Without Any Warning (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 2) (7 page)

Chapter 19

Black Jack And Red-faced

I figured it was time to check out the tables, gaming tables that is. So, when Martha kept bugging me to take her to the casino so she could try her hand at gambling, I finally caved. It was either I go with her, or she went alone. On top of that, I couldn’t very well let her loose in Atlantic City all by herself, so we headed out one day before noon.

Why then? She said she was more alert earlier in the day and didn’t want to risk missing her big chance at big bucks on some mental relapse. Now, I could expand on that subject nonstop, but wasn’t going there. At least not now anyway.

I have to tell you, that Borgata was impressive and massive. Once we entered, we were swallowed up by all that was going on simultaneously: restaurants, shops, voices chattering, music, lights, gambling and of course, occasional muffled cursing.

Martha nudged me. “If you don’t mind Sam, I can’t wait. I feel real lucky. I’m going to hit the slots. I’ll catch you later.”

I wish I could say the same thing about myself. I roamed aimlessly, not sure what or who I was looking for, playing a little roulette, black jack and such. I was trying to familiarize myself with the place and getting comfortable. I found the casino fascinating, as people moved about, totally focused on searching for an open seat as they quickly brushed by.

I meandered around, while wondering what stories lurked beneath the surface, as I lingered here and there, watching all that gambling going on. Their collective concentration could be felt clear across the room.

 
“Well, look who’s here!” a male voice announced.

I spun around. It was David, my next-door neighbor.

“Hi,” was about all that was capable of traveling across my lips. I hadn’t expected to see anyone I knew.

He looked down at me, grinning. “Why, you look as good as one of those desserts at their famous buffet.”

I felt as though I was being examined like a specimen under a microscope. I nervously ran my hand through my long hair. My electric blue top was one of those drapey off-one-shoulder things. Back at the condo it had looked good with my low-slung jeans and black boots. My leather jacket was on my arm.

But now I felt self-conscious. I was much too dressy for mid-morning. Uncomfortably, I looked around at the other women and reassured myself that I was dressed just about right for a casino. I mean, after all, this was Atlantic City. Once inside, no one really cared what time it was. Everyone kept on gambling till all hours.

I smiled, verbally positioning myself. “I guess that was meant as a compliment?”

“Absolutely,” David replied. He leaned in a lot closer. “Hey, are you all alone? How about we go over and have an early drink and become better acquainted?”

“Now? Uh… No. I’m here with….” I swear, I don’t know what made me say it, but like an idiot, I did, “….with my …mother.” Once I started, I couldn’t stop my motor mouth. “Dear sweet old mom. She’s here for a visit, taking up all of my time since she arrived. She always wanted to see what a casino looked like, and, well, here I am! I should get back over to those slots and check up on her.”

“What does she look like? Maybe, I saw her. I just came through there.”

“I doubt it,” I quickly replied. “She dresses so low-key and plain-like. I doubt you’d ever find her over there.”

Well, I couldn’t for the life of me remember what that unpredictable woman had on, because when the two of us left the house, she wore a black coat and black knit hat.

Then I heard my name shouted out from somewhere behind me. That familiar voice meant trouble. I cringed. I wanted to die on the spot, afraid to move because of what new problem might be waiting behind me.

“Why Sam!” Martha called out loudly. “You will never guess what happened to me!”

David, who was staring over my shoulder, began laughing. “My goodness! That’s not your mother, is it?”

Red-faced, I spun around. My imagination did not do the vision before me justice. “Oh!” was all I said. There stood Martha, now decked out in a bright red coat, red knit hat and red earrings dangling from her ears! I looked down at her feet. Her black shoes now sported bright red bows.

“Mother of God!” I gasped.

Chapter 20

This Better Be Plenty Good

I was pacing back and forth at my house in front of Martha. “…Red? …Red? What happened to all that black? I know you were dressed in black when we went in there. I’m not that crazy!”

Not yet anyway.

Here I was making an effort at keeping a low profile, trying to nose around unnoticed, when she yells loudly, and I mean at full volume, calling out my name in the middle of the casino!

“Why, I was wearing the same ones,” Martha protested. “I’ll have you know, young lady, that vintage coat and hat are reversible. It saved me a ton of money from buying double. I’m a senior citizen and on a tight budget. I just added the bows and earrings because I thought they gave the outfit a nice touch. Why are you so upset?”

“Don’t you think you went a little bit overboard?” I asked.

“…Well,” said Martha, “reflecting back, I did wonder why everyone looked a tad underdressed and kept staring at me the whole time I was there.”

“Didn’t you think it might be because it was a little on the bright side? Besides, this isn’t Las Vegas, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s New Jersey! You already told me that!”

“That’s not what I meant...” I countered, already mentally exhausted, slumping into a nearby chair in my living room. I couldn’t explain any of my suspicions about Mona or David. I had to come up with some kind of plan first. Martha cut me off from further thoughts on the subject.

“By the way,” she announced. “You will never guess! I met a hottie at the slots! He was flirting with me right and left. I figured, it had to be my lucky red outfit. I tried ignoring him because I heard gamblers are a tricky lot, but he was persistent as all get out and wouldn’t give up.”

She leaned in for further emphasis. “Just to be safe, I checked out his license and his AARP card. And guess what? We have a date Saturday night for the movies! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to ask Mona for some fashion advice on what I should wear on my hot date. Maybe, I should ask her to go shopping with me for something real spectacular.”

I’m telling the truth when I say, that initially, I had very good intentions and probably knew better, but now, after living with those two for housemates? Plenty of trouble was almost certainly heading my way.

