by Chris Ewan
‘Okay,’ she said doubtfully. ‘Then what?’
‘Then she shut Josh in the trunk of his car.’
Victoria showed me her palms and a puzzled expression. ‘We’re missing a step. How did she get him into the trunk?’
‘We’re missing plenty of steps. But the trunk part is easy. Josh climbed in voluntarily.’
‘He did? Why?’
‘It seems there’s a manned security booth at the exit of the parking lot. Josh was afraid he’d be stopped. His idea was for Caitlin to drive him out while he hid in the boot.’
‘Ah.’
‘But once she’d closed the lid, she left him there and stormed off to Mount Charleston.’
‘Right.’ She scratched her head. ‘And why did she do that again?’
I smiled. ‘That’s exactly what Ricks asked her. He telephoned her, you see, once he’d finished watching the footage.’
‘And?’
‘And he told her he wanted to help. Said he was worried about the mess she’d got herself in. Then again, the last thing I’d want to do if I was in Ricks’ shoes is to tell the Fisher Twins that their sister was the one who stole the juice list from them.’
Victoria leaned forward over her wine glass, her confusion deepening. ‘But hang on a minute. I thought Maurice asked Josh to steal the juice list.’
‘He did. But come on, Josh didn’t have the skills to get inside that safe.’ I poked my thumb at my chest. ‘Even I didn’t have the skills to get inside that safe.’
‘So, what – Josh got Caitlin to help?’
‘Don’t sound so surprised. She wanted that gig at Magic Land every bit as much as Josh. Perhaps even more. Remember, I’ve seen with my own eyes how committed she was to developing her new act. And she must have believed that the juice list could offer her a way to escape her brothers’ influence.’ I lifted my shoulders. ‘Maybe she thought Maurice could use the leverage to help her out.’
Victoria backed off from me and swirled the wine in her glass. She scrutinised the oily vortex that developed. ‘Not forgetting, I suppose, that she was in love with Josh. They were getting married, after all.’
‘Oh, mush.’
‘You’re saying she lied?’
I sucked on my lips. ‘I didn’t see an engagement ring on her finger.’
‘Trust you to notice that.’
‘Just observant, I suppose. But ask yourself this: could you lock your fiancé inside a car boot and leave him to stew?’
‘Of course not. But then, I’m not Caitlin. She must have been angry.’
‘Try furious. From what she told Ricks, Josh had kept her in the dark about his roulette scam. Not that I’m surprised by that. I still don’t understand why he did it.’
Victoria pouted and took another sip of her wine. ‘Maybe he wanted a little extra spending money in Hawaii.’
‘Yeah, or maybe he was simply arrogant enough to believe he’d get away with it. But instead, he drew the attention of the Fisher Twins. And that was the last thing Caitlin needed.’
‘Right. Because she planned on stealing the juice list.’
I wagged my finger. ‘Because she already had it. Don’t you see? Caitlin could visit her brothers’ office when they weren’t around without arousing suspicion. And she could get close enough to one of the twins to sneak a look at his PDA and locate the safe code. The twins told Ricks that they’d last accessed their safe two days ago. So at some point between then and when Josh disappeared, Caitlin stole the list. Actually, I imagine it wasn’t long before I found her in the bath. She wouldn’t have wanted to give the twins too much time to discover the list was missing. And that would explain why she didn’t perform in the show yesterday evening. Perhaps her nerves were frayed.’
Victoria pulled a face that suggested her wine tasted foul. ‘She didn’t tell Ricks all of that, surely.’
‘So I’m filling in a few blanks. But she told him enough for him to convince her to come back to Vegas. That would have been shortly before you showed up at her house and asked her to do the same thing. No offence, but I think she was already planning on returning.’
‘I see.’ Victoria reached for her knife and spun it on the tablecloth, her mouth twisted in concentration. ‘She was quite easy to persuade, now that you mention it. At the time, I assumed that was because she was concerned for Josh.’
‘Yeah, concerned that he didn’t screw up. Ricks was prepared to erase the surveillance footage and turn off the cameras in the parking lot. The idea was for him to meet Caitlin at the Lexus and release Josh. Then they were going to work together to return the juice list to the safe.’
