Mouth of the Rat (A Samantha Jamison Mystery) (7 page)

What was I getting into?
I thought, as we drove off.

After stepping out of Mona’s car, I glanced around. This
might
have been a major mistake. No, this
definitely
was a major mistake. I now knew why Mona was wearing her gun: A small sign, painted door, bad neighborhood, girls in clusters, some leaning in cars, litter scattered about…

“Are you sure this is the right address?” Martha asked.

A few horns honked at our small group.

“Well! I never!” Hazel said, pulling at her outfit.

“Maybe we should go back home,” Betty suggested.

Hazel was a nervous wreck. “What
is
this place, Mona?”

“I’m trying for a better word than ‘sleazy.’ No can do.”

Hazel looked around warily. “What do you mean?”

“This area isn’t what I think it is, is it?” I asked.

“The dress code sure is different here,” said Martha.

Mona pointed. “That’s what this area is known for.”

A shocked Hazel looked over. “For ladies of the night?”

“Mona, where are we exactly?” Betty demanded.

“My GPS map said Dixie Highway in Fort Lauderdale.”

“It certainly doesn’t look like a supper club,” said Betty.

A restless Martha, tired of their comments said, “Hey, are we splitting up into teams, or what? I’m ready to roll.”

“We are not!” I said sharply, now seriously concerned.

Mona glanced at me. “We better break up. They should go in, then you and I, or we’d draw too much attention.”

I eyed her hair. “And you think that wig won’t?”

“Not after seeing this neighborhood,” said Martha.

Just then a car eased to the curb. The passenger window slid down. A voice said, “Hey, baby, you in the red boots!”

Martha pivoted. “Beat it, Buster.” She whipped out a can. “My temper and this mace have a hair trigger.”

He sped away cursing.

I set my cell to dial 911, my crew entered, and after a few minutes of arguing strategy, Mona and I entered.

Chapter 26

Fleshing Out More Than I Bargained For

Music thumping away hit us, then flashing multicolored lights. That’s when I noticed scantily clothed women slithering up and down poles on top of a bar that snaked in and out like their bodies, while waitstaff in skimpy outfits took drinks to tables behind a deserted wooden dance floor.

All the action was on the bar where the male patrons were literally drooling and salivating. I blinked, adjusting my vision to the gloomy interior, scanning for Martha, Hazel, and Betty in the small club. Where were they? Forget getting a table. I needed a visual.
Not a good sign.

“I don’t see them anywhere, do you?” I asked Mona.

She made a cursory glance around and frowned. “No.”

“Maybe they are in the ladies’ room,” I said.

She laughed. “So soon? They just got here.”

“They’re older, remember?”

“Not mentally. I can tell you that,” she quipped.

I felt a tap and slumped in relief.

“Care to dance?” said a male voice from behind me.

Expecting Martha, I turned, startled by the unfamiliar voice. Standing there was Tall-and-Goodlooking
.

Mona said directly into my ear, “Go ahead. You might learn something. I’ll check the ladies’ room.”

Before I could respond, I was whisked onto the dance floor and was momentarily speechless. Of course his looks might have had something to do with it. Though leery, I…

I wasn’t blind, okay?

“You’re not very talkative, are you?” he asked.

My eyes shot to his. “I’m saving up for a retort.”

“Then let me start. I assume you’re new here?”

“Yes, but don’t assume more than that.”

His eyes crinkled at the edges as he laughed, but they stayed glued to mine. Not even a ripple of loud comments from the bar drew them away.

Who was he?

He didn’t belong in this sleazy joint. He was casually dressed, wearing form-fitting jeans and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, with dark hair that brushed the collar. His toned body and elegant demeanor screamed
elsewhere
. He oozed testosterone.

A small droplet of perspiration slipped down my neck, even though the A/C blew from up above us. Reluctantly, I got back to reality and why we were there, figuring if I was going to start info gathering, I’d better start with him.

“My name is Samantha.”

“I think I’ll call you Sam.”

“But that’s not what I said it was.”

“I know, but I think that name suits you better.”

“You’re assuming again. Don’t.”

Chapter 27

Bar None & Bar Hopping

“What are you doing in a place like this?” he asked.

“I’m looking for someone. What’s your excuse?”

He laughed. “I hope it’s not your husband.”

“No, I’m unattached. And I’m dancing with…?”

He handed me a card and said, “It’s Nikko.”

Unable to read it in the dim light, I pocketed it.

He didn’t fit the seedy club’s profile.

“Why would someone like you be here?” I asked.

He smiled. “You saw right through me.”

“I did?”

“I’m looking for someone, too.”

“You are?”

“I guess I got lucky and hit the jackpot tonight.”

“Lucky, huh? That’s a strange reply.”

“No stranger than me meeting you here of all places.”

“Now, why is that so strange?”

“The woman you’re with is who I’m looking for.”

Caught off guard, I was no longer dancing, but managed to stay calm. I looked up at him. Had I heard correctly?

“I can see the
who
and
what for
in your eyes,” he said.

“And?”

“I was hired to find her for a certain individual.”

Those words still flew out. “Who? What for?”

“Someone who wishes to remain anonymous.”

“Can’t you come up with something better than that?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Not buying it. How’d you know we’d be here tonight?”

“Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions? I…”

“You’re way too slick. And this is all too convenient. Now, as far as being followed here…”

Loud hoots cut in from the bar area. We both turned to look, but Mona was in my line of sight right in my face.

“…We sort of have a situation here,” she said.

I shoved her to the side and double blinked, not sure of what I was seeing. I tilted my head sideways. Up on the bar were three all too familiar faces attached to bodies that were sliding up and down those poles on the bar.

“Holy Mother of God!” I gasped.

