Hazy Grooms and Homicides (A Raina Sun Mystery #8)

by Anne R. Tan

  11

  Poof

  The next morning, Raina woke to another hot desert day. She got to sleep in because she didn’t have to wake at the crack of dawn to walk Poe, Maggie’s service dog, and wait for him to do his business. Now the task fell on Frank. It was a nice change.

  As she went through her morning routine, she took special care to look her best, putting on both mascara and lipstick. Matthew was somewhere in the hotel and probably in disguise like most of the people at the convention. He didn’t want to break off their elopement after all. He was keeping his distance to protect her. She hummed under her breath. This she could handle.

  Her grandma knocked on the bathroom door. “Did we get the laundry back yet? I want to get back into my red jumpsuit.”

  Raina opened the door. “The tag said we’d get them back before nine if we drop them off before eight last night.”

  “It’s nine twenty already. I don’t think we’ll get our costumes back before lunch.”

  “We’ll have to go down to the laundry room and have a look-see. The costumes are as good an excuse as any.”

  Po Po grinned. “I like how you think.”

  They got dressed and headed downstairs.

  While they waited for the elevator, Po Po asked, “So what’s the plan for today?”

  “The same plan we have every day. Conquer the world.”

  “You know what I mean. Are you going to look for Matthew?”

  Raina shook her head. “If he wants to be found, he would make it easy for us to find him. In the meantime, he’ll see that we’re out and about, which means we’re not leaving. So at some point, he’ll have to seek us out.”

  They got into the elevator and got out at the casino floor. They casually made their way to the service hall. As they walked through the double swinging doors, Raina saw Brian Anderson coming out of the laundry room and heading straight towards them to go back to the casino floor. It was her lucky day. She didn’t have to track him down.

  “Are you here to pick up your costume? I didn’t get mine this morning either,” Raina said.

  Brian glanced over, startled. Then his shoulders relaxed, but he frowned at her. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

  Raina shook her head. “We haven’t been introduced, but I know you because you are the convention organizer, and I’ve been coming to the convention for years.” She held out her hand. “I’m Raina Sun. And this is my grandma, Bonnie Wong. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for putting on such a fantastic show all these years.”

  Brian shook her hand but continued to frown. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  Raina flushed. Should she confess to eavesdropping on his conversation with Detective Stafford? Before she could make up her mind on what to say next, her grandma cut in.

  “Say, what happened to the ten thousand dollars? Did Claire Boucher take it? And if she did, do you think it’s still somewhere in the hotel-casino?” Her grandma’s eyes gleamed. “Can you imagine if this convention turned into a scavenger hunt for the money?”

  Brian’s eyes widened, and he inched back from them.

  “Po Po, why don’t you check on the costumes?” Raina said, giving her grandma a pointed stare. If her grandma kept up with her questions, Brian would hightail it out of here.

  Po Po marched off, clearly put out. If she were a cat, her tail would be high in the air like a lightning rod.

  “Please excuse my grandma. She’s a little senile,” Raina said, using her grandma’s favorite excuse for her unconventional behavior. “Are the police planning to question the attendees about Claire Boucher’s death?” She wrung her hands, pretending to be anxious.

  “Unfortunately there’s nothing I can do to stop them from questioning the attendees. Just answer their questions honestly and try your best to forget about the incident.”

  Raina knew he was trying to reassure her as any good leader might after a disaster, but his words sounded so cold. Didn’t Brian work together with Claire before? Or belong to the same social circles with their common interest in rock-and-roll?

  She pretended to glance at his name badge for the first time. “Hey, what happened to your name badge?” She pointed at her badge. “I have to write my name in because I registered late. But where’s your printed badge?”

  “I must have misplaced it. I’ve been busy playing catch-up since I got here.”

  Raina pointed at the side exit next to the laundry room behind them. “Your name badge is outside.”

  Brian turned around. “Outside?”

