Mystery at the Moonlight Casino
Brenda Bailey
Published by Horrorotica at Smashwords.com
Copyright 2010 Brenda Bailey. This book is also available in print at http://www.amazon.com and http://brendabaileyhorrorotica.yolasite.com/
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Chapter one
The glow from the lamp shone down in soft colors of gold along the desk of this small detective’s office.
“It’s almost closing time.” Kathy sighed, twirling a finger around a strand of her long black hair.
“Is it nine o’clock already?” Brenda questioned, resting her chin in the palms of her hands as she glanced up at the clock.
“A quarter until nine to be exact.” Suzi replied, the muted lamplight casting a golden blaze over her thick blonde hair as she reached back and tied it up, away from her neck
Rising to her feet, Brenda splayed her hands across the small of her back and stretched, flipping her curly crimson colored hair behind her shoulders.
Walking across the small office, she gazed out the window, looking at the busy street ahead. She could recall in her mind’s eye the very day her and her friends had graduated from college, Washington Who. They majored in mystery solving, which was the fastest growing career of the twenty-first century. Everyone was getting paid to solve a mystery somewhere. They were so proud of their accomplishment, they even used all of their graduation gift money to rent this small office and go into business for themselves.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she sighed as another day had gone by with no real assignments.
All three of the girls were going on their twentieth birthday; they had a college education and their own business, so why couldn’t they make it work?
Brenda smiled weakly, staring back at her two closest friends, Suzi Martin and Kathy Axton. They had been the best of friends since the first grade; Kathy and Suzi were more like sisters to Brenda than friends.
“I don’t understand.” She finally blurted out, breaking the unsettling silence than hung in the air. “What are we doing wrong?”
“What do you mean?” Suzi asked quickly, clicking the buttons on the computer in an attempt to shut it down for the night. “We’ve been open for almost a year.”
“That’s the problem,” Brenda carried on. “We’ve been open for a year and we still haven’t gotten any bona fide cases.”
Suzi shifted in her desk chair, briefly looking up at the college diploma’s the girls so lovingly framed and proudly displayed on their wall. Tilting her head to one side, she grimaced when she gazed out the window and across the street to the detective agency that had conveniently set up business right across from theirs.
“Stephanie Odell and her fancy office, she thinks she’s so hot.” Suzi murmured under her breath. “At least we started our business by ourselves.”
Brenda tensed, she too, gazing out at the fancy headquarters opposite theirs.
Stephanie Odell went to high school with them, but they weren’t friends, they were rivals.
Stephanie was a well-to-do girl and it was her father who set her up in the same industry, buying all her equipment and covering her bills. She didn’t even have legitimate cases, most of her wealthy family began making up mysteries and then paying her to “solve them”.
Kathy winced when she heard the battle of words heat up between the two friends.
“What about the mystery of the missing socks we solved at my grandma’s house?” she quickly brought up, looking at Suzi and then Brenda and then back at Suzi again. “We ended up finding the socks; they were stuffed under the broken lint basket in the dryer.”
“Does that qualify as an actual mystery?” Suzi asked, rising. “It only took us ten minutes of examining your grandma’s dryer to notice it.”
“Grandma really appreciated it and she paid us for our time and baked us some cookies to go, so I’d say that qualifies.”
“We need real jobs.” Brenda said firmly, finger combing her curls behind an ear. “Not that I don’t appreciate solving your grandma’s problem. She did accumulate quite a pile of unmatching socks.”
Kathy nodded.
A slow hush blew over the room as the three women sat in silence, nothing else heard except for the monotonous clicking of the wall clock and the chirping of a lone cricket in one corner.
With a pencil hanging loose from one corner of her mouth, Suzi jerked away from the front window. Clasping her hands behind her back, she began pacing the floor.
Stopping abruptly, she whirled around on a heel.
“What we need is to advertise!” she blurted. “If business won’t come to us, then we need to get out there and find it! We can start with hanging up flyers and cold calling.”
Lowering her thick veil of lashes, Kathy felt a blush rising. “How can we afford flyers? We don’t have much money in our small bank account as it is?”
Brenda kneaded her chin, thinking back at the few savings bonds her uncle had given her for graduation. They were far from being mature, but if one cashed them in now, they could bring in a few hundred dollars.
“I may have some money.” Brenda added encouragingly. “I have those savings bonds my Uncle Ramona gave me.”
“Your uncle’s not going to mind us using them, is he?”
“Nah, he had a lot more money left over after his sex change operation than he thought he was going to have.” She chuckled, waving it away with a flick of her hand.
Suzi furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. She envisioned the inside of her house, combing each room mentally. Surely there was something she had tucked away that could draw in a few bucks.
Kathy strolled across the room and flipped the coffee maker off, tipping the carafe and empting out the rest of the cold coffee into the restroom sink. She thought back to the old coffee can that sat on the top of the hutch in the kitchen in her house. Her mother had been tucking away coins and dollars in an effort to prepare for Christmas ahead of time. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk her mother into letting her borrow the money from the Christmas can to apply towards their marketing fund. If advertising brought them fresh business, they could make enough cash to replace what she took from the tin.
“I think I might have a little cash to spare.” Kathy said uneasily. “But this idea had better work, because I’ll have to pay that money back.”
“It’s got to work.” Suzi said determined. “We’ll make it work! Surely we can’t be any worse than what we are now.”
“Actually it can get worse off,” Brenda said, shrugging. “Let’s do it anyway.
Suzi hurried around the center desk and thrust herself down in a chair, slapping her hands along the top of the desk, pulling a notebook in front of her. With the pencil in her hand, she scribbled furiously.
“We’ll start with printed flyers. I’ll check out the prices at Mr. Derrick’s print shop on the way in tomorrow and let you know what I find out.”
“I could call the local newspaper tomorrow and find out how much it costs to run a small ad.” Brenda added.
“You’re sure this is going to work?” Kathy asked, still troubled with borrowing against the Christmas fund.
The front door creaking open caused the three women to look up in unison.
“Hi, guys.” Kelly piped from behind the door. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah, come on in.” Suzi said, looking back down at her list.