Mona grabbed my arm. “I swear, one minute they were playing a game of pool in the back and the next minute I came out of the ladies room and there they were gyrating to that sleazy music.”

As we edged closer, I saw money sticking out of their waistbands. The other dancers had stopped to watch them bring down the house, as cell phones recorded the highly unusual spectacle of a bunch of old ladies making moves.

I glanced back to Nikko. He had vanished. “Damn.”

“Let’s get them,” I ordered, “before they cause a riot.”

Picture a blur of arms, legs, then sirens and running…

On second thought, don’t. You might hurt yourself.

Chapter 28

The Morning After Pill Of Bitter Reality

I woke the next morning to find three bodies stretched out on Mona’s couches, arms dangling precariously, and icepacks resting on their foreheads. I heard a few moans escape their lips. I bypassed them and headed straight for Mona, who was in the kitchen. She poured me some coffee.

“Thanks. Any news? What’s their story?”

“Not much. From their sketchy account, I gathered they had a beer and were playing some pool with two guys for information, while a few other guys watched. Suddenly, they were seeing double and don’t recall a thing after that.”

“I can’t believe a beer would cause that behavior.”

“Maybe they were slipped Rohypnol.”

“What’s that?”

“Roofies.”

“Oh, right. The date rape drug. Mixed with alcohol, you lose inhibitions, pass out, and forget everything afterward.”

“That would explain why they passed out in the car.”

“Yeah, and combined with alcohol, it’s a miracle we made it out of there before something worse happened.”

“Like what?”

“Like them taking off their clothes.”

My mind flashed on the visuals of seeing them running naked back in New Hampshire. But that’s another story…

“It was probably done as a sick joke,” she said.

“How’d you talk them into getting into the car?”

Mona smiled. “I said we were going to another club.”

“And how did they get inside here?” I asked. “We left them garaged in the car overnight to sleep it off.”

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“You mean you found them on the couches?”

“Yes, when I woke up. Then I handed out icepacks.”

I glanced at the trio from the pass-through. “Unreal.”

“A psychiatrist would have a field day,” said Mona.

“I wonder if there will be any residual effects.”

“They all lean toward the crazy side anyway, right? So who would know the difference?”

I chuckled. “You are so bad.”

“I heard that,” came a weak voice from the living room.

We both heard some shuffling, then Martha appeared, gripping the wall as she rounded the corner. Mona and I reached out to help her.

She raised her hand to stop us. “I got this.” She slowly sat down at the table and rested her head in her hands.

“What happened?”

Mona and I, snagged two other chairs, sat and told her.

After listening, Martha perked up. “How much money?”

“Probably enough to replace the wig I lost dragging you out to the car before the cops arrived,” said Mona.

“Cops?”

“Yeah,” said Mona. “Because of that bar fight.”

Chapter 29

I Had To Do Something!

“What bar fight?” asked Betty, who had joined us.

Right behind her was frizzy-haired Hazel. “Bar fight?”

Mona started pouring coffee for everyone and began explaining the events of the evening. No one said a word for a full minute after she was finished.

“How did it all start if we were out of it?” Martha asked.

“I was helping you get off the bar,” Mona said, “when a drunk, wanting the show to go on, made a grab for you.”

A shocked Hazel said, “What did he do to her?”

“Nothing,” said Mona.

“How come?” Betty asked, sipping her coffee.

“Sam jumped him.”

All eyes turned admiringly to me.

“I had to do something,” I said modestly. “We had to get you guys out.”

“That still doesn’t explain the bar fight,” said Betty.

Mona just smiled at me. “Yeah, tell them, Sam.”

“When I jumped on his back, we hit two guys, who then knocked the drinks off the bar of some other guys, who I kicked so I could get…”

Mona started laughing. “Whoa, I’m the one who kicked that one. You kicked the guy still hanging on at the door.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right…” I said remembering.

All in all, at the end, they got the basics of the story.

I heard some nervous laughter, then silence after I finished, when the three realized how lucky they were.

“We barely made it to the car,” I added, “and could hear sirens approaching as we pulled away.”

“It’s a miracle we weren’t arrested,” Mona said.

“Tell us about the guys you met,” I asked, when nobody seemed inclined to ooh and aah at my heroics any longer.

Martha looked at Hazel and Betty. “My mind’s still fuzzy about afterward, but I think there were two of them.”

“I believe she’s right,” said Betty. “Two gentlemen.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say
gentlemen
,” added Hazel.

“Explain,” I said.

“I only recall they were on the rough side of seedy.”

“How’d you three meet them?” Mona asked.

“They challenged me to a game of pool,” said Martha.

I frowned at her. “Of course you couldn’t resist.”

“They knew the waitress, so I pegged them as regulars.”

“That’s when Martha took them up on it,” said Hazel.

“They sure were talkative,” added Betty.

“About what?” I asked her.

“They were real curious about the three of us.”

“Of course,” said Martha, “I kept trying to steer the conversation back to asking about Carlos.”

Mona shook her head. “You just blurted that out?”

“…The exact wordage I’m still sort of fuzzy on…”

“How about a description?” Mona asked.

Hazel shook her head. “Unsavory. The rest is hazy.”

“Gave me the willies,” said Betty.

“With that neighborhood? That’s a given,” Mona said.

“The rest of the night is a blur,” said Martha.

“Some earlier details are nagging at me,” said Betty.

“Me, too…” said Hazel, thinking. “…Wait! One had a gold tooth and there was a white poodle with them!”

Puff Ball and Thug One. Well, what do you know!

Chapter 30

Scuttlebutt

Before Mona left to meet the Feds, she asked if I’d grab her mail from her box across her small street next to her community pool. I was now pretty sure who drugged Martha, Hazel, and Betty. Those three were lucky that Mona and I were there. My luck? Nonexistent. And I was still frustrated. I needed some kind of break,
anything.