call. Since he had a job reporting to other people, and the hours could be erratic, I mostly let Carter call me. So if I called him up at the crack of dawn, he’d know I was poking my nose into police business. And since I didn’t have a viable client to put it back on, then he’d take his usual line and tell me to butt out.
No way was I butting out of this one.
When a dead man rides a horse through the Halloween festival and loses his head and Celia ends up holding it, that was entirely too much temptation for someone like me to resist. My phone signaled a text. Ida Belle.
You up?
I texted back that I was up and dressed. Her reply was immediate.
At Francine’s.
Since breakfast at the café sounded light years better than the somewhat stale bread I’d been considering for toast, I polished off my coffee, then wrangled Merlin back inside, which was getting progressively harder every time I had to do it. I’d started with cat treats but now I was up to canned tuna. Before the end of the week, I might have to offer up raw fish and a sacrifice.
It took me ten minutes and a disgruntled stare that should have turned me into a pillar of salt before I got him back inside, then I grabbed my keys and wallet and hurried out the door. The café was always busy on a Saturday, but it usually picked up a bit later in the morning. It wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. and I had to park at the other end of the block. I figured more than the usual customers had ventured out to get the gossip about the Headless Horseman, which was probably why Ida Belle and Gertie had headed out so early.
“I see the masses are ready to descend,” I said as I slipped into my seat, trying to avoid looking people in the eye.
“They always think we know something,” Gertie said.
“That’s because we usually do,” Ida Belle said. “Add to that Fortune is hooked up with Carter and I’m married to his uncle, and they really think we have the inside track.”
Gertie sighed. “If only that were true. Heck, we’d get more random information if that wasn’t the case. Carter probably expends twenty percent of his daily energy trying to figure out how to keep Fortune in the dark about his cases. And Walter would definitely prefer you stayed out of that line of work as well.”
“Sadly, all true,” I agreed.
“Speaking of the closemouthed devil,” Ida Belle said, “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from Carter.”
“Not so much as a text,” I said. “But that’s not surprising.”
Ally popped over to our table and grinned down at us. “Aunt Celia called me last night ranting about pressing charges against Gertie for throwing a head at her. She said two years in a row is intentional, not coincidence.”
“She threw first last year,” Gertie said. “Besides, since I didn’t behead either of them, I hardly see how this was my fault.”
“You know Aunt Celia,” Ally said.
“Unfortunately,” Gertie said and we all laughed.
“You guys want your usual?” Ally asked. “Francine has a Halloween special today.”
“What is it?” I asked, always interested in new food offerings.
“Lobster and cream cheese crepes,” Ally said.
“I might have just gotten a little woozy,” I said. “Hook me up with that. Do you have any muffins?”
Ally nodded. “Blueberry and banana nut.”
“Blueberry, please,” I said, and leaned back in my chair, already anticipating an excellent meal.
“I’ll have the same,” Gertie said.
“Ida Belle?” Ally asked. “You want the same?”
“No way,” Ida Belle said. “Only sweet things belong in crepes. Just give me some eggs, biscuits, and bacon.”
“Got it,” Ally said and then leaned in. “Rumor is the Headless Horseman was Gil Forrest. The sheriff’s department isn’t announcing anything but one of the paramedics said he recognized him.”
Gertie nodded. “So did I. Although I’ll admit it happened a bit after the whole head-catching fiasco.”
Ally shook her head. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Gil was killed in New Orleans days ago, and there was no mention in the paper about his head being removed.”
“Interesting, isn’t it?” I asked.
She smiled. “You three are about to poke your nose into police business, aren’t you? Well, I won’t bother to try to tell you not to and I know you’ll be as careful as you’re ever going to be, so I’ll just say watch your back. Because whoever did that isn’t sane.”