Chapter Six #2
“Fake books would be a big one. Records that don’t line up. A casino is a great money-laundering operation. If he’s cooking the books so the government doesn’t know what he’s really making, that would be helpful. Evidence of any debts. Both legit or otherwise.
“On a more personal level, any information about Frank’s close connections would be helpful. Especially if they are local businessmen.”
“I know a lot about his friends from all the private parties. I can try to write you up a list of everything I know about everyone.”
“That would be helpful.”
“I wish I could draw you pictures, but stick figures are outside my talents.”
“Once I have names, I can track down pictures.”
The food arrived then, and I nearly moaned at the scents of tomato, cream, garlic, and basil that met my nose.
“Well, if we’re going to be in bed together,” I said after we started to eat, “can I know some more about you?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Is your name really Milo?”
“It is. My last name isn’t Grant. But I’m going to ask a favor that you don’t ask me my real last name. At least until this job is done.”
“My real last name isn’t London,” I said with a shrug. “Are you from the area?”
“I’m from Jersey. Just a little further north.”
“How long have you been here?”
“I got here yesterday,” he admitted.
“Wow. Got right to work.”
“I’m not in the area for pleasure.”
“Have you been here a lot before?”
“Last time I was here, I got wasted and woke up on the sand. Haven’t been back since. Where did you grow up?”
“Wherever my mom’s husbands lived. Florida for the longest, I guess. Then mostly in New York for modeling.”
“Buncha stepfathers, huh?”
This was not information he needed for me to accomplish this job. And some part of me thought it might be best if he didn’t know a hell of a lot about me personally.
But, well, I was kind of enjoying talking to him.
Besides, what could he do with the information about my childhood? Nothing.
“Stepfather would imply any of them saw me as a daughter. I was an inconvenience to the first one. A meal ticket to the third one. And nothing but a Christmas postcard to the most recent one.”
“I feel like there is a weighty reason you left out the second one.”
“The second one was a creep. I was a tween. He was someone in and around the beauty pageant circuit. Which should have been a big, glaring red flag to my mom. But she… she really craved attention. And Gene was all too happy to give it to her.”
“To get closer to you.”
“Yeah. He used to come in my room or the bathroom when I was changing or showering. Made comments that I didn’t understand at the time but now I’m disgusted by.”
“I’m sorry. It’s sick how many men target single moms just to get closer to the kids.”
“Yeah. I told my grandmother, and she had me come and live with her in Vegas. The marriage dissolved pretty quickly after that.”
“Vegas. Is that why you were drawn here?”
“It’s probably part of it. My grandmother was a showgirl in the golden age. Gorgeous. So talented. She claims she got a diamond necklace from Frank Sinatra because he was so infatuated with her.”
“Somehow, I don’t doubt that,” Milo said, something heated in his gaze that had me shifting in my seat.
“I mean, obviously, by the time I went to live with her, she was long retired. But I spent that summer becoming obsessed with her stories and the old casino culture. Part of it stuck. I don’t think I realized until I got here that Atlantic City’s heyday has been over for a long time.”
“Cities have a way of bouncing back,” Milo said. “People crave vintage experiences. It’ll come around. Maybe you’ll be telling your granddaughter about your days as an AC lounge singer.”
“That would be really neat.”
“Your mom wasn’t into entertainment?”
“My mom was a model when she was sixteen until nineteen.”
“Why so short a time?”
“She was in a bad car accident one night. She ended up really messing up her hip. She walks with a slight limp even all this time later. But more than that, she got some scars. One big one on her thigh. And a smaller, but more egregious one—in the eyes of the fashion industry—on her face. Her career was over.”
“So she got married and made you instead.”
“Actually, my father was a one-night stand who didn’t want the burden of fatherhood. He was a singer-songwriter who wanted to be the next Bob Dylan.”
“Did he get there?”
