Vegas, Lies, and Murder

by Sibel Hodge

  ‘They need some space to work on him. Let’s get you sitting down.’ She took me to a seated waiting area. ‘Are you all right? You look a bit pale. Do you want a doctor to check you out?’

  ‘Um…’ I ran a shaky hand through my hair, glancing back down the corridor towards the treatment room, in dazed shock. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Is that doctor with the beard good? Has he treated many gunshot wounds before?’ I asked, wanting to make sure Dad got the best person available.

  She smiled kindly at me. ‘Doctor Partridge? He’s our finest ER doctor. He’s dealt with thousands of gunshot wounds. Your father’s in very safe hands.’ She patted my arm. ‘I’ll come and give you an update as soon as I have one.’

  I nodded blankly and paced up and down, nervously waiting for news. I don’t know how much later it was when Mum, Tia, Suzy, Hacker, Elvis, and Brad rushed up to me.

  Mum’s cheeks were wet with tears. ‘How is he?’

  I pulled her in for a hug. ‘I’m still waiting to hear.’

  ‘Oh, God,’ Mum wailed, clutching me tightly. ‘I can’t lose him. I can’t.’

  Suzy patted Mum’s back and glared at me. ‘See, this is what happens when you go round chasing criminals!’

  ‘Shall I get something to drink for you guys?’ Tia shifted from foot to foot, blinking back her own tears. ‘I feel kinda useless.’

  ‘Me too,’ Hacker said, staring at the ground sadly.

  Mum shook her head. ‘I don’t want anything, thanks.’

  ‘Not unless they’ve got something alcoholic in the vending machine,’ I said. ‘I could do with a stiff brandy.’

  ‘I’ve got a good feeling everything’s going to be OK,’ Brad said. ‘From what I could see, the wound didn’t look too deep.’

  ‘But there was so much blood!’ I said.

  ‘You need to trust in the wise words of Elvis, Mrs Fox. The doctor will be able to “Patch it Up”.’ Elvis nodded firmly.

  ‘It probably looked worse than it was. The bullet probably just nicked a vein.’ Brad joined us for a group hug.

  I didn’t know how much time passed as we stood around, waiting for news. I chewed on my thumbnail, memories of Dad and me going through my head. I thought about how I’d followed him around as a kid, always wanting to do what he was doing. When he’d had mad crazes for things like car mechanics or gardening or DIY, I’d always wanted to be by his side, with my own minipaintbrush or trowel or spanner in my hand, happily whiling away the hours in his company. I’d even joined the police force because of him. He’d taught me how to shoot. How to hone my investigation skills. How to become the best officer I could be in what was then a male-dominated career. A lot of what made me Amber was down to him. Yes, I was a Daddy’s girl, and I was proud of it. What would I do if it he didn’t make it? What if he didn’t live to see me get married?

  Think positive, Amber! He’ll make it. He’ll be OK! He has to be.

  ‘Oh, this waiting is ridiculous!’ Suzy said. ‘I’m going to see what I can find out. I’m a doctor, so maybe they’ll tell me.’ She strode off purposefully towards the nurses’ station.

  Mum slumped into a plastic chair and flopped her head in her hands, shoulders shaking with the weight of her sobs. ‘Oh, God. What’s taking them so long? I hope he’s OK.’

  I sat next to her and put my arm around her shoulder, trying to fight my own tears. ‘Me too,’ I whispered.

  Eventually, Suzy stalked back towards us with Dr Beard beside her. She had a stern expression as she spoke to him. I didn’t know if that was a bad sign or not because it was her usual face.

  Mum stood up abruptly with a worried frown, watching them approach, wiping her cheeks.

  ‘Hello, I’m Doctor Partridge.’ He held out his hand for Mum to shake.

  Mum’s mouth flapped open and closed for a moment before she finally managed to get the words out. ‘How is my husband? Is he OK?’ She clutched his arm tightly.

  Dr Partridge’s face softened. ‘I have good news. We’ve removed the bullet from your husband’s shoulder. It wasn’t a deep wound, and there were no complications with it. He’s very lucky, Mrs Fox. He’ll be sore for a while as it’s healing up, but I’m certain there won’t be any lasting nerve or tissue damage. He shouldn’t have any complications.’

