Vegas or Bust: An Aggie Underhill Mystery

by Michelle Ann Hollstein

  “What a silly thing to ask?” Anita giggled. “The buffet, of course!”

  Rolling his eyes, Roger groaned, “Figures.”

  ***

  Jack was in a stupor but it wasn’t due to his drinking. He had been kicked out of a car and left on the main strip of Las Vegas with a blindfold on. He’d been told to count to one hundred before taking it off otherwise they’d kill Miriam. His mind was racing. So much was going through it at one time. There was no possible way he could count to twenty let alone one hundred. Loud music penetrated his ears and then stopped.

  Was the car gone? he wondered. Could he take his blindfold off? God, he wished he hadn’t given up smoking. He was in desperate need of a cigarette.

  “Hey!” a man addressed him. “Hey, buddy, you all right?”

  Deciding the coast was clear; Jack slipped off the blindfold and looked down the street. There was no sign of the guys that had dumped him here. He looked around and realized he was on the main strip in Vegas. And being a Saturday night, the strip was busy and bustling with tourists. He turned around to see a large pirate ship behind him in front of the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. People were standing around talking and pointing at the ship. A couple, walking arm in arm, not paying attention to where they were going bumped into him, apologized, and then continued walking.

  “You okay?” asked the man. It took Jack a second to realize someone was talking to him. He looked over at a friendly looking African American man standing near a fence in front of the pirate ship. He was holding a large instrument.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Jack said, coughing. His throat hurt and his mouth and tongue felt dry. He was having a hard time getting his voice to work. His legs wobbled and threatened to collapse beneath his weight. “You don’t by any chance have any smokes on you?”

  “No, sorry, man. I gave it up,” said the musician. “Good thing I was playing here to see what happened to you. I normally play on the other side of the street. A little ways past the guy dressed as Bumblebee the Transformer. Have you seen him? He’s great.”

  “Um, no, I haven’t.”

  “Hey, do you need any help? You in trouble? I’ll call the police.”

  “No!” Jack said, quickly. “No police.” He’d been warned that if the police got involved, Miriam would be killed. “I just need a cigarette that’s all.”

  “You sure, man? You don’t look so good. I’ve got my cell on me. It’s no problem calling them.”

  “I’m fine. Um…just point me in the direction of Planet Hollywood.”

  “Sure. It’s that way.” The man pointed down the street in the opposite direction. “You don’t look like you’re in any condition to walk. Those guys practically pushed you out of the car. Do you need some cash for a cab?”

  “Um…no, thanks…” Jack began walking in the direction of the hotel just as the Pirate ship lit up and a crowd began to form around the fence to watch the show. The sound of fake gunfire blasted practically making him jump out of his skin. The crowd roared with applause.

  “Suit yourself,” said the musician even though Jack was out of earshot. He gathered up his instrument, his CDs, and the rest of his things to relocate. “I’m going back to the other side of the street where I normally play. This side has people being thrown out of cars and stuff.”

  Jack limped down the street. He passed by crowds of tourists that were dotting the sidewalks, watching shows and gawking at the casinos. Any other time, Jack would’ve been in awe just as the other tourists were. He’d never been to Las Vegas before and he and Miriam had an entire list of things they’d planned on doing and sights they planned on seeing while on their honeymoon. But instead of noticing the grand hotels, elaborate casinos, and bars along the strip, his eyes were unseeing and his body was set to autopilot. His brain was on overload trying to figure out what to do as his body forged ahead. The men that had Miriam wouldn’t even let him see her. But he did get to talk to her on the phone. Well, not really talk. He got to listen to her say his name so that he knew she was still alive and then they took the phone from him. The men made it quite clear to him that she’d die if he didn’t pay the ransom. He had until midnight. Now the question he needed to answer was how in the world was he going to his hands on that kind of money?

  Chapter 11

  Aggie sat next to Betty who was looking at her reflection in the mirror of her compact while powdering her nose. Being that Aggie had been friends with Betty for so many years, she knew the real reason why Betty was powdering her nose. Betty was trying to be sly about checking for food between her teeth in case there was a handsome man walking by that she needed to smile at.

