Ghost of a Gamble (Granny Apples Mystery) (12 page)

R
ETURNING
from his hallway discussion with Emma, Foster announced, “We seem to have a lead on Ms. Meskiel.”

Everyone turned to look at him with surprise, even Milo. He knew Granny had found out something, but he was startled that Emma had disclosed it to the detective.

“We have a source.” Foster told everyone. He paused to look at Emma a second. “We have a source that believes she is in a mobile home in the desert.”

“A source?” questioned Garby. “Did someone call you, John?”

“No,” Foster answered his partner. “Emma here has received information from . . . well, in her own way . . . and I feel it’s worth checking out.”

Garby looked at Foster and shook his head. “You’re really going to listen to that mumbo jumbo?”

“For now, yes. We don’t have anything else to go on at the moment.”

“Well, while you were in the back ghost hunting, I got a call on the old lady’s car.” Garby shot a look at Milo, who was staring at him with indignation. “I mean Ms. Meskiel’s car. It was found abandoned off of Red Rock Canyon Road. They’re combing the area now for any signs of the woman.”

“Oh boy,” exclaimed Granny, who was hovering by Milo. “I wonder if it’s like on TV. I’d love to meet that hunk Stokes.”

Milo, usually patient with Granny, rolled his tired eyes at her comment. Detective Garby, misreading the gesture, told him, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ravenscroft. I meant no disrespect.”

Rather than clarify his gesture, Milo just nodded at the cop. Granny, however, did catch Milo’s intent and took off to reconnect with Dolly.

For nearly an hour and a half, Emma and Quinn filled the detectives in on what information Granny had provided and on Quinn’s visit to Laura Crawford’s wagon, as well as every detail Milo and Emma could remember of the conversations with the ghosts of Nemo and Lenny. They each went over their stories, answering question after question posed by Foster and the still skeptical Garby.

“I think we have enough now,” announced Foster. “Mr. Ravenscroft provided us with a few recent photos of his mother. We’ll have these circulated, as well as look into mobile homes in remote places.”

“Which will be like locating a needle in a haystack out here,” commented Garby, not looking too thrilled by the prospect.

Tracy still didn’t look happy. “Are you looking for Dolly as a missing or abducted person, or as a suspect in Nemo’s death?”

“Ms. Meskiel,” answered Garby, “is still a person of interest in Mr. Moorehouse’s demise.”

“But we’ll also be taking into account everything you folks told us today,” added Foster, “about her possible abduction and whereabouts.”

“True,” said Garby with some reluctance. “Considering where her car was found, there is no way an elderly woman could have left it there and walked somewhere on her own. She either had a ride back from the location or someone took the car and left it there.”

“In other words,” said Quinn, piecing together the detective’s meaning, “she either had help in the crime you allege she might have committed or was abducted as we think.”

Garby sucked his front teeth as he glared at Quinn, then made his way to the front door without another word. The uniform cops had left long before. Just before he followed the surly Garby out the door, John Foster told them, “You folks sit tight. I know that’s difficult at a time like this, but if anything comes up, we’ll be in touch. If you hear from Ms. Meskiel, please give me a call.” He produced a couple of business cards and stepped toward Emma and Quinn. “I’ve already left my number with Mr. Ravenscroft, but I’d like you two to have it, too.”

After taking the card, Emma dug into her purse to produce her own. On the back she wrote her personal cell number. “And here’s mine. I’m staying at the Venetian and will be there until this is over. Quinn is at Treasure Island if you need to reach him.”

Quinn stepped forward and handed the detective his card. “If you can’t reach Emma, please call me. Considering the threats made, ghosts or not, I’ll be sticking around to watch her back.”

“I thought they’d never leave,” groused Tracy after the police had finally left.

They were all huddled around Dolly’s kitchen table. Tracy and Emma had pulled together a quick lunch from stuff they found in the fridge and pantry, primarily sandwiches of various cold cuts and cheeses, along with some crackers and raw vegetables.

