Red Velvet Revenge

by Stephanie Damore

  "Okay, fine. But I will deny that I gave it to you," Autumn said.

  "Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself. Just hand it over," I replied.

  Autumn brought the number up on her phone and showed the screen to me.

  "You know, he’d probably be more likely to answer the call if he recognized the number," Amelia offered up helpfully.

  "Well, he doesn't know my number, so it wouldn't really help us to use my phone." No way was Autumn going to let any of this trace back to her.

  I used my cellphone to call Phil. He answered his phone almost immediately. I put the call on speakerphone.

  "Hello ... This is ... Phil ..."

  "Hey, Phil. This is Claire London."

  "Claire ... huh, maybe your mom … was right.

  “Right? About what?” Heaven only knew what the woman said now.

  “Nothing … never mind. What's up?" Phil asked, loudly exhaling into the phone.

  "Are you working out?"

  "Have to ... stick with those ... New Year's resolutions." Maybe Autumn should seriously consider giving Phil a chance. I looked at her, my eyes conveying just as much. She shook her head no.

  "You heard about Derek, right?" I asked.

  "What ... he and Savannah ... go off and get ... married last night?"

  "Um, no." I looked to Amelia and Autumn for some help. Neither one of them offered to take over. Instead, I cleared my throat. "He was killed last night."

  "What? Derek? He's dead?"

  "Yeah, I found him at my house this morning."

  "But how? That just doesn't make any sense. He was totally fine when I saw him last."

  "And where would that be exactly?" I asked.

  "When I went to leave last night, he and Savannah were ringing in the new year together."

  "They were?" I asked.

  "They never fought for long," Phil said. "I told him I was going to leave, and he said he was going to stay with Savannah. I told him I would just catch up with him later."

  I looked to Amelia. It seemed as if we were back to her girlfriends being the killers or this mysterious ghost roaming around London Manor.

  "I just can't believe it. Does Autumn know?" Phil's response caught all of us by surprise. "Yes, I called her this morning."

  "Is she okay?" Phil seemed hesitant in his question.

  "Yes, she's okay. But I'll let her know that you asked."

  "Okay, thanks. Let me know if you guys need anything. Man, I just can't believe it."

  "One more thing: Do you know where Malcolm is?" I asked.

  "To be honest, I think he's still passed out on my couch. I'm just down at the clubhouse working out. I'll have to tell him when I get back home."

  "Okay, and I'm really sorry about your loss," I said.

  "I tell you what, I'm not going to be able to believe this one for a long time."

  I hung up with Phil and looked to my counterparts.

  "So, he totally has the hots for you," Amelia said.

  "And he likes to work out," I added in.

  My sister closed her eyes and shook her head. "This is all beside the point. We need to find out who killed Derek."

  "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry, we're being insensitive. Figuring out this case is what's most important. Amelia let's see if we can track down your friends. Is your mom good with watching Jacob for little bit longer?"

  "I know she wanted to get to London Manor and start cleaning, but I told her as far as I knew we were locked out for now."

  "Yes, let's stay away from the manor for the time being," I said.

  "I'm sure that you guys will have access by tonight, tomorrow at the latest," Autumn said.

  I eyed Amelia again, willing her not to say a word about any paranormal activity.

  "Right, but for now we're just going to let the sheriff department do their thing," I said.

  "What about Emily?" Amelia asked.

  "Who's Emily?" Autumn asked. I let Amelia fill Autumn in on the back story. She even included the fact that Derek often compared Savannah to her.

  "He did not," Autumn said in disbelief.

  "Savannah swears he did," Amelia said.

  "So where do we find this Emily person?" Autumn asked.

  "She's not going to want to talk to me. Not after firing her last night," I said.

  "You fired your caterer? Why?" Autumn asked.

  "Long story, but let's just stay she didn't get along with Milo."

  "I'm not following," Autumn said.

  "Don't worry about it, it's irrelevant. Now that I know the whole story, I think Milo was just the final straw. It was more likely Derek who was setting her off last night."

