Outrageous Vegas Vacation (An Agnes Barton Senior Sleuths Mystery Book 8) Read online

  Outrageous Vegas Vacation

  Madison Johns

  Copyright © 2015 Madison Johns

  Outrageous Vegas Vacation Madison Johns

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  For Debbie L Reynolds

  Outrageous Vegas Vacation

  Agnes and Eleanor are ecstatic when Eleanor wins a Las Vegas vacation for both couples at the end of their cruise. It’s like another honeymoon with their men Andrew and Mr. Wilson, except the senior sleuths once again find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. This time the victim is Malcolm Banktop, the manager of the pop star Kayla White, who is found dead in an elevator.

  Kayla has a residency at Caesars Palace and is so lost without Malcolm that she hires Agnes and Eleanor to find his killer. Things become complicated when Kayla’s bodyguard Mark is considered a suspect. Sure, Mark might have spent time in prison, but is that reason enough to suspect him of murder?

  Eleanor and Agnes have their hands full once again amongst the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, which becomes even more outrageous with the sleuths in town as they search for the truth.

  Chapter One

  Eleanor, with her tongue out the side of her mouth, was raring to go. Her mechanical buggy was in the middle, while mine was to her right and Martha’s was to the left.

  Captain Hamilton was holding a flag. “Once around the deck and back here. The winner gets a luxury trip to Las Vegas.”

  My face lit up as I hunkered down, intent on winning this race, even though we were only racing a scooter older folks use to get around. I glanced over to my right, where my new husband shook his fist in the air; that was his way of encouraging me. Mr. Wilson held onto a walker, leaning halfway over it, saying, “Come on Eleanor, let those girls eat your dust!”

  “It’s my Agnes who will win the race, Wilson,” Andrew shouted back with a grin.

  Captain Hamilton pointed a flare gun off the bow. “Ready, set, go,” he shouted, as he pressed the trigger of the gun, showering the air with a trail of smoke, lighting up the sky with a bright light.

  I gripped the handle of my cart to propel it forward, but Eleanor and Martha got the drop on me, racing forward. From the way Eleanor moved, I wondered if someone had worked on her buggy to make it faster than the other ones. Of course that wouldn’t explain Martha’s keeping up with her. My buggy lagged behind until Martha’s jerked to a sudden stop. I smiled as I whizzed past her, catching up to Eleanor on the turn around the pool.

  “You’re gonna be the one eating my dust, Eleanor,” I shouted.

  Before I knew it, Eleanor tried to kick me off my buggy! Luckily she missed, but I was quite shocked that she’d resort to dirty tricks like that. She was my best friend, for Pete’s sake. Obviously she just couldn’t resist doing anything she could to win the race.

  I came up behind her and pressed the handle a little too tightly, causing my buggy to bump into the back of Eleanor’s. She skidded around and drove her cart into mine until I could smell metal on metal as she propelled me to the rail. When I was stuck between the rail and Eleanor’s buggy, Martha tooled past us with a wave.

  “She’s winning,” I shouted.

  Eleanor was off like a shot, but my buggy was now barely able to move. In fact, I didn’t think it would ever be able to be used again. Cheers were heard and I tried to catch up to the finish line, but wasn’t able to, as a flag was waved and confetti flew into the air, with balloons falling from the second deck of the cruise ship.

  When I finally came to a stop past the finish line, there was a group of people circling around the winner and when they cleared, Eleanor came hobbling over. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to nearly knock you off the ship.”

  “Geez, Eleanor. Why did you do that?”

  “I-I guess I just got a little too carried away.”

  “I’d consider it way carried away, and now Martha won the race.”

  Eleanor grinned. “No, she didn’t. She fell off her buggy before we reached the finish line and I was able to whizz past her.”

  I cocked a brow. “And you had nothing to do with her little accident?”

  “I-I-”

  “Go ahead and tell my mother all about how you gave me a kick, knocking me off my buggy,” Martha said.

  “Eleanor,” I said.

  Captain Hamilton came over and rubbed Martha’s shoulders. “Not to worry, Martha. I’ll be happy to take you to Las Vegas for a vacation. I really deserve one myself.”

  “I’d rather it be Atlantic City, if it’s all the same to you. It’s bad enough that I was on this cruise with my mother.”

  “And who told you to come on this cruise, when you knew we were on our honeymoon?”

  “You can’t go on any vacation with that Martha,” a gray haired Gloria said to the captain. “It’s against the rules.”

  “Yup, sure is. I’ve already given my notice. I’m no longer captain of this ship once you all disembark.” He smiled at the woman, whose face turned a shade of almost purple. “Eleanor won the Las Vegas trip for four,” he announced.

  “For four, eh? Whoever are you taking, Eleanor?” I asked.

  Eleanor buried a finger in her chin. “Well, there’s always Elsie and Bernice from back home. They could use a vacation.”

  “Did you forget that Elsie is with Jack Winston now?” I smiled. “How about Dorothy and Frank Alton?”

  “Oh, no. I’ve had a hard enough time keeping my Frank out of the casino on the ship,” Dorothy said.

