Blind Faith (30 page)
"About nine or ten years ago.
He had recently returned from a farewell world tour and was looking forward to retirement. I was introduced to him at a party, when I was just starting in the business. Teddy and I started to talk and he gave some great pointers. He's the one who suggested I add Carol Channing to my repertoire."
"He said he was burned out. That happens in this business. Six months later he had left
"If you two hit it off so well," Nick said casually, "why didn't you keep in touch?"
Carlos shrugged. "Fate, I guess. He called me a few weeks later to apologize for leaving so abruptly. He wanted to know if I'd come up and visit him sometime." He let out a regretful sigh. "But by then I was with someone."
Kelly exchanged another wordless glance with Nick. "Do you suppose we could coax him out of retirement?" Nick paused. "That is, if you know where he moved to."
"Oh, sure I do.
Teddy's in
Thirty-Six.
After Carlos's audition.
Nick and Kelly returned to Eden Roe for a light dinner followed by a long walk on the beach. "Do you suppose Enrique went to
"I don't see how he'd want to take such risks. But if he's connected to
Syd
Webber, then it's possible that Enrique is working at the
Chenonceau
in some other capacity."
"Oh, I don't know, waiter, parking attendant." He paused.
"Killer for hire."
"As good as any."
His arm tightened around her waist. "But to confirm it I have to find Enrique. I can't walk into the
Chenonceau
and start asking questions, but I certainly can check with the DMV and other licensing bureaus such as hunting and fishing, maybe even the unions, in case he's working in construction."
"If you so much as set one foot in
Nick stopped walking and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to face him.
"You are not getting within ten miles of that town, do you hear me? If my suspicions about
Syd
are correct and he's the one who tried to run you down two nights ago, he won't hesitate to finish the job. In fact, as soon as we get back to
Remo
"You're creative. Think of something." The pressure on her arms increased. "Do I have your word you'll do as I said?"
"Learn." He shook her. "Do I have your word? Or do I have to take you to my house and strap you to the bed until I return?"
She narrowed her eyes trying to gauge if he was kidding. "You wouldn't."
"Try me."
She held his gaze for a moment
longer,
saw that he was dead serious and nodded.
"All right.
I'll stay with my mother."
But in her mind, an idea was already taking shape.
Kelly closed her eyes and sank deeper into the hot, swirling water.
Above her, the sky was studded with stars, and beneath it, the ocean, so blue earlier, had turned silver as it bathed in the glow of a full moon.
At first, Kelly had feared that the luxurious oceanfront cottage Nick had booked at the Eden Roe was an extravagance he couldn't afford and she had insisted on paying half. He had hushed her with a kiss.
"Put your money away, darling, or the staff will think I'm your boy toy."
The patio, where the hot tub was nestled, was surrounded by potted palms and climbing bougainvillea, and offered complete privacy from other guests.
After eating dinner under the stars, they had made love with the windows wide open and the sound of reggae music drifting in from the beach.
Sleep had come easily afterward, but the tension of the day, combined with the realization that Enrique was closer than they had thought, had made Kelly restless. Rather than wake Nick with her tossing and turning, she had slipped out of bed and turned on the hot tub.
Her eyes closed, she thought of the plan she had devised to try to find Enrique and prayed she could make it work.
Though he usually slept soundly, Nick wasn't surprised to suddenly find
himself
wide awake. Kelly was gone from the king-size bed, where a few hours earlier they had made wild, passionate love.
From the open windows he heard a soft humming sound, and smiled. So that's where the little wench was.
In the hot tub, all by her lonesome.
He got out of bed and walked over to the patio. Kelly sat in the foaming water, totally submerged. Her head rested against the edge and her eyes were closed. Any thought that she might have dozed off vanished when he heard her voice.
He came to sit on the edge of the tub, already aroused. "You planned this. You knew I would wake
up,
find you gone and come looking for you."
"Because you enjoy seeing me all hot and bothered."
"Are you?" She smiled coyly and allowed her breasts to bob above the surface. "Hot and bothered, I mean."
"As if you hadn't noticed."
Her wet hand came up and stroked his bare arm. "I'm a little nearsighted, darling. Why don't I take a closer
look.
"
She gave his arm a tug, pulling him into the swirling water.
After returning from
"
Shh
." Kelly looked around the small, cramped shop. In a far corner, a woman with an old-fashioned fur cape was inspecting a bronze Buddha.
"Not so loud."
"I don't care if all of
"I didn't say I was going to do it.
Just that I was thinking about it."
"Well, stop thinking, because I won't let you take such a risk."
"Just answer the question, please."
Chenonceau
, though according to Jonathan not nearly enough."
