by Gina LaManna
Harriet grabbed a cookie and took a bite, straightening as she did. She rested one hand on the car and looked around the parking lot. “I thought I’d spare you guys some time. There’s nobody here.”
“Nobody? What do you mean?”
“I mean that there’s literally nobody here. I went through all the rooms myself. I’m just here tonight dropping off welcome kits for the guests we have arriving tomorrow. All the rooms are vacated.”
“But I thought the room with the mystery guests was rented for another week or two?”
“It was,” she said. “But when I showed up tonight, I found the checkout paperwork on the front desk. I peeked my head in the room, and it’s completely empty. Clean as a whistle. Nobody’s coming back here.”
“Shucks.”
“Sorry,” Harriet said. “You know, I might’ve been annoyed at the thought of you scaring my customers away, but you’re lucky—I’ve got no customers to scare tonight. And honestly, even if I’d wanted to call the police, well...”
We all looked over at Cooper who was still eating takeout on the other side of the lot.
“I see your point,” I said. “A very good point. We didn’t mean anything by it. We’ll get out of your hair now. Thanks for letting us know. And just out of curiosity, you never did see anyone going into or coming out of that room?”
“Not a soul,” Harriet said. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t help you ladies.”
“Thanks for everything,” I said. “We’ll get going. I’m just going to give Cooper a quick call and let him know, and then we’ll be off.”
Harriet gave us the thumbs-up as she took another bite of cookie. “See you girls around.”
My phone was already ringing as Harriet made her way back to the inn. I answered, knowing it would be Cooper.
“They checked out?” he asked.
“It’s almost like you’re a detective,” I retorted. “Got any food left?”
“Back at my place.”
I considered. I really did consider. I wanted to go over to Cooper’s, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to get in the habit of spending every night with Cooper just yet. I’d jumped in way too fast with Ryan. We’d lived together within three months of meeting, and it had turned out to be a bad decision.
Then I glanced over at Allie and saw her staring sadly into her empty box of cookies.
“I’ll have to take a rain check, actually,” I said to Cooper. “I’m sorry. I’m going to buy Allie dinner tonight. Anyway, I have to get up early for work tomorrow.”
“Suit yourself,” Cooper said. “Goodnight, Jenna.”
“Goodnight, Chief.”
Cooper let us pull out of the lot first. He followed us back to Main Street. I waved when he turned off to head toward his house. Allie continued straight to the only takeout place open late in Blueberry Lake. But before we could grab our food, a movement on the sidewalk caught my eye.
“Hold on,” I said as we cruised by June’s café. “Can you stop for a second?”
Allie pulled over. “Is that Ethel Louise Schroeder?”
“It sure is,” I said, catching sight of the woman as she cruised by on her motorized chair. “I guess this is her third breakout of the day.”
“Why don’t you drop me here?” I told Allie. “Do you mind if I buy you lunch tomorrow instead? I should help her get back before the cops are called again or before Mrs. Maybelle worries.”
“Sure,” Allie said. “But I can help you get her home.”
“I’ve got it covered,” I said. “The nursing home’s a few blocks that way. I’m only a five-minute walk from there. It’s a nice night. It’ll be good to walk.”
“But—”
“I wanted to talk to Ethel a little, anyway,” I said. “Sort of a private conversation.”
“Ah, I see. Did she offer to show you her tips and tricks with the gentlemen, too?”
“She did,” I said. That was when I noticed Ethel had donned the very red outfit she’d picked out earlier that day in my mother’s shop. I had the creeping sensation that I knew exactly where Ethel was headed this fine evening. “She offered it to you, too?”
“She sure did,” Allie said. “But I don’t really need any tips and tricks. I told her they’d be better used on you. Especially now that you’ve got a boyfriend.”
“What makes you think I need any tips and tricks?”
“Oh, look.” Allie pointed ahead, changing the subject. “She’s getting away. If you want to catch up, you should probably get moving.”