  Eleanor chuckled. “Come now, Agnes. You know we’re taking you and Andrew.”

  “If that’s the case, then why did you try to kick me off my buggy to win yourself?”

  “I-I don’t know what got ahold of me, but I had to win. It’s so hard to one-up you, Agnes.”

  “Aww, Eleanor. You know how much I appreciate you.” I nodded.

  “Come on, Agnes Barton, you know full well we are taking you.”

  “Aw, Eleanor.” I nodded. “There is no one else in the whole town of Tawas, Michigan—or anywhere else, for that matter—who is a better friend than you.” I meant it, too. Over the years, Eleanor and I had solved many crimes together and also had so many good times. I thought she knew how much I valued her, both as a partner in crime-solving and also as a friend. “I’d be lost without you.”

  “Can we get packed or are you two going to write your own Lifetime movie?” Wilson asked.

  I couldn’t agree more with that and we went upstairs and packed in a hurry, then waited on the main deck with the other passengers to watch as the ship pulled into port. Eleanor held the envelope that contained the tickets against her ample bosom and said, “We better get to shore soon. Our plane is leaving at two.”


  “What plane?” Andrew asked.

  “Well, the plane taking us to Las Vegas.”

  Chapter Two

  When the plane touched down in Vegas, a electric wheel chair was waiting for Mr. Wilson when he got off the plane and it wasn’t long before we had our luggage gathered and we piled into a taxi heading to the hotel. It was a tight fit in the backseat since Wilson had been forced to relinquish the motorized chair, which belonged to the airport, and now his folded walker was in the back of the taxi with us since the trunk was full of our luggage.

  I had a hard enough time stopping Eleanor from playing a slot machine that they had in the airport. Whoever heard of such a thing? This was indeed odd for me. Why, even if you went to the Soaring Eagles Casino in Mt. Pleasant, you’d see no other slot machines in town.

  When we headed up the strip of Las Vegas, I was on the edge of my seat, overwhelmed by the lights, the throngs of tourists, the line of taxis dropping people off.

  “Where are we staying as part of the trip?” I asked Eleanor.

  “At a place called Caesars Palace.”

  My eyes widened. I couldn’t be more delighted. “I hear that’s a great place.”

  Andrew cocked a brow. “Oh, and where did you hear that?”

  “I’m sure Agnes meant that she saw an ad online before. Agnes has always wanted to visit Las Vegas.”

  “Good,” Andrew said. “I’ll make sure we have the time of our lives.”

  I felt so happy right then. My Andrew went out of his way to make me feel loved, like with the cruise ship honeymoon. And now, I was over the moon about being in Vegas with my most favorite people in the world, my Andrew, Eleanor, and even funny ole Mr. Wilson. You had to just laugh at his antics. Sure, he wasn’t the swiftest on his feet, but he certainly made up for it with his wit.

  Before I knew it, we were in Vegas and our taxi was lined up in the drop-off lane for Caesar’s Palace. It seemed like it took forever for it to be our turn, but finally it was and Andrew hopped out of the taxi and helped load a luggage cart, while Eleanor helped Mr. Wilson out, handing him his walker.

  A bellhop came over with a ticket for us to fill out. “If you call the desk, we’ll deliver your luggage to your room,” he said.

  “Oh, no, you won’t,” Eleanor said. “I read a review online and it said never to give your bags to the bellhop or there’s no telling when you’ll get them.” Before the bellhop had a chance to respond, she continued, “And I plan to make the most of my Vegas vacation that I won on a cruise ship!”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll wait while you check in and bring your luggage right up.”

  “Gee, Eleanor. What were you doing, researching Caesars Palace?”

  “Well, what else was I suppose to do on the plane ride here? It’s a long flight from Florida.”

  She was right about that. “I don’t think it’s wise to cause problems with the staff, we just arrived.”

  Eleanor promptly apologized to the bellhop, blaming it on a bout of jet lag. He seemed satisfied with that and indeed, he did wait while Eleanor checked in. She gave the person behind the desk the piece of paper with a twenty on the top. “I do hope I have a nice room, or can get one.”

  The twenty was picked up and pocketed. The man then went over to the computer, clicking away. “It seems like we have an empty room and would be happy to upgrade you to the Augustus Tower. You’ll have a sizable suite that has four rooms, including a living room, or entertainment room, with bar, dining room, two separate bedrooms, and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi.”

  “Thanks, that sounds great,” Eleanor said.

  Andrew had to tell me to close my mouth, as it was gaped open at this point. How in the world did twenty dollars buy such an upgrade? I didn’t stick around to find out, as an electric wheelchair was brought over by a staff member and Mr. Wilson happily surrendered his walker, climbing aboard. I groaned inwardly, knowing that despite the fact that this was going to be a one-of-a-kind vacation, ultimately it would end up not all that different from the cruise or anywhere else we’ve gone with Wilson. It’s just that he was capable of mowing people down whenever he had a scooter or electric wheelchair to use.

