Page 20 of Family Ties and Alibis

A meandering path gently flowed beside a brick courtyard overlooking the pool. Although the sign posted on the gate stated it was closed for the season, she noticed several people lounging in chairs and seated at cozy tables, soaking up the late afternoon sun. “Vinnie’s right. This would be a nice place to hang out.”

The couple passed by the ice cream shop, the one they’d taken their grandchildren to only hours earlier. While they walked, she thought about Vinnie and wondered what the authorities might have on him.

So caught up in her musings, and mulling over the investigator’s angle, she nearly collided with Pete, who had stopped at a door, the glass frame covered in heavy window tint. A small sign read, Quick Cash Casino.

“We’re here.”

Carlita wrinkled her nose. “This is it?”

He stepped back, studying the building’s exterior. “It’s not much to look at. I see a main entrance farther down.”

“This door is as good as any.” She waited for Pete to open it before steering her scooter across the threshold. The smell of stale cigarettes wafted in the air. It grew stronger as they drew closer to the casino floor.

Reaching the dimly lit interior, Carlita paused to get her bearings. To the right was a cashier’s station, roughly half the size of Treasure Cove’s. To the left were the restrooms. Beyond the restrooms, she glimpsed a semicircular bar.

Veering right past the cashier’s counter, they made a straight shot toward the security guard standing at the main entrance’s podium. Tucked in the far corner, she noticed a deli counter with a cramped seating area.

The layout made an odd zig and zag. The high-rollers’ area was deader than a doornail, while the main floor where most of the machines and table games were located wasn’t much busier.

“Are you noticing what I’m noticing?”

“There’s hardly anyone in here,” Pete said.

The main corridor took them past a steakhouse, currently closed but with a sign stating it would open soon. Directly across from the cashier’s counter, Carlita noticed a poster sign on the wall, professionally done, showing a woman wearing a silky black skirt, a matching vest and collared shirt beneath it, cut low and revealing the woman’s cleavage.

“They’re hiring,” she said. “Cocktail waitresses, servers, and slot techs.”

“If Mercedes ever decides to move to AC to be close to Vinnie, she wouldn’t have any problem getting a job.”

“No, but I would worry about her.” Carlita studied the gamblers seated at the machines. Only a handful of people stood at the tables while the dealers whose tables were empty appeared bored. “This place is depressing.”

“Right? Maybe the hotel lobby is busier.”

After making a few wrong turns, they finally found the lobby. Although it looked as if it had once been upscale and elegant, it now appeared dingy and old, in desperate need of a facelift.

A musty odor lingered. On closer inspection, she noticed a yellow stain running down the wallpaper. A second one, even larger than the first, ran beside it. Dusty fake palm trees. A sagging sofa with matching patterned chairs, their arms worn and starting to fray, sat clustered together. Even the piped-in music struck her as depressing.

“Quick Cash has seen better days,” Pete finally said.

Carlita shivered involuntarily. “No kidding. I haven’t seen one smiling worker.” She cast a furtive glance toward the check-in desk. Two young employees stood at the counter. One waited on a guest while the other stared at the cell phone in her hand. “I think I’ve seen enough.”

Backtracking, they started to retrace their steps when Carlita noticed an arrow directing them toward the pool. “Before we go, let’s check out the amenities.”

A short trek down a narrow hall led them to an exit. A sign above warned that the pool was only accessible via guest keycard.

“Crud.”

“Honestly, I don’t think we’re missing anything.”

Returning to their starting point, they exited the casino and stopped when they reached the railing.

Carlita shaded her eyes, noticing the “u” in Quick Cash’s neon sign had burned out. “Not all of the iconic Atlantic City Boardwalk is shiny and pretty.”

“It goes without saying this sort of business venture can bring out the worst in people,” Pete said. “I’m sure the police deal with all sorts of illegal activities up and down this strip.”

Back at the hotel, Carlita freshened up, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her youngest son, Paulie, his wife Gina, and their triplets.

The text came while they were munching on a complimentary platter of cheese and crackers they’d found inside the fridge of their luxurious suite.