‘Only Caitlin had me to contend with.’
‘There’s that. But more to the point, it was soon after they finished talking that Ricks got the call to say that an attempt had been made on the Fisher Twins’ safe. He had to head to their office right away. And that’s when he found me, and the whole thing became a whole lot more complicated.’
‘More complicated?’ Victoria blew a puff of air towards her fringe and twirled her knife some more. ‘Honestly. I know I’m tired, but it seems bad enough already.’
‘Imagine how Ricks must have felt. I’m kind of amazed his head didn’t explode.’
‘He’s one cool customer, all right.’
‘You don’t know the half of it.’ I stretched across the table and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from spinning the knife. I smiled by way of consolation. ‘When we were all leaving the theatre and the twins were arranging for Josh’s Lexus to be brought around to the front of the hotel, Ricks pulled Caitlin to one side and asked for the juice list. That’s when she told him that she’d been a little too clever for her own good. She’d hidden it under the sand in the cabinet when you were waiting for us to arrive.’
A light seemed to go on in Victoria’s eyes. ‘So that’s why Ricks went back.’
‘Damage limitation. Plus, he had no idea that Josh was dead, of course.’
‘Oh yes. So when did that happen?’
I reached for some more ciabatta, then thought better of it and fortified myself with a mouthful of wine instead. ‘It would have been some time after Ricks turned off the security camera,’ I said, swallowing. ‘Josh must have believed that Caitlin wasn’t going to return to release him. He’d been calling her from the trunk of the Lexus, but she wouldn’t answer her mobile. So out of desperation, he sent Jared a text.’
‘Big mistake. He didn’t know what the Fisher Twins had done to Jared. He basically sent the guy an invitation to come stab him.’
‘Yeah, with his damn barbecue fork. And then Jared stole Josh’s chips and made the error of trying to cash them out.’
Victoria shook her head and released a long breath. ‘He could have got clean away if he hadn’t tried that.’
‘So you see, Caitlin really didn’t expect Josh to be dead when the trunk flipped up. And you might remember that she did her best to avoid opening the boot in the first place. It was only when you suggested it, and when I pressed the button on the key, that she lost control of the situation.’
‘And suddenly he’s dead.’
‘Exactly. So you can understand why she was completely thrown by it. I mean, he was never going to be in the best of conditions, but she really didn’t suspect a thing.’
‘Hmm.’ Victoria folded her arms across her chest. ‘So what happens now?’
‘Now?’ I leaned back in my chair and laced my hands behind my head. ‘We let Ricks smooth things over. It seems like the twins are willing to buy the idea that Josh stole the juice list. They have his killer. So there’s probably no need for Caitlin’s name to be mentioned.’
She gave me a disapproving look. ‘That doesn’t sound right.’
‘She has to live with Josh’s death on her conscience, Vic. And if she’s even half as mushy as you believe, that’s going to be tough.’
‘And us?’ She winced.
‘We’re in the clear,’ I said, and watched her face begin to r
elax. ‘The twins wanted us to repay the money they lost on the roulette scam or have us find Josh for them. Well, they’ve got their casino markers back, and we did find Josh – although perhaps not in the state of health they might have preferred. And on top of that, we helped to return the juice list.’
‘We were aiming to steal the juice list.’
‘Originally, maybe, but they’re pragmatists, Vic.’
She let go of a dispirited sigh. ‘I’m not sure I like that they got their blackmail list back.’
‘I don’t like it either. But maybe it’s better that more people don’t have access to the information. And the part I do like is where Ricks comes in. The guy did us more than a few favours, and I don’t think we’ve left him empty-handed. He knows about Caitlin. Maybe he was even smart enough to make a copy of the surveillance footage before it got wiped. I’d say that if he waited a while and played things right, he could enjoy a very comfortable retirement.’
‘And Maurice? He can’t be very pleased.’
‘Disappointed, I suppose. But he didn’t pay my fee upfront, so he’s not out of pocket.’
‘Yes, but we don’t know what happened to Sal. If he’s still inside the twins’ office, they could find him and connect him to Maurice.’
