Deviled!: Lake Erie Mysteries Book 2

by Maureen K. Howard

  “You will not get away with this. You’re going to be arrested and locked up along with your precious psychotic ‘sister.’ And what kind of insane family member goes around killing his real brothers for a plot of land?”

  Gabriel ignored her scathing reproof and proceeded to unlock the door he had taken such pains to secure. “Enough about me and my family. I’m going to go take care of business, now that I know you two won’t get in my way.”

  He gestured to the crumpled, water-stained pages I had been holding onto like a lifeline during his rant. “Maybe you’ll have enough time to put your amateur sleuthing skills to use to figure out my ultimate plan before my friend Eddie gets here to tidy up loose ends and remove you from the equation once and for all. Senora told me of your fondness for the deep waters of this lake, and I passed the information on to him.”

  With that last barb, he left us, slamming the door and locking it from the outside. We were left to wait for that rat Eddie and forced to ponder the possibility of another midnight swim in our beloved Lake Erie.

  35

  Thou art a traitor, false to thy gods,

  thy brother and thy father.

  King Lear

  “Give me those papers, Francie. We need to figure out what we’re up against this time. I recognize the name Scorpione. They’re the most ruthless crime family in Chicago. They make most of their money dealing in smuggled and counterfeit merchandise. Lately, they’ve been branching out into casinos. Don’t you remember they were mentioned in Senora’s trial? The prosecutor was trying to tie her to the family, but she wouldn’t say a word against them and took full responsibility—or credit, as she called it—for her crimes.”

  I felt the enormity of the situation piling up and crushing the air from my chest like boulders. I handed June the mangled papers and fell onto the sheet-covered sofa in the center of the living area. Dust billowed around my head. After a sneezing fit, I closed my eyes and practiced holding my breath for our promised late-night swim. At least the water temperature had gone up since May. What was I thinking? I was not going to take this lying down. I sprang to my feet and circled the room. There was no TV to distract me on my circuit this time; in fact, the only other furniture in the room was a ratty, old end table and a lamp the color of the mud in the driveway. Whoever used this place obviously did not watch HGTV.

  “I knew that weasel Eddie couldn’t be trusted,” I mumbled mostly to myself because June was consumed with the lump of soggy papers. She held the pages close to the lamp, trying to organize them in hopes of figuring out a way to save ourselves—and maybe even Damien and Angelina—from Gabriel’s rotten scheme.

  “Aha!” June pumped her fist in the air like she had just scored a game-winning run.

  “What did you find? I hope it’s instructions on how to crush a disgusting bug named Eddie Sneed.” Before I could reach over to give her a high-five, the celebration was cut short by the sound of someone twisting the doorknob. “Uh-oh. I think he’s here.”

  I glanced at the door. Nothing. Maybe it was just the wind from the storm. June looked, too, as she held the pages out to me.

  “It’s a casino, Francie. There are pieces of plans here, names of contractors, copies of emails, even some incomplete invoices. You can see Gabriel DeVille’s name on several of the documents and some other names you’d recognize from the news, including Scorpione. Gabriel and the Scorpiones want to turn the island from a high end resort and amusement park to a flashy casino for high rollers, with everything from gaming and bars to strip clubs. Those girls we saw on Scorpion Island must have been there for training to be card dealers, waitresses, or dancers.”

  “That’s not quite as terrifying as being sold to the highest bidder, but I doubt any of them signed up for those jobs when they applied for their work visas and came to Lake Erie for the summer.” Sounds were coming from outside the door once again. The knob jiggled, and I could hear whispering.

  “Get over here, June. Give me the papers and I’ll put them in the zip pocket of my purse. I think Eddie and some of the Scorpiones’ other tattooed goons are about to take us out for a moonlight boat ride.”

  June handed me the papers. Her hands were trembling with anger and I’m sure a good dose of fear. “I’m not going. No way we’re going to end up on the bottom of the lake. Been there; done that.”