“He fell into a bottle when his first album flopped. Seems like he stayed there a long time. But I saw him on social media recently. Doing some modern-day busking on a live video. Seems like he got sober.”
“Do you have any kind of relationship with him?”
“We’ve talked a handful of times over the years. But it was always awkward. Enough about my messed-up family. What about yours?”
“I was mostly raised by my ma. My father passed.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. But my mom was left with five of us to raise.”
“Oh, wow. Five?”
“Two brothers, two sisters.”
“Where do you fall?”
“The baby. My two brothers, two sisters, then me.”
“Big age gaps?”
“No. We were one after another. My mom is a big fan of babies.”
“Which means she is looking for grandbabies…”
“She’s got a ton of them. But she wants some from me too.”
“That’s sweet, though.”
“Your mom doesn’t want grandchildren?”
“My mother would rather die than have someone call her ‘grandma.’ And she was forever telling me not to get pregnant because I was going to ruin my body.”
“Ruin,” Milo repeated, frowning. “Change, sure. But ruin is a terrible way to put it.”
“Well, she wanted it to sound terrible. Mostly because she and her third husband stole all my modeling money, so they didn’t want to lose that stream of income if I got knocked up.”
“Jesus, Monroe…”
“Roe. Just Roe.”
“Roe.” God, it sounded even better when he said that. “I like that.”
“Monroe London is a great stage name. But Roe Langston feels more like me.”
“I think they both suit you. You are definitely Monroe London on stage.”
“Yeah. It’s like a costume you slip on. Monroe London is a 1930s or 40s sultry lounge singer who makes men fall in love with her every night and will settle down with some oil magnate.”
“Is that what your grandmother did?”
“Not oil. Real estate mogul.”
“Is she… still with us?”
“No, unfortunately. She passed a few months ago. She did get to see me on stage once, though. Which is a precious memory to keep.”
“She must have been proud.”
“She was. We had a great visit. She loved the stage so much. I think it was a full circle moment for her to see me there. Even if I wasn’t in a bikini with a two-foot tall headdress.”
“I mean… I don’t think anyone would object to seeing you on that stage in a bikini.”
“Before my sets last night, I was thinking about how I might need to quit and start working a very different kind of stage.”
“Well, now you don’t have to worry about that,” Milo said.
“How will we handle the communication?” And payment I added silently.
“I will give you my number. But I’d prefer to meet in person to discuss anything you’ve found. If you have time.”
“I do. But maybe… maybe we shouldn’t be meeting in public like this? If Frank starts to get suspicious about you, then he can link me to you…”
“You’re probably right. You might be seeing me around the casino, though. Just so you aren’t startled by catching sight of me.”
“Where should we meet then?”
“There’s my hotel. If you’re not comfortable with that, this town seems full of places to meet without being seen. Maybe we can switch things up each time.”
“Sounds good.”
“Do you have a shift tonight?”
“No, this is my only night off.”
“Do you have any plans today? I can run across you somewhere to give you the first payment.”
“I have to hit up the pet store.”
“You have a pet?”
“A former alley cat with one eye and missing half an ear. Do you have any pets?”
“I work too much. But that’s not stopping me from going and browsing the supplies for a donation to the local rescue.”
“And maybe you’ll be doing that around six?” I asked as the server came back to take our plates.
“As good a time as any.”
With that, he paid the bill in an almost alarming stack of cash.
“Thanks for the invite,” I said as we made our way outside. “I’ve always wondered if this place lived up to the hype.”
“Does it?”
“Exceeds it, I think. You don’t agree?” I asked when he made a face.
“I might be a little biased. My family owns an Italian restaurant.”
“Better than this? I might have to add that to my bucket list one day.”
“When all this is over, I’d be happy to rent the place out to show you.”
“It’s a date,” I said, giving him a smile.
“I’d like to give you a ride…”
“But we probably shouldn’t be seen together,” I finished for him. “I’m not that far from home. Thanks for lunch.”
And the life-changing money.
A way out.