My eyes widened and I said, “No Mom, I haven’t moved in with Stone! He’s just a friend! I wouldn’t move in with him!”
“Give the phone to me,” I heard Nanna say in the distance.
She must’ve snatched it away from my mom, and I heard her say, “Tiffany, you listen to me now.” Her voice was bubbling over with enthusiasm and I stared blankly at the wall ahead of me. “Moving in with a man is a big step.”
“I’m not moving in with anyone, Nanna. I’ve moved into a hotel for a few days.”
She went on as though she hadn’t heard me. “You don’t buy the cow if you get the milk for free, but these days everyone lives together for a bit. It’s the modern way of doing things. I’m not as old-fashioned as you think. Now, the important thing is to not look like a slob, like you usually do when you’re home.”
“I’m not mo- ”
“Make sure you take some nice clothes to wear. Some lingerie, too. I know you don’t own any of those Victoria’s Secrets things men like these days, so you should go buy some. I can go with you if you want, help you pick out some nice stuff. I’ve got good taste in sexy things.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I said loudly. I love my Nanna, but I don’t want to go lingerie-shopping with her. “I have to go out. Bye.”
I stared down at my cellphone, wondering why Nanna didn’t seem to be able to hear me when I said I wasn’t living with Stone.
I must not have pressed the ’end call’ button hard enough, because I heard Nanna’s voice drifting out as she said to my mom, “Now isn’t that wonderful news? Tiffany had to hang up. I guess she’d rather be with Stone now.”
I groaned loudly and pressed the button, making sure the call was definitely over.
Derek was already at McDonald’s when I arrived. He was hard to miss: tall, with thin, gaunt features.
I introduced myself and we went up to the counter to order. “It’s my treat,” I said, although it was really Sophia’s treat, and I switched on the MP3 recording device hidden in my purse when I got out the money to pay.
We sat down with our meals and I watched as Derek gobbled up his massive burger in a few bites. Compared to him, I was a dainty eater, and I wondered how he didn’t put on any weight.
“So,” I said, in between bites. “I need to talk to you about Audrey.”
Derek sighed heavily.
“You seem really depressed about the whole thing.” I added.
“Yeah. I mean, you can’t do anything if a burglar breaks in, but I wished she’d lived somewhere safer. Not in that old building.”
I nodded. The idea of her death not being a burglary gone wrong didn’t seem to have occurred to him. “You two were close, weren’t you?”
He nodded and I felt as if I were prying food out of a lion’s mouth. “Why’d you break up?”
He gobbled down a few more fries. “She outgrew me.”
“How do you mean?” I glanced at his quickly depleting supply of fries. “I’m not hungry, would you like mine?”
He nodded and I passed them over, hoping my generosity would encourage some sharing. He munched on the fries and finally said, “I guess she grew up. We met in college, but I dropped out and got into the casino game, and she finished up and became a fancy accountant.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t good enough.”
“But you stayed in touch.”
“Sure.”
“Did you try to get back with her?”
He looked at me. “What do you mean?” I shrugged and he narrowed his eyes and said, “Do you mean like, did I stalk her or break into her place or something? Because I didn’t do any of that. She got involved with some casino hotshot where she was working, so I let it go. He was some rich dude, buying her diamond jewelry and taking her on weekend trips. I can’t compete with that.”
He sat brooding angrily and I said, “Do you know who the new boyfriend was?”
“No, I think she met him at work. He was older.”
“Did she seem happy? Did she say anything about marrying him or being in love with him?”
“No. Hell no. She wouldn’t marry him.” He shook his head, probably more to convince himself than anything else. “She broke up with him, I think. Week before she died, I met her at friend’s party and asked how her new boyfriend was. She said that was over.”
“Did she say why it was over?”
“Nah. Just said she’d made a mistake.”
We sat there, both lost in our own thoughts. After a while, I went up to the counter and got us each a slice of apple pie. It wasn’t that great, but it was sweet, and it kept us sitting together.
I toyed with my slice to make it last longer. “Do you know anything at all about the new boyfriend?”
Derek looked at me with some curiosity. “Why? Think he might have something to do with the burglary?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. But nobody seems to know him.”
Derek thought for a few moments and shook his head. “Audrey could be real secretive sometimes.”
He finished his slice of pie all too soon. “I might as well get going. I need to get to my gig at El Toro.”
El Toro was an old-school, run-down casino on the fringe of the Downtown district. It paid minimum wage and the gamblers there were stingy locals who never tipped. All dealers started out there, got a reference and some experience, and then moved to one of the bigger casinos if they were lucky, where players tipped and you could actually earn enough money to live off.
I fished about in my purse and handed him my card. “Call me if you think of anything.”
He looked at it doubtfully. “Sure.”
I didn’t think he’d call me.
Chapter Seventeen
I spent the time between appointments waiting at the café I’d chosen. It was a quiet, semi-dark place and there were few patrons at that hour. I was the only customer, other than three skinny men who looked like unemployed scriptwriters, and I settled at a corner table.