I climbed out of the car and waved as Allie drove off. I broke into a light jog until I caught up to Ethel Louise Schroeder, then I fell into step beside her.
“I was wondering if I’d see you around,” Ethel said, turning to me with a smile. “It’s nice to see you picked up on my hints. You’re in for a fun night.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t I look fabulous in this outfit?” Ethel plucked at her dress. “I’m really going to wow the gents tonight.”
“I’m very unclear about what’s happening now.”
“The game,” Ethel said. “Isn’t that what we were tiptoeing around earlier in the store? Not everyone’s invited. Obviously, you probably shouldn’t say too many words to that boyfriend of yours seeing as he’s a cop.”
“This is starting to concern me,” I said. “I just came to walk you back to the nursing home.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Ethel Louise Schroeder pulled a squirt gun out from her chair and pointed it at me. “I’m prepared to use it. My grandson gave me a good one. It’ll drench you with two pulls of the trigger.”
“But—”
Ethel Louise Schroeder pulled the trigger and hit me square between the eyes with a blast of water.
“Hey!”
“I warned you,” she said. “And that was just a little mini thing. If you want to keep those clothes of yours dry, then follow me. I’m a little surprised you didn’t dress up more for the occasion, but you’ll do.”
Still mystified, I followed Ethel Louise Schroeder as she led the way to the bingo hall. She glanced furtively around before she tapped her squirt gun in a nifty little pattern against the door. It opened immediately, and we were ushered in quickly, the door closing behind us so fast it almost clipped me on the heels.
“You can sit next to the young one,” Ethel said. “I sorta had my eye on sitting next to Harry the Hairy. He put his hand on my leg last time, and I sorta liked that.”
“Um, okay,” I said, thinking I really didn’t want Harry the Hairy’s hand anywhere near my leg. “That sounds good to me. Who’s the young one? And what, exactly, is this game?”
“Poker,” Ethel said. “Keep up. A thousand dollar buy-in.”
“A thousand—” I felt a bit woozy. “No way. Sorry. Isn’t that a little bit too much money for a little game in Blueberry Lake? And I thought that the hall was closed because of the cigarette incident.”
“Don’t be all hoity-toity now that you’re dating a cop,” Ethel said. “Live a little.”
“What’s she doing here?” A male voice spoke from ahead.
It was familiar, and as I looked up, I was surprised to see Kyle sitting at a table surrounded by three men whose ninety-year-old birthday parties were somewhere in the rearview mirror.
Ethel leaned over to me, tucking her squirt gun somewhere out of sight. “Let me handle this. And by all means, don’t tell them I’m packing heat! This is a weapon-free game.”
I just nodded. It was all I could do at this point. I was so many steps behind that my head felt like it was on a constant swivel.
“This is my granddaughter,” Ethel said. “I brought her here to help me out. She doesn’t understand poker, and she’s not gonna be buying in. She’s just gonna sit next to me because, apparently, Mrs. Maybelle thinks I need a chaperone if I’m gonna be out this late.”
Ethel nudged me, and I realized that I was supposed to agree. I nodded dumbly.
�
��All you losers already bought in?” Ethel motored forward and squeezed in beside a man who could only be Harry the Hairy. “Sorry I’m late. This one took forever to get ready.”
The three old men looked at me with friendly smiles. Kyle’s face was tilted into a frown. I was just as curious about how he’d gotten here as he probably was about me, but that wasn’t a conversation I felt we were ready to have.
Thankfully, the game got underway quickly. One of the older men had a cooler next to him, and from it, he kept popping out cans of root beer and handing them around.
I took one for myself and watched as Kyle did the same. Then one of the older gentlemen passed around a tub of ice cream from the cooler next to him, and we all made root beer floats. I couldn’t quite tell if we were at a poker game or celebrating the Fourth of July, but I could tell that the amount of money being exchanged made me uncomfortable.
