A Dark Horse Read online

  Adele looked down at her sand and black, raglan Helmut Lang sweater and black leggings. She self-consciously smoothed back a lock of her hair. “You’d better stop or I’m going to tell your husband about your flirty ways and Ross.” Adele shut off the stove’s burner and moved the pan half off the grates to allow the grits to continue to thicken.

  “He knows my ways are harmless, little missy. Besides…” Georgia winked. “How do you think I snared him?”

  “I’ve always wondered—” Adele was interrupted by a light knock at the kitchen doorway.

  “May I come in?” Natalie asked a little shyly. “I heard voices.”

  “Sure.” Adele made a conscious effort to give Natalie a welcoming smile. “C’mon in.”

  Georgia and Natalie exchanged cordial greetings.

  “Tea?” Adele asked, holding up the kettle.

  Her hair still slightly damp from a shower and wearing the same clothes as the day before, Natalie sat down on a stool next to Georgia. “That would be great. Thanks.” She glanced around. “Are Logan and Landry gone for the day already?”

  Adele paused mid-pour, then resumed. “They’re out for the day together.”

  Georgia stood and smoothed her dress. It was almost identical to the one she’d worn the day before, just in green instead of navy blue. “Enjoy your breakfast and your day, girls. I’d better dig out those paint swatches you like before Ross gets here. And I need to go fix myself up a bit and freshen my lipstick.” She primped her short black hair that was threaded with gray. “I’m shooting for forty percent off.”

  A tiny laugh exploded from Adele, and Natalie gave her a curious look.

  On the way out of the kitchen Georgia picked up Adele’s cane from its place behind the door. She carefully, but pointedly, placed it down on the edge of the island. “Natalie, will you make sure Ella uses this when she needs it today? No matter what she says, she’s hurting.”

  Natalie’s eyes darted to Adele, who was giving Georgia a withering glare, and then back again. “Uh, I’m…” She blinked several times in rapid succession. “Well, I’m sure she’ll use it as she needs it?” The question was meant for Adele, who kept shooting bullets with her eyes at Georgia.

  Georgia shook her head in disbelief. “Ella?”

  Much to Adele’s frustration, Georgia waited patiently until Adele finally unclenched her jaw and gave her an eye-rolling nod.

  Natalie remained silent. She watched the scene intently as she sipped her tea and Georgia slipped from the room.

  “So,” Adele started self-consciously. “Breakfast then shopping?” She held up the pan of grits.

  “But I thought—”

  “I was eating anyway.” Adele began to pour the grits onto a plate, and pushed the bowl of fruit to Natalie. “Besides, I’m going to add it to your big fat bill.”

  Natalie grinned and picked a napkin from a pile in the center of the island. “Deal.”

  * * *

  The women stepped out of a cab onto Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter, in front of an upscale clothing boutique called Amelia’s. Adele paid the driver as Natalie stared longingly at the shop window and the beautiful clothes on display.

  “So this is why you always look so great,” Natalie said absently as she bent to examine a pair of strappy black Prada pumps.

  Adele beamed at the unexpected compliment. “I, um…” Suddenly nervous, she drummed her fingertips against the handle of her cane.

  Given the excuse, Natalie slowly raked her eyes over Adele. She laughed softly at Adele’s sudden embarrassment. “You really do.”

  She felt Natalie’s gaze drag over her as though it were a living, breathing thing, and Adele’s skin tingled in its wake. “Thanks.” Adele swore she heard Natalie release a breathy sigh. She couldn’t decide whether it was disconcerting or titillating. Maybe both.

  “You’re welcome. You have wonderful style,” Natalie said with a wistful smile and a hint of envy.

  “Amelia’s has great stuff, but we won’t get to see it if we just stand on the sidewalk instead of going inside.”

  “Great stuff that I can’t afford, I’m afraid.” Natalie tilted her head toward a chocolate brown sweater that was proudly worn by an anorexic mannequin. It was $249. And that was the sale price.

  “Don’t worry about that. They have some more economical things near the back. I promise. And lots of casual items too.”

  “Really?”

  Natalie’s look was so hopeful that Adele had to suppress a laugh. “Really.”

