Jayne put her hand on my leg. “She’s sleeping on the guest room bed.”
I felt like I should do something. I just didn’t know what. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, trying to think of what to do next. Jayne leaned in closer, and I put my arm around her. Then she stretched toward me, kissed my cheek, and whispered, “It’s going to be okay.”
I nodded, but I didn’t really believe that, as much as I wanted to.
Jayne got up and went over to Birdie, taking her purse with her. She dug into it and pulled out a bottle of men’s cologne.
I frowned. “Where did you get that?”
Jayne lifted one shoulder. “Tony’s dressing table. I want Birdie to smell it and see if it’s the same as what she smelled in the old emergency exit at the theater.”
Birdie held out her hand. “Let me take a whiff.”
Jayne gave it to her, and she twisted off the cap. “Serengeti Nights?” She frowned, then held the bottle to her nose. A second later, she grimaced. “Ew. Yes, that’s the same stuff.”
“So what does that mean?” I asked, twisting around to see them better. “That Tony’s a possibility again?”
Birdie looked at Jayne, then back at me. “Could just mean the kidnapper has the same dreadful taste in cologne. Not sure how popular that stuff is, but I know they sell it at most drugstores. It’s not exactly designer stuff.”
I sank back down on the couch. Another dead end.
When my dad returned with Aunt Zinnia, I got up to greet her. Her expression said that my father had explained on the ride over what was going on with my mom. “Hi, Aunt Z.”
“Oh, Sin.” She wrapped me in her arms, the familiar smell of her lilac perfume a reassuring comfort. “I’m so sorry. I hope I can give you some good news.”
“Me, too.” I did my best to give her a little smile as we broke apart. I pointed to Jayne, who’d come over to welcome Aunt Z as well. “You remember my wife?”
“Jayne, of course. How could I forget a princess? Your wedding was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She gave Jayne a hug too.
My father gestured toward the back of the house. “I’ll go get something of Lila’s.”
“All right,” Zinnia said.
While he did that, I introduced her to Birdie and Jack. She’d met them at the wedding too but only briefly, so I wasn’t sure she’d remember them. She did. She immediately asked Birdie about her grandniece and grandnephew, proving she and Birdie had clearly spent more time talking than I’d realized.
I let them chat. It meant I didn’t have to make small talk, something I definitely wasn’t in the mood for.
Jayne came up to me, cupping my face in her hands. “You look like you’re on the verge of something not good.”
I leaned into her touch, closing my eyes for a moment. “I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before. If she’s gone, Jayne, it’s going to change me. I won’t be able to rest until I know what’s happened.” Until I’d punished the person responsible.
“I know. But I don’t think she is. We’ll figure out who has her. We will. And we’ll get her back safe and sound.”
“How can you be so sure?”
She smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “Because we have to be. Because nothing less is acceptable.”
“I wish it was that easy.”
She took her hands away. “We just need to think harder. Maybe look at the ransom note again.” She frowned. “Sin, when your aunt is done, let’s go back to the theater and examine that walled-off exit again. Maybe we missed something.”
My dad returned with my mom’s phone. As items went, that was about as personal as you could get. He held it out to Zinnia.
She took it and held it close to her heart, closing her eyes.
We all waited, barely breathing.
At last, Aunt Zinnia opened her eyes and shook her head. “I’m not getting anything. Which means Lila’s still alive.”
New energy and purpose coursed through me. My wife had been right. I needed to listen to her more. I grabbed Jayne’s hand. “Come on. We’re going back to the theater.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Jayne
Aunt Zinnia’s announcement confirmed what I’d already thought. Not that I was in any way psychic, but something told me Lila hadn’t been done away with. Maybe it was the casualness of the ransom note. Maybe it was my gut feeling. But I refused to believe that whoever had taken her planned to end her life.
Going back to the theater might not give us any more clues, but at least it was something to do until we figured out our next step. Or the kidnapper sent another note.
Or maybe, just maybe, Lila was returned. After all, the note had said she was fine and would be returned soon. We were just now approaching the twenty-four-hour mark. That was soon, right?
Sin was much more like himself. Until Aunt Zinnia’s announcement, he’d looked so dark and depressed, I wasn’t sure if he was going to be all right. I knew he had abilities I didn’t fully understand. The kinds of skills that were the reason some people feared necromancers. But I’d never seen that side of him before.
I didn’t really want to, either. Although in this case, if his mother didn’t make it home… I wouldn’t blame him for whatever he did.
He parked in his dad’s spot at the Oasis, and we went into the closed theater. A sign had been posted out front about the show being on temporary hiatus.
Two more days, and they’d be in breach of contract. I thought that through for the hundredth time, but I could only think of three people that really benefited, and one of them was dead.
Tony and Frank certainly looked suspicious, but we’d turned up nothing to connect them in a concrete way.
Sin had gotten the keys from his father, so he unlocked the door and we slipped into the theater. It was cool and dim in the lobby. Only a few lights were on since there was no show.
Sin went right to the hidden panel and popped it open. The passage was dark. Not even the emergency lights were on.
