Page 61 of Family Ties and Alibis

“Hey!” Gina jogged toward her. “Mission accomplished.”

“You dropped the recording device in her bag?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gina winked. “You did an excellent job distracting everyone.”

“Not by choice. Ione got onto me about how long it took to deliver the drinks. That woman is a trip,” Mercedes seethed.

“So you called her out?”

“I called her a witch.”

“No kidding. Did she threaten to fire you?”

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that’s her plan. It doesn’t matter because I’ll be turning in my tray after my shift ends.”

Gina lifted her hand, giving her sister-in-law a fist bump. “You and me both. Poor Char. I feel bad about her spending time training us, and now we’re leaving.”

“She’s getting paid for it.” Mercedes pulled a wad of cash from her pocket. “I’m gonna share my tips with her.”

“I’m sure she can use a little extra dough.” Gina switched her cell phone on and held it up. “Let’s snap a selfie.”

“So we’ll have a memento of our epic adventure?”

“That and to get a snapshot of Ione. I’m thinking it might come in handy.”

Turning the phone at the precise angle, Gina snapped a photo of the two of them with Ione in the background, not looking directly at them, but enough so they got a clear headshot.

“You’re turning into a good detective.”

“I’m learning from the best.” Gina handed the surveillance baggie to her. “Don’t let Ione get under your skin. Bosses like her are a dime a dozen.”

“She definitely rubbed me the wrong way.” Mercedes, now calm as a cucumber, finished filling her tray with drinks. “Ione is a nasty woman. I would hate to have to deal with her on a daily basis. At least we know we can move on to phase two.”

“Which is?”

“Char mentioned Ione works from noon ‘til nine. All we gotta do is figure out if she’s involved in Sal’s death.” She removed the earpiece from the bag and wiggled it into her ear. Checking her cell phone, she confirmed it had synced and the app was ready to capture the recordings. “Hopefully, Elvira’s surveillance equipment works well enough to get some dirt on her. The woman is up to no good. I would bet my life on it.”

Chapter 24

“You’re sure Jimmy Grimaldi, Quick Cash’s head manager, isn’t involved?” Vinnie asked.

“I don’t think so, although I can’t be certain. He seems like a decent guy,” Mercedes said. “To be honest, I think he and most of the other casino employees are afraid of Ione Lee. Sal was pulling the same shenanigans over there that he was here. Ione was letting him get away with it.”

“Jimmy planned to transfer Sal to another department so that Ione was no longer his supervisor, but he died before it happened,” Gina added. “Oh, and you have a reputation for being a bad-boy hottie.”

Vinnie chuckled. “Me?”

“Quick Cash’s servers were all swooning over you.” Mercedes playfully clasped her hands and batted her eyes. “Vinnie the mafia guy. If not for Brittney, those women would be chasing you all over Atlantic City.”

“They’ll have to stand in line behind Elvira,” Luigi laughed.

“I wonder what they would do if they found out there were three GQ worthy Garlucci guys.” Mercedes made googly eyes.

“I had to chase some of them away from the house when the boys were teens.” Carlita changed the subject. “Based on what you’re saying, Ione is the one running the show and Jimmy is the manager in name only.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Mercedes said. “I have no doubt she would be more than capable of killing Sal or anyone else for that matter.”

An unreadable look crossed Vinnie’s face. “That’s it.”