Finders Keepers: A Humorous Cozy Mystery Thriller Comedy of Errors (Hotshot Book 2) by Mike Faricy

Author:Mike Faricy [Faricy, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Credit River Publishing
Published: 2018-07-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 35

It had been Harley, the owner of Ladies’ Night, who alerted the police. Not out of any sense of civic duty, but because Celeste had missed the remainder of her shift, which pissed off all the other dancers and caused a major headache. He had seen her leaving with some nicely dressed, big fat tipper, wearing Coke-bottle glasses. He even gave her what he liked to think of as a sort of “nod of encouragement,” figuring he’d be good for at least a fifty-dollar cut once she finished servicing ‘Fatty’ out in the parking lot. He went from mad to furious when it became obvious Celeste had cut him out of his rightful percentage. All the other dancers in the place were whining because with Celeste gone they had to dance an extra set. In short, she’d really screwed up this time.

Eventually, he put two and two together, deciding that the nicely dressed, fat tipper with the Coke-bottle glasses may have had something to do with the two nicely dressed guys who busted up the place the day before. So Harley called the cops.

Terry DuPre took the initial call, then personally rushed over, lights flashing, as soon as Harley mentioned Celeste’s involvement.

“Harley, twice in two days,” Terry said, then followed Harley into the claustrophobic, second-floor office.

The office was stacked with a half dozen cases of liquor and a poster touting a twenty-five-dollar prize on Tuesday’s amateur night. The pale blue walls were grimy and smudged, a half dozen yellowed copies of checks stamped ‘Insufficient Funds’ were taped to one wall. Cinder-block gray showed in small patches where pieces of tape had peeled the paint off the walls. A bank of CCTV screens was stacked against the back wall. Grainy black-and-white images glared back into the room on some of the screens. Harley had camera monitors in the parking lot, the bar, the dancers’ dressing room, and two cameras in the ladies’ room, monitoring both the bathroom stall and the sink area.

“Yeah, it’s really sad, but I have to make sure they’re not doing anything illegal in there. You know, drugs and that sort of shit.”

Terry nodded, and kept glancing at the screens whenever he thought Harley wouldn’t catch him.

“So, you said she left with some fat guy in fancy clothes,” Terry said.

He pulled out an empty notebook to write down the pertinent facts, thinking this might go a long way in helping him end up on Celeste’s good side.

“Yeah, and glasses.”

“Glasses?”

“Yeah, that’s right, thick glasses, and well-dressed—the guy, that is.” Harley nodded. “She went out, figured she was maybe just going to have a cigarette. Since the ‘No Smoking’ ban and all, the girls—well, and customers too—have to step outside for a few minutes. After yesterday’s little frolic in here, I’d talked with her—nicely, of course. Suggested she be careful. Let me tell ya, these broads aren’t past trying anything if they think they can get away with it and there might be a dollar in it for ‘em. You know?”

Terry wasn’t sure he did know.

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