Long Islands and Larceny

by Sara Bourgeois

  Starla knew she needed more information on the theft, but Kane had stonewalled her. There was someone she hadn’t talked to yet. The housekeeper worked on the fourth floor of the resort. Starla knew that from her conversation with Holden. She could go there and talk to the woman, but she needed backup. Starla hoped that Blossom was off work that day because she knew that her friend would be up for some good cop, bad cop witness interrogation.

  Blossom met Starla at one of the resort’s back entrances. They’d decided it would be easier to talk to the housekeeper if they didn’t go strolling in through the front doors.

  “How do we get in?” Starla asked and pointed to the key reader on the side of the door. “The front entrance doesn’t have those.”

  “Those only activate after eleven, Starla. The doors are unlocked during the day. We can walk right in.”

  Blossom reached out, pulled the door open, and held it for Starla. They both stepped inside and quickly made their way to the back-guest elevators. Both wanted to avoid the main lobby, and Starla especially wanted to avoid Holden until she sorted out her feelings about the embrace she and Kane shared.

  They rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, and when they arrived, Starla and Blossom stepped off and saw the housekeeper’s cart sitting in the hallway. “That was easy,” Blossom said.

  “How hard did you think it was going to be to find her?” Starla asked.

  “I don’t know. I just thought there’d be more sneaking and sleuthing.” Blossom half pouted.

  Starla just laughed and continued down the hall. The cart was parked between two rooms, but it wasn’t hard to figure out which one the housekeeper was cleaning. Soft singing came from behind the propped open door of room 408.

  “Should we knock?” Blossom asked.

  “Probably,” Starla said with a shrug. “Otherwise, we might scare here. That’s not a good way to get her talking.”

  “I think scaring the bejeezus out of her is a great way to get her talking. We’ll throw her off balance. It will be great!” Blossom said as she rubbed her hands together.

  “I guess I know who is going to be the bad cop.” Starla smiled, but inwardly she hoped that bringing Blossom hadn’t been a mistake.

  “Yes!” Blossom exclaimed so loud that it brought the housekeeper to the door.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Hi,” Starla squeaked out. “I’m Starla and this is Blossom. What’s your name?” Starla asked and stuck out her hand in greeting.

  “My name is Louisa. Nice to meet you,” the housekeeper said and shook Starla’s hand. “So, can I help you? Are you guests at the resort?”

  “We want to talk to you about the recent thefts using your master key,” Blossom said sternly.

  “Are you the police?” Louisa asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “No, we’re ummm…” Starla tried to come up with a good reason for interrogating the woman at her job. “Concerned citizens who are investigating this privately.”

  “So, you’re private investigators?” Louisa asked.

  “Well, not of the licensed variety,” Starla said with a shrug. “Look, I’m going to level with you. Rumor travels fast on this island, and I’ve heard that you’ve been accused of the theft because your key card was used. I’ve also heard that you’re a single mom who needs her job, and I can’t stomach the thought of you being fired when you did nothing wrong. I want to help.”

  “And why is she here?” Louisa gave Blossom the once-over.

  “I’m the bad cop,” Blossom said with pride.

  “I think it defeats the purpose if you tell them that,” Starla said.

  “Whatever. We can both just be the good cops. I’ve lost my appetite for intense interrogation.” Right on cue, Blossom’s stomach rumbled. “I’m just hungry now.”

  “Can you think of anything that might help us clear your name?” Starla asked.

  “No. I mean, I feel bad that I left my keys on my cart. I’ve never had a problem before. No one has ever even snatched an extra bottle of shampoo from my cart. Now, I keep my key in my pocket. I should have done that all along. I’m glad that Mr. Grey is giving me another chance.”

  “I’m glad he is too,” Starla said. “He’s a good man. Hey, do you have a pen and paper?”

  “Sure.” Louisa said and handed Starla a worn pad and pen.

  “I’m going to give you my address and phone number. If you think of anything, call me. If you need to talk private, send me a text first, but feel free to come over.”

  “Thank you,” Louisa said and accepted the paper. “I should get back to work. I’m walking a fine line here as it is.”

  “Of course,” Starla said. “Thank you for your time.

  Once they were back outside, Blossom stopped Starla. “I don’t know why you thanked her. She didn’t tell us anything.”

  “I was just being polite. We did pull her away from her work.”

  “I guess,” Blossom said. “You know, she could be lying about the card. She could still have it. Maybe she’s just got the key card hidden somewhere.”

  “Is that what your intuition is telling you?” Starla asked.

  “No,” Blossom said. “I’m just grumpy because I’m hungry.”

  “Well, let’s get something to eat. What do you want?”

  “Turkey and cheddar sandwiches with mayo,” Blossom said. “Oh, and potato chips. Cheddar and onion.”

  “I happen to have those things at my house,” Starla said.

  “I know,” Blossom responded.

  “Well let’s go. Lunch at my place.”

  Blossom studied Presto while Starla made the sandwiches. “So, he’s just stopped talking.”

  “Yeah, he’s a good cat, but it’s like a light went out,” Starla said while she spread the mayo on the slices of bread.

  “What can we do?” Blossom asked and scratched Presto under the chin.