  The inside of the shop was much larger than it appeared from the street, and from floor to ceiling, it was a vision of shades of gray and bold blocks of white. The monochromatic palette made the clothes and their splashes of color practically pop off the racks. It was modern and sophisticated. The ringing of the bell that signaled their entry still hung in the air when a blond woman, who was a little older, and a little heavier version of Adele ran across the store, her high heels clicking furiously.

  She wrapped Adele in a hug so tight Adele began to wheeze. She pressed her cheek against Adele’s as she spoke. “I’ve been waiting for you since we opened, Ella.”

  Adele squeezed back and drank in the familiar scent of Shalimar perfume with a warm sense of nostalgia. “You only opened ten minutes ago. Am I the only one with any patience in this family?”

  “I haven’t been able to get you in here for over a year. Ten extra minutes at this point is ten too long.” She gave Adele a playful sock in the arm. “And your friend here must be Natalie.”

  Adele rubbed her arm with a bit of a pout. “Natalie, this is my much older sister, Amelia Belmont.”

  “What?” Amelia shrieked indignantly. “Only three years older!”

  “Amelia, this is Natalie Abbott.”

  “This is your shop?” Natalie gazed around the store with wide-eyed admiration. “It’s beautiful!”

  Amelia laughed and wound her arm around Adele’s. “I’m glad you think so.”

  “You must be so proud of Ella. I mean, not everyone has a sister who is a hero and who has helped so many people.”

  Amelia’s face exploded into a mega-watt smile. “Absolutely.”

  And just like that, Adele thought wryly, Natalie won over her very hard to please older sibling.

  Still grinning, Amelia said, “My sister called me this morning and told me that you’re here in New Orleans with pretty much just the clothes on your back and you’re in dire need of a week’s worth of things to wear.”

  Adele frowned playfully. “I didn’t…I never used the word ‘dire.’”

  Natalie grimaced. “But, it’s true.”

  Amelia smiled broadly. “We’ve got you covered.” Tongue between her teeth, she gave Natalie an appraising look.

  Adele rolled her eyes. “Amelia, she doesn’t want to be your life-size Barbie doll and stand here while you play swami. She just wants to shop!”

  Amelia continued as though Adele hadn’t spoken at all. “Size six for dresses and jeans. A snug in the cup thirty-four-B for bras. Medium for blouses. Size eight on the shoes. Yes?”

  “Wow.” Natalie’s eyes turned into saucers. “Perfect except for the shoes. I wear a nine.”

  Amelia grinned conspiratorially. “I knew that. But I always guess a size lower on the shoes. For some reason, women are weirdly self-conscious about their feet.”

  Natalie laughed.

  “Please look around and let Carla,” Amelia paused and gestured toward an immaculately dressed, petite black woman who was fussing with a display of Michael Kors handbags, “…help you with anything you need while I catch up with Ella. Oh, and Carla will show you the stash I’ve been saving for Ella. But since my sister hasn’t bothered to come to see me in ages…”

  “Hey,” Adele protested grumpily. “That’s not completely true.”

  “You get first dibs, Natalie,” Amelia continued blithely. “Just about anything I put aside for Ella should fit you, except the shoes and maybe the
bras. She’s got Sasquatch-like feet and is a C cup all the way.” Amelia put her hands out in front of her chest as though she was holding a melon in each one. “For someone so slim, she’s got—”

  “Hey again!” Adele blushed to the roots of her hair, but wasn’t really angry. If anything this made her realize how badly she’d missed her sister. They’d tormented each other constantly growing up, and it felt as natural as breathing. Adele spoke through gritted teeth. “Stop talking about my boobs, Amelia!”

  Natalie clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

  “Any clothes that you like,” Amelia went on, “you can purchase at my cost. And since you’re the only person Adele’s ever brought in here,” she shot Adele a disapproving look for waiting so long, “I’m happy to extend the family discount to you. Just tell all your friends where you got them.”

  Adele gazed at her sister with undiluted affection. Thank you, Amelia.

  Natalie’s mouth sagged. “I—I can’t do that.”

