Death Runs in the Family (14 page)

“Why is everybody picking on me? What did I do?”

“What you always do, my dear, put your lovely nose in places it doesn’t belong.” He smiled, took my hand, kissed it lightly, and looked over at Richard.

“And you, too, Richard. No more bending the law.” He nodded briefly to Gurn who grinned back.

“On that note, I shall bid you
adieu
.” He walked out, head held high.

I looked at my kid brother. “Well, of all the nerve.”

Both Richard and I giggled like schoolchildren. Gurn suppressed laughter.

“Liana, Richard, stop.” Lila rose to her feet, like the queen she is. “This is a very serious matter. You are to do exactly as Mr. Talbot says. We pay him an exorbitant sum of money for his advice, and we should take it. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, while Richard nodded.

“Tell me again, how many photocopies of the microchip did you make?” asked Lila, looking down at her notes.

“Just the two,” Richard answered.

“Run off four sets, one for each of us,” she said gathering up her things and not looking at Richard, Gurn, or me. “Maybe we’ll catch something tying in with Stephen’s death.” She turned to Gurn with one of her breathtaking smiles. “Especially you, Gurn. Maybe with a little more time, you’ll be able to find something in those ledgers.”

Gurn turned to Lila. “Mrs. Alvarez, you never cease to amaze me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I barely heard this exchange, as I was too busy thinking. “You know what, Brother Mine?”

“What?”

“We need to get inside the Fantasy Lady. Flint mentioned the penthouse floor is where the serious gambling takes place. I would like to get a look at it firsthand. Can you get some information about the layout or what goes on inside the place?”

“I can try.” He grunted in thought. “I’ll bet I can get the specs on what the architectural firm filed with the county. Maybe even the final blueprints.”

“Good. Do it,” I said. “I want to see what goes on up there for myself.”

Gurn looked at me. “Tell you what, Liana Margaret—” Gurn began.

“Oh, shut up. A man with the first name of Gurn is in no position—”

“Point taken,” he interrupted with a laugh. “I’ll fly you back to Vegas if you let me in on it. After all, I’m on their takeout list.”

I turned to him. “Only if you listen to me and do what I say. I’m the PI here. I know what I’m doing.”

Gurn turned to Richard. “She can be difficult sometimes, can’t she?”

“And sometimes she’s just a pain in the arse,” replied Richard.

“Hey, guys, I’m still in the room, for crying out loud.”

“Children, children,” said Mom in her best schoolmarm tone, shushing us into temporary silence. “This is serious business. People are dead, including a family member. Let’s ruminate over this for a while and see what we come up with. I know we want to seek justice if someone is involved in the taking of Stephen’s life, but we mustn’t rush into anything.” Lila arranged her notes into a neat pile, placed them inside a black leather briefcase then stood and crossed to the door.

I got up quickly. “Wait, Mom…ah…Lila.” Sometimes I forget in the work setting it’s better for us to stay on a first-name basis. I went over to her, took her by the elbow, and steered her into the hallway. Shutting the door behind me, I said in a low tone,

“Mom, what happened in Phoenix? Why did you come back so soon? Did you and Jenn get into a tussle?”

Mom clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “Liana, must you use these colorful phrases from old gangster movies? What kind of a word is that for a young lady to say? ‘Tussle.’ Really. Time and time again I’ve asked you—”

“Mom!” I interrupted her in exasperation. “Forget the tussle. Substitute any word you want. I’ve been waiting all day to talk to you. What happened?”

She relented and smiled. “Out of all this sorrow came one good thing. When I called Jennifer’s mother—”

“No! You called Fiona?”

“Yes. She got on a plane and—”

“No! She flew to her daughter’s side?”

“Yes. After nine, long years of not speaking—”

“No! You mean Jenn’s mother forgave her about the name?”

Lila’s face clouded over. “Liana, please do not interrupt me again. I’m trying to tell you what transpired if you’ll only let me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ve never known you to be a rude person. Please do not start now,” Mom said, content she’d done the right thing by Miss Manners.

“No, ma’am. I’m very sorry. Too much caffeine, not enough sleep.”

“Apology accepted.”

