“Winnie,” I say. “I hope that run-in with my dress last night didn’t ruin your ring. You looked pretty upset.”
Her body grows visibly rigid. “No, my ring is fine.” She swallows hard.
“Oh?” I glance to her fingers. “I don’t see it.”
Jasper’s chest expands. What is she doing?
Winnie hides her hands a moment. “I took it off last night after the incident. The front of the ring bent on me last week, and now the darn thing snags on everything.” She gasps. “Oh no. I think I may have left it at the venue. I took it off as soon as I got to the bathroom and dropped it on the counter.” She lets out a guttural groan. “I’d better call the Chadwick mansion and see if it didn’t grow a pair of legs and walk away.” She heads for the front and the employees get back to tending to the animals.
Molly steps up. “I’d better call the casino and see if it’s still standing. It was nice seeing you again, Bizzy. And it was very nice meeting you, Jasper.” Her tongue does a revolution over her lips. “Come by the casino sometime. We give free chips to first time visitors, good at all the blackjack tables.” There. At least I made the effort. The ball’s in his court.
I clear my throat. “We’d love to. Blackjack is one of our favorite games. I’m a big fan of the one-armed bandit, too.”
She shoots me a wry smile. All right, Bizzy. I get it. He’s all yours. She twitches her brows at him. Unless, Jasper says otherwise.
“Thank you.” Jasper leans in. “I might take you up on that.”
I might take you up on that? My eyes bulge his way.
He shoots me an apologetic look. I feel bad about accepting the offer—and I’m pretty sure it was meant exclusively for me—but I have a feeling I can get somewhere with the woman—and, of course, I’ll bring Bizzy.
“Molly”—I lean forward just as she’s about to walk away—“was there anyone that Siena wasn’t getting along with?”
Molly’s chest bucks with a dull laugh. “Siena specialized in people she didn’t get along with.” Time to throw Mariah under the bus—ironically, the same bus Mariah’s been driving for years. “Mariah Stafford. She and Siena have been feuding for months. Something to do with Siena’s father.” She shrugs. “It was all twisted and ridiculous at the same time. Anyway, the list of Siena’s enemies is longer than her friends. It’s just the way it’s always been. I should know. Mariah spends all her free time at the casino bar. Socialites. Can’t live with them; can’t pay the mortgage on the casino without them.” She eyes the front. “I think I’d better tell everyone about those brownies before Winnie devours them all.”
She does just that as Jasper and I say goodbye to Pickles.
The rest of the dogs flood around us and Jasper attempts to give them all some love.
“Jasper,” I whisper as I pull him close. “You know what our next move is, don’t you?”
His lips flicker with an element of danger, and I think I like this dark side of him.
“I know what my next move is.” His lids hood low and I wholeheartedly approve.
“The casino.” I nod his way. “Sounds like date night will involve a few free chips.”
His cheek cinches. “It will be hard to prove someone pushed Siena off that railing. But I have a feeling with you by my side, we’ll get down to the truth.”
“We do make quite a team.” I draw Pickles closer to me and give him a kiss between the ears.
But Jasper frowns. “It’s just a friendly check-in. No investigating.” I couldn’t live with myself if I put Bizzy in danger.
“No investigating.” I shake my head, but that look in my eye says it’s full investigative steam ahead.
Mariah Stafford, get ready, because we’re coming for you.
And it is very much an investigation.
Chapter 6
Jasper and I thought it would be a good idea not to rush straight over to the casino tonight but to give it a little breathing room.
He said the coroner had a few new findings that he wanted to share with him, but that he would be back in Cider Cove in time for dinner. So, of course, he offered to pick up some takeout and I suggested we indulge at my place. Indulge is such a broad term and I couldn’t help but flirt as I threw it out there.
I think it’s high time we kick our relationship into high gear, and I don’t see why tonight isn’t as good a night as any. Besides, Georgie is already on date number two with her sleeping Prince Charming. His name is Gus—Gassy Gus. Apparently, that’s the nickname his kimchi obsession has earned him. But she seems entirely onboard with the effort of trying to resurrect a relationship with him. Georgie has a heart of gold, and apparently a stomach made of steel—either that or defunct olfactory senses.
