by M C Beaton
‘You see that mound of grass and earth over there?’ whispered James. ‘We can lie behind it and get a good look at the loading bay.’
‘It’s clouding over,’ Agatha whispered back.
‘I brought a couple of night-vision binoculars,’ said James, opening a travel bag. He handed a pair to Agatha. ‘Now, we wait.’
The night dragged on. Clouds covered the moon, and then a light rain began to fall. ‘Let’s give up,’ moaned Agatha.
‘Keep your voice down. I can hear something coming. Here comes the security guard.’
The rumble of a vehicle drew nearer. The guard opened the gates to the loading bay. A thickset man came out of the building. ‘Evening, Mr Staikov,’ said the guard.
‘That must be the son,’ whispered Agatha. ‘He’s taken over the business.’
The truck rumbled to a stop. The back doors were opened and two men jumped out. The driver and another man who had been in the front seat came to join them.
They began to unload rolls of leather from the back and carry them into the building. Then they heard Staikov say clearly, ‘Bring the paperwork into the office and I’ll sign it. I want to get to my bed. You were expected this afternoon.’
‘Bloody French,’ said one man. ‘Strike at Calais. Held us up for hours, it did.’
Agatha felt a sinking feeling of disappointment. The load should have arrived in broad daylight. Staikov was inside signing paperwork. The rain was coming down heavier.
She tried to get to her feet, but James pulled her down. ‘We can’t risk being seen. Wait until they drive off.’
To Agatha, it seemed to take ages. Her soaking hair was plastered to her head. Her clothes were drenched.
At long last, the truck drove off, the gates were closed, and James said they could move.
In the car, he turned on the heater. ‘This is awful,’ moaned Agatha.
‘It’s good for the gardens.’
‘I’m not a plant!’
Although she knew she was risking valuable business, Agatha told her assembled staff in the morning that she was closing down the agency for two weeks. She said they had been under threat for too long and it would do them all good to get a break.
There were a few grumbles that she hadn’t really given them time to make holiday arrangements, yet each of them was secretly relieved. Ever since Agatha had been sent that severed head and Roy kidnapped, they had all felt uneasy.
‘Where will you go?’ Toni asked Agatha.
‘Don’t know. I think I’d like to potter around, have tea with Mrs Bloxby, do village things.’
‘Doesn’t sound like you,’ remarked Phil.
‘Well, I’m weary of the whole business. Maybe if I just switch off from it all, something will occur to me.’
‘We have cases outstanding,’ Mrs Freedman pointed out.
‘Nothing that can’t be put on hold. Nothing really but nasty divorces. If we had an outstanding one about a missing child, then that would be different.’
Toni went to her computer and looked up a website that offered last-minute holidays. Last-minute or not, the prices seemed high. She went out to find a travel agent. The pavements were steaming under the hot sun after last night’s rain. It’s almost tropical, thought Toni. She walked to a small travel agency at the corner of the street, pushed open the door and went in.
‘Hi, Tone,’ a voice greeted her.
Toni saw Chelsea Flitter, the girl she had last seen working as a receptionist at Mixden’s detective agency. ‘What are you doing here?’ asked Toni.
‘It’s better here. You get free trips. I’m off to Las Vegas.’
‘Oh, you lucky thing!’ exclaimed Toni. ‘I’ve always wanted to play the tables, just once.’
‘Here, you could do it!’ said Chelsea excitedly. ‘I’m off tonight. It’s a holiday agency called Summerflight. They’ve got their own planes. Leaves Gatwick Airport. Only four days. You could share my room. All you’d need is the money for the ticket and I can book that now. It’ll be more fun with two of us. Come on, Tone. We may even meet a couple of millionaires.’
‘I’ll do it,’ said Toni.
‘Attagirl!’
The flight was uncomfortable at first, the computer having crammed the passengers into all the seats at the front. Anything to eat or drink had to be purchased, and they even had to put one pound in the slot to use the toilet. Fortunately, the plane was only half-full and they were able to find other seats and stretch out.
