Popped

by Carol Higgins Clark

  Elsa looked at Suzette and blinked her bloodshot eyes several times. “I had a terrible nightmare last night.”

  Barney looked appalled. “You did, my sweetness?”

  Elsa nodded. “I dreamt someone took all the money that I won.”

  “But I thought they hadn’t even given it to you yet,” Suzette challenged.

  This is getting to be like Survivor, Regan thought. Suzette is clearly not a happy camper and wants to send Elsa packing.

  “You know how dreams are! In my mind, I already had all that money, Barney and I were going to retire on that money, and suddenly it was gone. I woke up in a sweat and wanted to talk to Barney, but he had taken a pain pill for his arm and was fast asleep.” Elsa pretended to snore, which clearly annoyed Barney. After three fake snores she continued. “Usually Barney is there for me when I have a nightmare, but last night he was out like a light. Zonk City. I didn’t want to disturb him.”

  “My arm was very sore when I went to bed,” Barney explained a tad defensively. “I’m very sensitive to medication.”

  The doctor gave him pain pills for that slight sprain? Regan wondered.

  “I was lying there and I felt so restless,” Elsa said with a slight slur. “The thrill of winning that money was still pulsing through my veins. It was a brilliant feeling. I was wide awake and wanted to win more for my Barney, so he’d never have to work another day in his life.”

  Hmmm, Regan thought. A lot of women would go nuts having their husbands retire at such a young age. What was that old saying? I married you for better or for worse, but not for lunch. Or, as Regan’s grandmother always joked, “Having a retired husband is like having a piano in the kitchen.”

  “But work is good for the soul,” Agony said passionately. “We must remember that. Idle hands are the devil’s tools.”

  Her hands weren’t idle, Regan reflected. That was the problem. She headed straight for the slot machines. Regan noticed that Danny had asked Sam to turn the camera back on.

  “I wanted to double our money!” Elsa cried.

  “Did you?” Barney asked quickly.

  Sadly, Elsa shook her head and pulled several hundred-dollar bills out of her pants pockets. “I got some credit, I think.”

  Oh, boy, Regan thought. Welcome to Las Vegas.

  “Where did you go?” Suzette continued.

  Elsa took a deep breath. “I think I took a cab up to the Strip. I went to the first casino I saw and played the slot machines. A nice waitress gave me sweet drinks. I told her I liked Shirley Temples, and she said she had something I’d like even better. Boy, did they taste good. I told her I’d won a lot of money yesterday.”

  Bad move, Regan thought.

  “Then I started walking around and playing some game where the marble goes around and around and around until it goes “pop” in the slot. They gave me more drinks there. I played until the marble made me dizzy and I almost fell down. Then somebody gave me a coupon for a free buffet breakfast. So I went to the coffee shop and had blueberry pancakes, and I think I dozed off in the booth. The waitress woke me up and asked me to leave. And here I am!”

  “They took advantage of you!” Barney cried. “They liquored you up so they could get your money. Bait and trap, that’s what it was. Bait and trap!”

  “What casino did you go to?” Regan asked her.

  Elsa scrunched up her face. “One of the smaller ones. I forget the name. But I think I walked through the Bellagio. And I kept saying to myself, ten o’clock, ten o’clock. I have to be back by ten o’clock. I made it, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did, my love.” Barney choked out the words.

  Agony walked over to Elsa and Barney and grabbed their hands. “It’s not how we act as a couple, it’s how we react. I’m glad to see Barney so concerned about his wife’s welfare. He is a most understanding spouse. Other men might have gotten angry that Elsa took off in the middle of the night, without even having the consideration to leave a scribbled note. This shows your love is strong and good and can weather many storms.”

  “I have a headache and feel a wee bit sick,” Elsa moaned.

  “Cut!” Danny cried.

  Sam shut off the camera.

  “Come on, folks,” Victor instructed the group. “The van’s right outside.”

  Agony was still clenching Barney and Elsa’s hands. “Elsa, take a long shower, get some breakfast, and we’ll see you at the studio. We’re doing Rorschach tests today. You’ll love them.”

