Page 9 of Diamonds in the Mud

“Is Faye Baker around?” I asked, glancing inside. I could see Evelyn Hart, Zoey Thompson, and Autumn Carter, all waitresses, setting up for the day.

“No, she’s out for the week.” Kenya leaned on the door. “Can I help you?”

“Kenya, we both know why I need to talk to Faye. When will she be working?” I asked. “Better yet, why don’t you tell me where she’s staying?”

Kenya’s smile flashed. “Get a warrant.”

“Better yet, how about I get an inspection?” I warned, nodding towards the bar.

“My place is clean,” Kenya countered, her eyes narrowing.

“Then you have nothing to fear from an inspection.” I waited.

“She lives upstairs.” She motioned above her with her chin. “Third floor.” My eyebrows arched in surprise. “But I know for a fact that she’s not there today.”

Without waiting, I headed towards the iron stairs on the side of the alleyway that led up to the third floor.

I knocked on the door for almost five minutes.

After slipping one of my cards into the door handle with a quick note on the back, I headed back down and stopped when I saw Evelyn leaning against the back door, smoking.

“You have rats,” Evelyn said firmly. My eyes narrowed slightly. “The kind that scurry around in the middle of the night. The kind that talk and tell stories they shouldn’t,” she added.

I understood her meaning instantly. She was saying someone in the precinct was dirty.

“Have any names for me?” I asked.

She tilted her head slightly, then shook it. “No. But I’m sure you can find out how many there are yourself. After all, you’re the famous detective that’s all over the news right now.” She smiled, dropped her cigarette, toed it into the pavement, and walked back inside.

I turned to go and then stopped and flashed a smile.

“Drinking already?” Aria Hartwell, my best friend since, well, as long as I could remember, said as she walked toward me on the sidewalk.

“No, just work,” I answered.

Aria was pretty much my opposite in looks. I was a very firm five foot eight inches tall while Aria was a petite five foot even. My long dark brown hair looked dull next to her short spiky platinum blonde style, even with the caramel highlights she’d given me. Then there were my brown eyes, which were dull compared to her shiny sky-blue ones.

Still, our friendship was probably one of the most solid things in my life. Shortly after graduating, Aria attended cosmetology school and then opened up her own hair salon business, Jazzed Up, which was the sole reason I always had caramel highlights in my hair.

“You didn’t respond to my text.” She wiggled her bright teal phone in my face.

“I’m working,” I replied as I fell in step with her while we headed towards her salon.

“Are you on for this weekend?” she asked, wrapping her arm in mine.

“Maybe,” I answered and got an immediate groan from Aria.

“Rayne,” she whined.

“What time? Where?” I asked.

“We were thinking of heading to Alexandria. There’s this little bar⁠—”

“Nope.” I stopped. “What about…” I motioned with my head back towards Bayou Brews.

Aria sighed. “Do you want to stick close to home or is it a work thing?”

“Both,” I answered.