Checkered Thief (A Laurel London Mystery Book 3) (14 page)

“Yeah.”

“They belong to the guy in this room and he’s the brains behind this whole casino heist and kidnapping.” I groaned. My mind was buzzing a million miles a minute on what to do.

“Then I guess we are screwed.” Willie Ray stepped back. “Because he’s right outside.”

Both of us looked at each other and moved as if we knew what the other was thinking. We hit the floor, belly first, and army crawled underneath the bed.

The door jiggled and the moonlight flooded in.

“Sir,” Derek’s voice came from outside. “Did you see a girl running down the street with blond-brown hair, about this tall?”

“No.” Trent T. Lyle’s gave a quick stern answer.

“I’m with the local police department and if you do, here is my card.” The sound of a card being exchanged between them was heard. “If you do see her, be careful because she is armed and dangerous.”

“Armed and dangerous?” I mouthed to Willie Ray. Derek Smitherman was on my shit list and I didn’t give a shit about the Bethany and Brittany situation. I just knew that I was going to get her alone and give her a big piece of my mind.

“I’ll be on the lookout.” Trent didn’t bother with any other chitchat before he shut the door.

Willie and I sat as quiet as church mice under that nasty bed, face down. The thought of my face lying on the carpet made my stomach curl. The sound of running water from the bathroom covered up our movement as we flipped ourselves over on our backs.

“This is a big bunch of shit, Laurel.” Willie folded his hands on his chest. “I don’t want to be under here all night.”

“We just have to wait him out,” I whispered and looked over at him. He was staring straight up at the mattress. “He will probably leave soon.”

The water turned off as soon as the phone started to ring.

“This is Trent,” he answered. “Yeah. Laurel escaped from the jail and they are looking for her. Apparently she was around here somewhere because that police officer was just outside looking for her. Armed and dangerous,” Trent laughed like it was a joke.

I’ll show him armed and dangerous. Trent T. Lyle had no idea who he was fooling with. He may be a big mighty man with money, but he was small and nerdy and I knew I could take him. Plus I had Willie Ray.

“Bethany was with him. The way she was holding on to him made it look like they are very much an item. This could put a big kink in our plans. I’m not sure if we shouldn’t drag him in. It could hamper our whole operation.” Trent talked on and on about Derek and how he might mess them up.

No matter how mad I was at Bethany or Derek, there was no way I was going to let them hurt him. I’d freely give over that bitch, but they were going to have to go through me to get Derek.

“I thought he was never going to leave.” Willie Ray rubbed the back of his neck. He peeled back the dingy curtains to let the morning light stream through.

Sadly, Willie lay underneath Trent all night long and the springs on the mattress didn’t hold Trent up too well, making Willie keep his neck to the right the entire time. “You looked like you slept.”

“Thank you.” My lips turned down with empathy. “I tried not to fall asleep. Thank God I don’t snore.”

“Lucky me.” He twisted his waist to the right and then to the left. He picked up the few files that were lying on the bedside table and sat down. “This joint is nasty. Louie needs to get some help in here.”

“I think he’s working on it.” I sat on the edge of the bed next to him and watched as he flipped through the files. “See anything?”

“You say this guy is the brains behind the operation? The man in charge?” He had a puzzled look on his face.

I nodded.

“He seems to have a bunch of facts written down but not a lot about the money heist you told me about.” He held the folder up to me to get a look.

I scanned down the paper. There was a time and day at the bottom circled in red with an arrow pointing to the words Glitz and Glam.

“That’s today.” I pointed to it. “I wonder what it means?”

“Today could be the day.” He looked at me with haunting eyes. “And that means we need to sneak in there to see what is going on.”

“There is no way I’m going to be able to get in there.” Was there? I had never let anyone stop me before. “Unless.”

“Unless what?” Willie jerked back. “That look on your face scares me.”

“Unless I can get in with one of the Holy Rollers. I mean they all go and I can imitate them perfectly. I just have to get makeup and a wig and I know just the person to help me.” I snapped my fingers. “Gia.”

“Oh hell no.” Willie jumped up and shook his finger at me. “That crazy bitch about poisoned me last time I ate at The Cracked Egg.”

