Swamp Sniper (21 page)

“But if the intruder ran out the front doors…”

“How could Old Lady Fontenot see them run out the back? Exactly. And the odds of two different groups of people breaking into the church at the same time have to be astronomical.”

I nodded. Astronomical and also exactly what happened, which made me wonder all over again what the other guys were doing there. Sinful seemed a pretty good trek from New Jersey to take a picture of a dead man.

“I don’t suppose you’re any closer to catching the killer?” I asked.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“I know. I was just hoping…”

He sighed. “You’re worried about Ida Belle. The truth is, I am too. I’m waiting on the lab reports, but if they can prove the poison I took from her shed was the same one used to kill Ted, I’m not going to have a choice in arresting her.”

He looked so miserable that I felt the overwhelming urge to hug him, which was somewhat disconcerting in itself. I had never thought myself the overly sympathetic type. “I know. And even though it probably won’t make you feel any better, so does Ida Belle.”

“Thanks. I notice you didn’t include Gertie in your declaration.”

“Gertie will not take it well and will likely spend the rest of her life punishing you. Loyalty is a religion with Gertie.”

“You’ve got her pegged.”

I shrugged. “She’s easy, and there’s far worse character flaws.”

Ally slid Carter’s breakfast in front of him and gave us both a big smile. “Is there anything else I can get you two?”

We both shook our heads and Ally bounced off to another table.

Carter tore into his breakfast with the same gusto I had. “Looks like you’re as hungry as I was,” I said.

“Haven’t had a regular schedule lately. Seems every time I start to eat, something else comes up. No chance to grocery shop in a while and while I love Francine’s cooking, sometimes I just don’t want to hear the crap that I do when I come here.”

I nodded, completely understanding his desire to get away from people, especially people who were judging your ability to do your job when they really had zero idea what that job entailed.
 

Maybe it was my guilt at keeping evidence from Carter talking. Or maybe it was simply the fact that I’d only had two cups of coffee. Either way, I found myself unable to stop from saying, “Any time you want to avoid the masses and I’m home, you’re welcome to a free meal at my house. With Gertie, Ida Belle, and Ally all testing recipes on me, I’ve almost always got something worthwhile on tap. If not, then I always have my fallback roast beef sandwiches and chips.”

Carter paused for a moment, his fork in midair, a piece of biscuit dangling from it. His expression was a mixture of surprise, satisfaction, and a slight hint of wariness. If he knew the real me, the wariness would have been a lot higher.
 

“Are you asking me out on a date?” he asked, his lips quivering with the smile that wanted to break through.

I felt a blush start on my neck and prayed it didn’t show in the dim light. “I didn’t ask you ‘out’ anywhere and I wouldn’t call feeding a hungry friend a date. You’re hungry and too busy to shop. You sometimes want to avoid people at all costs and I totally get that. It’s just food, Carter.”

“So we’re friends?”

“Yeah. I mean, unless you think otherwise.”

He smiled at my obvious discomfort. “Friends it is then, and I just may take you up on your offer of a free meal. You’ve got the best cooks in Sinful supplying you.”

“Very true.”
 

I frowned, thinking about how easily I’d offered to feed Carter and wondering why he didn’t hit up some of the single women in Sinful for a meal. I was sure some existed and if they didn’t think Carter was a good catch, then I wasn’t sure what they were waiting on to arrive in the middle of the swamp. What the hell? I’d already stepped outside of my own boundaries of getting too personal, so I might as well assuage my curiosity.

“I find it hard to believe that no other women in Sinful have made the same offer,” I said.

“Well, the married ones don’t dare,” Carter said, “and offers from the single ones tend to come with strings attached.”

“What kind of strings?”

“The kind with a wedding band tied to the end. So I say a polite ‘no thanks.’”

“But you accepted my offer,” I pointed out. “I’m single.”

“Let’s just say I get the impression that you’re not looking for a husband.”

“God no!” I was just learning how to manage friendship. The thought of having another person constantly in my space and taking his feelings into account every time I made a decision was a level of overwhelming I might never be ready for.

He laughed. “See. I get a good meal out of the deal and don’t have to worry about you casting out a marital net.”

I shook my head. “Is that the sort of thing guys have to worry about all the time?”

“I guess if a guy is reasonably good-looking, has a decent job, and lives in a town with more single women than men, it’s a fairly good chance he spends some time dodging commitment.”

I thought about the guys I’d seen roaming around Sinful and decided Carter didn’t have much by way of competition, at least that I’d observed. “I probably wouldn’t leave my house.”

“Ha. That’s not really an option. Besides, I’m sure you get your share of unwanted male attention. Bobby hadn’t been back in town a day before he locked his sights on you.”

“His aim is bad. I’m not interested.”

Carter smiled. “Yeah, I kinda got that. If it makes you feel any better, I think Bobby did too.”

I shrugged. “Fewer interruptions while eating, I suppose.”

Carter cocked his head to the side and studied me. “You have an interesting way of looking at things.”

“Not really. I just think simple is best and I tend to see things for what they are. I don’t like complications and I don’t do drama.”

“I see. How’s that working out for you, being friends with Ida Belle and Gertie?”

I smiled. “Some people are worth the hassle.”

“Yeah. I guess they are.”

###

I was happy to find the General Store free of customers when I walked in. The morning had already been entertaining enough. I wanted to quietly get my cat food and get home to prepare for my afternoon tree-climbing adventures. Walter was at the counter with his newspaper and smiled when I walked in.