  Of course I felt the same way. I braced myself against the door with all my weight, knowing full well that one shove from the other side would send me sailing across the floor, but I had to do something. I felt the door nudge open against my body, and then all hell broke loose. The door flew open, banging against the wall. The wind howled in, and cold rain shot sideways at me like a blast from a fire hose. I ended up on the floor, tangled in a pile of flailing arms and legs and girly shrieking.

  I wasn’t sure how many of us were in the room, or who had blown through the door, but it had to be more than just June and me. I could hear thumping and bumping in the shadowy room. Since I couldn’t get free, I shut my eyes, braced myself, and prepared for the worst. Insane kidnappers seemed to be quite fond of conking people over the head when situations got out of control. I waited. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes a crack and saw June wielding the table lamp at shoulder height like a baseball bat, the cord jerking and swaying as she shifted from left to right and back again. The shade was missing. The bare bulb at the end of the stick lit up the dingy room and cast wild shadows over the walls and floor.

  I squirmed my way out from under the weight of the tangled bodies and recognized the moaning figure lying on the floor. It was Eddie Sneed. By the time I pulled myself to a standing position, the last set of arms and legs extricated itself from the tangle. The limbs belonged to the ubiquitous Sasha. She remained on the floor, cradling Eddie’s head in her lap and stroking his head—or was that a cat? By now you’d think I wouldn’t be startled every time I laid eyes on that ridiculous head pet of his. I had to hold back the urge to kick him while he was down, content in the realization that June must have used Eddie’s head for a softball. She was still holding the Louisville Slugger lamp at the ready in case the weasel tried any funny business. I joined June on the opposite side of the dusty old couch—the only thing separating us from Eddie and Sasha.

  Despite the shadows, I could see the deep-purple circles rimming Sasha’s eyes, the kind caused by worry, stress, and exhaustion, rather than the latest fashion color trends. I could also see fear and concern in her eyes as she trained them on my own.

  Her heavily accented voice broke the silence. She didn’t even bother to enunciate in the Midwestern dialect all the European workers were trained to use. “Vhy did you heet my Eddie? Ve come here to save you, but you hurt heem.”

  June took a tentative step forward, extending her arm so more of the lamplight shone on Sasha’s face. “What do you mean? I think your English needs some work. Eddie was here to kill us. And seeing that you’re with him, I assume you were in on the plan to murder us all along. It makes sense now, the way you kept popping up everywhere we went.”

  “No. Is not ze truth.” Sasha’s comment was punctuated by a moan from Eddie as he struggled to sit up.

  “Come on, June. I think we need to get out of here while we have the chance. Who knows how many more of the Scorpiones’ henchmen are on their way. I think I’d rather take my chances trying to clear my name from inside the safety of a jail cell than trying to figure out who we can trust in this nightmare.”

  Eddie wobbled to his feet, setting my fight-or-flight mode to the latter. “It’s time to boogie. We’re outta here!”

  “Hold on, Francie. Ugh. My head. Why did you hit me, June?”

  “Why? You were coming here to kill us. Gabriel told us so.” June was at bat again, lamp poised on her shoulder.

  “Could you just calm down and listen for a minute? It’s not what you think.”

  A spark of bravery tingled through me. In all the fuss, I realized that I’d not seen any sort of weapon. Neither Eddie nor
Sasha pointed guns or knives at us, and she seemed genuinely concerned about the purple, egg-sized bump that had formed above Eddie’s left eye. Instead of bolting out the open front door, I crossed my arms over my chest, planted my feet on the floor, and stared right at Eddie. “Seriously? How many times do you think we’re going to patiently listen to your lame explanations, do as you say, and then wait to be kidnapped or killed? Make it quick. You’ve got three minutes until we’re out of here. As you can see, June is twitching to break her home run record.”

  36

  Most dangerous is that temptation that doth goad us

  on to sin in loving virtue.

