Outrageous Vegas Vacation (An Agnes Barton Senior Sleuths Mystery Book 8)

by Madison Johns

  He didn’t believe me from the look in his eyes and I can’t say I blame the man. “How about lunch? I’m famished.”

  “And after lunch?”

  “We can take in the sights.”

  “And do a little gambling,” Eleanor added. “We were given complimentary money to gamble with.”

  “I’d like to go see one of those shows with scantily clad girls,” Wilson said. “Ooh la la.”

  “I’d watch it, Wilson. Your wife might not like that.”

  “Then she shouldn’t be so busy while we’re here,” Andrew said.

  I knew that barb was aimed squarely at me, but I let it go. I wasn’t about to battle words with my husband, especially since we’ve had this ongoing argument about my investigating.

  I led the way for the door, waiting until Wilson raced out with his mechanical do-thingy, then following him out the door. Andrew was the last one into the hall and he hooked his arm through mine as we made way for the elevator. Once we were downstairs, there were a slew of cops milling about, but I went up the hallway toward the smell of food, wandering into the first restaurant we passed. The hostess sat us quickly, a waiter came over promptly and took our drink orders as I admired the gold and orange décor in the room. It looked rich and when I glanced at the menu, I saw the food was pricy, but I knew we could find a buffet restaurant later for dinner. At least that way I’d feel like it was worth it.

  As our coffees were delivered, I asked for flavored creamer and it was brought back for me, which really shocked me since I didn’t know I could get that here. “What do you suggest?” I asked the waiter.

  “I’d suggest any of the crock sandwiches. You can build your own, so just choose the bread, meat, and cheese. You won’t be disappointed.”

  We placed our orders and after the waiter left, Andrew asked, “How hard was it to walk away when you saw all the cops downstairs?”

  “It wasn’t hard at all. I was hungry.”

  “I wonder,” Andrew said. “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Well, don’t force yourself,” I said, half rising. Since he didn’t try to stop me, I left with my head held high, with Eleanor racing after me.

  “Where are you going?” she shouted.

  “Anywhere that that husband of mine isn’t. It gets old the way he keeps on. I can’t help who I am and I won’t change, even if I could.”

  “But I’m starving.”

  “Go back and eat with the men, then,” I said. “I didn’t mean that, Eleanor. I’m really sorry, but I’m just not going back. I’m heading for the pool. I’m sure we can find something to eat out there.”

  “Oh.” Eleanor frowned. “I was hoping to head into the casino for a spell.”

  “We’ll do that, but we should ask the men if they’d like to go with us.”

  “I highly doubt that they’d want to do that after how you walked off, but we can go ahead and give them a call when you’ve had enough sun.”

  We followed the sign and walked out the door, fairly blinded by the sunlight. It was quite hot on the deck, as well. The area was overcrowded with much younger men and woman, most of them scantily dressed. Eleanor’s eyes were wide and she ran into a man who held a cocktail. His arm flung upwards, the contents of his pink and blue drink splattered all over me!

  “Geez,” I said.

  “It wasn’t my fault,” the man said. “That one bumped into me.”

  I stared at the man and his blue eyes just twinkled, his silver hair shining like it was sprayed with something. “I’m not blaming either of you. It was an accident,” I said.

  “If I could help you out, I’d be happy to find you dry clothing to wear. My son Wayne is a manager here and lets me have the run of the place. I’m sure he won’t mind if I pick up something from the boutique.”

  “I couldn’t accept that, but thank you.”

  He frowned. “I insist. What size do you wear?”

  “I don’t think my husband would appreciate another man doing that for me.”

  “She’s right,” said a voice behind me.

  I turned and Andrew was standing there, holding a take-out container—well, four of them. He and Mr. Wilson must have had the waiter bag up our orders.

  “I was only trying to help. You can call me Ted. My son Wayne is a manager here, as I’ve told your wife. It wouldn’t be a bother to get her clean clothing, I assure you.”