“They did take forever,” Emma said as she made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“A couple of hours,” noted Quinn, pouring glasses of iced tea.

“Oh, look,” said Tracy, pulling a plastic container out of the fridge. “Hummus. This will go great with those crackers and veggies.”

Settled around the table, they went over the information shared with the police and made plans of their own while they ate.

Tracy laughed, remembering what Foster had said. “He told us all to sit tight. Obviously, he doesn’t know us very well, especially you, Emma.”

“Yeah, I think Foster eventually took a shine to you,” Quinn added. “Did you two bond in the hallway?”

“Sort of.” She looked around the room. “Milo, are there any spirits around that you can feel?”

“No, not at the moment,” Milo answered. “Why? Do you feel one?”

“No, I just want to be careful about what I say and when, considering the particular spirits hanging about. You see, I think there’s something funny about John Foster. Something he revealed to me in the hallway.”

“His pecker?” asked Tracy, laughing.

“Maybe he knows where Hoffa’s buried,” suggested Quinn.

“Nothing like that,” answered Emma, laughing. It felt good to laugh in the middle of all the worry, and even Milo joined in on the joke.

“That he really believes in ghosts?” asked Milo, adding his own suggestion.

Emma shook her head and took a drink of her iced tea before speaking. “John Foster went right to the photo of Lenny Speidel. He asked me who it was, but I think he already knew. He told me his grandfather grew up here and told lots of stories about Las Vegas.”

“That’s probably where he got his interest in that time period,” said Quinn right before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Didn’t Garby say it’s a hobby of Foster’s?”

“Yes,” admitted Emma, “but I think it’s more than that. I kept getting a vibe that he has a personal interest here. Something he’s not disclosing.”

The table went silent, going from jovial to hushed as if the volume had been turned off with the flick of a switch.

“You know,” said Milo, being the first to find his voice. “I thought he looked kind of funny when we first mentioned Lenny’s name. It was kind of surprise mixed with excitement.”

Emma recounted her private conversation with Foster.

“Maybe he’s related to Lenny,” suggested Tracy.

“What’s more,” Emma added, “I think Lenny was Dolly’s boyfriend. He’s in several of the photos hanging on the hallway wall, and they’re not photos with Dolly in costume. And the poses seem too intimate for just being friends.”

“Are you sure?” Milo asked.

Emma went to the hallway and retrieved the photo of Dolly and Lenny together. She showed it to Milo. “This is the man whose spirit came to me last night. This is Leonard Speidel aka Lenny the Lightbulb. Do you remember him at all from your childhood?”

Milo studied the photo closely. “Sorry, but I don’t.”

“Let me see that,” said Tracy, holding out her hand. Emma passed her the framed photo. Tracy studied it. “Dolly was quite beautiful, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, and full of piss and vinegar,” said Milo. “I knew that even as a kid.”

Tracy turned the photo over and started removing the back of the frame. “Sometimes people date the back of the photos.”

“Good thinking, darling,” said Milo.

When Tracy took the back off, there was a piece of paper folded in the back of the frame, holding the photo tight against the glass. She put that aside and looked at the back of the photo. “Bingo!” she said, pleased with herself. “There’s a date scribbled here of April 1962.”

“I would have been not quite two at the time,” noted Milo, “so no wonder I don’t remember him.”

Emma raised an index finger as a thought crossed her mind. “Do you remember when that Lucky Buck Casino robbery was?”

“Didn’t the information we found say the early 1960s?” asked Milo.

“Yes, but when in the sixties?” Emma went to her bag and pulled out her iPad. Quickly she researched the bank robbery. “This information on Nemo just says early sixties.” There weren’t many sites mentioning the robbery, but Emma checked them all. “Oh my God,” she said as she read the information on another site. “This site says it was May of 1962.”

“Right after this photo was taken,” noted Quinn.

“Yes. And I’ll bet Lenny was killed shortly after that. It’s no wonder you don’t remember him, Milo. He was killed when you were just a toddler.”

