Handbags & Hooligans

by Laina Turner

  “My guys were finally able to get a handle on where the signal from the cell phone she used to call Jesse came from. It has been very intermittent, therefore hard to triangulate, but we finally got a location. I want to go check it out.” He completely ignored my question about now he got into my room. I guess he had his ways.

  I jumped up and starting throwing on some clothes over my pajamas. “Did you tell Jesse?”

  “No, he’s still sleeping, and I didn’t want to get his hopes up.”

  “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining, but why did you wake me up to go with you? You never want me to go with you.”

  Cooper laughed. “Yeah, well, I never want to take you, and you always end up coming with me anyway. So why fight it?”

  “Exactly. I’m glad you’re seeing things my way.”

  I walked out into the sitting area and decided to leave a note on the door for Jesse and Jared. There were some flyers sitting on the counter, so I grabbed an envelope and a pen and wrote on the back and propped it up next to the door where they were sure to see it. My room was the first place Jesse and Jared would head once they woke up, though it was early, so we might even be back before then. It had been another late night for all of us.

  “So, exactly where are we headed?” I asked once we got in the car.

  “It’s a Las Vegas address. According to the GPS it’s about fifteen minutes from here, just outside the strip. I got you coffee.” Cooper nodded his head in the direction of the cup holder where an extra large Dunkin Donuts coffee was waiting. “I know it’s not Starbucks, but this was closer, and I wanted to make sure you had caffeine as soon as possible.”

  I smiled. He was a great guy. “No worries,” I said, bringing the cup up to my lips and inhaling the aroma as I took the first sip. “This is just fine. Thank you.”

  We drove in silence as I waited for the caffeine to kick in. I gazed out the window to see where he was taking me.

  “Start looking for Franklin Boulevard. It should be up here a few hundred yards, and we need to turn right.”

  “Okay.” I started paying closer attention to where we were. We were driving away from the strip, and I was surprised to see just as many places to gamble, but they weren’t nearly as nice as where Jesse worked. Vegas was wall–to–wall casinos. “Up there at the next light.”

  “Once we turn here we need to look for the address 5147. It starts at 3600, so we’ve got a couple blocks yet. This doesn’t look like the best part of town, though.”

  “That’s an understatement.” All the businesses had bars on the windows, and there was graffiti everywhere. “Okay, we’re in the 5000s, and it looks like even numbers are on my side so odds must be on yours. Get ready to turn left. There it is.” I pointed excitedly. “That gray building. Right there. Wait. You passed it. Cooper, what are you doing?”

  Cooper pulled into the parking lot next to the building we were looking for and shut off the engine. “I don’t want to be completely obvious until I can check out the situation. No need to alert anyone we’re here anymore than we already have.”

  “Okay.” I opened the door and started to get out of the car.

  “Wait! I said I wanted to check things out first.”

  I shut the door and folded my arms across my chest. “Fine. Get to checking.” I should have known he wouldn’t be easygoing the entire time. That was a lot to ask for.

  “I’ll be right back.” Cooper got out and walked behind the buildings. I went to roll down the window—it was already sweltering at eight in the morning—but he’d taken the keys, so I couldn’t work the window controls or turn on the air conditioning. Great. Just great. I was going to have to sit here and sweat, which was going to put me in a cranky mood. He’d better hurry.

  When Cooper slid back in the driver’s seat he immediately started the car and set the air on full blast. It had got hot quick.

  “Sorry I took the keys. Habit.”

  “Whatever. Just tell me what you found out.”

  “The building seems empty right now, but I couldn’t see for sure. But it looks like a legitimate business. It says A–Temps on the door. Looks like some type of temp agency. Either someone here has her phone innocently, or I would bet it’s a legitimate operation that’s a front for something else. It’s not yet the start of typical business hours, so my guess is that within the next half an hour or so people will start coming in.”

  “Should we wait or go in and see?”

  “See what?”

  “If it looks legit? What else?”

