by Deany Ray
“That’s not an answer really. Just an outdated password.”
“A couple hundred dollars? It’s not like I had time to count.” She gasped with a sudden thought. “I could help the wandering kittens! I could buy them toys! Even better, I could take some kitties home. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had any cats.”
By then Celeste had joined us. “Will you two hurry up? Marge, you know that’s not a real group. It just a made-up password, one they’ll change next week.”
“But it was the kitten-password that indirectly won me the money,” Marge said. “It only seems fair that I do something nice for them.”
“Should we even keep the money?” I asked. “It is illegal gambling money.”
Marge looked at her purse and pouted.
“Whatever,” Celeste said, “but now it’s time to go. We’ll come back…maybe Tuesday, see if someone in the Tuesday crowd knows something about Stanley.”
The giant was still at his station when we walked out of the door.
Marge smiled and nodded at him. “We had a lovely time, sir. We hope to come again.”
Again, she got no response.
“Let me just check in on my mom,” I said. “Make sure she hasn’t run off with some young stud, or caught the place on fire trying to get fancy and light up somebody’s drink.” We headed over to the bar where I could hear my mother’s voice, even in a sea of voices.
“It’s so good to see you looking well,” she said to a customer with enthusiasm. “Aren’t you looking handsome? This one’s on the house.”
When I got closer, I could see her mix a fancy blue drink then hand it to…Oh no. I stopped short and froze.
It was Alex.
Sweet-talking sugar cookies! What was Alex doing here? I think I started to sweat. He hasn’t seen us yet and I prayed that my mother wouldn’t say anything.
I looked toward my partners and Marge nodded toward the exit. But the way was blocked. A large group had just walked in, and its members were making their unhurried way over to the bar.
“Excuse me. Coming through.” Celeste elbowed her way through the crowd, with Marge and I close behind, Marge still holding her bulging purse awkwardly against her chest. We tried to hurry but act natural. We couldn’t act like we were panicked.
Maybe Alex wasn’t looking. My mother loved to talk. Perhaps she had Alex captive with some long-winded story, preferably not the one about how we’d surprised her with our presence at the bar that night.
We were almost to the exit when I spotted a flash of green that looked familiar. It was an old green vest. It took a moment for that to register.
Was it? It was Stanley. What was up with tonight?
I didn’t need to ask around in the gambling room on Tuesday to see if anybody at the tables might know where he was.
Stanley was right there and heading straight toward us.
Chapter Eleven
Marge saw him too; so did Celeste. Being in front of me, they froze and stared at Stanley. I kept going forward and ran straight into Marge, causing her purse to jingle.
A man beside us laughed when he saw the bulging bag clutched against Marge’s chest. “Looks like this one has a full purse,” he called out to his friends. “Maybe this one’s buying.”
The group erupted into drunken cheers. Obviously, this wasn’t their first bar stop of the night.
We were very, very bad at blending into a crowd.
Hopefully, my mom was distracting Alex. For once, I wouldn’t even care if she was listing all the reasons I’d make a perfect wife. Silently, I willed her to keep talking, just keep talking.
However, with my graceful plunge into Marge’s back, I guessed everyone had noticed us. The most important question was: Had Alex noticed Stanley, too? I couldn’t believe he was right there, in front of us. I wanted the Stanley sighting to be ours and ours alone – no sharing clues with the police. One more mystery solved by the intrepid CMC.
Not a second later, I heard a familiar voice rise above the chatter of the crowd. “Excuse me, please. Excuse me.”
Of course. It was Alex, making his calm way through the bustle. His eyes met mine and then turned to Stanley. Well, damn. Stanley looked toward us, confused then scared, as the three of us stared straight at him, our mouths hanging open. He backed away as Alex walked intently toward him.
My heart began to sink. We’d blown it, our big chance. We should have played it cool. Anyone would run if they had a secret and suddenly saw four sets of eyes fixed solidly on them. What a crew we were: the one who couldn’t walk across a bar without colliding into her friend, the one with the bright purse clutched against her chest, the one with heavily mascaraed eyes that had grown huge with surprise, and the frowning man clutching a fancy drink with a paper umbrella and a cherry.