  “Rorschach tests?” Barney repeated.

  “Yes. You look at smeared ink on a page and tell us what you see, and then Elsa comes out of a soundproof booth and tells us what she sees.”

  “You have a soundproof booth?” Barney asked.

  “No. But Elsa will wait in the next room.”

  “Sounds brilliant,” Elsa said, taking an unsteady step forward. “I can’t wait to compare what we see, right, Barn?”

  “Right.”

  “Agony,” Victor interrupted, “the others are waiting.”

  “Coming! Coming!” she trilled.

  “We’ll walk upstairs with you,” Danny told Elsa and Barney.

  “You don’t have to. I can take care of my wife.”

  “I have to go upstairs anyway,” Danny said.

  “And I want to stop in my room,” Regan added.

  Together they took the elevator to the third floor. Danny headed left toward his suite. Regan, Barney, and Elsa turned right. Barney had his arm around Elsa, guiding her along. They approached their room and stopped. Regan stopped with them. Her room was three doors past theirs.

  “Drink a lot of water,” Regan instructed Elsa. “And take a couple of aspirin.”

  “I’ll take good care of her,” Barney assured Regan, standing in place.

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.” Regan started toward her room. She could hear Barney turning the key in the door. Suddenly Regan turned and started back toward the elevator. She wanted to go downstairs and grab another cup of coffee. Barney turned to Regan in a panic as she was about to pass their room and pulled the door closed again. But not before Regan saw a cot set up next to their bed.

  “It’s such a mess in there,” Barney said quickly.

  “Mostly my fault,” Elsa admitted as she leaned against Barney.

  “The rooms are small,” Regan said sympathetically. “And, of course, there are two of you. See you in a bit.” As Regan pressed the elevator button, she couldn’t help but wonder. If those two are so much in love, what is a cot doing in their room? Barney said he was holding Elsa in his arms last night when they went to sleep. Those two are frauds, she thought. They’re not in love anymore. Suzette is right. They’re doing whatever they can to attract attention and win the million dollars. Then they’ll split the money and go their separate ways.

  Or is someone else staying in their room? But who?

  I have to find out more about those two, she decided.

  49

  H oney and Lucille had quite a night. Honey was so excited about working with Danny that she could hardly contain herself.

  “It’s a dream come true,” she said to Lucille more than once.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Lucille said. “If you miss this bus, you’ll catch the next one.”

  “I don’t want another bus,” Honey insisted.

  They’d gone to Caesar’s Palace for a drink, caught the late show, and then met up with some friends who had just gotten off work. They casino-hopped, and then the whole group went to breakfast. It had been a long night, but Honey hadn’t felt so energetic in months.

  Honey got home as the sun was rising. She slept for a few hours and woke up at ten, which was early for her. Her brain was buzzing too much to slumber for long. She made her tea and then got on the phone. Thursday was only two days away, and she wanted to make all the arrangements. She called her hairdresser friend, Alex. He had his own little salon, Snippy Clips, located in a mini-mall in town. He did a decent enough business but was facin
g stiff competition from the big hotels with their fancy spas and beauty parlors. Alex always wore black leather pants and a disgusted expression. His black hair was cut in a long shag.

  “Alex!” Honey said to him when he answered his cell phone. “This is Honey.”

  “Hi, doll,” he answered. “What’s up? I just did your hair. Don’t tell me you don’t like it. I’ll have to scream.”

  Honey could hear the whir of hair dryers in the background. “I love it! I’m calling because I have the most fabulous opportunity for you!” she cried.

  “What’s that?” Alex usually sounded vaguely bored.

  “How would you like to do makeovers on reality show contestants—on television?”

  “What television?”

  “The Balloon Channel.”

  “Forget it!”

  “This could be very big,” Honey screeched. “They’re giving a million-dollar prize to the couple who wins the contest.”

  “That’s Roscoe Parker’s station, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I cut his hair once. He’s cheap. The tip he gave me was insulting.”

