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“Stedman said he didn’t have anything conclusive yet. Which means the FBI hasn’t told him anything,” Trent said.
Dela nodded. She had to agree. From what she’d found out from Quinn tonight it appeared the Feds knew more about the kidnapping than he’d let on. Which snapped an idea in her head. Could the Feds have instigated the kidnapping to get Benedict to use unlaundered money? That only infuriated her more. Using a child to get what they wanted.
“Hey, you look like you could kill someone,” Trent said, easing back in his chair.
“Sorry. I just had a bad thought about the FBI. One that I wouldn’t put past them.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Trent picked up his cup and slurped loudly.
“Nothing that I’m going to tell anyone until I know the truth.” She picked up the tea, took a sip, and put it back down. “Can I use Sidney tomorrow to help me dig around on the internet?”
Trent shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her. It’s her day off.”
“Do you mind if we use the computer in the security office?” Dela asked.
“As long as we don’t need it for anything.”
“What’s Sidney’s phone number?” Dela typed the number in her phone while Trent read it off his cell.
“Did your brother come up with anything on the boat?” Dela asked, remembering he’d called his brother in the Coast Guard.
“They noticed about four boats close to the coastline on Friday. But they didn’t make a sweep along the Lincoln City beach until later in the day. They’d been called out to rescue some fishermen.” Trent shook the ice in his cup and then set it down.
Dela added, see if Jude West owned a boat, to her list of things she and Sidney would be looking into the next day. “Did you have anything else you wanted to tell me?”
He leaned forward. “Do you want me to tell you where I hid the card?”
She shook her head. “No. The fewer people who know the better. Just leave it there until we need to look at it again.”
He nodded. “Then I’m headed home.”
She stared at him. It was a busy Saturday night and he was in charge of security. “You can just leave like that?”
“I’ve been here since seven this morning and should have gone home at three. I think I’ve put in enough hours. I’ll be back at three tomorrow.” He stood.
Dela asked, “Who is in charge when you’re gone?”
“Sherman. He’s qualified. Good night.”
When Trent left, she wandered out onto the packed casino floor. Walking through the smoky room she coughed a few times which got her glares from the people smoking. After finding all of the guards on duty, she took the escalator to the second floor where there were more slot machines, the two large restaurants, and the conference area. She found the security staff on the second floor. None of them were Sherman.
She started for the escalator and spotted Felicity coming out of the steakhouse with her husband. So much for the worried parents, Dela thought sarcastically before noticing the tight grip Benedict had on his wife.
Dela walked over. “Mr. and Mrs. Benedict, could I have a word with you?” She shot her gaze to the man’s grip on his wife.
Benedict released the arm and Felicity rubbed it. Tears glittered in her eyes.
“What could you want to talk to us about?” Benedict snarled.
Opening her eyes wide, Dela said, “The absence of your son.”
Felicity pressed a handkerchief to the corner of her eyes. “I tried to tell him this was a bad idea. I just wanted to sit in the room and see if someone contacts us.”
Dela looped an arm around Felicity’s and led her down the hall toward the quiet conference area. As she’d hoped, Benedict followed.
“What are you doing?” he asked, with barely concealed rage.
“I wanted to talk to you where no one else could hear,” Dela said and faced Felicity. “I believe there was a ransom note sent to your husband. Did he mention that?”
The woman’s eyes widened and she stared at her husband. “Did you receive one? What did they want?”
The man took two menacing steps toward them. Dela pushed Felicity behind her and glared at the man. “Did you receive a ransom note, Mr. Benedict?”
“Yes!” he snapped. “But it’s no business of yours.”
Felicity pushed around Dela. “But it is my business. He’s my son too! You arrogant bastard! You think you can make everyone do what you want. Well, you can’t and this is one time when I want you to do exactly what they ask. I want my boy back unharmed.” The woman had one hand on her hip and the other pointing a finger in her husband’s face.
He grabbed her finger and she cried out in pain.
“Let go of her or I’ll have you arrested for assault,” Dela said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
He released Felicity’s finger and backed away. “I’ll not give in to the kidnappers. They aren’t going to kill Asher, he’s too useful to them. They’ll just up the ransom until I have no choice.” He glared at his wife. “You have no idea what would happen to you if I gave in.”
Benedict spun around and strode off into the crowd of people.
Dela studied Felicity. She looked as if he’d punched her in the gut. “Do you know what he meant?” Dela asked.
“I’m sure it has something to do with his illegal operations. Oh God! If one of his enemies has Asher...” She started bawling.
Dela put an arm around her. “We’ll find him. That’s what I wanted to ask you. Who are your husband’s enemies and what can you tell me about Jude West?”
