Page 6 of Monkey Business

“Fifty!” said Gaspar.

“How did it go?” asked Nine.

“As expected. Her hair and nails looked great, but you can’t restore youthful skin in two hours, or lose forty pounds of weight. I feel bad for her, but she’s really abused her body. We preach it all the time to women about using sunscreen, wearing hats, making sure that they’re really taking care of their skin. You only get one shot unless you’re very wealthy and can afford injections, surgeries, and other things.”

“That’s sad,” said Gaspar. “Everything else okay? Do you ladies need anything?”

“We might want to look at some additional cameras on the outside of the building,” said Winter.

“Is someone bothering you?” frowned Nine.

“No, nothing like that. It’s just that we get deliveries that come really early in the morning sometimes. Things like rubber gloves for the hair dye, new gowns for our spa treatments, that sort of thing. We had a case of new blankets and robes disappear, and it showed that it was delivered. The driver always takes a pic of the delivery.”

“What the hell,” muttered Gaspar. “Gwen experienced something similar. No attempts at break-in, no vandalism, just some petty theft. Hers wasn’t even brand new. It was scraps of cloth.”

“That’s very strange,” frowned Ramey. “Maybe the guys could check the cameras again, and we can see where this stuff went.”

“We’ll take care of it. See you all at dinner,” smiled Gaspar, giving them a hug.

“Why does it always smell so amazing in here? Every time I come in here, I just want to curl up and take a nap or something,” said Nine. The girls laughed, shaking their heads.

“We have our own signature scent filtered throughout the spa, as well as candles and diffusers. It immediately helps clients to relax, as you’ve noted. You can buy the candles if you ever want some in your own house.” The two men nodded, heading toward the door.

“We’re locking up,” said Winter. “We can walk with you to the cafeteria.” Nine smiled at the ladies.

“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Don’t you think it’s weird that stuff has been missing, but we’re not catching anything on cameras or motion detectors?” asked Nine as they walked toward dinner.

“I think it’s seriously fucking weird. Could be an animal, but what would an animal want with scrap fabric. An entire box of scrap fabric,” he said, shrugging.

“We’d still catch that on the cameras. Maybe someone is fucking with our equipment,” said Nine. “I don’t know. I’ll get with the tech boys later and see what they can find out.”

Summer menus at Belle Fleur tended to be light and fresh. The best produce from the gardens, along with fresh fruit, homemade breads, freshly churned ice cream, and much more. It was a welcome refresh instead of hot, big meals every day. It gave the cafeteria crew a deserved break from the heat of the kitchens and the heat outside.

“Gaspar! Nine!” called Mama Irene and Claudette, walking toward the two men.

“What’s wrong now?” frowned Gaspar, rolling his eyes at his mother. She usually had something crazy to ask him, so today he was prepared for just about anything.

“Don’t be fresh,” frowned Mama Irene. “Gaspar, someone stole my garden tools and an entire basket of peppers and tomatoes.”

“What? When?”

“This afternoon. I thought maybe someone brought them up here, but they’re gone. Just gone.”

“Okay, Mama, I’ll look into it. It seems we’re having an issue all over the property with this. Are we certain that none of the animals could have done this? Maybe Semu. Does she like objects in her enclosure?”

“She likes soft, plush things. Blankets and pillows. It’s not the animals, Gaspar. I can’t figure out who it is.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” Irene and Claudette walked away, only bringing Franklin to their table. “Please don’t tell me the ghosts are missing things as well.”

“No,” smirked Franklin, “but we all agree there’s an odd presence here. We can’t quite find it or figure it out.”

“What does that mean? Is it a ghost?” asked Nine.

“We’re not sure. It could be a ghost, or it could be something more sinister.”

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