High Stakes and Hazelnut Cupcakes in Las Vegas: A Lighthearted Tiffany Black Mystery (Tiffany Black Mysteries Book 10)

by A. R. Winters

Ruby smiled and shrugged. “I’m lucky I don’t have much of a life. At least the pay is decent.”

  I nodded, and Ian and I exchanged a glance.

  “What is it?” said Ruby, sensing our hesitation.

  “We’ve just come from a visit to Richard’s,” I said. “He told us about the insider trading scheme you two have going.”

  Ruby smiled and shook her head, staring at the floor. “I can’t believe he just told you that.”

  “Yep. And I can’t believe you hid it from me. I guess that’s how you can afford to buy Hermès handbags.”

  Ruby looked at me and shrugged. “We’re about to wrap things up. It’s not going to make me super wealthy, and I’ll have to keep working at my job at the hospital, but I thought I might splurge a bit. April’s death really changed my outlook—what if I get run over by a bus next week? I’d rather have enjoyed my last few days.”

  “But you might also live to a hundred,” said Ian. “What then?”

  Ruby laughed. “It’s not like I’m going into debt to buy a handbag. I got a great bargain, and I’ve still got a decent job at the hospital.”

  “And what about the company?” I said. “Aren’t you worried that someone else’ll find out?”

  Ruby shook her head. “It was a bit stressful at times, but there’s just one more trade left. After that, we wrap things up, and I’m done with this part of my life.”

  “And what about April? How’d she even find out about it?”

  “I’m not sure—she must’ve overheard Richard and me talking. Maybe she asked Richard for the details. Either way, she wasn’t too happy about it.”

  “How so?”

  Ruby sighed and made a face. “April was idealistic, and she wanted us to stop. Richard convinced her that one more trade wouldn’t kill us. She seemed to be satisfied that we’d be wrapping things up after this last trade.”

  I frowned. “You don’t think that maybe Richard had something to do with her death? That he didn’t like the fact she’d found out about his scheme?”

  Ruby shook her head. “I think Richard really was in love with her. I don’t think he would have hurt Ruby—but of course, you never know with men.”

  She chewed her lip thoughtfully and finally said, “April seemed to understand about the insider trading, but maybe she changed her mind later. After I left the apartment, maybe she brought up his insider trading again, and that made Richard change his mind about her. Who knows? You’re not going to tell anyone else about this company, are you?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not interested in Richard’s business. We only want to find out the truth about April’s death—and I’m sure you’re right, that this insider trading had nothing to do with it.”

  Chapter 20

  I drove home thoughtfully, and Ian and I headed straight to my apartment, where we sat around with steaming-hot mugs of coffee.

  Despite my reassurances to Ruby, I couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps the insider trading had something to do with April’s death.

  “I wish you still had some of those hazelnut cupcakes,” said Ian as he sipped his coffee. “The sugar hit might have helped us think of something.”

  “I just find it odd, the whole insider trading thing,” I said, thinking aloud. “April clearly wasn’t involved—or was she? We need to believe that Richard and Ruby are both telling the truth.”

  “I think at least one of them is lying,” said Ian. “And maybe, if Richard asked someone to kill April for him, it was Ruby who he asked—the two are obviously close, and they trust each other.”

  I nodded, trying to piece together the puzzle, when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Nanna outside, beaming as she held out a plastic food container.

  “Your mother made some brownies,” said Nanna, “I thought I’d bring them over for you two.”

  I ushered her in, thanking her profusely. “Brownies are just what we need right now. I feel like we’re so close to solving this case—there’s just one thing that we’re missing.”

  “And what’s that?” said Nanna.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know—and it feels just out of our grasp.”

  “Perhaps I can help,” said Nanna. “My hair’s gone all white from all the wisdom I carry around. Might as well put my brains to good use.”

  “I thought your hair went white from the stress of raising my mom.”

  “That, too. But also wisdom—so what d’you say?”