“But Elwood sure isn’t a name I’d like to carry around with me for the rest of my life, I can tell you.”

“To continue with what I was saying,” Mom’s voice rose over mine. “Fiona was understandably hurt her only child would not give one of her children a long-standing family name, but she saw spending so many years apart due to this slight was—”

“Was so wrong. Whoops, sorry, interrupted again. Let’s blame Starbucks.”

“Was best put in the past.”

There was a moment’s silence. I took a chance.

“You’ve finished, right? I can talk now, right?”

“For the moment, yes.”

“You done good, Mom…ah…did well. You did well,” I added, hoping to quell another remonstration on her part.

“Thank you. I would like to believe I was instrumental in helping Jennifer and her mother resolve this long-standing feud.”

“Well, take a bow, Lila Hamilton Alvarez.”

I smiled at her, and she graced me with one of her own Madonna-like smiles. Then her gaze locked on mine.

“I know I don’t say it often, Liana, but you are a wonderful daughter and I…I…love you very much. I can only hope you and I will never have a misunderstanding of that magnitude.”

Actually, I can’t remember her ever having said I was wonderful before, forget often. Well, maybe once, but I’d been coshed on the head by a bad guy and was lying in a hospital bed. Madame Blueblood doesn’t gush, especially about me, so I was surprised and touched. I felt a warm glow overtake me, like the time I’d sat on one of those new car seats with heated cushions for your backside.

“We won’t, Mom. I love you, too. And thank you.”

I reached for her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. Then out of nowhere, I was slammed again by one of those rogue waves coming at me when least expected. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“Are you all right, my dear? It isn’t just the caffeine, is it?” Her voice was probing but kind.

I shook my head. “It’s hard to think about Stephen being gone. The fact it looks like it’s not from natural causes is almost too much to take in. I’ve got to keep busy, looking into things, doing something. It makes me feel not quite so….helpless.” My fingers struck at a sudden tear sliding down my cheek.

Mom brushed at the tear in a far more gentle way. “I understand, Liana, far more than you could know. You do what you need to do. Only be safe. Promise me that,” she added.

Lila turned and with head held high, walked down the hallway and toward her office. I think she pretty much felt the same way I did.

Chapter Eleven

A Game-plan Along the Rambo Line

“Okay, so here’s what I’ve got.”

It was the following day, early morning. Richard looked up for a moment from the forty-six-inch computer screen, the likes of which only he and NASA own. This monitor cost more than a new Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, and I should know, I just priced one. On top of that, Richard was using his own pixel-enhancing program, something he created a few years back. Combined, the pixel resonation is in such detail you could see the sideburns on a gnat, should they have them.

Gurn and I stood behind my seated brother in his littered, dark, and cramped office at D.I. Richard seemed riveted to the scaled down specs of the Fantasy Lady’s skeletal framework revolving in the lower section of the screen in ever-changing angles. Master plans of her elevators, entrance, and exit doors spun in the top section.

“I’ve managed to color-code each specific category, so it’s easier to see what’s what without confusing the eye,” Richard said, spinning around and facing us. His own eyes looked tired and red.

“How long have you been up doing this?” I reached out and pushed back an errant strand of hair on his unkempt head.

He grinned half in embarrassment, half in pride. “Long enough to get this and a few other things done.” He turned back to the screen. “So where was I? Yes. Green for the elevators, blue, the stairwells, and the red is for doorways. I’ve blacked the rest out.”
             

He isolated a section and pushed a couple of keys. The screen froze, and a green elevator shaft took forefront. The shaft went from the main casino to the penthouse level of the hotel.

“You can see, unlike the rest of the hotel, where there are twenty-six elevators going from the basement to each floor up to the thirty-seventh, there’s only one elevator to the penthouse area—floor thirty-eight—nonstop from the main lobby. With the building code being what it is, they had to have four clearly marked stairwells exiting the penthouse to the elevators one floor below. I finally managed to get security specs for the building, a couple of hours ago. That was harder than the county permits and architectural drafts.”

“So if you have the security requirements, you know how many guards are stationed at each set of stairs of the penthouse?” asked Gurn.

“Three men on each, if you can believe it, two at the top of the landing and one below. Twelve men in all, all with walkie-talkies.”

