Big Easy Escapade

by Joan Rylen

  “Adios, boys,” Wendy called to the cute guys and ambled off down Bourbon, still dancing next to Vivian. “I love this town.”

  They passed an ATM and Lucy halted everyone. “We need to get some phony fuck money.” Jonathon stood guard as she completed the transaction.

  Once in the hotel room, Vivian started laughing. “I can’t believe we have a prostitute coming here.”

  “No shit,” Wendy said. “I’m hiding my laptop.”

  Kate sat down on the bed. “I can’t believe she’s a prostitute.”

  Jonathon put a hand on her shoulder. “Many of them are.” He smiled.

  Ick!!

  “What should we do while we wait?” Lucy asked. “Do we need some mood music?”

  “Her mood is going to be ruined the second she walks in and sees y’all. Music won’t help.”

  Lucy fumbled with the clock radio anyway but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Jonathon rubbed his hands together and whispered to the girls, “Here we go.” He cracked the door. “So glad you came.” He then let Lala in and closed the door behind her.

  “What the fuck is this?” Lala said, then turned to Jonathon and waved her finger around the room. “This is gonna cost extra.”

  Chapter 34

  Lala Lollipop stood in the entry to the room, hands on her hips, glaring at Vivian, Lucy, Kate and Wendy. “I’m not usually into the group thing.” She turned to Jonathon and pointed her finger in his face. “Are they watching or participating?”

  Vivian handed her five 20s. “Neither. We just wanted to talk to you.”

  “Honey, I don’t get paid to listen.” She stuck the money into her bra and turned toward the door.

  Jonathon blocked her way. “We’ve paid for at least 10 minutes of your time. Then you can go.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’m listening. Talk.”

  Kate approached her. “We’re looking for information about Daisy’s disappearance.”

  She crossed her arms. “Like I told the cops, I didn’t see shit, and honestly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what happened to her.”

  “We get that,” Kate said, “but have you heard anything? Other dancers have disappeared.”

  “Again, don’t give a shit.”

  “Do you think another dancer could have played a part in this?” Wendy asked.

  Lala cocked her head. “Like who?”

  Lucy cleared her throat. “We were thinking maybe Trikki Vikki.”

  Lala threw her head back and laughed. “She barely knows where her pasties get pasted.”

  Vivian shifted on her feet. “Do you think Jason really loves Daisy? Maybe things weren’t as peachy as he makes them sound.”

  At the mention of his name, Lala’s eyes narrowed.

  Hit a sore spot with that one, Vivian thought but said, “Y’all had a thing, right?”

  Lala took a step forward but before she could say anything, Kate asked, “You were backstage when it happened. You didn’t see or hear anything?”

  Lala’s chest and face were crimson and her fists were clinched. “Other than hearing those camel jockeys, all I heard was the bass thumping.” She made for the door. “I’m done here.”

  The girls looked at each other.

  “Camel jockeys?” Vivian asked.

  “They sure as hell weren’t from around here.” With that Lala brushed past Jonathon and was gone.

  “It’s late but we’ve got to call Antonio right now,” Vivian said, reaching for her phone.

  He picked up on the second ring and sounded groggy.

  “Hey, Antonio, I’m sorry to call so late but we just found out something!”

  The phone on his end jumbled around. “I’m listening.”

  “That stripper, Lala Lollipop, was just at our hotel, and she said she heard — I’m using her words — camel jockeys backstage the night Daisy was kidnapped.”

  “What was she doing at your hotel? Never mind. Just tell me what all she said.” Vivian gave him the details.

  “And she used the term ‘camel jockeys’?”

  “That was exactly what she said. Does Gino have any Arabic-speaking men on staff?”

  “Negative.”

  “Well there you go! It’s a clue!”

  “All right, listen, thanks for this, but you have to stop. I don’t want to know how the hell you got her to your room, but these types of girls have pimps and they’re not nice guys. Don’t mess around with her anymore.”

  “Ten-four.”

  “I mean it.”

  “Got it.”

  He hung up and Vivian said to the girls, “He thanked us!”