  "Then it definitely sounds like we need to speak with her." It was my turn to go through my phone contacts and see if I had Emily in there. I didn't have a personal number for her, but I did have a business line. I doubted anyone would answer it on a holiday, but I had to give it a try. I hit send to call the number and waited for someone to answer. Unfortunately, no one did. I was forced to leave a voicemail. "Hi Emily, this is Claire London. I just wanted to call and smooth some things over from last night. I'm sorry the way things ended. I have some of your extra platters and pans that I wanted to get back with you. If you could give me a call back, that would be great." I tried to sound as cheerful as possible knowing full well that if I mentioned anything about Derek, the woman was way less likely to call me back.

  I then looked to the other girls. "Anyone up for a little gaming?" I asked them.

  "Claire, this hardly the time for playing games," Autumn said.

  "You mean the casino, right? Because I totally love the casino," Amelia replied.

  "Oh, I see where you're going with this. I really shouldn't. It's a horrible conflict of interest for me. I just know better. I'd hate to upset the sheriff. He trusts me so much." Autumn said, getting all defensive.

  "It's okay, Autumn. Amelia and I can head down there. Sound good?" I said to Amelia.

  "Sounds good to me. Let me just call my mom and make sure everything is all good with Jacob. I'm sure she would agree that we need to talk to Savannah and Tina. Of course, I'm not going to tell her what we suspect. She might have some objections there."

  "What mom wouldn't? Well, except for our own perhaps." It was hard to know what that woman was thinking half of the time. I looked at Autumn. She raised her eyebrows in agreement.

  Before we left, I made sure that Milo was comfy, snuggling on the couch upstairs and that he had fresh water and kibble. I also scanned the area for any sign of Nick, but there wasn't a blue orb in sight. I had been hoping that he had just been upstairs in the apartment waiting for Autumn to leave so I could chat with him, but no such luck. I even gave a call out just to double check.

  "Nick, are you around here? Babe?"

  The only response I got was from Milo, who picked his head up off his paws and seemed to scan the room for Nick as well. Coming up empty, he laid his head back down, instantly drifting back to sleep. Yep, in my next life, I wanted to come back as a cat.

  "I'm going go home and iron my drapes," Autumn said outside of the bakery. I knew better than to laugh. Autumn was dead serious. Her apartment was as picture-perfect as could be. Her throw pillows were always positioned just right on the couch, her bed made with precision each morning, and if a faucet ever dripped or lightbulb burnt out, you could bet that she would be calling maintenance on speed dial and she'd expect them to come immediately and take care of it.

  Amelia and I said goodbye to Autumn. “You guys be safe. Call when or if you find them. I mean, call Deputy Stevens,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, we will,” I replied as we got into my SUV and headed off to the casino.

  5

  If you weren't into winter sports—and let's face it, you can only ski and ice fish so much—the casino was the place to go. Northern Michigan had a few casinos around the area that were all right, but if you were looking for one to party at on New Year's Eve, Turtle Cree
k was the one to go to. None of them were really all that grand per se, but with its proximity to Traverse City and the complimentary shuttle bus that traveled back-and-forth to the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Turtle Creek was as luxurious and as happening of a spot as you could find.

  "I wonder if we'll get lucky and they'll still be there?" I said, looking at the clock. We were inching closer to noon, and I felt it was highly unlikely that Tina and Savannah could party for that long.

  "They could be. Tina loves to play craps. If she's on a winning streak, she can play for hours."

  "That's the one with the dice, right?" I asked.

  "Yeah. Trust me, I don't get it either, but she loves the game."

  Amelia wasn't the only one who didn’t get it. Nick and I took a trip out to Vegas the year after we were married. Roulette was always our go-to game, the one where you put chips on the red and black numbers, and then the dealer spins a marble around the wheel. Whatever number the marble stops on, wins. Roulette was pretty straightforward compared to craps. Sure, I never knew exactly how much the payout would be—math wasn't my strong suit—but it was easier than trying to figure out how many dice you were supposed to roll and what numbers you wanted to hit. Craps had many rules.