“She didn’t poison you.” I laughed.

“She did something because I got sicker than a dog last time I ate there.” He put his hand on his stomach. “I can’t even think about it without having to feel like I have to throw up.”

“You are going to go get her and bring her back to the airbus.” I stood up and walked over to the door and looked out. Derek’s cruiser was gone. “You go do that and I’m going to creep down to Bethany’s room to see if she’s there.”

Willie was reluctant, but did it anyway. When the coast was clear, I left Trent’s room with the piece of paper in my back pocket along with everything else and dashed down the porch to Bethany’s room. All my southern manners went out the door and I let myself in with my key. The shower was running and she was singing, a little too happy for my taste, but she was. Needless to say, she couldn’t carry a tune if it was in a bucket and I had to put an end to it.

“Bethany!” I shouted from the bathroom door.

The shower curtain flung back and the showerhead had a wonky water stream, shooting out all over the place.

“Laurel,” she gasped. “You scared the shit out of me.” She sneezed.

“Bless you.” I really didn’t want to give her any southern manners, but Trixie always preached
don’t lose your religion
and I was about to go postal on her. “You scared the shit out of me last night. What were you thinking?” I asked taking in a deep ass breath to keep cool. “When Brittany finds out that you almost slept with Derek, she’ll go nuts.”

“Yeah, me sleep with him before her. Though he is hot.” She blushed, stepping out naked, one foot after the other. Her body was so beautiful that I even blushed looking at her. The chest scar was visible. She wrapped the towel around her and tucked the edges under at her underarms. Her brown hair dripped with water.

“They haven’t slept together?” I asked.

“Oh not pristine Brittany.” She rolled her eyes and used another towel to dry off. Her eyes were red and her nose began to resemble Rudolph. “I did want to get a look at him though.” She winked. “But after your little shenanigans, he insisted he had to go.” She shrugged and moved past me.

“Great. Now let’s get down to business.” I had limited time and I had to get out of there. “Do you know anything about something going down tonight around six p.m.?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, slipping on her robe.

“The guy down in room one is Trent T. Lyle.”

“It is?” Her eyes grew and her mouth dropped. A state of shock swept over her face, leaving her a little pale.

“Yes. He has to be the mastermind and I got into his room. Today’s date and six p.m. was written on this piece of paper pointing to the casino.” I pulled the paper out and showed her.

She ran the back of her hand across her dripping nose before she grabbed the paper with both hands.

“Oh my God.” Her eyes slid up to mine. “We are running out of time.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there in a clever disguise and I’ll have the money. Then you can do the exchange and I have someone who can get the footage. Once I give you the footage, you have to promise me you will tell Derek everything.” I took the paper back from her and put it back in my pocket.

“I swear I will.” Her throat moved up and down as she swallowed, hard. She sniffed up a wad of snot. “I thought they were going to give me more time than this.” Her eyes welled with tears.

“It’s going to be fine.” I walked over to the door and looked out the thin curtain. The big silver airbus was parked out in the parking lot with
Dean’s Florist
written in green. I was never so happy to see it. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I have a terrible allergy to the goldenrod flower and I haven’t seen one in years.” She sneezed in her hand.

“It must be me.” I lifted my arm and took a big whiff. I did smell like a florist. “I’ve been staying in Dean’s Florist’s airbus hiding. She must have goldenrod in there. Is Brittany allergic too?”

“No.” She shook her head and blew her nose with the edge of the towel. “Just me. She’s the lucky one.”

“I’ve got to go, but I will be there tonight looking like an old lady.” I felt bad I was making her sick, but soon it would all be over.

“You swear?” Fear cracked in her voice or maybe it was the phlegm.

“Swear.” I put my hand up as though I were taking the Girl Scout oath. I gave her one last long stare before I bolted out the door and into the guts of the airbus.

“Thank you.” I grabbed Henrietta out of the arms of Willie. Charlie was making flower deliveries for Curly. “I told Bethany about tonight and she said she didn’t know they were going to do anything, so I think Trent and the gang are going to go and try to do the heist on their own.”

Something pounded on the closet door of the airbus.

“Okay.” Willie and I held on for dear life as Charlie pulled up behind the car. “Gia wasn’t as willing as I had hoped she was going to be.”

