Big Easy Escapade Page 9

  “We’ll do what we can,” Larry said with a warm smile.

  ***

  Daisy could hear a television coming from another room and faint music on the street. She lay in bed with her eyes closed, slowly waking up, trying to place the day and where she was. Her head felt like 20 pounds of sludge.

  French House last night, night off tonight, Houston tomorrow. She felt for Jason in the bed beside her, not finding him, and opened her eyes. The floor-length, beige curtains were closed but light crept in around the edges. An oversized armoire held a television and a desk with a bottle of water and bowl of fruit sat in a corner. She turned her head. A blue-and-tan-striped chair was in another corner, and the clock on the nightstand read 12:08. The closet and bathroom doors were closed, as was the door to the room. Where the fuck am I? Where’s Bam-Bam?

  “Jason!” she called but got no response. “Jason!” She yelled louder.

  She thought back to last night. I danced, showered, got ready and … think! What happened after that? Did we go out? She looked under the covers and was relieved to see she still wore the clothes from last night. She turned over on the bed and her hair fell around her face. What the? She pulled her hair in front of her eyes, running it through her fingers. What was supposed to be fiery red was now pitch black. What the fuck is going on?

  The door opened and a tall, muscular, olive-skinned man wearing black slacks and a crisp, white shirt closed the door and walked into the room.

  Daisy flipped over and pulled the covers up to her chin. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Jason?”

  ***

  After leaving Louie’s Flowers, the girls ventured out onto Maple Street to regroup.

  Kate pointed down the street. “Coffee. Corner. Let’s go.” She led the way.

  They picked a table on the wraparound front porch and ordered a round of coffees, except for Vivian who got a bottle of water. “I need to hydrate.”

  A cool breeze rustled the leaves in the huge trees and the humidity wasn’t too stifling. A few other customers, some alone reading or working on laptops, occupied the other tables on the porch.

  Wendy poured milk into her cup. “We didn’t learn much from the flower shop. What next?”

  “What are we doing here?” Lucy asked, fiddling with her spoon. “We’re not the police, and if anyone’s going to find her it’s going to be them, not us. I’m not sure we’re qualified.”

  Kate dumped sugar into her double espresso. “We may not be the most qualified, we may not have a badge, but dammit, we’re smart girls and I had a dream. I know it means something!”

  “Way to get fired up, Kate!” Vivian gave her a high-five. “Let’s call Adrienne again, see if anything has happened since this morning.”

  “And I think we look into that Hairy Harry some more,” Kate said and took a big drink. “I don’t trust anyone with that many overactive follicles. Maybe he hired those two sleazeballs who took her.” Kate looked down at her empty drink. “That was good.”

  “There’s a bookstore across the street that I’d like to run in,” Wendy said. “Let’s hop over there before we look for follicle man.”

  Vivian pulled her phone out and dialed as they walked to the Maple Street Book Shop. Adrienne answered on the third ring, so Vivian sat on a rocker on the front porch while the other girls went inside.

  “Hey, it’s Viv. We were just checking in.”

  “Hold on a sec.”

  Vivian heard shuffling and noise in the background. After a minute Adrienne came back.

  “Sorry, we’re at Mosca’s talkin’ to the guys about what happened. They’re on it. In fact, one of them knows the lead detective on one of the missing girls. Gonna get us some details. What are you up to?”

  “We just went to Louie’s Flowers. Didn’t learn jack other than Harry paid in cash and extra for the guy to deliver at exactly 10:30. Now we’re trying to figure out what to do next. You have anything else?”

  “I spoke to Antonio about 30 minutes ago. Based on the crime scene recreation, they’ve determined that the kidnappers are both about 6 feet tall, around 220 pounds, possibly Hispanic. They’ve pretty much dismissed the two young guys we saw on the video who were trying to get in. They still want to find them and talk to them, though.”

  “How are they going to find them?”

  “I don’t know, but they got Harry’s cell number off the flower receipt. They’ve tried to locate him with that, but so far they haven’t gotten any pings. But they got a warrant and are going through his life, including his financials.”