There’s a knock at the door and I perk with excitement. I spent a little time picking up around the cottage, got the fire roaring, lit a few apple cider scented candles, and have a cozy knit throw on the sofa ready and rearing to go for some serious snuggle time. I’m betting it gets steamy fast and I’m going to be the last person to stop it.
“He’s here!” I trill to both Fish and Sherlock.
Sherlock lets out a little bark. Don’t let him in unless he promises me a bite of that Kung Pao chicken.
“You bet,” I say.
Fish jumps in front of the door as if to block it. And I want a bite of the Kung Pao rock cod!
“You’re both going to have a tummy ache.”
We don’t care, they sing in a choir.
I swing the door open wide with a breathy smile locked on my face. An icy wind whistles right past me as I try to make heads or tails of the man darkening my doorway.
“Oh, it’s you,” I say as I nod for Leo to come inside. “What’s going on? Did you lose your way to Mackenzie’s love shack?” I pretend to retch. “You can’t be serious with her.” Not that I’m entirely opposed to it, but it does seem a bit extreme on his part. Leo has been dating Mayor Woods for a while now.
“What’s there not to be serious about?” He gives Sherlock a thorough pat-down before picking up Fish and turning her upside down while kissing her face.
Oh, Leo! Fish belts out a playful yowl that if I didn’t know better sounds a lot like laughter. You’re such a flirt.
“You’re the flirt,” he says, landing her over the sofa.
Both Fish and Sherlock know that Leo can read minds as well.
Sherlock hops up on Leo’s leg. Are you going to try to steal Bizzy away from Jasper with kisses like you did Camila?
“No,” I answer for him. “I’m not going anywhere,” I assure the panting pooch. “What’s up, Leo?” I ask while checking my hair in the mirror in the foyer. “It’s almost seven. Jasper will be here any minute with delicious takeout and equally delicious kisses.”
A bout of devious laughter rumbles from his chest. “I bet he will be. And I bet he’ll have plenty of takeout for me, too. You can keep the kisses, Bizzy. Word of warning, I hear he’s no good.”
“You wish. Jasper knows how to do things with that mouth that are perfectly illegal. And it’s the exact reason his annoying ex keeps sniffing around. Speaking of the carnage she’s been known to cause, how did it go with those G-men? And what did you mean, you had a plan that involved Camila? How worried should I be?”
He plops down on the sofa and takes a seat.
Why do I have a feeling he’ll be harder to get rid of than head lice?
“You don’t have to be worried at all,” he says as Fish hops onto his lap and curls up.
Traitor.
His brows lower a notch. “I heard you.” A devilish grin glides up his cheek. “It turns out, those men were looking to talk to just about anyone regarding suspicious activity.”
I suck in a quick breath. “They are going to kill the business at the inn. If people get wind of the fact freaky things are happening—aside from the rash of homicides we’ve had—they’ll never book another room again.”
He spots a plate full of rocky road brownies on the c
offee table and quickly pops one into his mouth.
“Mmm, so good,” he moans while setting his feet on the edge of the table as if he planned on sticking around for a while.
“Stop it.” I bat his shoes off the table. “Would you quit? Now get to the point so I can give you a proper heave-ho. What exactly did you say to those men?”
Leo’s dark eyes hook to mine. “They asked if I noticed any strange things going on in this neck of the woods. I may have said yes.”
“Gah!” I suck in another quick breath and shriek all at once and, believe me, it’s a dangerous proposition for my lungs. “What did you do that for?”
“To deflect?”
“That’s not how you deflect.” My voice hits the ceiling. “That’s how you initiate a target. Geez! I’m really starting to doubt your intellect at this point.”
“Well, don’t.” He leans back as if he were making himself at home. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“I bet you said that while you were running around behind Jasper’s back with crazy Camila.”