  Measure for Measure

  Eddie rubbed the knot on his head, glowered at June, and began. “I was on a roll from January until April. I could do no wrong at the Hollywood Casino. Everything I touched turned to gold. They even gave me a key to my own private suite at the hotel and a credit card with no limit.”

  I was tempted to ask him why he didn’t hightail it to the nearest toupee shop and have them perform an emergency squirrel-ectomy, but I held my tongue

  “I was living like a regular high roller until about mid-April, and then everything just dried up. I went from blackjack to poker to craps to roulette. I even resorted to slot machines. Nothing worked. It was over and I was broke. That’s when the Scorpione family entered the picture. They offered to help me get out of debt and even come out ahead. What an idiot I was for listening to them.”

  He got no argument from me. “So what was the catch? There’s always a catch.”

  “I had to agree to come to Devil’s Island and keep my eyes and ears open, to watch the people around Gabriel and report back on anyone or anything that might hamper the plans he had for acquiring the resort.”

  “Including killing his own brother?” June’s comment was venom.

  “I had no idea it would go that far. But I was in and I couldn’t get out. After I met you two, I tried really hard to come up with a way to get myself out of this mess. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I knew these guys would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.”

  “What about her?” I asked, nodding at Sasha, who held Eddie’s hand. “What’s her deal?”

  They looked at each other and then at us. “We’re in love,” they said in unison, their words gushing out with a Bose-quality, surround sound richness.

  That was the last thing I expected to hear. I was sure it was a heartbreakingly romantic tale of forbidden love and equally certain I did not have the time or the stomach to hear any of the details. I was right about the forbidden part. As Eddie explained, when Gabriel got wind of the budding relationship, he came up with a clever solution to the problem. Instead of separating them, he relocated Sasha’s younger sister, Sofia, to Scorpion Island. He cut off contact between the sisters and kept Sasha so busy working she didn’t have time to sleep. He could be sure all three of them would cooperate under threat that harm would come to the loved one of whoever broke any of the imposed rules. I had flashbacks to the Cheesecake Factory and the spa and, remembering the frightened look on Sasha’s exhausted face, believed the whole story.

  June lowered the lamp-bat. By now her muscles had to be getting sore, and neither Eddie nor Sasha seemed to be an imminent threat. “Okay, fine. Let’s say we believe you. I still don’t get how you know Michael. I’m pretty sure you two don’t run in the same social circles.”

  I knew from my brief dealings with Michael that June was right. She had known him longer, but he was still a mystery man. I knew he was ex-military and that he was vigilant about keeping his little slice of paradise out of harm’s way. I knew he had connections. I knew I probably didn’t want to know much more than that.

  “Michael found me and offered me a way out of my predicament. He would help Sasha and me get out from under the family’s control and reunite her with Sofia if I would help him gather evidence against the Scorpione family.”

  I translated this last bit of information to mean Michael saw Eddie as the weakest link and, therefore, the easiest to manipulate. If he could only keep track of what he was supposed to be doing, it might actually work. I thought of the papers he had entrusted to me, with their sketchy bits and pieces of incriminating information, and his explanation was sounding plausible once again.

  “What do you suggest we do now?” I asked. “If all you say is true, we can’t just sit here and wait for Gabriel and his goons to come back for us. I’m surprised they’re not here already.”

  June nodded. “For once, the summer storm is working to our advantage. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve, Eddie? Because as I see it, there’s no place left for us to hide.”

  Something had been niggling away in the far corners of my mind since I first untangled myself from our visiting lovebirds. “How did you two get here, anyway? I never heard a car pull up, and this place isn’t in walking distance to any place resembling civilization.”

  This time it was Sasha who answered. “Ve drive our Vespa.”

  “Huh?” I wasn’t sure I was getting her drift.