  They all cheered and high-fived. Jonathon, too.

  “Who was there that was Middle Eastern?” Kate asked.

  “That place was packed,” Lucy said. “There were all kind of ethnicities represented.”

  Wendy bit her lower lip. “GQ looked like he could be.”

  Vivian waved her off. “No way. He was too into himself and uppity. He wouldn’t be into strippers.”

  “He was there, wasn’t he?” Wendy said.

  “True, but I just don’t see it. He seems too polished.”

  Kate agreed. “He was definitely from the area, but I don’t see it, either.” She kicked off her shoes. “I’m ready to hit the hay.”

  Vivian noticed Lucy and Jonathon sharing a lusty look. “I’m too wound up. Y’all come with me to the casino.” She looked at Wendy and Kate, specifically.

  Kate put a shoe back on but groaned. “Okay, but only for a little while.”

  “Yay! We’ll be big winners! Karma is on our side tonight, baby!”

  Wendy picked up her purse. “Not long, you promise?”

  “Promise!” Vivian said, grabbing Wendy’s sash from the desk and slipping it over her head. “You gotta wear this baby to the casino. You might get some last chance kisses from cuties.” Vivian popped one of the condoms off and slipped it to Lucy. “You’ve got an hour to feel his power.”

  Lucy smiled at her and took the condom.

  “Have fun!” Vivian said and left the room with Wendy and Kate.

  “You shouldn’t encourage this,” Wendy said, bumping Vivian on the butt as they waited for the elevator.

  “Screw that. And I used those words purposefully. Like I told Kate earlier, that poor girl hasn’t been laid in years, ladies. Years. I’m just giving her the opportunity to get back into the swing of things.”

  “Too bad they don’t have a swing like Shorty’s,” Kate said as the doors opened. “Lucy could have some fun with that!”

  “I still can’t believe you got in that thing,” Vivian said, “and I thought I was the adventurous one.”

  “Y’all needed a product demonstration.” Kate laughed with a gleam in her eye.

  They went through the hotel lobby and took the underground tunnel to the casino. Once again, they were not carded.

  “It’s all your gray hair,” Wendy said, tousling Vivian’s curls.

  “I just colored it a week ago!”

  “I know, but you’re 10 months older than me and I have to remind you occasionally.”

  “Thanks for that,” Vivian said, stepping onto the mirrored escalator where they had re-enacted the scene from Rain Man earlier that day.

  “Weren’t we here about 12 hours ago?” Kate asked, her eyes already red from the smoke, or maybe it was the long day of beers, hurricanes and more beer.

  Vivian spied a three-card-poker table that only had two players. “Come on, I’m gonna teach y’all how to play. It’s easy.”

  The girls sat down and pulled out $40 each, except for Vivian who threw her player’s card and a hundred on the table.

  “Hey big spenda!” Wendy said.

  “You gotta play big to win big, baby!”

  Vivian explained the game with the help of the dealer, Alyssa. Kate dropped out after losing her money in four hands. Wendy won some, then gave it all back. Vivian, however, hung in there. The young couple
at the table kept passing money back and forth to keep one another in the game.

  Vivian picked up her hand, set it back down and placed $10 on top. “Watch this,” she said and clapped.

  Alyssa started with the woman, who didn’t have squat. Her husband had a pair of tens, so he got paid on his pairs plus, but the dealer had a pair of queens so he lost on the other bet. Alyssa reached for Vivian’s three cards and flipped them over.

  “Shazammapuss!” Vivian yelled and raised her arms in victory.

  A six, seven and eight of hearts lay neatly on the table.

  The girls cheered and Alyssa congratulated her, then called the pit boss over. He confirmed the bonus hand.

  Vivian had $25 on the three-card hand and was playing $10 against the dealers’ hand. In all, it paid $1,050. Vivian passed Alyssa a $25 chip, put the rest in her purse and stood up. “My work here is done.”

  Chapter 35

  Day 5

  Wake up! Wake up! Jason’s on TV!” Lucy said, shaking Vivian. She unmuted the volume and cranked it.