  When they arrived in the dining room for the buffet, several tables had already been pushed together to make two large tables, parallel to one another, to accommodate the wedding party.

  Aggie looked over at Roger across the table from her with a mountain of crab legs piled on a plate in front of him.

  “This is the most expensive item on the menu,” Roger said, winking at her. “The price to get in isn’t too bad if you choose the most expensive foods to eat. Most people don’t realize that and fill up on mashed potatoes, rolls, or macaroni salad. And then they actually lose money and the casino wins again! But not with me here. I know how to win! After this, I’m getting some prime rib. Make sure you get the prime rib.”

  “I will,” Aggie said, nodding. Roger smiled with satisfaction and went back to work on his crab legs. Sitting next to him was Anita. She was talking the ear off of her new friend Paula. According to Paula, they’d both met earlier in the day while buying souvenirs in the Planet Hollywood mall. They began to chat and instantly struck up a friendship. The two of them spent the day shopping for bargains in different stores all along on the strip. Paula mentioned that she’d won a trip to Las Vegas in a sweepstakes contest and her friend who was supposed to go with her had backed out at the last minute due to personal reasons. So she was so happy to have made a new friend that she could spend the day with. Aggie had smiled and nodded as she listened to her story. She felt sorry for Paula because she seemed like a really nice lady and she knew that by the end of the night she’d be on the verge of strangling Anita.

  On the other side of Paula was Harold. Aggie watched as he shoveled mashed potatoes and gravy into his mouth. It seemed as if he hadn’t eaten all day by the way his food was disappearing. Aggie watched as he kept his eyes averted. There was a fine line of perspiration popping up across his high forehead. She thought he seemed anxious. But then again, she remembered that the poor man was at his ex-wife’s dinner party for her wedding even though it didn’t take place. Aggie figured he’s got to feel a bit odd being there And then Anita forcing him on a blind date couldn’t be too pleasant of a feeling either. Anita had refused to take no for an answer and even paid for his entrance to the buffet.

  Aggie then looked over at Betty who was now picking at her salad. On the other side of her were George and Gladys, and at the head of the table was Sylvie. Sylvie was now in good spirits and she no longer seemed worried about her son. In fact, it was as if no one was worried about Jack or Miriam. Aggie thought it was just all so odd.

  “And then I looked in the mirror and had a good laugh!” Anita said, laughing wholeheartedly. “It was all quite humorous at the time. The sales woman said…”

  Aggie noticed George looking up from his food, staring intently at Anita as she talked Paula’s ear off about shopping. She watched as a hint of a smile formed from time to time on George’s lips. He seemed to find Anita’s incessant babbling amusing. As Aggie observed him she again thought of how strange it was to see so many people staying in contact from the cruise.

  Don’t Jack and Miriam have any other friends? she wondered.

  Aggie shook her head as she thought about it. She guessed it wasn’t really that odd to have a group of people that met on a vacation keep in close contact. It was the fact that no one wanted to keep in close contact with her. She didn’t understand it an
d it irked her to no end that not one of them had bothered to exchange information with her. Didn’t any of them want to know more about her? Well, except for the obvious, Betty, Roger & Anita. But they didn’t really count. They knew her before the cruise.

  Wait a minute, Aggie thought. That’s not true. There was someone who had kept in contact with her. Bianca. She’d been nice enough to email her. Why did she keep on forgetting that? Maybe it wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own. She couldn’t help that she wasn’t like Anita who went out of her way to keep up with everyone else’s life. Then a thought struck her; maybe she was an introvert? Maybe she was close minded when it came to making new friends? Everyone, but her, seemed to really like Anita. And Anita was always outgoing and full of energy. Maybe she was the one with the problem?

  Aggie mulled this over. She’d never thought of herself as an introvert before. But she thought it explained a lot. And maybe her reclusiveness was the reason she wasn’t in the My Corner loop with everyone else. It wasn’t that people didn’t like her; it was that she was shy and private. She just wasn’t making the effort to keep in touch with everyone like Anita does.

