Vegas or Bust: An Aggie Underhill Mystery

by Michelle Ann Hollstein

  Her headlights lit up an old fashioned sign that looked like it was straight out of the 1950s. The first sign said, “Café”. Aggie pulled into the dirt driveway. She stopped in front of an old gas pump that was in front of the little café. The Café sign was peeling and falling apart and the building was dark, but not boarded up like the other ones she saw. There was another sign a little farther down, in front of the rest of the building that read, “Restaurant and Motel”. For some reason the sign looked familiar to her, but she knew she’d never been there before. She chalked it up as being some form of déjà vu.

  Aggie pulled up a little bit further under the café sign and parked the car in the dirt. Betty let out another snort and drowsily asked, “Are we there yet?”

  “Huh?” Roger awoke with a start. “Where are we?” He rubbed his tired eyes with his balled up fists.

  “A town called Amboy,” Aggie said, flinging her door open.

  “What?” Roger said in a panic. He sat up straight, now wide awake. “I said no stopping until we’re in Vegas!”

  “I’ve got to go to the loo,” Aggie said. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if there happens to be anyone in the café.”

  “This is Amboy!” Roger squeaked. “You can’t pee in Amboy! Everyone knows that!”

  “What?” Aggie asked. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She got out of the car and walked toward the building.

  “You can’t!” Roger protested. He flung open the back door. “Betty! Stay here! Whatever you do, don’t get out. Keep the doors locked.”

  “What?” she asked. “But why?”

  “Just do what I say.” He slammed his door shut and caught up with Aggie.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone’s inside,” she said, trying to peer in the dark windows.

  “Aggie, let’s go,” Roger said, looking around nervously. “We’ll stop somewhere else.”

  Aggie looked at him, perplexed. In the rising moonlight, she could see his frightened eyes about to pop out of his head. “What has gotten into you? You look a fright!”

  Roger grabbed hold of her elbow and began to steer her back in the direction of the car. In a hushed tone he said, “This is Amboy.”

  “So?”

  “So? So!” he hollered, and then looked around to make sure no one was around to overhear him. “This is where they filmed, ‘The Hitcher.’ There’s like maybe a population of twenty people living out here…if that many. And what kind of people do you think live in the middle of a freaking desert ghost town? Deranged, psychopathic killers, that’s who!”

  “Roger,” Aggie said, “really! Get a hold of yourself.”

  “Where do you think the idea for the movie came from?” he asked. They were now standing in front of the car. Roger opened Aggie’s door for her.

  “I have no idea,” she said, baffled, realizing why the gas station and café looked so familiar. She vaguely remembered seeing the movie ‘The Hitcher’.

  “From real life,” he whispered and looked around again. “From here. Now get in.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly,” she said, refusing to get in.

  Roger walked around to the back of the car and opened his door and sat down while Betty simultaneously opened her door and hopped out.

  “Betty!” Roger screeched. “I said stay inside. What is wrong with you people?”

  “I need a toilet,” she said. “Agsie, dear, did you find one?”

  “No, not yet, dear. I think I’m going to check around the back. It looks like it was once a motel. Maybe it still is.”

  “Good idea,” Betty agreed. “I’ll come with you.”

  Roger jumped back out of the car. “No! Bad idea! Don’t either of you listen?”

  “You can stay in the car,” Aggie said. “We’ll be right back.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” he harrumphed. “You won’t catch me going to the bathroom here. And don’t you come running to me for help when you get raped and murdered.” He slid back into the backseat, locked the car doors, and angrily crossed his arms over his chest while he waited, pouting.

  Chapter 3

  “Mama!” Jack was surprised to see his mother when he opened the door. She’d been pounding on it something fierce. With her 4’11”, sturdy frame, she pushed past him almost knocking him down. “What’s wrong? What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you and Miriam were going to go have dinner?”

  “Dinner?” she spat, face flushed. She threw her arms up in the air. “With her? Not on your life! That woman is impossible!”

