What the Hex? (A Paranormal P.I. Mystery Book 1) (7 page)

“I’d better get back to work,” Joesaid
.

“
One more thing before you leave,” I said. “Why was I kicked out of this casino?”

Derek quirked an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Cece? You weren’t kicked out of the casino.”

When Joe and Russell turned their attention toward me, Derek frowned and shook his head. It was kind of sweet for Derek to protect me like that. I figured since we were leaving anyway, what was the harm if they kicked me out again?

Joe looked me up and down. “Yeah, now I remember. You were the one kicked out.” A little chuckle escaped his lips.

Maybe he was ready to kick me out again now that he realized. Derek gave me a look as if to say,
Good job
. I rolled my eyes. He acted as if he was perfect or something.

“You look like Morgan. That’s why they asked you to leave. They thought you were her.”

I scoffed. “I look like her?”

“You could be twins,” Joe said.

That was strange. If that was really the case then the way I saw it, the casino owed me an apology. I wouldn’t push my luck and ask for one though.

“So they had kicked Morgan out?”I asked
.

“Apparently that was a new development,” Joe said. “I guess she had a bit of a gambling problem considering she spent so much time here.”

“You don’t know the specifics of why she was asked to leave?” Derek asked.

Joe shook his head. “No, but I’ll try to find out for you.”

I had no idea if this had any relevance, but it was definitely a start. And it felt good to know I was vindicated. Now Derek couldn’t make fun of me for it. Though he’d probably find something new to make fun of me for
.

“Thanks a lot,” Derek said and then shook his hand.

I smiled. “Thanks again.”

Once Joe walked away, we thanked Russell and then headed out of the casino. Of course I still watched to see if anyone was making a move for me.

“Maybe Morgan owed a lot of money?” I asked as we walked out the door.

So far so good.

“But what would Amber have to do with that?” Derek asked.

“I guess we need to find out more about Amber and her relationship with Morgan, don’t we?”

How would we uncover for sure if Morgan had a gambling problem? A few employees watched me as I walked away from the entrance. Now I knew why. They must have seen Morgan here a lot. Of course now I was curious. Did we really look similar? Based on the picture of Morgan, I didn’t think we looked alike at all.

Hurrying to the car, I climbed behind the wheel. As I shoved the key into the ignition, I released a deep breath.

“At least you can gamble now,” Derek said.

I started the car and pulled away. “I don’t even like to gamble.”

“Maybe you should start,” he said. 

After dropping Derek off at his car, I stopped at a café for a quick bite. On my way out my cell rang. George was calling. When I answered, he didn’t speak. Of course this sent me into a panic. Terrible scenarios played out in my mind. Had he been kidnapped? Had Steve done something horrific to George? Immediately I dialed George’s number again and waited with bated breath for him to answer. Since he still didn’t pick up, I grabbed my keys and headed for my car. Thank goodness when I reached the car he called back.

“George, are you okay?” I asked as soon as I answered.  

“Someone broke in again,” he said breathlessly.

“Oh, George, are you okay?” I opened my car door and jumped behind the wheel.

He released a deep breath. “I’m fine. Just a little shaken. I barely even remember dialing your number.”

“I’ll be there right away, but if you feel you’re in danger you should call the police right away. Maybe they can find the person who broke in.”

“I’ll have to break out my karate skills. I’m a little rusty, but it’s like riding a bike. It’ll come back to me.”

A picture of little George attempting a karate kick popped into my head. I hurried out of the parking lot. I didn’t want George fighting with anyone.

After fighting traffic, I pulled up to the office and jumped out of the car. As I ran toward the door, I glanced around to see if I noticed anything suspicious. I was sure that the person was gone now though. Apparently they were intent on scaring George. But why? Just to get at me? Was it really Steve? Maybe it could be someone else. Derek probably wasn’t without his enemies.

I opened the main entrance and ran to my door. I hoped the damage wasn’t too extensive. George was probably holding off telling me about the extent of the destruction. I rushed through the door and found George pacing. Again nothing looked out of place.

“George, where’s the damage?” I asked.

He pointed toward the floor beside the door. There was a broken vase on the floor with the flowers spilled out.

“Is that it?” I asked.

He frowned. “Isn’t that enough?”

I reached down and picked up the vase. I hardly doubted I could get the police to come by and check a broken vase for fingerprints. Besides, it looked as if the vase had just been bumped and fell to the floor. I hated that George was so upset.

