Deviled!: Lake Erie Mysteries Book 2 (16 page)

G
abriel’s car
was parked at the marina, so we headed back the way we’d come, moving twice as quickly because of the encroaching storm and the fact that we had a guide who knew his way around the entire property. I slipped into the back seat of the shiny black sports car, while June got in the front with Gabriel. After a short distance, he turned from the paved street, reduced his speed, and drove down the overgrown lane that led to the outermost edge of the island. Away from the artificial lights of the resort and the glow of the shrouded moon, it was inky dark.

Gabriel pulled into the short driveway of a cottage that would have been considered quaint in its prime. Cedar siding stained gray, complemented by blue shutters, must have presented a charming fairy-tale face to the world at one time. But now the exterior was chipped and worn by time and neglect, and rough boards were nailed over the windows, blinding them to the spectacular views of the great lake. The overgrown yard, momentarily illuminated by the car’s headlights, still hinted at a once well-maintained landscape.

Gabriel left the car running with us in it and darted around to the back of the cottage. The porch light blinked on, and he appeared at the front door, strode back to the car, and snagged his keys from the ignition. Fat raindrops plopped on the windshield. I had been trying to straighten out the damp, crumpled pages from the envelope Eddie had thrust upon me right before we set out to meet our rescuer, but I didn’t think there were going to be enough left to be able to make sense of their content when we finally got the opportunity to look at them in the light for more than three seconds. I had the papers in my hand when Gabriel pulled the front seat forward and extended his hand into the back seat to assist me in my exit. A violent gust of wind threatened to slam the door on both of us, but I managed to brace it open with my foot at the expense of losing even more pages from the envelope.

The sky opened up and rain soaked us as we ran to the front door of the cottage. Once inside, I leaned against the wall of the cramped foyer, wheezing from that last burst of intense energy. My energy reserve was officially empty. I wasn’t sure I could even make it past the entry hall into the living room. Between breathing and trying to get my bearings, I pushed the heavy strands of matted, wet hair away from eyes and took in my surroundings. There wasn’t a whole lot to see from where I stood. The faint glow of one dusty table lamp threw a meager halo of light in a three-foot circle, casting deep, menacing shadows around the rest of the room.

My gaze found its way back to the front door where Gabriel was concentrating on fastening a series of complicated locks. I wondered why so much security was needed for an abandoned cottage and looked to June for an answer. She was right beside me, white as a ghost, her eyes round as pennies, her hands shaking as she pointed at our host. That’s when I noticed it. His white button-down shirt was plastered to his skin, and through the lightweight fabric it was plain to see the intricate scorpion tattoo covering his back from just below his neck to his . . . well, I couldn’t tell exactly where it ended, but it was a statement impossible to ignore.

Gabriel turned around to find us clinging to each other, inching away from him and the horrifying evidence that he, too, was somehow involved in the intricate web of the mysterious scorpion entity. His handsome face contorted into a menacing look that made my skin crawl. How could we have been duped by his heart-wrenching story about family tragedy and believe he wanted to help us? The truth had been staring us in the face the entire time.

“I see you noticed my family’s crest.”

“What family is that?” Although I was boiling with anger on the inside, my voice came out weak and uncertain. “Isn’t the story you just told us about your parents true?”

“The Scorpione family of Chicago is my true family. They took me in after my own parents got themselves killed on that stupid motorcycle. I mean, what kind of responsible parents go flitting around on a two-wheeled death trap? I didn’t want to hang around Ohio and be harassed by all the phony friends wanting me to finance their worthless schemes. As soon as I could leave, I did. That part was true. My brothers were old enough to be on their own and didn’t much care if I went to live with our uncle in Chicago. We were separated by choice, and we each found our own way to deal with our misfortune.”

June had a thing or two of her own to say to the stranger who stood before us. “It doesn’t exactly sound like you were wallowing in grief, more like millions of dollars.”

“You have no idea what it was like. My brothers didn’t want a punk teenager hanging around, spoiling their grandiose plans. Uncle John thought I was needy and rebellious, so he had no objections when I started hanging around Joey Scorpione shortly after I went to live with him. Joey introduced me to a world where forgotten kids like me and my street friend Senora could belong and even take on the world.”