When I gasped at one of the hands, Ethel beside me gave a cackle. “When you’re our age, you don’t got much to lose. Nothing’s coming into the afterlife with us, so we might as well have some fun while we’re here, ain’t that right?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Don’t worry, this is my play money,” she said. “I got a will and all that responsible crap for the kids. Not that they need it, but they’ll get it anyway.”
“Isn’t she your granddaughter?” Kyle asked, looking directly at me. “Which would mean she’s in your will?”
“Course she is. Aren’t you listening to me?” Ethel asked. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m leaving her all of my jewels, too.”
“Thanks... Grandma,” I choked out. “Though you shouldn’t talk like that. You’ll live forever.”
“Oh, I know. That’s why the joke’s on you.”
The game continued for a long while. A few people bought in again. The amount of money was, again, staggering. I did notice that while Kyle played quietly, he was doing quite well. Ethel seemed to be throwing her money down the drain. She didn’t care, though. It seemed to be a price she was willing to pay to have Harry the Hairy’s hand on her knee.
I looked away from the hand on the knee business and watched the game. As it continued, it was clear there were two men duking it out to be the real winner. Kyle and an older, clean-cut gentleman who went by the name Rick.
“Kyle, how’d you hear about the game?” I asked. “Have you been to Blueberry Lake before?”
His eyes flicked up to glance at me over his cards. “I have not.”
“Oh, okay.”
He didn’t seem too keen to explain, so I let it slide and watched as the game continued, hand after hand. It was two hours later by the time Kyle threw down his cards and looked at Rick. The others had long since fallen out of play.
“Are you serious?” Kyle didn’t look angry. He looked in disbelief. “How?”
“You’ll learn,” Rick said, swooping the chips toward himself. “You’re getting there. You had me nervous for a while. You’ve picked up a thing or two since the last time.”
There’s the connection, I thought as I watched Rick and Kyle exchange smirks. Rick seemed cool and collected. His hair was peppered gray. He flipped a fedora onto his head and sat back in his chair, lighting up a cigar.
“That’ll kill you,” Kyle said, pulling out an e-cigarette of his own.
“Those aren’t actually good for you, either,” I pointed out.
Kyle didn’t seem very interested in my opinion and focused instead on his hands. Rick sat back and let smoke curl from his lips. I was tempted to look next to me, but Ethel and Harry had migrated to holding hands and giving each other googly eyes, so I thought it best to not interrupt.
The third man, the one who’d pulled the ice cream out of the cooler, stood and made eye contact with me. He looked like a grandfather through and through, with a maroon sweater vest pulled over a white shirt. His khaki pants were too baggy and pulled too high, but it was adorable. He even had a pocket watch that he looked at. If I remembered correctly, someone had called him Ken.
“I should be going home,” he said. “Care to walk me out, young lady?”
“It’d be my pleasure,” I said. “Ethel, I’ll come back for you.”
Kyle ignored me. Ethel didn’t hear me at all. Rick was engrossed in counting his chips. Ken and I slipped out almost completely unnoticed.
Once outside in the fresh air, I looked at Ken, a little confused since he had yet to speak. “Can I get you a ride home or something?”
“You seemed pretty interested back there.”
“I don’t know poker very well. Never a better time than the present to learn.”
“I wasn’t talking about the game,” he said. “You were trying to figure out Rick and Kyle.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“You weren’t subtle,” he said with a crooked smile. “Rick’s a man of few words. And it looks like Kyle’s not your biggest fan. Why are you interested in him?”
“I was just curious how they knew each other,” I said. “It’s sorta weird, you know, if a guy shows up in Blueberry Lake for a couple of weeks and finds a private poker game to jump into? I was just trying to make small talk.”
“I don’t believe you,” Ken said, looking at me. “But I knew your gran.”
“You did?” I brightened. Then I quickly tried to cover it up. “You mean, Ethel Louise Schroeder.”
He waved a hand. “You didn’t fool any of us. Even Harry, and that man’s got, well, ears full of hair. We all knew your real gran. She used to come to the game once in a while. She and Ethel loved it—those two women used to get all dolled up together. Your grandmother had a real sense of humor.”