I looked at him. “Did we turn these lights off when we left?” I knew we’d put the panel back.
“No. One of the stagehands must have. Or the casino people.”
“But who else would have known they were even on?”
“Good question. You think someone’s been in here?”
“Maybe. Seems that way.”
“Agreed.”
I felt around on the wall just inside the door. “Where is the light switch?”
“Nothing there?”
“Not that I’m feeling.”
He turned his phone flashlight on and stepped in to have a better look. Something crunched under his feet. He redirected the light downward as he crouched for a closer look. He picked something up and stood. “What’s this?”
He held a tiny broken piece of something dull and beige between his fingers. The color of wheat, kind of. And lightly ridged.
Realization hit me hard. “Oh! It’s pasta.”
“Why would there be pasta in this hall?” He shifted the piece to his palm and held the flashlight over it. “But you’re right. That’s exactly what it is.”
He shook his head. “You know, one of Tony’s tricks is he throws a handful of those little pasta shells at the audience and turns them into confetti before they fall.”
“So you’re saying he might have pasta in his pockets?”
“He might.”
“But would whoever kidnapped your mom have pasta in their pockets? That seems kind of like a stretch. We know Tony couldn’t have done it himself. He has a perfect alibi in that he was on stage performing his own show at the same time.”
“Right.” Sin stared at the broken piece, then crouched again and looked around with his flashlight beam. There were two more pasta shells. “We would have seen these before. Or stepped on them the first time. They have to be new.”
“Whoever planted them had to be the same person who turned the lights off.” I sighed. “This com
bined with the same men’s cologne seems like Frank to me again. If his plan to break your parents’ contract worked, he’d also need to get rid of Tony to make room for them at the Crystal Palace. Framing him for your mom’s disappearance could do that.”
Sin nodded. “Except my dad never called the cops, which I’m sure Frank expected him to do. If he is the one behind this, it must be killing him that there’s no big investigation underway. He’d need that to make things work in his favor.”
I stood, which got Sin to his feet as well. “The note makes sense coming from Frank, too. Of course he wouldn’t hurt your mom. He needs her. She’s half of the act he’s desperate to have at his casino.”
Sin turned the piece of pasta over in his fingers. “It all fits. The cologne, the pasta, the letterhead…”
“We have to dig deeper into him. Figure out where he’d have taken her. Are you sure there was nothing on that list of properties that could work?”
“No, I’m not. At this point, we should probably check them all. We have nothing to lose.”
I couldn’t agree more. I also couldn’t stop myself from adding, “No stone unturned.”
He called his dad to fill him in, remind him about the note saying Lila would be home soon and to tell him we were going to check all of Frank’s properties anyway. Then we left the Oasis behind and started our search. We went to the house that was for sale first.
That trip took us half an hour outside of Vegas. And got us no further along in the search. It was exactly what we’d thought it would be. An empty house. There was no sign Lila had been there, but the countertop was littered with Realtor cards indicating they’d shown the house.
“There’s no way he’d think about keeping my mom here,” Sin said. “Not with as much traffic as this place is getting.”
“Okay, one down. What’s next?”
“He’s a part owner in the Rare Breed biker bar twenty minutes from here.” Sin looked up from his phone. “If my mom is there…”
“Hey, maybe there’s an upstairs apartment. Or he’s got an office there. Or even a storage closet with a lock. I know it’s a long shot but—”
“Yep,” Sin said. “We’re checking it out.”
He was in a better mood. Which made me happier. To be honest, if walking circles in the desert was the answer, I would have done that. Searching multiple properties was no big deal. I didn’t hold out a lot of hope we’d find anything useful, but really, we just needed one small thing to link Lila to Frank.
One. Thing. That was all. And Lila was a smart woman. She had to know we were looking for her. Had to know we’d need a clue.
Rare Breed was everything you might think a biker bar would be. Rows of chrome machines filled the front row of parking. Neon beer signs lit the windows, and a scantily clad woman on a Harley-Davidson adorned the bar’s sign. Loud music filtered out every time someone opened the door. And a little even when they didn’t.
I glanced at Sin as we parked. I should have brought my bracelet so I could blend in better. “You fit in there a lot better than I do.”
He snorted. “I don’t think so.”
“Honey, I have blue hair and elf ears. You’re in a black leather jacket with black jeans and black boots. Granted, from the neck up, you look more like male model than some dude who thinks showering once a week is good enough, but I still think you’d have a better chance in there than I would.”
Amusement lit his eyes. “Point taken. Good thing I didn’t shave today. I’m just going to show the bartenders a picture of my mom and ask if they’ve seen her. I’ll take a look around, too. You staying in the car then?”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I was going to check out the back of the place. Can’t hurt, right?”
“I guess not. Be careful.”
“I swear if anyone threatens me, they’ll be an ice cube before they can blink.”
“That’s my girl.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Meet you back here in ten minutes. If you find something, text me. Otherwise, I’m coming to look for you.”
“Same,” I said. “If you’re gone longer than ten minutes and I don’t get a text, I will put that whole bar in the deep freeze.”
He smiled. “See you in ten.”