  "So I take it your sister doesn't know that you can talk to ghosts?" Amelia asked me on the drive to the casino.

  "No, she doesn't have a clue. She's way too practical to believe in the paranormal."

  "Just like your mom, huh?"

  "Exactly. Autumn's life is all about dealing with logic. Find the evidence, trace the clues, catch the bad guy. You break a rule, you get in trouble. Everything is cut and dry. It's just how her brain works. You throw in the unknown, and she just shuts down."

  "I can see that about her," Amelia replied.

  "It's not like she hasn't witnessed her own fair share of paranormal activity. Nick used to have a field day with her until I made him cut it out. Autumn was on her way to having a nervous breakdown if Nick turned the lights off on her or moved her car keys one more time. The poor maintenance guy at her apartment was going out of his mind checking every lightbulb and electrical current in her apartment to no avial."

  "Oh my gosh, you're right. That would totally drive her crazy," Amelia said.

  "Yeah, so, I just don't mention Nick or any other ghostly happenings. She seems happier that way."

  "But what if it is a murderous ghost that killed Derek? What are you gonna do?"

  I bit my lower lip while thinking. "Honestly, I don't know. Autumn won't settle for an unsolved murder, not in her county. Not when she personally knew the victim." Just like I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to convince her a ghost was behind it, if that in fact was the case.

  "This place is super packed," Amelia said as we pulled into the casino twenty minutes later. She wasn't kidding. We circled the parking lot a few times looking for any open spots, but we were coming up empty.

  "You think people would be tired after last night," I said. Either that or I was just getting really lame. I had a sneaking suspicion that was probably more of the case.

  For the last couple of months, my days had consisted of baking for hours on end and slowly getting settled in at London Manor. Not that I was complaining, I rather enjoyed my quiet life. Or rather, it was quiet when I wasn’t solving murders. It was a darn shame that Derek's ghost hadn't stuck around for a little bit just so I could have asked him a question or two. Of course, his ghost would have been intoxicated. Downfall of dying while drunk.

  We finally found a spot way out in the lot and made our way inside the building. My hands were like ice when we finally walked in. I knew better than to go outside without full winter gear in January. I sincerely wished I would have grabbed my mittens before leaving the manor.

  Bright, flashing lights and the smell of stale smoke mixed with the ringing of bells greeted us as we stepped onto the casino floor. It was a little piece of Las Vegas right here in northern Michigan. We stopped shoulder to shoulder and scanned the room.

  "Hit the tables first?" I asked Amelia.

  "Yep, lead the way."

  As we walked the casino floor, we kept our eyes peeled for Tina and Savannah. There were plenty of girls dressed up as if it was still New Year's Eve. I started to feel like I was in a time loop as people passed by wearing their New Year's Eve crowns, tooting party horns and laughing. Suddenly, I wished I was back home watching the Rose Bowl Parade.

  "I don't see them, do you?" I said.

  "Nada."

  The table games were in the center of the casino. They formed two rows with the dealers on the inside and the tables on the outside. The craps table was hopping. People were clapping and hollering, a couple of them even jumping up and down. The employees were obviously focused on the game, and it would be impossible for us interrupt at that moment. I managed to spot the floor manager right away. She was dressed in a black suit, a ring of keys on her wrist. Her attention darted around the tables as she was called to verify a certain amount of money coming in or going out.

  "Let's check with her," I said, nodding to the floor manager. Together we walked over to get her attention.

  "Excuse me, ma'am? Could I ask a quick question?” Amelia already had her phone out and brought up the picture of Savannah and Tina. "I was wondering if you could help me. We're trying to find friends of ours. Last we knew, they were hanging around the tables here at around for four o'clock this morning." Amelia showed the picture to the woman.

  "Oh, those two," the manager said, eyes widening.

  "What did they do?" I asked.

