Vegas Showgirl Murders - book2 - Bob Moats (important of reading books TXT) 📗

for now. He bought a heavy, black cane with a serpent's head on the top, it suited him. What he didn't tell anyone, but me, it was a sword cane, twist and pull the handle and out came a long, thin pointy blade.

"Vegas, Baby!" Buck yelled out when he heard our news.

I grinned and said, "Don't get too excited, you weren't invited," Buck looked crushed.

Penny came in as I was saying that, and offered, "Well, Buck, we're being flown out on the corporate jet, so if you wanted to go, it would be a free ride. But you'd have to find a place to stay out there; I'm not sharing my luxury room at the MGM Grand with anyone but Jim."

Deacon, who was sitting on Penny's couch, spoke up, "Well, if I can get the same offer for the flight out, Buck and I could stay at my sister's house, she lives in Las Vegas. I'd like to visit her." Buck's eyes went wide, and sat there with that walrus smile of his.

Penny smiled, "Deacon, the plane has a weight limit," she giggled.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of all the big guy jokes. Besides, I'm not big, you're just all puny."

"OK, Deacon, you've earned our respect. We will no longer make jokes at your expense. OK, King Kong?" I joked.

He grabbed a book off the couch and threw it at me, it missed and came crashing down next to the sleeping cat, startling it out of its dreams. The cat snarled and ran off.

"Oh good, I'm not the only one who annoys cats now," I laughed.

Penny stepped in before we started fighting, "Deacon, I'll check with the studio and see, but I'm sure you and Buck could hitch a ride."

Buck whooped, and said, "Sin City, here we come!" he paused, "Deacon, what's your sister look like?"

"Just stay away from her. Besides she's an amazon and a showgirl," Deacon warned.

"Showgirl? Does she do the nude shows?" Buck's mouth was hanging open.

"No, and I'd strangle her if she did," he growled.

"Murder doesn't become you, Deacon," I said, and then whispered something to Penny. She nodded.

"Buck, can you help me get some luggage out of my garage and let the kids sit here and fight?" she asked.

"I'd be glad to." He got up and followed Penny out.

I moved over, next to Deacon on the couch. I sat for a minute, not really knowing what to say, I wasn't a very open person. I finally said, "Deacon, I asked Penny to get Buck out of here for a while, since I wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to say I really appreciate what you did for Penny, jumping in front of that bullet. I honestly know I would have lost it, if I had lost her. You saved me, as well as Penny. I just wanted to say a big thank you."

Deacon was quiet for a bit, and then he just said, "My pleasure. I would have missed both of you." Then he smiled.

Changing the subject, "So, your sister lives in Vegas?" I asked.

"Yep, about ten years now. She works at the Tropicana, in one of the shows."

"Deacon, I lived in Vegas for about a year and a half, the Tropicana showgirls do go topless," I confessed.

Deacon smiled and said, "I know, I just didn't want Buck to know. He'd hound me for details until we got there."

We both laughed. I continued, "I really miss being out there. I came back due to a bit of homesickness and my Dad's health. I really wished I had stayed though."

"What took you out there?" Deacon wondered.

"I was offered a job, for one of the shows. I lasted about six months, got fed up with the guy I worked for and quit. I'll tell you more about it sometime. I have a low threshold for arrogance, couldn't stand the guy after I got to know him. Then I worked there for one of the chain magic shops until I moved back here."

"Magic shops? You did magic?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I've been doing shows for local parties and such, for over forty years, I stopped after getting back here," I said wistfully.

"I love magic; you'll have to teach me a few tricks," Deacon stated, like a small child.

"You got it, big guy."

Penny and Buck came back in the living room carrying six suitcases. They plopped them in the middle of the room, I looked at them and said, "Just how long are we going to be out there?"

"A woman needs many changes of clothing, just in case," she remarked.

"Don't forget to pack warm clothing," I joked, remembering the daily 100 plus degrees it got in Vegas. I just didn't want to say that in April, when the convention was, it was sometimes cool.

"Smart ass," she retorted, knowing how hot it gets there. "I'm filling one suitcase with tank tops and short shorts." Then she stuck her tongue out at me.

Deacon said, "Hey, Buck, did you know Jimmy was a magician?"

Buck smiled, "Yeah, he told me all about it when we used to work together."

Penny stopped, looking like her brain was actively engaged, and finally said, "That's right, you did magic shows back in classes in school. I remember seeing a couple now, and I was impressed. Can you do something right now?"

