Vegas Sunrise (13 page)

“By tonight I might. I'll call you. Don't call me at the house. I don't want to get Iris involved in any of this. She's not feeling too good. She gets paranoid when she thinks there are family problems. As it is, she's acting weird.”

“Wait. The longer the pregnancy goes, the weirder she's going to get. It isn't easy being pregnant. Try being a little more understanding. Take her some flowers.”

“With sixteen greenhouses on the premises!”

“They're free.
Buy
them. Present them. Sometimes you're so stupid it's hard to believe you're my brother. Harry and I are going to get married.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. On New Year's Day. We want you and Birch both to be our best man, men, in this instance. Say something.” Sunny's voice was anxious when she said, “You like Harry, don't you?”

“Like a brother, Sunny. Congratulations. When are you going to tell Jake and Polly? Man, this will give Iris something to do beside thinking about twins. Can I tell her?”

“Sure you can tell her. I'll call the kids this weekend. We want to get married at Sunrise at sunrise. You know, the start of the day, a new year, that kind of thing. I'm doing real good now, and so is Harry. We'll finally get to live in the same cottage.”

“That's great, Sunny. What about Mom?”

“Whatever will be will be, Sage.”

“Okay, I'll talk to you later. Say hi to Harry for me.”

“Will do. We want a really smashing present. I was thinking along the lines of a fifty-six-inch television set. A Mitsubishi.”

“I'll tell Iris. Bye, Sunny.”

“Sage, wait, don't hang up. I think you're going to need a lawyer. Hire Clementine Fox before Mom or Jeff gets to her. She's the best. Give some thought to all of us buying out Jeff's contract.”

“Okay. I'll call Clementine today.”

Sage's next call was to Billie at the office. He went through his spiel for the third time. “What's your vote?”

“The same as you guys. Sunny's right. Talk to Clem before you do anything. Who drew up Lassiter's contract? Do you know?”

“His own attorney. Mom didn't even use a lawyer. She read it, said it was simple, cut-and-dried, and she signed it.”

“Nothing is cut-and-dried. Forget simple. The lawyer hasn't been born who knows what simple means. Cover our asses, Sage. By the way, Iris stopped in to take you to lunch. I didn't think she looked well.”

“She wasn't feeling well this morning. She was still in bed when I left. I'm sorry I missed her. Do you need me for anything?”

“It's quiet today. I was just getting ready to go to lunch. Is that okay with you, big brother?”

“Take as long as you like, Billie.”

“Let me know what happens. Was Mom mad?”

“Stubborn. I blew up at Marcus. I hate it when people are tight-minded. Doesn't Mom care?”

“She paid her dues. I guess she figures she did the best she could at the time. We need to allow for that. She's very fond of Neal and the guys. When she took over from Dad, she relied on all of them. If it wasn't for those guys, Babylon would have gone down the tubes. Maybe you should have reminded her of that little fact.”

“I did, Billie, but it didn't make a difference.”

“Do what you have to do. You have my vote. Mom's vote only counts if it's a tiebreaker.”

“Sunny's getting married on New Year's Day. She wants to do it when the sun is coming up at Sunrise.”

“God, that's great. I'll call her tonight. I can make her gown and veil if she wants me to. Thanks for telling me. See you tomorrow.”

Next stop, Babylon.

 

Iris opted for the buffet at the Country Kitchen dining room, nestled at the far end of the casino, that was frequented mostly by the staff. Sage had said he always ate here. Until today she'd watched her weight, eating only vegetables, fruits, and chicken. Her weight gain, even though she was five months pregnant and carrying twins, was minimal. As she walked down the line with her oval-shaped plate, she eyed everything before making her final decision. When she sat down at the table, she had a slab of ribs, two deep-fried chicken legs, two scoops of mashed potatoes with gravy, one small spear of broccoli, and a half loaf of garlic bread spread with thick butter. She ate everything except the broccoli. She went back for cherry pie and soft ice cream, washing it down with a bottle of lemon-lime soda.