  Eddie piped in. “Our motor scooters. Island employees are issued scooters if they work in certain locations throughout the resort. With all the racket from the wind, you wouldn’t have heard us pull up the drive; besides, we stashed them down by the road behind some trees. We can each take on one passenger. I think the safest place to camp out for the night is at Bob’s house. We know he won’t be returning, and it’s the last place Gabriel would think to look for you now.”

  “Bob’s house? Are you kidding me?” The thought made me shiver.

  “Can you think of a better plan?”

  37

  The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right!/ Nay, come, let's go together.

  Hamlet

  June paused less than a second then grabbed Sasha’s hand. “Let’s get this over with. I’m with you.” For my best friend, she certainly wasn’t giving me a choice in the election of my personal escort. I’d have to keep my eyes squeezed shut and hope I wasn’t attacked by a flying squirrel.

  We arrived at Bob’s cozy cottage in the woods in less than ten minutes, and with utter gratitude, I noted the squirrel was still perched atop Eddie’s head. The rain had turned into a fine, steady mist and the wind was gone. In its place gathered an eerie swirling fog.

  After stashing the scooters behind the house, we entered through the kitchen, the same way June and I had gone in on our prior visit. From the archway leading into the living room, I could see a long, furry tail swishing the armrest of the ugly plaid couch. Michael was waiting for us.

  Michael sat beside Gunner, his right foot resting casually on his left knee. He stroked the fur between his dog’s eyes. They both looked so relaxed and content that for a moment I could almost believe we were stopping by the summer retreat of a close friend for a visit and a glass of wine. But, of course, that moment didn’t last. Two chairs, equally ugly, were positioned across from the couch. Eddie and Sasha made themselves comfortable. June sat on the couch next to Michael—uh-oh—and I was left standing like a fifth wheel in the middle of the room.

  “Umm . . . is there any coffee in this place? I could use a cup about now. Or a stiff drink.”

  “There’s coffee in the cupboard next to the sink; cups are in there too. The coffeemaker is on the counter, or if you’d rather, there’s this.” Michael reached down and picked up a dark, black-labeled bottle I hadn’t noticed. “You’ll still have to use the coffee cups. There’s a wine key in the utility drawer.”

  I got to work gathering cups and pouring the wine. From my position at the kitchen table I could see everyone in the living room, hear the conversation, and not feel like an uninvited guest. June had tucked her feet up on the couch and ran her fingers across Gunner’s thick fur, managing to look like she lived here. I pulled the one kitchen chair into the room, passed out the mugs of wine, and joined the circle.

  Once we were all settled and had
sipped our drinks, Michael pulled something out of the pocket of his denim jacket. It looked like a miniature CD or DVD. “While I was waiting for you, I did some investigating.” Seems he’d been certain we’d end up there sooner or later.

  “Bob had digital cameras strategically arranged around his entire property, both inside and out. I was at the marina earlier today and found other recording devices attached to the building and even a few on some of the docks. They’re pretty sophisticated. Either he was smarter than everyone thought, or he had someone he trusted who installed and maintained the equipment. In any event, he was still a manipulating petty crook with his own agenda for gaining and keeping control of his piece of the resort pie. He also seems to have had a sick fascination with clowns.”

  June’s face reddened. I took a long sip from my mug, remembering the photos we had found in this very room. Bob had immortalized more clowns than I ever cared to meet and documented countless personal encounters between resort employees, all fraught with damaging implications. “Thankfully, his obsessive hobby won’t hurt anyone else, and the fact that he recorded nearly everything that happened around him may provide the hard evidence the police will need to convict his murderer and clear the names of the innocent.”

  I asked the question everyone else in the room was thinking.

  “Have you watched the video feed?”

  “I saw enough to know it was, without a doubt, Gabriel DeVille who murdered his brother. He stuffed his body into an oversize duffle bag and hauled it away in the trunk of his fancy car. I’m sure there will be enough forensic evidence to put him away for the rest of his life.”

  “I stumbled over that bag the first night we stayed here. Gabriel couldn’t have been trying to frame Francie then. He hadn’t even met us yet.”