  “Mom doesn’t want me getting you mixed up in investigations.”

  “Your mother doesn’t need to know,” said Nanna with a wink. “After all, I did just bring you brownies, didn’t I? You don’t want to get on the wrong side of the brownie giver.”

  “She has a point,” said Ian. “And she did help us catch the killer on our last case.”

  “And I’m going away with Wes for a while,” added Nanna. “Don’t you want me to leave with good memories?”

  I thought briefly about the threatening note and the photo I’d received—I didn’t want this crazy killer to get involved with Nanna.

  But she’d already sat down and started to ask Ian about the case, and he was in the middle of telling her about Richard and Ruby’s insider trading scheme.

  I decided it was easier just to give up and let Nanna try to help us out—after all, the brownies really were quite delicious.

  I chewed on the chocolatey, moist concoction and sipped my coffee, helping Ian fill in the gaps of the story as Nanna nodded and asked questions now and then.

  “Insider trading isn’t something that happens every day,” said Nanna. “And neither is the death of a young girl. I’m sure the two must be linked.”

  “I feel that way too,” I admitted. “But I just can’t see how.”

  “There are lots of ways,” said Nanna. “Maybe she threatened to turn Ruby and Richard in to the authorities. Or maybe she asked Richard to stop paying Ruby and have her help out with the insider trading instead, so Ruby got jealous and killed April.”

  “Or maybe,” said Ian, “April wanted in on the action and tried to blackmail them, and they responded by killing her.”

  “They’re all possibilities,” I said, “I don’t think we’re going to find out like this. Richard and Ruby make a good team, and they must’ve planned out their stories. It’s not like one of them is just going to blurt out the truth to us.”

  “I think we should go back Ruby’s apartment,” said Nanna. “Or Richard’s house. Although I guess it’ll be harder to access Richard’s house, and you say Ruby’s gone off to her shift now?”

  Ian beamed. “That’s a great idea! We should go over to Ruby’s house now, while we’re sure that she’s out.”

  I looked at the two of them warily. “I’m not supposed to be breaking into people’s houses. Even if I do find anything, I won’t be able to use it.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t be such a stickler,” said Nanna. “It’s not like you’re going to be introducing evidence into court. You just need to tell Ben what happened to April, and if you do find something, you can tip off the police, who can get a warrant and search the place. Don’t you think it’s worth trying to find out some new information?”

  “We could even try to break into Richard’s house,” said Ian. “We just need to wait till his housekeeper’s away, and then maybe we can go and find something.”

  “It’s something we could consider,” I admitted, “but I’ll have to think about it. I really don’t like the idea of breaking into people’s homes.”

  Just then, there was a loud knock on my door.

  Chapter 21

  Before I got a chance to wonder who it might be, a slurred, drunken voice floated over to me. “Tiff. Ann. Eee. Tiffany. Open up. I know you’re in there.”

  “Are you expecting company?” said Nanna. “I didn’t think your friends were big drinkers.”

  I shook my head. “It sounds like Carl. And he sounds drunk.”

  “Didn’t he take the nannyc
am back?” said Ian.

  I nodded. “I don’t know what he wants now. Maybe if we wait, he’ll go away.”

  “I can hear you,” said Carl’s slobbery voice. “I’m going to keep knocking until you open the door. I need to talk to you.”

  I sighed and muttered to myself before I walked over and flung the door open. Carl looked much the worse for wear, his eyes bloodshot and his hair disheveled.

  I glared at him. “What is it now?”

  “I’m drunk,” he declared happily, staggering inside and collapsing onto my sofa. “I’ve been getting drunk and trying to have a good time, but I can’t.”

  I exchanged a glance with Nanna. “Isn’t it a bit too early to be drinking?” I said.

  “Vegas, baby!” said Carl, as though that explained everything.

  “Right,” I said. “Well, you can’t just get drunk and come over to my place.”

  “That’s just it,” said Carl. “I tried to meet some girls, but nobody’s interested in me. All the girls here want to meet a rich man. They’re all young and pretty and looking for rich men. Rich men have it easy.”

