“Yeah, I am. It’s that time of the month. Too much coffee, not enough sleep.”
“If you’re free Sunday, come for dinner. I should be leaving. I think I’ll take a ride out to the desert to see Fanny and Marcus. Bye, Billie.”
“Bye Iris. If Sage comes in, I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
Outside in the crisp October air, Iris drew a deep breath. On a whim, she walked back to Babylon, where she took the elevator to the underground garage where Sage kept his reserved parking space since parking spots all over town were at a premium. When she saw the vacant slot, her eyes filled. Was Sage in the casino or had he parked his car somewhere else? He could have walked anywhere in town if he wanted to, which meant he could be anywhere. He also had spare keys to all the casino’s shuttle vans. She sat down on the back bumper of Sunny’s Volvo, parked in the space next to Sage’s. Tears rolled down her cheeks. What was she doing here? She should go back to the mountain where she belonged. That’s exactly what she would do when she’d had lunch and checked out Room 719.
“Sage! Marcus, Sage is here!” Fanny called out to her husband. “I can’t remember the last time you just stopped by, honey,” she said hugging her son.
“Mom, I didn’t just stop by. In a way I did. I came by to tell you something and to ask you something. The good news is Iris is expecting twins.”
Fanny’s hand flew to her mouth. “Twins!”
“Twins!” Marcus echoed his wife’s startled comment.
“Yep. They’re due on Valentine’s Day.”
“Valentine’s Day,” the Reeds said in unison.
“Yep.”
“How’s Iris?”
“She had a lot of morning sickness, but it’s getting better now. She slept in this morning for the first time ever.”
“I hope you’re being considerate of her, sweetie.”
“Mom, Iris and the kids are my reason for living. How could you even think I might not be considerate of her.”
“Your father . . .”
“I’m not Dad, Mom. I remember what it was like. Trust me when I tell you I will never be like him.”
Fanny nodded. “What was the other thing you wanted to talk about?”
“Jeff Lassiter.”
“What about him, Sage?”
“I stopped by the casino last night to get Celia’s phone number and address at Birch’s request. By the way, here it is in case you want to call her.” He handed his mother a slip of paper. “I spoke to Neal and some of the other employees while I was there. Are you aware that a rumor is going around concerning layoffs? Out with the old and in with the new. Did you give Jeff that authority?”
“It all went with the job. You didn’t want it, Sage. Birch wasn’t here. Bess and John wanted to retire. My back was to the wall. I explained that to all of you.”
“So you just gave him carte blanche?” The indignation and outrage on Sage’s face were palpable. Marcus moved closer to his wife, his hand on her shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Does that mean you’re going to go along with laying off Neal, Todd, Steve, and all the others? They have families, Mom, kids in college, mortgages, ailing parents. There’s a lot of new faces roaming around over there. You can’t let him do that. It’s not going to be good for morale. They’re all loyal to this family.”
“Sallie ran the Silver Dollar into the ground with that kind of thinking. We all cut our teeth on that story. Business is business. I’m sure a nice, healthy severance package will go with the layoff.”
“Aren’t you forgetting what all those guys did for you when you took over from Dad? Mom, you owe them. Babylon would have gone down the drain if it wasn’t for their dedication and loyalty to this family. Mom, I never heard you talk like this. You were always the most family-oriented person I knew. Marcus, what do you have to say?” Sage all but snarled.
“It’s not my business, Sage. I promised all of you and your mother when we got married that I wouldn’t interfere in your family business. I have to stand by my decision.”
“That’s it then! You won’t talk to Jeff?”
“Until he does something wrong, no, I won’t interfere,” Fanny said.
“Then I guess I have to go the other route and talk to my siblings. Your vote only counts, Mom, when things are tied. Would it bother you at all if I told you your golden boy is pussyfooting around with your new daughter-in-law? Here’s one for the books. I think Jeff has Celia stashed in Room 719, Dad’s little private whorehouse.”
Fanny’s face drained of all color.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Mom. You backed the wrong horse.” His face murderous, Sage stormed from the room. Marcus marched after him.
“Sage, wait.”
