by Cindy Sample
“Looks good.” I plopped down on the empty stool next to her. “I think we can safely say Gino isn’t indulging in any romantic activity tonight.”
She shrugged her bony shoulders under a thin cardigan. “The night’s still young and so is Gino. Once he’s done with these bozos who knows who he might take up with.”
“True. I hope we don’t have to pull an all-nighter.”
Gran scowled at the slot machine in front of her. “Me, too. These machines aren’t paying squat tonight.”
“Do you want to go back to the room, order room service and go to bed? I should be able to handle everything myself from now on.”
Gran slid off her stool. “Okay, maybe you’ll have a better run than I did. But if you need me, just call or text. I’ll set the volume on extra loud.”
Gran promised to text me when she reached our hotel room. I still felt uncomfortable having an eighty-nine-year-old partner, but she seemed to enjoy it. Except for her losses in the penny slots. I had a feeling after she had something to eat my grandmother might get her second wind and hit the machines once again.
I walked past the half-empty steakhouse and scanned the room. The trio was seated at a table not too far from the entrance. I went back to the slots and managed to lose ten dollars in ten minutes. Time to find a safer place to hide.
Or a less expensive one.
I finally found a large pillar about fifteen feet from the restaurant entrance. It provided an excellent view of the entry while I remained hidden. As I peeped around the pillar someone bumped into me.
“Hey, sweetheart,” said a paunchy middle-aged guy dressed in a Ralph Lauren polo and khakis. “Waiting for someone?” He leaned closer, sharing his onion-and garlic-scented breath with me.
I shook my head and moved away from him, but he didn’t get the hint.
He looked around. “You all by your lonesome tonight? Like some company?” He veered closer and leered at me, his stance indicating a few beers probably accompanied his earlier meal.
“Nope. I’m good.” I pushed him away, but the physical contact seemed to encourage him even more.
“A cute gal like you doesn’t want to be alone. Tahoe is a place for romance.” His bleary eyes started to brighten with anticipation. “My name is Bruce. What’s yours?”
I tried to sidestep him, but he blocked my way. I attempted to push his arm away but he still wasn’t getting the hint.
A flash of blue twenty feet behind him got my attention as it quickly faded from view.
Shoot. Gino was on the move and moving fast.
I glanced at the slot machine next to me. Someone had left half of their watery cocktail off to the side. I picked it up.
Oops.
It landed all over Bruce.
“Sorry. Let me get a napkin.” I brushed past him, then zipped down the narrow aisle in search of Gino. I’d expected my quarry to saunter back to Harveys with his pals, but they must have remained behind in the restaurant.
Did that mean Gino had another meetup in mind? Or perhaps he wanted to get some gambling in while he was in the casino. The very large and expansive casino that stretched a football field in length.
Now where the heck did he go?
Fridays are big nights at Harrah’s. People from the Central Valley and the Bay Area frequently drove to the Sierras for a weekend in the mountains. Plus, Harrah’s offered an all-you-can eat seafood buffet on Friday nights.
As I looked to the right and left for Gino, I almost knocked over an elderly couple who were debating which slots to sit in front of.
Just pick one, people. You’ll be able to lose your money in any of them.
After threading my way past the numerous slot machines, I found myself standing in front of a decent-looking bar that offered musical entertainment. Light rock with an emphasis on the light.
My face lit up when I spied Gino perched on a stool at the U-shaped bar. Although bar patrons could play a poker machine while they drank, Gino seemed far more interested in chatting up the long-legged blonde sitting next to him than gambling. Given my previous encounter with Gino at The Gray Goose, the man did have an eye for the ladies.
While I debated whether I should find an inconspicuous spot at the bar to keep tabs on him, the blonde reached for her purse and I got a clear look at her profile.
Well, well, well. This certainly put an interesting spin on things.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I hadn’t known what to expect while I was following Gino, but I certainly didn’t anticipate him sitting at a bar next to Kimberly, the timeshare manager.
Was this a chance meeting or were they longtime acquaintances? Or lovers?
By this point, I could have used a drink myself. But I wasn’t certain my disguise was good enough to fool another woman, especially the sharp-eyed Kimberly, so I chose a table in a dark corner. It provided me with a full view of the couple and they would have to turn completely around to spot me. And from this distance I shouldn’t be recognizable to either of them.
A server came by. I debated whether to buy a glass of wine while on duty but then realized I would look even odder sitting there without a drink in my hand. Besides, the house wine was only four dollars a glass.
I placed my order, then donned fake glasses just in case. My feet tapped along to the beat of the music—“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. My bunions, trapped in too tight flats, thanked me for the break. Sitting at the table also provided me with some time for a little contemplation.
Detective work, so far, seemed far duller than I’d originally anticipated. My husband had warned me it wasn’t anything like the TV shows I loved to watch. Stakeout duty definitely ranked near the top for ho-hum activity, although it paid the bills. The frosting on the cake was solving a case: finding missing persons, securing restitution for fraud victims, bringing long-lost relatives together. There were a multitude of ways a detective agency could help their clients. But it frequently took legwork and massive amounts of time doing online searches.
