Well, that went well. Regrouping, she grabbed her wine and set off to find the bathroom. Maybe she could get a bath in after all.
An hour later, her cell phone buzzed.
It was a text from Adam.Have you seen Mitch?
He left about an hour ago. Why?she replied.
I’ve been trying to reach him. Starting to worry. Any idea where he went?
He didn’t say…
Her phone rang this time. “We were only here for a minute before he left, and he didn’t say anything about where he was going.”
“How would you feel about poking around and seeing if you can figure it out?”
“Well, he did tell me specifically not to go into his office, but you know me…” She headed down to the last door on the left. “It’s open, so that’s good. I don’t have to break in.”
Opening the door, she saw another side of Mitch. “Holy Camoly,” she whispered.
“What?” Adam sounded alarmed. “Did you find something?”
“No, I just, oh, never mind. Hold on. Let me look around.” It was a war room. Pinned on the walls were several dozen pictures. Red string connected a few of the photos. There were newspaper articles from the time of Jimmy’s shooting, as well as many that were much more recent. An article about the bank robbery was next to a picture of her.No red heart around my face. That’s a bummer.
She made her way to the desk. Right in the center of it was a yellow Post-it Note. “Maybe this is something. He wrote ‘Diego’ on one line and then ‘Lady Luck slash Candy’ on a line beneath it. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Shit. That’s what I was calling him about. He must’ve already figured it out. Did that idiot go without backup?” He was talking more to himself now, so Maggie just kept quiet.
“Thanks. If you hear from him or he comes home, call me immediately, okay? Gotta go.” And he was gone.
She left everything as she found it and closed the door behind her. The temptation to check out Mitch’s bedroom was killing her, but she’d already invaded his privacy and didn’t want to push her luck. Adam sounded pretty worried. Should she be too?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The bass of the music rattled Mitch’s teeth. Pathetic, grown men with slack jaws and tired eyes ogled half-dressed women. Neither looked like they were having any fun. It’d been a long time since he’d patronized a strip club. He didn’t miss it.
“Budweiser.” He plopped a twenty on the bar and began a slow scan of the patrons. The only Hispanic man he saw was on his cell phone at the far end of the club. Mitch sat on a stool and took a long swig.
The woman on stage was easily close to forty. Her bare breasts were beginning to sag, but that didn’t stop them from bouncing all around as she danced. Mitch had never seen the allure in watching a show like this.
Now a one-on-one thing, that finished with a happy ending, that was a different story. Thoughts of Maggie, topless in the hot tub, filled his mind. He could have had her topless a half an hour ago. The memory brought a smile to his face. He’d gained a lot of respect for Miss Margaret lately. She was scared but taking all the bullshit that had come her way in stride.
Damn it, this woman would be the death of him.Pull it together, MacDonald.He stood and started toward the backhall. The restrooms were labeled, but there were several other unmarked doors. That was where he needed to check.
Unsure what he was looking for, he made his way to the first door and leaned on it. If anyone came around, he’d pretend to be drunk and head to the restroom. He didn’t hear anything behind the first or second door.
As he approached the third door, it opened quickly. The Hispanic man he’d seen on the phone stood, pointing a gun right at his chest.
“Well, look who’s here. Officer Mitch. Come on in,” the man gloated.
Shit. Shit. Shit. What an idiot.
“The defense department regrets to inform you that your sons are dead because they were stupid.”The famous line from the movieTop Gunpopped into his head. Why hadn’t he told someone he was coming here? Rookie mistake.
“Hey, what’s up, Jose?” Mitch took in his surroundings. If this was the only…no such luck. Three more of Manuel’s goons sat around a poker table. Two empty tequila bottles gave him hope.
“How’d you know my name?” Jose asked, surprised.
“I didn’t, stupid. It was supposed to be stereotypical and insulting. Any of you seen Manuel?” He tried to play it cool. “I’ve been looking for him for a while.”