  We were each handed card keys and then directed to the bank of elevators, the bellhop following us with the rack. Once we walked in, I stayed in the back of the elevator since I was afraid of heights and I lost track of how many floor dings there were until the door finally opened.

  “Wh-What floor is this?” I asked.

  “The tenth. Your room has a great view,” the bellhop said.

  Andrew did the honors of opening the door to our suite and once we were inside, Eleanor and I left the men to handle the unloading of the suitcases while we took a tour of the rooms. We passed the bathroom first and admired the double sink, glass shower, and jet tub. “This is what they probably meant by the Jacuzzi,” I said.

  Eleanor then strutted up the hallway, and said, “Here are the bedrooms. Looks like king-sized beds.”

  I didn’t have any interest in that; I wanted to see what kind of view we had. I passed through the room with the bar, disregarding the dining area that had a table and four chairs around it. Eleanor pulled the cords of the curtains and I was nearly blinded by the view. There was a fountain in the courtyard below our window that was spectacular.

  Andrew slid his hands on my shoulders. “I bet it looks great at night.”

  “Yes,” I said, moving away. “I think I’ve had all I can take of looking out that window for now. I feel dizzy being up this high.”

  Eleanor put her hands on her hips, announcing, “Why don’t you boys unpack the bags while Agnes and I take a look around downstairs?”

  “I hardly think we should separate. What if you get lost?” Andrew asked.

  “We all have cell phones,” I reminded him. “It’s not like we can get into trouble here.”

  “Let’s hope not, it would be refreshing were that not to happen, but I’m sure if anything does occur, Caesars has their own security personnel to deal with it.”

  I nodded, darting into the hallway with Eleanor. When the door closed, we both leaned against it, laughing.

  “It’s like Andrew doesn’t trust us,” Eleanor said.

  “I can’t say I blame him.”

  Just then two young girls rushed by. “Hurry, I heard Kayla White is in the Lobby Bar.”

  “Come on, Agnes. I’d love to meet Kayla White.”

  “Who is she?” I asked, as I was tugged along with Eleanor.

  When we made it into the elevator with the two young girls, Eleanor said, “She doesn’t know who Kayla White is.” The girls giggled as Eleanor continued, “Kayla White is the sensational pop artist from Cleveland, Ohio. She’s had a number one album and has a Caesars Palace residency.”

  “Meaning?”

  “She’ll be doing shows here for six months.”

  “Seems to me if she’s such a big deal, I would have heard of her.”

  “Maybe you would have, if you didn’t listen to country all the time of late. You’ve lost touch, old girl.”

  I didn’t care for how Eleanor said that, but I’ll admit that I don’t listen to the pop stations anymore. Not when I can listen to Lee Brice or Blake Sheldon.

  The elevator came to a halt on the third floor and when the doors opened, security told us to get off, that all the elevators were out of commission for the time being. I was puzzled, but followed the crowd from the elevator to the stairwell, where we went down the three flights of stairs. I personally hated walking up or down stairs, but I resigned myself to do it this time, especially since I was so curious about what had caused all of the elevators to suddenly be shut down.

  On the main floor, we made our way out of the stairwell and came face-to-face with a pack of gawkers who were congregated in the lobby. Eleanor and I elbowed our way through until we were at the front of the crowd. The elevator then opened and I caught a glimpse of what looked like the body of a man inside. The door was held open by a bellhop an
d it kept thumping against his hand until I walked over and reached inside, hitting the stop button, and shrugging at the bellhop.

  I gazed down at the body of a well-dressed man in a brown business suit. He had a receding hairline and looked to be in his early to mid twenties. His eyes were wide open, as was his mouth, and there was a pool of drool on the floor of the elevator, as well as a circular spot of blood marring the front of his shirt. There were two other men in the elevator, who were bending over the body, and they both gave me a strange look.

  “Agnes Barton, private investigator,” I said, pulling out my card.

  They barely glanced at it before they said, “The police are on their way.”

  “And from the way you’re both leaning over that body, you’re probably tainting the crime scene.”

  The men moved out of the elevator and I asked, “Does anyone know who the man is?”

  A murmur went through the crowd and the bellhop admitted, “It’s Malcolm Banktop, Kayla White’s manager.”

  A murmur went through the crowd. “It’s Kayla’s manager,” voices in the crowd said, passing on the message.

  Eleanor gulped. “Wow, we really ran into quite the case this time.”

  “What case?” asked a woman dressed in a blue business suit. “You just showed up on the scene and you’re not a member of law enforcement, unless you’re pretending to be Jessica Fletcher.”

  “For one thing, I’m not pretending to be anyone. I’m Agnes Barton and this is Eleanor Mason. As I’ve already said, we’re private investigators.”

  “How do you think he died, Agnes?” Eleanor asked.

  “Well, I don’t think that’s a gunshot wound. My guess is he’s been stabbed and the majority of the blood most likely filled his chest cavity.”

  A few people in the crowd agreed with that assessment, even though they couldn’t see the body clearly.

  “Why isn’t there any blood splatter in the elevator if he was stabbed?” Eleanor asked.