  Vivian shimmied herself up on the bed, plumped the pillow and forced her eyes open.

  “Kate, Wendy, wake up!” Lucy said, hopping on the bed. “Matt Lauer just did an introduction. Daisy’s story is finally going national!”

  “We’re going live to the family of the first victim, whose identity was released early this morning, Lisa Miller.” Lauer’s tone had a sense of urgency. “Folks, I’m sorry for your loss. I know this must be a difficult time and we appreciate you talking to us.”

  A lady in her mid-20s, who looked a little rough around the edges, held a photo of Lisa. “We just want to find who did this.”

  “I understand that Lisa was an adult entertainer in New Orleans and that she was missing for almost a month.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Do you feel like enough was done to search for your sister?”

  “We’re real appreciative of the police, but we wish they would have found her

  before —” The woman paused and lowered her head. “Before, you know.”

  “Did your sister know the second dancer who was kidnapped?”

  “We don’t think so, but Lisa had a lot of friends. People loved her. She was always doing nice things for others.”

  “Have the police found anything common among the three victims other than their shared occupations? Had the women ever met? Worked at the same club?”

  “You know, we’ve talked to her friends, the police have talked to her co-workers. Nobody can come up with anything that connected Lisa to the other two girls.”

  The shot switched to Jason, his parents and Daisy’s parents. Lauer introduced and thanked them.

  “This is day three since Daisy disappeared. How are you holding up?”

  Jason answered. “We’re trying to stay positive. We’re lucky we’ve had a lot of support, friends and family, who are here helping in the search.”

  “I understand a local printer donated flyers and other groups have come forward to participate.”

  “That’s right. We won’t stop until Daisy has been found.”

  “The adult entertainment business can be a dangerous world. Had Daisy ever encountered problems?”

  “Not really. She would get the occasional crazy marriage proposal or overzealous fan. She’s pretty good at taking care of herself. That’s one of the things I love about her.”

  “I understand she’s been nominated as Newcomer of the Year in the Exotic Dancer National Championships and the two of you were on your way to Las Vegas for the competition when she was kidnapped.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Are you second guessing her choice of professions?”

  Jason got a bit defensive. “Absolutely not. Daisy isn’t just an entertainer, she’s a competitor. An athlete. She’s worked hard to get where she is and I’m proud of her. We’re all proud of her.” Their parents all nodded their heads. Daisy’s mom wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “Have the police shared any new details with you regarding who could have done this?”

  “I think you know what we do. They’re tight-lipped about the investigation, but I’ve been told they’re following up on all leads.”

  The shot changed to just Lauer. “Sources tell us the investigation continues into the disappearance of the second dancer, Simone Hitchens, missing for almost two weeks. We requested an interview with her family, but they declined. Sources tell us, however, that video footage shows her willingly getting into a gray Mustang, so authorities have been hesitant to call it a kidnapping.”

  Lucy muted the TV and looked at Kate. “So it was the first dancer you discovered in the tomb yesterday.”

  Kate dabbed at her eyes with her pajamas. “Poor Lisa. I hate to think of what she must have gone through.”

  Vivian groaned. “I can’t imagine, but the interview and story were good. Drawing attention to the cases will help.”

  Wendy stood up and stretched. “Antonio’s got to be feeling pressure to find Daisy and Simone, and it doesn’t get much bigger than the ‘Today Show’.”

  Vivian smacked Lucy on the butt. “Speaking of big, how was Jonathon last night? Did he meet your expectations?”

  Lucy tossed the remote onto the bed. “We had a really nice time. That boy can kiss!”

  “And you really mean boy, don’t you?” Wendy teased.

  “What else can that boy do?” Kate asked.

  Lucy shook her head. “I couldn’t do it. Dammit! I wanted to, but it just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t do that to Steve.”

  Vivian kicked off her covers. “I commend you for having the willpower, but hell, Steve has put you in sexile. I’d be dying a slow, sexaperating death. Damn, I was expecting the ol’ towel on the doorknob when we got back. Not that it would have stopped us.”