I sipped my wine. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this type of work after all. With Gino deep in conversation with Kimberly, I spent the next hour contemplating the pros and cons of my current profession.
The current negative, as I peered at my watch, were the hours. Almost eleven. I couldn’t get a handle on the couple’s relationship. While they seemed comfortable with one another, Gino kept his hands to himself. Was it possible they were business acquaintances? Maybe he was purchasing a portfolio of timeshares for his clients.
How are timeshare developments financed? Were timeshare loans sold in financial markets the same as home mortgages were? From what I knew, Wall Street moguls would sell their grandmothers if they could get a decent price for them.
My head swirled with images of dollar signs and my grandmother standing on an auction block.
I set my glass down. Alcohol on an empty stomach did not a good detective make.
Kimberly finally slid off her barstool, as did Gino. They walked out together heading toward the exit. I’d already paid my server so I waited a few seconds before following the pair. The big question was whether Kimberly would go up to Gino’s room with him.
I grabbed my cell out of my purse and took a quick photo of the two of them together. In case I needed proof of some type of liaison. I wish I’d thought of it earlier when Gino was meeting with those two men, but the meeting had looked like your standard business dinner.
The couple reached the revolving door. Gino let Kimberly go first instead of crowding in with her. I held back, watching and waiting.
Then a strange thing happened. Kimberly kissed Gino on his cheek and headed toward the valet station. Gino waited for the light to change before crossing the street and re-entering Harveys.
Excellent. Hopefully the man was tired from a long day consisting of work, driving one hundred miles, and two meetings. I certainly was and my schedule had been light compared to his.
I remained a decent distance fr
om my target. With less people cramming the casino this late at night, I’d be more obvious if Gino looked behind him. Halfway through the casino, he turned to the left and entered a room filled with a few men and even fewer women sitting around several tables. High-stakes poker. He joined one table and I continued to watch from a distance. Finally, since it looked like Gino had settled in for the evening, I decided to head for our hotel room.
Once in the elevator, I let out my breath. I’d successfully survived my second stakeout. Whether I’d learned anything important or not would be up to my client. I had only one thing on my mind.
A soft bed.
Hours later, after twisting and turning, punching my pillow numerous times, and attempting to find a pair of earplugs in my cosmetic case, I fell asleep as the sun began its ascent over the Sierras.
It seemed like only minutes later that my grandmother grabbed my shoulder and shook me so hard I thought we were experiencing one of the occasional California earthquakes.
“Rise and shine, Ms. Sleepyhead. Did you party hard last night?” Gran chortled at her comment.
“I didn’t come back to the room until almost midnight.” I sat up against the gold brocade headboard. “Your snores are loud enough to wake the dead. And keep the living awake.” I blinked at the sun blasting through the plate-glass windows. “What time is it?”
“Nine. Don’t we have more tailin’ to do today?” she asked.
“I need to check with Adriana. After his dinner with those two guys, Gino met up with a woman. And you’ll never guess who—Kimberly.”
“Well, I’ll be. I told you the woman was up to no good. Stealing Gino from his fiancée.”
“While they seemed friendly enough, it almost looked like more of a business meeting. He came back to the hotel alone.”
“Are you certain?”
“I suppose Kimberly might have arrived later on. I couldn’t stand guard in front of his room in order to find out.”
“So are we off the clock?” Gran looked at her watch. “How about we do something fun this morning before we head back?”
My grandmother’s definition of fun ran the gamut from zip-lining to an all-you-can-eat oatmeal buffet.
What was I in for now?
CHAPTER THIRTY
“What did you have in mind?” I asked her.
“The gondola ride to the top. I’ve never taken it,” she said. “And this year they opened up earlier than usual. Plus, since it’s Saturday, they’ll have a big breakfast buffet. My treat.”
I was half right. At least Gran would get her fiber this morning. Which would make her less grumpy this afternoon. I hadn’t ridden the new gondola either, so it sounded like a fun expedition.
“Let me check in with Adriana. See if she knows Gino’s schedule for today. If he accomplished everything he wanted to do last night, then he might already be cruising back down the hill.”
I texted Adriana, who replied a few minutes later. Gino was still in Tahoe and supposedly meeting some clients for breakfast at the Tamarack Lodge at the top of Heavenly Valley Mountain followed by golf at the Edgewood Club. And, yes, she wanted us to continue our surveillance.
How fortuitous for us, since he needed to take the gondola to get there.
I showered quickly and Gran and I rolled out of the room by 9:45. I checked out and left our bags with the bell desk. We both kept our eyes peeled for Gino, but we didn’t spot him in the casino. He was probably already at his breakfast meeting.
There is nothing I love better than multitasking. Riding the gondola, eating at a breakfast buffet, and completing our tailing detail were a perfect combination for today. The skies were brighter than the cerulean blue in Ben’s crayon box with a few white puffy clouds drifting aimlessly above the snowcapped mountain peaks.