  “What do you mean?” Jack’s heart sank and he immediately felt sick to his stomach. He wanted so badly for his mother and Miriam to like each other. They were the two most important women in his life. And it would mean the world to him if they’d become friends.

  “What do I mean?” Sylvie asked. “I don’t know why you’d want to marry such a person. The woman is a snob! She took one look at me and said that my hair looked nice. Nice! Can you believe it? If that isn’t a snide remark, I don’t know what is. A woman doesn’t say another woman’s hair looks nice. It’s a slap in the face.”

  “Mama,” Jack said, sitting down at the foot of the queen sized bed. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

  Sylvie’s dark brown eyes grew large. “So, you don’t think she likes my hair? Is that what you’re saying? What’s wrong with it?” Sylvie rushed to the full length mirror across from the bathroom by the door. “I just had it done for the wedding. And the dye job cost me a fortune.” Sylvie patted the back of her jet black hair that was ratted up in a large bouffant, adding a couple of inches to her height.

  “No, Mama!” Jack hopped up and quickly joined his mother by the mirror. “Your hair looks beautiful!”

  “Awww…” Sylvie gushed. She stood on her tiptoes to reach Jack’s cheek. Being that he was 6’2”, he was a good deal taller than her. She pinched it hard, leaving a bright red welt. “Now that’s a compliment! I raised both my son’s right! My baby loves his mommy!”

  “Thanks, Mama,” Jack said, rubbing his now sore cheek. It always amazed him at how strong his mother was for a little woman. But he knew that the harder she pinched the more she loved him, so he wasn’t about to complain. “I’m sure that Miriam loves your hair, too.”

  Sylvie’s smile vanished. “She does not.”

  “She does,” Jack pleaded. “I know she does. You must believe me.”

  “You cannot marry that woman,” Sylvie said. “She’s a bad one. I can sense it. Mother’s know these things, you know. Your brother would never marry a woman like this one.”

  “Mama,” Jack sighed. He hated when she compared him to Brice. “Brice is in jail. He’s not going to be marrying anyone.” He knew that what he said was like a stab in the heart to his mother, but he couldn’t help it. The words just flew out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

  Sylvie gasped and pressed both her hands over her heart as if she were about to have a heart attack. She wobbled wearily as if she was about to faint. “How dare you accuse your brother of wrong doings!”

  “Mama, please.” Jack put his arm around his mother and helped her walk over to a red upholstered chair next to a small table in the corner of the room. She sat down and shook her head. Jack retrieved a glass from the built-in bar within the large entertainment center. He filled it with water and offered it to his mother. She frowned and grudgingly took a sip.

  “You know your brother had been framed,” she said. “God bless his soul.” She made the sign of the cross over her heart. “Brice is an angel. He’s taking the fall for some horrible criminal that’s still on the loose out there. He will be rewarded in heaven for this wrong doing. He is not to blame. The government is.”

  Jack knew better than to argue with his mother. It was best to let her live in her fantasy world when regarding Brice. After all, he was her favorite son. Jack wondered if in her eyes, he’d ever at all come close to reaching Brice’s level. “You’re right, Mama. I wish Brice could be her
e for the wedding, too.”

  “I know you do,” she said. “You idolize your brother. You always have, even when you were a little boy. You always wanted to be just like him.”

  “Mama,” Jack said, kneeling before her and gently taking hold of her hand. “Will you please give Miriam another chance? I know if you do, you’ll love her just as much as I do. She’s a good, old fashioned woman.”

  Sylvie raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know.”

  “How about I talk to her,” Jack said. “I know she didn’t mean to offend you. In fact, she asked me if I’d ask you to help her get ready for the wedding tomorrow.”

  “She has?”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “It would mean so much to me. I mean her. She wants your help.”

  “My help?” Sylvie patted her hair. “I’ve seen the state of her hair. And I do have an eye for hair and makeup.”

  “Yes, you do, Mama.”

  “And I am pretty fashionable. And she could use my help.”

