Jackpot

by Mairsile Leabhair

When she finished tossing the salad, she placed the bowl on the table. Then she realized she wasn’t alone. “Oh, Dios mío!”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, Sophie,” Chelsey said as she walked in. “You were just so cute, shaking your booty.”

  “I’m too old to shake my botín. Want some something to drink?”

  “Oh, yes. But let me get it, you just keep dancing.”

  Sophie swatted the kitchen towel at Chelsey’s thigh but Chelsey jumped out of the way.

  Laughing, Chelsey opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the pitcher of tea. “So, where’s Kenny this morning?” “You just missed her. She’ll be back in a minute. She’s taking a shower.”

  Chelsey poured a glass of tea and sprinkled in some sugar, then she pulled a spoon from the draw and stirred. She leaned against the counter, glass in hand, and watched the liquid tornado as she continued stirring. “I’m really worried for her, Sophie. I think she’s losing hope and I don’t know how to help her.”

  Sophie stopped what she was doing patted and Chelsey’s arm. “But you are helping her, cariño. She was just saying how smart you are.”

  Chelsey perked up and looked at Sophie with quizzical eyes. “She did? What else did she say?”

  Smiling, Sophie turned her attention back to the hamburgers. Now I’ve done it. Sophie was usually not one for matchmaking, but she really cared for those two girls, and besides, real-life romance was so much better than reading about it in a romance novel. “She may have mentioned in passing what a good kisser you were.”

  Chelsey touched her lips with the tips of her fingers. “Oh, no, she’s a much better kisser than I am.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  *

  Sophie walked into the foyer and stopped. She put her hands on her hips and said, “Felisha, I thought we agreed that a water fountain was too much for in here.”

  “Oh, did we? I must have forgotten. Well, it’s here now and doesn’t it look fantastic?”

  Sophie wasn’t going to admit it, but the small fountain did add a romantic feel to the room with the marble floor and crystal chandelier. The colored rotating lights were a bit much, however.

  “Honey, I’m home,” Kenny called as she walked in from the garage.

  “We’re in the vestibule,” Sophie yelled back.

  Kenny sat the bag of supplies on the console table. “Wow,” she gasped as she took in the water fountain. She pulled out a penny from her jeans pocket, made a wish and flipped it off her thumb into the fountain.

  It was Felisha’s turn to gasp.

  “Kenny, you’re late,” Sophie admonished. “Your hairdresser is waiting for you in the master bathroom.”

  “Oh, yeah, right. Where’s Chelsey?”

  “Chelsey is back in with the seamstress. Something about looking at cloth samples.” Sophie answered.

  “Oh, perfect. Can’t wait to see it,” Kenny said cheerfully.

  Sophie shook her head. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait. Chelsey said she wanted to make an entrance tomorrow night.”

  “Oh? Now I really can’t wait,” Kenny said, turning and running up the stairs two at a time.

  “No, Kenny,” Sophie hollered after her.

  Kenny looked in each room until she saw one with the door closed. She quietly opened the door just enough so that she could peek in, but what she saw was not what she was expecting. “Oh, my God!” Kenny threw open the door and rushed in. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

  “Kenny, get out, I’m naked,” Chelsey screamed, covering her bare breasts with her hands and turning away from her.

  “I know that,” Kenny fumed. “So why did she have her hand on your ass?”

  Yvette shook her head. “Mon Dieu! I did not do this thing you say.”

  “I saw you, lady,” Kenny growled, squaring her shoulders for a fight.

  Chelsey quickly pulled on her blouse, buttoned a couple of buttons and practically jumped into her jeans before turning back to the others. “Kenny, she did not have her hand on my butt. Don’t you think I’d have known if she had?”

  “Maybe she was about to, I don’t know,” Kenny said, glaring at the French woman.

  “Si vulgaire!” Yvette gathered her things and huffed out of the room.

  Chelsey put her hand on Kenny’s shoulder. “I love that you thought you were protecting my virtue but I promise you, if she had been copping a feel, I would have known it.”

  “But would you have stopped her?”