That was exactly what Kelly wanted to hear, since it reinforced what Cecily had told her about Jonathan not being happy with casino security.
"Do you know where the cameras are?" she asked.
"Most of them are on the casino floor. A few are on the V. I.P floor and one camera is on the eighteenth floor where the administrative and executive offices are located."
"That's the part Jonathan hates. At last count, there were ninety monitors in the security office and only two men to watch them."
"That's just the point. They can't. If they need to check something specific, they rely almost entirely on the tapes, which are changed daily. When they have a reason to monitor someone, as they did a few months ago when one of the dealers was suspected of stealing, the management will tell the guards to watch a specific monitor, but that's about it."
Kelly could barely hold her excitement. "Tell me about the executive floor. When I was there last week, I didn't notice any cameras, but then I wasn't particularly concerned about them at the time."
"There's only one, directly across from the elevator. Jonathan thought each office should be equipped with one as well, but apparently
Syd
decided it was overkill and nixed the idea."
"As far as I know, but there's still that camera by the elevator. How will you get through it without being noticed?"
"With ninety monitors to watch, what are the odds the guard will be watching the executive floor?
Especially at a time when all the action is in the casino itself."
Though such reasoning made sense,
"To tell you the truth, neither do I, but getting into those personnel files is the only way I can think of to find out if Enrique works for
Syd
." She glanced at the lone customer, who was now admiring a set of silver candlesticks, before adding. "Did you find Jonathan's spare set of keys?"
Reluctantly,
"Which one belongs to the personnel office?"
"I have no idea."
"Kelly, this is crazy. What if you're caught?"
"I'll say I got lost."
"All the way inside the personnel office?
Come on, Kelly, who will believe that?"
Kelly snatched the keys from her friend's hand. "Why don't you wish me luck instead of looking for problems? I may need it."
"I'm going to tell Nick what you're up to."
Kelly leaned over the desk, her expression as stern as she could make it. "You do that and you may never find out what happened to Jonathan.
Is that what you want,
"Good." Kelly dropped the keys in her purse.
"Will you call me as soon as you're out of there?"
Kelly squeezed her hand. "I will."
Wearing her Twiggy wig and holding a cup full of quarters, Kelly glanced nonchalantly around her before stepping into the elevator marked Staff Only. It was 1:00 a.m. and the lobby of the
Chenonceau
was bustling with activity. With any luck, no one had noticed the absentminded-looking tourist, and with greater luck, no one would spot her once she reached the eighteenth floor.
When the elevator doors opened again, Kelly immediately went into her act, looking nearsightedly around her before quickly moving out of camera range. A few seconds later, she reached the personnel office.
Her heart thumped erratically in her chest but she ignored it, concentrating instead on finding the right key.
On the eighth try, the lock clicked open. Holding a pencil-size flashlight, Kelly swung the beam around the room in a slow arc. The personnel office was one large area with a half-dozen desks, some partitioned, some not, a computer on every desk and a bank of file cabinets along one wall. Kelly approached and saw that each cabinet was marked alphabetically, with the L section about halfway down.
She tried one key after another, dropping the ring at one time and cursing the loss of precious seconds. When the last key failed to unlock the drawer, she looked helplessly around her, searching for something with which to open the lock, a nail file, a paper clip, even a letter opener, if she could find one thin enough. She had already reached the nearest desk when she heard a click, followed by an order.
"Stay where you are and put your hands up."
Thirty-Seven.
Kelly froze in mid motion "Now turn around."
Once again, she did as she was told, slowly, avoiding any sudden movement. A large man in a security guard uniform stood in the doorway.
Two very steady hands aimed the barrel of a gun directly at her chest.
"Well, well," said a familiar voice.
"If it isn't the lovely Miss.
Robolo
."
Kelly felt a flutter in her chest as
Syd
Webber stepped from behind the armed guard.
"You can put the gun away, Billy," he said to the guard. "I'll take it from here."
boss
?"
Syd
nodded and watched the guard leave before turning to Kelly. He looked mildly amused as he took in the blond wig, the ski jacket and stirrup pants. When he saw the cup of quarters on the edge of the desk, he chuckled. "Not a bad getup for a Halloween party," he commented dryly. "But as far as I'm concerned, I prefer the original version of Kelly
Robolo
."
She didn't reply. What could she say? How could she explain her presence in this office other than with the plain truth?
"Why don't you take off that silly disguise,"
Syd
said. "Then we'll talk."
Kelly pulled off the wig and stuffed it, along with her cup of quarters, into her bag.
"That's better."
Syd
glanced around him, as if trying to guess what she had been doing in this room. "Now, would you care to tell me what this is all about?"
"I was looking for someone," she admitted.
"A possible employee here at the
Chenonceau
."