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Dela sat in her car staring at the vet clinic. She had come to visit with Mugshot, but her mind kept circling back to how could they find the evidence they needed to charge Paula and Ronald with Tristan’s murder and possibly Mattie’s.
“Hey, are you coming in?” Travis called from the door of the building.
She waved and exited the vehicle. It was after hours. She’d called ahead to see if she could visit the dog. After she and Quinn left the Pomroy’s, they’d gone back to the casino. Wallace and Marty were still working on the things they’d asked of them, so she’d called Molly to see about a visitation.
Inside the air-conditioned office, Dela slowed her pace and walked back to the kennel that housed Mugshot.
“Hi boy. How are you doing?” She opened the door and pet his large head, scratching behind his ears. The animal peered at her with recognition.
“He’s been healing well,” Molly said, entering the room. She and Travis lived in the back half of the building.
“That’s good to hear. When can he get up and try to walk?” Dela continued to pet his head and watch him.
“He was up today. We took him outside for the first time. He was weak, but he adjusted to three legs pretty fast. By the time you take him home, he’ll be getting around just fine.”
She peered up at Molly. “He has to be able to do everything himself because I can’t hold his weight with one good foot.”
“He’ll be able to hold you up if you need him. I believe he’s German Shepard and Malamute. Both very loyal. Both breeds are also dogs who are intelligent and will protect you.” Molly smiled. “I think the best dog you could have has found you.”
That made Dela feel better. She scratched Mugshot some more and used the kennel to stand. “I set up an account at the lumber yard today and gave them Travis’s name to be one to sign for lumber. When he is ready to start on the yard and dog house, he can go in and order the lumber he needs.”
“I’ll let him know. He’s recruited two of his friends to help. I agreed with his pick. They should make a good working crew for you.” Molly nodded to the back of the building. “Do you have time for some ice cream?”
Dela smiled. “I can always make time for ice cream with a friend.”
Once they were seated, Molly asked, “Have you made any progress on the murder?”
A deep, weary sigh escaped Dela. “Yes and no. Quinn and I think we know who did it, but we are having difficulties finding the proof.” She glanced at her friend who stirred her ice cream more than usual. “Why are you asking?”
“Bernie and another board of trustees were having a discussion at the market. Travis overheard what they were talking about.”
“Let me guess. They didn’t like the fact I hadn’t caught the murderer yet.” She shoved the ice cream to the center of the table. “I wish I could call him up and tell him what we do know. But I can’t trust Bernie to keep the information to himself. He used the excuse of the papers hounding him when he tried to learn what was happening a couple days ago.”
Molly pushed the bowl back toward her. “Eat. When you and Quinn find the evidence you need, then everyone will know who killed the man at the casino.”
“And the young woman in Pendleton.”
Molly stared at her. “The death of Mattie Collier is connected to the casino murder?”
“Yeah. But you didn’t hear it from me.” She cleaned up the ice cream. “I need to go. We hope to have everything pulled together tomorrow so we can arrest the persons involved.”
Dela stood. It had been another long day and tomorrow didn’t look any better. “When this is over, I want us to go to my house and finalize the remodel plans.”
“I would love to help. What about your mom?” Molly raised an eyebrow.
“She’s going to help with the painting and tiling. She has become adept at both over the years remodeling her house.”
Her friend put a hand on Dela’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You said that as if you meant it.”
Dela laughed. “I did. Mom went with me to sign the papers and afterwards I took her to look at the house. She thought it was a wreck but also thought it was good for me to have something to look forward to and keep me busy other than work.”
“A win, win then.” Molly walked Dela to the door out the back of the living quarters. “Watch your step through the yard. We had a dog here a while back that liked to dig holes. We filled them in but some have sunk.”
“Thank you for the ice cream and conversation.” Dela walked out of the light streaming through the open door toward the parking lot where her car sat.
She managed the uneven yard and slipped into the driver’s seat of her car. Her phone jingled. She’d left it in the car while visiting Mugshot.
It was Wallace.
“Hello,” she answered.
“I texted you fifteen minutes ago and you didn’t answer,” the man’s voice had rose an octave.
“What’s up?” she asked, worrying another person had been harmed at the casino.
“I found out where the blonde Betty ninety-seven came from.” His excitement now trickled into his voice.
“And?”
“Here at the casino. Someone was using our server to send their email. I have a friend that can hack Yahoo who is looking into the name for me.”
“Ummm, don’t tell Special Agent Pierce you have someone hacking anything.” She was law abiding, but this was a matter of catching a killer. And the hacking was merely a means to find out who had sent the message.
“Yeah, that’s why I called you.” Wallace still sounded excited.
“What else have you learned?” She started up her car and headed toward the casino.
“Van was lying about growing up on the Big Muddy. He was born in Russia. His family moved here when he was in his teens. He ran with a Russian gang until Verna was born. Then he moved around a lot and was part of a bank hold up where two people were shot. That’s why the FBI is after him. Verna didn’t know he was her father until she turned eighteen and did her own research. As far as I can tell, neither one has been in trouble with the law since the bank heist.” He paused, drew in a deep breath, “But what I gathered from a couple of conversations I joined online, some say Van/Vladimer got away with a quarter of a million dollars. What I don’t understand is if he had that much money, why is he working as a maintenance man in a casino?”