As expected, Stanley took off. Alex was behind him in a flash, with us far behind.
My mother called behind us. “Yoo hoo! Where are you going? I wanted you to try my Mai Tais.”
“Gotta go!” I waved.
She waved back, disappointed. “Oh, but Charlie, they’re so good. You’ll feel like you’ve clicked your heels and landed in the tropics. They tell me my Mai Tais are transporting.”
“Soon, Mother, really soon. See you at the house.”
“Be good. And Charlie, walk, don’t run. It’s more ladylike.”
I’ve made it out of the bar and to the sidewalk just in time to see the back of Marge disappear around a corner as she did a little hop-run, trying to keep up. Hopefully she still had the others in her sights. I took off in a run.
As we got around the corner, I could see that Alex had almost caught up with Stanley. Celeste wasn’t even close. I was the slowest. Even with her heavy purse, Marge was faster than yours truly.
The guys got further and further from us until I was out of breath. Sharp pains stabbed into my left side. I had to find a cheap gym, as unpleasant as that sounded. As badly as I needed to not let Stanley get away, I could not go any further. Soon Marge and I had stopped, both of us breathing hard.
Marge leaned against the brick wall of a small shop. She put down her purse, then stood close in front of it to guard her treasure against the occasional passersby, who looked at us with suspicion.
“It’s like I’ve got weights in here or something,” Marge said.
Weights. Would lifting weights help me get in shape? I needed to do something. I wiped some sweat off my forehead.
Soon, Celeste walked back to join us, her face all red from the running. “I couldn’t keep up.” She bent down to catch her breath. “Who would have thought that guy could run like that? At least we know he’s in town.”
“Shh!” Marge whispered to her. “Careful what you say. Here comes you-know-who.”
We turned to see Alex making his way toward us.
“Perfect,” Celeste said. “My favorite person ever.”
Alex smiled at her sarcasm. “That’s flattering. I’m glad you’ve noticed my contributions toward reducing crime in Springston.” He did not look glad to see us, but he didn’t look as pissed as he sometimes did to find us in the middle of a police investigation. He had to know why we were there; he was a smart cop.
I also noticed that Alex wasn’t sweating at all; he wasn’t out of breath. He looked like he’d been strolling through the park, not off on some fast chase.
He shook his head. “Our friend Stanley caught a cab. I tried to hail one too, but too much time went by. I’d have no idea where to go to chase the guy.” Then he studied us. “So what are your three up to, all dressed up and classy at the Cashew?”
I saw a challenge in his eyes. He knew why we were there. Still, I didn’t see the kind of anger I had seen before. Had he given up? Or was he acting different because so much had changed between him and me? Warm feelings rushed right through me as I shyly caught his eye.
There were two of him, and the Alex who looked back at me was the cop and not the soft-eyed, gentle guy who’d touched hi
s lips to mine not that long before. This was work and that was pleasure, and I could tell the two were separate in his mind.
“Just a girls’ night out,” Celeste said a little testily. “Is that against the law?”
“And I guess you recognized my mom,” I said. “We thought we’d give her our support.”
He looked at us with suspicion, then gazed at the bulging floral bag half hidden behind Marge’s legs. Did he know about the gambling room? Could he guess that it was coins weighing down her purse?
“If that’s money in that pocketbook, business must be good,” he said.
“I always carry cash,” Marge squeaked. “You never know! You might come across a sale almost anywhere.”
I was sure he wasn’t buying it, but he seemed preoccupied. I guessed he was more surprised at seeing Stanley at the Cashew than he was annoyed at meeting the three of us.
When his cellphone rang, he picked it up and told the caller to hang on. Then he nodded at us to say goodbye. His gaze was aimed at me especially. “Stay safe,” he said. “And keep out of this. Official police investigation.”
Marge and Celeste said the last three words along with him.
And then he was gone.
“Official police investigation,” Celeste said angrily as she watched him go.