  Raina nodded. “Underneath the hedge. It was found there on the day that Claire Boucher got strangled. The police seem to think that’s the path the killer took to leave the scene of the crime.”

  Brian licked his lower lip. “I don’t know how it got there.”

  Raina studied him for a long moment. “I think you were standing out there on the day she died. I don’t know what you were doing or if you were waiting for her, but you were out there.”

  Brian took a step back from her. “I don’t have to answer any questions. You have no right to question my whereabouts.”

  “I know. I’m just a nosy murder mystery reader. But if I can figure this out on my own, what makes you think the police haven’t caught on to the same thing?” She pointed at the cameras above them in the smoky glass half domes. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “And Big Brother is watching.”

  Brian swiveled on his heels and trotted down the service hall toward the casino floor.

  Raina didn’t know how to interpret his reaction. If he was the killer maid, he could have lost the badge before he hid in the laundry room. She studied his retreating back. He was slender, about one hundred fifty pounds or so and short enough to pass for a woman with the right disguise. A bra stuffed with tissue like what her grandma did with the cone bra wouldn’t look amiss from far away.

  And even if he had nothing to do with Claire’s death, he knew something…enough to make him nervous. For one thing, if he had thought it through, his first question should be how Raina found out about his name badge. For all he knew, she could have been the killer.

  Raina and Po Po went upstairs and changed into their costumes. Then they headed to the diner for breakfast with Maggie and Frank. Over eggs, ham, and pancakes, they decided to split up to look for Gloria Tanaka. They were to call Raina if they found her. Neither Raina nor Po Po mentioned Matthew’s phone call the night before.

  “How do we know what Gloria looks like?” Frank asked.

  Po Po pulled out her cell phone and tapped on the screen. Several cell phones chirped around the table. “I sent you her pictures.”

  Raina checked her phone. Her eyes widened. “So you have been wearing a digital camera.” She studied her grandma. “Which one is the camera? The flower pin or the necklace?”

  Po Po straightened, and her lips curled into a Mona Lisa smile. “If I tell you, I’ll have to get rid of you. Or you’ll need to self-destruct in three seconds.”

  Raina glanced at the photo again, studying the angle. Since the photos appeared to be snapped from below everyone’s chin and off-center, the camera had to be hidden in… “It’s your flower pin?”

  “You guessed it. Now are you going to self-destruct?” Po Po said with laughter in her voice.

  Raina held up a fist and spread her fingers. “Poof!”

  Frank snorted at the interplay.

  “Now for the more important topic. What are we going to do for the impersonation show?” Po Po asked. “Winners get their names splashed in the newspaper and the internet. Plus, there’s a thousand-dollar cash prize and free tickets for next year’s convention.”

  Both Frank and Maggie leaned forward as Po Po spoke, following her every word.

  Raina dropped the napkin over her plate and pushed back her chair. “Well, I’m off to see Willie. She’s probably in her office by now.”

  “Wait! Don’t you want to be part of the show?” Maggie asked.

  “
I’ll pass,” Raina said, getting up. “I’ll check in with you in an hour. If you don’t hear from me, send in the cavalry.”

  As Raina made her way through the casino floor to the elevator, she rehearsed what she wanted to say to the general manager. With no authority to question the suspects, how was she to get Willie to talk?

  In previous investigations, she had always relied on her relationships with the suspects or victim to get people to talk. In this case, everyone involved was a stranger, even the victim. If not for Matthew, she would have gladly left the case to Detective Stafford.

  By the time Raina knocked on Willie’s office door, she still had no idea how to handle the situation. She would have to trust her intuition on what to say.

  Willie was tapping on the keyboard in front of her desk. She raised an eyebrow at Raina’s appearance. “Can I help you with something?” Her gravelly tone implied she was too busy for this conversation.

  Raina slid into the chair in front of the desk.

  “I have a meeting in a few minutes,” Willie said.

  The general manager was in a white power suit with a low-cut red top underneath it. Her tawny blonde hair was coiled into a chignon. Raina couldn’t see her shoes, but she had a feeling they were at least four-inch stiletto heels. Willie liked to tower over everyone.

