Vegas or Bust: An Aggie Underhill Mystery

by Michelle Ann Hollstein

  “I do,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

  “So I’m taking things slow.”

  “I see,” she said.

  “Stop worrying. I’m not upset. You have a right to go to a wedding without having me glued to your hip.”

  “I know…I didn’t say that…it’s just…”

  “It’s just what?”

  “Never mind.”

  “I’d better get back to work,” Tom said.

  “Wait,” Aggie said. “Before you go, I have a question for you.”

  “All right,” he said. “Shoot.”

  Aggie explained to him what had happened to Miriam and how she hadn’t shown up for the wedding. She even told him about the bow and the clump of hair still attached.

  Tom was quiet for a moment as he absorbed the information. This hadn’t been the type of question he’d been expecting. He’d been expecting a more intimate type of question, one that involved dinner and a late night movie when she returned from Las Vegas.

  “Aggie,” he said. His voice was now very low and extremely serious. He was hoping he’d be able to get through to her. He knew how stubborn she could be. “I know you believe that something has happened to Miriam, but please leave it to the police. I don’t want you involved.”

  “But they don’t believe me. How can I leave it up to them if they don’t take me seriously?” she asked. “Besides I wanted your opinion...”

  “My opinion is that you need to listen to the police,” he said with authority. “I’m sure they see men and women with cold feet disappearing all the time. My guess is she’ll resurface soon.”

  “This is different,” Aggie stated. “What about the bow? And the clump of hair? Something terrible happened in that room. I’m sure of it.”

  “Aggie,” Tom said. “Please, leave this alone. The police have protocols that they must abide by. Let them handle it.”

  “Then you do believe that something happened to Miriam.”

  Aggie looked up to see Anita, Roger, and Betty all staring at her, listening to her conversation.

  “No,” he said. “I didn’t say that. I just know you and I’m afraid you’ll get yourself in some sort of crazy mess. And I don’t want to have to drive out there to straighten things out.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Aggie snapped. “You make it sound like I’m some kind of busy body. I don’t delve into other peoples’ private affairs.”

  “I never said that,” Tom groaned. “Just don’t go looking for trouble. I worry about you.”

  “I never look for trouble,” she said while enjoying the fact that he was worried about her safety. In order for Tom to be worried there had to be a reason. There had to be something to worry about. In her mind, that meant he agreed with her that Miriam was in some sort of trouble. Something bad had happened to Miriam and it wasn’t cold feet.

  “I wish I believed you,” Tom said. “Promise me you’ll leave it to the police.”

  Aggie sat there for a second without answering.

  “Aggie? Promise?”

  “Oh, all right,” she huffed, crossing her fingers. “I promise. Are you satisfied?”

  Tom’s voice became lighter, “And when you return, we’re going out for coffee.”

  “Okay. Sure. Sounds good.” Scowling she pushed the end button on the screen of her phone ending the call.

  “Lover’s quarrel?” Anita asked, batting her eyelashes and smiling.

  “Quite the contrary,” Aggie said. “Tom’s worried about me because of Miriam’s disappearance. He doesn’t want anything to happen to me.” She wasn’t sure why those words flew out of her mouth, but they did. She didn’t like Anita looking down upon her.

  Betty and Roger looked at each other. Roger raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” Aggie asked. “He worries about me. What’s so hard to believe about that?”

  “Oh, my Albert worries something fierce,” Anita said. “I don’t know if I want to tell him about Miriam disappearing. He’d be so worried that I’d get snatched up, too. And then he’d demand that I come home to him immediately.” She shook her head. “My Albert is so protective. Sometimes, it’s really hard to live with.”

  Just then Roger snorted while trying to hide his laughter. The snort caused him to inhale his coffee. Coffee spurted from his mouth and nose spraying the tabletop as he went into a sudden coughing fit. Betty jumped up from the table and began to pat his back.

