Scarlet Lady by Sandra Chastain Page A

picked up the portable mike, and began to sing. By the time she told Bill Bailey to come home, the man holding the auditions was nodding his head in appreciation.When the song ended, he walked over, took Cat’s hand, and said, “I’ll take you, doll. The other one can go.”
    Cat jerked her hand back. “No way, Jack. We’re a team. If she’s out, so am I.”
    “Name’s Sam, not Jack. And I don’t even know if she can dance,” he protested.
    “Sure she can. Would a Carithers lie to you.”
    A stiff, disbelieving look washed over the manager’s face. “You related to Carson Carithers?”
    “I’m his—”
    “Friend,” Cat finished. “Friend of a Carithers was what I meant. It’s Carson who’s the black sheep. He ran off with her car and we’re still looking for it. Do you know Carson?”
    “Oh, I know him all right.”
    “Then you’ve seen him?” Katie asked, losing her stiffness in her eagerness to hear his answer.
    “He was in here a couple of nights ago.”
    Katie let out a deep sigh of relief. He was all right. He hadn’t been murdered and thrown overboard by the mob. “Do you know where he went?”
    “Nope. Saw him talking with a man in a suit. Then both of them took off.”
    Cat spoke up. “Can you tell us the man’s name?”
    “Nope. All I know is that he travels in a gray limo. Comes in here to hassle my customers and never spends any money. If he shows up again tonight, I’m going to have him thrown out.”
    “Oh.” Katie’s disappointment was overwhelming. They’d come so close. But he’d said
again tonight
. Thatmeant the man came often. “Do you think he’ll be back?”
    “Maybe. Maybe not.”
    “Please,” Katie said, “the money’s not important. If you’ll give me a job, I’ll do whatever you ask. It’s really important to me. To get my car back, that is.”
    “Your car—yeah. Look, ladies, nobody ever said Sam couldn’t appreciate a woman who’s been done wrong. Knowing your friend, he’ll probably be back when he finds some more cash. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you a job for a couple of days, and I’ll ask around about the guy your boyfriend left with.”
    Katie looked at Cat. There was no point in correcting his impression that she was a woman wronged. This might be a lead to Carson. She turned back to Sam and nodded. “What do we have to do?”
    “The redhead can sing and you—maybe you’d just better start out hustling drinks. We’ll play it by ear from there.”
    “Thank you, Sam,” Cat said. “I’m Cat and this is Katie. For tonight, we’re yours.”
    That remark turned out to be a complete error. Even without her Wonderbra and feathers in her hair, the tight red shorts and cutaway had the same effect. The patrons on the
Dixie
thought the waitresses belonged to them, particularly the new ones. At nine, the boat left port, traveled upriver, returning at midnight with no sign of Carson.
    By one o’clock, one of the gamblers who struck it big ordered a bottle of champagne. When Katie brought it to his table, he decided that she’d brought him goodluck. He’d gambled there for over a year and this was the first time he’d won. There was nothing for it except that they have a drink.
    “I’m sorry, sir,” she said backing away, searching desperately for Sam. “I’m not allowed to drink while I’m working.”
    “Oh, I think Sam would approve. He gets enough of my money to keep him happy.”
    Katie found herself being pulled to a corner table and shoved into the seat. “Please, don’t do this.”
    At that moment Montana, dressed in his work clothes, the black frock coat and string tie, appeared in the hall. He clamped down on his usual unlit cheroot and forced himself to swagger across the room toward Kate, who was trying to back away from the customer.
    “Hello, darling,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”
    “Montana,” she said, springing up and moving toward him. “I’m so glad to see you.”
    “And I’m