  Mum’s hands flew to her cheeks. ‘Oh, thank you! Thank you!’

  ‘Mr Fox has his arm in a sling to rest it, and I’ve given him some pain medication. He’s ready to leave now.’

  Mum crushed him in a hug, tears of joy replacing the tears of worry.

  Chapter 27

  It was six in the morning before Jerry and his team had finished taking our statements in the FBI’s Vegas field office after we left the hospital. I was exhausted. The adrenaline had worn off ages ago, leaving me with a post-rush throbbing behind my right eye. I needed sugar and sleep. And a bloody big drink would be nice, too.

  Jerry reviewed our camcorder evidence one more time, and we all sat around a desk and watched it. It was crystal-clear footage that would go towards putting Ivan and his cronies away for a long time.

  ‘What about Paul Winger?’ I asked. ‘We don’t have any actual evidence he planned the whole thing. The taped footage disappeared with Dana.’

  Jerry gave a satisfied smile and laced his hands together in front of him. ‘Actually, we do. While we were at the crime scene, some other agents were raiding Polesque and Paul Winger’s house and arresting Winger. At the club, they found some very interesting video footage of Winger’s drug taking, solicitation, and scheming with Ivan.’ He smirked. ‘They talked about it on a number of occasions before the night Dana managed to get evidence of it.’

  ‘And Dana’s murder?’ Elvis asked. ‘Did you find anything that would get them for that?’

  ‘Yes. There are also videos of Ivan planning to kill her and get the footage she stole. It turns out that there was indeed a rogue FBI agent involved, and it was Dana’s bad luck that she went to him with the evidence. We’ve recovered footage of the agent discussing Dana’s murder with Ivan at the club. I’m very sorry about what happened to her,’ he said to Elvis.

  Elvis nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. ‘Me too.’

  ‘But none of them are going to see the light of day for a long time. They’re both going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.’

  Mum smiled wickedly. ‘Good. Let’s see how Ivan and Paul like being toy boys in prison. The “Bitter They Are, The Harder They Fall”, as The King used to sing.’

  Jerry stood up and shook our hands one by one. ‘I want to thank you all for busting this wide open. Without you, we wouldn’t have known what they were planning, and they might’ve gotten away with it.’

  Jerry shook Dad’s good hand and placed his other hand on top. ‘I’m very sorry you got injured in the process, Tom.’

  Dad glanced down at his arm in a sling. ‘I think I’m getting too old for this anyway. Maybe it’s a wake-up call. It’s probably time I finally retired from fighting crime.’

  ‘Yes.’ Mum nodded. ‘We could take up a new hobby. Like origami.’

  ‘Origami?’ Dad spluttered. ‘I’m not that old. I was thinking more along the lines of playing The Scene of the Crime online.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Mum asked.

  ‘The computer sets up a crime scene scenario, and you have to find clues and solve it.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me about that before?’ Mum gasped. ‘I could’ve been playing that instead of spending a small fortune on all those DVDs!’

  Dad shrugged then winced.

  ‘Let me do some Reiki on you,’ Hacker said to Dad. Hacker had magic, healing hands. He’d done Reiki on me before, and it was amazing.

  Dad nodded.

  ‘Well, whatever you do next, just make sure you all stay in one piece,’ Jerry said. ‘How long have you got left in Vegas?’

  ‘Four days,’ I said.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to make your stay extra special? Saying thanks isn’t reall
y enough.’

  I raised an eyebrow, a grin curling up. ‘Well, now that you mention it…’

  ‘Tell me what you need and I’ll see to it.’

  So I did.

  Chapter 28

  From my suite in the Bellagio, I stared out of the window, watching the famous fountain display out the front. The room came to us courtesy of Jerry and the FBI. Woo-hoo! Lights flashed and water spouted and sprayed and danced in time to ‘Lucy in the Sky’ by the Beatles, pumping out a spectacular show for the crowd.

  ‘Ooooh,’ Tia said next to me. ‘That is so cool!’

  ‘I don’t know what the fuss is all about,’ Suzy snorted. ‘It’s only water and lights.’

  ‘Don’t be so boring,’ Mum said. ‘You obviously need more Elvis sex.’