Escaping from the shooter had given me a greater appreciation for my privacy and safety, and I couldn’t help but think that Stone’s idea of moving into the Tremonte had been brilliant. I smiled to myself, imagining someone wearing a black ski-mask waiting for me in my empty apartment for hours and hours. Hopefully, they would get a cramp.
I fished my MP3 player out of my bag, attached my headphones, and replayed my conversation with Derek. I felt like I was missing something; I tried to use his words to piece together a link between Ethan and Audrey’s deaths.
If their affair was a secret, there were very few people who knew they could be connected. Sophia was one and Derek was another – but perhaps he’d lied about the whole thing; perhaps he was the one who’d killed Ethan and then he’d gone after Audrey when she’d refused to come back to him. All I needed was some way to prove that Ethan knew Derek, and would have pulled over to the side of the road for him.
On the other hand, perhaps I was looking at the whole thing from the wrong angle. I tried to forget about Derek and think about everyone else I’d talked to. As the minutes ticked by, I grew more and more frustrated. I knew I was missing something right in front of my eyes. I searched desperately for what it might be, but nothing jumped out at me, and the minutes slid by as if they were seconds, and before I knew it, it was time for my meeting with Max.
I recognized Max as soon as he walked into the café. He was short, stout and balding, and he beamed at the world in general.
I smiled and waved at him as he walked over with a spring in his step. I couldn’t imagine him being even mildly irritated, let alone angry enough to yell at someone.
We introduced ourselves and I thanked him for coming at such short notice.
“No problem,” he said, “I have lots of free time.”
He looked as though he did, but I kept that thought to myself. I couldn’t imagine someone having a job and still looking so relaxed, unless they were on holiday.
“I heard you used to be manager of the Riverbelle,” I
said and he laughed.
“Oh, yes, I can’t believe those times. Feels like a lifetime ago.”
“I thought you didn’t want to leave?”
“No. That was just me being short-sighted. I wasn’t happy to leave at first, but then I got a fabulous consulting position with the Riviera. And now look at me! Great pay, lots of free time and fun work, once in a while.”
“Sounds impressive. So things worked out for you?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
The waitress arrived with Max’s coffee and he graced her with another cheerful smile. If he hadn’t been so likeable, his joyful demeanor would have been annoying.
When the waitress left, I said, “Why were you so angry when you left the Riverbelle?”
Max looked at me seriously, his sunny disposition clouding over momentarily. “I didn’t leave, I was forced to resign.”
“Why?”
“They wanted to promote Steven Macarthur. He was an up-and-comer and a hard-worker, not an old lazy-bones like me.”
“That doesn’t sound unreasonable.” I smiled. “Everyone wants employees to work hard for them.”
Max nodded. “I guess you’re right. But I was worried I wouldn’t get a new job at my age.”
“But it happened.”
“Yes. Steven set up an interview with a friend of his.”
“That was nice of him.”
Max leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He narrowed his eyes and hunched his shoulders. “Sure, it was nice of him.”
He looked like a completely different man and I tried to hide my surprise. Obviously he was hiding something and I tried to think fast. He wasn’t telling me the real reason why Steven had given him his job. I didn’t know why this was important, or why he would bother to try and hide it, but the lie bothered me. If Steven didn’t like Max, there were only a few reasons why he’d help him out. Either he felt sorry for Max, or Max had convinced him, somehow.
“You know,” I said, “Steven didn’t seem like a very nice man to me. Why’d he really get you the job?”
Max shrugged. “I guess even the meanest people have some niceness about them.”
“Or maybe you bribed him. I’m sure the Riviera wouldn’t like knowing that.”
“I didn’t bribe him.”
“Then maybe you blackmailed him.”
Max’s eyes widened slightly and I knew I’d struck a nerve. “Come on, Max,” I pleaded, “What difference does it make now, after all this time? Neither of us likes Steven and if you’ve got some dirt on him, it would really help my investigation.”
He frowned and shook his head. “Nobody’s meant to know this.”
“But I already do. If you don’t tell me know, you know I’ll just go to Steven and try to get it out of him.”
Max sighed and I could see I was wearing down his defenses.
“Please,” I said, “Please, please, pretty please? You can see I’m desperate!”
He sighed again and his lips tightened into a thin smile. “Fine,” he said, looking almost like his old self again, “But if you tell anyone this, I’ll deny it.”
“Scouts’ honor,” I said, holding up three fingers even though I’d only ever been in the Brownies for a week.
Max leaned forward. “You have to understand. I was desperate. I had expenses and a lifestyle I’d gotten used to.” He took a sip of coffee and went on. “I’ve never liked Steven. He’s too smarmy for his own good; comes into work too early and kisses ass too much. I blame him for pushing me out of my job. So after I got fired, I followed him home for a couple of days.”
“What did you see?”
“He was having drinks with a group of dealers and security guys.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“No. But after I saw them together, I visited the casino floor a few times.” He paused and looked at me. “Do you know why casinos have so many security guys?”
“To make sure players don’t cause trouble?”
“And to make sure dealers don’t cause trouble.”