  “Yes, she could.”

  Sylvie grew quiet as she mulled this over. She liked the idea of creating a beautiful bride for everyone to admire. And all the credit would go to her. The lime light had a certain appeal. Maybe she’d be willing to take him up on the offer, even if his fiancée was an awful woman.

  “Will you, Mama? It would mean so much.”

  A smile spread across Sylvie’s face. It was a tall order, but she’d be up to the challenge. “I will. I will do my best to make your wife beautiful.”

  “Oh, thank you, Mama,” Jack said, embracing his mother. “You won’t regret this. Just wait and see. You and Miriam are going to love each other.”

  ***

  Roger squirmed uncomfortably in the backseat. They were only about thirty minutes away from Las Vegas. Ever since Aggie and Betty had made it back safely from their bathroom break in Amboy, he wished that he’d used the facilities as well. They’d found an open restroom located directly behind the café. Betty had described it as frightful but usable as long as you didn’t touch anything and kept an eye out for black widows. Roger kept his mouth shut. He really had to go to the bathroom but didn’t want to hear Aggie say that he should’ve gone in Amboy when he had the chance. He hated I told you so’s.

  Shifting his weight again, he hoped to relieve the pressure from his bladder. As they grew closer to the strip, he became more anxious. He peered through the windshield at the twinkling lights of Las Vegas way off in the distance.

  “We’re almost there,” he said. “The 15 will take you to the strip.”

  “Which hotel are we staying at?” Aggie just realized that she’d never asked. She was just so grateful to have had an excuse to ditch her unwanted houseguests that she’d never once thought about exactly where they’d be staying.

  “Planet Hollywood,” Roger said.

  “It sounds so glamorous!” Betty squealed. “Do you think there’ll be any movie stars staying there?”

  Roger shrugged. “Don’t know, could be, I guess. I’ve never been to that hotel before.”

  “I bet there will be,” Betty said, dreamily. “I bet there will be lots of famous, handsome men.”

  Aggie rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. Betty was still on the hunt for husband number four. The hunting for a husband part wasn’t what irked her. It was that Betty had awful taste in men. If a man was handsome, she rarely bothered to look past that. And whether or not the man was a louse or a cheat or a murderer was somehow overlooked. It was as if a handsome face blinded her to the rest of it. Aggie really hoped that one of these days Betty would meet a man who was a package deal; good looking and a good heart. She wanted the best for her.

  Forty minutes later, Aggie was turning into the parking structure trying to figure out where they were supposed to park. Ten minutes prior to that, they’d pulled into what they thought was the Planet Hollywood hotel, but was actually the Planet Hollywood restaurant. Now that they finally found the hotel, a block or so away from the restaurant, after circling around the block a few times, Aggie was slowly scoping out the parking levels for a place to park and Roger was beginning to lose patience.

  “There’s got to be a spot,” Roger complained. “This is ridiculous!”

  “I’m trying my best,” Aggie said. “I’m sure we’ll find one shortly.”

  Suddenly, like a bat out of hell, a black four door sedan barreled around the corner swerving into the wrong lane directly in front of Aggie causing both of them to slam on their brakes and screech to a halt. From what Aggie could see, three men were in the car and a woman sitting in the backseat. Or she thought it was a woman. But then again it could’ve been a short man with long brown hair. These days you just couldn’t tell. It amazed her at just how many men looked like women and women that looked like men. It was all very confusing.

  “Jerk!” Roger screamed, rolling down his window. The slamming of the brakes almost caused him to have an accident and wet his pants. He was furious. He shook his fist at the car. “Watch where you’re going, you imbecile!”

  Aggie got a good look at the driver when he rolled down the window and flipped Roger the bird. He was a large bald headed man with a deep purple scar that cut diagonally across his face past his eye and across his nose. She also got a better look at the person in that backseat with the long her who was now leaning forward. It was most definitely a woman. Her face was shadowed, but she yelled something that Aggie couldn’t decipher. She felt that the voice was unquestionably female.