  “You could get a lot of publicity for your salon from this.”

  “How much are they paying?”

  “Well,” Honey hesitated. “They’re not paying.”

  “Is this the show that Danny is producing?”

  “Yes.”

  At the other end of the phone, Alex rolled his eyes. My clients and their romances, he thought. I should get paid as a therapist. “When are you talking about?”

  “Thursday.” Honey could tell he was interested. “I was thinking we could ask Ellen Kaiden to do the makeup,” she suggested. Ellen worked in the salon with Alex and could do wonders on anyone’s face. She turned many a mouse into a roaring lion for a night on the town in Vegas.

  “I suppose you want her to work for free as well,” Alex said with a sigh.

  “Yes. But it will be great exposure for both of you.”

  “When will the show air?” he asked.

  “Probably Friday night.”

  “Probably?”

  “They’re in competition with a sitcom for the air time. Roscoe’s going to pick one show or the other.”

  “You mean we might not even be on TV? Honey, puh-leeze! Spare me this aggravation!”

  “Danny’s show is really good. All it needs is your expert touch. Please, Alex, please. Someday I’ll repay you. I’m always telling people how good you are and that they should make an appointment with you.”

  “Whatever happened to your dear friend Lucille? I did her hair once and never saw her again.”

  “She likes to cut it herself.”

  “Aaaagh! I’m going to be ill.”

  “Her grandfather was a barber and taught her a few tricks.”

  “Don’t mention it to me again,” Alex scolded. “Stories like that raise my stress levels. What time on Thursday?”

  “Noon. At the Balloon Channel.”

  “How many people?”

  “Three men and three women.”

  Alex sighed again. “All right, Honey. But if you ever switch hair-dressers, I’m going to hunt you down.”

  “If I move to Alaska,” Honey replied dramatically, “I will always come back to you to get my hair cut.”

  “And highlighted.”

  “And highlighted.”

  “Will Roscoe Parker be there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll try not to be too rude if I see him.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Honey hung up and sighed. Two more days. She prayed silently that nothing would happen to halt production of Danny’s show before she could get there. She kept getting bad feelings about Love Above Sea Level. Honey and her grandmother were both a little psychic, and right now Honey had the feeling that Danny could be in danger. Let him be safe, she prayed. Let him come back to me. And let that sitcom be a real stinker. Thank you, God. Amen. Honey picked up the phone and called her grandmother.

  “Mimi, it’s me.” Honey updated her grandmother on her troubles. “What do you think?”

  “I see clouds around Danny,” Mimi replied. “A lot of clouds.”

  “He’s going up in a hot air balloon on Friday.”

  “That could be it. But these are dark clouds. You’re not supposed to go up in those balloons when there are dark clouds in the sky. Am I right, Honey, baby?”

  “You’re right, Mimi,” Honey said in despair. “You’re absolutely right.”

  50

  M addy and Shep were lying out by the pool of the 7’s Hotel. Shep would really have preferred to be back home with his financial statements. His heart was beating rapidly over the $40,000 withdrawal he had made this morning.

  Next to him, Maddy smelled like a coconut. She had slathered special lotion all over herself and was reclining with her eyes closed. There was no one else out by the pool, as is often the case with these third-rate hotels. Nobody ever seems to use the pool. It’s there because if they don’t have one, people don’t want to make a reservation. They just want to be able to say, “And the hotel has a pool.”

  Shep watched one of the maids come out the back door for a smoke. She placed a large box on the ground, lit a cigarette, turned on her cell phone, and made a call. A few moments later a dark sedan pulled into the driveway, and the maid handed over the package to the driver. That seems odd, Shep thought. He squinted but couldn’t see what the driver looked like. The car had Nevada license plates. Shep got up and walked to the far end of the pool very casually so he could get a closer look at the car. He noted the license plate number as the sedan drove off.

  Shep decided to call Regan. The incident might be nothing, but it did look suspicious to him. He hurried back to his chair.