  “She’ll be fine. I’ll go on up to our room and bring her something back.”

  “It’s not that bad. All I need is a towel and club soda.”

  “Club soda?” Eleanor asked. “Does that really work?”

  “It can if you catch it soon enough,” Ted said. “Or that’s what they say in the movies. I’ve been known to use plain old water when I get a stain on my clothing.”

  Ted showed us to a table inside a tent and left as Andrew set the to-go containers down. He didn’t say anything, but he did look upset.

  “I shouldn’t have run off like that. I guess I’m just being sensitive today.”

  “No, it’s my fault for acting upset about you investigating. I only mentioned the cops as a joke. I had no idea you’d take it so personally.”

  He hadn’t been joking a bit, but I let it go. I was really happy he showed up with our food. I stared up at the tent as it flapped in the wind. “I can’t believe Ted has the use of this tent. Certainly his son wouldn’t be able to give him this kind of perk.”

  “I was a little shocked you were planning on replacing me so fast.” Andrew winked.

  I laughed nervously. “He’s not my type. He smells like money to me.”

  “Oh, and what does that smell like, exactly?”

  “It’s just that his clothes were impeccable, not a hair out of place, and he seemed so willing to help me out with new clothing just because his drink spilled on me. It wasn’t even his fault.”

  “No, it was all my fault,” Eleanor admitted.

  Ted appeared with a bottle of club soda. “You can use the bathroom right back here to clean up, if you’d like. It’s an employee bathroom only, but I already told them that you had my permission to use it.”

  I took the bottle and went into the bathroom that was down a long corridor. I pulled off my shirt and doused it with the club soda, running it under the sink. A worker appeared, her eyes widening as her eyes met mine. I nodded at the woman and continued to work on the stains, wringing out my shirt. Then I was at a loss. I had gotten my shirt wetter than anticipated, but didn’t know quite what to do so I donned it, and after washing my hands, went back to join Andrew, Wilson, and Eleanor.

  I walked into the tent and Eleanor covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, Agnes. I didn’t know you were going to compete in the wet t-shirt contest.”

  I pulled out my shirt, fanning it against my skin in an attempt to dry it. “What wet t-shirt contest?”

  ‘The one they’re having in a half hour,” Ted said, averting his eyes.

  I sat down in a huff. “I don’t know what you people are even talking about. I’m wearing a bra, in case you didn’t notice.”

  “A black one,” Andrew said with a grin. He then promptly bit into his sandwich to obviously lighten the blow, but he had trouble chewing as he laughed.

  I smiled and looked from Eleanor to Andrew. “You know, I oughta enter that contest just to show you that I’m not afraid. It would be a welcome change from all those twenty-somethings,” I said with a nod.

  “I could enroll you in the contest if you insist,” Ted said.

  “Yes, please,” I said smugly. I opened my take-out container and took out the sandwich, taking a bite. “This is pretty good,” I said between bites as the ham, bread, and cheese that seemed to melt in my mouth. It was the tastiest sandwich I had ever had.

  Ted left after taking my name, returning ten minutes later, telling me that I was enrolled in the contest. “You can keep your bra—I mean underthings—on.”

  “Yes, please,” Eleanor said with a
chuckle.

  I was glad that they were having so much fun at my expense and I was about to shock them all with my outrageous behavior. Or I hoped I was. The truth was that the closer it came to the start of the contest, the more nervous I became. Would I actually be able to compete in this contest, get up in front of all those people and shake my tail feathers? I wasn’t sure that I even had any. Eleanor took my arm after I was done eating and dragged me to the other side of the pool. Not even Andrew could stop her as the crowd surged forward in excitement that the contest was about to begin. I stood quite shyly behind the other women, who all wore teeny tiny string bikini bottoms with white t-shirts on top. They, of course, wore no bras, unlike me. I was so not in my element. Eleanor was the one who should be ready to compete, not me. She’s the one who lived loud and large and I’m not even talking about her plus-sized body.