Once in a great while she smoked but hadn't smoked at all since her pregnancy began. She fired up a stale cigarette from the bottom of her purse. She coughed and sputtered but kept on smoking. She smoked two more cigarettes before she got up from the table. Waiting in line at the cashier's counter, she popped three Rolaids for the heartburn she knew would overtake her once she started moving.

Iris walked slowly, her eyes canvassing the casino floor. When she didn't see anyone she recognized, she looked around for a courtesy phone. She stopped once to change a ten-dollar bill for silver dollars. She fed them one at a time, yanking the handle violently nine times, at which point a siren over her head went off and a whistle blasted her eardrums. She stared at the blood red triple sevens in front of her. People were staring at her, hooting and hollering. She wished the floor would open and swallow her.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neal approaching her, a broad smile on his face. “You tapped the big one, Iris,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Twenty-five big ones!”

“You mean I won twenty-five hundred dollars!”

“Twenty-five
thousand
dollars! How do you want the check made out?”

Run and hide money
. Now, where did that thought come from?

“My name,” she said smartly. Neal spoke softly into the walkie-talkie in his hand.

“Attagirl.” Neal laughed. “You aren't going to believe this, Iris, but your new sister-in-law fed this machine for close to two hours a little while ago. I think she pumped three hundred bucks into it. Smile. Here comes our new boss with your check.”

So Celia was in the casino a little while ago. Probably
, Iris thought,
while I was stuffing my face in the Country Kitchen
. She smiled for Jeff Lassiter, who handed over the check, a strange look on his face. “Dumb luck,” she muttered. On the ride home, she'd think about the strange smile she'd seen on Lassiter's face.

“If you're looking for Sage, I saw him about fifteen minutes ago. Do you want me to look for him?”

“Nope. I'm going to take my money and run. To the bank.”
Fifteen minutes versus Celia a little while ago
.

Smiling at her well-wishers, Iris made her way to the courtesy phone. “Room 719,” she said in a harsh voice.

“That room has not been assigned, ma'am. Are you sure you have the right number?”

“I'm sure. This is Iris Thornton. Ring the room, please.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the flustered voice said.

The phone in Room 719 was picked up on the fourth ring. Iris listened to her husband's husky, cautious hello. When she heard him say hello a second time, she hung up the phone.

Sick to her soul, Iris made her way to the underground garage. She cried all the way up the mountain.

 

In Room 719 Sage replaced the phone in the cradle. A signal? The call had been made from the casino floor. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to recognize the bells and whistles of the slot machines. Lassiter checking on Celia? What was he thinking this very minute?

Sage knew he should leave, but he wanted to see if there were any traces of Celia's presence. When he reported in to Sunny later, he wanted to make sure he was telling the truth. He checked the bedroom closet, bug-eyed at the costly garments, the price tags still attached. Six pairs of glittery, spike-heeled shoes were on the floor. The dresser drawers showed him his sister-in-law had fine taste in lingerie. The stuff looked like cobwebs to him. The bathroom was chock full of cosmetics and crystal perfume bottles. He removed the glass stopper on one of the bottles and sniffed. He swiped at his nose and then sneezed three times in succession. He recognized the scent as one his mother wore. Four hundred fifty dollars a half ounce. Possibly more in today's market. Once when they were kids they had pooled their money to buy their mother the half ounce bottle. He'd used up almost a whole year's allowance, as had his brother and sisters.

Sage placed the perfume bottle exactly where he found it. He felt the towel. It was wet. Supersleuth Sage Thornton. He grimaced at his reflection in the mirror. He looked around the sitting room, his eyes searching for a sign that he'd been in the apartment. It was probably a mistake to answer the phone. He couldn't worry about that now. He left the room, checking the door to make sure it was locked. The elevator door started to swish shut just as the elevator on the right opened. Sage stepped next to the panel catching only a glimpse of his half brother Jeff Lassiter. “Supersleuth Sage Thornton makes a clean getaway,” he muttered.

Sage looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes to get to Clementine Fox's office to keep the appointment he'd made earlier. His visit to the seventh floor was a can of worms. The appointment with Vegas's hot-shot attorney would be opening a
bucket
full of worms. Sage shrugged, remembering his father's famous words, “You play the hand you're dealt.”