It was my turn to have my say. “Oh, I’m sure they were more than happy to welcome you and your millions with open arms. What made you think they were any different from the people back home who wanted to take advantage of you and your trust fund?”

“That’s exactly it. The money was in a trust fund. I couldn’t access it at will even if I wanted to. And besides, no one knew about the money except for my uncle, and he wasn’t spreading the word to strangers. He was biding his time, waiting for his own chance to dip his paws in the honeypot.”

“Whoa! Back the train up.” It took me an extra beat to register what Gabriel had said a moment ago. “Did you say Senora? As in the crazy woman who tried to kill us last month?”

“Yes, Francesca, Nora is my Scorpione sister. I’m sure you noticed her tattoo. The way she dressed, it was pretty much impossible not to. I told her she should’ve gotten it in a more discreet place, but she’s always loved to be the center of attention. She knows she’s beautiful and knows how to work a crowd.”

“Well, she wasn’t as smart as she thought she was,” June interjected, “and I doubt her outfits have been showing off her tattoo to its best advantage in her new digs.”

Gabriel waved his hand as if to dismiss us. “I heard all about your meddling in her business when I visited her in the penitentiary before I came out here. She hasn’t forgotten either of you, to say the least. Imagine my surprise when I recognized your names on the convention registration list.”

I wiped my sweaty palms on my once-white, once-clean, linen trousers. My lips were dry and cracked in spite of the tubes of lip gloss still tucked in my handbag. My voice had been reduced to a raspy whisper. “This cannot be happening again. What do you want from us? Are you trying to frame us to avenge Senora?”

“It’s really nothing so diabolical, ladies. Senora got what she deserved in the end. She had no one to blame but herself. I had my own plan that didn’t involve her in any way, but it was still kind of sad to see her sitting in that cell wearing an ugly orange jumpsuit.”

He didn’t look sad to me. Before I could visualize the scene between Gabriel and his former gang girlfriend—or whatever she was—he continued.

“I had always intended to eliminate my dear brother Roberto. Let’s face it; he was nothing but a thorn in everyone’s side. He had all that money and was too lazy to do anything with it. The only thing he spent it on was expensive cameras and high-powered surveillance equipment. Damien was actually worried about the little perv after Angelina found that box of souvenirs in his house in the spring. No one did anything about it though. That was Bob’s ace in the hole. He got to live out his pathetic life, spying on people all over the resort and grabbing every opportunity to blackmail anyone who didn’t want their secrets exposed—and believe me, there was no shortage of those. As long as he didn’t interfere with the business, no one cared how he occupied his time. It worked out for me too. My only regret is that I didn’t get to see your faces when you watched the video from those pathetic clowns. Bob was blackmailing them, of course, and when the small-time thieves got wind of your meddling in his murder investigation, they thought they could use you to find and destroy the evidence of their stupid operation once and for all. I just went with the flow. It kept the spotlight far away from me, which is just the way I wanted it.

June hadn’t said a word in a long time. I couldn’t tell what was going on in her head, but I sure hoped she had a plan. I had nothing.

“As for Damien, he was getting a bit too wrapped up in the resort and was becoming a threat to my Chicago family’s plans to move forward with Devil’s Island. The easy answer was to pin Bob’s death on Damien and take him out of the picture. His assets would be frozen while he got free room and board courtesy of the state, but that wouldn’t make much difference. We didn’t need his funding, just carte blanche control of the resort and all its operations.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or seeing. The gracious convention host had been replaced by a pacing, hand-wringing, nervous wreck of a man. His transformation scared me. If he could murder his own brother in cold blood and set up his other brother to take the blame, what else could he do? What plans did he have for June and me? The only thing I could think of was to keep him talking. I think June had come to the same conclusion.

“How does your unholy plan include Francie and me? We just came to the island for some entertainment and a little education.”