  I thought back to Richard, and the fact that he had an alibi for the time of April’s death. Perhaps rich men did have it easy—they could delegate their dirty work to other people.

  “Well,” I said, “I’m sorry you’re not having much luck, but I need to get going.”

  “Where are you going?” slurred Carl. “Is it a party? Can I come?”

  “I’m going to work,” I said. “Ian, why don’t you help Carl up, and we can all head out.”

  “Up!” said Carl. “But I want to go with you. I know you’re going to a party. It must be tons of fun.”

  Ian and I exchanged a glance, but we didn’t say anything. I really wanted to get rid of Carl, and if pretending that we were going to a party would help, then so be it.

  It was only when we were in the parking lot, getting into my car, that Carl became more difficult.

  “I don’t see why I can’t go to your party,” he said. “I’m really good at parties. I can sing, I can dance—I’m a great dancer. You should see me dancing.”

  “Not this one,” I said. “You won’t like this party.”

  When I drove off, Carl stared after me sadly, and I felt a slight pang of guilt. However, I wasn’t responsible for making drunk men happy, and I really did need to get on with my work. Perhaps Nanna was right—perhaps we’d find something interesting in Ruby’s apartment.

  Chapter 22

  When we got to Ruby’s apartment, I knocked loudly and waited for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and deciding to enter anyway.

  A former boyfriend had taught me to pick locks, and it was a simple matter to unlock Ruby’s front door.

  The three of us walked into her apartment silently, carefully closing the door behind us.

  “I don’t like being in here uninvited,” I said, looking around. The place looked exactly as it had before, just a bit quieter. Ruby had drawn the curtains before she’d left, so I switched on a light.

  “We did what we had to,” Nanna said. “It’ll be worth it if you find something important.”

  I nodded in agreement and handed Ian and Nanna transparent latex gloves, then donned a pair myself.

  “We should split up,” said Nanna.

  “Maybe we could go in pairs,” said Ian. “Me and Nanna together, and Tiffany.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not going alone. We’ve decided to come here together, we might as well stick together, even though it’s not as efficient.”

  “Being here gives me the creeps,” Ian admitted. “There’s something wrong with this place.”

  I assumed Ruby’s shift would continue for at least another five or six hours, so we took our time going through the living room and kitchen slowly and carefully. But nothing jumped out—Ruby was tidy and had a well-stocked pantry and a fridge full of leftover Chinese takeout.

  Next, we went to a bedroom that was mostly empty.

  “This must’ve been April’s,” said Ian. “I’m assuming Ruby packed most of the things away and gave them to Ben.”

  “And maybe the cops took some stuff,” I added.

  The three of us looked through the room, but it was sparsely furnished and there weren’t any personal knickknacks left. April’s clothes had all been taken away, as had any books or entertainment items.

  We went to the bathroom next, but once again, we were disappointed—there were toiletries and cosmetics, and a few over-the-counter drugs. All we had learned was that Ruby wasn’t taking medication for anything and liked expensive shower gels.

  Finally, we headed into Ruby’s bedroom.

  Her room was slightly bigger than mine, with a queen-sized bed, a walk-in closet and a desk pushed up against the far wall.

  “We have to find something in here,” said Nanna. “Maybe she’s got a journal, or she kept records of what she did.”

  “That would be too perfect,” I said, but then my eyes fell on Ruby’s laptop, which was sitting on top of the desk. “Perhaps she’s got something stored on her hard drive. If nothing else, she must’ve saved the photo she took of April’s dead body, if she’s the one who sent it to me.”

  “And she’s got a printer with glossy photo paper lying next to it,” said Ian. “She could easily have printed out the photo right here.”

  “We need to get into her laptop,” I said. “Maybe we can try to find the files.”

  Nanna and I stood behind Ian as he powered on the laptop—and then let out a groan of disappointment when he found out it was password-protected.