 

Fanny sat at the kitchen table with her hands folded, her eyes full of tears. Marcus set a cup of steaming coffee in front of her. He emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the now empty coffeepot. He eyed his wife out of the corner of his eye as he picked up the small rug under the sink. He carried it outside to shake out the crumbs. He let the dogs in and out. Fanny hadn't moved. The tears were still glistening in her eyes. Her coffee was untouched. “No matter what I do, it's never right. I can never make my children happy. Why do they expect so much from me? Sage was so . . .
bullish
. Was I wrong, Marcus?”

“In my opinion you were wrong.”

“You're on
their
side?”

“I'm not on anyone's side. I said I wouldn't interfere with your family, and I meant it. You asked my opinion, and I gave it to you. You always said Sage was the level-headed one, that he was the one who thought things through. You said Birch acted on impulse.”

“That's true. Sage was almost
violent
. Ash used to act that way when things didn't go his way. I don't for one minute believe what he said about Celia and Jeff. Do you believe it, Marcus?”

“Are you asking my opinion, Fanny?”

“Yes.”

“I believed everything Sage said. He has no reason to lie. Ask yourself why Celia stayed behind. Don't you find it a little strange considering what went on at Sunrise?”

“I don't think Sage has forgiven Birch for going off to Costa Rica. I think that has something to do with things.”

“I don't believe that either. Again, it's my opinion. Why do you suppose Ash kept that young man out of the way? He did it for a reason. He didn't want him to be a part of your family. There had to be a reason for that, too. From everything you told me, Ash went out of his way to make sure what is happening now never happened. I can respect that in a man. You took matters into your own hands, and this is the result. There were options available to you, Fanny. You chose not to exercise them. I never asked why. Neal is more than capable of running the casino. I also think he had every right to expect the job. Bess and John both told me he was the logical choice.”

“Everyone's right, and I'm wrong.”

“Fanny, it's all right to make a mistake, to make the wrong decision as long as you make it right in the end. I think you're being stubborn now. Do you want your family divided . . .
again
?”

“No, of course not.”

“You, Fanny, divided your family this morning. You aligned yourself with your husband's son this morning to the exclusion of your own children. Sage told me this was the goddamnedest, fucked-up family he ever saw and wished he'd never been born into it. Then he told me there was going to be a war and to get out of the line of fire. After that he threatened to run over me if I didn't get out of his way. He'll freeze you out, Fanny, just the way Sunny did. Birch and Billie will side with their siblings.”

“Then I didn't do my job right when I raised them.” Her voice was harsh and tortured sounding.

“On the contrary. You did your job so well your children believe, and rightly so, that they have every right to expect their mother to back up those teachings. You're going against everything you taught them. The question is why? Personally speaking, Fanny, I don't blame them. I think, this is only my opinion again, your children feel like you betrayed them. If Ash wanted Jeffrey Lassiter in the family, he would have jammed the boy down all your throats. You know it as well as I do.”

“Are you turning on me, too, Marcus?”

“Good heavens no. Drink your coffee, Fanny. I'm going to try to fix the television antenna. I think the wind knocked it loose last night.”

“You should call a repairman.”

“I could. I like tinkering. When I tinker, I don't have to think. I'll probably think about Iris and Sage having twins and what it will be like. I wonder if they'll let me
see
them.”

Fanny's head jerked upward. “That's tantamount to blackmail on their part. I won't stand for something like that.”

“Then it will be your loss, Fanny. You're going to have to turn the television on, so I'll know if I'm doing the right thing when I'm on the roof. When you get a good picture, call up to me.”

Fanny marched into the living room, her body stiffer than the board under her mattress. She turned on the set. It crackled with white wavy lines. As she watched the screen, she thought about everything her husband had said. Marcus always made such perfect sense. In essence she was throwing away her family by siding with Jeff Lassiter. If she gave in to Sage and the others, she would be going back on her word. In her entire life she'd never reneged, never broken a promise. As early as five years of age her father and brothers had drilled into her head that a person was only as good as their word. She'd seen and felt the repercussions when Ash went back on
his
word.