Deviled!: Lake Erie Mysteries Book 2

by Maureen K. Howard

  Michael sighed. “You two have a way of turning up in all the wrong places.”

  “It’s true then,” I added. “Gabriel wanted it to look like Damien was responsible so the resort would have belonged solely to him and he could move forward with his casino plans. It should become obvious what happened, as soon as the authorities see the proof.”

  Feeling a bit more relaxed by the knowledge we now possessed, the soothing sips of wine, and the presence of two worthy bodyguards, we agreed to try to get a few hours’ sleep. Michael would formulate a plan to keep us safe. Gabriel had nothing to lose and would be more determined than ever to get rid of June and me once and for all.

  38

  When we mean to build, We first survey the plot,

  then draw the model.

  King Henry IV

  We woke to the tantalizing aroma of brewing coffee and frying bacon. June and I wandered into the kitchen, dressed in oversized T-shirts and boxers which someone had conveniently left in unopened packages on top of the dresser in the bedroom we shared last night. It felt wonderful to be out of my torn, dirty clothes, but there was still the matter of a shower. Hunger and coffee deprivation trumped stinky at the moment. The table was set with three plates and two mugs. Michael was pouring himself a cup as he flipped bacon in a skillet.

  “Are the lovebirds sleeping in?” I asked no one in particular, not really caring about the answer. What I did want to know was how long it would be before that delicious meat made its way to my plate. I poured myself a mug of steaming coffee and sat down to wait. June did the same.

  She looked around the room and made note of the obvious. “Eddie and Sasha aren’t here, are they, Michael? Should we be worried?”

  “No, June, it’s all part of the plan. Francie, I’m sorry. They had to take your handbag and some of your personal belongings over to the hotel. You needed to get some sleep, so after we came up with a strategy, I had to make a judgement call.”

  “What plan? What’s my stuff got to do with anything?”

  Michael walked over from the stove and slid six strips of perfect bacon onto my plate. “Eddie is taking your bag, along with your driver’s license and a few of your credit cards, back to Gabriel in the hope of convincing him that he finished the job he was commissioned to do last night. Your phone is on the coffee table in the living room with the rest of the contents. You had some interesting stuff in there.”

  My friend jumped to my defense. “Don’t tease her. You have no idea how many times that stuff has come in handy.”

  “No problem. Sasha and Eddie are staying at the hotel today to keep tabs on Gabriel. It’s the last day of the conference, and Gabriel is going to need to maintain his presence throughout. Apparently you two were supposed to help him prepare for the final event of the evening. Since you won’t be there, Eddie and Sasha will fill in. I understand he had already volunteered to help out before all this started. That works to our advantage. Gabriel shouldn’t suspect anything, and Eddie can keep an eye on him and his actions.”

  Hard to believe but so far things made sense. “So what about us? What are we supposed to do all day? We can’t very well show up to any of the workshops.”

  “And what about Sofia? Michael, you are going to help us get her off Scorpion Island and reunite her with Sasha aren’t you?”

  “Yes, June, and here’s where things can get tricky. The good news is, none of the players or their bodyguards are aware of your visit yesterday; I would have heard by now. I think the only person who knows you were there, besides Eddie and I, is Sofia, and she’s the one we need to locate and bring back.”

  “Are you taking us for another boat ride?” I asked.

  “What are we supposed to wear?”

  “I need a shower!”

  “And more bacon.” June’s plate was empty.

  “Coffee!” My cup needed a refill.

  I thought Michael would need to be treated for whiplash. “Whoa. One thing at a time. I think we better start with the coffee.”

  June and I lifted our mugs, and Michael got up to pour. He lingered a split second behind June, his eyes scanning every detail of her petite frame like a copy machine.

  “It’s already getting pretty hot around here. I think I’ll go shower now. Are there towels?” The thought of using anything belonging to the late Roberto DeVille gave me the creeps, but I didn’t have many options.

  “I anticipated some of this last night, so on my way over I picked up some basic toiletries. There are fresh towels, toothbrushes, soap, and shampoo in the bathroom. Help yourself. While you two get cleaned up—did he just wrinkle his nose?—I’ll go pick up some things. What size shoes do you wear?”

  “There’s nothing open at this hour,” June countered, “not even the tourist traps.”

  Michael shot her a “don’t ask” look and left through the back door.

  “All right then. I’ll tidy up in here while you shower. I trust Michael to get us over to the island, but we need to figure out how to smuggle Sofia back.”

  “This whole thing revolves around a casino operation, right?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “I may have an idea.” I smiled over my shoulder as I made my way down the short hallway to the bathroom.

  It didn’t take me long to wash the remnants of yesterday’s misadventures down the drain. While June got cleaned up, I sat on the couch, my hair wrapped in a towel. I found a notepad and pencil among the leftover contents of my handbag and got to work fine-tuning the scheme that had been taking shape in my mind. I jotted down some final thoughts as June emerged from the bathroom, feeling confident for the first time in a while. This should work.