‘Ahem,’ I said, and pointed over Victoria’s shoulder towards the back corner of the restaurant terrace. She hesitated, then turned and looked in the direction I was indicating just as Sal lifted his head from a bowl of pasta. I raised my wine glass to him and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before grasping his beer bottle and encouraging Kojar to join our toast.
‘Is that really them?’ Victoria whispered.
‘You couldn’t make it up, right?’
‘Sal’s even smaller than I imagined.’
‘I know. I had to specifically request that high-chair for him.’
Victoria turned back to me and shook her head slowly. ‘You’re awful.’
‘Not so awful. I am paying for their meal.’
‘I should jolly well think so. But how did Sal escape?’
‘That would be Ricks again. After we’d finished talking, he went back to the twins’ office and found Sal hiding beneath the conference table. He reunited him with Kojar and got the pair of them out of the hotel without being seen. Oh, and he also released the security guard we’d tied up and let him know that it would be a bad idea to mention that he saw anyone other than me.’
‘So there’s really no risk to Maurice.’
‘Hardly any. But I’d still like to think that I can sweeten things for him.’
‘Oh?’
‘I was hoping you’d come with me to Mount Charleston tomorrow. I’m going to suggest that Caitlin should meet Maurice. He as good as told me he could build a show around her underwater endurance act, and I think having her perform at a dump like the Atlantis should be sufficient punishment for what she did.’
Victoria’s mouth puckered. ‘She won’t agree to that, Charlie.’
‘She will if she has any sense, and she’ll persuade her brothers too. After all, Ricks isn’t the only one who knows what really happened, and I’m quite handy with a pen and paper. It wouldn’t take me long to write it all down.’
‘But that’s blackmail. Why, it’s no better than their stupid list.’
‘Actually, it’s more like that short story you’ve been nagging me to write. And I have it in mind to pull something together along those lines, anyway – with the relevant details changed – once we’ve moved on from Vegas.’
‘We?’ She blinked. ‘Does that mean you’re planning on flying back to London with me?’
I offered her a rueful grin. ‘Not this time, I’m afraid.’
‘So where then?’
I spread my arms wide and gestured at the square surrounding me. Victoria cocked her head in puzzlement.
‘But you just said you were moving on from Vegas.’
‘I am, Vic. I’m going to Venice. The real one this time. And I’m going to do some real writing. I’ve had my fill of burglary for a while. My readers deserve better. You deserve better.’
She flushed and glanced down at the table. ‘Oh Charlie, I am relieved to hear you say that. I’ve been so scared this last day or so.’ She raised her head and peered at the blue-faced clock-tower above my left shoulder – a replica of the one in the genuine Piazza San Marco. ‘You know, it’s just a few minutes before the deadline the twins set us. At one point, I really didn’t think we’d live beyond it.’
‘It was never in doubt.’
‘You can say that now.’ She tapped her nose. ‘But I know otherwise.’
‘No, you don’t.’ I tried (and failed) not to smile. ‘You can’t honestly have believed I’d put you in that kind of danger, can you? Listen, the bottom line was that the Fisher Twins wanted their money back. And my first edition of The Maltese Falcon is worth almost enough by itself. I’d have been distraught to lose it – I’m superstitious enough to believe that I can’t write for toffee without it beside me – but I’d have handed it over if that’s what it came down to. I would never have let them harm you, Vic. You mean far too much to me for that.’
I reached for her hand from across the table. She stared at me, eyes agog, and then her eyes narrowed with menacing intent.
‘You bloody idiot. I’ve been worried half out of my mind.’
‘But focused, right? Willing to help? I couldn’t have done what I did without you. I’d have lost Hammett’s novel for good. And you might have lost me as a writer for good, too. And I really want to improve, Vic. I want to write the kind of novel you can be proud of.’
‘I don’t know what to say. I’m going to have to—’
She broke off as she gazed down to where our hands were touching. For a moment, I thought she was caught up in the meaning of the gesture. Then I saw her eyebrows fork and her lips press together into a thin line. She snatched her hand away and pointed an accusing finger at my wrist.
