glad to see you,” he said, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her forehead. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, he’s a lucky customer. He just won the jackpot.”
“Congratulations, buddy. But I think you’d better find someone else to celebrate with. Let’s go, sweetheart.”
He turned and, pulling her into the curve of his arm, started toward the door.
“What are you doing here?” Katie asked in an angry whisper, resisting his attempt to get her out the door.
“I came to keep you out of trouble. Looks like I’m just in time.”
“Okay, so you rescued me. Now let me go!”
He had a grip of iron. “Not yet, darling.”
“How’d you know where I was?”
“Sam called. Wanted a reference on you. When he said you performed for me at private parties, I couldn’t resist accepting his invitation to be at the one he was arranging for later tonight. I didn’t think you’d start without me.”
“What do you mean, a private party later tonight?”
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Don’t you know what entertaining at private parties implies?”
She gasped. “But we just meant singing and dancing.”
“We?”
“My friend Cat and I. I’m the waitress. She’s a singer.”
Montana groaned. “Where is she now?”
“She went on upstairs to the party. I’m supposed to be bringing up a special bottle of whiskey after I served that man back there.”
Montana glanced around the room, catching sight of a red-haired woman just as she exited the elevator and marched toward the door. “Katie, we’re not going to find out anything,” the redhead said. “We’re getting out of here. We just quit.”
“Can you swim?” Montana asked, remembering the last time Katie left in a hurry.
“No,” Cat answered. “Do I have to?”
“Not this time,” Montana said, putting an armaround each woman. “We’re back at the docks. I’m Montana. Let’s get out of here.”
“So you’re the bad guy?” Gat said, looking up at him. “I’m Cat. You didn’t tell me he was a man to die for, Katie.”
“He’s not.”
“No, I’m worse. I’m the private party Katie’s entertaining later tonight.”
SIX
“Just how far were you two planning to go to get
my
money back?”
Montana drove Katie to Carithers’ Chance with Cat following in her own car.
“The money wasn’t our objective. We were trying to find Carson. Sam said he was in his casino Sunday night, talking with a man with a gray limousine but nobody knows who he is. We thought if we went to work for Sam, we might learn something.”
“Did you?”
“No,” was Katie’s answer.
“Well, I did. The man’s name is Leon. The scuttlebutt is that he’s some kind of vampire who appears in the night and disappears before the sun comes up.”
“Vampire? Come on. That’s ridiculous.”
“I agree. I’m only repeating the talk along the river.”
“So what does Leon have to do with Carson?”
“I’m still working on that.”
Katie loosened her seat belt and leaned forward. “Can’t we go and talk to him?”
“Good idea,” Montana agreed. “Know where he lives?”
“No,” Katie admitted with a frown.
“And neither does anyone else, so far as I can tell.”
“But the police,” Katie suggested. “Surely they can find him.”
“The police are looking for him too. It seems several people have disappeared after being seen talking with our mystery man.”
Katie gasped. “You mean he kidnaps them?”
Montana shook his head. “No, I don’t think he kidnaps them. Think about it, who’d want to kidnap a gambler that loses all the time?”
“But there must be someone who can help us find him. Maybe the news—a television reporter?”
Montana looked skeptical. “I can’t get anybody to publicly admit that Leon exists. The casino owners don’t know, and the gamblers won’t talk. If he isn’t a vampire, he’s a ghost. A reporter will only drive him further underground.”
Katie leaned back, making no
“Oh, he’s a lucky customer. He just won the jackpot.”
“Congratulations, buddy. But I think you’d better find someone else to celebrate with. Let’s go, sweetheart.”
He turned and, pulling her into the curve of his arm, started toward the door.
“What are you doing here?” Katie asked in an angry whisper, resisting his attempt to get her out the door.
“I came to keep you out of trouble. Looks like I’m just in time.”
“Okay, so you rescued me. Now let me go!”
He had a grip of iron. “Not yet, darling.”
“How’d you know where I was?”
“Sam called. Wanted a reference on you. When he said you performed for me at private parties, I couldn’t resist accepting his invitation to be at the one he was arranging for later tonight. I didn’t think you’d start without me.”
“What do you mean, a private party later tonight?”
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Don’t you know what entertaining at private parties implies?”
She gasped. “But we just meant singing and dancing.”
“We?”
“My friend Cat and I. I’m the waitress. She’s a singer.”
Montana groaned. “Where is she now?”
“She went on upstairs to the party. I’m supposed to be bringing up a special bottle of whiskey after I served that man back there.”
Montana glanced around the room, catching sight of a red-haired woman just as she exited the elevator and marched toward the door. “Katie, we’re not going to find out anything,” the redhead said. “We’re getting out of here. We just quit.”
“Can you swim?” Montana asked, remembering the last time Katie left in a hurry.
“No,” Cat answered. “Do I have to?”
“Not this time,” Montana said, putting an armaround each woman. “We’re back at the docks. I’m Montana. Let’s get out of here.”
“So you’re the bad guy?” Gat said, looking up at him. “I’m Cat. You didn’t tell me he was a man to die for, Katie.”
“He’s not.”
“No, I’m worse. I’m the private party Katie’s entertaining later tonight.”
SIX
“Just how far were you two planning to go to get
my
money back?”
Montana drove Katie to Carithers’ Chance with Cat following in her own car.
“The money wasn’t our objective. We were trying to find Carson. Sam said he was in his casino Sunday night, talking with a man with a gray limousine but nobody knows who he is. We thought if we went to work for Sam, we might learn something.”
“Did you?”
“No,” was Katie’s answer.
“Well, I did. The man’s name is Leon. The scuttlebutt is that he’s some kind of vampire who appears in the night and disappears before the sun comes up.”
“Vampire? Come on. That’s ridiculous.”
“I agree. I’m only repeating the talk along the river.”
“So what does Leon have to do with Carson?”
“I’m still working on that.”
Katie loosened her seat belt and leaned forward. “Can’t we go and talk to him?”
“Good idea,” Montana agreed. “Know where he lives?”
“No,” Katie admitted with a frown.
“And neither does anyone else, so far as I can tell.”
“But the police,” Katie suggested. “Surely they can find him.”
“The police are looking for him too. It seems several people have disappeared after being seen talking with our mystery man.”
Katie gasped. “You mean he kidnaps them?”
Montana shook his head. “No, I don’t think he kidnaps them. Think about it, who’d want to kidnap a gambler that loses all the time?”
“But there must be someone who can help us find him. Maybe the news—a television reporter?”
Montana looked skeptical. “I can’t get anybody to publicly admit that Leon exists. The casino owners don’t know, and the gamblers won’t talk. If he isn’t a vampire, he’s a ghost. A reporter will only drive him further underground.”
Katie leaned back, making no
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