  “And?”

  “And guess who withdrew $20,000 two weeks ago?”

  Vivian stopped rocking. “No way. Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s a chunk o’ change.”

  “Yes it is. Antonio hasn’t figured out what he bought with it, so it definitely falls into the suspicious category.”

  “Hell yeah, it does.”

  “Other than that, the guy is pretty much a loner. Never married. No kids. He’s a facilities manager with an oil company and he evidently missed a meeting today for some big deal they’re putting together. I’m not sure who wants to find him more, his boss or the police.”

  “Sounds like a super freak to me. Where’s he staying?”

  “Hmmmm, Antonio will kill me. Besides, the cops are all over that place.”

  “Oh, come on. We won’t interfere.” Too much.

  Adrienne hesitated, then said, “It’s the Roosevelt Hotel, but you didn’t hear that from me!”

  “We’ll be good, I promise.”

  They both laughed at that.

  “This is really great info, Adrienne. Thank you.”

  “If you see that hairy beast, call the cops. Don’t approach him. I don’t want to fish you out of the Mississippi.”

  Chapter 18

  Vivian went inside the Maple Street Book Shop and found Lucy at the cookbooks and Wendy in history. “Where’s Kate?”

  “I think she’s in children’s,” Wendy said.

  “Lead the way, I’ve got news.”

  She followed Wendy through the old house, the wooden floors creaking with every step. A thin man with gray hair and black-rimmed glasses rounded a bookshelf and asked if they needed help with anything.

  Wendy held out Fabulous New Orleans. “I think we’re good, but I’ll be gettin’ this in a few minutes.”

  He took the book from her. “It’ll be at the front when you’re ready.”

  They walked to the back of the house and found Kate bawling.

  “Oh my gosh, what’s wrong?” Wendy asked, pulling a small tissue packet from her purse and handing it over.

  Kate took the pack, then held up a book entitled “Love You Forever.” On the cover, a gleeful toddler proudly held a piece of toilet paper over his head. “This book is so poignant. The little boy grows up and the mom… the mom…” She burst into tears.

  “Boy, you are trying to have a baby, aren’t you?” Vivian gently took the book from Kate and placed it on the shelf. “It’s a wonderful story, one of my kids’ favorites, and they make me read it way too often, but there’s no need to get upset.”

  Lucy, Miss Say No To Having Kids, which sometimes equated to no sympathy, took control. “We need to focus here. Vivian got some info from Adrienne. What is it?”

  Vivian patted Kate’s arm, then told them about the phone call. The connection with the murder case, the big cash withdrawal and where Harry was staying.

  Lucy, phone always in hand, looked up the Roosevelt Hotel. “We need a cab.”

  “I’ll go buy my book,” Wendy said. Kate tried to give her the tissue pack back, but Wendy waved her off. “Keep it, I’ve got another.”

  As they left the room filled with hundreds of children’s books, Kate glanced back, teary-eyed, at the little boy on the cover.

  “No more double espressos for you.” Vivian gave Kate a little squeeze.

  ***

  The well-dressed stranger sat on
the chair and calmly looked at Daisy.

  “Who are you?” she yelled.

  He threaded his fingers together and said with a Middle-Eastern accent, “There is no need to yell, Daisy. I will not harm you.”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “You were quite impressive last night. I think you could have won that competition.”

  Her stomach clenched. “I still plan to win it.”

  He said nothing.

  What’s up with this high-rolling asshole? “You still haven’t answered me.” Daisy gave him her toughest look, the one that makes most men behave.

  Someone knocked on the door and a familiar face looked in. “Time to leave.”

  Where have I seen him?

  The man in the chair stood and walked to the end of the bed. “I am Sonu and you are going to be very happy with me. You will see.” With that, he left.

  She jumped out of bed and ran to the door but it was locked. She banged on it but no one answered.