  39

  Boldness be my friend

  Cymbeline

  The boat ride over to Scorpion Island was uneventful. The misty morning air provided us with an extra element of concealment, Combine that with the fact that our skipper was a trained professional—of some sort—and our morale improved along with our determination to get this job done.

  I outlined my scenario on the way over, and June tossed in some good ideas of her own. After a tweak or two from Michael, the plan was in place. With the requisite words of caution and Michael’s promise to be waiting to take us back to the resort in time for the final convention dinner, we stepped ashore without wetting our new cross-trainers.

  First stop: Sofia’s dorm room. With the lay of the land still fresh in our minds, we were able to get to the cinder block structure without difficulty. Having a solid plan in place and knowing Michael was nearby went a long way toward making us feel like we would be successful in our mission. We knew the guards focused most of their attention on the main house rather than the dormitories, but we still used all the caution we could muster to arrive unnoticed. We knocked softly, and when there was no answer, entered Sofia’s room with the key Eddie had provided. It didn’t take long to go through the tiny space for a second time and retrieve what we needed.

  We had to take turns squeezing inside the tiny bathroom so we could get a look at our handiwork. I was thankful I could only glimpse my somewhat-cloudy reflection from the waist up in the over-the-sink mirror, making it a little easier to face the fact that I was no longer a twenty-something showstopper.

  “Why do you get to wear the one-piece dress? I would have doubled my crunches if I knew I was going to be running around with my stomach showing for all to see.”

  “Because, Francie, you’re the one who’s spent the last ten years watching YouTube videos on card dealing in your spare time so you could increase Hamm’s odds of winning at the blackjack table when you go to Vegas every winter. You’ve practically made being a card shark your second job so you can reap the rewards of his winnings at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace.”

  “Well, there is that.”

  “Besides, I wouldn’t exactly call this a dress. I think my backside is showing.”

  I gave June the once over. She looked pretty good in the shiny gold scrap of a
dress. True, it barely covered her bottom and left her entire back exposed, but she pulled it off, especially with her new hairdo. I, on the other hand, felt like an escapee from an Alice In Wonderland nightmare. The Queen of Hearts would just adore my black bra top covered in red-and-black hearts and equally mortifying miniskirt decorated in hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs—not to mention the headband with two cards sticking up like the ears of a Playboy bunny.

  I realized it was now or never. “We better get moving if we’re going to find Sofia and stop Devil’s Island from being taken over by these creeps. I hope the seams on this outfit hold up. Just keep practicing your Russian accent. We don’t want to sound like Natasha from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle if we have to talk to someone.”

  I would have to trust our unseen partners to retrieve the personal belongings we had to leave in Sofia’s room. Making our way up the hill toward the main house was more difficult than the last time we did it, seeing as we were now wearing the high heels that went with our new digs. Of course, we knew we couldn’t escape being seen at some point, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I channeled my inner actress as we passed a group of young men being ordered around by a rough-looking armed guard. Telling myself I was performing a role in a play kept me from thinking about the real-life danger we were walking right into. The scene we approached was surreal as the boys, dressed all in black, took turns aiming their weapons at a target about fifty feet away on the meticulously manicured lawn just in front of the house. These guys were being trained in using high-powered firearms.

  It was showtime. We made our approach with artificial confidence. Two serious-looking, rifle-toting men, their uniform pockets stuffed with who-knows-what, stood side by side before the door. It was impossible to miss the intricate scorpion tattooed on the one guard’s bulging forearm, while the other guard’s scorpion seemed eerily alive as it rippled over the veins in his neck when he spoke. “ID cards,” he demanded when we reached the top of the third step.

  “Umm . . .” So much for my confidence in our plan. “Gabriel sent us.” My voice sounded foreign to me. My parched throat and fake accent in no way resembled the authentic voice I had practiced.

  Neck Tattoo spoke again. “Gabriel did not inform us of any new arrivals today.”

  I cleared my throat noisily and plowed forward, praying to Saint Vitus, patron saint of actors, that our cover wouldn’t be blown. “Ve are here to help ze girls. Gabriel thinks our experience vill be good to help train zem. And some are homesick so ve vill be like zere mozhers. He says they vill vork better this way.” I was getting into my role, forgetting the grave reality and concentrating on the performance.

  “I see. You are the card girls’ mother,” and looking over to June, maybe a beat longer than his boss would approve, “and you must be the dancing girls’ mother?”

  “Yes, exactly.” Was he actually buying our story?

  Begrudgingly, he let us through the front door. A third guard was waiting for us inside. His scorpion tattoo wrapped around his wrist, realistic-looking blood dripping from the creature’s poisonous pincers. I winced when he took my elbow to point us in the right direction. “In here, mother. The dealer’s table is in here.”

  There was a group of half a dozen young women in the room. Although they were perfectly made-up and beautiful, I couldn’t help comparing them to the silent, shuffling zombies we had encountered at the convention center. There was no life in their eyes.

  “Fine. Zank you. You may go now.” I was really feeling this Russian mamma bear thing.” The guy wasn’t quite willing to leave me on my own. He walked over to the far wall, leaned against it, and crossed his arms. It didn’t look like he was planning to go anywhere any time soon.

