Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 02 - Bogey's Ace in the Hole by Marja McGraw

turned their backs on us while they whispered amongst themselves.
    Turning back, May said, “Addie can keep Mikey while we’re gone.”
    “I thought you said Addie was exhausted,” I reminded them.
    “She’s never too tired for children.  She has ten grandchildren and she says they’re what keeps her young at heart.”  Jasmine appeared to think that would settle the matter.
    “We have to go home and take care of the dogs, too,” I said.
    “You can do that while we go home and change clothes,” Jasmine said.
    “And then we’ll all meet at Jasmine’s house,” May added.
    “After lunch would be best,” Lila suggested.
    Chris tucked his upper lip under and pulled on his earlobe before placing his hands on his hips.  “You dames ain’t goin’ with us on this caper.  Not today and not tomorrow.  See?  I know you think I’m being a heel, but that’s the way it is.  You’re makin’ me goosy, and I ain’t at the top of my game when I’m feelin’ goosy.  If I was in a jam, and we could end up in a jam here, I don’t want you church ladies for back-up.  See?  End of story.”
    ~ ~ ~
    You know what they say about the best laid plans…
    After we dropped Mikey off with Addie, I pulled the address out of my purse and gave Chris directions while the Church Ladies sat in the backseat of the Chevy and buzzed like little elderly bees.
    “I was a mailman, Pamela.  I know this area like the back of my hand.”  Chris was not in a good mood, and I decided not to push.
    He found the street we wanted after taking a shortcut that took us out of our way, and turned right.  Things were quiet in the backseat while the ladies took in our surroundings.  I watched the street numbers, but I soon realized there was something wrong.
    “Is this what they mean when they talk about the other side of the tracks ?”  Lila was staring at a prostitute standing on a street corner.  The hooker stared back and Lila looked away first.  The woman on the corner laughed as we passed by, knowing she’d won the war of the wills.  “Right about now those big dogs of yours are sounding pretty good.  Maybe we should have brought them along.”
    We were definitely in a seedier part of town.
    “This can’t be right,” Chris said, pulling into a parking lot.  “The address on that piece of paper is a sleazy motel, not a house.  I thought we were looking for a house.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Ten
     
    “Well, maybe we’d better go in and see if there’s a Victor staying at that sleazy motel.  This is the address those two men at the diner were interested in.  There has to be a reason that they were discussing it,” I said.
    After some lengthy discussions, we finally talked the ladies into staying in the car while we walked to the office to ask about Victor.
    The office was empty, but there was a bell on the desk.  Chris rang it, but no one appeared from the back room.  He rang it again.  Nothing.  He rang it twice in rapid succession .
    “Hold your horses,” yelled a gruff and gravelly female voice from the other room.  “I’ll be there in a second.”
    We waited patiently and finally a scrawny woman of indeterminate age poked her head around the door frame.   Her greasy blonde hair had turned to yellow, and she was as thin as a rail.
    “We ain’t got any rooms right now,” she said, turning to go back to whatever she’d been doing.
    “We’re not looking for a room,” Chris said.  “We’re looking for a person.”
    She popped her head around the door frame again, got a better look at Chris, and ambled over to the counter.  “Well, look what the cat dragged in.  Ain’t you the one?  Anybody ever tell you that you look like – ”
    “Yeah, yeah.  I’ve heard it before, cupcake.”
    I could tell by his tone of voice that Chris was in Bogey mode.  He was going to play it up with this woman for all it was worth – and she’d eat it up.  There was no doubt in my