Page 14 of Carnival Queen

“Guys, I really appreciate this, but it seems silly. No one has bothered the warehouse since that night. I hate that you’re coming here every night when you could be at home.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Bull. “We get our exercise walking around and play a hand or two of cards.”

“You’re lying, Mr. Bull. Hey, that seems appropriate,” she grinned. He just smirked at her. “You guys don’t need exercise, but if you’re willing to do this, I’m grateful. Thank you.”

“Everything okay here? You look a bit stressed,” said Angel.

“I am. It’s this and work and, of course, what happened to Mama and Daddy.”

“Honey, why don’t you let us look into that for you? You know we won’t charge you. We’ve got connections, and the sheriff and police won’t ever know about it,” said Bull.

“Can I think about it?” she asked.

“You’ve been saying that since this happened,” said Angel. “It doesn’t seem right that no one saw anything or said anything. It was broad daylight.”

“I know. I was there,” she said, swallowing.

“I’m sorry, honey. I know you were there, but sometimes, we see things and forget. Maybe you should come and speak with Ashley or Rachelle?”

“Your mama said the same thing. I’ll think about it. Alright, I need to run. I’ve got to get to the bead warehouse to pick up some boxes before seven.”

“We could have done that for you. Stop being so stubborn, woman!” said Bull. She laughed, kissing his cheek.

“The king of stubborn should recognize it in someone else. See you guys tomorrow.” They watched her get into her car and drive away. They’d been careful to park around the corner in case someone was watching the warehouses.

“What do you think?” asked Angel.

“I think this is fucked up,” he frowned. “Her parents, the warehouse, all of it. It doesn’t feel as though it should be connected, but it is. I just know it.”

“Same, brother.” Angel looked around the warehouse and smiled. “They’ve made great progress. The floats are looking good.”

“I never understood parades until we moved here,” said Bull. “I always thought they were kind of silly. My folks used to make us go to the Fourth of July parade every year. The only thing I thought was cool were the military guys in their uniforms.”

“Figures,” laughed Angel.

“That first flotilla through the bayou was amazing. After that, I started to understand why this was so important to the people here. This isn’t an easy place to live. Critters and creatures, floods, and crazy-ass food. It’s a lot. But they’re so resilient. Think about all the floods that have happened just since we’ve been here.”

“A lot,” nodded Angel.

“A lot, and yet no one wants to leave. People just shrug their shoulders, rebuild, and hope for the best the next time a hurricane or flood comes. That should tell people something,” said Bull.

“Maybe we don’t advertise that. Too many people moving here would ruin the scenery,” smirked Angel.

They did their first walk-through, admiring the work done on the floats, and then took a seat near the office, bringing out the deck of cards. They weren’t betting money. They were betting extra miles that had to be run at PT over the next month.

Bull stared at the cards in his hand, then looked down at the table. Angel was lucky as shit at everything. Shot eleven times over the years and survived, plus the nasty knife down his face the night he saved Mary. He couldn’t afford to lose again.

“I fold,” he frowned.

Angel started to say something, then turned quickly, his hand on his weapon. He held a finger to his lips, and Bull nodded, hearing the same noise. Someone was trying to open the door of the warehouse.

Angel took one side of the door, his weapon drawn and ready. Bull gripped the lock, turned it slowly, then whipped the door open. Two men stood in shock, dropping the crowbars in their hands. One of them took off, and Angel took off after him, leaving Bull with the other.

“You move. You die.”

“We were just messing around,” said the young man. Bull gripped his black stocking cap, yanking it off the man’s head. He was probably mid- to late-twenties. “We thought we’d have some fun.”

“Fun? Vandalizing parade floats?”

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