  Raina ignored the comment. Most people would back away in embarrassment for interrupting, but Raina didn’t work for Willie. She didn’t care how much of the general manager’s time she was taking up with her questions.

  “Brian Anderson is in trouble,” Raina said, going for the shock factor. Maybe the news would rattle the general manager into spilling some useful information. “His name badge was found under a hedge outside in the delivery dock area after someone strangled Claire Boucher.”

  Willie raised an eyebrow. “Why would I care about this person’s badge? Is he on the payroll? And why did the police give you this information?”

  “Weren’t you exchanging saliva with Brian at the bar last night? I thought you might want to warn him before the police connect the murder to him.”

  “I’m not sure why you think I would care,” Willie said, ignoring Raina’s comment about her extracurricular activities. Talk about nerves of steel. “If you have anything to say about the investigation, go to the police or my head of security.” She stood and gestured at the doorway.

  Raina settled into the chair. “You mean Hendricks? He can’t even find his way out of a trash bag. I’m not saying he’s incompetent, but he’s used to reporting on suspicious activity to the police and escorting people outside the property. This is way above his pay grade.”

  Willie narrowed her eyes at Raina. “So why are you involved in this investigation?”

  Raina suppressed the urge to shiver. If Willie had anything to do with Claire Boucher’s death, it might not be a good idea to antagonize her too much. “I’m just a nosy nobody who loves a murder mystery.”

  “Well, Miss Nosy, I would be careful where you stick your nose. This is not a story where nothing bad can happen to you. The big bad wolf has sharp teeth here in Las Vegas.”

  Raina accepted the warning with a nod. “Got it. I’ll make sure to tell the police about your involvement with Brian Anderson and your tendency to play dress up. I don’t know if Hendricks told you, but the killer dressed up as one of your maids. That’s how she could hide out in the laundry room without anyone raising a peep.”

  Willie stiffened at the implied threat. “Half the people here are in costume.”

  “But only a few know the maid schedule or have access to their uniforms.”

  “A black T-shirt with our hotel logo isn’t exactly hard to get your hands on. Besides, I was in a meeting at the time of Claire’s death.”

  “But what about Brian Anderson? Does he have an alibi?”

  “I don’t like how you keep linking our names together. Brian Anderson has been coming to our hotel-casino for the last ten years for his convention. We have an excellent working relationship. But that’s it.”

  Raina raised an eyebrow. Did she detect a hint of defensiveness in the general manager’s voice? “When I mentioned the name badge, you said you don’t know Brian Anderson. But now you have a good working relationship with him. So which one is it?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t make the connection.” Willie pretended to laugh. “I didn’t have enough coffee this morning. As for Brian, I don’t know if he has an alibi or not. But why do you think he has anything to do with Claire’s death?”

  “His name badge was found outside in the loading dock. And that’s where the maid came in.” Raina didn’t know if this was true or not, but it sounded plausible. For all she knew, he could have been out there waiting for things to unload for the convention and dropped his name badge.

  “Well, I hope it’s not him. He seems like a good guy.” Willie typed on her keyboard, clearly dismissing Raina.

  “Good to know. I wouldn’t want him arrested either. He does seem like a nice guy.” Raina pushed herself up from the chair. “Thank you for your time.”

  While Willie didn’t appear rattled from what Raina had revealed in the office, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the general manager to see what she did next with the information.

  Raina found a bench in a pay phone niche next to the elevator. A panel on the wall covered up what used to be wiring for the ancient device. She texted the Posse Club about her conversation with Willie. But before she could get into the details, movement from the corner of her eye caught Raina’s attention. She leaned out for a look-see.

  A woman with long straight black hair stepped out of Willie’s office. She was wearing a strappy red tank top and Daisy Dukes jean shorts. Instead of the stilettos heels, she was in flat sneakers. It looked like Willie was in her disguise again. How could she think that people wouldn’t recognize her?