Marge put a hand on Celeste’s shoulder to try to calm her down. “Which is why we’re right here investigating, hon. We are police, too. Or we kind of are.”
Now that the commotion was over, everything sunk in.
“Okay, what just happened?” I asked my friends. “First we see my mother. Then, unfortunately, Alex. And then, suddenly, there’s Stanley! Can you believe that?”
“I was hoping Alex wouldn’t figure out that Stanley is connected to that bar,” Marge said.
“Do you think Alex knows about the gambling?”
“Let’s hope not,” Celeste said. “It would be great to have some info to ourselves. I absolutely love it when the police don’t have a clue. And something tells me Marty’s wife would not confide in Alex.”
“You’re right,” I said, feeling hopeful. “Her husband gambles at the Cashew too, which is not exactly legal. I also think she had a feeling about us and felt that she could trust us. She knew that all we wanted was to find Stanley for his wife.”
“Girl power!” Marge squeaked happily. Her voice turned thoughtful. “Alex was here to snoop around, Barbara was here to make a little magic with the drinks. But what was Stanley doing? Why was Stanley there?”
“Gambling again, I guess. Just how addicted is he?” I asked. “He must know people are looking for him. I’m shocked he’s still in town.”
“Well, I suggest we discuss it elsewhere,” Celeste said. “Rather than standing here on the street with a purse that’s bulging open with a ton of cash. That can’t be very safe.”
“Don’t worry, I’d go after anyone who took off with my purse,” Marge said in a low tone. “My new lipstick and all that money! And not to mention, Mrs. P.” As if saying the persuader might tip off some lowlife that she had a gun to steal. Code name for the code name.
“Come one, let’s go,” Marge said. “This girl is ready to turn in. It’s been the most awkward thing to haul around this purse.”
“Oh, boo hoo,” I whispered. “Poor Marge has too much money.”
“I do! I really do,” she said, still amazed at her good fortune. “Hey, let’s talk tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to figure out. For now, I need to go home and lay down. All that running was exhausting. I didn’t realize this kind of work would be…so physical.”
“I hate that part, too,” I said. My legs had begun to ache. “You guys, we’re in lousy shape. We ran for…what, two blocks? And I feel like I’m gonna die.”
“Yeah. I have some gym equipment down in the basement, but who has the time to use it?” Celeste looked down the street in the direction of the bar. “Do you think your mom’s okay? Do you think Barbara’s safe there in that bar? That crowd was kind of rowdy.”
“My mother’s a tough cookie,” I said. “We should put her on the team. She’d have grabbed Stanley in a second. She’ll be fine, I’m sure. I guess I might have reason to worry for the others. If someone gets between my mother and the nozzle that sets off her healing spray, then they might be in trouble.”
“Yeah. She freaked me out with that spraying.” Celeste rolled her eyes. “Hopefully it’s gone, that sense of doom or whatever it was that set her off like that. Charlie, your mother’s sweet. But she’s…a little different.”
Suddenly, Marge grabbed my hand in hers. “Stanley! Don’t you see? Your mother had a sense of doom. Do you think she sensed him coming?”
“I don’t think she even knows him, Marge,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about my mother. I was ready to go home.
“She might sense the feeling of him, though” Marge said thoughtfully. “With everything that’s going on, she might sense the darkness that he carries with him.”
“That sounds like something from a movie, and a pretty awful one at that.” Celeste lifted Marge’s purse off the sidewalk. “Here. I’ll take this to the car. Good God, this thing weighs a ton. Okay, girls, let’s move it. This detective is worn out. Let’s meet tomorrow at the office. How does eight thirty sound? We need a plan and fast. Who knows how long our wayward husband will stick around in Springston.”
“Heck,” Marge said. “That cab might already be taking him far away from here.”
“Hopefully not,” Celeste said. “Let’s talk about it when we’re rested.”
“Think positive,” I told them. “At least we have access to the gambling room. At least we know now that Stanley’s healthy; we know that he’s alive. We’re moving forward on the case.”