“You’ve gotten an education, don’t you agree? You’ve learned much more than you need to know, as far as I’m concerned. I guess I’d have to call you overachievers. Unfortunately, you two kept getting in the way and taking the suspicion away from Damien. I wouldn’t care if you both got arrested, but it’s really Damien I want out of the picture. I have respect for my older brother—at least he’s smart and ambitious, not a waste of space like Bob. I never wanted him dead; I just wanted him out of my way. It’s taken some extra planning, but things should work out in the end, and I have to say it’s been amusing playing this game. It’s time to bring this project to a close, and that means saying goodbye to you dear ladies. I think news of your departure will be a fitting birthday gift for my dear Nora. Her birthday is on the Fourth of July, you know.”

I had to hold on to June’s hand for dear life. She was vibrating and snarling like a lioness protecting her cubs. And then she roared right in Gabriel’s face.

“You will not get away with this. You’re going to be arrested and locked up along with your precious psychotic ‘sister.’ And what kind of insane family member goes around killing his real brothers for a plot of land?”

Gabriel ignored her scathing reproof and proceeded to unlock the door he had taken such pains to secure. “Enough about me and my family. I’m going to go take care of business, now that I know you two won’t get in my way.”

He gestured to the crumpled, water-stained pages I had been holding onto like a lifeline during his rant. “Maybe you’ll have enough time to put your amateur sleuthing skills to use to figure out my ultimate plan before my friend Eddie gets here to tidy up loose ends and remove you from the equation once and for all. Senora told me of your fondness for the deep waters of this lake, and I passed the information on to him.”

With that last barb, he left us, slamming the door and locking it from the outside. We were left to wait for that rat Eddie and forced to ponder the possibility of another midnight swim in our beloved Lake Erie.

“
G
ive me those papers
, Francie. We need to figure out what we’re up against this time. I recognize the name Scorpione. They’re the most ruthless crime family in Chicago. They make most of their money dealing in smuggled and counterfeit merchandise. Lately, they’ve been branching out into casinos. Don’t you remember they were mentioned in Senora’s trial? The prosecutor was trying to tie her to the family, but she wouldn’t say a word against them and took full responsibility—or credit, as she called it—for her crimes.”

I felt the enormity of the situation piling up and crushing the air from my chest like boulders. I handed June the mangled papers and fell onto the sheet-covered sofa in the center of the living area. Dust billowed around my head. After a sneezing fit, I closed my eyes and practiced holding my breath for our promised late-night swim. At least the water temperature had gone up since May. What was I thinking? I was not going to take this lying down. I sprang to my feet and circled the room. There was no TV to distract me on my circuit this time; in fact, the only other furniture in the room was a ratty, old end table and a lamp the color of the mud in the driveway. Whoever used this place obviously did not watch HGTV.

“I knew that weasel Eddie couldn’t be trusted,” I mumbled mostly to myself because June was consumed with the lump of soggy papers. She held the pages close to the lamp, trying to organize them in hopes of figuring out a way to save ourselves—and maybe even Damien and Angelina—from Gabriel’s rotten scheme.

“Aha!” June pumped her fist in the air like she had just scored a game-winning run.

“What did you find? I hope it’s instructions on how to crush a disgusting bug named Eddie Sneed.” Before I could reach over to give her a high-five, the celebration was cut short by the sound of someone twisting the doorknob. “Uh-oh. I think he’s here.”

I glanced at the door. Nothing. Maybe it was just the wind from the storm. June looked, too, as she held the pages out to me.

“It’s a casino, Francie. There are pieces of plans here, names of contractors, copies of emails, even some incomplete invoices. You can see Gabriel DeVille’s name on several of the documents and some other names you’d recognize from the news, including Scorpione. Gabriel and the Scorpiones want to turn the island from a high end resort and amusement park to a flashy casino for high rollers, with everything from gaming and bars to strip clubs. Those girls we saw on Scorpion Island must have been there for training to be card dealers, waitresses, or dancers.”

“That’s not quite as terrifying as being sold to the highest bidder, but I doubt any of them signed up for those jobs when they applied for their work visas and came to Lake Erie for the summer.” Sounds were coming from outside the door once again. The knob jiggled, and I could hear whispering.