“Don’t talk to me, Marcus. You had your chance back there, and you blew it. She’s wrong, and we both know it. This is the goddamnedest fucked-up family I ever came across. I wish to hell I’d never been born into it.”
“You don’t mean that, Sage. Take a deep breath, son, and calm down.”
“I’m not your son, so don’t try pulling that shit on me. There’s going to be a war here, so you better get the hell out of the line of fire. Mom taught us about honesty and loyalty from the time we were old enough to walk and talk. Obviously she no longer practices what she preached all those years. To say I’m disillusioned with my mother would be putting it mildly. I think I can speak for my brother and sisters on this.”
Marcus gasped. “Are you threatening your own mother? Sage, I don’t believe I’m hearing this from you.”
“I’m threatening her decision because it is a bad decision. If she stands behind it, then yes, I’m threatening her. Both of you, stay away from Sunrise, too. Don’t call us. We’ll call you.”
“Sage . . .”
“Get the hell out of my way, or I’ll run you over.”
Sage drove for a mile before he realized he’d taken a wrong turn. He pulled to the side of the road until his breathing returned to normal. He eyed the mobile phone. He fumbled through his wallet until he found the number Birch had given him for the building site in Atlantic City. He placed his call, his breath exploding in a loud sigh when he heard his brother’s booming voice. Sage explained his encounter with Fanny and Marcus.
“Jesus, I’m glad Sunny and I are out of there. You got my vote. Sunny’s here if you want to talk to her.”
“Yeah, put her on.”
Sage explained again.
“That sucks, Sage. Of course you have my vote. I say we fire the son of a bitch!”
“He has a contract, Sunny. I’m sure it’s airtight. We can outvote Mom, though. I’m sure Billie will go along with us. It will get down and dirty, Sunny.”
“You know what, Sage, I’m spoiling for a good fight. Say what you will about Dad. He kept Jeff at a distance for a reason. He probably knew this would happen somewhere along the way. Dad was, among other things, shrewd and wise in the ways of trickery and deceit. Whatever you decide to do, it’s okay with Birch and me. We can be home in four hours if you need us. Say hello to Neal and the guys for me. Neal always took my side when Dad thought I wasn’t doing something to his liking. Do you have any other news?”
“By tonight I might. I’ll call you. Don’t call me at the house. I don’t want to get Iris involved in any of this. She’s not feeling too good. She gets paranoid when she thinks there are family problems. As it is, she’s acting weird.”
“Wait. The longer the pregnancy goes, the weirder she’s going to get. It isn’t easy being pregnant. Try being a little more understanding. Take her some flowers.”
“With sixteen greenhouses on the premises!”
“They’re free. Buy them. Present them. Sometimes you’re so stupid it’s hard to believe you’re my brother. Harry and I are going to get married.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me. On New Year’s Day. We want you and Birch both to be our best man, men, in this instance. Say something.” Sunny’s voice was anx
ious when she said, “You like Harry, don’t you?”
“Like a brother, Sunny. Congratulations. When are you going to tell Jake and Polly? Man, this will give Iris something to do beside thinking about twins. Can I tell her?”
“Sure you can tell her. I’ll call the kids this weekend. We want to get married at Sunrise at sunrise. You know, the start of the day, a new year, that kind of thing. I’m doing real good now, and so is Harry. We’ll finally get to live in the same cottage.”
“That’s great, Sunny. What about Mom?”
“Whatever will be will be, Sage.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Say hi to Harry for me.”
“Will do. We want a really smashing present. I was thinking along the lines of a fifty-six-inch television set. A Mitsubishi.”
“I’ll tell Iris. Bye, Sunny.”
“Sage, wait, don’t hang up. I think you’re going to need a lawyer. Hire Clementine Fox before Mom or Jeff gets to her. She’s the best. Give some thought to all of us buying out Jeff’s contract.”
“Okay. I’ll call Clementine today.”
Sage’s next call was to Billie at the office. He went through his spiel for the third time. “What’s your vote?”
“The same as you guys. Sunny’s right. Talk to Clem before you do anything. Who drew up Lassiter’s contract? Do you know?”