  ***

  The girls rocked on the porch at Maple Street Book Shop for a few minutes until a cab pulled up to the curb. They hopped in and Lucy told the driver where to go. The drive to the central business district didn’t take long, and soon they were walking up to the hotel’s entrance.

  “What are we going to do in here?” Wendy asked. “We don’t know what room he’s in.”

  “I haven’t figured that out yet,” Vivian said.

  Lucy walked toward a sitting area in the lobby. “Let’s just hang here and see what happens.”

  “Or we can ask around,” Kate said, looking into the lounge. “Maybe the bartender knows something. Or the door guy.”

  They sat for a while, people watching. Vivian watched a family with a stroller fumble to get a kid strapped down. She laughed. Apparently that toddler didn’t want to be in there. Several businessmen came and went, then she noticed a young, sandy-blond bellman looking at her. The stern look on his face made her feel uncomfortable. She switched seats so that her back was to him. “I wonder if he’s an undercover cop,” she said, tilting her head back.

  “Who?” Lucy said, much too loudly and looking in his direction.

  “Shhhhhhhh!” Vivian said, waving to quiet her.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  Vivian looked up at the ceiling. “The bellman behind me who looks a little too clean-cut.”

  Lucy looked at him. “Oh, he’s cute.” She sat up straight, sticking her chest out. “He can frisk me any time.”

  Kate ran her fingers through her hair and casually used her pointer. “And what about that guy busing tables in the bar? That’s totally a cop.”

  The girls casually looked that way and all agreed. He had that look. Cop.

  Wendy looked toward the front door. “Uh oh.”

  Vivian glanced up and locked eyes with Detective Leffall, who made a beeline for them. He had on a navy blazer, navy slacks and a bad tie.

  “Girls,” he said, hands on hips. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “We’re just relaxing. You know, enjoying the A/C,” Vivian said, smiling sweetly. “Nice tie.”

  He ran his hand down the tie. “My kids gave me this.” He gave her a stern look. “You don’t understand, this guy could be dangerous. You need to leave.”

  The girls accepted their fate and stood up.

  “We’re just trying to help,” Kate said.

  “I know, but we’ve got it under control.”

  The girls shuffled out the front. “Now what?” Wendy asked.

  Vivian looked at the time on her phone. “It’s beer thirty.”

  Lucy snapped her fingers. “I concur. Let’s go find a three-for-one.”

  Wendy held up her 300-page book. “I’d like to drop this monster off at the hotel.”

  The girls swung by the Hotel De Lis, freshened up and were walking down Canal Street toward Bourbon Street when Kate pointed. “Look! Gray Mustang!”

  The car, full of squealing teenage girls and blaring hip-hop, turned right in front of them. The rear window had big white lettering that said, “Spring Break NOLA here we come!”

  “I somehow don’t think they abducted anyone,” Vivian said, dancing to their music a little. “I remember my spring break days, headin’ to the beach on South Padre Island.”

  After they thought about how long it had been since any of them had had a spring break, everyone decided hurricanes from Pat O’Brien’s were in order.

  They walked in the main entrance off St. Peter and passed the main bar and the piano bar on their way to the courtyard. The centerpiece was a large fountain shooting blood-red flames, making the water look like their hurricanes.

  They took a seat and ordered a round from a girl with hair almost as red as Daisy’s.

  Drinks arrived and they cheersed to Daisy’s safe return.

  The waitress delivered a tray of food to the table next to them.

  “They serve food here?” Lucy asked.

  Wendy finished a sip. “I’ve been here a million times and I never knew.”

  Vivian laughed. “You’ve always been too focused on these.” She held up her drink and they clinked glasses.

  They sat for a while, watching the fountain erupt and people get stupider and stupider.

  After the last, long sweet sip, Vivian said, “I’ve gotta get some souvenirs for the kidlets.”

  “It’s not like there’s a shortage of shops,” Wendy said.

  Lucy set down her big hurricane glass. “Yeah, there’s a place a couple of doors down.”

  “First, I think we should go to where we had our psychic reading and see if maybe that gypsy lady is there,” Kate said. “If she’s not, I think we hit the voodoo shop.”