  “I can try to break this password,” he said, “but if Ruby has something to hide, she must’ve chosen a really good password.”

  Ian spent a good half hour trying to crack the password, but to no avail.

  “I’m sure there’s something on this laptop,” he said. “But we’re not going to be able to find out.”

  “Never mind,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “Maybe there’s something else in her room.”

  “Look at all these books,” said Nanna. “I know Ruby’s a nurse, but she’s clearly obsessed with her work. She’s got all these books on anesthetics and diseases.”

  “‘Malignant hyperthermia,’” I said, reading out the title of one of the books that lay on top. “What’s that?”

  “My friend Patrice’s nephew, Owen, has that,” said Nanna. “It’s a rare genetic condition. He can’t have certain kinds of anesthetics, because they’d kill him if they were injected into his bloodstream. Malignant hyperthermia doesn’t affect your life in any way, and it’s not dangerous unless you get a dose of the wrong anesthetic.”

  “An anesthetic like Suxamethonium?” said Ian, reading the title of the book under it.

  “Maybe,” said Nanna. “Why don’t we go through the book to check?”

  “This will take forever,” I said as I picked up the book.

  But I was wrong—as soon as I opened it, the book fell open to a page with the corner folded down—a page with the title, “Malignant Hyperthermia and Suxamethonium; Fatalities and Side Effects.”

  “I think we just found out how Ruby killed April without getting blood spatter on her floors,” I said. “Ruby was a nurse, so she must’ve found out that April had malignant hyperthermia, and then she must’ve injected her with Suxamethonium. Maybe after she killed April, she drove her over to the desert; she must’ve stabbed her after she was dead.”

  “Which is why there wasn’t so much blood spatter,” said Ian. “But hang on—wouldn’t this have come up in the autopsy report?”

  I frowned. “Maybe they missed it somehow. Maybe there were conflicting drugs or something that invalidated the autopsy tests. We just need to prove that April had malignant hyperthermia.”

  “Maybe her ex-boyfriend Vince would know,” said Nanna. “Or maybe even Richard.”

  “I’ll try Vince first,” I said, “since we know that he couldn’t have killed April.”


  But when I called Vince, his phone rang and rang, with no answer.

  “I can’t wait,” I said, “I’m going to ask Richard. He doesn’t know that we suspect him or Ruby of killing April with a toxic anesthetic, so perhaps he’ll tell us the truth.”

  When I called Richard, he answered after just two rings.

  “Tiffany,” he said. “What can I do for you now?”

  I felt my body sag with relief, and I leaned against the wall. “I’ve got a quick question about April. Did she have malignant hyperthermia?”

  “Malignant hyperthermia?” said Richard. “That’s an odd question—why would you think that she had that?”

  “I was looking at some medical records,” I fibbed. “It seems like she did.”

  “You must’ve gotten mixed up,” said Richard. “I know for a fact that April definitely didn’t have malignant hyperthermia.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I asked her.”

  “That seems like a strange thing to ask.”

  “I wanted to know. It’s a very rare genetic condition.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “So you know what it is.”

  “Of course I know,” said Richard. “Because I’ve got malignant hyperthermia. Not April.”

  Chapter 23

  I hung up and turned to Ian and Nanna, my eyes wide with shock.

  But before I could say anything, I heard the front door opening, and then loud footsteps headed our way.

  Ruby stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, glaring at the three of us. “What exactly do you think you’re doing in here?”

  Nanna and Ian stared at Ruby in silence, and I tried my very best to think up a good reason to be standing in her bedroom. “I… uhm… ah….”

  Ruby looked from me to Nanna and frowned. “Who’re you?”

  Nanna smiled brightly. “I’m Tiffany’s nanna.”

  “And what are you doing in here?” said Ruby, looking completely bewildered. “I’ve never met you.”

  “Yes,” said Nanna. “It’s such a pity. I wish Tiffany would take me with her on her investigations, but she hardly ever agrees to. At least she let me tag along today.”