Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets (A Jazz Age Mystery #2) by Ellen Mansoor Collier

Author:Ellen Mansoor Collier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: galveston, 1920s, prohibition, contest, gangsters, boardwalk empire, flappers, speakeasy, great gatsby, historical cozy mystery, bathing beauty, hotel galvez
Publisher: Ellen Mansoor Collier

That evening at the boarding house, I told Amanda the good news. My Egyptian maiden perfume lamp cast flickering lights and a rose scent, providing the perfect backdrop.

“Guess what? We don’t have to worry about Rico anymore. He was gunned down last night on the Downtown Gang’s turf.”

“You don’t say!” she gasped, eyes big as saucers. “I heard some thug was killed, but I had no idea it was Holly’s fella. Doesn’t Nathan have a crush on her? You don’t think …?”

I shook my head. “Still, it doesn’t help his case by fleeing with Holly to Houston.”

“You never know what a man will do for love,” Amanda sighed. Even in an emergency, she was a hopeless romantic.

“Say, I’m heading to the Hotel Galvez tonight if you want to come along. You can talk to the girls while I do some follow-up interviews with the contestants.”

“I’d like to, but I’m working at Star Drugstore tonight. I hate for you to go alone.” She looked worried. “Just be careful.”

After sprucing up, I took the trolley down to the Galvez, pencil and notepad tucked in my bag, hoping to catch the beauties off guard. I still needed to put the final touches on my profiles of Delysia and Antonia, and flesh out Miss California

I wandered around the lobby, expecting to run into a few girls, but they were nowhere in sight. Disappointed, I went to the front desk, asking the clerk, “Are the bathing beauties here tonight?”

The reed-thin dandy looked me up and down. “I believe they had to make an appearance at some night spot, maybe the Surf Club or the Grotto. Are you supposed to join them?”

“Yes,” I fibbed. “Can you double-check the location, please?”

As I waited, I surveyed the restaurant, wondering if the girls were on a toot with love-struck fellas. I thought I recognized a familiar face, and moved closer for a better look: Colin Ferris was dining with Beach Gang leader Ollie Quinn and two middle-aged men, talking and laughing as if they hadn’t a care in the world. From their fancy duds, I couldn’t tell if the men were bootleggers or out-of-town businessmen. Considering Rico had just been murdered, Colin sure wasn’t showing a bit of remorse or sorrow for his dead partner.

What were those two hoods doing here in public, when they had their pick of Beach Gang hideaways? Was it a coincidence or were they looking for Holly or Jo Beth or the stash of Johnnie Walker Black? Slowly I inched away from the front desk, wanting to make a mad dash for the exit, but trying not to attract attention.

I pulled my floppy hat down over my face and made my way toward the second floor. Upstairs, I fled down the hall, looking for Jo Beth’s room and rapped on her door, hoping to hide. When she didn’t answer, I turned the knob and it opened without a hitch. Strange. I studied the keyhole and noticed the door frame was nicked and scratched where someone had forced the lock.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.