“You didn’t notice anything else?” I asked.

Before he answered, the door opened and Derek strolled in. He wore faded jeans that fit him all too well. With a quick glance in my direction, he flashed his blatantly sexy bedroom eyes and roguish smile… a smile that turned female’s heads everywhere he went. Derek was laid back, sweet talking, and unfortunately, sexy as hell. Try as I might, there was no way to ignore that. Derek was a distraction and bad for business.  

Derek looked from me to George. “What happened? You all look like someone died.” His eyes widened. “Someone didn’t die, I hope.”

I shook my head. “No, everyone is fine. George said someone broke in again.”

Derek and I looked at George.

“Did you leave the door open?” I checked George’s desk and spotted the key on top.

He looked at his feet. “I suppose I stepped out for a moment to get coffee across the street. I assumed it would be fine to leave the door open.” 

I didn’t have the heart to fuss at George for leaving the door open. I folded my arms in front of my chest. “Perhaps from now on we can lock the door, okay?”

George nodded. “Of course. From now on I will lock the door.”

Derek looked around. “How do you know someone broke in?”

“The vase was on the floor.” I examined the floor to make sure I hadn’t missed any small shards in the carpet.

Derek nodded, as if that made perfect sense. “Is that the only thing out of place?”

I looked around. “As far as I can tell there is nothing else.”

When nothing seemed out of place, I focused my attention toward George. That was when I spotted a letter on George’s desk. I picked up the envelope from the desk. It seemed out of place teetering on the edge. George kept everything neat and orderly. He never would have left this dangling on the side, ready to fall at the least little movement. 

“What’s that?” George asked as he hurried over.

“A letter,” I said after reading it.

“Who’s it addressed to?” Derek asked.

“It doesn’t say.”

He frowned. “Well, what does it say?”

“It’s from a secret admirer,” I said in a teasing tone.

Derek quirked an eyebrow. “It’s kind of creepy though.”

“I suppose that means it must be for you.” I chuckled.

Derek scoffed. “Let me see that.” He scanned the letter. “That is kind of weird.”

“Is anyone going to tell me what the letter says?” George asked.

I paused, wondering if I should really tell him. How could I not though? It wasn’t like I could eat the letter to get rid of the evidence. “It says that this person has been watching you.”

George’s eyes widened. “Me?” His voice was full of panic.

“Calm down. It doesn’t say you specifically. Since it doesn’t say who it’s for, it could be any one of us in this office.” I glanced over at Derek.

He held his hands up. “Don’t look at me. It’s probably for you. You’ve driven some poor sap crazy with your womanly wiles.”

I rolled my eyes at Derek.

“Don’t worry, George, I’ll find out who’s doing this.” I walked over to George and put my arms around him.

He shook his head. “I know you’ll take care of it.”

I stuffed the letter in my pocket for further analysis.

Derek had placed a call and located Amber’s boyfriend. Of course I had no choice but to go with him and try to talk with this guy. I had no idea where we were headed. I wasn’t about to let Derek drive though. Maybe I should trust him more, but so far he hadn’t shown much in the responsibility department.

“Where are we going? Do you plan on telling me before we actually get there? I need to be prepared,” I said as we stopped at the red light.

He stared straight ahead. “I thought you’d like it to be a surprise. It’s just up ahead.”

“Not another casino,” I said.

“Well, we are in Vegas. But you’re in luck, it’s held in one of the convention rooms.” Derek pulled on his mirrored sunglasses. They might hide his baby blues, but the devilish smile was never concealed.

“What is this ‘it’ that you’re talking about?”

“Take a right up ahead.” He pointed.

I turned into the casino and parked. “Are you going to tell me what it is?” I asked as I shut off the car.

“We’re going to an Elvis impersonator convention.” Derek didn’t even look at me, as if ignoring me would stop any questions I had. Nice try, but that wouldn’t happen. 

“Are you just trying to play games with me?” Did he know about my other career?

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Derek pulled down his shades and peered at me. His eyes were the color of a cloudless summer sky and full of mischief. 

He sounded innocent enough, but he was good at acting that way. We headed into the casino. It brought back memories of being kicked out. It also triggered memories of the gig where Derek had almost caught me. 

“I hope Morgan wasn’t a regular at this casino too,” I said. I really didn’t want to be kicked out of here too.

Derek asked at the check-in desk where the event was located. I stayed close to the entrance in case I needed a quick getaway. My thoughts couldn’t help but go to Amber and Morgan.