I smirked, "I can make your bra disappear."

She grinned, "I don't have a bra on."

"See it worked," I chuckled.

"Still a smart ass," she tsked, and went off towards the bed room carrying two suitcases.

"She holds up nice for not wearing a bra, eh?" I admired.

Buck looked towards Deacon and said, "I want to know more about your sister, got a picture of her in your wallet?"

"Yes, I do, but I'm not letting you drool all over it," he answered.

I asked, "Can I see it?"

Deacon took his wallet out and after opening it, showed it to me. Buck ran around the back of the couch and looked over my shoulder. It was of a very attractive woman in one of those fancy feathered showgirl outfits.

"Wow, she's a looker!" Buck was just about drooling.

Penny came back in the room and I said to come look at Deacon's sister. She studied the picture for a couple seconds.

"Hmm... I better not find you chasing after her now," she threatened.

"Baby, I only have eyes for you," I grinned.

"It's not your eyes I'm concerned about," she snapped, then smiled, "You can look all you want, just keep other body parts away."

Deacon said not to worry, he'd watch out for his sister while we're there.

After a while, Buck and Deacon left, Penny and I just sat on the couch and relaxed. I put my arm around her and she tucked into me.

"Did you have your talk with Deacon?" she asked.

"I did, I told him I was really thankful he saved your life. I wouldn't have been able to live if you were killed." I kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, sure, you'd be snuggling up to Deacon's sister about now," she chuckled.

"Not really, I'm allergic to feathers. Besides I think Buck may have a crush on her, the way he kept bugging Deacon for more info. I think Deacon may regret telling him about her." I decided to change the subject, "I haven't told you much about when I lived in Vegas. You Interested?"

She said she was.

"Well, back in 2003, I got an email from a girl I knew from my first marriage. Her brother was a teen when I first met him; he was attempting to become a stand-up comic, more of a prop comic, kind of like Carrot top. He would occasionally help me when I did shows and needed extra performers. He eventually toured around the country, going to comedy clubs and polishing his act. Then he finally started working in Vegas, and got a contract to work one of the big casinos. His production manager was leaving to go to Chicago, and he needed help, his sister mentioned me, so he wrote and asked if I was interested. I said I was, and went out to look it over, and took the job. It was good at first, but I found out too many things about him I didn't like. I didn't expect a saint, but I didn't expect the crap he did. He was abusive to the people who worked for him and I finally had enough when he exploded over something I had no control over, and I quit." I was quiet for a minute thinking about the memory.

"Did you come back to Michigan then?" Penny asked.

"No, I stayed. My son was living with me at the time; he had a job, so we had some income. I finally found an ad in the classifieds for a magician to work at a chain of magic stores located in various casino shopping centers. So, I stood out in front of the store doing my magic to attract people to come in. I was a pitch man, as they call it. It was fun, but it was work. Unfortunately, my son's job went bust, so trying to struggle on my little income and the fact we both were a little homesick, we decided to come back. Plus, every Sunday when I called my Mom, she would tell me how poorly Dad was doing, I didn't want to be 2000 miles away if something happened to him. So, we came back."

Penny detected a bit of sadness in my voice, "You'd rather be back there?"

"Oh, I miss it. Yes, I'd like to be back there. Maybe when I retire," I smiled.

"Retire? You're starting a new career as a private investigator, which I think is silly but I support you, and you're a year and a half away from social security. You better move fast before retiring to Las Vegas," she grinned. "What is it about Vegas that would make you go back?"

"After I moved back to Michigan and had the chance to compare between the two places, I found that in Vegas I loved the sunshine; the heat; walking down the Strip and seeing happy people; being in a Disneyland for adults; the sounds of the casinos; driving up the Strip amazed at all the lights; walking around Fremont Street and watching the two block long video playing over head; having just about any kind of store available for anything you could ever want from all over the world; the diversity of people both living there and visiting; the place is always changing, something new everyday, something new to see; and a dream fulfilled, I got to perform magic in Las Vegas, about a 1000 plus shows... well, I could go on but we have so little time."

We both were quiet for a bit, then I said, "I think what really got to my soul, one night, I was standing at the parking lot edge of an office complex, just off from the desert. I was looking out at the miles of flat land, tumble weed and cactus, seeing the Vegas strip in the distance. All the casinos brightly lit like a carnival. I watched the light beam from the Luxor pyramid blasting up to the heavens, and