Being overweight, she toddled breathlessly into the office, her clothes smelling heavily of cigarette smoke.
“What’re doing?” she asked, pulling up a chair.
“We’re planning a marketing strategy.” Suzi explained. “Starting tomorrow, we’re going to advertise.”
“Ooooh, that sound’s like high tech business stuff.” Kelly gasped, clutching her jacket to her throat. “Can I help?”
Suzi sighed, her eyes raking over Kelly’s shabby appearance. Kelly used to go to school with them before she was forced to drop out when her drunken mother threw her out of the house. She had been living at the Grace of God mission for roughly a year now.
Without a proper education, Suzi doubted Kelly would have a true aspect of their quest for assignments.
“I’d like to accept your help, but what we really need is money.” She said, giving her a sideways glance. “You don’t have any money on you by chance, do you?”
“I can pick locks.” Kelly mentioned, determined not to be dismayed. “Maybe I can get a job here at the office with you guys picking locks?”
Brenda cleared her throat, forcing a soft laugh. “We don’t really need a lock-picker right now, but we’ll keep that in mind.”
Craning her neck and casting her eyes around the room, she asked. “You guys have anything to eat around here?”
“Check the fridge in the back.” Kathy sighed, pointing over her shoulder.
“They must not feed Kelly much in the shelter.” Brenda whispered, leaning into the desk to keep her voice out of earshot while their homeless friend raided the small countertop refrigerator. “It seems like she’s always on the search for edibles.”
“If they don’t feed her enough, how did she get so big?” Kathy whispered back, gazing at the woman’s plump physique. “Maybe they have to withhold food from her in order to feed the other homeless residents?”
“Maybe,” Suzi nodded and then readily silenced herself when the stout woman waddled back, munching on half of a tuna fish sandwich.
“I still can’t help but feel nervous about this.” Kathy admitted, hating to sound so feeble.
Suzi opened her mouth to address her concerns when suddenly the door to the office flew open.
Shifting her face to one side, she inhaled the weighty fragrance of expensive perfume.
“Hello, ladies.” A voice rang out smugly.
The trio looked up in accord to the sharp dressed woman with the tightly curled bleach-blonde locks, her eye make-up penciled on heavy.
“We’re closed, Stephanie.” Suzi remarked coldly.
“I’m not surprised; I haven’t seen any of you leave the office all day.” She said haughtily, swashbuckling across the room. “Another day without any work, I see.”
“I guess if you managed to watch us from your office all day long, then you didn’t get any work either.” Brenda replied with a sarcastic grin.
Shaking her slender shoulders, causing the glitter on her blouse to reflect in the lamplight, Stephanie laughed. “Funny that you should mention that, but the girls and I took an easy day today, considering we made over three thousand dollars last week on the Larson Apple Orchid mystery.”
“What mystery was there to solve at an apple orchid?” Kelly asked, arching an eyebrow as she stuffed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth.
“Swallow your food and be quiet, fatso.” Stephanie snapped, glaring at the stout girl and then back at Suzi, adding. “We solved the mystery of the upset baskets and quite quickly, I might add.”
“Upset baskets?”
“Apparently someone had been going through the orchid at night and tipping over the baskets of picked apples, leaving the mess for the crew to clean up during the day.” she said, lifting a hand and making a gesture of examining the color of her fingernail polish. “I took Jennifer and Tammy with me. After setting up a few cameras, we discovered the apple orchid mascot, Kippers the dog, was the culprit.”
Suzi’s jaw tightened, and her own eyes flashed angrily. “Are you serious? That’s your break-through of a mystery?”
“That mystery paid us three thousand, a nice paycheck for one day’s work.” Stephanie said in a purr. “How much did you guys make yesterday? Oh yeah, you made the same as you did today, nothing.”
“That’s not even an actual mystery.” Suzi cried unbelievably. “The owner could’ve set those cameras up himself. Who the hell would pay three thousand dollars for that?”
“Apparently the owner of the apple orchid received word about our impeccable service.” She bragged.
“Hey, Steph,” Brenda said, folding her arms across her chest. “Doesn’t your uncle own that orchid?”
The snobbish woman’s slanted eyes wavered. “So?”
“That’s what I thought.” Suzi said, scrambling around the desk and to the door, opening it and gesturing out with a wave of her hand. “Now if you don’t mind, we’re closed.”
With a heated huff puffing from her heavily colored lips, Stephanie stormed over to the door, but not before turning around one last time, adding. “Have a good day, hopefully you’ll make more tomorrow than you did today, maybe.”
Kathy hated listening to the puffed up ranting of their supercilious former classmate. Ever since they had been in the first grade, Stephanie Odell and her stuck-up friends always acted like they were better than everyone else, even acting as though the very school they went to wasn’t good enough for them.
Kathy was slowly filling with rage. Her heart pounded from building anger. She jumped from the corner of the room and stomped to the door, brushing past Suzi and pointing to the street. “If you must know, we spent the whole day figuring up brand new marketing strategies, ways to advertise with our own blood, sweat and tears, something you know nothing about. Good-bye!”
She took a step closer to Stephanie. “And if you step another foot in this office and so much as throw one more insult to any of my friends again, I’ll rip your fake blonde hair out strand by nasty strand.” She warned.
Stephanie tossed her head back, laughing throatily, her hair rippling in silver-fair ribbons across her shoulders.
Then she leveled angry eyes back at Kathy. “Whatever, you losers are a real piece of work.” Again she laughed as she strolled away.
Kathy sucked in a deep breath as she slammed the door closed. Gritting her teeth, she spun around and faced the others, all of who gazed back in shared surprise. It was so unlike Kathy, the soft-spoken one of the group, to stand up to anyone.
“Tomorrow we start advertising.”
Chapter two
With jingling keys, Kathy clicked open the lock and opened the door to the office. Everything was quiet, the lights out and the computers shut down.
“Nobody’s here yet.” She murmured, closing the door and hurrying to the coat rack in the back, tossing her jacket on one of the hooks.
Pulling up a chair, she placed the can of Christmas money on top of her desk.
Lifting the lid with shaking fingers, she poured the money onto the desk.
Guilt washed over her in tumbling waves, she didn’t ask her mother for the money, she just took it.
