Fortune and Fame by Stephen John

Author:Stephen John
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jana DeLeon, Mystery, Cozy, women's literature, Action, detective, romance, amateur sleuth
Publisher: Stephen John
Published: 2018-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Gertie called Officer Gene and updated him on what we’d found. With $25,000 in cash missing and a hotel key under the bed, one would think it would have cast enough suspicion to create an investigation.

“Damn,” Gertie said, hanging up the phone. “I love Gene to death but he can be dense.”

“What did he say?” Ida Belle asked.

“Gene said since Toddy had not seen Boudreaux for over five years, there was no way for him to know for certain there was $25,000 in cash in a shoe box in the closet. He also said Boudreaux’s bank account had almost no activity—no withdrawals or deposits.”

“Makes me believe he kept cash in the house,” I said, “but it’s not proof. I understand that.”

“What about the hotel key?” Ida Belle asked.

“Gene said the key could have come from anywhere. Unless there was evidence that Boudreaux had cash, and Georgia stole it, there is no reason to suspect foul play. Unless we find proof the key is meaningless.”

I looked at the hotel key. It was white with an Extended Stay logo on the front and a simple magnetic stripe on the back. No phone or address and no room number on the card.

“What are you doing?” Ida Belle asked.

“Getting ready to make a few calls,” I said. “Gertie, you’re driving.”

I had been using my smart phone to locate Extended Stay Hotels in the area. I groaned. There were twelve such hotels in the New Orleans area and seven more within a fifteen-mile radius of Boudreaux’s house. There were nineteen total possibilities assuming she was still there. That was a big assumption.

I used my navigation device to locate and call the closest one first.

“Thank you for calling Extended Stay,” a young woman answered.

“Hi,” I began. “Please connect me to the room of Georgia Fame.”

“How do you spell the last name?” she asked.

“F-A-M-E,” I said. “First name, Georgia.”

There was a pause.

“I’m sorry we have no one here by that name,” she said.

“I may have gotten the name wrong,” I said. “I saw her at the Saucy Goose earlier today and she dropped a piece of jewelry. I’d like to return it.”

I gave her Georgia’s description and ended with, “She may be staying with a man named Bill.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who that is and even if I did, I can’t give out that information,” she said.

“Thank you anyway,” I said, and hung up.

“My guess is, the other eighteen hotels will give you some version of the same response,” Ida Belle said.

She was right, but I had to try.

I made seven calls without success before Gertie pulled into the parking lot of the VFW. Since it was a member-only club, I still did not understand how we would gain admittance but Ida Belle didn’t seem worried.

The VFW looked like an ordinary building. They painted the wood trim powder blue, and the awnings were burnt orange. The American flag was flapping front and center in the gentle breeze. There was a reader board attached to the left of the door announcing next Friday’s fish fry.

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