  “Maddy. Do you have a pen?”

  “Huh?”

  “I need a pen.” He kept repeating the license number to himself.

  Maddy sat up and quickly retrieved a 7’s Hotel pen from her beach bag. Shep wrote the number in the margin of the newspaper he was reading.

  “What are you doing?” Maddy asked.

  “It’s just a hunch. But you should always report suspicious behavior, right, dear?”

  “Around this joint especially!” Maddy nodded emphatically. “They’ve already stolen the mail. What next?”

  “Sssshhhh,” Shep warned. “Let’s go up to the room and call Danny and Regan.”

  “Now you’re talking!” Maddy paused. “But why?”

  “I want to see if Regan Reilly can trace a license plate number.”

  “She’s a smart girl. I’m sure she can make a few phone calls. If only she didn’t have that boyfriend….”

  But Shep was already hurrying toward the back door to the hotel. Maddy slipped into her flip-flops and raced to keep up with him.

  51

  C offee in hand, Regan went to her room and called the police to tell them Elsa had returned. She chatted for a few minutes with the desk sergeant and told him she was a private investigator working on Danny’s show.

  “You’re doing security for a reality show?” he asked. “I’ve watched a few of those on TV. Some of those contestants are real nuts. If you need any help, give us a call,” he offered.

  “Thanks.” Regan went back to Danny’s room and told him about the cot in Barney and Elsa’s room.

  Danny couldn’t help but laugh. “Those two have a cot in their room?”

  “A cot.”

  “That is definitely weird.”

  “That’s what I thought. Barney specifically told me that he was holding Elsa tight last night and that she must have slipped out of his arms. But I don’t believe him. I think they’re faking their love for each other.”

  “A cot,” Danny repeated.

  “A cot. My friend Bernadette Castro will be sorry it wasn’t one of her pull-out couches.”

  Danny chuckled. “Regan, all I have to do is make it through Friday. You know how many of those reality sho
w couples break up after ten minutes? The guy picks the girl or the girl picks the guy, and they’re supposed to get married and live happily ever after. It rarely happens! If Barney and Elsa are chosen to renew their vows and then go their separate ways, well, so what? I just want Roscoe to choose our show, and I want to make it a good show. If one of the contestants wants to sleep on a cot, then so be it.”

  “I’m telling you, Danny, there’s something more going on here. If he hadn’t told me about holding her tight, I would just have thought it was certainly weird they had a cot, but I could have accepted it.”

  “Lucy and Ricky Ricardo slept in twin beds,” Danny reminded her.

  Regan smiled. “Back then you weren’t allowed to show a couple on television in the same bed. And there had to be a rug on the floor between them.”

  “Times have changed.”

  “No kidding.”

  “I just wish I knew their Social Security numbers.”

  “Forget it, Regan. Roscoe won’t let us ask for any more information. These are my contestants, and I have to work with them. And, please, I don’t want to tell Agony or Heartburn about the cot situation. If for some reason I lose them this week, I don’t want them blabbing about Barney and Elsa.”

  “Lose them?”

  “I just hope Heartburn’s ex is out spending my parents’ money right now and keeps her mouth shut about Heartburn’s delinquency with the alimony payments.”

  Regan sat down on the couch. “I wonder how long it’s going to take Elsa to sober up.”

  Danny looked at his watch. “She can nap at the studio. But we’ve got to leave soon.”

  The phone rang. Danny picked it up. “Hello…. Oh, hi, Dad…. What? Are you sure? I don’t want to make any waves…. Okay, here’s Regan.” Danny handed her the phone. “My father has a license plate number he wants you to check out.”

  Regan held the phone to her ear. “Hi, Mr. Madley…. Oh, okay, Shep…. Sure…. Uh huh….” Regan reached for the pad and pen next to the phone. “I’ll call it in. Thanks. We’ll let you know. Bye.”

  “Can you believe it?” Danny asked when Regan hung up. “My parents can’t help themselves! They just can’t stay out of other people’s business!”