The Case of the Sin City Sister (18 page)

“Yeah, I think that’s who they were.”

“And is that who you think Dorisanne was talking about when she said not to let anybody in her place?”

“Maybe,” Pauline responded. “Or maybe she was talking about Travis.”

“Who’s Travis?”

“The night manager at the apartment. We’ve caught him snooping around before.”

“You and Steve?”

She shook her head.

“You and Dorisanne?”

She nodded.

“At her place?”

She nodded again. “She thought he was working for the men trying to get the money from Robbie.”

Eve sighed. None of this was really helping her figure out where her sister had disappeared to, but she did think that another trip to the apartment was going to be necessary. Maybe Daniel could get something from this Travis guy.

Pauline looked ahead and Eve followed her glance. The manager was coming back in their direction.

“Look, I got to get moving.”

“Wait,” Eve called out.

Pauline turned back toward her.

“If Dorisanne told you not to let anybody into her apartment, that must mean you can get in there.”

There was no answer.

“Do you have a key?” Eve asked.

Pauline didn’t respond.

“I just want to see if she left something, a clue maybe that might help me know where she is. You can go with me to make sure I don’t take anything.”

Pauline pulled a tube of lipstick from the front of her uniform and blotted her lips with the bright red color. She looked in the machine where she stood to see her reflection and placed the lipstick back in the front of the tight one-piece costume. “Come over tomorrow after lunch, about two, and I’ll let you in.” She looked Eve squarely in the eye. “But not before then. Steve works in the afternoon, and he won’t be gone until then.”

Eve nodded.

Pauline turned and left before Eve could thank her. She pushed the button one last time, and, much to her surprise, the bells and whistles she had heard from other machines started blaring from
her own. She watched as the screen in front of her lit up. “Well for heaven’s sake,” she said to no one in particular.

“I don’t really think heaven has anything to do with it,” came a voice from behind her. “But of course, you’d know more about that than I would.”

TWENTY-NINE

“Daniel! You scared me to death!” Eve spun around and found her friend standing right behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“I think I ought to be asking you that question. Is there something you haven’t told me?” He sat on the stool opposite her, his arms folded over his chest. “You need me to call Gamblers Anonymous? A priest?”

Eve rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you decided to come all the way down the Strip to Caesar’s and play the slots?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer. She had to admit that sitting at a slot machine at three o’clock in the morning didn’t look great for her. She also knew that leaving her hotel room in the middle of the night to follow a clue without informing Daniel wasn’t going to go over that well either. She shrugged and gave a silly grin.

He glanced above her. “How much did you win?”

She spun back around. “I don’t know,” she replied. “It appears
as if the princess and the prince with the blond hair and tight red leotard ended up on the same line. A dragon was apparently slain and the treasure box was opened, with all the gold and rubies and diamonds falling out. I think it’s twenty-five cents.”

“How do you know he’s a prince?” he asked, studying the images on the screen in front of them.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Just figured that’s how it works. A princess ends up with a prince.” She elbowed him in the side. “Maybe he’s not her prince in shining armor; maybe he’s a cop following her. You own a leotard?”

He shook his head. “Not a red one,” he replied, dropping down on the stool beside her.

She turned to him. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

“I didn’t know where to find you,” he responded. “I thought you were sound asleep in your bed at the hotel, where you’re supposed to be.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Great drinks?” he answered.

She studied him, waiting for the truth.

“I recognized Pauline’s uniform,” he confessed. “Figured she’d be working tonight and thought I’d come chat her up.”

He waited. “Now, your turn?”

She shrugged. “Same thing,” she answered.

“You knew she was wearing a Caesar’s uniform?”

“I put it together when I was talking to that woman at the diner. She had on the same one and she told me where she worked.”

“Two plus two,” he responded.

“That’s four,” she played along.

“I should have known you’d be somewhere you’re not supposed to be.”

“Why should you have known that?”

“Have you forgotten that I worked with your father for almost twenty years?” he answered. “That Divine fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Divine,” she corrected him. “Don’t call me that.”

“Just as touchy about the name as he is too.” He laughed. “Your dad used to hate when somebody mispronounced the name.”

“We all hate it,” Eve said.

“I would think it would be an asset in your line of work,” he teased her.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t respond.

“So, did you find Pauline?”

She nodded, reached for her bottle of water and took a sip. She held it out for Daniel to see. “She works the slots,” she noted.

Daniel smiled. “You’re a smart nun.”

“Apparently not smart enough to figure out these machines. I still don’t understand how I won, or what I won, for that matter.” She was studying the screen again. “Where did the money go?”

He leaned over to take a closer look. “It’s there.” He pointed to a number on the screen. “It’s points now. They don’t spit out the money unless you ask for it. This keeps you playing a little longer. And it’s twenty-five dollars not twenty-five cents.”

Eve felt a bit of pride, but for what? She’d only pushed a button. There was no pride in that. It was such a strange business.

“Pauline?” he asked again.

“Oh, right,” she said. “She has a key to Dorisanne’s apartment. She’s going to let me in tomorrow after Steve goes to work.”

