seconds, wondering if he was going to call back. Finally I shoved it in my pocket. Carter knew I’d never cave. He could walk up to me right now and I’d still deny I was in the woods, even though the evidence was all over me.
“Okay, let’s go grab some goodies from the dollar store and get a shower,” I said.
“Here’s the thing,” Ida Belle said as she drove. “We can either go to the sketchy motel to shower or pay twice as much at the better motel.”
I frowned. Decisions. Decisions.
I’d been in the sketchy motel bathroom more than once and wasn’t impressed. But then all we really needed was to shower and leave. It wasn’t like we were going to move in. Still, by the time we sprang for toiletries, lint rollers, hats, and potentially new clothes if the glitter refused to come off the old ones, then add the motel room, the expense was rising and we hadn’t even had any fun.
“Go to the cheap one,” I said. “At least it has the added advantage of no one admitting they’ve seen us.”
We made our run through the dollar store, then headed for the motel. I went inside to rent the room, hoping the new front desk clerk would follow the trend of not wanting to know anything about anything. But I drew up short when the same old clerk we’d tortured with our antics in the past stared up at me, clearly dismayed.
“I thought you were leaving for a job in New Orleans,” I said.
“I was,” he said. “I did. It didn’t work out.”
“I thought it was night shift and you would be all alone. How does that not work out?”
“One of the office tenants was an insomniac. He was there every night so that his boss would think he was working. Meanwhile, he spent the entire night talking to me. About the harmonica.”
I shook my head. “I don’t figure a conversation about harmonicas should be more than a minute or two.”
“Exactly. So anyway, I called the motel and they offered me my job back and a raise, so here I am again…and here you are again. What manner of criminal are you looking for now—a serial-killing crafter?”
He waved a hand at me and I assumed he was addressing my glittery appearance.