  “Yeah, no. He left about 45 minutes after y’all did.”

  “Ya big loser.” Vivian hip-bumped Lucy on her way to the bathroom. “I, on the other hand, was a big winner!”

  “You were?”

  “Yep, won over $1,000!”

  “Damn, you’re lucky! Lunch is on you!”

  Vivian’s phone buzzed on the nightstand. Kate picked it up and tossed it to her.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey! It’s Adrienne. Did y’all see Jason on TV?”

  “Yes. He did a great job.”

  “He sure did. That’ll help move things along, I’m sure of it. Y’all need a break from what’s going on here. I want y’all to come to my family’s place outside the city. We can eat some home-cookin’, take a spin in the airboat, just get away for a while. Al’s busy, he doesn’t want to go. What do ya think?”

  “Hold on, let me ask.” Kate, Wendy and Lucy agreed.

  “We’re in. When?”

  “I’ll give ya an hour. I’ll text you when I’m close.”

  “Okay. Bye.” Vivian put the phone on the dresser. “Let’s move, ladies.”

  ***

  Daisy showered and inspected her clothes. There was no wearing the ripped blouse, and her white miniskirt was so filthy it could probably stand up on its own. It hurt worse than his slap, but she put on the least ugly Middle Eastern dress. It had purple and red swirls against tan fabric; the others were a solid burgundy, navy and brown.

  A guy she hadn’t seen before brought her breakfast. His gaze held a little more leer than Sonu’s other two guys, and it made her uncomfortable. She was almost glad she was covered head to toe in the ugly dress. Or is that what he likes?

  She flipped on the “Today Show” and caught Matt Lauer’s interview with Lisa Miller’s family, Jason, his parents and hers. As the camera zoomed in on Jason, she ran to the screen and kissed his face. The camera panned to her parents and she kissed them, too. “I’m here! I’m here!”

  The interview over, Daisy pounded on the bedroom door. “Let me out of here! You motherfuckers! I’m going to kill you all when I get out of here!” She screamed, cried and threw the breakfast dis
hes across the room, splattering eggs, grits, fruit and cottage cheese all over the walls.

  ***

  One by one, the girls took turns getting ready. Vivian waited to the last minute, threw herself into a quick shower and got dressed in her much-loved denim skirt and a chiffon, one-shouldered emerald green blouse. Since she was going to be with Adrienne, she decided some bling was needed. She raided her accessory bag for her crystal chandelier earrings and looked in the mirror. Need a little more. Several silver Bengal bracelets and a matching necklace later, and she was ready to go.

  Lucy, wearing dark brown shorts, a pale pink top and Cole-Haan sandals, looked at her. “You're aware we're going to the swamp, right?”

  Vivian shrugged and smiled, bracelets jangling. They finished up and headed out. Her phone chimed with a message as they made their way downstairs.

  Adrienne waited for them at the valet stand in a black SUV.

  Wendy adjusted the hem of her black shorts as she reached for the door handle. “I haven’t been out to the bayou before. Will my red shirt set off alligators like it does bulls?”

  Adrienne laughed. “They’ll think you’re pretty and want to give ya a kiss.”

  Wendy pursed her lips and blew a kiss into the air. “Mmmmmmwah!”

  “You’re gator bait and I’m starving,” Kate said as they got in. She wore a much more conservative, and swamp appropriate, ensemble of jeans and sleeveless blue blouse with satin trim. A silver disk inlaid with a gold fleur-de-lis dangled from a thin silver necklace, and a pair of strappy pewter sandals completed her look.

  “If you can hold out 30 minutes, my momma will have plenty to eat. She’s the best on the bayou.”

  They rode for a while, talking about Daisy and the case.

  Adrienne slowed and made a sharp turn. “I can’t believe the first dancer is dead.”

  “Yeah, and that we found her.” Kate stared out the window.

  “Terrible,” Wendy said.

  “It is,” Adrienne said. “Antonio questioned the two kids last night, the ones who tried to break in. They didn’t have much to say, but one of them mentioned seeing a large, black SUV.”