“Good question.” Dela pulled into the casino parking lot. “Let’s pick this conversation up again in the morning.”
“See you then.”
She ended the call and stared at Quinn’s vehicle parked in the slot next to where she always parked. What was he doing still here?
All she wanted to do was take the elevator up to her room, soak her leg, and go to bed. But curiosity had her pulling out her phone and texting Quinn. Where are you?
Surveillance with Marty.
Dela entered the building and headed across the casino floor. It was quiet for a Monday night. She spotted Geri, one of the security guards, wandering through the slot machines.
“It looks quiet tonight,” she said.
“Yeah. Usually is on Monday. We had a couple of drunks that we tossed out, but that’s been about it.” Geri nodded toward the deli. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee. This is going to be a long night.”
“Is Harvey around?” Dela didn’t see the late shift assistant head of security.
“He was wandering around here a minute ago.” Geri walked away.
Harvey worked the quiet nights. He was ready for retirement and knew the casino inside and out. But lately he’d been saying off the wall things that had Dela wondering if he should see a doctor.
She held her ID up to the surveillance door lock and it swung open. A new shift watched the monitors. She tapped Sunny on the shoulder. “Keep an eye on Harvey, please.”
The young woman nodded as if she understood what Dela meant. It wouldn’t surprise her if the group watching the monitors hadn’t come to the same conclusion as Dela about the man’s mental state.
She walked into Marty’s office and pulled out a chair. “What are we watching?”
Quinn glanced at her. “You need to get some sleep.”
She glared at him. “This is as much my case as it is yours.”
Marty pointed to a video. “This is what I could piece together that was hidden from the blacked-out cameras.”
Dela stared at the three monitors that came to life. “Can we watch them one at a time?”
“Yeah.” Marty tapped the keyboard and the view outside the room on the eighth floor fast forwarded, showing Ronald leaving the room within ten minutes of the start of the video. The man was dressed and didn’t look the least bit upset. Forty-five minutes later a disheveled Paula returned to the room.
“Stop.” Dela said, staring at the woman.
Marty tapped keys and the video stopped with the woman opening the door.
“Look at her pocket. There are wet spots.” She pointed. “Can you zoom in on the pocket?”
The head of surveillance did his thing and the monitor was filled with the robe pocket. The wet stains looked a lot like a T. The shape of a corkscrew.
“I think she has the corkscrew in her pocket.” Dela glanced over at Quinn.
He had a grin on his face. “That’s what it looks like to me.”
“Keep it moving,” Dela said, staring at the video until after the woman disappeared behind the door and through thirty minutes of fast forward when Paula walked out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.
“Let’s see the camera on ten near the stairs.” Dela moved her attention to the monitor on the left.
It came to life, fast forwarding until the door opened. Marty slowed the video and Paula appeared. She glanced around and knocked on the door of 1010. The camera didn’t show who let her in.
“That’s interesting,” Dela said. “Someone with access to a master key or who worked the desk and made a key for that room had to be involved.” She glanced at Quinn and then Marty. “Can you bring up the camera on this door before the time on the blacked-out camera?”
“Give me a second.” Marty tapped the keyboard and she continued watching the video of room 1010.
They continued watching room 1010. At 2 am Paula ran out of the room naked with her husband chasing her. She ran down the hall and ducked into the supply room. Tristan followed. Fifteen minutes later, a naked Paula and Ronald Edmond in sweat pants and a T-shirt walked back to room 1010. She stepped out five minutes later wearing the robe and headed to the stairs. Ronald came out wearing the same clothes and walked to the elevator.
“What do you want to bet, Ronald was standing behind the door naked, waiting for the two to run in?” Dela shivered. It had been a well thought out crime. Except that Verna must have learned about it and made sure there would be evidence. But why hadn’t she told Marty or her about the wife attempting to murder her husband?
“I don’t understand why they didn’t take the book?” Quinn said, staring at the blank monitor. “They had to know about it. Why else would they kill Tristan if not to get their hands on the money in the Cayman Island bank?”
Dela sat up straight and stared at Quinn. “Because they didn’t know about that money until Mattie showed up with the book in her hand asking for money to hand it over. What does Ronald do for a living?” She didn’t wait. “He is a bounty hunter. He said he was following a lead when he came here. He was following Van Branson . Maybe he wasn’t completely sure Van was Vladimer, but he needed to get Tristan out of the way so when he did prove it, he could collect the reward. Only he made friends with Paula, who probably told him how much she would get in insurance if her husband died. Ronald added up that and what he could get turning Van in and they made a plan.”
“They couldn’t have had fake passports made in the length of time they met and worked this all out.” Quinn stood and paced. “We need to find Jeff Twigg and Robin Everly. They are somehow mixed up in this.”
Dela leaned back in the chair. “Yes. And why did Paula toss the corkscrew in the water feature? She could have walked out of the casino with it in her purse and no one would have known.”
Quinn answered his phone. “Pierce. Yeah? Good. Can you hold him there until I can talk to him?” He nodded his head. “I’ll be there by noon tomorrow.” He motioned to the monitors. “This is enough for tonight. Get some rest, we’re headed to Seattle in the morning. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Why are we going to Seattle?” Dela didn’t mind calling it a night but wanted to know why he was dragging her along.
“They have Van and Verna in custody. They were trying to catch a boat to Alaska.”