Death in the Casino: Target Practice Mysteries 5

by Nikki Haverstock

  "Easy, Tiger. Why are you all worked up?" I wouldn't have asked if I'd known it was such a tender topic.

  "They want to increase the payout in the women's divisions. Where do you think that money would come from?"

  "Are you talking about those black armband chicks?"

  I jumped at the male voice in my ear and turned around. Uncle Mike was standing behind me. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

  "Sorry. I'm Mike Uncalous. Hi, Mary. It's nice to see you, again." He swept his worn Andersson Archery cap off his head and smoothed his hair.

  The tips of her ears turned pink. "Nice to see you, too, Uncle Mike."

  He waved his hands and winked at her. "You can call me Unc or Mike, but not Uncle Mike. It sounds wrong coming from you."

  I shook my head. "Anyways. We were talking--"

  Tiger held up the pamphlet to Unc. "About this. Tell them. Tell them."

  Mary turned to Tiger and quirked an eyebrow. "Leaping lizards, Tiger, it was just a question."

  He spun around on her. "But it's not a fair question. If I argue that things are fine the way they are, then it looks like I'm a sexist pig. But it isn't only a matter of equal pay for equal work."

  Unc held up a hand. Gone was the laughing, loud-mouthed guy who had gotten into it with Minx. He had done a one-eighty. Though he was still a jokester, he'd added a professional and steady demeanor to the mix. Judging by the expression on Mary's face as she watched him, she was a fan of the combination. "Here, let me explain something. We would love to be able to pay the women the same amount as the men. Nothing would make us happier, and as soon as purchasing power and entry numbers are the same, the pay-outs will be the same."

  I stepped back and took a deep breath. "So the payout is strictly based on entry numbers? There are twenty times more men than women that enter?"

  "Significantly fewer women in the division, for sure."

  "By significantly fewer, do you mean one-twentieth?"

  "Entrance numbers aren't the only factor we're talking about. There's also buying power. People look to the men when they are picking out equipment."

  I leaped on his words. "Hogwash. That's a circular argument at best. You pay the guys a ton of money, which makes people take notice, then say that because people take notice that the men deserve money." I had seen this reasoning in the tech industry. "So the women's division gets one-twentieth the payout of the men. And how big is each division?"

  He rubbed the back of his neck. "The women's division is one third as big. But don't get all huffy at me. The difference was made up by money contributed by our sponsors, including your company. I didn't hear of them offering any money for the women's division. If they did, we certainly wouldn't turn it down."

  "Westmound donated money just to the men's division?"

  "Someone did. Either Westmound, Andersson Archery, MacSights, I don't know. One of you guys' companies for sure. But come on, let's not fight about it. We would love to give more prize money out in the women's division, especially the pro division."

  I craned my head around to try and pop the tension out of my neck. "Are you on the tournament staff?"

  "I'm the pro chair; I represent the pros, both men and women, during tournament planning." He turned away from me slightly, dismissing me from the rest of the conversation. "Hey, Mary, what are you doing after the opening ceremony? A bunch of us are grabbing dinner on the strip, and you're more than welcome to join us. My treat." He cast a glance back at me. "I'd invite you, too, but the reservation is set, and I'm sure you want to stay with your dog."

  "Of course," I replied, but he had already turned back to Mary.

  I rolled my eyes at Tiger. He snickered then gave me a wave as he headed toward the bar and the women waiting for him to catch up.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Mary cast a glance at me. A steady blush rose in her cheeks. "Gee, I don't..."

  Unc grabbed her hand. "Come with me. Don't break my heart. We'll head out as soon as the pro division is called up onstage, so eight to eight thirty."

  Mary's face fell. "Oh, I didn't think it through. We have to go to bed early. Recurves shoot at the first line."

  "Ouch. Rain check?" He gave her hand a squeeze and let it go.

  "Thanks, Unc, that'd be nice." She gave him a wave then watched him as he walked away.

  "Well, well, well, Mary, I do believe he asked you on a date."

  "Yes, I noticed that. I'm rather flattered." She continued to stare after him.