Running a hand through her thick black hair, tears began to form in the corners of her blue eyes. She never had a reason to steal from her mother before, but this time it seemed necessary.
Ever since they had opened their small trade, it was Suzi and Brenda that contributed the most money to the cause. Kathy and her mother lived on a tight budget; she never had the funds available to supply.
Clenching a fist, she recalled all of the times when Suzi covered the gas for the drives to various cases, when they had them, and it was Brenda that purchased most of their equipment.
Being the close friends that they were, Suzi and Brenda never asked Kathy for a thing and never once had they chastised her or made her feel at fault for not helping out financially.
Squaring her shoulders, she decided indomitably that this was one time when she was going to help out! She would not allow Stephanie Odell to make a fool of her and her friends any longer!
Silently she mouthed the numbers as she flipped through the coins, counting out forty-one dollars in change.
Licking her thumb, she started to flick through the small roll of paper money when the door opening caused her to jump fearfully.
Spinning her face around, she swallowed hard when she saw Brenda tossing her purse to one side, stretching.
“You’re here early.” She remarked, brushing past Kathy’s desk and heading straight for the coffeemaker on the sink.
Quickly scooping up the coins with the side of her hand, she dumped them back in the coffee can, her eyes wavering. “I wanted to get an early start.”
“Well, I have some good news.” Brenda said, ladling coffee powder into the coffee machine. “I found my savings bonds.”
“You did?” Kathy asked, glancing back over her shoulder. “How much did you get?”
With a long and stretched out sigh, Brenda filled the carafe with water and poured it into the appliance, flipping it on before turning around.
“I took them to the bank, but I’m afraid I was only able to cash out about a hundred dollars.”
“I’ve got about seventy or so here.” She said, resealing the lid on the money can.
Brenda quirked an eyebrow as she pulled up the chair to her desk. “I see you got your mom to let you use the Christmas money.”
“Yes.”
Brenda immediately picked up on the despondent tone in Kathy’s voice. Gazing back at her, their eyes met and held.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Brenda persisted, tearing open an envelope and shaking out several twenties. “You don’t seem like it.”
Lowering her eyes, Kathy did not want Brenda to know the true nature of how she came onto the money. No one was going to feel sorry for Kathy Axton, or worse yet, accuse her of being a thief!
“My money smells like coffee.” She lied, licking her lips as she looked up.
“That’s
all right.” Brenda laughed, her fiery curls bouncing from her
shoulders and down her back. “I rather enjoy the smell of good
coffee!”
”It’s not good coffee.” Kathy admitted with a
pitiful sigh. “It’s generic coffee, so the smell is generic.”
“Any coffee smell is good if it isn’t decaffeinated.” She joked with a shrug. “It isn’t decaffeinated, is it?”
“No, it has caffeine in it.”
“Ok, then its fine.”
Suzi raced down the sidewalk, pushing open the door to Derrick’s Print Shop, bounding to the counter in a breathless rush.
The owner, Mr. Derrick poked his head out from behind the curtains, smiling when he saw the winded girl.
“My goodness, did you run the entire way?” he chuckled.
“I sure did!” she cried. “I’m here to get a quote on some printing.”
“All right, I’ll be right out.” He said his dark eyes twinkling behind a face massed with fine lines and wrinkles.
Glancing across the counter top, Suzi reached over and plucked the cordless phone from the charger. “Mr. Derrick, I’m going to use your phone real quick, ok?”
“All right, sweetie.” He yelled back through the fog of swaying curtains.
Tingling with anticipation, she curled her toes in her shoes, listening, and waiting.
“Mysteries-R-us,” Brenda answered.
“Hey, it’s me.” Suzi said, pacing the store. “I’m here at the print shop and I need to know how much money we have to spend.”
After a few seconds of silence, Brenda said. “We have one-hundred and seventy-three dollars and twenty-five cents combined.”
“That’s all?”
“How much do you have?”
“Uh…twelve dollars.”
“Why the hell are you asking me if that’s all we have, if all you have is twelve dollars?”
“Um…Mr. Derrick’s coming, I got to go.” Suzi stammered, hanging the phone up, a blush rising into her cheeks.
The tall and lanky man with the salt and peppered hair emerged from the back room wiping the ink from his fingers with an old towel.
“What can I do for you, Suzi-Q?” he asked.
“How much would it cost for full color flyers with the name “Mysteries-R-us” printed in gold glitter?” she asked, plucking a piece of paper from her shirt pocket and unfolding it, reading off their names and phone numbers and what mysteries the women specialized in and a range of other important details they wanted in print.
“How many do you need?”
“Let’s say about a thousand.”
“That’ll run you around five hundred dollars.” Mr. Derrick replied after scratching his head in thought.
Stunned, she drew in a deep breath and started again. “All right, how much would it cost for six hundred color flyers with no gold glitter?”
“Six hundred printed off will run ‘ya three hundred seventy-five dollars.”
Suzi flipped the corner of her skirt as she kicked an ant from her leg, biting her lower lip in frustration. “Never mind, how much is the cost for two hundred flyers with no color?”
“The cost of two hundred flyers with no colors,” Mr. Derrick repeated, his grey moustache twitching when he spoke. “Will run around two hundred thirty bucks.”
With a sigh, Suzi looked around the drab printing shop, the walls lined with white paint, a lone fan blowing warm air hung in one corner of the room.
Hating to admit defeat, she tightened her jaw and met the shopkeeper’s gaze.
“All right, give me the price for one hundred flyers.”
“I’ll tell you what.” The old man said, opening the catalog that sat on the front counter, running his finger up and down the first couple of pages. “Let me see if I can cut you a special deal.”
Hopeful, Suzi clenched her hands into fists at her sides, restless with expectancy as she watched the shopkeeper whisper numeral figures under his breath and then he looked up with a smile.
“I’ll sell you sixty flyers with basic information printed on them for one hundred and fifty bucks.” He said firmly, slamming the catalog closed, his grin sheepish.
“Wait just a minute.” Suzi snapped, hands planted firmly on her hips as she eyed the old man. “Just a minute ago you were trying to sell me two hundred for just a little more than a hundred fifty, but you expect me to take sixty flyers for a hundred fifty? What kind of deal is that supposed to be?”