  “I don’t know, but I think it might be somehow connected to this theft situation, and that’s another reason I’m so interested. One of the items sounds like the nautilus we’re looking for,” Starla said as she put the turkey and cheese on the bread. “I want to talk to the person who had the items stolen, but I don’t know what room they are in or their name. Your brother wouldn’t tell me any of that.”

  “We could have asked Louisa,” Blossom said.

  “Yeah, but that would have been asking her to put her job at risk. I didn’t want to do that. Do you want lettuce or tomato on your sandwich?”

  “Lettuce, please. Do you have any of that precooked bacon?”

  “I do,” Starla said. “Can you grab it from the fridge for me?”

  Once the sandwiches were done, Blossom and Starla took their plates into the dining room to eat. Blossom was about halfway through her sandwich when she dropped it. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she began chanting words that Starla couldn’t quite make out.

  “Blossom?” Starla shot out of her chair and rushed to her friend. “Blossom, are you okay?”

  Blossom pitched sideways and began to fall out of her chair. All Starla could do was guide her to the floor safely so she didn’t hit her head.

  Chapter Five

  Starla was dialing Kane’s number when Blossom woke up. Blossom rubbed her eyes and looked around as if she’d woken up from a particularly deep nap.

  “Something happened,” Blossom said.

  “Obviously. It looked like you had a seizure. Do you have a history of seizures?”

  “I don’t mean like that,” Blossom said and sat up. “I had a vision. I had a premonition. I saw something.”

  “What did you see?” Starla asked.

  “The cave. I saw the cave. I think we need to go back there,” Blossom said. “It’s just a strong feeling I have. Do you think my magic could be coming back?”

  “I hope so. I’ve had a feeling that mine could be there buzzing under the surface again too. I had a little left even after I came here, but even now I can tell
it’s getting stronger. Something is going on. Between our magic and Presto, the tide here is shifting.”

  “So, we should go to the cave?” Blossom asked hopefully. “I don’t know why, but I think it’s important. I wish the vision had shown me what we’d find there.”

  “Baby steps,” Starla said. “And yes, I think we should go. I trust your intuition, but I have to work tonight. I’m off tomorrow night. We’ll go then.”

  That night at the bar, Starla was cleaning glasses when a group of people who weren’t regulars came in. They all sat at the bar and ordered hurricanes, and something about it made Starla feel off. She was picking up on a ping in the air that whatever was happening was completely orchestrated.

  Two women in tight ripped jeans and black tank tops sat next to each other drinking beer and chatting. Starla had to restock some of the top shelf liquor bottles, and while she put out the new stock, the women had a conversation that piqued her interest.

  “Did you hear that Louisa has stepped in it again?” the woman with massive hoop earrings said.

  “No. What did she do this time?” the other one with the smudged lipstick asked.

  “Well, not only is she about to get fired, but I heard she’s about to get kicked out of her trailer. She’s late on her rent again, and her landlord is sick of it.”

  “I don’t know how she gets herself into this stuff. You’d think she’d know better by now,” Hoops said.

  “Is she behind on her rent because she sent money to her good-for-nothing sister again?” Lipstick asked.

  “Yeah, sent money into the mainland to keep her sister’s power on. It’s sad. She’s too nice, and it’s going to end up hurting her kids.”

  “So, you think she did it?” Lipstick inquired.

  “I don’t know, but I know she’s desperate. Desperate people do crazy and stupid things.”

  “Yeah, and from what I’ve heard, she could solve all of her financial problems if she could find a buyer for the stolen items,” Lipstick said before chugging the rest of her beer.

  While Starla carried the case to the back room, she started to wonder. What if the whole matter was simple? What if Louisa had committed the theft as an act of desperation? It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

  She instantly felt bad for even thinking it. Starla’s gut told her that Louisa was innocent, and she knew better than to ignore her intuition. Even if her magic was compromised, there was no reason to start doubting herself.

  An hour or so later, Holden walked into the bar and sat near where Lipstick and Hoops had been seated. They left a while before without divulging any more useful gossip.

  “Hey,” he said as he slid onto a barstool.

  “Holden, hi,” Starla responded. “I didn’t expect to see you in here.”

  “Yeah, sorry I didn’t call first, but I could use a drink and a friendly face,” he said glumly.

  “Sure, of course. You’re always welcome here, and not just because it’s a bar,” Starla chirped. “What can I get for you?”

  “Long Island Iced Tea in the biggest glass you have,” he said and ran a hand through his hair.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “I probably shouldn’t be talking about this, but I’ll tell you anyway,” Holden started.

  “Hang on a second; let me get your drink.” Starla hurried off.

  She added a scoop of ice to a highball glass and then poured in a shot of each of the liquors required to make a Long Island. A not so generous splash of cola topped off the drink. Before taking the cocktail to Holden, Starla gave it a twist of lime and stuck the wedge on the side of the glass.

  “Umbrella or no?” Starla asked with a smile in the hopes that she could cheer him up.

  It worked and Holden cracked a smile. “We can skip the umbrella this time, but thank you for the generous offer.”