The gondola was situated in the middle of the Heavenly Valley Village, an attractive retail center comprised of natural stone and cedar-sided shops and restaurants. Even though early in the season, a line snaked from the ticket booth to the curb. We hotfooted it to the booth. No one moves as fast as my grandmother when she’s on a mission and I barely kept up with her. Once we purchased our tickets, we moved from the ticket line to the gondola line. At this high altitude the sun felt hotter. I wiped droplets of perspiration from my forehead and wished I’d brought a ball cap with me.
Gran nudged my arm. “See that tall fella over there? He kinda looks like the big thug who was with Gino and the other guy wolfing down steaks last night.”
I shifted a few feet to the left to get a better look. Gran was right. The very tall man with the platinum buzz cut, wearing a navy hoodie, did resemble the young fellow who dined with Gino and the cigar-chewing man. In fact, I was fairly certain he was the same guy. Was he a local or a tourist? Any chance Gino was here with him for his breakfast meeting?
I took off my sunglasses and squinted. The other man with Young and Tall, who was a few inches shorter, wore a white and royal blue ball cap and a blue polo shirt. A few dark curls stuck out from under the white ball cap. Could that be Gino?
As he entered the gondola car, the man looked over his shoulder and Gino’s dark eyes met mine. Was there a flash of recognition or was my imagination overreacting? Either way, Gran and I would only be a couple of cars behind him. We could enjoy our breakfast and keep an eye on Gino while we were at the top.
Although so far, with the exception of the odd meeting with Kimberly last night, Gino’s activities seemed to be on the up and up. But if tailing Gino brought some peace of mind to Adriana then my work was done.
The gondolas moved quickly, so quickly I had to shove Gran into a seat before the automatic doors slammed shut behind me.
“Ooph,” she said.
I sent her an apologetic smile, then plunked down on the hard seat next to her. A vista view of stores, restaurants and hotels sprawled below. Tall pines loomed on both sides of the gondola car as we moved up the hill.
Suddenly, the panoramic expanse of Lake Tahoe spread out before us. The water, ranging from a pale sky blue to a deep royal blue, soothed me. I felt myself relaxing for the first time in a long time.
“This is great,” Gran exclaimed.
I nodded in agreement because it was. According to the brochure, this gondola soared 2.4 miles as it rose almost three thousand feet to the resort’s mountaintop summit. My stomach lurched as our car dipped from a gust of wind before settling back into a smooth ascent.
I switched to the seat on the opposite side from Gran so I could keep an eye on Gino’s car. My view changed from the lake to rows and rows of tall pines.
As we neared the end of the line, I carefully watched to see which way Gino and his companion went, but they never got off. Did they change their minds?
I’d previously warned Gran we’d have to jump out since the cars didn’t come to a complete stop at the top. They only slowed for a quick departure by the current riders before the car would swing around and load a new batch of passengers.
Gran leapt out before I could stop her. She sure was spry for an old gal.
I shot out of the opening, grabbed hold of my grandmother’s arm and dragged her back into our same car.
“Hey,” she said, her penciled-in eyebrows joined together in displeasure. “What’s the deal? What about breakfast?”
“We’ll get it the next go-around. I didn’t see Gino and his companion get off the gondola.”
Gran settled in her seat, a noticeable frown on her wizened features. I could tell she’d been looking forward to the oatmeal buffet, so I promised to make it up to her. Hopefully, they would let us go back up without paying twice, once I figured out a decent explanation of why we’d performed such a crazy maneuver.
Maybe I could blame it on a senior moment. I stared ahead, watching the expanse of blue growing larger as we descended. My feelings boomeranged from trepidation about following Gino to concern about my grandmother.
She could be darn crabby if she didn’t get her morning fiber.
; The gondola slowed as we began our approach to the base. I paid close attention to the cars directly in front of me trying to determine which one Gino was in. Before we even reached the staging area, a big man wearing a navy sweatshirt with the hood over his head leapt out of a car and raced off.
Someone sure was in a hurry. And that someone looked like Gino’s companion. If so, was Gino going back up the mountain again?
Gran and I grabbed our purses, preparing to exit as quickly as possible.
I rose from my seat, then flopped back down as the gondola shuddered to a complete stop.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Multiple screams assaulted our ears. Since our car was stopped only a foot above the ground, I hopped out, Gran following on my rubber-soled heels. A teen continued to shriek, her high-pitched cries reverberating around the square. Her mother wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to console her. An employee, his face whiter than fresh snow, attempted to push back the oncoming passengers anxious to board the gondola.
Angry shouts and glares mixed with confused expressions as additional employees came to assist the young man. They extended a long gold braid between two poles, blocking anyone from entering the gondola area.
“What’s going on?” Gran asked a staff member who insisted on guiding us away from the ride.
Freckles dotted his pale face as he pushed a thatch of bangs from his forehead. “Someone’s had an accident.”
“Is the someone dead?” asked Gran.
That’s my grandmother. Subtlety is not her middle name.
His face grew even paler. “I can’t say, ma’am.”
I stood on my tiptoes trying to look into the gondola car where I’d last seen Gino, but it was closed off for now. A solemn-faced employee stood guard in front of the car.
My stomach plummeted. “This doesn’t look good. We need to find out exactly what’s going on,” I said. Sirens in the distance indicated an ambulance and other rescue vehicles were on the way.