  “Presley, trust me when I say that it is legit. Even if it’s a front for something shady, this would still be a real, thriving business. These guys may be crooks, but they are good businessmen. They aren’t going to miss an opportunity to make money in any capacity.”

  “Maybe talking to the office manager or something would give us a clue.”

  “Not right now. I found out what I needed to know for now. That’s enough.”

  “You’re so annoying. You know that?”

  “Yeah, I think you’ve told me a time or two.”

  A few minutes later we were in the lobby of the Palazzo waiting for Jesse to have a break when we heard a loud bellowing, calling for Anna.

  “What the hell?” she said, turning in the direction of the noise. It was Jeff. “What does he think he is doing?”

  “Anna, I have to talk to you,” he said when he reached our table. He was out of breath like he had been running all over town looking for us, and maybe he had been.

  “Jeff, I have nothing to say to you. Why are you here?”

  “Oh, Anna, I am so sorry. I made a mistake. I just freaked out for a minute. I love you and do want to marry you. Please forgive me.”

  “Are you kidding me? Not on your life, pal.”

  “Anna, I know you’re furious with me, and I understand that. But, you have to believe me when I say I was out of my mind, and I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Jeff, I can appreciate you made a mistake and are sorry, but I don’t care. We are done. I will forgive you, but I won’t take you back.”

  I was proud of Anna for how strong she was being. I knew it had to be hard, as Jeff had never before groveled the way he was doing now.

  “Anna…”

  “Jeff, the answer is no. Please accept that and don’t make this harder than it already is. I will not change my mind, and I would appreciate if you would leave me alone. I don’t deserve for you to hound me after what you did.”

  Jeff had the saddest look on his face. He did look sincere in his effort to admit he’d made a mistake, but when would it stop? I felt Anna was doing the right thing. He walked away and Jared and I just looked at her for a minute. I kind of wanted her to be the first to say something, as I wasn’t sure what I should say.

  “That was unexpected,” she finally said.

  “I agree,” I said. “How do you feel about that?”

  Anna paused for a few minutes. “Damn wonderful. I feel like I got the last word in.” A big smile broke out over her face. “I know it probably sounds mean, but I’m glad he wanted me back, and I’m doubly glad I didn’t care.”

  “Good for you, chicky,” Jared said, reaching out and patting her hand.

  “Proud of you, Anna, for not giving in.”

  Chapter 18

  Shouldn’t he be here already?” I asked Cooper, who was sitting calmly next to me as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Relax, Pres. He’ll be here. He’s only five minutes late.”

  We were waiting for Simon to meet us at the coffee shop at the casino where Jesse worked. He and Cooper were meeting about Benigni’s guys and what was going on, and Cooper wanted to tell him what we found this morning, though I wasn’t exactly sure what is was we found. He seemed to think it meant something. Jess was at work, morning tournament practice, and Jared and Anna had gone to chill by the pool.

  “In fact, there he is.” Cooper raised his hand in a wave as Simon walk
ed through the entrance.

  “Sorry I’m late. I had to drop Helen off at Nordstrom’s, and the traffic was a bear.”

  “Can I get you a coffee or anything, Simon?” I asked. I thought I would play the part of nice hostess, so Simon and Cooper could spend a minute catching up.

  “That would be great. Just a large, bold, house blend.”

  “Anything in it?”

  “No. Black is fine.”

  I walked over and placed his order, giving the barista Jesse’s employee code. That sure came in handy. If I got fifty percent off coffee all the time, my habit would be ten times worse. I got the coffee and delivered it to the guys along with some biscotti and cookies. They hadn’t asked for treats, but I couldn’t help it; they looked too good in the showcase. “So, what are you guys talking about?” I asked, reaching for biscotti.

  “It’s not surprising that Benigni is trying to align himself with Garrison, with Garrison being behind bars,” Cooper said. “Garrison has always been the biggest influence in town, and Benigni has aspirations to that number one spot.”