“It’s a very good deal.”
“That’s a shitty deal.”
“All right, I’ll print you eighty flyers for one hundred and thirty bucks.”
“Ok, if I agree to that, then I want Mysteries-R-us printed in bold on the top and…”
“I’ll print it on the top, but no bold letters.” Mr. Derrick interrupted.
“Fine, no bold letters.” She replied in between clenched teeth. “I want a picture of a magnifying glass and a big question mark in the axis printed in the center and our office phone number and address along the bottom. You might want to add our email address, too.”
“Nope, can’t do pictures.” He said a matter-of-factly. “I can print your address and that’s all.”
“What kind of crap are you pulling, old man? We have to have our phone number and our email address printed on those.”
“Sorry, one address, your business name and that’s all.”
“That’s all we get for one hundred and thirty bucks?”
“Yes.”
“How will anyone know where to call?” she demanded. “Not everyone can just come out to the office.”
“You gals can buy some crayons and color the additional information in yourselves.”
Stunned by Stan Derrick’s insistence on raking in what little cash they had and then trying to give them so diminutive in return, Suzi heatedly flipped her hair over her shoulders and shook a finger in his face.
“I think you’re a greedy old fart and I believe we’ll take our business elsewhere, thank you very much!”
“All right, have a nice day.” He said cheerfully, as if nothing unusual had occurred.
Whirling around on a heel, Suzi halted abruptly as she held open the door. “What did you say?” she asked. “Are you being a smart-ass?”
“I said to have a good day, Suzi-Q.” he said, smiling. “Tell your mama I said hello.”
“I won’t tell my mama anything, because you’re a greedy old codger!” she retorted, her blue eyes flaring. “So there!”
“Tell Kathy and Brenda that I sent my love.” He chuckled, not dismayed by the girl’s insults.
“I’m not telling them anything!” she cried over her shoulder as she stomped from the print shop. “Screw you!”
Throwing open the door to the office, Suzi charged in an hour later dropping a shopping bag on the desk in front of Kathy and Brenda, causing them to look up immediately.
“What’s this?” Brenda asked, eyeing the bag.
“Our advertising, that’s what.” She answered, slipping out of her jacket and tossing it along the back of her chair.
Brenda and Kathy exchanged bewildered glances and then shrugging, Brenda reached out and grasped the plastic bag, thumbing around inside.
Plucking out a small box of neon colored crayons; she gazed back at Suzi with puzzlement etched across her face.
“What’s the crayons for?” she asked, setting them aside and lifting out another box filled with black markers and then several packets of loose leaf paper.
“Like I said, that stuff is for our advertising.” Suzi said apprehensively, slipping into the chair across from them.
“What are we supposed to do with these?” Kathy asked, reaching out and grabbing the box of markers, tearing open the lid. “What did Mr. Derrick say? How much did he say it would be for a stack of flyers?”
“Never mind, we’re not using Mr. Derrick’s printing service.” Suzi huffed, still angered over the old man’s obvious attempt to rip the girls off. “He’s nothing more than a gluttonous old bastard.”
Gasping, Kathy grasped her throat and stared with wide eyes. “What did you call him?”
“You heard me.” She said, ripping open a package of the notebook paper, pulling loose several sheets and laying them in front of her.
“I don’t understand.”
“Just trust me, we’re not using him.” She grumbled, tracing out a large “M” along the top of the paper. “He’s pulling a fast one on us.”
“Yeah, but that’s no reason to call the man a bastard.” Kathy objected, touching Suzi lightly on the shoulder. “I’m sure he meant well.”
“That old man tried to charge us over a hundred bucks just for a stack of sixty measly flyers with our name in plain letters, not bold and absolutely no gold glitter and he refused to put our phone number and email address on it, too.” Suzi muttered angrily, slapping several crayons out of the package and slamming them on the desk. “There, that’s what he meant when he wished us well.”
Kathy stared in silence, her mouth agape. “Are you serious?”
“I’m as serious as a heart attack.” Suzi said, shifting between the neon orange crayon and the fire engine red as she outlined the name of their company on the fresh sheet of paper.
“Why that no-good money-grubbing bastard!” she cried.
“So what are we doing here?” Brenda questioned, plucking out a black marker.
“What does it look like we’re doing?” Suzi said, snatching up a phone book and tossing it on the desk in front of Brenda. “We’re making our own flyers and while we’re doing that, you’re going to do some cold-calling.”
With a side-ways grin, Brenda flipped open the phone book and ran her thumb down the side. “Who should I start with?”
“Personally, I think we should start out of town.” Kathy remarked, scribbling several letters in bright pink. “Everyone here in Farmville is either related to Stephanie Odell, or has already given their business to her and her stuck-up friends.”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” Brenda nodded, brushing back a lock of hair from her brow as she picked up the cordless phone and propped it on her shoulder. “I’m going to start calling hotels and check out the best prices for over-night stays.”
“For every hotel you call, get their address and we’ll mail them a flyer.” Suzi added.
By a quarter till nine that night, Suzi and Kathy had made up two hundred flyers and Brenda had made ninety phone calls.
“I think that’s enough calls tonight.” Brenda announced, hanging the phone up and then rubbing the soreness from her neck.
“Two hundred flyers, my fingers are aching.” Kathy laughed, clenching and unclenching her hands.
“Yep, two hundred and it only cost us six bucks to make them.” Suzi chuckled self-righteously; rolling the crayons up with the side of her hand and dropping them neatly back into their box. “See, you didn’t even have to use your Christmas money after all.”
“Yeah, that’s a relief, let me tell you.”
“Ha, we showed that ass-hole, Mr. Derrick.” Suzi smirked, shuffling a stack of leaflets neatly into place. “Two-hundred dollars for a plain pile of flyers, my foot!”
Swinging breathlessly through the front door, Kelly bounded up to the desk and slammed a handbill down in front of the girls.
“What?” Suzi looked up in surprise. “What’s this?”
“It’s your next mystery!” she explained, panting excitedly. “Read it.”