“Ethel never told me she was friends with my grandmother.”
“I think she still misses her a lot,” Ken offered. “I mean, who doesn’t? Greta was a great lady. We’re all real glad to see you’re reopening Greens over there. It’ll bring a lot of warm memories back to this town.”
“Thank you, Ken. That means a lot to me.”
“So as a favor to your gran, I’ll answer you a couple of questions. But you better make them quick because I’ve got a feeling this game’s about to get busted up.”
“Busted...” I met Ken’s gaze. “Nevermind. How’d Kyle find out about the poker game?”
“You already guessed it,” Ken said. When I looked blankly at him, he continued, “He knows Rick. They go way back. They played together in Vegas, professionally.”
“Ah,” I said. “Mentor and mentee relationship?”
Ken nodded. “None of us can ever beat Rick. Kyle’s the only one who can give him a run for his money. But then again, that’s not a huge surprise. Rick’s the one who taught Kyle everything he knows.”
“Sorry, this is off subject, but why do you guys play with so much money?”
“We don’t,” Ken said. “We’re only playing with real money because Kyle’s here. Anyway, it’s for a good cause. Rick wouldn’t tell you this, but he gives it all to the hospital. There’s not a soul in town who doesn’t know it, either.”
I considered what to ask next since Ken seemed itchy to keep things moving. “Did Kyle say anything to you guys about Tennison? I’m assuming you guys have played together before?”
“Every night since he’s been in town,” Ken said. “We’re taking advantage of his time here. Makes it fun to mix things up a little bit. I mean, I love Rick and Harry and Ethel, but we’ve been playing together for years.”
“Why don’t you add more people?”
“Sorta a private game,” he said. “None of us are really supposed to be playing. My family goads me about it. Ethel has to escape from that nursing home of hers. Harry gets lost half the time on the way to the game.”
“I see. What about Tennison? Did they say anything about him?”
“He’s the one that died, right?”
I nodded.
“He was here the first night they were in town. The night before everything went down.”
“He was here... you mean, at your game?”
“Yes, ma’am. I guess he and Kyle were buds. The way they were talking about it, they’d stopped at Vegas on the way here to play a little bit.”
“Tennison and Kyle?”
“That’s who I was talking about.”
“Did they say how they did?”
“No, but now that you’re asking about it, I think that night they were here Kyle fronted the money for both of them. Take that as you will, but I generally take that as a sign that one of ’em doesn’t have any money. I doubt Kyle was doing it just to be kind even if they were friends.”
“You think Tennison owed Kyle money?”
“I mean, technically I know it. Three grand. The kid lost it all in about half an hour,” Ken said. “He’s not very good at the game, and Rick didn’t have any sympathy for him. Rick can’t stand a man who gambles. Rick says poker’s not gambling if you play it right. I dunno, I think he’s wrong, but he might have a point. I mean, he and Kyle both made a living playing poker, and I don’t think it was all an accident. Wasn’t all chance, either.”
I had a sinking feeling in my gut. If Tennison had blown three grand on an old folks’ game here in Blueberry Lake, what sort of damage could he have done over the course of a weekend in Vegas?
Worse, had he done the damage with money that wasn’t his to lose? Not only would he have lost his friend’s money, but then he also had to withdraw his promised investment in the film. It wouldn’t have made Kyle very happy at all. Not to mention everyone else who’d financially backed the movie.
“This means it’s time for me to go.”
I followed the nod of Ken’s head as he looked toward the entrance to the parking lot. A familiar truck that I’d seen following me once already tonight was pulling into the parking lot.
“I should probably—” I began, but I stopped speaking when Cooper stopped the vehicle and climbed out.
He rested both his hands on his hips and glanced my way with a bemused expression of disbelief. “Fancy seeing you here, Jenna McGovern.”
“Same goes for you.”
I looked to Ken for guidance, but the man was already gone. He was click-clacking his cane down the street and disappearing into the glimmer of streetlights.