My jaw almost dropped to the floor, I knew exactly what he was about to say. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. I didn’t have proof, but I had enough to scare him.”
“So you never reported him…”
Max gulped. “Look, if I had proof, I would’ve told Ethan or Neil. But I didn’t have any proof and Ethan wasn’t talking to me.”
“How’d he do it?”
“I’m not sure.”
“But you must have a good hunch.”
“Well…” He looked at me carefully, and I guess he decided I could be trusted. “I think one of the dealers swiped a pack of chips each time the guards came by for collection. All Steven had to do was not report them.”
I sat in silence, completely awed. It was the Big One, the one all the jackpot-chasers were after. Except it wasn’t a jackpot. It was the mother lode of all scams, one that was untraceable because it was run by the guys on the inside.
“This is big,” I said.
“It’s huge,” he agreed. “But I had no proof. Just enough of a suspicion to threaten him.”
“Steven doesn’t seem like a nice person,” I mused. “But he’s never been a suspect in Ethan’s murder. The guy’s got the perfect alibi.”
“Even if he had no alibi, I’d never believe he’d kill Ethan.”
“Why not?”
“He’d never hurt the guy. He had everything arranged perfectly for himself and he had Ethan eating right out of his hand. He’d never mess that up.”
That made sense. I’d only met Steven very briefly but he’d seemed smart and focused, unlikely to do anything stupid. “You don’t like Steven,” I said. It was more of a statement than a question, and Max smiled.
“No, I don’t. What else did you want to ask me?”
“What’s Thelma Durant like?”
He shrugged. “Nice enough. Doesn’t come into the office too often. Prefers to head to the spa.”
“And her husband?”
“Does a lot of work at the casino. Nice guy. The women all love him.” He winked at me and I tried my best not to giggle.
“Did he get along with Ethan?”
Max took another sip of his coffee. “They argued a bit. Ethan wasn’t too thrilled about Neil at first, but I think he respected the man after a few years.”
“Leo?”
“He was pretty young when I was working there.”
“Sophia?”
He shook his head. “I’m still surprised at that marriage. You know, everyone thought she was a scheming gold-digger. And now she’s proven them all right.”
I sighed. “She hired me, you know.”
“Doesn’t mean a thing. It’s just to look good in front of the jury later on.”
I was tired of hearing that line. I didn’t want to believe it. I was feeling annoyed and I said, “I went to the Riverbelle to talk to the guys there. And you know what happened? Some thugs tried to back-room me.”
Max looked at me in surprise. “They still have that room there?”
“You knew about it?”
He shook his head. “We had that room there for emergencies, even though we never used it. Everyone at the casino knew about it.”
I sighed. It was just as I’d feared. Too many people had access to the place and anyone at the casino could’ve hired Beady Eyes and Mr. Beard to threaten me.
Our coffees were finished and I said, “I’ll call you if I think of anything else. And here’s my card. Let me know if you think of something.”
“I will,” he said, pocketing my card.
Chapter Eighteen
When I got back to the Tremonte, I called Thelma. She was the one person I hadn’t talked to yet, and though I didn’t think she would be any help, I needed to contact her.
She answered after about five rings. When I introduced myself, she went quiet for a moment and then said, “Who are you working for?”
“Sophia Becker.”
/> She snorted. “Good luck with that.”
I could tell she was about to hang up, so I interjected quickly. “The investigation could uncover who really killed Ethan.”
“We all know it was Sophia.”
“I’ve discovered some things the police overlooked. I’d really appreciate your help.”
“And what if you find more evidence that it was Sophia?”
“I’ll go to the police with it.” The truth was I didn’t want to believe I’d find more evidence damning Sophia.
“I’m busy,” she said. “Can we just do this over the phone?”
“I’m afraid not.” The one thing I’d learned during my training was that people were more forthcoming face-to-face. “I could meet you anywhere you’d like, a café or a restaurant or your house.”
“Ok. You can come over to my house the day after tomorrow.”
It was a victory of sorts but I still said, “Are you free any time before that?”
“No. I’m busy.”
She hung up and I heard the line go dead. I stared at my phone and put it away with a wry look. She hadn’t told me what time to go over, so I’d need to call her again tomorrow to check. For all I knew, she didn’t actually intend to meet me.
I called Leo next. I introduced myself when he answered and hoped he’d remember me.
He did. He said, “Oh hey, what were you doing in the casino that day?”
“I went by to talk to your Uncle Neil. What were you doing?”
“My aunt told me she’d give me a tour and she did. It’s a massive place and it was nice to see where Dad worked. I think maybe I’ll go work there once I’ve finished school.”
“Thelma must’ve been happy to hear that.”
He made a non-committal noise and said, “I’m not sure. She wanted me to sell her my shares of the casino, but I’d rather not. I said that if Sophia lost the case, we could divvy up Sophia’s shares instead of me getting them all, but we’ll see. I don’t want to argue about the casino with her.”
Innocent in Las Vegas: A Humorous Tiffany Black Mystery (Tiffany Black Mysteries Book 1) Page 12