  I sipped my coffee, surprised that it was as good as Starbucks. Interesting how Garrison continued to impact the lives of people I knew, even from behind bars. The reach just baffled me. “Wouldn’t he be afraid, by using Benigni that he would lose that number spot by giving away too much power?”

  “Not really. Garrison has people everywhere, ones who are loyal to a fault. He’s been in the game long enough to know how to leverage his power and yet keep control.”

  “And you think Benigni is putting heat on Jesse because of what happened back in Alkon with Senator Daniels?” Cooper said. “Why? To get back at Presley?”

  “It looks that way. Garrison had a lot vested with the Senator, and not only did he lose a significant amount of money and power, but it also landed him in jail. Not something that makes a person, especially one like him, very happy. It also didn’t make him look good, and in this town appearances are everything.

  “Is there anything that can be done to get Benigni off Jesse’s back?” I asked.

  “I’m going to talk to a few contacts and see what I can do. These guys aren’t above hurting people to get what they want, and so far they have not been inclined to listen to any subtle hints that they shouldn’t be hanging around my place.”

  Simon had managed to find out that Ashley had become close to one of Benigni’s men, closer than Benigni liked, because he had taken a fancy to her himself. Benigni thought she might have come across some sensitive information that he was afraid she would tell others. That might have upset Benigni and given him reason to have his guys holding her somewhere. One more thing to throw Jesse for a loop. I hadn’t told him yet. I didn’t want him hurt by having him think Ashley was involved with another guy. It seemed like she was willing to do a lot as a citizen to help out the local police. Both Simon and Cooper had talked to the police, and they weren’t any farther along than we were, though Simon said you had to be careful, as you never knew who on the police force might be in Benigni’s or Garrison’s back pocket.

  “This is so frustrating,” I said as we sat around wondering what our next move should be. After Cooper and I met with Simon, he dropped me off at the hotel—not by my choice—saying he had things to do. I tried to get him to let me come with him, but my arguments didn’t work. I could tell he was in one of his moods, and I wasn’t going to change his mind. Sometimes I knew when to give in. I found Anna and Jared grabbing some lunch at the hotel café.

  “Maybe we should hit some more of Benigni’s clubs. Ask some questions. See if anyone knows anything.”

  “Jared, we can’t very well go in there and just ask people if they know what happened to Ashley. There’s too big of a chance that it will get back to Benigni. He’s got spies everywhere, especially in his clubs.”

  “All this sitting around and waiting isn’t getting us anywhere. I say let’s do it.”

  “I’m not sure Cooper will like it.”

  “Since when do you care what Cooper wants and doesn’t want?”

  “Pres,” Anna said, “I have to agree with Jared. I think we need to take some action.”

  “C’mon, Pres. Cooper will get over it. He always does where you’re concerned.”

  “Okay, fine,” I said, resigning myself to Cooper being pissed later, and I did privately agree with them that the sitting around was killing me. At least if we were talking to people, I would feel like we were doing something. “But don’t think I won’t make him yell at both of you as well as me. Now our only problem is how do we know what clubs Benigni owns?”

  “Taken care of, girlfriend. Jordan hooked me up, and here in my hand I have a list.” Jared pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and spread it out on the table.

  “Wow!” Anna exclaimed. “He owns six clubs?”

  “Seven, if you count The Pink Pony, but not all are strip clubs. Benigni is very diverse. There are a couple of restaurants and a plain old bar included on this list.”

  “How should we prioritize?” I wondered out loud.

  “Jordan thought of that, too. He is one smart cookie. He said our best bet of finding people who know Ashley would be at the other strip clubs. He said the girls tended to work multiple locations. He then put the strip clubs in the order he felt would be best.”

  “That was nice of him to spend all that time putting the list together,” I said.

  “Yes, it was,” Jared said.

  “So what’s up first?” asked Anna.

  “First stop, the Double D. I even have them all mapped out.”

  “Did Jordan do that, too?”