  Vivian didn’t like the sound of that. “Why do you think the gypsy can help?”

  “Some of them have a gift,” Kate said, then she looked at Vivian. “You, of all people, should be more open to this. She was spot-on about Rick, even though you didn’t want to hear it at the time.”

  “It scared the hell out of me — she was able to see it so easily. So as long as you keep her and the voodoo people away from me, I’ll go.”

  They finished their drinks, then headed toward the gypsy lady’s spot. She wasn’t there, so Lucy walked up to the door guy at a nearby club and asked about her.

  “She’s just here once in a while,” he answered. “The cops run her off.”

  Disappointed, the girls walked up Bourbon to Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo.

  Vivian’s stomach flipped at the idea of walking in the door. “Y’all go ahead. I’m going to stay right here.”

  Lucy decided to hang with her, so Kate and Wendy went to see what they could find out.

  The smell of incense hit Wendy and made her cough. Skeleton masks glared from the walls, and voodoo dolls hung on chains from the ceiling. A bookcase lined one entire wall.

  A tall, black woman wearing a silk purple muumuu laced with gold thread and a matching head scarf came out from behind a black velvet curtain. Her bracelets jangled as she walked, and the red gem in the eye sockets on her skull ring reflected off the light. The woman’s right eye stared right at Wendy, while her left eye wandered off to the side.

  The sight of the googly eye unnerved Wendy. This lady has a gift, all right. The gift of freaking people out!

  Kate took a step back as the woman said to Wendy, “I see you are in turmoil. Come, I will help you.” Then she walked back behind the curtain.

  Wendy gave Kate a look and they both followed.

  “I’m not in turmoil,” Wendy said. “It’s a friend of ours. She’s in trouble and we need to find her.”

  “Your friend is at peace,” Googly-eye said.

  Kate drew in a quick breath. “Are you sure? The friend we’re looking for is Daisy.”

  The woman sat for a moment nodding and clicking her fingernails on the table. “Daisy, yes. The flower. Hmmmm.” She waved her hands over the crystal ball sitting in front of her. “Yes, I see he
r, she’s in trouble. She needs help.”

  Wendy looked at Kate out of the corner of her eye. Kate’s eyes were narrowed and her chin was down.

  I’m going to call her bluff, Wendy thought. “Is she still in Mexico?”

  The lady gracefully moved her hands around the ball, then in a circular pattern in front of her. “Yes, I see sombreros and maracas. She is definitely on a sandy beach. She’s sick, though, holding her stomach.”

  Wendy, ready to walk out, said, “Oh no, Montezuma’s revenge.”

  The woman held her arms out wide in a V above her head. “Yes! That’s it! Revenge!”

  Kate and Wendy stood simultaneously. Kate threw down a five. “Not a lot we can do about that. Thanks for helping us with our turmoil.”

  Googly-eye called after them as Wendy pushed through the curtain. “But wait, let me do individual readings. Only $25!”

  “We’ll pass,” Wendy said over her shoulder as they ran past the skeletons and out of the store.

  Chapter 19

  Daisy searched for a phone but found only an empty wall jack. She tried the two windows in the room but they were sealed shut. There was no balcony, and the street was at least 12 stories below. Her fight or flight instinct kicked in. Pulling out every drawer, she went through the bathroom, but couldn’t find any sharp instruments to pick the lock. She kicked at the door but it didn’t budge. The desk and nightstand were clear of pen and paper. No writing a note and sticking it in the window. She grabbed the desk lamp. It wasn’t very heavy, but it could be used as a weapon in some capacity. What else?

  All the while, she concentrated, not on what Sonu had said but on the face of the other man. She had seen him, but it was foggy and she couldn’t remember where. She gave up her escape attempt for the moment and sat at the desk. She checked the seal on the water, cracked it open and took a sip. Then it hit her.

  Pink martini. Desert Glitter. He fucking roofied me! She’d known others who’d been slipped the date-rape drug. I shouldn’t have taken that stupid drink.