Sherlock starts to act up, running in a circle before jumping on my leg and effectively knocking me right into Leo Granger’s lap—and Fish right out of it.
“What in the heck!” A frustrated laugh bumps from me as I struggle to get up just as the front door flies open and in walks Jasper Wilder frozen solid with a look of horror on his face.
“I can explain everything!” The words sing from me like a paranoid aria as I spring from Leo’s lap. But in truth, I doubt I could explain a single thing. Camila might want to out me to Jasper, but I’m not sure I’m there yet. Heck, I’m not sure I’ll ever be.
Jasper lands the bag of goodies from the Dragon Express onto the floor of the entrance and doesn’t bother closing the door. Instead, he bolts for Leo with a wild look in his eyes. If looks could kill, Leo’s heart would have stopped beating the instant Jasper walked through the door. But it looks to me as if he’d rather knock the ghost out of Leo the old-fashioned way—with his fists.
Leo and Jasper roll around like a couple of wild bears, eliciting sharp barks and shrieking meows from Sherlock and Fish. I shut the front door with my foot, lest we all freeze to death, and pick up the baseball bat I have in the front closet.
“Stop it right now!” I shout at the top of my lungs, but that doesn’t slow the hostile party down.
Jasper picks up Leo and throws him at the fireplace and I’m half-afraid they’ll both end up inside. A shrill scream comes from me as I run over and begin swatting at their feet with the baseball bat as if I were hitting a piñata at a birthday party.
Honestly? A three-year-old has more power in their swing than I do. But then again, I would very much like the two of them to walk out of here without the need to seek an orthopedic surgeon in the morning.
Jasper shakes Leo like a man possessed. “I told you to stay away from her,” he grits each word through his teeth.
“I don’t give a crap what you said,” Leo barks it out in his face. “Nothing is going on between us!”
Jasper huffs a laugh as he twirls Leo toward the exit as if it were a ballet move. “That’s because Bizzy doesn’t want anything to do with your sorry self.”
“Not true.” Leo pats his lower lip with the back of his hand and examines it for blood.
“It’s true,” Jasper pants heavily. “Tell him, Bizzy.”
The whites of Leo’s eyes flash my way. Bizzy, just tell him we’re friends. Nothing more.
Jasper scowls over at him. I know his game. He wants to make me just suspicious enough to keep my doubts going. He glances my way. Come on, Bizzy. Tell him you never want to see him again and let’s kick this piece of garbage to the curb. I’m done trying to give Leo another chance. He’s burned through a thousand—and each time it’s the same story.
Leo offers a depleted smile my way, his lower lip quickly ballooning. If you tell him what he wants to hear, it’ll only make things difficult. We need to work together. And the last thing I want is for us to sneak around.
I can’t help but roll my eyes at that one. Like tonight?
Leo takes a breath. I’m sorry. I’ll keep all of our meetings in a public setting. Happy?
I give a slight nod.
“Leo and I are just friends. He stopped by to tell me that the men from MRD were at the inn this morning.”
Jasper staggers forward before softening. “What did they want?” He seems genuinely surprised. “I thought I told them to never come back.”
It’s true. Last Christmas Eve they came snooping around and Jasper sensed how uncomfortable they made me—and I think him—so he made it more than clear that they shouldn’t show their faces at the inn ever again. Apparently, that didn’t sway them. In fact, something tells me they’re unswayable.
Leo opens the door and turns around. “Well, they came back. They were asking a few of the guests if they noticed any strange happenings.”
“And?” Jasper’s chest is still pulsating as if he were struggling to catch his breath. “What did you tell them?”
Leo cuts me a quick glance. “I told them the truth.” He takes off into the night before I could properly probe him.
What in the heck does he mean by the truth? And what does Camila have to do with it?
Honestly, I’m not sure who I should kill first. Leo or that vindictive ex-girlfriend of his.
Jasper and I get to the very serious business of diving into that bag of Dragon Express. Neither of us brings up the Metaphysical Research Department or Leo Granger. But we’re both very much thinking about it. I should know. Jasper is playing it on a loop in his mind.
