Belinda Sue kicked Cordelia’s shin and shot her a look. “Don’t worry about it. Why are you telling us this? It doesn’t serve you.”
Arline held a finger up, startling Cordelia. She’d been sure Arline had fallen asleep. “That’s a good question. What’s in this for you?”
“What’s in this for me?” Honey gestured around her cell as if the answer should be obvious. “The four of you are the best chance I’ve got of getting out of here.”
“You don’t trust us though,” Daisy pointed out.
“Fine. Don’t use the information.” Honey laid on her bed, pulled her goose-down comforter up to her neck, and showed them her back. “But if suspicion ends up landing right back on you, having an established record won’t do you any favors.”
The door opened again, and the sheriff came back in, looking just as annoyed as when he left the last time. “Looks like we won’t need to dig up beds for the rest of you after all. Your bail has just been posted.”
“By who?” Cordelia asked.
“By me.” Archer walked in looking like a ranch girl’s wet dream: cowboy hat, cocky grin, twinkle in his tawny eyes, pants so tight Cordelia could see his religion.
Cordelia could feel Daisy starting to swoon beside her, and she elbowed her in the side to keep her from making a fuss. “That was nice of you. What do you want?”
Archer laughed. “Always thinking the world is out to get you, Delia. They got a word for that. It’s paranoia.”
“Or self-preservation.”
The sheriff let out a whistle. “In all my years of serving this town, I ain’t never once seen someone trying to argue with the person bailing them out.”
“If they don’t want it, I’ll take it,” Honey said.
“Enough of this nonsense.” Belinda Sue stood, nudging Cordelia in the back as she filed toward the waiting open door. “Ignore the madam. We’re very grateful to you, Archer.”
“Speak for yourself,” Cordelia said, low enough for only Belinda Sue to hear, which earned her another elbow in the back.
“Thank you, Archer.” Daisy fluttered her lashes. “If you hadn’t come to our rescue, Arline might’ve had to get on her knees—”
“Can we not?” Cordelia steepled her fingers against the bridge of her nose.
But Daisy just gave her a look and continued, “—to get at the money she keeps under her mattress for bail.”
Archer’s mustache twitched, but Cordelia couldn’t tell if he was amused or questioning all his life choices. It might’ve been both.
Once their possessions had been returned to them and they made it out to the parking lot, Archer tipped his hat and walked backward toward his truck. “I’m going to head out now, lest you think I’m hovering because I want something.”
All three of the chicks shot Cordelia an admonishing look. But honestly, she had her right to her suspicions. What reason could he possibly have for bailing them out? He wasn’t family, he wasn’t dating Cordelia anymore, if they’d ever started, and he strongly suspected Cordelia was keeping information about his father’s death from him. When presented with the facts, it would’ve been odd if Cordelia hadn’t questioned his reasoning.
“You come over for happy hour tomorrow, so we can thank you properly,” Daisy said.
“We’ll see.” Archer removed his hat and ran a hand through his thick dark hair. “Also, I had a chat with Edna tonight. She said she’s not pressing charges, so long as the four of you don’t try to send her and Corbin on another wild-goose chase.”
After dropping that bombshell, he hopped in his truck and drove off.
Belinda Sue turned on Cordelia, hands on her hips. “Nice job, madam. You done drove him off before we could find out what he said to Edna.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you’ll never see him again.”
“Why do you suppose she’s not pressing charges?” Daisy asked.
“Who knows and who cares,” Arline said. “She probably just doesn’t want to answer uncomfortable questions about why we were breaking in. And speaking of which, what did y’all find in your buildings?”
While Cordelia had been snapping pictures in the warehouse, Daisy had picked the locks on the three smaller office buildings and they’d each taken one to save time. Arline’s was Corbin’s sleeping quarters, and she didn’t discover anything other than his taste in toothpaste and movies. Belinda Sue had taken an administrative assistant’s office, and none of the paperwork contained anything of interest. Daisy had found somedocuments related to Corbin’s father in a second office, but it appeared most of the good stuff had been stored in the warehouse.
“I took this out of his filing cabinet.” Cordelia pulled out the papers that were full of notes on how he planned to use her momma to drive her away from the Chickadee. “I wish I could’ve gotten a look at what was in those locked drawers.”