“Get over here, June. Give me the papers and I’ll put them in the zip pocket of my purse. I think Eddie and some of the Scorpiones’ other tattooed goons are about to take us out for a moonlight boat ride.”

June handed me the papers. Her hands were trembling with anger and I’m sure a good dose of fear. “I’m not going. No way we’re going to end up on the bottom of the lake. Been there; done that.”

Of course I felt the same way. I braced myself against the door with all my weight, knowing full well that one shove from the other side would send me sailing across the floor, but I had to do something. I felt the door nudge open against my body, and then all hell broke loose. The door flew open, banging against the wall. The wind howled in, and cold rain shot sideways at me like a blast from a fire hose. I ended up on the floor, tangled in a pile of flailing arms and legs and girly shrieking.

I wasn’t sure how many of us were in the room, or who had blown through the door, but it had to be more than just June and me. I could hear thumping and bumping in the shadowy room. Since I couldn’t get free, I shut my eyes, braced myself, and prepared for the worst. Insane kidnappers seemed to be quite fond of conking people over the head when situations got out of control. I waited. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes a crack and saw June wielding the table lamp at shoulder height like a baseball bat, the cord jerking and swaying as she shifted from left to right and back again. The shade was missing. The bare bulb at the end of the stick lit up the dingy room and cast wild shadows over the walls and floor.

I squirmed my way out from under the weight of the tangled bodies and recognized the moaning figure lying on the floor. It was Eddie Sneed. By the time I pulled myself to a standing position, the last set of arms and legs extricated itself from the tangle. The limbs belonged to the ubiquitous Sasha. She remained on the floor, cradling Eddie’s head in her lap and stroking his head—or was that a cat? By now you’d think I wouldn’t be startled every time I laid eyes on that ridiculous head pet of his. I had to hold back the urge to kick him while he was down, content in the realization that June must have used Eddie’s head for a softball. She was still holding the Louisville Slugger lamp at the ready in case the weasel tried any funny business. I joined June on the opposite side of the dusty old couch—the only thing separating us from Eddie and Sasha.

Despite the shadows, I could see the deep-purple circles rimming Sasha’s eyes, the kind caused by worry, stress, and exhaustion, rather than the latest fashion color trends. I could also see fear and concern in her eyes as she trained them on my own.

Her heavily accented voice broke the silence. She didn’t even bother to enunciate in the Midwestern dialect all the European workers were trained to use. “Vhy did you heet my Eddie? Ve come here to save you, but you hurt heem.”

June took a tentative step forward, extending her arm so more of the lamplight shone on Sasha’s face. “What do you mean? I think your English needs some work. Eddie was here to kill us. And seeing that you’re with him, I assume you were in on the plan to murder us all along. It makes sense now, the way you kept popping up everywhere we went.”

“No. Is not ze truth.” Sasha’s comment was punctuated by a moan from Eddie as he struggled to sit up.

“Come on, June. I think we need to get out of here while we have the chance. Who knows how many more of the Scorpiones’ henchmen are on their way. I think I’d rather take my chances trying to clear my name from inside the safety of a jail cell than trying to figure out who we can trust in this nightmare.”

Eddie wobbled to his feet, setting my fight-or-flight mode to the latter. “It’s time to boogie. We’re outta here!”

“Hold on, Francie. Ugh. My head. Why did you hit me, June?”

“Why? You were coming here to kill us. Gabriel told us so.” June was at bat again, lamp poised on her shoulder.

“Could you just calm down and listen for a minute? It’s not what you think.”

A spark of bravery tingled through me. In all the fuss, I realized that I’d not seen any sort of weapon. Neither Eddie nor Sasha pointed guns or knives at us, and she seemed genuinely concerned about the purple, egg-sized bump that had formed above Eddie’s left eye. Instead of bolting out the open front door, I crossed my arms over my chest, planted my feet on the floor, and stared right at Eddie. “Seriously? How many times do you think we’re going to patiently listen to your lame explanations, do as you say, and then wait to be kidnapped or killed? Make it quick. You’ve got three minutes until we’re out of here. As you can see, June is twitching to break her home run record.”