Free Murder by Chance (Betty Chance Mystery) by Pat Dennis Page A

him of his own mom, always willing to serve up a wisecrack or a slice of apple pie. He felt a kinship with her since the first day they’d met. Two peas in a crazy pod. “If you need help with getting a bus to take your people back to Chicago, I can make a few calls.”
    “Thanks, but I’ll contact Lori. She should be able to get another bus here by the time we need to leave.”
    “Say, why don’t I give your people tickets for the mentalist Boris the Baffler tonight?” Tom offered. “The guy’s a great showman; plus, I think he can actually read minds.”
    She gave him a grateful thumbs-up. Her clients loved anything free. “That would be wonderful. Thank you,” she said and gently touched his arm.
    The duo walked to the end of the hallway together, and reached the entrance to the casino. The electronic-sounding mimic of coins crashing onto metal assaulted Betty from all directions.
    She glanced at her wristwatch. “I still have to schedule more clients for interviews.”
    “I could have their names called over the intercom,” Tom suggested.
    Betty shook her head. “I don’t think they’ll appreciate that. I’ll ask Tillie to give me a hand. Thanks for everything, Tom,” she said. Considering the trouble she brought to his door, she knew the head of security could have taken a very different attitude than that of a friend.
    “The tickets will be at the box office,” Tom assured her as he walked away.
    Betty headed toward the brown velvet settee that sat against the wall in the hallway. She needed to make a few calls and once she entered the gaming area, it would be too difficult to talk on her cell phone. She sat down and pushed 2 on her speed dial.
    Her office phone rang. A high-pitched nasal voice answered, “Good Morning, Take A Chance Tours.”
    Surprised, Betty asked, “Isn’t this your day off, Gloria? Is Lori sick again?” The fact that Lori wasn’t in the office again concerned Betty. She’d been taking off more than usual, lately. Betty was afraid there could be something medically wrong with her niece. Something Lori hadn’t shared. If so, that could explain why she’d been acting so secretive.
    “Lori’s on her way to Moose Bay,” Gloria answered.
    Although her niece was told to stay put in Chicago, Lori usually did what Lori wanted. Now that she knew, she wasn’t all that surprised.
    “Is she driving up?” Betty asked.
    “She’s decided to fly. She’ll be arriving soon.”
    Betty was glad. It would feel good to have Lori around for support.
    “Have the phones been busy this morning?” Betty asked.
    “I’ve already taken six cancellations,” Gloria told her.
    Lori’s theory had proven correct. News was instantaneous, especially if it was bad.
    “Any of them give you a reason for canceling?”
    “A few mentioned the murder,” Gloria replied, “but the others didn’t offer an explanation.”
    “You’ll probably have more calls,” Betty warned.
    “Actually, I have two on hold right now, “ Gloria informed her.
    Crap!
    “After you help them, check with the Minnesota charter companies. See if you can arrange a bus to take us back to Chicago.”
    “But, I’ve never …”
    “Gloria, it’ll be easy. You’re a smart woman. I’ll call you in a few hours to see what you’ve found out. But take care of the customers on hold first.”
    The second she hung up, Betty regretted doing so. She’d forgotten to tell Gloria not to talk to any reporters who might call. Not only was her occasional employee extremely talkative, she excelled in exaggeration. Gloria claimed her flair for creative chatter developed as a result of reading too many books while working as a librarian. There was no telling what would end up on the ten o’clock news if Gloria were involved.
    Still, with all her chattiness, Gloria was one of Betty’s favorite people. If it weren’t for Gloria, Betty would never have listened to the audio books on positive thinking that changed her life.
    Betty hit