  Suzy did her signature glare.

  ‘It’s beautiful.’ Mum’s head tilted to one side, and she sang along to the words.

  When the music finished, I turned and looked in the mirror at my unripped, un-oil-stained wedding dress. It was actually the same dress, just a lot shorter than before. Since the rip and oil stain had all been below the knee, Rentagown had managed to have it altered into a minidress, which actually looked better than the original.

  ‘You look gorgeous.’ Mum put her arm around me.

  Suzy said, ‘Actually, you do look nice.’

  Wow, another compliment from Suzy! I didn’t think it was possible. Still, I bit the bullet to keep from saying anything snarky. Today, I wasn’t going to let my strained relationship with my sister ruin anything. Instead, I pulled her in for a hug. ‘Thanks, Suzy.’

  She accepted the hug stiffly. ‘You’re welcome.’

  Tia had tears in her eyes. ‘It’s awesome. Do you want to add a splash of Penelope Pitstop Pink to it? I’ve got a neon-pink charm bracelet in my suite.’

  ‘Um… thanks, but I think I’ll pass on that.’

  ‘What time are we leaving?’ Tia asked.

  ‘Any minute now,’ Mum said.

  As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Mum opened it, and Dad stood there, dressed in beige linen trousers and a white linen shirt. His bad arm was in a sling. He stepped into the room and took one look at me. His eyes teared up.

  He took my hand in his good one. ‘You look gorgeous.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘I never thought I’d see you finally get married,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t say that just yet. I don’t want anything else to jinx it.’

  He nodded. ‘Yes, you’re probably right. But… well, I just want to say that you’re an amazing and brave woman, and I’m very proud you’re my daughter. I also want to say that you’re marrying the best man a father could hope for.’ He pulled me in for a hug. ‘Brad’s one in a million, and I hope you two will be very happy together for the rest of your lives.’

  I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to stop the tears of emotion from falling and ruining my makeup.

  ‘Group hug!’ Tia yelled.

  I laughed, and we all hugged. Even Suzy.

  ‘Now, I’d better go,’ Dad said. ‘Our limo’s waiting downstairs to take us to the chapel. Yours will be here in ten minutes, and you don’t want to be late for your own wedding.’

  ‘I thought that was the bride’s prerogative,’ Mum said.

  ‘Not this bride. I’ve waited long enough. I don’t want to waste a second longer than I have to.’ I took a last look at myself in the mirror and smiled.

  Chapter 29

  I was having déjà vu.

  I stood in the same position as I had before with Mum, Suzy, and Tia behind me as my bridesmaids and maid of honour, waiting outside the door to the chapel. Elvis was still sweaty as he told me that Brad and Hacker and Dad were inside, ready and waiting.

  This time, I prayed there would be no shoot-outs, no undercover investigations, and definitely no deaths.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Elvis asked me.

  ‘You bet.’

  ‘I don’t want no “Crying in the Chapel” now.’ Despite the death of his sister, he managed to smile and put his game face on. This was show business, and Elvis was a professional performer. ‘OK. Let the music be our cue.’

  After the first lines from ‘Burning Love’ sounded out, Priscilla opened the doors into the chapel. With mic in one hand and my hand in the other, Elvis belted out the song and lead me up the aisle towards my future hubby as I swayed in time to the music. The others followed.

  Brad stood at the end of the room, looking thong-droppingly gorgeous, his eyes glistening with proud, happy tears. Hacker stood next to him. Dad stood on the opposite side.

  My own happy tears pricked my eyes. When we reached Brad, Elvis twirled me around and positioned me alongside my future hubby, pressing my hand into his. Brad smiled down at me with adoration.

  Elvis carried on singing, jiggling his hips and adding a few ‘Uh-huh-huh’s in there and doing Elvis’s signature knee twists.

  All the others clapped in time to the music behind me. Mum sang along, very off-key.

  The song finished to a grand finale of Elvis gyrating his hips in an exaggerated motion. There was definitely a ‘Whole Lot Of Shakin’ going on. Mum and Tia whooped in delight. I think I might’ve even heard Suzy giggle.