We got out, and he headed for the front door while I casually went in the other direction and around the back of the property.
More bikes were parked along the side and in the rear parking lot. So were a few cars. Nothing fancy like what Frank might own. I couldn’t imagine how he’d come to be a partner in this place. Seemed like a weird financial direction, but what did I know about property in Vegas? Maybe the slots inside got a lot of play. Or maybe he’d won it from someone.
Or maybe…honestly, I had no idea, and I didn’t really care. Not since I’d spotted the storage shed at the rear of the property.
I stayed close to the wall and took a good look around. The bass beat of whatever was playing inside thumped through the walls. I was alone. And thankfully, it was dark. I was about to dart across the parking lot when a young guy with tattoos and a ponytail came out the back, hauling a trash bin filled with bottles.
He dumped them in the recycling, then took his sweet time lighting up a cigarette. I didn’t have time to wait around on his smoke break. I focused the tiniest bit of cold on the cigarette’s ember, putting it out.
He frowned and relit the smoke. I put it out again. Thankfully, he got frustrated, flicked the cigarette away and went back inside, muttering to himself about cheap smokes.
As soon as the door shut, I jogged over to the storage shed. It was corrugated metal and rusted in most places. There was an old pickup truck parked in front of it. The truck’s wheels were flat, and weeds sprouted from under the wipers.
A cursory inspection found the shed had only one door. It was locked. I wasn’t really looking forward to going inside because I had no idea what to expect. I tried to peek through the door’s one small, very dirty window made of safety glass, but between the wire running through the glass and the dirt caked on it, I couldn’t see a thing.
Time was ticking. I had no choice but to slip under the door.
When I materialized on the other side, the smell of gas and oil were almost overwhelming. I fought the dizziness in my head to quickly light up my phone and look around. Metal shelves lined the walls, and they were filled with car parts. Or bike parts. I didn’t know enough to tell the difference.
But no sign of Lila. No room to keep her here, either. An old motorcycle frame took up most of the floor space, except for where a chest freezer hugged one wall. Boxes of random restaurant supplies were stacked on top of it.
I couldn’t imagine eating anything that came from the Rare Breed’s kitchen.
Then I wondered if I should check the freezer. I didn’t really want to. But if I didn’t, I’d always wonder.
I picked my way over to it, took a deep breath, and hoisted the top up. The smell made me gag. I shone my light inside. Nothing but small, foil-wrapped packages of food that hadn’t been fresh in a very long time.
I dropped the lid and went back under the door as quickly as I could. I leaned against the old pickup until my head settled, happily breathing outside air. I checked the time. I had about two minutes before Sin came looking.
I hoped he’d done better than I had. I was disappointed that I hadn’t found anything useful. I went back to the car to wait.
He came out of the bar about two seconds after I flipped the passenger-side mirror down to watch for him. He looked both ways, then hustled to join me.
He got in. “Bartenders didn’t know anything. I looked around the back of the joint as best I could. Besides the bathrooms, there was the kitchen and a small office, but the door was open, and I could see all of it. She’s not there.”
“Nothing in the back either, except a shed chock-full of parts and restaurant supplies. And a freezer loaded with gross expired food.”
With a curious expression on his face, he pushed the ignition bu
tton. “Two down, more than half a list left to go.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sinclair
The horizon was turning pink as we finished checking out the last property on the list. We hadn’t found a single thing linking Frank to my mother, which was frustrating, but Aunt Z’s news that my mom was still alive and Jayne’s reminder about the note had lifted my spirits considerably.
Which didn’t mean vengeance wasn’t still on my mind. It was. But it had drifted away into a recessed corner. Hope had taken center stage again.
I parked in front of the house, and we went in. My dad was asleep on the couch with Sugar and Spider tucked in beside him, Birdie was sitting at the dining-room table working on her laptop, and Jack and Aunt Z were nowhere to be seen.
Birdie looked at us, eyebrows raised in question.
We both shook our heads.
“Nothing,” I said softly.
Not softly enough, apparently, because my dad shifted and sat up enough to dislodge Spider.
He jumped down and came running toward Jayne. “Mama, Spider hungry.”
Birdie rolled her eyes. “I just gave them a handful of treats an hour ago.”
He put his front paws on Jayne’s leg and peered up at her. “Spider loves Chicken Party.”
Jayne scooped him up and kissed his face loudly. “Okay, you silly beast, let’s go feed you.”
She took him to the kitchen while I sat on the loveseat across from my dad.
“No luck, huh?” he asked as he moved Sugar so he could sit up all the way but scratched her under the chin, which ensured she didn’t go anywhere.
“No. But Frank sure owns an interesting mix of places.”
He nodded. “I appreciate you kids doing that.”
Anything for my mom. “How was your night? Anything new here?”
“Nothing yet. And it was uneventful. You both must be exhausted. You’ve been up all night.”
I was starting to feel it. Until that point, adrenaline had kept me going. “I think a hot shower and a few hours of sleep are probably in order.”
Jayne walked back out, her gaze on Birdie. “What are you working on?”
Lost in Las Vegas Page 15