  Each contestant had her name called and she walked over to the platform that led into the pool while men stood in the water to get a first-hand view. Loud music came on as the women were drenched with water and then danced on the stage and platform to the delight of the men. Finally it was my turn as the announcer called, “Agnes Barton.”

  I walked over there on rubber legs and the men backed up, obviously not wishing to pour water on me, so Eleanor raced over and did it. “Go ahead and show those girls how it’s done.”

  I smiled and danced up the platform with the worse dance moves known to humankind. At first laughter filled my ears, but soon they were clapping as the music came on long and strong. Eleanor joined me then and we stood back-to-back, shimmying, shaking, and putting hands on our hips. When it was all over I was satisfied that I had faced my fears. I waited along with the other contestants and when they announced the winner, Eleanor threw up her hands, congratulating me. “You did it, Agnes. You won!”

  I smiled as I went over to claim my prize of a thousand dollars in casino play. I had thought the other girls would be angry that I was given the prize, but they weren’t. “I want to be just like you when I’m you’re age,” one girl said.

  I waved and blew kisses to the crowd, making my way back to Andrew’s side. “I have to give it to you, Agnes. That’s the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen you do. You’re truly a woman of mystery.”

  I thanked Ted, who clapped as I went past him. Eleanor pulled Mr. Wilson away from the young girls who flocked around him, without any fists flying, although she did knock one on her keister when she wouldn’t get off his lap!

  “It wasn’t my fault, Peaches. She just hopped on my lap and I didn’t have the strength to move her off of me.”

  “Watch it, Wilson. You wouldn’t want me doing that, would you?”

  “Have a young lady sit on your lap?” he asked, with tongue hanging out of his mouth.

  “That’s enough, now. Let’s get back to our room so Agnes can get changed. Some of us might even need a long hot bath or a nap,” he suggested.

  We went back upstairs and that’s what I did do. I took a long bath in the jet tub with it massaging my body the entire time.

  Chapter Four

  Eleanor nudged me awake. It took me a minute to remember that I had gotten out of the tub and dressed, only planning to take a short nap.

  “What?”

  “Kayla just called. She said her bodyguard just showed up, but if you’re too sleepy I can meet him myself.”

  It was then that I noticed Andrew was gone. “Where did Andrew go?”

  “Off with my Mr. Wilson. I think they planned to head to the casino.”

  “Well, it seems that we have plenty of time to investigate.”

  “Or some time, at least.”

  It wasn’t long before we were knocking on Kayla’s door. A large man answered the door, looking both ways in the hallway before he asked, “You didn’t bring the cops, did you?”

  “No, why would I do that?”

  “I wouldn’t know, but obviously Kayla put her trust in the right people.”

  When we finally were led inside, it was dark outside. My stomach growled as I spotted the remainder of two meals.

  “Hello, Kayla,” I greeted her.

  “I’m glad you came so quick. Those detectives keep calling me, asking about where Mark is. I’m not good at lying.”

  “Hello, Mark, I’m—”

  “I know who you are. You must be Agnes, from the description Kayla gave me.”

  “Where have you been, Mark?”

  “I was busy checking out the stage area. There’ve been threats against Kayla.”

  “Like death threats?”

  “Y-Yes,” Kayla said. “I didn’t want anyone to know about that, certainly not the police. You saw how they reacted when I told them I never called the police about my room being ransacked.”

  “So did Malcolm ever clean up his room that first time or did you make that up?”

  “I-I don’t know. I thought he did.”

  “If you lie to us, how do you expect us to help you?”

  “Do you even want us to find out who killed Malcolm?” Eleanor asked.

  “Of course I do. So he might not have cleaned up his room.”

  “Where did he stay since then?”

  “I’m not sure. That showgirl Bambi Baboom, maybe.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me if that led to Malcolm’s death,” Mark said.

  “So, do you happen to know who Malcolm was meeting this morning, Mark?”

  “No. He didn’t say. I had worried that he found out who was threatening Kayla and wanted to handle it himself.”