  Minx sashayed up. "I saw you talking to Unc. Be careful around him. Lucky says Unc is a real womanizer."

  Mary rolled her eyes. "Like I'm taking dating advice from Lucky. Isn't he married?"

  Minx looked around then stepped closer. "You can't tell anyone, but he's almost divorced. Like Di. He swore me to secrecy because they haven't told anyone yet. He values his privacy."

  I raised an eyebrow at her. "If no one else knows, then won't they think you're flirting with a married man?"

  She blew us a raspberry and avoided looking me in the eyes. "It was just one drink. No biggy. Loggin, Liam, we're over here." She waved an arm in the air then stormed down the hall in their direction.

  "Come on, Moo." I bent over to pet his side as he sprawled across the carpeting of the casino.

  He cut an eye to me then covered his face with a paw, rubbing at his eye.

  I gave a little jiggle to the leash. "Come on, buddy, get up."

  He opened his mouth in a yawn, his long tongue flopping out, before slowly rising up to stretch his left leg out behind him, tripping Mary as she walked by to follow Minx. He stretched out the right leg and extended his nose straight up in the air while letting out a long groan.

  I reached under his chin and gave him a scratch then leaned over to kiss him on the nose. "Who's the handsomest guy around?" I spread kisses all along the top of the furry head, and his tail swished back and forth.

  "You could make a man jealous talking like that."

  I looked over my shoulder to see Liam smiling at me. He stepped up, put an arm around my shoulder, and gave it a squeeze.

  I gave Liam an exaggerated once-over. "If it's a competition between you and Moo, it might be a close fight."

  "Oh?"

  I caught myself giggling at him. "Well, Moo can scratch his ear with his foot."

  He reached out and caught my hand then rubbed his thumb across the back as he pulled me closer. "Then maybe Moo should take you out on a date instead?"

  I stepped into the circle of his arms, and my cheeks ached from smiling so hard. I shook my head at him. "I already have plans this weekend."

  Moo danced at the end of the leash then circled us, the leash pulling Liam and me closer.

  "What about your plans today? I was thinking that we could maybe grab a meal alone."

  I craned my head back to continue to look into his eyes as I moved slower. Focusing was difficult. His hand was so warm. "Mary was going to show me where we're shooting tomorrow. I want to set up my bow and shoot a few arrows if possible. Other than eating and going to bed early, that's it."

  He laced his fingers through mine. "And the opening ceremony."

  "We could skip that."

  He shook his head. "We're sponsors. We need to be there."

  A man behind me cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me, Lumberjack, I don't mean to interrupt you, but I wanted to say hi before we leave."

  Liam sighed at the nickname he hated or possibly the interruption. He winked at me then took the leash from my hand and untangled Moo from around our legs.

  The man behind me had his arm in a sling and was dragging a bow case with the other hand. Two other men, identical twins from the looks of them, and a woman stood behind him with their luggage.

  Liam handed the leash to me and stepped over to the man. "Good to see you, Hip." He held out a hand in turn to the other three. "Kat. Beans. Frank. You guys ready to shoot?"

  Hip shook his head. "No, we're leaving." He shifted his weight between
his feet and cast glances at his group before continuing. "I... I mean, we decided it's best if we go. I know it's the first tournament of the season and our shooter agreement said we would compete but..." He gestured at his arm in a sling. "The accident last night with Mike Champ and that van... I twisted my shoulder. Frank and Beans hurt their backs."

  At the mention of Mike Champ, I caught Mary's eye and waved her over, before turning to Hip. "You were with Mike when he was hit? I'm so sorry. What happened?"

  "We all were." He gestured to the group. "We had been drinking and went to cross the street at the light. The van ran the light. It was awful."

  The lady, Kat, sobbed and covered her mouth. "Excuse me."

  Frank put an arm around her, and they walked off as Mary joined me.

  Beans stepped in closer. "He didn't run that light. He waited until we stepped off the curb then gunned it."

  Hip reared around to face him. "We're not going through this again."

  "I'm telling you. He gunned it. He tried to kill us."