  “No, I did. I knew you wouldn’t stay idle for long.”

  We decided to cab it, since it was heavy traffic time on the strip, and we had no idea where we were going. The expense would be worth the frustration of traffic dodging and getting lost, which was bound to happen if we drove.

  The Double D was almost a carbon copy of The Pink Pony. Maybe a little seedier, but frankly it was hard to tell. We had decided on the way over that we would just ask if anyone knew Ashley and if they did had they heard from her lately. As long as we stuck together, even if we did run into Benigni or his goons, not much could happen. I had left Cooper a message at the front desk of our hotel, so he would know what we were doing. Even though I knew he would be mad, I wasn’t stupid enough to not tell him, just in case. We walked up to the bar, as I figured the bartender would be the best bet for getting information. This had not worked yet, unfortunately. No one had heard of Ashley at either the Double D, or the second club we went to. But at the third, The Joker’s Wild, I was feeling lucky. Or rather I was trying to keep my spirits up, so I was pretending to feel lucky.

  “What can I get ya?” said the bartender at The Joker’s Wild.

  “We’re looking for a girl named Ashley Griffith.”

  “Doesn’t ring a bell with me, but let me see.” The bartender waved at one of the girls and motioned her over. “Darlene, these folks are looking to find someone by the name of, what was the name again?”

  “Ashley, Ashley Griffiths.”

  Darlene looked surprised, but the look quickly left her face. “Yeah, I know Ashley. She works at The Pink Pony, doesn’t she?” she said offhandedly.

  “Yes, yes that’s her. Have you seen her lately?” I asked excitedly, thinking this might be our big break.

  “I haven’t seen her in a while, but she called me two nights ago.”

  I looked at Jared and Anna. This was news. If this girl talked to Ashley two nights ago, then it was after she disappeared, from us anyway. “What did she say?”

  Darlene looked at me strangely, so I explained. “Ashley is my brother’s girlfriend, and she’s been missing since Thursday. Or at least no one has seen her since then, and we’ve been searching all over for anyone who might have seen or talked to her. We’re really worried.” It also occurred to me that Ashley had called my brother a couple days ago, too, so somehow she had a
chance to make phone calls wherever she was.

  Darlene shrugged. “She didn’t say much. That if anyone asked me if I had heard from her, that she had gone back home for a visit.”

  “Did she? Go home?” It didn’t make sense to me. I was certain she was lying. I knew Jesse had called her parents a couple times. He had been subtle, not wanting them to worry, but they hadn’t said she was there.

  “What’s your brother’s name?” Darlene asked.

  “Jesse Thurman, and I’m Presley.”

  “Why was he named Jesse?”

  I just looked at her. What a strange question. Was this a test of some sort? Jesse was common, so no one ever asked about his name like they did mine. “He was named after Elvis’s twin brother who died at birth.”

  “Bob,” Darlene said to the bartender. “I’m taking my break now. Follow me,” she said, walking over to an empty table in the corner. We sat, and a waitress approached. Darlene looked at us apologetically.

  “No worries, we know the drill,” I said ordering two vodka martinis each for the three of us. It was a small price to pay if Darlene actually had some information about Ashley. Hell I would have bought a round for the entire place if I thought it would help. “I take it you know something?”

  “Ashley and I have known each other since college. We don’t talk often, but we’re the kind of friends who can go months without talking, and then one of us will call the other and it’s like no time has passed.”

  I nodded. I had friends like that, though I did wonder why Darlene was working here if she had been at college. Surely this wasn’t her career plan.

  “So, I wasn’t surprised the other day when Ashley called and asked me to do her a favor,” she continued.

  “What was that?” I asked eagerly, taking a sip of my vodka martini and grimacing. I liked this drink, but the first taste was always so potent.

  “She said that if someone came looking for her and could answer that question to give them this.” Darlene pulled out of her bra a piece of paper and handed it to me. I guess that was her best place for safekeeping. My hands were shaking I was so afraid to see what the note contained.