The hotel was called the Old Prairie Ranch and was on the outskirts of Las Vegas near the airport. The architecture could be described as Plastic Log Cabin. Their room opened out on to a dusty outside corridor. It had a tired look. A cockroach lurked in the shower. Toni began to wish she had not come, but nothing seemed to dim Chelsea’s enthusiasm.
‘You know, I’ve always admired you, Tone,’ she said. ‘If I went a bit easier on the war paint and brushed my hair down, we could look like sisters.’
Toni was tired and suggested they should have a few hours’ sleep before setting off into town.
They ordered hamburgers and Cokes from room service, and then both fell into a heavy sleep.
Toni was awakened by Chelsea shaking her. ‘Show a leg, girl. Time to hit the town.’
Las Vegas was exciting as their taxi deposited them at the Rio Grande Hotel and Casino. There was a hectic buzz in the air. The whole city seemed a symphony of flashing neon lights.
Toni was wearing a simple black sheath with a row of pearls around her neck. Chelsea had also put on a black dress and had toned down her make-up. At first, as they entered, Toni felt almost overdressed. Elderly men and women were crouched at the slot machines, their eyes glazed, pulling the levers.
‘I want to play roulette,’ said Toni.
But Chelsea had noticed that the people at the machines were not all old. A young man with a cowboy hat pushed back on his head winked at her. ‘You go play roulette,’ said Chelsea. ‘I’ll try my luck here.’
‘What if we lose each other?’ protested Toni.
‘I’ve got a mobile which can work here. What about you?’
‘Yes, I’ve got one of those.’
‘Good, we can text each other.’
Feeling very young and self-conscious, Toni made her way to the roulette tables after buying a modest amount of chips. Not knowing whether she was allowed to use a camera or not, she still wanted a record of her visit. Agatha had given her a present of a ‘spy’ camera in the shape of a cigarette lighter. Toni had it inside a clutch handbag. She fished it out along with a packet of cigarettes. No one seemed to be smoking. Was there a smoking ban? Never mind, she told herself, if someone thinks I’m going to light up, I’m sure they’ll stop me. She rapidly clicked off a series of photographs of the people around the roulette tables. Then she saw a place at a table where she could push in.
She put fifty dollars on thirteen, and to her amazement, she won. She then played another fifty on seven and won again. ‘Third time lucky, honey,’ said an excited woman beside her. Toni played on, she lost some, but then won again, and again. Common sense took over and she decided to stop playing.
‘Luck hardly ever goes on happening,’ remarked Toni, gathering up her chips. When she cashed in her chips, she found she had won nearly two thousand dollars. She went off to find Chelsea, who was still feverishly playing the slot machines. ‘I’ve won quite a bit,’ said Toni. ‘Let’s get something to eat.’
‘Later,’ muttered Chelsea. ‘I’ll let you know.’
Toni found a café serving snacks and settled down to eat. She noticed a few people were smoking. The café had a balcony overlooking the main floor of the casino.
She shot some more pictures and then focussed on the slot machines where she had left Chelsea. She put away her camera and phoned her. The ringing stopped and went into voice mail. She texted her, saying she would meet her at the entrance. First, she searched along the rows and rows of slot machines without finding Chelsea.
She became anxious. If Chelsea had met some man, surely she would have phoned or texted. Maybe her phone didn’t work in the States after all.
At last, the sympathetic security guard got someone to take her up to the surveillance room. There were banks and banks of cameras photographing every part of the casino. Toni tried to estimate how long had passed since she had left Chelsea. Perhaps just over an hour. She pleaded to look at film of the slot machines around that time.
The film ran. Then she cried, ‘Stop! That’s her!’ Chelsea could be seen avidly pulling the handle of a slot machine. They ran the film forward. Chelsea rose. She was talking to someone, looking surprised and then anxious. She said something and took out her phone. Then she shook her head. Her companion said something else. Chelsea looked startled. With her new companion, she moved towards the entrance. Chelsea kept looking wildly round as if seeking help. They disappeared outside the casino.
