Hiding in Plain Sight

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Those men stared through their binoculars for a good minute or two before they realized the truth of what they were seeing.

“This is bull!” 

Bert was furious. He tossed his nocks on the bar and gave Mimi a nod. 

“Give me another.”

Mimi looked over to Jerry, the owner of the pub, who eyed the old sailors and was quick to cut them off. He had her put some coffee on instead.

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Once the caffeine kicked in, Jerry regretted his decision… wishing he had called a cab instead.

Lester and Bert went at it for hours. Ernie, who was now semiconscious, lifted his head from the table now and then, whenever he had something to add.

Where was Veronica? More importantly now, who was this mystery woman?? They were all dying to know. And everyone had a theory.

Mac, the gardener, was at the pool table most of the night. He hadn’t invested like the others, so he was only there for the game. And the beer. He had no interest in Charlie or Veronica, or the mystery woman for that matter.

“She’s probably his accountant!” He laughed, knowing damn good and well that Charlie had blamed the ‘missing money’ on his ‘missing’ accountant. 

Bert and Lester were about to lose it and Jerry thought about that cab again. Then Mimi interrupted… and the whole thing snowballed.

“I bet she’s his niece.”

You’d think those men would have learned to keep a tighter grip on their money, but, sadly, that was not the case. They were gambling men, through and through, and this particular night would be no different.

Before long, everyone in that pub had put their two cents in (with the exception of a few), and the wagers were on the table. 

Last call came and went, the taxis lined up at the curb, and… little by little… they all stumbled out of the pub. Mimi stuffed the cash into an envelope and proceeded to wipe down the bar.

A beautiful dark haired woman, who’d been near the jukebox all night… slightly hidden behind the slatted partition… brought her empty glass up to the bar.

“Thanks Mimi,” she said. “I’ve had fun tonight.”

Mimi smiled, took the woman’s glass, and then handed her the envelope.  

“Goodnight Veronica,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

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THE END

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I’ve been dying to get this wrapped up, so there you have it. I suppose that con artists may be notorious for using distraction as a key tactic in their schemes – and it seems they’ve pulled this one off.

Are Veronica and Mimi related or just fellow scammers? And what’s up with Charlie and the mystery woman? Were they in on it too? I suppose we’ll never know. Unless a sequel comes out that is! Probably not but you just never know.

Anyway, I’m relieved. Another one finished! Roughly done is better than not done at all – that’s my motto for today.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story, and my new shadowy illustration of Veronica… hiding in plain sight.

See you soon!

Links to Parts 1 and 2
1 – Checkmate: The Art of a Con
2 – The Mystery Woman
3 – Hiding in Plain Sight