“His own attorney. Mom didn’t even use a lawyer. She read it, said it was simple, cut-and-dried, and she signed it.”
“Nothing is cut-and-dried. Forget simple. The lawyer hasn’t been born who knows what simple means. Cover our asses, Sage. By the way, Iris stopped in to take you to lunch. I didn’t think she looked well.”
“She wasn’t feeling well this morning. She was still in bed when I left. I’m sorry I missed her. Do you need me for anything?”
“It’s quiet today. I was just getting ready to go to lunch. Is that okay with you, big brother?”
“Take as long as you like, Billie.”
“Let me know what happens. Was Mom mad?”
“Stubborn. I blew up at Marcus. I hate it when people are tight-minded. Doesn’t Mom care?”
“She paid her dues. I guess she figures she did the best she could at the time. We need to allow for that. She’s very fond of Neal and the guys. When she took over from Dad, she relied on all of them. If it wasn’t for those guys, Babylon would have gone down the tubes. Maybe you should have reminded her of that little fact.”
“I did, Billie, but it didn’t make a difference.”
“Do what you have to do. You have my vote. Mom’s vote only counts if it’s a tiebreaker.”
“Sunny’s getting married on New Year’s Day. She wants to do it when the sun is coming up at Sunrise.”
“God, that’s great. I’ll call her tonight. I can make her gown and veil if she wants me to. Thanks for telling me. See you tomorrow.”
Next stop, Babylon.
Iris opted for the buffet at the Country Kitchen dining room, nestled at the far end of the casino, that was frequented mostly by the staff. Sage had said he always ate here. Until today she’d watched her weight, eating only vegetables, fruits, and chicken. Her weight gain, even though she was five months pregnant and carrying twins, was minimal. As she walked down the line with her oval-shaped plate, she eyed everything before making her final decision. When she sat down at the table, she had a slab of ribs, two deep-fried chicken legs, two scoops of mashed potatoes with gravy, one small spear of broccoli, and a half loaf of garlic bread spread with thick butter. She ate everything except the broccoli. She went back for cherry pie and soft ice cream, washing it down with a bottle of lemon-lime soda.
Once in a great while she smoked but hadn’t smoked at all since her pregnancy began. She fired up a stale cigarette from the bottom of her purse. She coughed and sputtered but kept on smoking. She smoked two more cigarettes before she got up from the table. Waiting in line at the cashier’s counter, she popped three Rolaids for the heartburn she knew would overtake her once she started moving.
Iris walked slowly, her eyes canvassing the casino floor. When she didn’t see anyone she recognized, she looked around for a courtesy phone. She stopped once to change a ten-dollar bill for silver dollars. She fed them one at a time, yanking the handle violently nine times, at which point a siren over her head went off and a whistle blasted her eardrums. She stared at the blood red triple sevens in front of her. People were staring at her, hooting and hollering. She wished the floor would open and swallow her.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neal approaching her, a broad smile on his face. “You tapped the big one, Iris,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Twenty-five big ones!”
“You mean I won twenty-five hundred dollars!”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars! How do you want the check made out?”
Run and hide money. Now, where did that thought come from?
“My name,” she said smartly. Neal spoke softly into the walkie-talkie in his hand.
“Attagirl.” Neal laughed. “You aren’t going to believe this, Iris, but your new sister-in-law fed this machine for close to two hours a little while ago. I think she pumped three hundred bucks into it. Smile. Here comes our new boss with your check.”
So Celia was in the casino a little while ago. Probably, Iris thought, while I was stuffing my face in the Country Kitchen. She smiled for Jeff Lassiter, who handed over the check, a strange look on his face. “Dumb luck,” she muttered. On the ride home, she’d think about the strange smile she’d seen on Lassiter’s face.
“If you’re looking for Sage, I saw him about fifteen minutes ago. Do you want me to look for him?”
“Nope. I’m going to take my money and run. To the bank.” Fifteen minutes versus Celia a little while ago.
Smiling at her well-wishers, Iris made her way to the courtesy phone. “Room 719,” she said in a harsh voice.
