Bullets and Beads (A Miss Fortune Mystery Book 17) by Jana DeLeon

Author:Jana DeLeon [DeLeon, Jana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J&R Publishing
Published: 2020-05-02T18:30:00+00:00

By the time Ida Belle and I got back to the apartment, updated Gertie on our location, showered, and changed into clothes that hadn’t suffered the attack of Mardi Gras, Gertie was knocking on the door. She blew inside in a rush of stale beer and sweat, wearing so many beads, I wasn’t sure how she was standing upright. I knew Gertie didn’t sweat that much so I could only assume she’d picked up the extra scent from the float riders.

“That was the best time!” Gertie said.

“It smells like it,” Ida Belle said.

Gertie refused to be deterred. “You two should have climbed up and joined us,” she said as she started pulling off beads and putting them on the counter.

Ida Belle frowned, poured dishwashing soap into the sink, then plugged it and turned on the hot water. She grabbed the beads and tossed them into the soapy water as quickly as Gertie unloaded them.

“There was plenty of room and tons of cool beads,” Gertie said. “I got all the extras, plus a bunch I swiped while I was pretending to throw them. And the guys invited us to a party later tonight in the French Quarter.”

“Hard pass,” Ida Belle said.

“Why not?” Gertie pouted. “They were cute.”

Ida Belle stared. “We could start with I’m engaged, Fortune is dating Carter, and you don’t know them. This is Mardi Gras, for Christ’s sake. Might as well pick up men at a prison. At least then you could get a reliable background.”

“You are so dramatic,” Gertie said.

“Me?” Ida Belle sighed.

“If it was so much fun, how come you’re not still there?” I asked. “The parade is still going strong.”

“I got them to drop me off in front of the apartment,” Gertie said. “The end of the parade is way down there. I’d never get a taxi and I didn’t figure you’d be able to get close enough to pick me up.”

“We wouldn’t even have tried,” Ida Belle said. “That SUV is not moving out of the garage until we are going home.”

“Well, at least you two spoilsports can go out on the balcony and watch the rest of the parade,” Gertie said as she pulled her pistol out of her bra and put it on the counter. Then she headed outside as Ida Belle swirled all the beads around in the sink.

I grabbed three beers out of the refrigerator. “Parade?”

Ida Belle took one of the beers. “We’ll stand downwind on the balcony.”

I clinked my beer with hers and headed outside to join Gertie, who didn’t smell nearly as bad once she was mixed with the outside. Ida Belle and I grabbed chairs and sat to watch the fray from a safe distance. Gertie, who apparently had not collected enough beads, stood at the balcony, waving and yelling at the floats.

Ida Belle shook her head. “So help me God, if she took that gun out of her bra so that she could start flashing, I’m locking her out on this balcony for the night.”

“She’d make so much noise you’d end up shooting her,” I said.

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