‘Are there cameras outside?’ asked Toni. The operator switched over to the outside. Chelsea was thrust into the driver’s seat of a Lexus and then scrambled over to the passenger side. The car drove off.
‘Looks bad,’ said the operator heavily. ‘Stay where you are, little lady, and we’ll get the cops.’
‘Can’t you get a clear picture of that man?’ cried Toni.
‘He’s got a baseball cap pulled right down. Could be anyone.’
At first, the police tried to tell Toni that her friend had probably gone off with some man for a quickie and would soon be back. ‘She’s not like that,’ howled Toni. ‘Well, maybe. But she would have found me and told me. I’m telling you, she was frightened.’
‘We’ve got the number of the car,’ said a sergeant wearily. ‘Go back to your hotel and wait for her.’
So Toni did just that. Once in her room, she phoned Agatha. ‘Who is this Chelsea?’ demanded Agatha.
‘Just someone I was at school with,’ said Toni. ‘It was a last-minute decision to go with her.’
‘What does she look like?’
‘Well, blonde, slim – in fact, she did herself up to look a bit like me. Said we’d look like sisters.’
‘Give me the number of your hotel. I’ll go straight to police headquarters. I want still shots of that man from the casino. And the minute I’ve got that over with, I’m coming out to join you. What’s your hotel like?’
‘Horrible. It’s called the Old Prairie Ranch.’
‘Sit tight in case she turns up.’
Toni changed into a T-shirt and jeans, stretched out on the lumpy bed and waited. She thought the police would contact her again, but it seemed the case of a young girl going off with a man was hardly top priority.
She fell into an uneasy sleep and woke late in the morning. She asked the clerk in reception to contact the Las Vegas Police Department for her and waited anxiously. She was passed from one voice to another. When she finally got someone who knew about Chelsea’s disappearance, he tried to reassure her that her friend had probably gone off on a one-night stand and would soon turn up. She was urged to give it more time. When the sergeant was interrupted, she was just being told not to be impatient. He barked, ‘Hold the line.’ When he came back on again, he said, ‘Two of our detectives are coming out to talk with you, miss.’
Movement at last, thought Toni. She went downstairs to the reception area. Traffic going into Las Vegas roared past on the road outside, which shimmered in the heat.
Then a black car drove up and two men got out. ‘Miss Gilmour?’ they demanded as Toni rushed out to meet them.
‘May I see your identification?’ demanded Toni.
She studied their badges and said, ‘Let’s go inside.’
One detective was as thin as the other was fat. The thin one introduced himself as Wight Bergen and the other as Parry Hyer. They explained they had received a call from England, and there was a suspicion that Chelsea had been abducted in mistake for Toni. Search and Rescue were out over the desert, looking for any sign of her.
They were efficient and courteous. Toni found it something of a relief to tell the two attentive detectives the story of the murders and the abduction of Roy from the beginning.
She had just finished when a taxi screeched to a halt outside the hotel. ‘Snakes and bastards!’ came a familiar voice. ‘Was that as fast as this clapped-up wreck could go?’
‘Look, lady, pay up and shut up.’
‘My boss,’ said Toni, running out to meet Agatha. Never before had she been so glad to see Agatha’s abrasive presence.
Agatha paid the driver, adding, ‘And no tip to you for being so damned cheeky, and I bet you went the long way round.’
‘There are two detectives here,’ said Toni as the driver gave Agatha the finger and roared off. ‘You were quick.’
‘Got the first plane out, and you’re hours behind England here.’
Toni took Agatha’s bag from her. Agatha’s bearlike eyes surveyed the hotel. ‘I’ll see these detectives and then we’ll get out of this fleapit.’
‘But if Chelsea comes back, she’ll expect to find me here!’
‘We’ll leave her a note. We’ll book into that hotel where the casino is.’
Agatha was introduced to the detectives.
‘Your assistant has already explained everything to us,’ said Parry.
‘Is there any chance of getting some stills from the video of Chelsea being taken from the casino?’ asked Agatha.
‘We already have some. We’ll take you along to headquarters and you can have a look. Think you might recognize someone?’