“Plus, I’m a little richer,” Marge said.
“Yes, there’s that,” I said.
Marge smiled. “Who’s up for the mall this weekend?”
***
The next morning as I sipped my coffee, I still felt like I was stuck in the crazy dreams of the night before; it all had seemed so real. I was chasing Stanley, who was so fast he was a blur. It felt almost as if my shoes were glued to the sidewalk. I could barely lift my feet. To make matters worse, in one arm, I hung on to a laptop – the one we were supposed to fix. The laptop was so heavy. In my other arm was Marge’s purse, still weighted down with coins.
Alex was running behind to stop me, and my mom was everywhere. Like she’d tripled herself, quadrupled herself. My mom was running beside Stanley, giving him a drink. She was next to Alex, talking, talking, talking. She was running after me, picking up Marge’s coins as they scattered from the purse. She was foretelling doom to some hapless passerby. “There is evil all around you!” she whispered in her ear.
Just as Alex almost caught me, his hand nearly touching me, I sat up straight in my bed.
“Did you get a good night’s rest?” My mother’s voice broke through my thoughts. Far from being tired from her long night at the bar, she was cooking up a breakfast feast: chocolate chip pancakes, eggs and bacon. The smell cut through my grogginess to help me wake up just a little.
“I had weird dreams all night long,” I said. I felt like I’d been running and not sleeping. I was more tired at the breakfast table than when I’d gone to bed.
My mother set a bowl of fruit on the table as she continued to talk non-stop. She was a morning person, which was good because I wasn’t. I could just sip my coffee and not say a word. All I had to do was listen.
My mother had much to say: how nice it was to see us there, but oh, what an awful shame that we had to leave so quickly. Why did we have to hurry off? It had been the same with Alex. Why, my nice young man had barely touched his drink before he had to leave. Didn’t he look handsome? How grateful my mother had been to see Alex looking well. He had fine manners, even thanking her for dinner. When, really, with what happened, anyone would excuse him from such niceties. And no one had even once uttered the hateful word – seaf
ood – which still sent chills down my mother’s spine.
When I got up to get a refill of coffee, my mother was still talking. Had she even stopped for air? What was she saying now? I could barely keep up. The customers had been so nice, she was saying to me. They were all so interesting, she said. Everybody loved her drinks. How had I liked my gin and tonic? Was it a bit too strong?
“No, Mother, it was perfect.”
“Would you like me to mix you some cheese into your eggs?” she asked from the stove.
“Yes, please.” I took another sip of coffee. It was a good, expensive kind, and my mother made it strong.
She winked as she handed me a plate of pancakes. “Seems like I’m always handing you a plate or a cocktail glass. And if I do say so myself, I’m pretty good with the drinks.”
She was also good with food. I took a bite of pancake. It was divine: so much chocolate and cakey goodness with lots and lots of butter seeping into its warmth.
“You’re a genius, Mom. This is fabulous.” The bad dreams seemed to fade away with every bite I took.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into the office to find Celeste and Marge huddled over Marge’s desk. The two of them were frowning down at a bag of coins.
I smiled. “Do we have enough to run off to Hawaii once we solve this case?”
Celeste frowned. “Well, we’re wondering what to do.”
“I vote for some cute shoes,” Marge said. Then she gasped at a new thought. “Do you know what I’ve always wanted? I want to learn to skydive. Can you imagine? Floating through a cloud.”
“No way,” I said. “That sounds terrifying.” I’d never even flown on an airplane – kind of pitiful at my age. My goal was to step onto a plane, not jump out of one.
“I don’t even know if we should keep this,” Celeste said, picking up the bag and placing it into a heavy bottom drawer. “It wasn’t legal, you know, the way Marge won these coins. And after all, we are professionals with an expertise in crime. Do we really want to profit from an illegal enterprise?”
“Except that,” Marge said, “we were there to do a good thing, to try to find a man who’d taken money from our client. We had to gamble to look legit! And could I really help it that these coins came flying out? Can I help it that I’m a superstar when it comes to slot machines?”