Page 49 of Family Ties and Alibis

Gina gave the door a sharp rap and eased it open, revealing a long, wide hallway.

A woman started to hurry past.

Mercedes stopped her. “Excuse me. We’re looking for Jimmy Grimaldi.”

“Jimmy’s office is second from the right.”

“Thanks.” The women trekked toward the end, stopping at the door with a “J. Grimaldi” nameplate on it.

“Hello.” Mercedes offered the man, bald as a cue ball and on the chunky side, who was seated at the desk a cautious smile. “Mr. Grimaldi?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Merc…Paige Turner. This is my sister-in-law, Gina Wright. Alec from the temp agency sent us over.”

“Yes. Yes. Server positions. Alec said you were looking for immediate work.”

“That’s correct.”

“You’ve come to the right place.” Jimmy snatched the radio off his desk. “Jimmy here. Send Char to my office.”

The radio crackled. “Will do.”

“Char will be training you today. She’s our head cocktail gal and smart as a whip.” Jimmy rattled off basic information: the break and lunch schedule, discounts on meals, and hours for each shift.

Click. A soft clicking echoed.

Mercedes turned to find a petite woman with grayish-blond hair hovering in the doorway. “Hello.”

“Hey, Char. These are the two new server gals Alec sent over. They’re raring to go.” Jimmy picked up a sheet of paper sitting on his desk. “Says you both have server experience.”

“Yes, sir,” Mercedes said. “I recently worked at an Italian restaurant down south.”

“It’s been longer for me,” Gina said. “Although I’m confident I’ll be slinging drinks like an old pro in no time.”

“Excellent. That’s what I like to hear.”

“Follow me, and we’ll get this show on the road.” Char chattered nonstop about the casino, the employees, how long she’d been working at Quick Cash, her favorite customers. “Mondays are the pits,” she said. “This being Black Friday and all, we’ll be slow until later, after lunch, and then biz will pick up.”

“I would rather be busy than just standing around twiddling my thumbs,” Mercedes said. “The time goes by a lot faster.”

“You’ll be hustling,” Char warned. “Tips are good, but not as good as they were, say…six months ago.”

“What happened six months ago?” Gina asked.

“Treasure Cove.”

Gina and Mercedes exchanged a quick glance.

“What is Treasure Cove?”

“Another casino, run by the mob.” Char laughed nervously. “I mean, I can’t confirm this for a fact. The manager, Vinnie, is a real looker.” She lowered her voice and glanced over her shoulder. “If I weren’t so fond of this place, I would put my application in over there. I might still give it a shot. I have some friends who say the tips are banging. The place is packed twenty-four seven.”

“So, why aren’t the tips as good, and what does it have to do with this other casino?” Gina asked.

“Treasure Cove has been luring our customers away. Not only ours, but others on the Boardwalk,” Char said. “Their players’ comps are way better. How they afford to give so many perks and still make boatloads of money is a mystery.”

“It sounds like we should’ve applied at Treasure Cove instead,” Gina joked.