‘It’s a slim hope,’ said Agatha. ‘Run and pack your bag, Toni. Do you need to settle your bill?’
‘I’ve just a bit of room service to pay for. The rest was part of a package deal.’
‘I’ll see to that. Get your case.’
Soon they were on their way to the Las Vegas Police Department on Sunrise Avenue. Agatha and Toni studied the still photographs. The man seemed to know where the cameras were because he kept his head bent down and the long peak of his baseball cap pulled over his eyes. Despite the fact that the images were very good, they could make out only the line of his mouth and the fact that he was wearing a light jacket over chinos and baseball boots.
‘May I keep one of these?’ asked Agatha.
‘Sure,’ said Parry. ‘We’ve e-mailed plenty to . . . where’s the damn place, Murchester?’
‘Mircester.’
‘Whatever. We found the Lexus abandoned. It had been stolen. We’ll phone you as soon as we hear anything. You’ll be staying at the Rio Grande?’
‘Yes,’ said Agatha.
‘Have a good one.’
‘As if we could,’ muttered Agatha in the back of the police car that was taking them to their hotel.
‘Agatha,’ said Toni suddenly, ‘I didn’t tell them, I took photographs while I was in the casino. I didn’t know whether it was legal or not.’
‘Is it that spy camera I gave you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Let’s keep that to ourselves. We’ll get your photos when we get home.’
They checked into a double room, ordered food from room service and waited, and waited.
Agatha, suffering from jet lag, fell asleep and jerked awake an hour later when the phone rang.
Toni answered it. Agatha heard her say, ‘What? . . . Where? . . . Is she all right? . . . We’ll be there directly.’
When she put the phone down, Toni’s face was glowing with relief. ‘A helicopter found her staggering around Death Valley and picked her up. She’s in the Lutheran hospital. Let’s go.’
Chelsea turned out to be suffering from heat exhaustion and sunburn. Agatha and Toni had to wait until the police had finished interrogating her. Then it was their turn.
Chelsea turned furious eyes on Toni out of her sun-scorched face. ‘It’s all your fault,’ she
howled.
‘How on earth . . . ?’ began Toni.
‘He thought I was you, see? He drove out with a gun in my side, and then he said, “You had it coming to you, Toni Gilmour.” I screamed I wasn’t you and that my passport was in me bag. He stopped the car, told me to hand over my bag, fished out me passport and began to curse something awful. Then he says, “Get out, bitch.” I got out and ran and ran away from the road as fast as I could. I wandered around and around. I could see lights from cars away on the road, but I was frightened to go back in case he got me again. Then the helicopter picked me up. Let me tell you something, Tone. I never want to see you again. You can chase the bad guys as much as you want, but keep me out of it. You could have warned me.’
‘How could she have warned you?’ said Agatha. ‘She didn’t know there was any danger here. How could she?’
‘Bet she did. Piss off, both of you.’ Chelsea turned her face away.
After that visit, Chelsea refused to see them again. Her handbag had been found and her passport was still there, lying on the ground beside it. Parry told Agatha and Toni that Chelsea was leaving in two days’ time.
‘Did she say anything useful about the man?’ asked Agatha. ‘What sort of accent?’
‘She just said he had a growly voice and she thought he was foreign. She said he smelled of booze. That’s all she knows.’ He turned to Toni. ‘Miss Gilmour, are you sure your decision to come here was made at the last minute?’
‘Sure as sure. Agatha decided to close the agency for two weeks because we were all afraid someone might be out to get us. I met Chelsea just by chance and she persuaded me to come on the trip. I think I want to go home now.’
‘Me too,’ said Agatha. ‘Let whining little Chelsea make her own way.’
‘You are pretty harsh, ma’am. She’s a very young girl who’s had a bad fright.’
‘Well, I can do bugger all for her when she won’t even see me or let me help,’ howled Agatha.
Parry looked at her with dislike. Ball-breaking old trout, he thought. Aloud, he said, ‘Let us know which flight you will be on.’