“If I didn’t see you sometime today,” he said, “I was going to call.”

I slid onto a stool across the counter from him. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me. I wanted to check on Ida Belle.”

I frowned. “You haven’t talked to her?”

He sighed. “I’ve left at least ten messages, but she’s not returning my calls.”

“Oh.” He looked a little upset and I instantly felt bad. “I’m sorry. I just assumed…”

“She’s shutting me out because she’s afraid my being involved will cause me problems.”

“Is she right?”

“Of course she’s right, but that’s not the damned point!”

I stared. I couldn’t remember seeing Walter that angry before. Frustrated and irritated, certainly, but this was different. While I understood that Ida Belle wanted to prevent her friend and longtime admirer from unnecessary trouble, I thought she might be making the wrong decision. Walter was a big boy. If he didn’t care about trouble, neither should Ida Belle.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll talk to her if you want me to.”

He waved a hand. “Hell, no. The last thing I need is you interceding on my behalf. That just makes the whole thing even sadder.”

I squirmed on my stool. This entire situation was way out of my element. Everything about relationships made me uncomfortable, even if they weren’t my own. Or maybe it was that other people’s relationship problems forced me to acknowledge my own issues on some level. Whatever. Either way, I wished Ida Belle would just talk to the man.

“Then at least let me tell you how she’s doing,” I said.

Walter relaxed a bit. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Nothing else has happened on the police front, but I just had breakfast with Carter and he’s worried about the test results on the poison he took from Ida Belle’s shed. He’s expecting them anytime.”
 

Shit. A wave of guilt washed over me as I realized I’d just repeated something Carter probably thought he’d told me in confidence.
 

“But I never said that,” I said. “Understand?”

“Don’t worry. He’ll never hear it from me, but I’m glad you told me. It’s always better to be prepared.”

I nodded. “Ida Belle is holding up as well as you would expect. Aside from some hang-up calls and that incident with the rock through her window, things have been quiet. She’s sticking inside her house most of the time and either Gertie, me, or the Sinful Ladies are usually around…you know, just in case.”

“In case she needs an alibi.” He shook his head. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“Carter did. He’s the one who suggested I stick close by.”

“Carter asked you for a favor?”

“I don’t know that it was so much a favor as he figured if Ida Belle and I were both closed up inside her house, we couldn’t get in the middle of his investigation.”

“Probably true.”

“Anyway, the spunk is still there and I haven’t noticed any decrease in the sarcasm level.”

“But?”

I sighed. “But she’s worried. She’s careful to hide it…mostly, I think because she doesn’t want Gertie more stressed than she already is. But it’s wearing her down. I can see the cracks around the edges, and you and I both know what it takes for Ida Belle to crack.”

Walter rubbed his forehead and blew out a breath. His eyes misted up a bit and I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be for him to know Ida Belle was struggling and not be able to do a thing about it. I may not be thrilled about the things I’d done the last few days or about the things I was about to do, but at least I didn’t have to sit in my house with my hands tied, waiting for things to happen.
 

I reached across the counter and squeezed his hand. “We’re working on things…me and Gertie. I don’t want to tell you about them because that information might put you in a bad position with Carter, and I don’t want that. But I want you to know that I’m doing everything I can.”

Walter put his other hand over mine and gave me a grateful look. “I know you are. And something tells me it’s all going to turn out all right. I’ve got a good feeling about it, despite the odds being stacked against you.”

“She’s going to be fine. I promise you.”
 

I had no idea what made me say that. Maybe it was because I really liked Walter, and his lifelong devotion to a woman who kept turning down his marriage proposals made me a little emotional and girly. Maybe it’s because he was the kindly older man that I sometimes wished my father had been. Maybe I needed to say the words out loud so that I believed them myself.

No matter. It worked.

A slow smile started on Walter’s face and the resolve that I normally saw in him flooded back. “Damn right she’s going to be fine.” He shook his head. “Fortune, you’ve got to be the strangest librarian I’ve ever come across.”

“Then I guess I’m in the right town.”

He grinned. “You have a point. Maybe you should consider relocating permanently.”

I shook my head. “I’m enjoying my stay—sorta—but my life is back north.”

“So get a new life.” He winked at me. “Maybe one with your breakfast companion.”

“Oh no. No playing matchmaker. You, of all people, ought to know the pitfalls of love. I’m even more hardheaded than Ida Belle. You and Carter would be two old, lonely men, sitting on the front porch and talking about how things would have been different if you’d only fallen for normal women.”

He laughed. “Maybe. For someone who came here to settle up an estate, you certainly have proven to be a challenge for some. Still, challenge is what keeps people young. Keeps them alive. You can’t run from commitment forever, Fortune. Sooner or later, it’s going to catch you in one form or another.”

“It already did,” I said, feeling a bit smug that I had one up on Walter now. “I have adopted a stray cat and need some food for him.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Well, that’s a big step. What did he do to get your attention?”

“Made me shoot out two window panes in the guest room. As soon as I get the measurements, I’ll need to see about ordering replacement glass as well.”

Walter stared at me for a moment, then when he realized I wasn’t joking he started laughing again, but this time, so hard his whole body began to shake. “So what I’m getting from this is that if Carter ever got you mad enough to shoot up your own house, you might keep him.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Walter was nothing if persistent. “You never know.”

“Well, I got a bag of dry cat food right over here.” He walked over to a shelf near the counter and picked up a bag. “I suggest you start with a small bag first. One, to make sure he likes it, and two, to make sure you like him.”