  “Of course you can,” Amelia assured her with a little pat on the arm. “And once you see what my cost actually is, you’re going to be furious with every store you’ve ever shopped in.”

  Natalie glanced questioningly at Adele, silently asking if it was really okay to take Amelia up on her offer.

  Adele shrugged good-naturedly and grinned. “I do it without guilt. You might as well too. I consider it payback for the perm she gave me when I was in the sixth grade.”

  Brimming with excitement and clapping her hands together, Natalie jumped up and down a little. “Oh, my gosh! Thank you!”

  Amelia murmured something into Carla’s ear about paying attention to Natalie’s light eyes and brainy vibe before pulling Adele over near the register and pushing her into a tall chair. She took her cane and placed it behind the cash register for safekeeping. Then Amelia unrepentantly stared at her sister.

  “Don’t look at me that way,” Adele groaned piteously. For the second time today she felt like a bug under a microscope. “Just because I haven’t been in the shop for a few months…”

  “Not a few months. A year,” Amelia corrected sternly. “You used to meet me here, and we’d go to lunch every other Tuesday, Ella. We did it for years and then you stopped when—”

  “I know when I stopped.” Adele didn’t like feeling guilty, but her sister was doing an excellent job of heaping it on. “Maybe I haven’t been in the shop for a year, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t seen each other in that long. I saw you a couple of months ago at Daddy’s birthday.” She winced hearing how lame the words sounded even to her own ears. She and Amelia had always had a good relationship, and she’d neglected it horribly.

  “That was almost four months ago, and we live four miles apart! We should see each other way more than that, and you know it.” Amelia lowered her voice and her eyes began to shimmer. “I love and I miss you, Ella. We all do.” She gave her younger sister’s golden hair a little tug to drive her point home.

  Adele looked away. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”

  With one hand, Amelia gently guided Adele’s chin back so they were looking at each other. “Busy licking your wounds?”

  “You say it like it’s not a full-time job.”

  Amelia sighed. “Ella.”

  “Okay, okay.” Adele lifted a placating hand. “I’ll come by again soon, okay? I promise. Lunch every other Tuesday. Starting next week.”

  Amelia’s face transformed with a bright smile. “I’m going to forgive you. And do you know why?”

  “You’re not the spiteful harpy I’ve always seen you as?”

  “No, of course I am.” Amelia’s demeanor softened. “It’s because I’ve seen you smile more in the last five minutes than I’ve seen in the past three years.”

  Adele scowled, and Amelia clearly knew that the younger woman had been pushed to her limit on the subject. “Okay. Now tell me about your friend. Are you—” She made a vague gesture with one hand and wiggled her eyebrows lasciviously.

  “What? No! Of course not!”

  “Why not? She’s gorgeous, and she’s been sneaking looks at you as we’ve been talking. Not that you haven’t been doing the same.” Amelia’s eyes took on an evil gleam. “If you and her were to,” she waggled her eyebrows again. “Well, let’s just say I’d pay good money to see the look on that rat bastard Landry’s face.”

  Nobody could hold a grudge like Amelia. Adele groaned. “When are you going to forgive him?”

  “When I’m dancing in the second line parade for his funeral, I’ll consider it,” Amelia said simply and without even a trace of guilt. “Now details, please.”

  They both watched as Natalie and Carla headed toward the dressing rooms each holding a pile of clothes. Adele hoped Natalie remembered to get something warm for the evenings. Maybe they could eat on the patio if…

  Amelia kicked Adele’s stool, causing her to jump a little. “Earth to Ella.”

  “Oh, right.” Adele steeled herself for a negative reaction. “She’s Joshua Phillips’s sister. There’s been a new development in his murder case, but the NOPD has their heads too far up their collective ass to care. Crisco is most likely innocent, which means somebody else killed her brother. Natalie wants someone to look into it, so she came to me.”

  “Wow.” Amelia let out a gusty breath and leaned against the wall. She ran her hand down her face and studied Adele closely. “I didn’t see that coming.”

  Adele looked a little shell-shocked. “Me neither.”