‘What the bloody hell is that?’
‘Ah,’ I said, and rolled back my shirtsleeve. ‘That’s the other reason I wasn’t too worried. This watch used to belong to Josh.’
‘Used to? Dear God, please tell me you didn’t take it from the poor man’s body.’
‘No,’ I said, as though scandalised. ‘I stole it when we broke into his apartment.’
‘Oh. And I suppose that’s better?’
‘Well, yes, I think so. And to my mind, Josh was really no more than a custodian of this watch anyway.’ I raised my hand to my mouth and coughed discreetly. ‘By the way, do you happen to have the Houdini biography in your handbag still?’
She scowled at me. ‘I sincerely hope you’re not comparing the two thefts. I wasn’t the one who stole the book, if you remember?’ ‘Please, Vic. Just pass it over and allow me to explain.’ Victoria huffed and grumbled, but she did as I asked and unhooked her handbag from the back of her chair. Once she’d removed the Houdini biography and handed it over to me, I turned the pages until I found the section I was looking for, and then I cracked the spine and tapped at a highlighted passage with my fingertip.
In order to commemorate the first modest performance of his Water Torture Cell illusion, Bess selected a gift for her husband – a gold wristwatch with a white pearlescent dial. She had the watch engraved to him, with a short expression of her love. ‘To my Upside Down Houdini, Love Always, Bess, 04-29-1911’.
As Victoria studied the passage, I unfastened the fragile leather strap from my wrist and placed the watch face-down on my white linen napkin. I pointed to the back of the casing and Victoria looked across and read the inscription, her lips moving increasingly slowly as she mouthed the words.
She fumbled for her wine glass and took a huge gulp. ‘That must be worth a bloody fortune,’ she gasped.
‘Not a fortune, no. But enough to fund a good few months in Venice. It turns out that there was an auction of Houdini memorabilia in Vegas a few years ago. The magic store in this very ca
sino sells copies of the auction catalogue, so I know roughly how much Josh paid.’
Victoria shook her head and reached for the wristwatch, but before her fingers made contact I whipped it away and folded it up inside my napkin. She frowned at me, but I smiled broadly.
‘What would you say to a small trick?’ I asked. ‘Seems fitting, doesn’t it?’
Her face paled. ‘What kind of a trick?’
‘You do remember the Thief in the Theatre, don’t you? You know, the part about the opera diva’s necklace being smashed inside a velvet bag?’
I leaned down to my side and removed my right shoe, then gripped it by the toe and held the heel above the folded napkin.
‘I don’t have a velvet bag or a claw hammer, so I guess this will have to do.’
‘Oh, Charlie.’ She waved her hands. ‘No. Don’t do it. Please.’
‘It’s just an illusion, Vic.’
‘I don’t care. I don’t want to see it. In fact, I forbid it.’
I wiggled my eyebrows. ‘You forbid it?’
‘That watch is too precious. Here, why don’t you use mine instead?’
‘Oh, relax.’ I hoisted my shoe up above my shoulder. ‘I mean, what do you take me for? A complete idiot?’
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As anyone who has been to Las Vegas will know, real estate is at a premium along the Strip, and some major construction work was required to accommodate the imaginary casinos in this book. For those with an interest in fictional geography, the Fifty-Fifty is situated on the current site of the Imperial Palace (with Harrah’s on one side and the Flamingo on the other), while Space Station One occupies the plot taken by Bally’s, alongside Paris-Las Vegas and opposite the Bellagio. The Atlantis is squeezed in between the Mandalay Bay and Silverado Ranch Road.
My heartfelt thanks go to Susan Hill and Jessica Ruston, who made Charlie’s career in larceny possible in the first place. Thanks also to Jim Brimer of Pink Jeep Tours, who was willing to detour back from Mount Charleston through the outskirts of Naked City, to Allison, April and Colin, to my wonderful agent Vivien, my brilliant editors Kate and Hope, all at Sheil Land Associates, Simon and Schuster and St Martin’s Press, and especially to my wife, Jo, who accompanied me on three trips to Las Vegas without ever winning that elusive accumulator jackpot.