“It’s in the blue conference room,” he said when he walked back over.

“This should be interesting,” I said as we headed down the hallway.

When we stepped into the room there was a sea of Elvises. How would we find him?

I blew the hair out of my eyes. “They all look alike.”

“He’s supposed to meet us here by the door.”

I searched the face of every Elvis who walked by, hoping that he would be the one. I looked at the time on my phone. “He’s late.”

“Cece, you have little patience.”

“I know, so why do you continually put me in situations where my patience will be tested?”

He shook his head. “Your eyes are even more beautiful when you’re mad. The green specks light up.”

I fought back a smile. Now was not the time for compliments.

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“Bobby Carroll.”

I tapped my foot in rhythm to
All Shook Up
. I’d never seen so many jumpsuits and hips swirling in one place.

“You think I’d make a good Elvis?” Derek asked.

I looked him up and down. “I don’t think your hips would be able to move enough.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “I’d like to show…”

“Are you Derek North?” an Elvis asked, interrupting Derek’s comment.

Thank goodness for small favors. Saved by the Elvis. The guy actually looked a little like Elvis. Nowhere as good-looking though. I mean, come on, there was only one Elvis. He wore the white jumpsuit, but it looked as if he wasn’t wearing a wig. His hair was the real deal.

“Thanks for meeting us.” Derek shook the man’s hand.

Obviously this was Bobby Carroll.

“I guess you want to ask about Amber’s death? You want to know where I was, right?” he asked. At least he knew that he would naturally be a suspect.

I stared at him. He didn’t seem too upset about her death. Of course, I didn’t know how close they’d been. And I supposed everyone handled grief differently.

I’d let Derek handle this question. After all, he was the one who’d found this guy. The longer Derek went without asking though, the more I doubted my strategy.

Did I have to do everything? Derek looked at me and then we both stood in silence.

“Were you still in a relationship with Amber at the time of her death?” Derek and I spoke at the same time.

I wasn’t sure how we’d managed to ask the same question. Derek had said he’d heard conflicting reports on whether they were still dating.

Bobby from me to Derek. “We broke up about a month ago.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” Derek and I asked.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous.

“I haven’t seen her for a week.”

“What was she like the last time you saw her?” I rushed my words so that I could get the question out before Derek.

“She seemed normal. Or normal for her, I guess. That was part of the reason we broke up,” fake Elvis said.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“She wasn’t interested in a relationship anymore. She was too obsessed with her new friends.”

This time I said, “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “Just that she wanted to spend all her time with them.”

“Who are they?” Derek asked.

We really had this questioning thing down. Maybe we made an okay team after all. I wouldn’t let Derek know that I had thought that though.

“She was friends with Morgan. Amber and Morgan were together a lot and they both had a gambling problem. I heard Morgan hasn’t been seen since Amber was killed. I guess she murdered Amber,” fake Elvis said.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” I said.

“So where were you when she was murdered?” Derek asked.

Fake Elvis frowned, as if he was offended that Derek had asked. “I was in Los Angeles at a performance when she was killed.”

His tone sounded slightly less friendly now. Another Elvis walked back and started singing
Burning Love
as loudly as possible. “I’m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love.” I thought that was our signal that it was time to leave.

“Thanks for your help,” Derek and I said at the same time.

Fake Elvis flipped his collar up and then thanked us. He turned and walked away, disappearing into the sea of white jumpsuits.

“I expected him to say thank ya, thank ya very much.” Derek gave his worst Elvis impersonation.

“Don’t quit your day job,” I said. “Whatever that may be.”

“That was extremely snarky, Cece,” Derek said as he followed me.

“It’s not snarky, just friendly advice.”

“Sounded kind of snarky to me.”

We headed down the hallway and out of the casino.

“That Elvis seemed upset when you questioned where he’d been,” I said.

“He must be guilty of something, right?”

Derek and I walked out the door and to the parking lot. We’d almost reached my car when a whizzing sound zinged past my head.

I wasn’t sure where it had landed, but I knew what it was instantly. Someone had fired a shot.

“Get down,” Derek yelled.

