“Where’s the cop?” Pauline asked when she returned with the old woman’s drink. She set the plastic cup of frothy beer down next to the machine where Clara was still pushing buttons. She had finished her cigarette and reattached the oxygen.
“He’s back at the hotel, sleeping, I imagine,” Eve answered. She was still sitting at the machine behind Clara.
“I guess he doesn’t know you’re out here by yourself.” Pauline took the five-dollar bill Clara had fished out of her wad of money. “Thanks, doll,” she said. “I’ll check back on you in a bit.”
“Sure, Pauline,” Clara replied.
Eve jumped up. “Pauline, can we go somewhere and talk?” she asked.
Pauline glanced around. “It’s slow,” she explained. “Sit down at the last machine near the back door. It’s a penny slot. It’s the one place where we can stand and not get in trouble.” She looked at Eve. “But you got to play.” And she turned and walked away.
Eve looked first one way and then the other, trying to figure out where the back door was located.
Clara watched. “It’s that way.” She gestured to the right with her head. “Play the Princess. She’s the only loose one down there.”
“Thanks,” Eve responded, having no idea what a loose princess actually meant, and headed in the direction Clara had pointed out. She turned back. “Good luck, Clara,” she added with a smile.
“Honey, I’ll take all I can get.” And she pushed the button once more, picked up her drink, and took a long swallow.
Eve walked through the rows of slot machines, passing a few gamblers, and found her way to a rear wall. There was, however, no door. She glanced around and noticed a sign designating the machines in that area as penny slots. She followed the row of empty machines until she saw a swinging door.
She smiled when she saw a machine with a princess on the front about midway down the row. There was a dragon on one side and a kind of Prince Charming soldier on the other. Eve sat down and tried to figure out how the game worked. She reached for her wallet, realizing that she didn’t have change, but soon noticed that the machine didn’t take coins. She pulled out a one-dollar bill and tried to insert it just as she had seen Clara do it. In a matter of seconds, the machine lit up and she could see that she was ready to play. She pushed the big button on the right side and whirling images filled the screen. When the images stopped, it didn’t appear as if she had won. She pushed the button again.
“Okay, I got ten minutes for you,” came a woman’s voice from behind. “But keep playing so I don’t get in trouble.”
Eve turned to look at Pauline. She had done a good job with the makeup covering the bruise under her eye. It was hardly noticeable, Eve thought. “Thanks,” she said, smiling.
“I don’t really know anything to tell you about Dorisanne,” she volunteered. “I told you what I knew at the apartment.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Eve responded. “So, you just said that Dorisanne and Robbie left last week and that it seemed like they were in a hurry, that Dorisanne told you that they were going on a trip and would be back soon.”
“That’s what she told me.”
“When was that? What day?”
Pauline shrugged. She was studying her fingernails, holding her tray under her right arm.
“Maybe Monday or Tuesday.” She looked at Eve. “I’m not sure. It may have even been the week before, now that I think about it.”
Eve waited. “It would really help if you could remember exactly what day.”
Pauline closed her eyes and seemed to be mouthing dates. It appeared as if she was trying to recall the day she spoke to Dorisanne based upon some schedule, some routine that Pauline kept.
“It was Friday, two weeks ago. I was coming back from pulling the graveyard. Kathy, the other slots waitress, wanted to go to some concert and I said I would cover for her, so I worked a double. I was exhausted. But I made good tips that night. There was some Vietnam Vets group from Madison, Wisconsin, staying here, and they were excellent tippers.” She played with her nails. “The men always tip better than the women,” she added.
“You went home, and what, you ran into Dorisanne and Robbie as they were leaving?” Eve asked.
Pauline shook her head. “No, I saw that their door was open, so I thought I would just peek my head in and say hello.” She smiled. “I like your sister. We’ve done some things together,” she said and then seemed nervous about the comment.
Eve didn’t ask what kind of things. She didn’t really think it mattered. “And she was packing?”
Pauline nodded. “A small bag, throwing things in it, like she was in a hurry.”
“Where was Robbie?”
“She said he had gone to get some gas and was on his way back.”
“And then they were heading out?”
Another nod.
“And she didn’t say where.”
Pauline glanced up when a man started walking in their direction. “You got money in there?” she asked.
Eve looked back at the machine. “Yeah,” she answered.
“Then you need to push the button,” Pauline said. “It’s the floor manager, and I’m taking your order.”
Eve turned back to the machine and took another turn. Images of a palace and a princess, a gold chalice, and a white horse spun around.
“What do you drink?” Pauline asked.
“Just water,” she replied.
“Okay, I’ll be back. Keep playing.”
And before Eve could reply, Pauline had headed through the swinging door at the end of the row of machines. She hit the button again.
The man Pauline had mentioned, a short guy wearing a dark suit and a silver tie, followed her through the swinging door, smiling at Eve as he passed.
She threw up her hand in greeting and glanced at her watch. It was almost 3:00 a.m.