Dinner leads to dessert, which leads to some serious rocky road chocolate brownie kisses. And if things are feeling like anything these days between Jasper and me, it’s very much rocky.
Chapter 7
A couple of days glide by before Jasper and I decide to head to the Murphy Hotel and Casino down in Edison. With this tiny exception: we’re actually not headed there together.
Jasper had another meeting regarding that crime ring the Seaview Sheriff’s Department is still looking to break up. Jasper mentioned something about break-ins at local shops and businesses which sent both Macy and me in a tizzy.
Speaking of my spicy sister, both she and Georgie were with me when I got the call from Jasper letting me know he was running late. He asked if I wanted to do the casino another night, and I let him know I could meet him out there at eight. Once Macy and Georgie got wind of the fact I was hightailing it to a casino, of all places, they decided to hightail it right alongside me. So, of course, we drove out together. Georgie had us make a stinky pit stop in Rose Glen where we picked up Gassy Gus. True to Georgie’s word, he’s an older gentleman with a horny gleam in his eyes, a pickled nose, gray hair coming out of his ears, and a pillow-like paunch.
Macy was quickly apprised of why Georgie nicknamed him Gassy Gus. And in an effort to live up to his name, he effectively gassed us right out of my poor car as soon as we drove into the parking lot of the Murphy Hotel and Casino.
Georgie is dressed in her glitziest kaftan, gold and red with hot pink sequin strewn throughout, and Macy looks like the hot little hooker she’s striving to be in a tight red dress that hardly covers her rear. But those lace up heels are to die for and I predict they’ll find their way into my closet soon enough.
“Georgie,” I hiss as Macy makes a run for the casino and Gassy Gus makes a mad dash after her as if he forgot which woman he was supposed to be dating. “Feel free to keep your crazy kraut-loving boyfriend a safe distance from my olfactory senses. Come to think of it, you should probably keep him a safe distance from everyone’s olfactory senses.”
She fans her nose. “Duly noted. You don’t think it would be bad form to leave him here, do you?”
“I’m sure they already have their fair share of smelly men they can’t get rid of. I highly doubt they’re looking to add to their collection. Now let’s get in there. Are you ready t
o have some fun?”
“Are you kidding? I emptied the cookie jar of all my money and I’m ready to throw my retirement fund to the wind.” She lets out a mad howl.
Somehow I believe the fact Georgie keeps her retirement fund in a cookie jar.
“You did mean the cookie jar in your cottage, right?” I whisper as we head on out of the parking lot. “Not the one in the café?”
She waves me off before taking off like a third grader who has an entire toy store to herself. Only this third grader doesn’t have the prospect of going home to Mom and Dad if she loses her shirt.
The Murphy Hotel and Casino is monolithic in size, and yet it attempts to give off a cozy appeal with its A-frame shaped awning that leads to the expansive front doors. Inside, it’s a wonderland of whirling twirling one-armed bandits lining every free space available. There’s a reception counter to the right with a woman exchanging chips for the real greenback deal and a large colorful sign that boasts all first-timers get a handful of free chips worth twenty dollars, not to be exchanged for actual currency unless winnings exceed that amount. Macy, Georgie, and Gassy Gus quickly collect their funny money and take off toward the middle of the maze-like room, and I doubt I’ll ever see them again.
Georgie runs back my way as if she were determined to prove me wrong.
“They’ve got penny slots, Bizzy! You won’t see me dawdling around that inn feeling sorry for myself anymore.”
“You have never felt sorry for yourself, Georgie.”
“And who cares! I’m going to be a very rich woman!”
“Or a penniless woman,” I mutter as she trots back to Gus, who not surprisingly has a five-foot people-free radius around him.
I turn toward the center of this flashing light, blinking, winking, honking three-ringed circus and see a plethora of tables—some for blackjack, some for craps, and a few poker tables set up in the center—and a bevy of beautiful women parading around with trays full of cocktails, offering one to any and everyone they can. A familiar brunette shares a laugh with one of the dealers before doing a double take my way.
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