"WE'RE MOVING!"(c)2024 wdlewisSr.

"Hello?" Katie answered her 11:30 p.m. call without looking at the caller ID. "This is my weekend off, is this going to win me the Nobel Prize for Literature? If not, call me in the morning!"

"We're moving!" Leslie-Jean whispered to Katie through the phone. "We want you to come along, Godmother!"

"What?" Katie sat up in her bed. "What are you talking about, Les? You know you're not supposed to be drinking while you are pregnant"

"I'm not drunk!" Leslier-Jean laughed. "Hakeem and I have come up with a plan to find out if Millie Duvalier's husband is dead or alive. We're going to move into one of her properties."

"I think that is a great idea!" Katie said, rubbing her eyes and yawning intentionally into the phone. "One question: why couldn't this great news wait until tomorrow morning? What's the rush?"

"We needed a name to submit to Hakeem's Captain by tomorrow morning," Leslie-Jean replied.

"You know my name is Katie, right?" Katie said beginning to sound frustrated with her colleague.

"No, silly," Lesle-Jean kidded her. "We are going to need undercover names. Hakeem's Captain is setting things up so we can investigate these suspicious evictions behind enemy lines."

"I'm still a little sleepy, but I'm in full possession of my faculties," Katie said. "Maybe Hakeem is going to walk around looking like one of the residents with no problem, but you and I are all over tv, remember? How are people NOT going to recognize us?"

"No problem, babygirl!" Leslie-Jean assured her. "Make-up! The New Orleans Police Department is going to hook us up! No one will be the wiser. Now, what is your undercover name and you can get back to your beauty sleep!"

"Olani" Katie answered. "Olani Nguyen. Now, can I go to bed? Where is Hakeem anyway, is he not there?"

"Yeah, he's sleep!" Leslie-Jean answered. "Go back to sleep!"

Katie was ready to go back to sleep until she realized something was missing. She dialed Leslie-Jean's phone.

"What now, you want to talk this time of night?" Leslie-Jean answered her phone sarcastically.

"No," Katie answered quickly. "What are your names? You and Hakeem?"

"Oh, we're going to be an old married couple," Leslie-Jean teased.

"And?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Jones!" Lesie-Jean said with excitement. "You know like that old song recorded by the late, Billy Paul? He is going to be Roscoe, and I'm going to be Christine Jones. Don't forget! Good night!"

"But, weren't they... never mind." Katie said, it was just as well, Leslie-Jean had already hung up.

########### #########

The Next Morning-Cookie Smiles and Ruth at The Bend in The River Cafe

"Are you sure you want to move back to the Dallas area?" Ruth asked Cookie. "I hope you aren't letting Millie run you away from New Orleans! You are doing so well here!"

"Millie Rose could be one reason, but not the only reason, Ruth," Cookie said as she sat watching the ferry boats cross back and forth to the Westbank side of the Mississippi River. Cookie sipped her coffee and kept her gaze from drifting towards Ruth.

"We closed over $10,000,000 last month," Ruth reminded her. "We have those new condos going up early next year, worth over $300,000,000, right here on the river! Why are you closing up shop?"

"It's only logical, Ruth. After meeting with Sophia Legier and her family, and losing Vanessa Riley and her baby three years ago, I can't protect my agents like I need to do," Cookie recalled. "I could easily blame Millie Rose Duvalier because I don't put anything past her because she is so slick. She has all of City Hall in her purse, pocket and phone. Even if she is guilty, she has goons at the ready to attack anyone who so much as says "God bless you!" to her if she sneezes. I can't take a chance on building any more business, Millie Rose Duvalier notwithstanding. I have to do what's best for my business. And besides that, you've been attacked twice! I can't afford to lose you, Ruth!"

"I understand, Cookie," Ruth conceded,. "I'm here for you whatever you decide to do. But we have to be careful how we close down. We don't want to spook the clients and vendors that we have. It will still take us at least 2 to 3 years to shut down, don't you think?"

"I think that's about right," Cookie agreed. "I just don't want that crazy Millie Rose to think that she ran me off. She doesn't deserve that kind of power over me!"

Ruth agreed with Cookie as she sipped her tea and watched the Pelicans gather along the wharf. The sounds of the barges blowing their horns as they rounded the bend of the river, made for a calming morning as the women prepared for their day.

""Bzzzzz bzzzzz" a cell phone rang in one of their purses.

"Is that you or me, Cookie?" Ruth asked.

#####################################

Disclaimer:

For entertainment purposes only. If you are facing an eviction, please consult with an attorney. This online story is fictional. Any similarity to any person living or dead, or incident current or past, is strictly coincidental. This is not an intent to solicit the agents, clients, or associate brokers of any real estate brokerage.