“What about the lone elevator to the penthouse?” I asked looking over to Gurn’s serious face. We both saw the turn this caper was taking. “How secure is that?”

“Two men in the penthouse and two men on the main floor. The guys in the penthouse are armed with ARs.”

“Assault rifles? Jeesh,” I said.

“Wow,” commented Gurn. “This is not looking good.”

“There’s no way we’re pushing our way in,” I said. “We’ll have to use another method.”

“Like what?” asked Gurn, turning to face me.

“Need I say I don’t like the sound of this?” commented Richard.

I moved away, threw papers and stray bits of computer paraphernalia from one of the chairs and plopped myself down. Gurn leaned his backside against Richard’s desk and crossed his arms. Both men stared at me.

“I thought this might be a possible scenario,” I said, “so I gave Flint a fast call last night. He has a nephew who does a lounge lizard act with four girls at the Fantasy Lady. One show nightly in the penthouse—”

“You’re not thinking of getting into show business, are you? You must be kidding.” Gurn interrupted.

“Unfortunately,” said Richard, “my sister doesn’t kid about things like this. You should know that by now.”

I ignored both of them. “This nephew, Johnny Thunder, I think, owes his Uncle Flint a favor, plus he’s cash-strapped. For a certain price, I can substitute for one of the dancers, who has come down all of a sudden with the flu, dollar bills having been flung her way.”

“No, you’re not,” said Gurn, pushing away from the desk and standing erect, arms still crossed.

“Yes, I am,” I said, rising and crossing my arms, matching his stance.

“There is no way I’m letting you go up to that penthouse by yourself.”

“Excuse me? There is no way
you’re
letting
me
?”

He dropped his arms. “Maybe I should rephrase.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Children, children, there’s no need for this bickering.” Lila’s voice came out strong and loud. “I’ll be there right by her side, Gurn. All will be well.”

“By my side? What are you talking about?” I turned on Lila, who entered the room like the grand dame she is, dressed in a Dresden blue suit with navy accessories and her standard pearls.

Lila did her ignoring me routine. “Richard, did you get the necessary information programmed in?”

“What information?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Richard said and turned away from me with a guilty look on his face. “Lila had this idea I didn’t get a chance to tell you about, Lee.”

“What information?” I repeated. “What idea? What’s going on, Mom?”

Lila finally turned to me wearing one of her winning smiles. “You remember Alice Farnsworth, don’t you dear?”

“Alice Farnsworth?” A flicker of a memory came to me.

“Such a delightful woman. Your father did her a great service once.” The Dresden blue emphasized the color of Mom’s eyes, which took center stage and twinkled. Her eyes hadn’t twinkled since we learned of Stephen’s death. I decided to play along.

“Didn’t Dad rescue her son who had been kidnapped and held for ransom? About fifteen years ago,” I said.

“One doesn’t forget that type of heroism. Your father risked his life to save her little boy.

Being a recent widow, Alice became a recluse, buying an island off the coast of France, and having her son tutored privately. She hasn’t left the island since then. Now Rupert’s grown up and has gone into French politics, but that is another story. The thrust of the tale is—”

“Oh, yes, tell us the thrust, Mother,” I said, standing in front of her and crossing my arms.

“Now you are doing to me exactly what Gurn did to you.” She turned to Gurn. “No offense, dear boy.”

“None taken,” Gurn replied.

“Basically, I am a grown-up woman, a fully licensed detective, and I will do as I see fit, just as you are going to do as you see fit. We’ll both be seeing fit together.” She laughed. “A small joke.”

“Very small,” I murmured. “Now see here, Mom,
I’m not sure I like the sound of this,” I said, dropping my arms and coming forward. “What are you up to?”

“It should be obvious, dear, especially to one of your intelligence.”

“Well, sometimes I’m stupid, so tell me.”

“I am going to masquerade as Alice Farnsworth and gain access to the Fantasy Lady’s penthouse gambling room.

Alice is a documented billionaire and, as a recluse with no recent photos taken, she is perfect.”

“So what Mom had me do last night, Lee,” Richard said, “when you and Gurn were off…ah…by yourselves, was to falsify online records making out Mrs. Farnsworth is a gambling fool. The Principé Casino in Monaco, Monte Carlo, was easy to get into. Alice lost nearly ten million dollars there. The Günter House in Austria, over fifteen.”