  I picked up a deck of cards and inspected the design on the back. I must say, I was getting tired of seeing scorpions on everything. Giving June a nod, to let her know the performance of our lives was about to begin, I gathered the girls around the dealer’s table and dove right into a full-blown demonstration of amazing card shuffling and dealing. The guard wasn’t bored anymore. He leaned forward then inched closer to watch and finally walked right up to the table, leaving his rifle propped against the wall. One or two of the girls perked up too, snapping out of their stupors. June took advantage of the guard’s distraction and slipped out the door. I hoped I could keep them mesmerized by my amazing skills long enough for her to locate Sofia and get her out of the house.

  Loud, exotic music emanated from a room right across the hall. A female voice barked instructions to another group of beauties. There were eighteen or twenty women dressed in a variety of revealing costumes, all with the scorpion logo displayed somewhere. As June joined the students, the instructor gave her no more than a cursory glance, most likely for arriving late, but as long as no one looked too closely, she wouldn’t be discovered as having about twenty years on most of them. The pole dancing lessons I gave her for her last birthday were paying off. She blended right in and had some moves I’m sure none of the others, including the intimidating teacher, had ever seen.

  There she was. I saw Sofia right in the middle of the group of dance students. I could only sneak glimpses of her, June, and the others when they crossed my line of sight through the open door, but I managed to witness bits and pieces as they made their way through several choreographed numbers. I had to be careful for fear of breaking my concentration and giving the guard a chance to figure out what was going on. As our plan unfolded, we had no way of knowing which of us would be placed in harm’s way, so we both had to be on high alert at all times and stay in sync if we were to get this done. So far, so good.

  I let the girls at my table take turns practicing some basic moves. They weren’t half bad. While they were learning the ins and outs of fancy card dealing, I could keep an eye on June’s progress. She was working her way among the dancers, finally positioning herself at Sofia’s left side. I had to be careful now. I saw June whisper to Sofia as they executed their dance moves. I needed to be ready at any moment to make a move, but above all else, I couldn’t blow my cover.

  I cut my demonstration short when a loud bang startled everyone in the room. This was not a golf cart backfiring or a child dipping into his fireworks stash a few hours early. This was a serious boom, and it sounded too close to our location for comfort. A commotion outside the front door got everyone’s attention. Two guards were arguing in Russian, and it sounded like things were being thrown around. This had to be our cue. I gathered my card girls in a tight circle around the table and spoke to them in my best teacher voice.

  “This is the most important American card game you’ll ever learn, so pay close attention, girls.”

  They were eager students and listened attentively as I explained the simple steps in 52-Card Pickup. Our guard-chaperone was torn between trying to get a look at what was happening outside and keeping a watchful eye on me and my students. I kept my eye on him until his attention was focused on the front door, and then I performed one more flourishing shuffle and let all the cards loose to fly like brightly winged insects in the air around us and float gracefully to the floor. The girls were elated at this ridiculous American game and scrambled about the floor retrieving the cards and squealing in delight. I used the confusion to drop to my knees and crawl to the hallway in front of the dance practice room, where I heard the shrill voices of squealing young women from other areas of the house disturbing the somber quiet.

  June was helping Sofia to her feet after she had faked an ankle twist. She ushered the limping Sofia out to the hall while the instructor tried to regain control of her other students.

  “Over here, June. I think the coast is clear.” I moved around and crouched low behind them, using their bodies to block the guard’s view in case he’d realized I was no longer in his custody.

  Sticking close together, we slipped into the first room we came to. It was a powder room with a window just big enough to squeeze through one at a time above the toilet. June we
nt first. She reached up and guided Sofia’s exit through the tiny opening and onto the grass below. I followed without hesitation. We kept close to the house, using the ornate shrubbery and landscaping as cover as we made our way around the corner to the back side, where we found Michael waiting for us. Nodding once, not saying a word, he led the way back to his boat. Gunner stood at attention in the skiff, guarding a neat pile of our discarded belongings including our sensible shoes and my handbag which now contained the clothes I wore before I transformed into my odd casino dealer/mother hen role.

  Michael still hadn’t said anything. Back when I first met him, his taciturn manner had been unnerving, but I was more tuned in to his body language now. The crinkles around his eyes spoke just as loud words. He found our appearance amusing, to say the least. We must have looked like we were on our way to a masquerade party, but at least at a drama and theater convention, people wouldn’t be overly shocked by our appearance.

  As we pulled away from Scorpion Island, I could see guards running around like ants, stopping to shield their eyes against the sun and gazing out into the lake. Our ordinary looking skiff flew across the lake, and before the private helicopter had time to take off in our direction, we were once again moored in the marina.

  As soon as I stepped onto the dock, I saw something that made my heart race and my palms sweat. After executing our plan so flawlessly, how could we have not accounted for this?

  40

  For you and I are past our dancing days

  Romeo and Juliet

  June was right behind me; she had seen it too. “They’re back, Francie. What time is it?”

  “I have no idea. It’s not like I had any place to stash my phone in this get-up.”