Daniel nodded.

“She says there were two men that came by once before, and she figures that is who Dorisanne and Robbie are hiding from.”

“She get a look at them?” Daniel asked.

“I think so,” Eve replied. “I didn’t really ask about that.” She wondered what other questions she had failed to ask.

Daniel stretched his back, raised his arms above his head, and yawned.

“Couldn’t you sleep?” Eve asked.

“I did for a couple of hours and then when I woke up, I couldn’t get back.” He turned to her. “You?”

“Never could drop off,” she answered.

“How did you get here?”

“Taxi,” she replied. “The guy at the hotel called one for me.”

She noticed him staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

He shrugged, took out a couple of dollar bills, and put them in the machine in front of him. “You’re just more resourceful than I thought.”

“I’ve been in a convent, Daniel, not a cave.”

He laughed, pushed the button, and waited.

“Pauline also told me that the night manager at the apartments was snooping around Dorisanne’s place. She thought he might be connected with the guys trying to find them.” She pushed the button on the princess machine. It was another win. She raised her hands at Daniel, demonstrating that she didn’t know how it was happening.

“Is it luck or are you invoking some saint?” He pushed his button, using the last bit of his money. He spun around on his stool. “I got nothing.”

“Maybe I should try it for you,” Eve suggested.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, watching as Eve pushed the button on her machine once again.

“Oh, look, I opened another treasure box!” She clapped her hands.

Daniel shook his head, waiting for Eve to close out of her machine. He stood up behind her as the two of them waited to grab the winning ticket. He followed her as she threaded her way through the slots, making her way to the old woman still sitting at one of the machines. Clara turned around as they approached. “Well, it looks like the princess was a winner.” She grinned. “You hit the jackpot, sissy.” She eyed Daniel. “Tall, dark, and following you like a puppy.”

“Here.” Eve handed the older woman her winning ticket. “It was loose, just like you said, although I still don’t know what that means.”

Clara looked at the ticket, then back at Eve, then over to Daniel. “Well, what it means is that it appears to be a lucky day for us both.” She took the piece of paper and winked at Eve. “Glad it’s worked out for you.”

Eve patted the woman on the shoulder and started to walk away.

“Check his wallet before you name your price,” Clara called out behind them. “He’s true blue if I ever saw one.”

Daniel laughed as they walked away. “I don’t even want to know about that,” he commented. “And how did she know I’m a cop?”

As they headed toward the front doors, laughing, Eve caught a glimpse of the man sitting at a high-end slot machine, the one with slicked-back hair and a dark mustache, waiting for the waitress to return with his drink.

THIRTY

When Eve woke up, the sun was full and shining through the window by her bed. She looked over at the clock, reading the time to be eleven o’clock, realizing that she had slept for almost seven hours straight. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, recalling coming in from Caesar’s and falling into bed. She looked down and realized she hadn’t even put on her pajamas. She was still in the clothes she had worn the previous night.

She wondered if Daniel was awake or if he had managed to sleep throughout the entire morning as well. She thought about banging on the wall behind her to get his attention, but then thought better of it. The red light on the bedside phone blinked insistently. She studied it for a few minutes and then understood that a message was waiting for her. Maybe Daniel had called, was up, and wanted to tell her where he was. She picked up the receiver and dialed the front desk and was told that a message had been left in a voice-mail box.

She followed the instructions given, waited for the message to begin, and was surprised to hear the Captain’s voice:

“Evangeline, Daniel said you were up late last night and told me just to leave you a message. He’s apparently gone out to talk to his friend on the force out there. He said you got a couple of leads yesterday and he thinks it’s time to include Las Vegas’s finest. He’s probably right.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I think your sister tried to call me again.” There was a pause. “I don’t recognize the number. It’s not one I have for her, but it’s a Las Vegas area code. I think it must be her. The call came this morning, about four. I think she’s trying to get hold of us.” Another clearing of the throat. “I didn’t talk to her. It was a missed call,” he repeated himself. “Just call me when you get this.”

And he murmured something about stupid machines, coughed a few times, and was cut off. Eve put down the receiver and then picked it back up. She dialed his cell phone number. The Captain picked up on the third ring.

“I just got your message,” she said after a gruff greeting.

“Where you been all morning?” he asked.

She waited. She wasn’t sure she wanted to say she was still in bed.

“Never mind,” he groused. “Daniel called and said you were out late, searching for clues, but he didn’t fill me in.” He coughed. “What have you found out?”

“Just that she’s not in the apartment,” she replied. “She and Robbie apparently left a few days ago. We’ve talked to the neighbor.”

He coughed again.

“You think she tried to call you this morning?” Eve asked.

“It’s a Las Vegas number on the screen. I didn’t hear it when she called. I think I turned the phone off before I went to bed.” He cleared his throat.

“Are you all right?” Eve thought his voice sounded ragged and harsh.

“Allergies,” he informed her. “Junipers blooming everywhere.”

She knew he fought allergies all year: pines in the fall, cottonwoods in the summer, and now, apparently, junipers in the spring. He made a loud hacking noise.