Frances gasped. “Oh my God. Whose room is this?”
“Fred’s, from what I understand. What’s the matter with you? It’s not like you to duck out of a party.”
Frances rubbed her head. The pain was terrible and her mouth was so dry. She needed her medicine. “It was the pot.”
“Are you saying you can’t hang?” Irene asks.
“I guess not.”
Irene frowned at her. “Really? Because I’ve seen you—”
“Where is Joan?” Frances asked, cutting her off before she began to list all the debauchery of Frances’s twenties.
“Getting ready. She’s going.”
Frances didn’t believe her. “She is?”
“Yep. Fred is coming to watchLove Islandwith Mama and to make sure that gun safe stays locked. So, you might want to get out of his bed.”
“Really?” Frances asked, smiling now. Her head was killing her, but she felt surprisingly rejuvenated by the news. Joan was coming! She hopped out of the bed (okay, rolled), her mind racing with how they would get Edie on board.
Joan walked in then, dressed in overalls and a long braid. “Well, well, Sleeping Beauty.”
“I’m so sorry,” Frances said as she began to strip the bed. “I haven’t smoked a joint in ages.”
“It’s fine,” Joan said with a flick of her wrist. “Fewer people to argue with. That was some of my best stuff.”
“Irene says you’re coming with us?”
“Well,” Joan said, sliding her gaze to Irene and smiling a little. “I’m willing to go and at least speak to Edie. See if I can trust her. But Fred won’t be here for two days, and we’ve got work to do. First things first, we’re going to need IDs. And you need to get rid of that rental car.”
“What? Why?”
“Are you serious? There can’t be a trail. Unfortunately, you two already started one by flying to Colorado under your own names. Times have changed, Fran.”
“But Edie is in Tennessee. How will we get there without flying or driving a rental?”
“Easy,” Joan said. “The Caddy.”
That old Cadillac that had flown by them? “What about your mom?”
“She’s got another one.”
“It will take us forever to get to Tennessee. Can’t we fly like, on different airlines? You know, split up?”
“Nope. Too expensive and besides, I’ve got to take some wig options. They’re too important to be shoved into carry-on luggage.”
“How are you going to make IDs?”
“The same way I always have, princess, but with some technological enhancements. You wouldn’t believe the kind of things you can get on the dark web now,” she added proudly.
“Oh my God,” Frances whispered. “How are you both on the dark web?”
“Hey, you’re the one who came here asking me to commit a crime,” Joan reminded her.
“Will you both stop saying that? We don’t want to jinx it.”
“Give me your IDs and let me do my part. In the meantime, you need to eat something. And shower. You look a mess, girl.”