The pounding got louder.

“What?”  I jumped up and shoved Henrietta in his arms. I opened the closet door and Gia fell out with Willie Ray’s bandana tied around her mouth and her hands bound by floral wire. Her hair was going in every direction imaginable. “Willie Ray!”

I grabbed Gia by the arm pulling her up by the crook of her elbow and untying the big twisty floral ties from her wrists. After she pulled the bandana over her chin, she went full force toward his neck with her hands.

She spouted off all sorts of cuss words in her Italian accent that would make the devil blush. Willie Ray turned his body, laughing uncontrollably. When Gia realized that I was laughing too, she bent over in a fit of giggles.

“You freaked me out!” She pointed her red fingernail at him. “I told you no.” Her finger found its way over to me. “I told him no!”

“You really weren’t going to help me?” I grabbed on to the closet door handle as the airbus came to a stop. I looked out the curtain and we were safe and sound back in front of Dean’s Florist on Second Street.

“You need to tell Jax.” She put her hands on her hips and cocked to one side. “Derek has been watching me like a hawk. He even woke Carmine up from a dead sleep last night when he called looking for you.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to tell you everything.” It was time to let her in on my situation with Bethany.

“Asshole here already told me.” Her finger twirled around. She chomped, “Twins? Really?”

“Yes. I was meeting with Bethany this morning. The only difference between them is the scar from the open heart surgery she got when she was a baby and Brittany didn’t,” I said.

“That’s amazing, the uncanny similarities. I mean last night at Lucky Strikes I could’ve sworn she was Brittany.” The curls shook on Gia’s head.

“Y’all went to Lucky Strikes?” Sadness came over me thinking about my friends moving on while I was sitting in that jail cell. “And you didn’t come see me in the clinker? Some best friend you are,” I groaned.

“I’m here ain’t I?” She chomped.

“Not without me kidnapping you when you were taking out the trash. Thank God for Charlie in the getaway airbus.” Willie Ray crouched to the side and covered his head with his hands as Gia began to wail on him again. He just laughed, causing her to smack him harder. “Stop it.” Willie Ray cackled trying to sissy fight her, turning into a girly fight of waving hands at each other.

“Seriously. My life is on the line and you two are acting like we are back in high school. Can we focus?” I grabbed Gia by her shoulders. “I need you to turn me into an old lady with all the makeup you got and it has to be good.”

“What about clothes?” Willie asked a good question.

“I know.” Gia smiled. “Goodwill dive just like you and Trixie used to do.”

“Charlie can pull us up to the back of the Kmart so the airbus shields the container and I can crawl right on in there.” It was a brilliant plan.

“And I can do your makeup on the way over to the casino where Charlie is saying he is doing a delivery.” Gia clapped her hands and brought them to her mouth, excitement dancing in her eyes.

“This is going to work out great.” I smiled looking between the two enemies.

Charlie Haskel was up for the challenge. He loved the idea of being undercover and sneaking me in.

We headed down Main Street and turned left onto Fifth Street. The dumpster was next to the Kmart. Charlie pulled the airbus into the Kmart parking lot so it shielded the dumpster perfectly. Like the pro Trixie taught me to be, I dove head first into the sliding door on the side of the dumpster. It was prime picking day. I found a pair of polyester brown slacks and a bold flower shirt that wouldn’t match at all. It was a perfect outfit, one the Holy Rollers would’ve worn. I hurried out of the clothes dumpster and back into the airbus.

“Oh my, God,” Gia snorted, her lips and nose curled in disapproval, which told me I had picked the perfect outfit. “I can’t believe you are going to put that on. What if they have some sort of sickness or disease?”

“Gia,” I held the top up and smiled at just how great it was. “This is how I lived until I got my inheritance.”

“Inheritance?” She reached up and grabbed the shirt, pulling it out of the air.

“Ah oh,” Willie Ray squeaked.

I clamped my lips together. The problem was that I had told Willie and I felt the airbus was a safe place to talk freely with him, forgetting about Gia.

“Laurel London, did you find your birth parents?” She continued to move the shirt around in a circular motion as I tried to grab for it.