  "What didn't they do? I ended up having to call security and have them escorted off the property."

  "Oh my gosh," Amelia replied.

  "You can say that. Dancing on the tables, stealing guests’ drinks. They were a nightmare. They're not to step foot on this property again—ever!"

  It was our turn to stare back with wide eyes.

  I cleared my throat. "You don't by chance happen to know if they left alone, do you?"

  "No, I don't know. But you can check with Gary," the manager pointed to the security desk across the way. "He's the head of security and the one that escorted them out."

  "Thanks so much," Amelia replied.

  Amelia and I hustled across the casino floor. "Do they normally get in trouble like that?" I asked.

  "Oh yeah, they can be pretty stupid when they’ve been drinking."

  Stupid enough to kill someone, I found myself questioning.

  Gary looked like the head of security. He was tall, easily clearing six feet and then some. His hair was buzzed short, his shoulders broad, and I was pretty sure it’d been a long time since he last smiled. I thought it would be best to play professional with him.

  "Hi, Gary, my name is Claire London. I'm looking for a couple of guests that you escorted out earlier this morning. Two girls who were creating quite the commotion, or so I'm told." I nodded over to the floor manager.

  "Yeah, I know exactly who you're talking about. I walked them out just before five o'clock."

  "Do you know if they left alone, or was somebody else with them?" I asked.

  "What is this about?" Gary asked me.

  Personally, I had hoped he wasn't going to ask, but since he did, I was going to be honest with him. Well, mostly honest. "A friend of mine was murdered last night. He was one of the girl's boyfriend. There's a chance they know something, and I'm trying to track them down for the sheriff."

  "The sheriff?"

  "Of Leelanau County, Bud Daniels?"

  "I know Sheriff Daniels," Gary said.

  "Great, so can you help us out?" I asked.

  "Not much really to tell. I walked the girls to the door, where they met up with a group of guys, a bachelor party. They ended up going off on some party bus with them. Before you ask, I have no idea where. It wasn't from one of the local hotels. It was one of those fancy limo bus ones."

  "Did you recognize the driver?" I asked.

  "Didn't
even see the driver," Gary replied.

  Well shoot. "Okay, well, thank you so much. If you think of anything else, can you give the sheriff a call?"

  "Sure thing, miss."

  “Thanks, I appreciate it,” I said.

  Amelia and I walked away from the security desk.

  "Like, what do you think we should do now? Call the limousine companies?" Amelia asked.

  That wasn't a horrible idea, but I wasn't sure if they would help us or not. It wouldn't hurt to try. I got out my phone as we walked across the casino floor back to the entrance. I was about to search for the area limousine companies when my phone rang. It was Ellen. I wondered if she was done with her coffee date and was now at the bakery wondering where I was? I quickly answered the call, plugging my ear to try to drown out the background noise.

  "Claire, dear, you better get down to the sheriff’s department, and quickly. Sheriff Daniels just took your mom in for questioning."

  "What?" I practically shouted into the phone. "Why in the world would he do that?"

  "Well, your mom was down here at the diner, flapping her mouth, talking about how happy she was to see Derek dead."

  "She did not!"

  "Afraid so. She was telling everyone how he deserved what he got and that she for one, wouldn't be going to his funeral."

  "What in the world was she thinking?"

  "I'm not too sure. I don't think she knew Sheriff Daniels was listening, but the minute she started bragging about the murder taking place at your house, he stood up and asked her to come outside with him. I watched her get in his car a minute or so later and drive off.

  "Okay, thanks. We'll head there next." I hung up with Ellen unable to believe how callous my mother had been.

  "What, what's wrong?" Amelia asked.

  "My mother, that's what wrong. The woman's a menace. Come on, let's go. I'll fill you in on the way."

  "You didn't need to run down here. It's not like I was being arrested. Geez, everyone in this town is so sensitive," Caroline said when she got in my SUV. Amelia had jumped in the back so my mother could ride in the front passenger seat.