  “Oh, big man!” Roger yelled and flipped the bird back at the driver. “I’ve got a middle finger, too! How’d you like that? In fact, I’ve got two!” Roger raised both middle fingers and flexed them out the window.

  The driver of the sedan hastily flew the car back in reverse, turned sharply, and peeled around the corner, tires squealing and screeching as it headed towards the exit that would dump them onto the strip and out into the Friday night, Las Vegas traffic.

  “How’d you like that?” Roger asked and harrumphed. “Welcome to Vegas! The land of stupid tourists! They come here in flocks to party and live it up and do stupid, idiotic things without thinking about the consequences!”

  “That scared the dickens out of me,” Betty said, her hand pressed over her heart. “I’m still trying to catch my breath.”

  “Me too,” Aggie admitted. “My heart is pounding a mile a minute. I’m glad I saw them and stopped in time. Otherwise we’d be spending the weekend in a Las Vegas hospital.”

  Roger squirmed and readjusted the seatbelt that was pushing on his bladder. He was about to explode and was trying really hard not to lose his temper with Aggie and Betty. Between the jerk that almost caused an accident, and being uncomfortable due to an over full bladder, he was about to burst in more ways than one. He was kicking himself for passing up the valet parking when they first entered the parking garage near the front of the hotel. Aggie, even though Roger knew she didn’t like strangers driving her car had been willing to valet park, and he’d talked her out of doing it. He’d told her that valet parking was a waste of money. And since Aggie didn’t argue with him, they were still circling the darn parking garage.

  “There’s gotta be a place to park!” he barked. “Speed it up a bit!”

  “I’m doing the best I can,” Aggie said, cautiously rounding the corner that was taking them up to another level. She was still shaken up by the accident that almost occurred and was driving slowly.

  “There!” Roger said, pointing ahead of them. “I see a spot over there!”

  “Where?” Aggie asked, scanning both sides of the row.

  “Keep going,” he instructed. “It’s up there.”

  “I don’t see it,” Aggie said.

  “Me either,” Betty said. “Where is it, Roger?”

  “Just keep going. You’re almost there.”

  At the end of the row, two aisles over, there was a parking spot. Aggie was amazed that Roger had seen it. His eagle eyes never ceased to amaze her.

&nb
sp; ***

  Walking around the Planet Hollywood mall with two of his best guy friends, Jack stopped in front of a souvenir shop. “I’m going to look in here,” he said to his friends. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  His buddies laughed saying something along the lines of him being whipped and took off for a strip club. They had tried their hardest to get him to celebrate his last night of being a bachelor by getting drunk and watching women take off their clothes. He had to admit that the idea was a little appealing, but not as appealing as the love he and Miriam shared. And he knew that she’d not appreciate him spending the night ogling strippers. Then his mind drifted to his mother. His mother would most definitely not allow him to see strippers. She’d blow a gasket if she got wind of him doing that and she scared the hell out of him.

  Jack entered the shop and headed straight for a counter near the back that housed jewelry. He wanted to buy Miriam a gift. Something that he could give her that she’d never forget. It had to be something special, yet affordable. They were on a strict budget after spending so much on the wedding. He was just glad that Las Vegas offered cheap package deals on weddings. That was why they’d chosen to get married there. It was cheaper to fly to Las Vegas and have their dream wedding there, than back at home where they had to piece everything together.

  Crouching down to get a better look at the lower shelf in the glass case, Jack checked out the silver jewelry. There were all sorts of rings, pendants for necklaces, and bracelets with gems and stones of all colors. Miriam loved silver jewelry and her favorite color was green. She loved green so much that she’d picked out a princess cut emerald ring for her wedding ring instead of the traditional diamond.

  “May I help you?” asked an older woman with steel gray hair and tons of bright blue eye shadow.

  “Yes,” he said, standing back up. “I want to buy a gift for my fiancée. I want it to be something memorable.”