Holding the pamphlet up to the lamp, Suzi read the paper aloud.
“Join the fun and party all night long at the Moon Light Hotel and Casino.”
Turning the brochure over, she nodded, adding. “It’s a nice place, so what?”
“Read the bottom.” Kelly said, looking over her shoulder, pointing.
“Discover the mystery that made us famous, the mystery of the circus clown and the ballerina.” She read, her eyes lightening up as she followed the writing. “Ten thousand dollars prize to the first ones who can solve this centuries old mystery.”
“Ten thousand dollars,” Brenda cried, scrambling from her chair to get a better look at the brochure. “Oh my God, we should try and solve that mystery!”
“Ten thousand dollars would be more than plenty to tuck back into the Christmas can.” Kathy said gleefully, her fingers shaking as she touched her lips.
“Ten thousand dollars would be enough for all of us to start Christmas cans!” Suzi cried, rushing to the desk and grabbing the phone. “I’m calling this number right now!”
Running her fingers over the phone, Suzi quickly punched in the toll-free number and then waited with expectation, until she heard someone pick up.
“Hello and good evening, this is the Moon Light Hotel and Casino, may I help you?”
The voice was rich and dark, pouring over her like chocolate melting away in the hot sun.
“Hello, my name is Suzi Martin and I represent Mysteries-R-us.” She began, steadying her voice, trying to sound as professional as possible.
“Mysteries-R-us, that sounds exciting.” The man said. “What can I do to assist you this evening?”
“No, it’s not what you can do for us; it’s what we can do for you, good sir.” Suzi smiled, giving her friends silent thumbs up sign. She was a pro when it came to closing a sale. “As you may know, we specialize in solving mysteries and we’d like to have a crack at this ten thousand dollar prize that you’re offering for the first person who can solve the mystery of the clown and ballerina.”
“Where did you get the idea that we were offering a ten thousand dollar prize?” he asked the phone line crisp with intermittent static.
“It says so on your brochure.” She said, reaching towards the desk and picking the leaflet up, flipping it over to examine the contents again. “I’m looking at it right now, ten thousand dollars to anyone who can solve this centuries old mystery.”
“Oh, that mystery.” He replied. “Ma’am, it’s true, we are famous for this old mystery, but that was a promotional gimmick we offered last Halloween. I’m afraid it has since expired.”
“What?” Suzi gasped, straining her eyes and focusing on the small white print in the corner of the paper which did clearly state that the offer was for a limited time only and it expired nearly eight months ago.
Feeling foolish, Suzi frowned, wadded the pamphlet up and tossed it to the floor.
Kathy and Brenda both stared back in unison, baffled.
“What’d you do that for?” Kelly asked. “That could be your next big job.”
“Yeah, it could have been if it wasn’t expired.” Suzi snapped, holding her hand over the receiver of the phone. “What the hell were you thinking of, giving us an expired brochure?”
“I found that in the trash at the mission.” Kelly replied, shrugging. “I didn’t know it was expired.”
“Lord,” Suzi breathed, rolling her eyes and then she lifted her hand from the phone. “Sir, I am so sorry we wasted your time. A friend of ours, who didn’t know any better, brought us this pamphlet without first checking the expiration date.”
“You are not a waste of time and the error is understandable.” The man said. “Infact, I was just telling my co-owner that we should have printed the cessation date a bit larger so that it could be read easily. That was our liability entirely!”
“Well, thank you for your time.”
“Wait a minute,” the man said, holding Suzi’s attention. “You know, I like the sound of your voice and I like your professionalism. Having a real detective agency come in and take a crack at solving the mystery would be good for business and exciting for the guests. Could we hire your agency?”
Suzi stood listening with her mouth wide open. Quickly shaking her head and bringing herself out of the self-induced stupor, she said. “Are you serious?”
“Of course, when can I set an appointment?”
“We could drive out tomorrow afternoon.”
“Afternoon isn’t a good time.” The man said. “Being at a casino, I do most of my work at night. Would it be asking too much to set an appointment after sundown?”
“No, any particular time?”
” Whatever is good for you, just so long as it’s after sundown.”
“What about seven o’clock?”
“Wonderful, seven o’clock would be fabulous!”
“Do we follow the address on the brochure?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And should I ask for you?”
“Yes, my name is Damien.” He replied. “I’m the co-owner, my father actually owns the casino and he’ll be thrilled to meet you.”
“All right, it was wonderful to make your acquaintance and we’ll see you tomorrow at seven o’clock.”
“Magnificent, thank you.”
Hanging up the phone, Suzi was all smiles.
“Well?” Brenda urged, though she could tell they had gotten the job.
“We are officially hired by the Moon Light Hotel and Casino to solve the mystery of the clown and the ballerina!”
Brenda and Kathy jumped into each other’s arms, squealing with delight!
“Hey, what about me?” Kelly asked, throwing her hands in the air. “I gave you that brochure.”
“What do you want?”
“Can I have a job? I’m an awfully good lock-picker.” She said, strolling to the back of the room and opening the counter-size refrigerator and combing through the contents.
“We would hire you, but we don’t really have use for a lock-picker.” Suzi said, watching as Kelly came back with a cold slice of left over pizza in her hand, taking a bite.
“I need the work to buy food.” Kelly argued. “You do know that I’m pregnant, don’t you?”
“Yeah, you’ve been pregnant for about two years now.” Kathy murmured under her breath.
“Can you guys bring me back something then?” she asked with a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni. “A carry-out basket of steak and onion rings or something?”
“I suppose we can do that.” Suzi nodded in agreement.
“Thanks guys.” Kelly said, going for the front door, waddling. “Let me know how it comes out.”
“All right, bye.” Suzi replied back.
“Bye, Kelly.” Brenda called after her.
“Wish us luck.” Kathy shouted as she clicked the door closed behind her.
Chapter three
The sun gleamed down in broken streaks of gold against a curtain of low hanging clouds, glimmering on an empty highway as the girls zipped down the road in their compact car.
Brenda sat staring out at the passing countryside, sipping on a paper cup of French-roasted coffee.
Kathy leaned up against the passenger door, propping her head on a rolled up sweater in an attempt to take in a quick siesta before their arrival at the hotel.