  “So you’re going to help her.” Amelia’s voice held a note of certainty. “Good.” Her indignation rose as Adele’s words sunk in. “Those goddamn rotten cops!”

  A customer milling around a rack of scarves sent a disapproving look in her direction, and Amelia lowered her voice. “You were too good for them back then, and you still are!” she hissed like an angry alley cat. “They crucified you, and you were right all along.”

  Adele’s eyes snapped upward, and she gave her sister a skeptical look. “You aren’t going to warn me off helping Natalie? Tell me it’s too dangerous, blah, blah, blah?”

  Amelia winced. “Georgia?”

  Adele nodded grimly.

  “She was just channeling Daddy and Mama. And you should be careful. But I know how much you loved doing what you did, and how good it would be for you to get back into the saddle. Plus, there’s no way you’re going to give up the chance to be vindicated. Natalie was smart to come to you. I knew I liked her.”

  Adele rolled her eyes at herself. “Smart because she knows that I want to scream ‘I told you so!’ at my old lieutenant, and just about every other cop on the NOPD, at the top of my lungs like a six-year-old?”

  “Smart because you were the best detective in the city.”

  Adele smiled, embarrassed, but then quickly looked offended. “Not in all of Louisiana?”

  Clearly thrilled, Amelia gave Adele a robust, one-armed hug. “There’s the immodesty I’ve missed!”

  Adele chuckled softly.

  Amelia’s wry grin turned sympathetic. “I know things haven’t been easy.”

  Adele swallowed thickly and shook her head in silent agreement.

  “So I say, if helping Natalie Abbott makes you happy, and you get a chance to make things right for yourself, even in a small way, you go for it.”

  Adele lifted her chin stubbornly, but she couldn’t mask the underlying fear in her expression, not from someone who knew her so well. “I don’t think I can do it, Amelia. I need to accept that this is my life now and move on and let go.”

  Amelia regarded her sister seriously. “Moving on doesn’t have to mean stopping everything you love.”

  “I-I don’t know how to feel about it,” Adele confessed and felt a tiny bit of the pressure inside her chest ease. “I thought I closed that chapter of my life for good. Now it’s like she’s come back to town and cracked the book open again and I’m afraid to want it.” She clasped her hands together tightly. “Wha
t if I can’t really do much because of my leg or because the NOPD puts a brick wall up in front of me? Or what if I fail just because I’m not good enough?”

  Amelia’s eyebrows hiked up her forehead at her sister’s admissions, which had uncharacteristically poured out of her in a fast-moving stream.

  “What if I don’t fail, and then it ends, and it hurts twice as much to go back to living without being able to do what I love or be what I want to be?” Adele gave her sister a raw, vulnerable look. “I just can’t do it, Amelia. I—I’m scared to death.”

  Amelia let out a groan of unhappiness at Ella’s words. “I know you are, sweetie. And if I could do something about it that wouldn’t land me in the clink, I would. You know that, right?”

  The corner of Adele’s mouth curled upward. “I do.”

  “Good.” Amelia’s gaze was full of warm understanding. “But, Ella, your confidence has been shaken, yes. But it’s not completely gone. All those what-ifs you mentioned were bad. I like my list better. What if you do this, and it makes you happy?”

  Adele waited, but Amelia didn’t offer anything else. “That’s your entire list?”

  “Does it really need to be longer?”

  Adele scowled. “But—”

  “Look,” Amelia held up both her hands, palms out, and stopped Adele, “if you just need more time to figure things out,” she shrugged, “far be it for me to burst your bubble of denial.”

  “I hate it when you’re smug.”

  “You hate it when I’m right.”

  Adele narrowed her eyes. The truth was her resolve to not help Natalie was already weakening and it had only been a day. But Adele also meant what she said. If she didn’t move on now, she was afraid she’d never be ready.

  “Now,” Amelia picked up Adele’s cane and shoved it into her hands, “there’s an olive-green Burberry coat in the back that I saved from last fall’s collection. If I were Natalie—”

  But Adele was already standing, glad Amelia knew when to give her some space. “I’m on it.” Slowly, she began to head toward the back of the store, using her cane lightly. Halfway across the room, she turned back.