  “I guess we’ll never know now,” Chelsey teased, then saw the frown on Kenny’s face. “Yes, I would have stopped her. Nobody touches my ass without my permission.”

  The finality in Chelsey’s face swayed Kenny’s concerns and she finally relaxed. “I’ll make note of that,” she replied with a grin.

  “How did it go in town? Did you get my supplies?”

  Kenny’s mouth gaped open and her face flushed red. “Oh, shit.”

  “You forgot me, didn’t you?”

  “Gosh no. I could never forget you. I was just playing with you. The stuff is on the table in the foyer.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m going to get a snack, want one?”

  “No. I’d better not or I won’t be able to fit into my new dress.”

  “From what little I glimpsed, I don’t see a problem with that,” Kenny retorted gleefully.

  Chelsey grinned, suppressing a giggle.

  “Oh, I forgot. I have to get my hair fixed so I’ll be downstairs for a while. I’ll come find you when I’m done.” Kenny turned to leave but then turned back. “By the way, you have a gorgeous body. Absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Oh…” Chelsey’s cheeks matched her hair color, but she smiled in spite of her embarrassment. Yes! She thinks my body is gorgeous.

  Kenny winked at her then hurried out the door and downstairs to the master bedroom. It was actually her grandmother’s bedroom, one of two bedrooms on the first floor. Kenny had insisted Deidra take the larger room, located just off the main living room, because she didn’t want her grandmother climbing the stairs to sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Kenny took the smaller bedroom, on the other side of the first floor. Small as it was, it still was very large compared to her bedroom in their previous home.

  She passed Yvette on the stairs and stopped. “Yvette. Listen, I’m sorry I came at you like that.” But you touch her again and the gloves come off.

  Yvette glared at her, but Kenny didn’t notice. She walked past Yvette, still thinking about Chelsey without her clothes on.

  If things had been different, she would have already taken Chelsey on a date, made plans for a second date, and sent her flowers. Although she had fantasized about getting naked with Chelsey, she wanted more than a one or two-night stand now. And having seen the complete package, as it were, her fantasies were already taking on a whole new fantasticalness.

  Chelsey walked into the game room late that afternoon and saw Kenny hunched over the counter. “Sophie told me you went to see Ted earlier today. Did you get any answers?”

  “No, not really. He told me the guy had a scar, but there’s not much I can do with that.” Kenny was scribbling on a piece of paper with a felt-tipped pen. “Are you finished with your fitting?”

  “Yes. Yvette is going to surprise me with the dress.”

  “You mean she didn’t show you what it would look like?”

  Chelsey shook her head. “No, and I’m a little nervous about that.”

  “She’s a pro, it’ll be fine I’m sure.”

  “What are you doing, writing a note?” Chelsey asked.

  “Sending the kidnapper a message,” Kenny answered, showing Chelsey what she had written. “Follow me.” Kenny walked up to the vestibule and opened the front door. “Stand back here so the camera won’t see you,” she instructed, showing Chelsey where to stand. Then she rang the doorbell and turned toward the camera mounted over the door, holding up the sheet of paper.

  Big party at my
place tomorrow night. Bring Grandma, it’ll be fun.

  “You told them about the party?” Chelsey asked.

  “Sure. Better to tell them now than lie about it later. Come on, let’s go down to the game room and wait for their reply.”

  Chelsey followed Kenny into the foyer. “Are you sure they’ll send a reply?”

  “No, but maybe they will and if they do, maybe that will provide us with another clue.”

  They went into the kitchen and got a soda out of the refrigerator, then they walked downstairs and into the room. Kenny’s cell phone began singing Shake it Off by Taylor Swift, just as she popped the can open.

  “You took it off of vibrate,” Chelsey stated.

  “Yeah, I was afraid I’d miss a text,” Kenny replied, setting the soda on the counter and tapped on her phone. “I made the sender a VIP so only that text has the song and I can ignore the others.” Looking down at her phone she said, “It’s another picture of Grandma.”

  Deidre was holding a piece of paper that read, Grandma’s a bit tied up at the moment, honey, but my host has accepted your invitation. He will see you tomorrow!