Suzi adjusted the sun visor, trying to watch the road while the sunset broke through the clouds, its glare flashing bright red across the windshield.
“How much longer do we have to drive?” Kathy blurted, gazing sideways.
“One more turn and it’s a half mile to the left.” Suzi answered, grasping the steering wheel with one hand while fumbling with the brochure with the other. “I’d say probably another five minutes or so.”
Brenda grumbled, holding her cup outward as another pot hole caused some of the hot filling to spill out onto the floorboard.
“Be careful, I don’t want to spill this on my outfit.” She complained.
Holding the steering wheel steady, Suzi whipped the car around a sharp bend and zipped down a long stretch of highway.
Straining her eyes against the blaze of the setting sun, she spotted a massive building standing nearly ten stories high, a large fountain in front of the building spraying cascades of colorful water high in the evening sky, flashing colored lights already filling the atmosphere with electric excitement.
“This has got to be it.” She muttered, whirling the car to the left and pulling into the smooth black top parking lot.
“Wow, will you look at this place?” Kathy cried out in awe as they stepped out of the car. “No wonder they can afford to pay ten thousand dollars per mystery, this place must rake in the bread!”
“All right, outfit check over.” Suzi declared, standing ahead and out-stretching her arms, whirling around in place to display her clothing.
Brenda and Kathy nodded in approval at Suzi’s choice of a navy suit with the light blue shirt, blue heels and a small glittering gold chain around her neck. Touching her hair, which she did up in a tight ponytail with matching blue ribbons, she gently molded her hairstyle with her fingertips.
“You look great, now what about me?” Brenda asked, holding her arms out right as she twirled.
She showed off her black slacks, boots and blouse, her red and copper curls done up in two braids across her shoulders, her make-up done sparingly.
“What about me?” Kathy joined in, flashing her new look.
The girls clapped, liking Kathy’s choice of a long denim skirt with tan boots beneath and a maroon colored blouse, her hair worn loose and silky over her shoulders.
“We look so professional.” Suzi said, proudly lifting her chin and waving towards the shining building. “Let’s go.”
Holding her breath, Suzi smiled as the doorman held open the door for them.
The women paused inside the doorway. It was the first time any of them had ever been to a casino. An orchestra was playing upbeat rock music and couples twirled and bopped around the floor, the men in different shades of black, the women like colorful butterflies. Waiters moved among the guests, offering drinks and sweet smelling refreshments.
The floor was lined with slot machines of all colors and sizes, the ringing of the machinery filling the heavens. Black Jack and Crap tables lined the walls, people piled upon them, shouting their bets, hugging each other in glorious victory or cursing under their breath as they slapped down more money.
“Lord, let’s go.” Suzi murmured, but just as she stepped to the fore a man dressed in a red uniform with gold cuffs bounded out in front of them, blocking their way.
“Good evening ladies, can I see some I.D.?” he asked, holding out a gloved hand.
“Sure,” quickly she reached into her coat pocket and drew out a pink pocketbook and shook out her driver’s license.
Brenda and Kathy also handed their cards to the employee.
The man lifted each license, shuffling them over a few times before handing them back. “I’m sorry, but the casino is only for guests aged twenty-one and older.”
“We’re not here to gamble, we’re here on a mission to solve your centuries old mystery.” Suzi explained.
“I believe we talked to a man named Damien?” Brenda added, shouting above the roar of the music and the chimes of the never-ending slot machines.
“One moment and I’ll have Mr. Akula paged.” The man smiled, tipping his hat as he trekked towards the information booth located to the left of the entrance.
“Did he say, Akula?” Kathy questioned quirking an eyebrow.
“Yeah, that’s what he said.” Suzi whispered back.
“What a creepy name.” she shivered. “Damien Akula.”
A few minutes later, the man returned, quickly bowing at the waist and gesturing towards the casino. “My apologies, ladies, please step inside. Mr. Akula will be right with you.”
Suzi looked up at him, confused. “How will we know who he is?”
“You’ve never met Mr. Akula?”
“No, we’ve only spoke with him over the telephone.”
“Don’t worry; you’ll know it’s him when you see him.” The man said, smirking as he hiked back to his place at the front entrance.
“Weirdo.” She murmured under her breath, following in step behind her friends as they made their way through the crowd.
“Oh my, take a look at that!” Kathy cried through the mob, pointing to an area chained off from the rest of the room.
Brenda, being the shortest, stood on tip-toes, straining to see through the cigarette smoke and passing guests.
“Let’s go take a better look.” she shouted.
Pushing their way through the multitudes of people, the girls piled in front of area display designed to resemble an old-fashioned circus scene.
Gazing at the exhibit, they were in awe.
The illustrate was set up to resemble an exhibit from a museum, there was an old iron box car and several striped circus tents, the material dull and yellowed with age. Several wax statues of clowns and circus performers were posed so life-like they looked as though they could jump up at any moment and begin dancing for the audience.
“It looks like a real circus.” Brenda breathed.
“Look here.” Suzi waved at them, pointing to a wooden plaque that addressed the story behind the circus exhibit.
The girls crowded together to read the wooden tablet:
The Star circus train traveled through this land, stopping at this very spot to merge with the Friedlander’s carnival, August 24, 1830. It was said that a clown from the circus and a ballerina from the carnival fell in love, but were forbidden to pursue this romance.
Unknown to everyone, the clown and the ballerina continued to see each other in secrecy.
When the ringmaster to the circus discovered their trysts, he sent the gypsy to place a curse upon them.
The gypsy turned them both into dolls and separated them for eternity.
It is said that the clown and the ballerina reside somewhere in this casino, but no one has been able to find the dolls and solve the mystery to this day.
“That’s some story.” Suzi said, looking up and eyeing the wax figures in the mock circus. “Maybe the dolls are long gone; perhaps this gypsy threw them out?”
“That’s stupid, think about what you’re saying.” Brenda said, scratching the top of her head. ”A person can’t really be turned into a doll, that’s just part of a legend.”
