Next thing I knew, Justin Lao was a fixture in my house. At least when Ally was home. They spent most of their time cooking together, which I thought was sweet. Especially since I got to sample the results.
Sinful Science
Justin taught Ally how to make lau laus, pork wrapped in taro leaves and encased in a ti leaf for long, slow cooking. Ally adapted the recipe to use locally available ingredients like collards and salt pork.
They seemed so chummy that I assumed they had a love connection. I was happy for Ally, who up until now had not had great luck with guys. Imagine my surprise, then, when one morning, as I was sitting in Francine’s Diner with Ida Belle and Gertie, I saw Justin Lao walk in with a woman who most definitely was not Ally.
Childlike facial morphology –full cheeks, high forehead, large eyes–makes age estimation difficult. Somewhere between mid-twenties and early forties. Dark blonde hair, apparently natural, and light eyes, consistent with Acadian, (Cajun) ancestry. Movement and muscularity indicate high levels of strength and flexibility, consistent with a dancer or gymnast. Threat level: moderate, if she ever takes her eyes off her prey.
Justin glanced over at our table and gave us a nod but made no move to join us. He and the blonde kept walking toward a distant back booth, where they sat side by side.
“Well how do you like that?” Ida Belle complained. “They don’t even want to sit with us.”
I was glad Ally’s shift hadn’t started yet. Poor Ally—yet another disappointment in the romance department.
“Well there are three of us, and two of them,” Gertie said, “and the booth only seats four. Unless you want them to drag a chair over and block the walkway.”
The blonde was looking at Justin like he was her next meal. He’d only been in Sinful a couple of days and already his love life was orders of magnitude more exciting than mine and Ally’s put together.
Grow up, I scolded myself. I wasn’t here to have fun. Unless it’s explicitly part of our assignment, undercover operatives are not supposed to become intimately involved with the locals. It’s emotionally and physically risky for us, and it can expose the agency to legal action.
I guess I should have thought of all that before I got involved with Carter LeBlanc. What was I thinking?
No need to answer that. Stupid hormones.
“One of the Roche girls,” Gertie whispered. “Has to be. She’s the very image.”
“You know who she is?”
“Not her personally,” Gertie said. “But her people are well known around here.”
“I’ve never heard of them,” I said.
“When Gertie says well known, she’s being nice,” Ida Belle said. “What she really means to say is notorious.”
I looked from one to the other.
“Let me guess. This notorious family has something to do with that thing you were talking about earlier.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Ida Belle said.
“Perd’ Espoir, was that it?”
Gertie and Ida Belle exchanged a look.
“If memory serves, that’s French for lost hope, isn’t it?”
“Gracious, aren’t you the smart one?” Gertie said sweetly.
“So what’s the story with this Roche family?” I studied Justin’s companion from across the crowded diner. Her teeth were white and even, and her round face radiated health. She didn’t look like a meth addict. “And how do you know this woman is one of them if you haven’t seen her before?”
Ida Belle swallowed a mouthful of biscuits and gravy. “We know her people. Not hard to spot ’em. Gene pool’s about as deep as a birdbath, if you get my drift.”
“Their family tree looks like a braid,” Gertie added helpfully.
“Good looking clan,” Ida Belle said, “but trouble, all of ’em, and no more morals than tomcats.”
“You don’t want Justin getting killed by a jealous boyfriend,” Gertie said. “Not before you’ve got the down payment for your car.”
I held my hands up. “Just leave me out of it. This is not any of my business. I’ll buy Ally ice cream and watch Lifetime movies with her, if she needs consoling. But other than that, I’m not getting involved.”
“Well, Fortune my dear,” Gertie patted my hand, “it’s nice that you’re so optimistic.”
Sinful Science
"Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld, was a man with a wolf's head. The Navajo skin walkers could turn into any animal they pleased. And of course there's the Hồ tinh, Hanoi's nine-tailed fox. I was thinking I might write a story about the Hồ tinh."
"Gertie, that's a great idea," Ally said. "Are you going to write children's books?"
"Oh, my goodness, no. There's no money in children's books. I'm thinking erotica."
A graduate student from Hawaii visits the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana to investigate the effects of the oil spill on the local wildlife. Sinful resident Fortune Redding, who happens to be a CIA operative hiding out from a ruthless arms dealer, worries that the nosy newcomer might blow her cover. But when he makes a gruesome discovery, he unleashes forces that will go to any lengths to protect Sinful's darkest secret.
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