Once the bodies had been moved, Javi had called Ramón, explaining only that someone had stolen the Aston Martin from the shed in the salvage yard behind his garage, and that he and Vero had tracked down the thieves to Atlantic City. He’d given Ramón the address of the Villagio and asked him to come first thing in the morning with his flatbed to tow the Aston home. If worse came to worst and we couldn’t force a confession out of Ricky, the truck was large enough to tow the Audi, too, and we all silently agreed that we would cross that bridge if and when we came to it. The last thing I wanted was to involve one moreperson Vero cared about in this mess, and I certainly had no desire to bury two more bodies on Steven’s farm.
That said, we were running out of options.
We covered the Aston Martin with several king-sized bedsheets, wiped down every surface of Louis’s room for prints, mopped and vacuumed the floors, left generous tips for the housekeeping crew, and used the remote checkout feature to let the front desk know both Marco and Louis had vacated the hotel.
Once we were safely out of the Villagio, I texted Cam again, fighting the niggling worry that something was wrong when he didn’t respond.
Javi slung an arm over Vero’s shoulder as we walked slowly back to our hotel. I followed, holding Kevin’s leash, a poop bag at the ready in case the thumb drive decided to make a sudden appearance. Javi had cleaned himself in Louis’s room, washing his hair and face in the sink and trading his sweat-soured clothes for a pair of chinos and a button-down shirt he’d found in Louis’s luggage. He looked dapper under the boardwalk lights, his damp hair falling loose around his face, concealing his bruises as he leaned in, speaking close to Vero’s ear. Whatever he said made her burst out laughing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her smile so brightly, and I dropped back a few more feet, offering them some privacy.
Kevin paused to pee on a signpost. As I waited for him to finish, I checked the calls and text messages I’d missed over the last few hours.
Mom:Sorry we missed you at the spa. Our massages must have run longer than we thought. Do you and Vero have plans for dinner? Maybe all of us girls can go out. My treat.
Sam:You two have some explaining to do.
Steven:The kids won’t sleep. When are you coming back?
Nick:Newark was a bust. Lead was a dud. Leaving now. Back in a few hours.
Nick’s message had come ninety minutes ago. That didn’t leave us much time.
I tugged gently on Kevin’s leash, letting the cord go slack as I spotted a flyer stapled to the signpost where he’d just been peeing.
There was a photo of a dachshund on it.
REWARD: LOST DOG, APPROXIMATELY 28 LBS., ANSWERS TO KEVIN BACON. IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL.
Giada Toscano’s name and phone number were printed at the bottom.
I checked around me to make sure no one was looking as I ripped the flyer from the signpost, picked up Kevin, and hurried to catch up to Vero and Javi as they entered the Royal Flush. Tucking the dog under my arm, I followed them through the casino to the lobby, then to the valet station out front. Ricky was nowhere in sight.
Vero tried calling his number, but it rang straight to voice mail. Javi and I eavesdropped from behind a column as she approached the valet on duty and asked him where Ricky was. According to the valet, Ricky had disappeared during the middle of his last shift, and he wasn’t scheduled to be back until Wednesday. We listened as Vero attempted to sweet-talk the young man into telling her where Ricky lived. When that didn’t work, she tried bribery.
The valet pocketed the twenty that Vero offered him. “Be here at nine tomorrow morning,” he said in a low voice. “It’s Ricky’s day off, but he’ll be here.”
“Why? What happens at nine?” Vero asked.
“Paychecks get cut. Trust me, he’ll show up.”
A car horn honked in the valet lane, and the young man trotted off to grab the keys from the driver.
“Guess we’re stuck until then,” Vero said. She wrapped an arm around Javi’s waist as we emerged from behind the column. “I’m goingto the front desk to get Javi a room. Then I’m taking him to the bar for something to eat. Want to join us for a drink? You should come, too,” she said, patting Kevin on the head. “A little greasy bar food might be just what the doctor ordered. Maybe it’ll help move things along.”
The promise of greasy bar food and a drink was sorely tempting, but anyone in this hotel could be six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, which meant I should probably keep our four-legged celebrity out of sight. “You two go on without me. I’ll take Kevin upstairs and check on Steven and the kids.”
“Suit yourself,” Vero said, towing Javi to the front desk.
I held Kevin securely under my arm as I cracked open the door to my hotel room. I prayed my mother was already asleep. That I could crawl into my bed and sleep for the next eight hours and explain why there was a constipated wiener dog in our room in the morning.
Kevin’s ears perked up and he sniffed through the gap. A lamp was on inside. My mother’s bed was neatly made, and her fanny pack and shoes were gone. I set Kevin down, frowning as I checked my phone. It was nearly eleven. It wasn’t like my mother to stay out so late.
I cocked my head, my ear tipped toward Steven’s room, wondering why I was still hearing a television and my children bickering on the other side of the wall. The kids should have been asleep hours ago. I knocked softly on Steven’s door.
He opened it, looking disheveled in a rumpled T-shirt and sweatpants. There were bags under his eyes, and his hair stood on end. The children cheered as they scrambled to greet me.
“Why aren’t they sleeping? Is everything okay?” I gave them each a quick kiss as I peered around the room. It looked like a tornado had run through it. Clothes were strewn over every piece of furniture. Toys and crayons littered the floor.
Steven rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “Their schedules are all messed up. They napped too late, and I can’t get them down.”