Guaranteed!

Chapter 21

Seven Pays Off Big Time

I originally rented a place at the beach to put some space between what transpired since the death of my husband, Stephen, and the uncertainty that followed. His past had unexpectedly become my present and my history simultaneously, but that was all behind me now, I thought, as I scanned the newspaper in the peace and quiet of my room with my feet propped up before me on my desk. I had the good fortune of having the house all to myself. Martha and Mona were out on a shopping spree at the outlets in Atlantic City.

My phone rang. “Hello,” I answered, resting the newspaper on my lap.

“Sam, it’s me, Bill, your favorite realtor. You got a minute to see me?”

“Sure. When do you want to get together?” My calendar was free and clear. Only a book deadline loomed … but that was for the future.

“How about right now? I’m just down the road, finishing up a meeting with a client.”

I lowered my feet from their perch on my desk. “Sounds just fine with me. Come on over.”

“Great. I’ll see you in five,” he replied, and promptly hung up.

Almost before I knew it, we were sitting on my kitchen bar stools, looking out to the ocean and sipping mugs of coffee. He certainly didn’t waste any time in getting directly to the reason for his unexpected visit.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something for several days and feel somewhat uncomfortable about approaching you on this particular subject matter.”

I slowly set my coffee mug down on the counter. “Why, is there a problem?”

I swear, I always ended up asking that same question.

It seemed there was always a problem, just a different person to go along with it each time.

“No,” he said. “At least, I don’t think so. I’m just curious about a few things that have been bugging me since last week.”

“Go ahead, ask away,” I said, as I tried to rack my brain about what it could possibly be.

“Well, I’ve told you that being in real estate, I often take clients to dinner or the casinos, letting them see for themselves the value of the night life that’s close by, but not really in their backyards. I show them around and point out the best places to go. Right?”

“Sure, I remember.” I couldn’t quite get a bead on what all this was leading up to.

He shifted in his seat, awkwardly. “…I still feel sort of hesitant even bringing this up, but I thought you ought to know, being that we’ve become friends.”

Not exactly friends, but maybe friendly enough. “Know what?” I prodded.

Finally, after wavering a bit, he began to explain. “…I know she’s a very close friend of yours, but I thought I had to let you know what I saw. …Could be, it’s nothing at all.”

I grew uneasy, but somehow managed to get straight to the point too. “…What exactly did you see, Bill?”

“What was your girlfriend’s name again?” he asked, while thumbing his coffee mug, trying to remember it himself.

Uh-oh…Trouble
. “Mona.” I smiled and shook my head. “I bet she was partying again,” I added, laughing nervously.

“Yeah, she’s the one,” Bill said, nodding, but not smiling. “Well, I was walking with a client through the Borgata, showing him the casino and restaurants, when who do you think I see? Mona! At first, it didn’t register, but then it hit me, and I did a double take, backtracking and taking another look, realizing why I almost didn’t recognize her.”

“Why?” I prompted again.

He shifted again on his stool, obviously not very comfortable with any of this. “She was wearing a wig of long black hair, that’s why! She was with this tall, distinguished-looking gentleman, talking up a blue streak, as they were about to enter the hotel elevator.

“I know I should have walked away, but being that they were the only ones going in the elevator, my curiosity got the better of me. So, I waited and angled myself off to the side to see where it was headed.”

Now, I knew that the Borgata didn’t have a thirteenth floor. That was a gambler’s notorious bad luck hotel floor. On the other hand, I took a mental leap at what I knew was probably coming. “The seventh floor?” I blurted out, jokingly.

“Why, yes! That was it exactly! Then it headed right back down to the lobby, but no one came out.” Bill stared at me, his eyebrow arched suspiciously. “Now, how did you know it was that floor, Samantha?”

I smiled innocently. “Lucky guess?”

To my relief, Bill just laughed. “I’m bringing you next time I hit the Borgata,” he said, shaking his head in amazement. “Yes sir! Bringing you might pay off big time.”

Chapter 22

How Lucky Can You Get?

I felt myself getting mentally drawn in, slowly, deeper and deeper. As I typed in my laptop, I realized how the whole Mona thing was becoming a complex web that was growing by the minute.

Okay, this is what I had so far.

…A close friend runs away from something or someone. She hides a hotel key card behind one of my paintings in her room. She’s also in possession of a receipt for room service, signed with someone else’s name, at the Borgata for room number 707. She’s spotted by Bill going to the seventh floor of said hotel with a man apparently while wearing one long black wig.

I sat back trying to put this all together. It seemed strangely possible, considering her odd conversations on those separate occasions when she spoke of the past, and my observance of her now-and-then skittish behavior. She had obviously sought me out, knowing I was a safe haven, but from what? For what purpose? What happened to make her run to me and then disguise herself under a wig? Who was the man she was seen with at the casino? Why was that receipt in Mona’s purse signed by someone called Paula Foster? Was another woman involved in this with Mona?

This whole thing was starting to unsettle me. I felt like I was being ever so gently steered in a certain direction by my intuition though. It hadn’t failed me in the past, but as usual, I was constantly left with unanswered questions.

What would I find or uncover?

It seemed I had a knack for getting myself into situations that weren’t always in my best interest, but they eventually led me to the truth. Hesitant to walk down that path once again, this time, I had to play it safe. I needed sure-fire protection. Let’s see, maybe a horseshoe, rabbit’s foot, lucky penny, or… I paused and thought back on my recent past.

No. I needed accident and life insurance instead!