“Did I?” Lila said, getting into character with a smile. “I thought it was best to keep all the losses in Europe—France and Austria mostly. This way, it’s more understandable when no one recognizes me. Richard even altered images in the casinos surveillance tapes, inserting my picture every now and then. It wouldn’t bear detailed scrutiny, but it will suffice for what we require.”

“You seem to have thought all this out, Mrs. Alvarez,” said Gurn.

“I believe I have, Gurn, and do call me Mrs. Farnsworth.” Mom curtsied slightly. Both she and Gurn laughed. I nearly threw up.

I turned to Gurn. “There’s no way I’m letting my mother go in there alone.”

“Of course not, dear.” Mom spoke up before Gurn could say anything. “I won’t be alone. I’ll have you on the outside, making sure I get out of the interior, private casino.”

“The private casino where we believe the heavy, million dollar bets are taking place,” Richard added.

“See this ring?” Lila offered a hand sparkling with a previously unnoticed large diamond ring. “It’s a small microphone and transmitter. Very clever, and it’s directly connected to one of Richard’s computers.”

“It can’t be used inside the private casino,” Richard added. “After some testing, I found electrical transmissions are blocked going in and out. They’re probably using a Faraday Cage-—”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “A Faraday Cage. That’s like what a microwave oven has to keep the rays inside, right?”

“Right,” said Richard and Gurn in unison. Both looked at one another. Gurn gestured for Richard to continue, which he did.

“This is why we need someone on the outside, Lee, at all times. If Lila doesn’t come out from the room by a certain time, someone has to go in and get her, like you, Flint, or Gurn. Or call the police. Something like that.”

I turned on Richard, leaning down into his face. “You mean you two haven’t worked that out?”

“Hey, we didn’t get there yet. P.S., and by the way, all of this was going on while you were busy elsewhere,” Richard said with an emphasis on the word ‘busy.’

What Richard was talking about was when Gurn and I were making like Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in “From Here to Eternity” but in the jacuzzi instead of on the beach. During the previous night, the movie became one of my favorites. Nothing like the personal touch.

“You and Richard work out the details, Liana.” Mom looked at her watch. “But keep me posted. I need to get to JFK. Alice has given her staff two weeks off under the premise of flying to the States for a much-needed vacation. At this very moment, Alice’s housekeeper—a lovely woman and very trustworthy—is flying to New York disguised as her employer. Alice is hiding out in the gamekeeper’s cottage during the interim. The housekeeper will be staying at the Waldorf Astoria as herself for two weeks when I assume Alice’s persona later today. Then from New York I need to get to Las Vegas, hopefully by this evening.”

“How are you going to do that?” I asked.

“Possibly by commercial airlines, but I thought I’d try to rent a private pilot and jet. It would be more impressive.”

“At your service, Mrs. Farnsworth.” Gurn stood tall and saluted.

“Gurn, your name is on a hit list probably created by Lou Spaulding,” I said. “How can you take Lila anywhere?”

“Once I get to the East Coast, there are several aliases I can use to fly a plane.”

“Ah,” I mused. “Another perk of being a special kind of CPA?”

“And,” Gurn said, ignoring my comment and looking at me, “I know someone who’ll rent me one of his Maverick jets under any name I’m using at the moment.”

“I’m assuming that, too, is by special arrangement with the board of Certified Public Accountants,” I threw in for good measure.

“Liana, there is no need for sarcastic remarks. Let us not question this and merely be grateful for the gentleman’s assistance,” chastised Mom. She turned to Gurn. “I think you will do admirably. I wouldn’t mind having you along for extra protection.”

I panicked. “Protection? Hey, this is sounding dangerous, Mom.”

“Now, now.” Gurn patted me on the shoulder. He took my mother by the arm and headed for the door, saying over his shoulder,

“Lila and I are going to be fine. Oh, this means you’ll have to make your way back to Vegas today on your own. You might want to give the friendly skies a call,” he said, with a wink.

“I’ll give you some ‘friendly skies,’” I muttered, “swinging.”