  Chapter 8

  Miriam shuddered at the large burly man sitting at the table watching her. She sat across from him and bit into a powdered donut. Her first instinct was to refuse it, but then the combination of hunger pangs, plus the fear of the possible consequence for refusing the proffered food, told her otherwise. The scary man had a deep purple scar running diagonally across his face. He watched as she chewed and smoothed his shiny bald head with his hands. He then pushed a half filled glass of room temperature tap water across the table. Miriam picked up the glass and took a sip even though she was no longer thirsty.

  The drapes behind the table were drawn. Miriam tried not to stare at them while wondering what she would be able to see on the other side. She wondered if she’d be able to tell what hotel she was in and whether or not she was still on the main strip in Las Vegas. At first she’d thought she was, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” the man warned her having caught her quick gaze at the window.

  Miriam looked down, avoiding eye contact and took another bite of the donut when the door flew open. Two men entered, one tall and thin and the other short and stout. They were arguing about something.

  “I told you!” the short one said, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black leather jacket. “But no, you knew better!”

  The tall thin guy, who looked to be at least ten years younger than the short guy, whipped off his baseball hat and spat, “It’s not my fault. None of it is! You should’ve done your research. Don’t go blaming things on me!”

  “This was supposed to be a simple collection!”

  The large man sitting across from Miriam stood up. “Get inside and close the door, will ya?” he barked. “Why don’t you tell the world our business? Morons!”

  Immediately the room became quiet as the short guy closed and latched the door. Miriam had tried to see around him before the door shut, but there was nothing to see. She watched the tall guy nervously wring his baseball cap in his hands.

  “Now what’s this all about?” the burly man asked. He took a couple of steps toward the foot of the bed.

  “You tell him,” the tall thin one said to the short one.

  The short one elbowed the tall guy. “Why me? You tell him. It’s not my fault. You’re the one that found out.”

  “Tell me what? What’s whose fault? You!” he said pointing at the short guy. “Spill the beans! Now!”

  The short guy glanced over at Miriam who was listening intently and then nodded in the direction of the door. “Well, um, it’s a private matter…”

  The burly man growled. “Fine! Outside!” Then he glared at the tall thin guy. “You! Make yourself useful and watch her! If she screams, shoot her.”

  “Um, yeah…all right…” The thin guy scooted past the other two and jumped when the door to the room slammed shut.

  Miriam watched as he sat on the foot of the bed still wringing his baseball cap in his hands. He stared at the television set which was on, but muted. There was a little girl with a Golden Retriever running along the beach leaving footprints in the sand. Then a picture of a box of tissue popped up on the screen.

  “What’s your name?” Miriam asked.

  The guy pulled his attention away from the TV and looked at her. He seemed troubled, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not he was allowed to speak with the prisoner.

  “My name’s Miriam.”

  “Yeah, I know.” There was silence for a few seconds and then he said, “Mike…um, Mikey.”

  “Do you want
a donut, Mikey?” Miriam asked and nodded to the box on the small table.

  “Um, yeah…sure,” he said, getting up and taking a jelly filled one from the pink box. “I haven’t had a chance to eat today.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” Miriam said. “Funny thing is I don’t even know why I’m here.”

  Mikey sat back down on the foot of the bed and took a bite of his donut. He didn’t answer Miriam. She’d been hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him. Out of the three kidnappers, she figured he’d be the one that would crack. He looked as if he had a decent streak in him. Maybe it was his obvious nervousness that led her to this conclusion.

  “It’s my wedding day,” Miriam continued. “Well, it was…I missed it. I was supposed to get married this morning.”

  The guy suddenly snorted with laughter and white powder blew out of his mouth in a great big cloud. “Yeah, I know,” he chuckled. “Guess we did you a favor, huh? Marriage sucks. Just ask my uncle.”

  Miriam frowned. Her gentle prodding wasn’t going quite as planned. Just then the door flew open and the tall burly man charged into the room with the short guy right behind him. Mikey jumped up from the bed and dropped his jelly donut on the floor. He stood there trembling.

  “I can’t believe this!” the man bellowed.

  “Uncle Joe, I swear it ain’t my fault,” Mikey said. “I didn’t know.”

