Free Checkered Thief (A Laurel London Mystery Book 3) by tonya kappes Page A

“It’s getting crazy out there.”
    She didn’t say another word when I walked out. Before I left, I headed into the office and closed the door behind me. Trixie and Ben Bassman, the lawyer from my mobster grandfather, were the only two people who knew I had blood money.
    I couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather spend it on than Derek. I would give the money to Bethany to pay off her debt and get Brittany so Derek could have his happily ever after.
    I had only kept a few hundred thousand at the house for me and Trixie. Trixie was fixing up the house and we did it a little at a time so people in town wouldn’t find out I had the money. We still kept my identity a secret because there were still family members of those my grandfather had offed out there and I didn’t want to be put in a body bag for a family I didn’t know.
    Many times I had almost told Derek about the money, but I didn’t and now I’m glad I didn’t.
    “What are you doing?” Trixie asked from the door.
    I hadn’t heard her coming because I’d been too busy unscrewing the non-working old radiator—the perfect disguise—where Trixie and I had hidden the money in the wall. 
    “I. . .” I jumped up. “I am worried.”
    Think, think, think . My brain had to come up with a good lie for her to believe me.
    “Laurel, I’m not using our money to gamble.” She looked over her shoulder out into the hallway. I could only assume she didn’t want Sharon to hear us. “I have been using my pension The Gorilla,” (my grandfather’s mob name), “had set up for me. And I’m only doing the penny slots. You know that.”
    “You promise?” I asked. Thank God, she came up with my excuse to look at the money.
    “Yes.” She dipped her head. “I’ve got to go before Sharon comes looking. Right now she’s petting Henrietta.”
    “Fine.” I gave her a motherly look. “I don’t want you having a gambling problem since this casino has come to town.”
    “And I don’t want you to have a drinking problem since Brittany has come to town.” She grinned ear to ear knowing she just stung me.
    “Touché.” I laughed, sticking the screws back in the radiator. I wasn’t going to be able to get some money for Bethany right now, but I would find her and tell her I had it to use and she could pay me back later.

 

Chapter Nine
     
    It was noon and traffic was starting to pick up going back into town. Casino visitors apparently didn’t get up early after a long night of gambling.
    Going at a snail’s pace let me glance down Fifth Street, in hopes I’d see Bethany walking out of Shear Illusions, but no such luck. But I did turn right into the Windmill Hotel parking lot. By now Louie had to be finished with his Krispy Kreme doughnut rounds.
    The hotel lot was packed with out-of-town license plates on all the cars. Brittany’s yellow Jeep wasn’t in the parking lot. I know Louie said she had car trouble, or rather, Bethany had car trouble in the middle of the night, which contributed to the fight between her and Derek. Derek could’ve easily taken her car to his shop and given her one of his beater cars he used to pick car parts from.
    Bang, bang, bang.   I beat the bulletproof window that was between the hotel customers and Louie. He was on the stool, his shoulders slumped, his eyes closed, drool dripping from his open mouth.
    “Shit, Laurel!” He fell off, landing on his feet like a cat. “You scared the shit out of me.”
    “Doesn’t look like it.” I glanced down at his pants expecting to see a stain. “Hey, why do you have this bulletproof glass?”
    Not that it was a valid reason why I was there, but it was something I just wanted to know.
    “I’m glad I did.” He nodded toward the parking lot. “You can’t imagine what types of people a casino drags in. All kinds of people. And some look sketchy.”
    “Really?” I hadn’t thought about it, but I wondered if Brittany’s hostage takers were here. Come to think of it, there