  She looked at the picture and sighed. “Oh, thank God. Grandma’s still mad.”

  “Why is that a good thing?”

  “Because it means she’s still somewhat in control. If she were sad or afraid, it would mean she was losing hope. Can you look at her fingers and tell me what she’s signing?”

  Chelsey took the phone and zoomed in on the right hand and then scrolled over to the left hand. “Looks like a J and a W.”

  Kenny walked over to the wall where the list of clues was written and wrote J and W next to H and O. “Well, she’s not saying hospital, that’s for sure. I think they’re somebody’s initials.”

  “But whose initials are they?”

  “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” Kenny surmised, sending the photo to print.

  Chelsey picked up the picture from the printer and looked at it. “I’m surprised that there’s no ransom demand.” Chelsey handed it to Kenny.

  “Probably didn’t want to mess up his schedule.”

  “Do those initials mean anything to you?” Chelsey asked.

  “Not really,” Kenny replied, taping the photo to the evidence wall.

  “All right, want to play the memory game?”

  Kenny looked at her with hooded eyes. She remembered playing that game with Tyesha and it was very memorable. Shaking the memory out of her head, she said, “Sure.”

  Walking over to the laptop on the bar, Chelsey sat down and pulled up a blank Word doc. “Okay, let’s start with H. Do you know anyone whose first name begins with an H?”

  Kenny tapped her head as if that would help a name pop up. “Nope, can’t think of one.”

  “It doesn’t have to be recently. Think about the people you know or met in college, high school, and all the way back to grade school? Anyone?”

  “Well, sure. There was Howard Evans in high school. He was a bully. And, uh… Heather… yeah, Heather Schneider in junior high. She was a dream.”

  Chelsey was typing the names, listing them by gender and approximate time of interaction.

  “And cute little Haley in preschool. Can’t remember her last name but she had the cutest dimples.” Kenny glanced at Chelsey. “Just like yours.”

  Chelsey blushed but kept typing. “Focus, Whitt.”

  Grinning, Kenny nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Okay, so that’s all the H’s that I remember.”

  “Now, what about last names that start with an O?”

  “Um… I’m not a last name kind of person.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Oh, uh, well…” Kenny stammered. Lately, she didn’t ask the woman’s last name and barely remembered their first names. “Oh, yeah. Tyesha Hynes.”

  “Well, duh,” Chelsey smirked. “She’s at the top of my list. And I’ve already got Eloise Osborne on the list. Who else?”

  Kenny began to pace, giving herself a headache as she tried to remember names of people she knew as a little girl. She stopped suddenly. “Okay, Helen Owens from the FBI. Not to brag or anything, but she gave me her card when I interned there one summer and told me to call her for a job after graduation.”

  Chelsey looked up at Kenny. “I doubt the FBI would kidnap your grandmother.”

  “Never take anything at face value. That’s what the FBI taught me.”

  Nodding, Chelsey added the name to the list. “Any others?” Kenny shook her head. “All right, then let’s try the J’s.”

  “Well, there’s JLo—”

  “JLo? As in Jennifer Lopez?”

  “Yeah, met her in Vegas. Really nice lady.”

  “Okay, now you’re just being silly.”

  “Maybe, just a little,” Kenny said, stealing a glance at Chelsey. She quickly turned her head when Chelsey looked up. “Uh, okay, there was a Jennifer in college, one in high school and another in elementary school.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of Jennifers.”

  “Popular name I guess. I don’t remember last names except for Jennifer in college. Her last name was O'Sullivan and she was Irish.”

  “Oh, that explains why you remembered her,” Chelsey said, laughing.

  “Grandma’s in a different outfit this time and it fits perfectly,” Kenny said, standing in front of the photograph. “Spring blouse and gray slacks. Can’t see past her knees, but the wall is the same as last time.” Kenny looked back at her grandmother’s face. “She looks thinner, her cheeks are sunken. I can see the pain in her eyes behind the anger.” Kenny stepped back, raking her hand through her hair. “Oh, Grandma.”