  "No, he clearly didn't see us, because he veered at the last second. If Mike hadn't tripped forward--" His face went white. "I'm sorry. Kat was holding his arm. It was sheer luck she fell backward away from him. She didn't sleep at all, and the rest of us are hurt. I hope you understand us pulling from the tournament?"

  Mary pulled me over to where Beans stood rubbing his back. "Hi, I'm Mary, and this is Di. I think we met before."

  Beans looked at Mary and me with a blank expression. He didn't seem totally convinced. "Yeah, maybe."

  Mary pressed on. "That's so crazy about the van purposely trying to run you down. Did you see the driver?"

  He shook his head. "I told the police that I never saw the driver. None of us did. You know how you always have a vague sense of where cars are? I know the van stopped at the corner, but when we were starting across, the driver gunned it. We jumped back, except Mike. He was pretty hammered, and he fell forward. The van clipped his head."

  I shook my head and made a disapproving sound. "How awful. Did you see the van veer away like Hip did?"

  "It seems like it would have hit Mike straight on if it didn't, but I wouldn't put money on it one way or the other." He grabbed his luggage and turned to follow Hip down the hall. "I got to go. My ride is leaving."

  I looked at Mary. "Thoughts?"

  "Why would the van have tried to hit them then tried to avoid them?"

  "The driver had a last-second bout of killer's remorse? Or maybe Mike wasn't the real target. Or he wasn't trying to kill them but just scare or injure them. Or maybe Hip was wrong altogether and the driver did it on purpose, with either Mike as the target or someone else in the group, and Mike was the unluckiest."

  Mary tapped a finger on her teeth. "It's awfully chancy of the driver to bank on no one seeing him."

  I nodded and extended a hand through Liam's arm as he rejoined us. "Maybe a witness did see the driver. The police might have a sketch. They might even have a subject in custody."

  Liam chuckled and squeezed my hand resting on his arm. "You two find a mystery everywhere we go. But first maybe we should grab lunch--"

  A dark-haired girl interrupted Liam. "Liam, it is so good to see you."

  He was dumbfounded for a second before he dropped my hand and quickly hugged her. "Ivana, this is Mary and Di."

  She was tall with dark curly hair and a slight accent that I couldn't place. She spoke English perfectly, each syllable crisp and distinct, but with a lilt that seemed to say it wasn't her first language. She replied to Liam's introduction with "Nice to meet you," but she didn't bother to even look at us. "You will introduce me to Jessica. I have questions about the training center we will be visiting."

  Liam turned back to me. "I need to take care of this. Do you know where Jess is?"

  "She was going to meet up with some coach friends to catch up. Do you want me to call her?"

  He shook his head. "Reception is lousy in the casino. I think I know where she is." He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "Don't eat without me. This won't take long."

  As he turned to leave, Ivana turned and gave me a once-over then fell into step beside him.

  Mary snorted next to me. "Who's she?"

  "I figured you'd know. You're the one with all the international experience. Jess said that the Bordistan national team was coming to the training center next weekend to train for a bit."

  She shook her head. "She didn't represent Bordistan at any of the events I attended. Maybe she's new."

  I watched Liam walking with her as they disappeared into the crowd of people walking down the large hallway. Everything in Vegas was bigger, and the hallway could easily hold twenty people side by side. A large group of young adults passed us and called out to Moo.

  "Sweet dog. Do you have a saddle for that thing? Hey, Mary." Several members of the group wore cat's ears, and at least one person had a tail dangling from the back of their pants. Hair colors ranged from pink, blue, and green to midnight black. Tattoos peeked out from under jerseys proclaiming they were from Austin, Texas, with the logo "Keep Archery Weird" across the back.

  The archers that I had seen at the training center in Wyoming had either been of the camo-and-beard variety or the professional athlete type. "They're archers?"

  Mary laughed. "The Casino Cup has archers from all over the United States and the world. You'll see it all here. Anyone can shoot archery, and this tournament will prove it. Indy!" She squealed and launched herself at a tall lanky young man passing by.

  He awkwardly hugged her back, his elbows sticking out. I reached up and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Indy, it's good to see you. Are you shooting or filming?"