  “Don’t call me that!” Joe growled and then glared at Miriam. She wanted to ask him what it was he wanted. She could give him whatever it was if it meant he’d let her go. But she couldn’t seem to move. It was as if his horrible glare had turned her to stone. She was frightened that he’d hurt her. Her jaw was beginning to ache from clenching her teeth so hard. And she realized her hands were gripping the arms of the chair.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he snarled and turned his back to Miriam. Both Mikey and the short guy stood together waiting for Joe to explain. “Lucky for you two we can use this mishap to our advantage. Mikey…”

  “Yeah, um…uncle…um, I mean, boss.”

  “You stay here.”

  “Anything, boss.”

  “Stanley, you come with me. Let’s nab this son of a…!” The door slammed shut leaving Miriam alone with Mikey. The room became eerily silent.

  ***

  “Are you sure Tom believes something happened to Miriam?” Betty asked, as she and Aggie walked around the casino together. A few moments prior, the group split up. Anita excused herself to do some souvenir shopping in the mall, Roger went to go check on Jack, and Aggie and Betty stayed in the Planet Hollywood casino. Once they were alone, Aggie explained that she wanted to have a look around for the man she’d seen this morning who resembled Harold Smith.

  “Positive,” Aggie said, as they passed the poker tables. “You could hear it in Tom’s voice.”

  “So, he didn’t actually say that Miriam was kidnapped?” Betty pried.

  “He didn’t have to. It was implied.”

  Betty mulled this information over for a bit. “And you really believe that you saw Miriam’s ex-husband?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s the only lead I have to go on. Besides, it wasn’t just me. Anita thought she saw him, too.”

  Betty frowned as she tried to keep up with Aggie who was quickly dodging people, tables, and slot machines. Aggie was determined to scan every inch of the casino in search of the Harold look alike.

  “And if it was Harold,” Betty said, catching up to Aggie at the Roulette table, “why would he still be in the same casino? Wouldn’t he just take Miriam and leave? I mean, that’s what I’d do. I wouldn’t stick around.”

  “I don’t think Harold took Miriam,” she said. “He’s not strong enough to man handle her. Whoever she had an altercation with was strong enough to force her out of the room without thrashing the place in the process. I’d say it was more than one man.”

  “Then why are we looking for Harold?”

  “To find out why he’s here.”

  “He might be a wedding guest,” Betty suggested. “I know before I said I doubt he’s invited, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Maybe Miriam invited him out of spite. Maybe she wanted to rub his nose in her new marriage. After all, he did cheat on her. I could see her wanting to get even.”

  “Maybe,” Aggie said, scanning the room one more time. There was no sign of the Harold Smith look alike. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I think I want to drop in on Jack and ask him a few questions. Where did Roger say his room was, dear?”

  “I don’t recall,” Betty said. “Let me try calling his mobile. Hopefully he’s got service.”

  Just then, Aggie’s phone buzzed and danced about in her pocketbook while Betty gave Roger a call. Rummaging through her bag, Aggie frowned when she found it and saw a picture of her grandson Shawn lighting up the screen. That meant the call was from Sarah. “I wish I had no service,” she muttered. Against her better judgment, she answered it.

  “Cheers, dear,” she said, trying her hardest to make her voice sound cheerful.

  “Mum?” Sarah’s voice came through loud and clear. Aggie wished there was at least a little bit of static so if the phone call went sourly she had an excuse for hanging up.

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Mum, I wasn’t sure if you’d have service.”

  “Me neither,” Aggie said, then thinking on her toes she added, “you know how it is. It comes and goes depending on where I am in the building.” She smiled at her ingenious fib. And she didn’t feel bad because it wasn’t an outright lie. There very well could be pockets of no cell phone service within the building. “What do you need, dear?”

  “Linda and I were talking about Thanksgiving dinner and I told her we’d make it all gluten free so that you’d be able to eat it, too. My only problem is I don’t know what to buy or not to buy.”