  “So, where have you been?”

  “I was shacked up with a dancer most of the day before her shift.”

  “Which dancer are we talking about here, not one of mine, hopefully?” Kayla said.

  Mark stared off into space. “Look, I didn’t want to tell you. It might have cost us both our jobs, but now I understand if I don’t fess up, I’ll be considered a suspect.”

  “Why not go straight to the police when you heard Malcolm was found dead?”

  “It’s not that easy for me. When the cops find out who I am, I’ll be locked up for sure.”

  “Why? Are you a criminal?”

  He cleared his throat. “Not anymore I’m not, but I’m an ex-con. I served a six-year sentence for armed robbery. I was with a friend who robbed a store. I had no idea what was going on until he jumped in the car. I’m fortunate to have been paroled before my ten years was up.”

  I was speechless, but luckily Eleanor wasn’t. “Did you know Mark had been in prison, Kayla?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. Sure, he had gotten into trouble, but it’s been ten years since he’s been let out.”

  “You don’t understand how it is when you’ve been to prison. People find out and ostracize you. It’s hard to get a job and cops harass you when they find out you’re a con.”

  “I can’t even image how that would feel, but you can’t, or shouldn’t, duck out on the cops forever. It would be best to tell them who you were with if you have an alibi for the time of Malcolm’s death.”

  “I wish it was that simple. Yvonne won't give me an alibi. She's married.”

  Okay, so now we have a bodyguard who is an ex-con and the woman he claims to have been with refuses to give him an alibi?

  “I can understand how she feels, but she needs to help you out. There's no way the police will believe that story.”

  “Which is exactly why I'm not going to the police. I'll have to hide out until you find out who really killed Malcolm.”

  “That's just the thing, it’s not like the police will share any information with us about any other suspects. We’ll just have to investigate and hopefully find some persons of interest.”

  “I have no idea how I’ll be able to hide out,” Mark said. "I was barely able to sneak up the stairs. Luckily nobody saw me.”

  “What makes you think that you'd be recognized?”

  “Believe me, the cops all know who I am
. I can't even drive down the street without being pulled over and questioned. You have no idea how ex-cons are targeted. I never leave the casino unless it's in Kayla's limo or car. I had to sell my car to my brother, even.”

  “So, where do you plan to hide out? You know they'll be stalking Kayla, waiting for you to show up.”

  Eleanor tapped her fingernails on a table. “It's too bad that we don't know of someplace that Mark can hole up in while the investigation goes on.” She grinned.

  I sighed. “And if you're suggesting that he hole up in our room, I hope you understand we could be charged with obstruction of justice, at the very least.”

  “Just for a few days, Agnes. We owe it to Kayla to find out who really killed Malcolm.”

  “That would be great," Mark said. "But I'd hate to put you out.”

  “And I'll leave it up to you to explain why Mark is staying in our suite,” I said. “I’m not taking part of that lie.” I turned to Mark. “No offense, but my husband is an attorney, and if he finds out who you are and that the police might be looking for you, he won't go along with you being there.”

  “I don't want to inconvenience you or get either of you into trouble,” he assured us.

  “Don't worry, I'll handle our men. We can say that Mark is a gambler who lost all of his money, and I decided to offer him a place to stay until money can be sent for him,” Eleanor said.

  “Thanks again," Kayla said. "If I can worm out any information from the detectives, you'll be the first ones to know.”

  I wasn't so sure, but we left all the same, heading back to our room where Mark settled himself on the sofa bed. I didn't want to hear what Andrew would have to say about this one, but there was nothing that I could do about it now.

  “Kayla will be performing in a few hours,” Eleanor said. “We might be able to question the dancer, Yvonne.”

  “Don't worry. I won't steal anything,” Mark said with a grin.

  I sighed. I kind of did worry about that, but perhaps I should give him the benefit of the doubt. I knew some people who had served time before, like Curt and Curtis Hill, and they were both great guys, so Mark might be, too. If Kayla trusted him, why shouldn't I?