“I think the employees of this casino made up the dolls themselves and probably hid them somewhere on the hotel grounds and they have guests try and find them so they can say they solved this so-called mystery.” Kathy remarked. “They set the whole thing up like an Easter egg hunt of sorts.”
“But ten thousand dollars to find a bunch of dolls they hid themselves?” Suzi argued. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course it does.” Kathy explained, reaching into her pocket for a tissue, dabbing her nose with the urge to sneeze from the cigarette smoke that hung heavy in the air. “It’s the staff that hides the dolls, so they can be rest assured that the guests will never find them, thus keeping their “mystery” safe and without having to pay out the ten thousand bucks.”
Brenda folded her arms across her chest and nodded in accord. “That makes sense. I agree with Kathy’s theory.”
Suzi stepped back and watched as Brenda and Kathy toddled to one side, contemplating on leaving the casino.
“Come on, guys.” Suzi urged, holding out her hands, beseeching them to listen. “Does that mean we’re not going to try and solve the mystery? Heck, we drove all this way and we have enough money to afford a basic room, we might as well.”
“There’s no mystery, aren’t you listening?” Brenda frowned. “The people that work here hid the dolls, if there even are dolls. For all we know they could be making up the story and then claiming there are lost lover dolls when in truth they have absolutely nothing hidden at all!”
“I never thought of that.” Kathy nodded, looking sideways as she regarded Brenda’s words. “They probably don’t even have any here, which is why no one can find them.”
“We could make ten thousand dollars though say this mystery is real.” Suzi said determinedly.
“This mystery is very much real.” A voice said.
Startled, the women all whirled around in unison, their eyes wide with wonder.
A man stepped out of the crowded shadows, his eyes and hair ebony black, his skin nearly as white as snow. He gazed on them with dark charisma, a stare that left them spell-bound.
“Forgive me,” he said with a slight smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
His voice was low and deep, and it slid over Kathy’s skin like warm satin.
“That’s all right.” Suzi blurted out, finally finding her voice. “Mr. Akula?”
“Yes, I’m Damien Akula.” He greeted them cordially, reaching out and grasping Suzi’s hand, a hand in which she noticed was ice cold and chilled to the bone. “And you are?”
“Suzi Martin.” She smiled back, hiding her apprehensiveness as she yanked her hand back to her side.
Brenda gasped, her heart leaping into her throat when the pale, broad-shouldered man with the trim build reached out for her hand.
“And you are?”
“Brenda Mathews.” She stammered, chuckling shakily. “My goodness, you startled me.”
Kathy swallowed hard the lump that swelled in her throat as she lowered her eyes and then warily gazed up again. She shivered as his eyes met hers, deep black eyes that seemed to probe the very depths of her heart and soul.
“I’m afraid I haven’t gotten your name yet, Miss.” He said.
She took a step backward. “Kathy Axton.”
“Is that short for Katherine?”
“Why, yes it is.” She said, enchanted by his voice.
Damien studied the woman named Kathy for a moment, noting that she was quite lovely. Her long hair was black as night with a slight curl, her eyes deep and blue, like polished sapphires. Her lips were finely sculpted, full and inviting.
His eyes lowered slightly and he took in the softly rounded curves of her slender body.
“First of all, how can we be sure there really is a mystery here?” Suzi blurted out, breaking Damien from his trance. “My friends think that this whole circus clown and ballerina doll is a bunch of bull. Infact, how do we know that there even is a doll hidden around here?”
He lifted one black brow. “I don’t waste time with frivolous games. Please, I assure you that this mystery is very much real and to prove it I will offer you the ten thousand dollars if you’re able to solve this mystery.”
“Yeah, it’s easy to offer this money.” Suzi retorted. “But we could spend days here snooping around for a doll that doesn’t even exist. Offering us the ten thousand doesn’t prove your earnestness.”
“Of course it doesn’t.” He readily agreed. “So I will offer you three ladies an all expenses paid stay for as long as you’re here. I will offer you three of our finest rooms, all meals furnished and unlimited use of our casino.”
Brenda’s eyes flew open as she listened to his proposal. Turning to Suzi, they both exchanged knowing glances. This man had to be serious to make such an offer as this.
“I guess I’m game if Kathy is.” Brenda said, shrugging. “What do you say? You were the first to call this mystery a load of crap.”
Kathy’s cheeks flushed red and she chuckled humorlessly. “Well, I didn’t actually say it was crap.” She murmured, embarrassed to admit such a thing to the gothically handsome stranger.
“Are you saying you believe it now?” Brenda asked, nudging her with an elbow.
“Don’t be silly, of course I believe it.” Kathy said, batting her eyelashes.
Damien clasped his hands together and rubbed them with heated anticipation. His gaze moved back to Kathy’s hair and how it hung, unbound, like shimmering satin in its brilliant ebony color. There was no denying it . . . the darkness of her hair matched the loneliness of his heart and he knew that he had to possess her.
Pulling his eyes away from her beautiful features, he quickly cleared his throat and smiled at the others.
“This is most wonderful indeed.” He chimed. “Please excuse me for a moment while I get my father, the owner of this fantastic casino and a few of my closest friends that I would so love for you to meet.”
Kathy waited, watching guardedly until Damien was out of sight through the cluster of people before she turned to her friends. “Oh my, isn’t he nice and so handsome, too?” she cooed, feeling as giddy as a school girl.
Brenda smiled sideways, shrugging. “He’s all right, I guess.” She said and then leaning closer to Kathy, she added quietly. “Don’t you think he’s a bit creepy looking, though?”
Kathy laughed softly. “He is a bit creepy, but there’s something strangely delicious about that man.”
“Ladies,” Damien blurted suddenly out of nowhere causing all three of them to jump, startled. “I would like for you to meet my father, Nosferatu Akula.”
He made a vague gesture at the elderly man with long black hair and very striking features, donned in a crisp black suit, a billowing cape that swirled over his gaunt shoulders.
Suzi wrinkled her nose, positive that she couldn’t have heard him correctly. “Did you say Nosferatu?”
“Yes.”
She regarded him for a moment, trying to think of a tactful way to pose the question uppermost in her mind, but she ended up asking it, straight out. “Your name is Nosferatu Akula?”