  Turning around in her seat, Aggie had an idea. She glanced at the table behind her. That was where the rest of the wedding party was sitting or had been sitting. More than half of the guests had already left the buffet to either catch a show or do some gambling.

  Aggie watched as Bianca stared at her dessert, poking it with a fork. She was sitting across from Miriam’s grandmother. Aggie smiled. At that moment, she decided to become more assertive and friendly. She’d go over and say hello to Bianca and sneak in a few questions for Miriam’s grandmother at the same time. She’d been dying to talk to her ever since they met briefly at the chapel this morning.

  Leaning in, she whispered to Betty, “I’ll be right back, dear.”

  “Oh, are you going to the loo? I’ll come with you.”

  “No. I thought I’d be friendly and just go say hello to Bianca and Miriam’s grandmother.”

  “What?” Betty looked at Aggie inquisitively.

  She felt a second set of eyes on her and noticed that Roger was staring also. He had a crab leg in each hand. He twitched his mustache.

  “What do you mean, what? I’m going to go over to the other table to say hello.”

  “Oh…” Betty said and scowled. “I thought that’s what you said, but why?”

  “To be friendly,” Aggie said. “Why else?”

  Betty screwed up her face in confusion. Roger scrunched up his nose.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “It’s just…well…don’t take this the wrong way or anything, Aggie, dear, but…um…” Betty babbled.

  “Face it,” Roger said getting straight to the point, “you’re not that friendly.”

  “Yes, I am!” Aggie grabbed her pocketbook from the floor near her chair and clutched it protectively to her chest. She couldn’t believe that Betty and Roger didn’t think that she was friendly. She was very friendly.

  “It’s not that! We love you,” Betty said, quickly while giving Roger the evil eye. “What Roger means is…that…well…you’re friendly to us, but…well…you know, when people don’t know you…”

  “There’s usually a hidden agenda,” Roger said.

  Aggie scowled at them. Not waiting to hear Betty or Roger’s explanation, she turned her back to them and marched over to the other table.

  I’m friendly, she thought as she plopped her big silver pocketbook next to Miriam’s grandmother who nearly fell out of her chair.

  “You startled me!” she spat. “And you made me drop my fork. Now I need a new one!”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to,” Aggie said, leaning over and scooping the fork up from beneath the table. She polished it with a crumpled napkin she found on the table and set it down. “There. Good as new.”

  “You shouldn’t go sneakin’ up on people,” Miriam’s grandmother reprimanded. “Especially someone of my age. It’s rude!” She pushed her hand over her heart. “I can feel my old ticker wantin’ to give out on me.”

  “Oh, dear,” Aggie said, pulling out the chair next to the older woman to sit down. “I just came over to say hello. I really didn’t mean to…”

  “You have a funny way of sayin’ hello,” the old woman said.

  Aggie gritted her teeth to keep from saying something bad-mannered. She had to prove both Betty and Roger wrong. She was friendly. Just as friendly as Anita.

  Bianca looked up from her dessert and raised a red penciled eyebrow. “Vello,” she said in her sharp Romanian accent.

  “Hello, dear. How are you?”

  “Vine,” Bianca said, her green eyes glowing against the contrast of her fiery red hair.

  “That’s good to hear,” Aggie said, nodding. “Have you been on any cruises lately?”

  “Ves.”

  “That’s nice,” Aggie said. “Have you gone anywhere exotic?”

  “No.”

  Aggie waited for a moment, but Bianca didn’t elaborate. Instead, she lowered her head and with her fork began to play with the custard on her plate.

  “All right. So…” she turned her attention to Miriam’s grandmother. She was an older lady with steel gray hair that was styled in rows of tight curls. Aggie could see the woman’s pink scalp between each row. She was wearing a floral dress that zipped down the front. Aggie remembered having a bathrobe in the 1970s that looked similar to it. “We weren’t properly introduced. I’m Aggie Underhill.”

  The old woman stared at her hard before saying, “I’m Miriam’s grandmother.”

  Aggie waited for her to offer her name, but she didn’t.