  ‘We are gathered here today to celebrate and witness the marriage of Brad Beckett and Amber Fox,’ Elvis said.

  Tia jumped up and down, her fist in the air. ‘Woo, woo, woo!’

  Brad and I laughed at her.

  ‘I’m honoured to be joining two very amazing people in holy union, and I know you’re going to be very happy together.’ He turned to Brad. ‘Have you got your vows?’

  ‘Uh-huh-huh.’ Brad did an Elvis impression, grinning at me.

  I laughed again.

  Brad turned to me.

  Hacker handed him a piece of paper, but Brad waved it away. ‘I don’t need it. I’ve had years to memorize them.’

  Brad took my hands in his. The room was silent as he spoke.

  ‘Amber, I love you more than anything. I love you enough to give my life, my love, and my heart to you. I will give you all my time, thought, and trust. I will protect you, care for you, comfort you, and listen to you. Around you, I have nothing to hide. I will share my dreams, my goals, my fears and hopes. I will share my entire life with you. I will always keep my promises and be loyal and faithful to you. I am willing to sacrifice myself for you. Whenever we’re apart, I’m not whole. I will never leave you or live without you. You saved me.’

  Omigod! Cheek-fanning moment! My mouth flapped open, suddenly at a loss for words.

  ‘I made Amber speechless. That’s got to be a first.’ Brad glanced around the room. ‘Someone give me a medal.’

  I laughed as more tears of joy welled up. ‘Hey, don’t push it!’

  Elvis turned to me. ‘Amber, do you have any vows you’d like to read?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ I looked up into Brad’s face and took a deep breath. His blue-grey eyes I knew so well were soft and laced with emotion, radiating feelings for me that were almost tangible in the air. I thought about the rocky journey we’d been through to get here, but this wasn’t the end of that journey—it was the beginning of the rest of our lives. My heart melted inside as I gripped his hands tighter in mine, his warmth seeping into my skin. ‘Brad, I’ve spent too much time worrying about whether I’ll get the magical rose garden on the horizon instead of appreciating the roses outside my window today. The future is always beginning now, and my future is with you. Today is life, the only thing we can be sure of. Let’s make the most of today.’

  Brad stroked the inside of my palms with his thumbs and gave me a huge smile.

  ‘You are my best friend, my faithful partner, my rock in the storm, my safe haven,’ I carried on. ‘I love you with all my heart and soul. And because of you, I dare to dream again. Now we’ll make that dream reality.’

  Brad’s eyes glistened with tears.

  Mum sniffed loudly and wiped
her eyes with a handkerchief.

  ‘Beautiful words,’ Elvis said, beaming from ear to ear. ‘You “Can’t Help Falling in Love” when you hear words like that. Do we have the rings?’

  Dad pulled two wedding rings from his pocket and handed them to Elvis, who put them on a red, heart-shaped velvet cushion.

  Elvis held the rings out in front of us. ‘These rings symbolize unity—an unbroken circle with no beginning or end. Brad, please take Amber’s ring and place it on her finger.’

  Brad took my left hand in his and slid the ring on.

  ‘Do you, Brad Beckett, take Amber Fox to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?’

  Brad smiled proudly at me. ‘I do.’ Even though they were just two words, they caressed my heart and soul.

  ‘And now repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed. I offer you my hand and my heart and trust they will be safe with you. All that I am, I give to you.’

  Brad stared lovingly into my eyes as he repeated the words.

  Elvis held the cushion towards me. ‘And now, “Little Darlin”, please place the ring on Brad’s finger.’

  I slid it on.

  ‘And do you, Amber Fox, take Brad Beckett to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day on, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘And now repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed. I offer you my hand and my heart and trust they will be safe with you. All that I am, I give to you.’

  I spoke the words, my heart soaring with happiness.

  ‘By joining hands and exchanging rings, you are consenting to be bound together as husband and wife. This is a promise to honour, love, and support each other for the rest of your lives.’ He gave us a huge smile. ‘Amber and Brad, you have declared your everlasting love and pledged your promises to wrap your “Lovin’ Arms” around each other “Today, Tomorrow, Forever”. I’m wishing you a life of eternal joy on your “Never Ending” journey. And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, folks! I’m honoured to pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!’