I instantly fell to the ground. I crawled across the pavement to the front of my car to take cover. My heart thumped wildly in my chest and my entire body shook from the adrenaline. I tried to steady my breathing so that I wouldn’t hyperventilate. Derek was to my side at the front of the car. I had no idea what to do next. If I peeked out from the front of the hood, I was worried that another bullet would find me. But I couldn’t just hide, I had to do something. If the bullet was intended for one of us, then the person could still be waiting for another chance. There was only one thing for me to do. Get the gun from my car.

When Derek wasn’t paying attention I inched over to the car door.

“Cece, what are you doing?” Derek had already inched over behind me.

I peeked out over the door. Lucky for me, the gunman was nowhere in sight. He was probably hiding, waiting for his chance. I pulled out my gun. The only time I’d fired the thing was at the gun range. I’d prayed I never had to use the thing. But right now I would have to fight back.

“You have a gun?” Derek asked.

“And aren’t you glad I do?” I gripped the gun. “I’m a private investigator. It’s part of the job.”

“Do you know how to use that thing?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t have it if I didn’t know how to use it. I’m going to peek out and see if anyone’s around,” I said.

“On the count of three we’ll both look,” Derek said.

I nodded in agreement. I kind of didn’t want to look on my own anyway.

Derek counted down. “One.”

I wished my hand would stop shaking.

“Two.”

I still had a hard time breathing.

“Three.”

We inched up from the car. Another bullet rang out, but I had no idea what I would be shooting at, so I ducked, not returning fire. I wasn’t going to wait as long this time, so I peeked out immediately. That was when I saw him running away. He was dressed in a white jumpsuit with dark black hair. Derek rose up too. He spotted the man running away.

“I’m going after him,” Derek said.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

Before I could finish the sentence Derek was running out from behind the car. Of course I had to run after him. I was the one with the gun. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Up ahead, Derek reached the edge of the building and then he stopped.

“He’s gone.” Derek ran his hand through his hair.

When I looked up and down the sidewalk, I didn’t spot the man anywhere. He could have run in any one of the buildings. One thing was for certain, he had to have been a part of the Elvis convention. Why else would he have had on the costume?

“Do you think it was Bobby Carroll?” I asked.

Derek looked over at me. “It sure seems likely.”

Derek was right. We’d just interviewed him, and then been shot at by someone who looked an awful lot like him from behind.

“We have to call the police and report this,” I said.

Derek pulled out his phone. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Once he’d placed the call, I didn’t know what to do while we waited for the police to show up. I wanted to go and look for this guy, but he would probably be long gone by now.

We stood on the sidewalk on high alert until finally the police cars pulled up. If the shooter returned I’d already made plans to hide behind the nearby palm tree. I’d already put my gun away, so the police wouldn’t think that I was the shooter. Luckily, no one had been hurt.

Two officers approached. They wore the dark blue police uniform. One with salt and pepper hair and the other with dark brown hair. Before they had a chance to ask what had happened, more cars arrived. They were unmarked cars, probably detectives.

After we explained what had happened, the dark haired officer said, “We’ll secure the area. You think you can point this guy out if you saw him?”

“I’d never forget his face,” I said.

Derek gave the other officer the Elvis’ information. By now everyone had stopped what they were doing. They were standing around watching the scene play out.

We walked into the room where the Elvis convention was being held. What if
Jailhouse Rock
had been playing? Except there was no music at the moment.

No one had been allowed to leave the room. I seriously doubted that the gunman would come back into the room though. He was probably long gone by now.

The officer stepped into the room. “Which one was it?”

This would be harder than I thought. Now they all looked like a bunch of white jumpsuits. My mind couldn’t focus. I had to remember to look at their faces. Somehow my attention was drawn to an Elvis in the corner of the room.

Our eyes met. That was when he realized I was looking at him. He darted to the right.

“There he is,” I yelled, pointing.

Of course that probably didn’t help the officer. Thank goodness the other Elvises moved. The officer got a clear sight of the one running away.

“Freeze!”

The Elvis had gotten held up by a big group. He had no choice but to stop. The officer caught up with him. When the Elvis turned around he stared right at me.

If looks could kill I wouldn’t be around. His stare made me long to be invisible at that moment. I turned around and spotted Derek coming over to me.

“I assumed we’d be there a while making statements about what happened,” I said. “The police didn’t say anything about statements.”

Derek shook the head. “No, not yet, but let’s go outside and see what happens.”

When we reached the parking lot again the officer came over to us. “We found a bullet and casing. We’ll get a few witness statements. However, with the limited description we have, it may be hard to pinpoint who did this.”

Most of the Elvises were leaving now.