  “Mrs…Ms…um, Miriam’s grandmother,” Aggie said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…when we were in the chapel this morning you made a comment that enthralled me…”

  The woman blinked at her a few times with cloudy cataract filled brown eyes. “I did?”

  Aggie continued, “You made a comment about having a psychic vision…”

  “Yes,” the woman said. “I often have psychic visions. But no one ever listens. People don’t wanna hear what a psychic has to say. What good is a vision if no one cares to hear it?”

  “Well, I care,” Aggie said, hoping the woman might have some sort of useful information on Miriam’s disappearance. Not that she believed in psychic visions. But she was curious as to what Miriam’s grandmother had to say. “I’d love to hear it.”

  Miriam’s granny poked at a blob of red Jell-O on her plate with her newly cleaned fork and watched it jiggle. “I tell ya, I never trusted that ex-husband of Miriam’s. He was in one of my dreams.”

  “Really?” Aggie asked, trying to make small talk. “What was he doing in your dream?” She wondered if Miriam’s grandmother knew that Harold was sitting at the next table. She doubted that the woman’s vision was good enough to see him.

  “I’ll tell ya what he was doing. He was being chased by a hundred dollar bill,” the woman said. “The bill had arms and legs and was holding a big old baseball bat. You know, one of those heavy steel ones.”

  “What a silly dream,” Aggie laughed. “You know, I dreamt once that I was swimming and when I got out of the pool I wasn’t wearing bathing attire. It was so embarrassing. Everyone was staring at me.”

  “Silly dream?” the woman asked. She blinked hard at Aggie. “I don’t have silly dreams! This was a vision you stupid woman!”

  “Oh, but I thought…” Aggie said, dumbfounded. “You see…I really wanted to hear about your vision…I didn’t know that dreams were the same as visions.”

  “Get out of my sight!”

  “How rude!” Aggie said. “I was just trying to be friendly.” She grabbed her pocketbook from the table and stood up. She took a step back from the woman and frowned. She wondered just how bad the woman’s eyesight was. “Just out of curiosity, can you see me?”

  The woman glared in her direction and blinked hard. “What? Wha
t did you say?”

  “Crazy old bat,” Aggie mumbled.

  “What was that?” Miriam’s grandmother asked. “Come over here and say that to my face. I wanna see your expression!”

  “Not on your life,” Aggie muttered and threw the woman a dirty look. At least she knew her thoughts were correct. The old woman had no idea that Harold Smith was in Las Vegas or for that matter, sitting there having dinner with them. So the old bat had no real reason to bring him up. Aggie wondered if the alleged vision was more insightful than it sounded. She didn’t believe in psychic visions, but she did believe in finding a common ground with someone to extract information. That was why she’d asked Miriam’s grandmother about her so called psychic vision.

  “Eh? Speak up! What did you say?”

  Now why would a hundred dollar bill be chasing Harold unless he had some sort of gambling problem? Aggie wondered.

  “I said thanks for the nice chat,” Aggie barked. Though the few minutes she’d spent with Miriam’s grandmother were uncomfortable ones, she felt that they were worth it. She was feeling pretty confident that she just unearthed a dirty little secret involving Harold Smith. That was when she realized she was still standing there like an idiot while mulling over this new information and Bianca was staring at her. They locked eyes for a moment and Bianca winked. This time there was no mistaking it for something in her eye. Bianca had given her a full blown wink. Aggie flinched and quickly broke eye contact. She tripped over her own feet as she rushed back to her seat next to Betty.

  Betty and Roger looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Didn’t go so well?” Roger asked, licking melted butter from his fingertips.

  “No,” Aggie said, setting her pocketbook on the table. She looked over at Anita who had just finished saying something funny. She had everyone laughing. Everyone, but Harold. But that was because Harold was no longer sitting at the table.

  “Did anyone see where Harold went?” Aggie asked.

  Betty shrugged. “I didn’t even see him leave.”

  “Me neither,” Roger said. He looked down at his 3rd helping of crab legs and then leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. “I couldn’t eat another bite. I’m stuffed.”