  "Filming with Dad and Kandi." He rolled his eyes at Kandi's name. "We'll be uploading video all weekend to our Internet channel, Cold Hard Facts. You'll watch and tell your friends to watch, right?"

  "Of course." The last time we had seen Cold, Indy's father, was at the Outdoor Industry Trade Show, where he had been thin and agitated. "How's your dad doing?"

  "He's not doing so..." He trailed off and dug around in his bag before pulling out a DVD case. "Don't tell anyone, but I think he's using drugs again. He's been clean for years, but Kandi... I hate her. I'm going to see if Minx will talk to him. Can you give this to Liam or Orion?" He handed me the case.

  I flipped it over, and in silver marker was written, "Westmound Summit Footage." "Sure. Didn't your dad already give them the footage?" At the OIT Show, Liam and Cold had had a disagreement about the contract Cold had signed to film the Westmount Summit and put together the video. Cold had given Liam whatever Cold had had in his bag at the moment.

  He shrugged. "I found copies on a hard drive and wanted to learn to use the editing program." He flipped his bangs out of his eyes with a jerk of his head. "Liam and Orion are cool, and I thought... Just give it to them, okay?"

  "Sure thing." My heart twisted a little. He looked so young standing in front of me. "If you ever need anything..." I let my voice trail off, leaving the possibilities open. He was the same age as Mouse, but she had two supportive parents. Indy looked up to his dad, but Cold seemed on a train bound for trouble based on rumors and his erratic behavior.

  Indy blushed a little. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, thanks. See you guys later." He set off down the hall, grabbing Minx as he passed. They hugged, then she nodded and they continued walking.

  Loggin walked over from talking with Minx. He cast glances over his shoulder at Minx as she walked away. "Have you figured out who killed Mike Champ yet? Ready to confront the killer or however you do it?"

  Mary rolled her eyes. "You underestimate how much skill and time it takes to solve these murders."

  I snickered. "Especially when we have no clue what we're doing. "

  Mary gasped. "Don't say that! We totally know what we're doing. We're"-- She turned so her back was to mine and extended her arm straight out, her index finger pointed to mimic a gun --"Loggin's Angels."

  I pushed my ba
ck to hers and replicated her stance for a second before giggling. I stepped forward so I could face both her and Loggin. "We talked to a couple eyewitnesses to the crash. They stopped to talk to Liam, and we snuck in a few questions."

  Moo pawed at my shin and whined.

  I checked the time. "Can we walk and talk? I think Moo needs to go outside." I pulled out the map of the casino with the pet facilities marked. "Which one is the closest?" I ran a finger over the paper, trying to locate our position.

  Mary peeked at the map then jabbed a finger into one corner, bending the paper. "That one is right next to the competition and practice ranges."

  I refolded the paper. "Perfect. Lead the way."

  "Wait up!" Loggin jogged to my other side. "You didn't tell me what you learned from the eyewitnesses."

  We dodged around a group of men wearing shooter jerseys, their fronts covered in archery company names. "They seemed to have two versions of what happened. One was that the driver waited until they started to cross the road then hit Mike. The other guy thought that the driver just wasn't paying attention and tried to veer away at the last second. So either it was an accident or purposeful. We haven't really nailed anything down at all."

  Mary shook her head. "It's part of our process. We'll learn a little more about his life, what enemies he has here, that kind of thing, then start investigating."

  Loggin stepped in front of me. "Whoa, let's not forget your real focus, Angels. Protecting me."

  I grabbed his arm to pull him down the hallway. Moo was doing a high trot, a sign that he was eager to get outside. "Don't worry. We'll protect you. Mike was probably the target."

  He shook his head. "I heard the guy rev the engine right before he almost hit us."

  That gave me pause. "That is what the other guy said. He heard revving as well."

  We ascended a set of stairs and it was obvious we were near the tournament site. The trickle of people carrying bows and arrows in the hallways led to crowds of people mingling at the top of the stairs. There was a window with a check-in sign above it and a snack bar that served beer and wine with a line twenty people deep. Signs advertised the various shooting halls and the direction of the trade show. Banners for various archery companies hung on the banister, including one with Loggin's face the size of a small car.