“That room has not been assigned, ma’am. Are you sure you have the right number?”
“I’m sure. This is Iris Thornton. Ring the room, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the flustered voice said.
The phone in Room 719 was picked up on the fourth ring. Iris listened to her husband’s husky, cautious hello. When she heard him say hello a second time, she hung up the phone.
Sick to her soul, Iris made her way to the underground garage. She cried all the way up the mountain.
In Room 719 Sage replaced the phone in the cradle. A signal? The call had been made from the casino floor. He didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to recognize the bells and whistles of the slot machines. Lassiter checking on Celia? What was he thinking this very minute?
Sage knew he should leave, but he wanted to see if there were any traces of Celia’s presence. When he reported in to Sunny later, he wanted to make sure he was telling the truth. He checked the bedroom closet, bug-eyed at the costly garments, the price tags still attached. Six pairs of glittery, spike-heeled shoes were on the floor. The dresser drawers showed him his sister-in-law had fine taste in lingerie. The stuff looked like cobwebs to him. The bathroom was chock full of cosmetics and crystal perfume bottles. He removed the glass stopper on one of the bottles and sniffed. He swiped at his nose and then sneezed three times in succession. He recognized the scent as one his mother wore. Four hundred fifty dollars a half ounce. Possibly more in today’s market. Once when they were kids they had pooled their money to buy their mother the half ounce bottle. He’d used up almost a whole year’s allowance, as had his brother and sisters.
Sage placed the perfume bottle exactly where he found it. He felt the towel. It was wet. Supersleuth Sage Thornton. He grimaced at his reflection in the mirror. He looked around the sitting room, his eyes searching for a sign that he’d been in the apartment. It was probably a mistake to answer the phone. He couldn’t worry about that now. He left the room, checking the door to make sure it was locked. The elevator door started to swish shut just as the elevator on the right opened. Sage s
tepped next to the panel catching only a glimpse of his half brother Jeff Lassiter. “Supersleuth Sage Thornton makes a clean getaway,” he muttered.
Sage looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes to get to Clementine Fox’s office to keep the appointment he’d made earlier. His visit to the seventh floor was a can of worms. The appointment with Vegas’s hot-shot attorney would be opening a bucket full of worms. Sage shrugged, remembering his father’s famous words, “You play the hand you’re dealt.”
Fanny sat at the kitchen table with her hands folded, her eyes full of tears. Marcus set a cup of steaming coffee in front of her. He emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the now empty coffeepot. He eyed his wife out of the corner of his eye as he picked up the small rug under the sink. He carried it outside to shake out the crumbs. He let the dogs in and out. Fanny hadn’t moved. The tears were still glistening in her eyes. Her coffee was untouched. “No matter what I do, it’s never right. I can never make my children happy. Why do they expect so much from me? Sage was so . . . bullish. Was I wrong, Marcus?”
“In my opinion you were wrong.”
“You’re on their side?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side. I said I wouldn’t interfere with your family, and I meant it. You asked my opinion, and I gave it to you. You always said Sage was the level-headed one, that he was the one who thought things through. You said Birch acted on impulse.”
“That’s true. Sage was almost violent. Ash used to act that way when things didn’t go his way. I don’t for one minute believe what he said about Celia and Jeff. Do you believe it, Marcus?”
“Are you asking my opinion, Fanny?”
“Yes.”
“I believed everything Sage said. He has no reason to lie. Ask yourself why Celia stayed behind. Don’t you find it a little strange considering what went on at Sunrise?”
“I don’t think Sage has forgiven Birch for going off to Costa Rica. I think that has something to do with things.”
“I don’t believe that either. Again, it’s my opinion. Why do you suppose Ash kept that young man out of the way? He did it for a reason. He didn’t want him to be a part of your family. There had to be a reason for that, too. From everything you told me, Ash went out of his way to make sure what is happening now never happened. I can respect that in a man. You took matters into your own hands, and this is the result. There were options available to you, Fanny. You chose not to exercise them. I never asked why. Neal is more than capable of running the casino. I also think he had every right to expect the job. Bess and John both told me he was the logical choice.”
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