The man exchanged amused glances between himself and his son and then he chuckled lightheartedly, reaching out to clasp her hand in salutation. “Yes, Nosferatu Akula, but you ladies can call me, Roy.”
“Father, permit me to introduce you to Suzi Martin and Brenda Mathews.” He said, motioning to the two young women with a light airy sweep of his hand and then he locked his dark eyes on Kathy. “And this is Kathy Axton.”
“She is very beautiful, my son.” Nosferatu said, his voice deep timbre, making her blush. “She looks just like your mother, in her younger days, of course.”
“Are you married, Roy?” Brenda asked, forcing small talk when she noticed Suzi staring at him with her mouth agape, still unearthed by the man’s strange name and even stranger appearance.
A hint of sadness passed behind his eyes. “My wife is no longer here.”
“I’m sorry. Is she passed away?”
“No, she moved to Florida after we divorced.” He replied and then flipping the sleeve of his cape over his shoulder, he stepped back and waved a hand towards two men that stood waiting patiently behind the owner. “Please, let me introduce you to my son’s closest friends and loyal employees to the casino. These boys are also like sons to me.”
Pressing a hand to the first man’s back, Nosferatu gave him a gentle push forward. “This young man is Eric Moonslaughter. He does the majority of the cooking around here and he sings in most of our late night shows.”
“Hello.” Suzi said, furrowing her eyebrows to the sound of another unusual name, but this time she decided to say nothing about it.
Brenda’s gaze rested lightly on his face. He was of medium build; his hair was wavy and brown and hung loosely along his shoulders, his eyes piercing and also a shadowy brown. “Hi.” She said, flinching when he flung his hand out.
“My, but these ladies are jumpy tonight.” Eric chortled, drawing his hand back to his side.
“This fine lad is Paul Zombie. He’s the grounds keeper and he also looks after the maintenance to the building.” Roy continued with his introduction, grasping the other man by the arm and pulling him forward.
Suzi reached out to shake his hand when she suddenly faltered backwards, staring in conjecture.
Paul stood nearly seven foot, eight inches tall, his shoulders extremely broad and his chest firm and lean as it puffed out before him. He gazed down at her with eyes that reflected a gleaming sky blue, his face chiseled and handsome with a firm jaw line, his short and neatly kept hair was a golden-wheat color, he sported a goatee of the same color.
“Hi there,” he smiled. “Damien tells me that you’re here to solve the mystery of the circus dolls.”
“Yes, that’s what we’re here for.” She stammered, still marveling over the man’s huge stance.
“My goodness, just how tall are you anyway?” Brenda smiled, standing on tip-toes just to shake the man’s hand.
“I don’t know, maybe seven foot something.” He chuckled, instead stooping so that she could grasp his hand at a more intended altitude.
“I’m only five foot so compared to me, you’re like a giant.” Brenda laughed, tensing when she felt him rise to full height beside her, his stance towering her easily.
Paul smiled and then he looked up, his eyes meeting Suzi’s in a still stunned gaze, adding. “There are a lot of unused rooms downstairs in the basement associated with the mystery that you may be interested in checking out. I have access to them all, just let me know anytime of the day and I’ll show you where they are.”
“That’ll come in handy, won’t it?” Brenda nodded with an eager smile, crinkling her face abruptly when she noticed Suzi’s intense ogling at the gigantic man.
“I said that’ll come in handy, won’t it?” she repeated louder this time, immediately averting Suzi’s attention back to her.
Whipping her face away, she blushed. “Oh yeah, handy is right.” She readily agreed, her cheeks flushed when she realized she had been caught staring at the tall and handsome man.
“This is wonderful.” Nosferatu replied, opening his arms and encasing the women in a group hug and then backing away, his dark eyes glinting in the light of the flashing casino. “My son, please show these lovely women to their rooms and I insist that you join us tonight for dinner and take in the show. Leave your work for tomorrow morning and instead enjoy yourselves tonight.”
“I hate to put you through so much trouble.” Kathy said softly, not used to being waited on in such a way.
“It is no trouble.” He insisted, sweeping an arm across Eric’s shoulders. “Our Eric here has an incredible set of pipes on him; you have got to watch one of his shows.”
The women followed the bellhop, passing room after room until they came to a door marked 664, towards the end of the faintly lit hallway.
Suzi swiped the entry card and opened the door, Kathy and Brenda following her inside, their breath catching in their throats as they took in the surroundings.
It was a large square room. A cheery fire blazed in the white marble fireplace. Thick shag carpets covered the silver tiled floor. There was a large flat screened television on a dark cherry table opposite the plush canopy bed made up with a sleek burgundy velvet covering. Drapes of the same rich color were drawn back from the tall leaded windows, giving them a full view of the courtyard below.
“Oh, my,” Kathy breathed. “It’s gorgeous!”
“The bathroom is in there,” The bellhop replied, pointing to a door in the corner. “There should be plenty of fresh linen at your disposal. If more are needed, just ring the front desk and additional linen will be brought up to your room.”
“Thank you.”
The staff member tipped his hat and then turned to Suzi, motioning towards the connecting door in the splendid room. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you next door to your room.”
“You mean this is my room?” Kathy said unbelievably, whirling in all directions, taking in her magnificent environs.
The man nodded and then held open the connecting door allowing Suzi and Brenda entrance before him, and then bowing at the waist, he followed in step behind them.
Suzi stood taken aback at the beautiful room. A jolly fire burned in the hearth, casting dancing shadows on the high ceiling and the pale blue walls.
A king size bed stood in one corner, a glimmering satin coverlet of baby blue covered the bed, a large round throw rug of the same color sat on the white floor below.
There were dainty cherry wood tables on either side of the divan.
Strolling across the floor, she stopped to linger in front of the sink, gazing at the lovely string of toiletries that lined the marble topped sink. The area smelled of hot water, perfume and scented soaps.
Turning back around, she smiled approvingly at the hotel staff member.
“I like it,” She giggled. “Pastel blue isn’t exactly my forte, though.”
“I’m sorry?” the bellhop questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
“Never mind, forget it.” Suzi said, holding her hand, palm out. “Don’t expect any tips though; we’re here on the job, mister.”