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Dela used the GPS on her phone to find Jude West’s vacation home on the Oregon Coast. Heath drove through large wrought iron gates and up a long, paved driveway that circled a small fountain. He parked and Dela sat in the car staring at the three-story house that looked like an old mansion that was being remodeled on a television show she liked to watch when her mind was numb.
“How are you going to approach him?” Heath asked, as the door opened and a man stood staring at them.
“The truth is always good.” Dela stepped out of the car and walked up to the door with Heath beside her.
“I’m sorry, we don’t allow solicitors,” the man said. He wasn’t Jude West. She knew that because Sidney had sent her a photo of him.
“We’re not solicitors. We’re here on behalf of Mrs. Felicity Benedict,” Dela said not flat-out lying. The woman had asked her to find her son. And this was the next person she wanted to question to do that.
The man studied them both. “Your names.”
“Dela Alvaro,” she said.
“Heath Seaver,” he said.
“I’ll see if Mr. West will see you.” The door closed.
“Good thing it’s not raining today,” Heath joked.
Dela snickered and within minutes the door opened.
“Mr. West will see you.” The man ushered them into a large, beautiful entryway. “Follow me.”
They walked down the hall and out the back to a small patio in front of a large swimming pool. Dela was impressed. This was a man who had money. Or the FBI was footing this so he could woo Felicity. Either way, he had the use of the house and pool. She’d love to have a pool to exercise, but it wouldn’t be in her budget for a long time. Buying and remodeling her house had depleted her savings.
West sat in a lounge chair looking at a laptop. He closed the computer, placed it on the table next to him, and stood. “What do you have to tell me about Felicity?” he asked, indicating a patio table and chairs.
Dela, followed by Heath, walked over to the table and sat. West took a chair facing the house and studied them.
“I’m helping Felicity find her son,” Dela said.
“Why did you come here? I don’t have him,” West countered.
“I’ve learned you and Felicity are good friends. I was wondering if she might have mentioned to you someone she believed might have kidnapped her son.” Dela settled back in the chair as West snapped his fingers and the man who’d let them in appeared.
“Bring us something to drink.”
The man nodded and did a military turn before disappearing into the house.
Dela knew West was stalling. “Has she mentioned anyone in business with her husband that might have done this?”
He stared at her. “She would have told you, if she has you looking for her son.”
“Not necessarily. She’s distraught and might not think of someone that she might have mentioned before the kidnapping.” Dela continued to hold West’s stare.
He broke it off and glanced at Heath. “Who are you?”
“Dela’s friend,” Heath said, also relaxed back into his chair as if he planned to spend the whole day there.
West’s gaze moved back and forth between them until the butler, she guessed he’d be called, brought out a tray with a pitcher of iced tea, three glasses, and a sugar bowl. The man poured the beverage into three glasses and handed the sugar bowl to West. He scooped two scoops and stirred with a long-handled spoon. The butler offered Dela and Heath the sugar but they both declined.
When the butler disappeared, Dela said, “You are avoiding my question. Is it because you have something to do with the kidnapping? Or do you think Benedict had his son taken?”
West’s eyes widened. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that. When I mentioned to Felicity that her husband could have taken Asher, she objected, but I could tell she had the same thought.”
“Do you think it’s because Felicity plans to divorce him and take Asher away?” Dela asked, knowing that playing the man’s ally would get her more information than accusing him of anything.
“I don’t know if she let it slip or he found out from someone else, but he does know she is planning a divorce. And I wouldn’t put it past him to take the boy and keep him from Felicity to keep her from moving on.” West’s amber eyes narrowed. “He is a man who doesn’t give a shit about the law and will do what he damn well pleases.”
“I haven’t had the chance to ask Felicity and since you have a swimming pool here, does Asher know how to swim?” Dela had decided the child must know to have not been fearful of the ocean as he was being packed out to the man in scuba gear.
“Felicity put him in lessons when he was young. That kid can swim like a fish. He loves this pool.” West twisted his head and stared at the calm water.
“Then you’ve had him here a few times? He and Felicity?” Dela asked.
West nodded. “Felicity is welcome here whenever she needs to get away from Hugo. He is a domineering man with a temper.”
“Has Hugo ever beaten Felicity?” Dela asked, thinking about the grip he’d had on his wife’s arm last night.
“Not enough to put her in a hospital but enough to make her scared of him and want to get away with her son.” West lowered his eyelids to hide whatever emotion he was feeling.
Dela had an idea it was rage or hatred for Hugo Benedict. “Would Asher have been afraid if someone took him into the ocean and a scuba diver showed up?”
West’s eyelids jerked up and he stared at her. “Why do you say that?”
She’d hit on something. “Just a theory I have. But I needed to find out if Asher is scared of water. It sounds like he isn’t.”
“What’s the theory?” West asked, picking up his glass of tea.
“I’m going to run it by Special Agent Pierce before I tell anyone.” She finished off her tea and stood.
