Deviled!: Lake Erie Mysteries Book 2 (17 page)

E
ddie 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?”

J
une 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.”

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.

W
e 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.