  Chelsey was at her side almost instantly. She didn’t say anything, just put her hand on Kenny’s shoulder. Her touch was warm and understanding and it calmed Kenny’s inner turmoil. She glanced at Chelsey, nodded, and then looked back at the photograph. Chelsey went back to the laptop and they continued working.

  *

  “Supper! I’m starved,” Kenny bellowed, waltzing into the kitchen looking refreshed after her shower. Her wet hair was finger combed back and her face was still flushed from the heat of the shower. She had changed into another pair of jeans and a plaid shirt.

  “Well, you’re smelling much better now,” Sophie said, pointing to an empty chair.

  Supper consisted of fried chicken and corn on the cob. A meal typically reserved for Sunday afternoon in the Whitt household, but Sophie didn’t know that, and she was itching to try out the deep fryer. She fried everything, chicken, corn on the cob, even fried the biscuits.

  Kenny walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out another diet soda. “Yeah, I had an epiphany in the shower.” Sitting down, she picked up chicken leg and took a bite.

  Sophie and Chelsey looked at each other, then back at Kenny.

  “Well?” Chelsey huffed.

  “I know who the kidnapper is,” Kenny declared, reaching for a biscuit. Splitting it in half, she spread a layer of butter followed by a helping of raspberry jam.

  Sophie and Chelsey watched her in disbelief.

  Just as she was about to take a bite, Sophie grabbed her hand. “Talk.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry,” Kenny said, putting her biscuit back on the plate. “Okay, so Grandma was mad in the first photo, right?”

  Chelsey and Sophie nodded simultaneously.

  “And she’s trying to sign either initials or location, right?”

  “Yes, already,” Chelsey snapped.

  Sophie picked up the pepper and unscrewed the lid. She held it over Kenny’s biscuit and glared at her.

  Kenny hunched over her plate like a dog protecting a bone. “It’s my mother! I think the kidnapper is my mother.”

  Sophie and Chelsey looked at each with their mouths open. Then they looked back at Kenny.

  “I remembered another person with the initials J and W. My mother’s name is Jaylen Whitt. Well, her maiden name was, anyway. Haven’t a clue if she’s married now or not. But it w
ould explain my Grandma’s irritation.”

  “How can we find out?” Chelsey asked.

  Sophie put the lid back on the pepper and placed it back on the table.

  “I invited the kidnapper to the party. If we can get a crack at the police database, we should be able to match it up with a photo or fingerprint.”

  “What do you mean, you invited them to the party?” Sophie gasped.

  Sophie and Tobias stared at Kenny from across the table. “I held a sign up to the camera outside and invited them,” Kenny explained. “I really doubt they’ll show up, but by showing my hand, it might prove that Grandma is still in the city. The camera may be top of the line, but the range only has about a five-mile radius. Besides, I’ll be ready for them, just in case.”

  “Ready how?” Tobias asked, picking up the other leg.

  “I’m glad you asked.” Kenny smiled. “This is where you play a big part.”

  Tobias put his chicken leg down and focused on Kenny, eager to participate.

  “Can you do a screen grab off of the security cameras outside? Specifically the front door.”

  “Sure, but it might mean redirecting the signal to a computer downstairs so I can get the best quality feed.”

  “Which means the kidnapper won’t know what’s going on,” Chelsey pointed out.

  “Worth the risk, besides, they’ll be at the party, seeing it all first hand,” Kenny surmised. “Tobias will capture the feed and make screengrabs of the guests. Felisha hired a photographer and will be taking pictures as well. That way, if they dodge the photographer, Tobias should have them on video. Sophie, can you help collect DNA?”

  “¿Qué? ¿Cómo? What? How?”

  “The what is drink glasses. The how is collecting the glasses as the busboy brings them into the kitchen so we can get DNA off of them.”

  “Wait. That’s my job,” Chelsey complained.

  “Part of it is, yes. Actually, you have two jobs,” Kenny stated with a smile. “Make me look good so I can convince the commissioner to help me, and after the party lift DNA off the glasses. Oh, and you’ll need to teach Sophie how to handle and tag the glasses.”

  Satisfied, Chelsey nodded. “Okay, sounds good. But I remind you that I can’t do anything with them after they’re lifted.”