  “Okay, I think everything is settled down now. Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “I’ve been debating telling you this the whole time I’ve been here because I know it’s going to upset you,” Holden said.

  “Well, now you have to tell me. You absolutely cannot leave me hanging that way, Holden.” Starla leaned on the bar and narrowed her eyes.

  “There was another theft. It was an older couple on the fourth floor,” Holden said. He took a huge gulp of his drink and continued. “I don’t want to do it, but I think I’m going to have to fire the housekeeper. The owner and our insurance company are breathing down my neck.”

  “You can’t,” Starla said, a bit louder than she intended. She lowered her voice so the other bar patrons would go back to their own conversations. “She’s about to lose her house. You can’t fire her, Holden. Louisa has kids and she needs the money.”

  “How do you know all of this?”

  “I work in a bar frequented by locals. I’m practically sitting on gossip grand central station.”

  “I can see that,” Holden said and took another swig of his cocktail. “Maybe when her name is cleared, I can hire her back.”

  “Maybe?” Starla tried to contain her frustration.

  “I will hire her back when her name is cleared,” Holden said.

  “You say when as if you know she’s not guilty.”

  “I’m with you, Starla. Louisa is a good woman and a hard worker. I don’t believe she did it, but if the resort loses their liability insurance because I won’t fire a housekeeper, I’ll be out of a job too. I can’t help her if I can’t even hire her back.”

  Holden finished his drink and went home. He did leave Starla a generous tip, which she tried to refuse, but he left it on the bar while she waited on another patron.

  The Blue Saloon got a rush a little while later and Starla had to run around like crazy until closing time. She didn’t have much time to contemplate the things Holden had shared with her.

  By the time the bar closed and Starla locked up for the night, she was dead tired. As the key turned to latch the deadbolt, she didn’t even notice that someone had stepped out of the shadows.

  Gun in hand, the stalker stayed close behind as Starla walked home. They’d been afraid the man from the hotel would stay there and walk her home, but that fear had been in vain.

  The stalker quickly became frustrated. Despite the late hour, there never seemed to be an opportunity to take on their prey. Either tourists would stumble drunkenly down the street, or someone would appear in their front lawn to take their dog on a late night potty run. It was as if something protected Starla.

  Then, the stalker heard it. A song issued forth from the nearby beach. It was the most beautiful music they had ever heard. Try as they might, the stalker could not turn their attention back to Starla. The singing was like millions of little hooks in their soul, dragging them toward the ocean.

  They made it about halfway to the beach when a car horn blared. The stalker had walked right out in front of an oncoming vehicle. The horn sounded again, and it brought the stalker out of their trance.

  One look revealed that they’d lost their chance again. Starla had gone inside her house and the porch light turned off. Curiosity made the stalker want to go investigate the beach. They had to know where the music had come from, but a sense of dread in the pit of their stomach held them back. Something told them that whatever it was, it was not on their side.

  The next day when Starla woke up, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Holden had said. She had to know the circumstances around the theft in the couple’s room.

  Kane wasn’t going to tell her anything, and she knew Holden had probably already told her too much. There was only one way to get the info she wanted. Starla would have to go to the hotel and interview the couple herself.

  She had the day off work, but Holden hadn’t told her what room the couple was staying in at the resort. That meant she would have to hang around on the fourth floor until she saw an older couple. Sure, there could be more than one couple staying on the fourth floor, but that could be cleared up ea
sily. Starla knew she could just ask if they’d had something stolen.

  “Easy peasy,” she said to herself as she got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Starla had considered putting on a suit or a dress so that she’d look like a professional but ultimately decided it was better to look as casual as possible. She wanted to put the couple at ease.

  Starla didn’t think she had the chops to pull off a hard-line interrogation of an old couple, and Blossom had to work. She’d see her later when they went to the cave, but Starla had to talk to the old couple alone. She called a cab and finished getting ready while she waited.

  Starla was able to slip up to the fourth floor unnoticed. She saw the housekeeping cart in the hall and worried that Louisa might discover her snooping about. That’s when it hit her that the cart probably didn’t belong to Louisa. Holden had said he’d have to fire her. Whoever was cleaning the fourth floor that day most likely had no idea who Starla was and would think she was just another guest.

  After taking a quick lap around the floor, and confirming that the housekeeper wasn’t Louisa, Starla plopped down on the bench by the elevators. She figured that was the best place to watch the comings and goings on the floor, and it was right next to the vending machine room. The last thing she wanted to do on a stakeout was run out of Diet Coke.

  Several couples came and went, but they were all either young twenty-somethings who were most likely on their honeymoons or they were part of families with kids in tow. Starla was starting to believe she would need to leave her post and go scrounge up some lunch when an elderly couple stepped off the elevator. They were laden with bags from numerous gift shops.

  Starla shot up off the bench. “Let me help you with those bags,” she offered cheerfully.

  “Oh my, thank you, young lady,” the woman cooed and handed Starla all the bags she was holding.

  “Yes, thank you,” the man said and handed Starla all of his bags too. “Right this way.”

  Starla, feeling very much like a pack mule, followed them down the corridor with their gift shop haul. Thankfully, they were only a few doors down from the elevator.