  Willie glanced up and down the hall. Raina ducked back into the niche and held her breath. Footsteps came towards her and the elevator area. The elevator dinged upon its arrival. Raina leaned out from the niche to see a Little Richie impersonator stepping out from the elevator and Willie stepping in. Raina ducked back into the niche and texted the Posse Club.

  Willie is in her disguise again. She’s going down the elevator.

  Her cell phone dinged with an incoming message.

  We are on it, Sherlock.

  When the elevator closed, Raina came out to find the elevator area emptied. She glanced at the numbers on top of the elevator, but instead of going to the first floor, it stopped on the second floor.

  Raina grabbed her phone and texted the Posse Club again.

  Willie is on the second floor. What’s on the second floor?

  Her phone vibrated.

  The infinity pool.

  Raina pushed the call button for the elevator. It looked like she might catch Willie having a little rendezvous with Brian after her vehement denial. She snorted at the thought of their professional relationship. The two of them were like peanut butter and jelly, so the two of them might have planned the murder together.

  12

  Operation Photo Shoot

  Willie strolled up to the wicker patio set in front of the rooftop pool. Detective Stafford sat on the wicker chair wearing a white polo shirt and jeans. Two mugs of coffee sat on the glass-top table. He rose from the chair and greeted Willie with a long kiss. Their meeting was like a scene from a movie set, romantic and sappy, with the light streaming in from behind them and the potted plants and flowers around them. Except this was Las Vegas, and everything from the landscaping to Willie’s hair was a mirage.

  If Raina needed any more proof that Detective Stafford wasn’t an upstanding citizen, this would be it. Wasn’t it a conflict of interest to investigate his girlfriend’s hotel-casino? And just how many men was Willie seeing at the same time? And why would she want to conduct this personal business at work?

  From the other side of the pool, Raina crouched under a potted palm tree and pulled
out the wig that came with the jumpsuit costume. She put the wig and a pair of sunglasses on, hoping this attempt at a disguise would be sufficient to hide her identity in a passing glance.

  A commotion to Raina’s right drew her attention, and she glanced over. Her jaw dropped. What in the world?

  Frank and Maggie held hands and made their way to the edge of the infinity pool close to Willie and Detective Stafford. Frank was in a white tuxedo, and Maggie wore a full-length beige dress. Po Po wore a blonde wig and had a massive camera hung around her scrawny neck. A bored teenager followed them around, holding a reflector at the happy couple.

  Several thoughts raced through Raina’s mind. How in the world were the three of them able to get into their outfits so quickly? And did Frank and Maggie get married without Matthew or Raina? And where did the teenager come from?

  After the initial glance, Willie and Detective Stafford ignored the bridal party and resumed their conversation. He held her hand on the table the entire time. What Raina wouldn’t give to listen in on what they said. Luckily, her grandma was probably close enough to catch snatches of the conversation. She hoped the important stuff wouldn’t get lost in translation when her grandma retold the conversation.

  Po Po gestured for Maggie and Frank to get closer to the glass fencing behind the table. The teenager stood to the side, holding the reflector up with one hand and scrolling on his phone with the other. As Po Po looked through the viewfinder, she backed up until she was a foot from Willie and Detective Stafford.

  Raina grinned. Her grandma was good. Perfect placement to listen in on everything. There wasn’t much for her to do here. Maybe she should go back to the exhibit hall or the conference rooms to look for Gloria Tanaka. She was the only suspect that Raina hadn’t spoken to yet.

  Before Raina could slink away, Po Po backed up another foot until her rear tapped the wicker chair. Willie glanced behind her with a frown, removing her hand away from Detective Stafford. Po Po jerked and sidestepped. Her foot—the one with the bad ankle—stumbled on the edge of the infinity pool. She grabbed onto the back of the wicker chair. Willie shifted, twisting around with outstretched hands as if to hold back an attack. Po Po fell onto the wicker chair, knocking both Willie and the chair into the pool.