  “Oh, all right,” Aggie said. “That’s very sweet of you to think of me, but we have plenty of time to plan the dinner. Does it have to be right now?”

  “Mum, Thanksgiving is this Thursday. I need to buy the fixings today or else I’ll be shopping with hordes of people. Besides, all of the good turkeys will be gone if I wait.”

  “Um, okay,” Aggie said. “What exactly do you need to know?”

  “What to buy…”

  “Well, just buy a plain, natural turkey and don’t stuff it with stuffing and I’ll be fine.”

  “What about side dishes?” Sarah asked. “I don’t know what side dishes to make.”

  “I can make the gluten free stuffing and my Jell-O salad. I’ll bring the ingredients with me. Make everything else the way you usually would. Oh, and how’s Linda? Did Jill come back yet? You haven’t said.”

  Aggie could hear Sarah take in a sharp breath and a door close shut in the background. “I’m in the laundry room,” Sarah said, her voice soft.

  Aggie could barely hear her over the sound of the slot machines. She didn’t realize how noisy they were until now that Sarah was speaking softly. “I can barely hear you, dear.”

  “Jill came home this morning,” Sarah continued her voice still soft. “She was out partying all night.”

  Aggie plugged her left ear with her finger and pushed the phone snugly against her right ear to try and drown out the sounds of the casino. The thought of Jill being out all night didn’t surprise her in the least.

  “Jill wants her Mum, and the love of her life, to get to know each other. Then I told them that I’d planned on taking them to Sea World tomorrow. I was hoping to break the tension around here. So we’re headed there tomorrow morning.”

  “That should be fun,” Aggie said.

  “Unfortunately Jill is bringing her new boyfriend.”

  “Oh,” Aggie said, relieved she wasn’t in the middle of all of this drama.

  “Shawn will be excited though. He’s wanted to go to Sea World for a while now. Hopefully his enthusiasm will be the buffer we need,” Sarah said. “Mum, is somet
hing wrong?”

  “Wrong?” Aggie asked and laughed merrily. “What could possibly be wrong, dear? I’m in Las Vegas.”

  “Something’s not right,” Sarah said. “I can tell.”

  Aggie frowned. The last thing she needed was a lecture from her daughter. She loved Sarah dearly, but she was a total stick in the mud. She’d already received one lecture from Tom, she didn’t want to receive one from Sarah as well. “Everything’s great!” Aggie said, her voice rising.

  “Well, I don’t believe you. Not that you’d tell me what was going on anyway. Just be careful and don’t trip over any dead bodies. You always seem to stumble over one,” Sarah teased. Just a few months prior, they were at the gym when a dead woman was found in the tanning beds. Sarah swore that they turned up wherever her mother went. “Just kidding, Mum.”

  “I know you are,” Aggie sighed with relief. “I promise there are no dead bodies here. None that I know of anyway.” Her mind drifted to Miriam and she prayed that that wasn’t the case.

  “Good. Well, I’d better go. I’ve got to get over to the commissary and pick up a turkey before they’re all gone.”

  “Okay, sweetie,” Aggie said. “Talk with you soon, dear.”

  “Cheers, Mum. Stay out of trouble.”

  “I always do. Cheers, dear.”

  Betty waited until Aggie hung up and slid her phone back into her pocketbook before asking, “Was that Sarah?”

  Aggie nodded. “We’re invited to Sarah’s for Thanksgiving. She just needed to know what to buy for the dinner.”

  “Oh, my,” Betty said. “I’ve completely forgotten all about Thanksgiving. I can bring my candied yams. What do you think?”

  “That’ll be lovely! It’ll be one less thing Sarah will have to worry about making.”

  “Will Anita be there?”

  “Oh, God, let’s hope not, dear,” Aggie said. “I’m not sure I could handle both Linda and Anita at the same time.”

  Betty tapped on her phone with her long lavender fingernails. “Roger said that he and Jack are on their way down. He said that Jack’s pretty sloshed, but wants to speak with you.”

  “Sloshed? As in drunk?” Aggie asked, following Betty across the room.