“Get ready for another shocker,” said Tracy. In her hand she was holding the paper that had been folded and stuck behind the photo. Without another word she held it out to Milo, who took it from her and quickly scanned it.

“This can’t be right,” he said, his words coming slow and stunned. He read it over several times. “I’ve seen my birth certificate. I even have the original. Dolly gave it to me years ago.”

“What is it, Milo?” asked Emma. When he didn’t respond, she reached over and took the paper from him and read it for herself. It was a birth certificate. Without a word, she handed it off to Quinn, who also read it.

“Are you sure you have the original?” Tracy asked Milo.

“Yes, it looks just like this one,” he answered, staring down at the table in shock. “Exactly like this one—date of birth, date of issuance, official seal. Everything except for the name of the father. When I needed to get a passport, I wrote to the State of Nevada for a certified copy and that one also had no father listed.”

Quinn looked again at the document in his hand and read, “Name of father, Leonard Joseph Speidel.”

Tracy reached over and took one of Milo’s hands. “We need to find Dolly for a lot of reasons.”

Emma shook her head at the latest development. “Didn’t you ever ask about the man in the photos or about your father?”

“Sure,” Milo answered, “especially when I was young. Dolly just said my father was out of the picture permanently. And wouldn’t discuss it further.” He huffed out a sad chuckle. “Of course, in this case my father was right in the picture.”

He took the photograph and looked at it again. “Dolly said this guy was one of her friends who left the area a long time ago. I had no reason not to believe her. When Dolly refused to talk about my father, I assumed he was someone who’d passed through Vegas. Maybe a married man she’d had a fling with, or something like that. Turns out my father was a criminal and a thief.” He sighed deeply. “Maybe I’d been better off not knowing.”

“Boo!” came from the light fixture above the counter. Milo and Emma jumped in their seats, causing Tracy and Quinn to be startled by their reaction.

“Darn it, Granny,” Emma scolded in the direction of the light fixture, “that was uncalled for.”

Granny materialized next to the table. “I should have known you folks would be sitting around jibber jabbering while I was doing all the work.”

“We’re not jibber jabbering, Granny,” Emma told the ghost. “The police left just a few minutes ago.”

Granny took in the somber mood blanketing the table. “What’s going on? You all look like someone shot your dog.”

In response, Milo pushed the photo of Lenny over toward Granny. She looked at it. “Emma, didn’t you say this is Lenny? At least I thought you and that detective were talking about that earlier, right before I left.”

“Yes, it’s Lenny Speidel,” Emma confirmed. “It also seems to be Milo’s father.”

Granny studied the photo closely, then looked up at Milo. “Hard to tell if there’s any resemblance from this old photo.”

“Tracy found a birth certificate hidden behind the photo,” Emma explained. “It says Lenny is Milo’s father of record, even though the birth certificate Milo has doesn’t list a father.”

“And you had no idea, Milo?” Granny asked.

“None, Granny, but when I find Dolly, you can be sure I’ll be asking a lot of questions.” He took a deep breath. “Providing we get her back safe and sound.”

“How is Dolly doing?” asked Emma. All faces turned to where Emma’s eyes were focused and waited.

“When I left her, she was watching soaps on TV. She seems okay, just very nervous.”

Emma relayed the information to Quinn and Tracy before asking, “Have you figured out any more about where she’s being kept?”

“Not really,” answered Granny, still looking at the photo of Dolly and Lenny.

“The police said they were going to look into all rural areas with a lot of mobile homes,” Milo told the ghost. “And they’re going to look into the disappearance of Laura Crawford.”

“That’s one of the reasons why I popped in,” Granny told them. “I think they’re using Laura to communicate with that scoundrel Nemo.”

“Are you sure?” asked Emma while Milo translated for the others.

“I was hanging around Dolly and floating through the house, trying to figure out its location, when I heard Nemo’s voice.”