Page 53 of Family Ties and Alibis

Mercedes shivered involuntarily. “Hopefully, I never get on her bad side.”

Char snapped her fingers. “There is one more thing about Ione you’ll want to remember.”

“What?”

“Do you see the gold backpack by her feet?”

Mercedes squatted down. “Yeah.”

“It belongs to her. Do not, under any circumstances, mess with it. She freaks out if people get near it.”

“What’s in it?”

Char shrugged. “It must be something good. The last employee who accidentally thought it was theirs almost got their arm torn off. She ripped it right off the woman’s shoulder.”

“She sounds like a person I want to avoid.”

“The only way you’ll be on her radar is if you do something wrong in her section of the casino.”

“She’s in charge of disciplining employees?”

“In her sector, which is where you and Gina will be working, so unfortunately for you the answer is yes.” Char helped transfer the drinks the bartender brought over to Mercedes’ tray. “To be honest, I’ve been cutting her some slack. She’s having a rough time of it. Remember the security guard, Sal, we were talking about earlier?”

“The guy who died?”

“Ione was his girlfriend.”

Chapter 21

Mercedes stared blankly at Char. “The pit boss chick, the person in charge of disciplining employees, was dating a guy who should’ve been fired?”

“It was a complicated relationship.” Char twined her fingers, appearing nervous, as if she’d spoken out of turn and said too much. “Jimmy was putting the kibosh on it, getting ready to transfer Sal to another department so Ione was no longer his supervisor.”

“When you said the employees who worked at Quick Cash were close-knit, you weren’t kidding.”

“There are only a few who are dating. Sal and Ione happened to be one of the couples.”

Gina hustled over. “There are some thirsty folks in this part of the casino.”

“Some of ‘em only come in to spend a few quarters and drink for free. You’ll find out pretty quickly which customers I’m talking about because they’re crappy tippers.”

“Speaking of drinks, it’s time for me to deliver mine.” Mercedes made her rounds, passing out beverages and taking orders.

The hours flew by, and before she knew it, Char tracked her down to let her know it was time for lunch. “Feel free to eat in the breakroom. Personally, I prefer to grab a hot dog at the vending truck parked across from the casino and eat it while I’m breathing fresh air, away from the smoke.”

“Smart thinkin’” Gina tapped the side of her forehead. “You wanna go with us?”

“Unfortunately, I have a few errands to run.” Char loosened the strings on her work apron and slipped it over her head. “Meet me back here in an hour, right by the bar.” She told them they could stash their trays and order pads behind the counter before leaving.

“Well?” Gina struggled to keep up with Mercedes’ fast pace. “Were you able to get any useful information?”

“I sure did.” Mercedes smiled at another cocktail waitress as they crossed paths. “Have you met Ione, the female pit boss?”

“No, but I know who you’re talking about.” Gina described her. “She looks…cranky.”

“She and Sal were dating. Ione was also his boss.”

Gina stopped in her tracks. “Are you serious? Wasn’t he on the verge of getting fired for bad behavior?”