“Evening,” Chief Thomas said as he leaned down to look in the car, the light from his flashlight blinding us momentarily before he lowered it. “Ladies.”
“Chief Thomas,” we all chorused dutifully, and he shook his head.
“Do you know why I’m pulling you over?” Chief Thomas asked Luna, his eyes serious.
“Because I was speeding?”
“Yes, you were. Going twelve over. You know youcan’t drive like that in a small town like this. What’s the hurry?”
“Miss Elva wants a donut,” I piped up, and felt the seat in front of me shake as laughter rippled through Miss Elva.
Chief Thomas looked at me and a wisp of a smile crossed his face.
“Well now, I can certainly understand the pressing need for a donut once in a while,” Chief Thomas agreed. “Y'all coming from that festival?”
“No, just coming from an early Halloween party down in Looe Key,” I said. Wow, the lies were strong with me tonight.
“An early Halloween party?” Chief Thomas raised his eyebrow at me.
“She’s lying,” Luna sighed and shook her head, smiling sweetly at Chief Thomas. “We were at a private party giving readings. We always dress like this when we get hired out. You know, play into the stereotype a bit. It gets us more tips,” Luna explained. I saw Chief Thomas’s eyes skim down Luna’s nude dress and he nodded.
“Makes sense.”
“We really were just hungry. Hoping to get to Lucky’s before they stop serving food,” I added.
The walkie-talkie at Chief Thomas’s waist squawked and he stepped back a pace, raising his finger. Listening, he responded. “On it.” Then he approached the car once more.
“Ladies, go get that meal. I’ll follow up if I have any issues.” With that, he all but ran back to his car. I watched as he whipped a fast U-turn and sped back in the direction we had come.
“He’s going to the festival.”
“That he is. Non-magickal people will have reported that earthquake.”
Luna pulled the car back out onto the highway.
“Are we really going to Lucky’s?”
“Oh yeah. I can’t wait until Beau gets a load of our outfits.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“My,my, my, what do we have here? Did I miss an invite? Is it Carnival up in here?” Beau called, his hands on his hips as he ran his eyes up and down our outfits.
“Careful, child, I’m not afraid to curse you into being a straight man,” Miss Elva cautioned as she maneuvered herself onto a stool by the bar. Beau laughed, and leaned over to smack a kiss on her cheek.
“My worst nightmare.” He shivered dramatically.
Lucky’s was fairly slow for a Saturday night, but I wasn’t surprised. Between the festival in town and a murderer on the loose, people were probably sticking pretty close to home. A few patrons lingered over their food at worn teak tables out on the verandah, the tiki torches flickering in the breeze as they dispelled the bugs.
“Is food done for the night?”
“Mostly. I’ll give you our limited late-night menu though,” Beau said, sliding a smaller menu towards us.
Frankly, I didn’t care. Any sustenance would do. After what we’d seen tonight, I was ravenous.
A laugh that I knew well caused me to raise an eyebrow. Beau braced his hands on the bar top in front of me and leaned in.
“Play nice,” he ordered.