Felicity stopped crying and studied Dela. “His enemies are a long list. But Jude? Why do you want to know about him?”
“I understand you and he have been seeing a lot of each other lately.”
“Yes, he’s a good friend. He’s easy to talk to and easy on the eyes.” She smiled.
“Are you more than friends?” Dela asked, wondering how much bull Quinn had fed her.
She blushed. “We are very close, but Jude doesn’t want us to get caught in bed and have that to be the cause of my getting a lousy divorce settlement if Hugo can prove I was sleeping with him.”
Dela held in what she knew. “Have you told Hugo you’re divorcing him?” That would give the husband a reason to want to keep his child all to himself. Had he kidnapped his son and that was why he wasn’t worried about paying ransom? But then why would the other people involved talk about giving him a note, unless it was posturing on his part?
“I haven’t told Hugo, but I’ve had a private investigator watching him so I could get something other than his illegal dealings. He doesn’t keep any of that at home and has refused from day one to tell me anything. I know some of the people he meets but I have no idea why.”
“Then you are hoping the P.I. will catch him with a woman?” Dela asked.
“Yeah. If I can prove his infidelity, then I’ll get a larger settlement and full custody of Asher. I don’t want him around his father’s dirty dealings. I don’t want him growing up and becoming his father.” Felicity shuddered.
“Who is the P.I.? Dela asked.
“Peter Ferris. He works out of Portland. Why?” Felicity studied her.
“I want to look him up so I know who he is when I run into him. I don’t want to ruin things for you.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t want Hugo to know about him.” Felicity nodded.
“I’m going to be working on the kidnapping with someone tomorrow. I hope to have news for you by the evening.” Dela led Felicity back to the gaming area and down the escalator. “Want me to walk you back to your room?”
Felicity’s gaze moved over the slot machines. “No, I’m going to play some roulette before I go to the room. If I can win using Asher’s birthdate and age, I know he’ll come back to me.” The woman headed along the edge of the machines toward the gaming tables.
Dela strode to the door that led into the hall to the security office. In the office, she found Sherman talking on a cell phone. He ended the call when she walked in.
“I heard you’ve been all over the casino tonight. Is everything running as it should?” he asked.
“Yes. You have quite a crowd tonight. Do you run things every Saturday night?” She pulled a chair over and sat down facing him.
“About once a month I get to be head of security on a Saturday night. I knew this was coming up when Enos took the weekend off.” He smiled.
“What can you tell me about Trent Lawton?” she asked.
Sherman’s eyes widened in his large round face. “What do you want to know about Trent for?”
“Just curious. I’ll ask him about you tomorrow.” She smiled to take the sting out of what she said.
He studied her a moment, then grinned. “You’d like to know how we got the jobs we did?”
“No, I want to know what you do when you aren’t at work.” She settled back in the chair, waiting.
“For real?” He stared at her before clearing his throat. “Trent has a wife but they don’t get along too well. No kids. But they have two cats and a dog. I’m pretty sure when they split up, Trent will take the dog and leave the cats with his wife.”
Dela nodded. “Do you know why he took a job here?”
“No. Why does that matter?”
“Just curious. Does his wife work?”
“Yeah, she’s a secretary with the biggest law office in town.”
“Do they live over their means?” Dela didn’t think Trent had anything to do with the kidnapping or the murder, but it was always good to know as much as she could about the people she worked with.
“Naw. They are both pretty thrifty. They own a small, but nice, house.” Sherman studied her. “You going to ask all these same questions about me tomorrow? I can save you time and answer them now.”
Dela smiled. “Go ahead, tell me about you.”
Sherman told her about his wife and two kids. How they were Siletz Tribe and proud of their heritage. He was glad when he was moved to fill in for Enos because it was a raise in pay. His wife was a stay-at-home mom until the kids were in school. Then she’d take part-time work.
“I’d like to meet your wife sometime. She sounds like a person I’d enjoy,” Dela said.
Sherman’s face beamed as he smiled. “She is a keeper.”
“What can you tell me about Oscar in surveillance?”
Sherman rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s one guy I know little about, other than he keeps to himself and eats his lunch outside no matter what the weather is like.”
“Thank you for all the answers. I hope you have a quiet night.” Dela stood.
“I was sorry to hear about your friend,” he said softly.
“Yeah, me too. But I’ll find out who killed her and put them in jail.” She glanced around the office and realized she’d forgotten about the old man manning the office phone and security radio. He smiled and waved as she walked out into the hallway. Going over what she’d asked Sherman and said to him she didn’t see where it could be anything dangerous to Trent or Sherman if the older security officer reported it to anyone.