“Where are you going?” West asked when Heath also stood.
“Back to Siletz Bay Casino. I have a kidnapping and murder to solve.” Dela walked toward the door and stopped. “You didn’t happen to know Rowena Maxwell, did you?”
The man studied her for a moment and said, “I think she’s a photographer. If it’s the same person. She took photos of my place in Portland for a magazine. Why?”
“She was murdered two nights ago at the casino.” Dela watched him blink rapidly before walking toward them.
“What do you mean murdered? Do you think it has anything to do with Asher?” He seemed genuinely surprised but she didn’t know him well enough to know for sure.
“I believe it had everything to do with Asher’s kidnapping.” Dela stepped through the door and Heath followed.
Once they were in the car and headed up the highway, Heath said, “You just gave away two of your aces. If he is working for the Feds, he’ll go tell them you are getting close.”
“If Quinn tells me to back off, we’ll know for certain they are in this up to their short haircuts.”
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Heath parked the car and they took his duffel bag up to her room. Dela opened the door and cursed. Her room had been ransacked. She knew the reason. It was tucked in her stub sock.
“I’ve known you to be messy but this is a vacation side I’ve not seen,” Heath said, stepping into the room behind her.
Dela laughed at the ridiculousness of the scene and Heath’s lighthearted comment. When she caught her breath, she said, “Call the Lincoln City Police. I’ll call casino security.”
While Heath was on the phone with the city police, Dela called Trent.
“I won’t be in until three. Call the office. Sherman will take down the information.”
Seething, and changing her mind on him making a good next in line to be head of security, she called the casino security office and asked to talk to Sherman.
“Hey, Dela, I expected to see you when Sidney showed up to go through footage for you.”
“I went to Eugene to pick up a friend and while I was gone someone trashed my room.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No. I’m calling Sidney next to check footage of this hallway while I was gone, but I need you or someone from security over here to take photos and my statement.” She wondered if Enos would have been so nonchalant about a break-in.
“I’ll get over there right away.”
She ended the call and dialed Sidney. “Someone broke into my room while I was gone. Can you pull up footage of the hallway and see who entered, please.”
“That’s horrible. Do you think it had to do with what we did yesterday?”
Dela could hear the keyboard clicking in the background. “Most likely.”
“Did they get it?” Sidney asked in a distracted voice.
“No. Do you have anything?”
“It looks like a maid went in to clean at nine. The door is open and the cart is sitting in front of the doorway for fifteen minutes. She moves on to the next room.” Sidney’s voice fades then blares, “Booyah! She doesn’t put the cart right in front of the door like she did at your room.”
“Find out who the maid is and have her brought up to the security office. I want a talk with her.” Dela felt better having someone who was after the card to question.
Sherman arrived at the door where Heath had been standing after calling the police.
“Sir, you’ll have to step out of the room,” Sherman said.
“Sherman, this is my friend. The one I picked up at the airport. Heath Seaver, this is Sherman... I never caught your last name,” Dela said.
“Tulee, Sherman Tulee.” He shook hands with Heath.
“Heath is a tribal detective on the Umatilla Reservation,” Dela said, by way of letting Sherman know he could be trusted.
The security guard’s face darkened. “Then both of you know more about handling this than I do.”
Heath shot a glance at Dela. She nodded. “Sherman is third down the line from the head of security. Enos is at a family event this weekend and the second in command doesn’t seem to take that position very responsibly. He thought Sherman could handle things when there has been a kidnapping and murder here in two days.” She couldn’t hide the disgust she felt that no one here seemed to take either of the incidents seriously.
Just then Detective Stedman arrived. Dela made introductions and Sherman said there were too many people, and he’d leave it to the experts.
Dela sighed and motioned for Stedman to enter the room.
“What were they after?” the detective asked.
“I’m guessing the card Rowena left for me at the registration desk.” Dela pulled out her phone and started taking photos. It looked like it was up to her to make the report for the casino.
“Did you have it in here?” Stedman asked.
“No. We gave it to Special Agent Pierce.” She wasn’t lying. They did give the original to Quinn. But she didn’t have to tell him they had copies spread around.
“Then why would they search your room?” Stedman asked, studying her.
She shrugged. “I don’t know but I hope you can pull up some fingerprints. I’m beginning to think this casino isn’t safe.”
“Now don’t go spreading that around. This casino has been good for business around the whole town.” Detective Stedman stopped taking photos and faced her. “There is a reason I come to all the calls from here. The city wants to make sure people know that we do care what happens here and want them to feel safe.”
“You coming yesterday for Rowena’s murder was to keep up pretenses and not to catch a murderer?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Detective Stedman said, glaring at her.
“That’s what it sounded like to me,” Dela turned to Heath. “Is that what you heard?”
Heath walked into the room and put an arm around her shoulders. “Dela, let the man do his job. Have you taken all the photos you need? We’ll go see that person in security you called and come back and right things later.”
Dela let Heath move her out of the room and over to the elevator. Once they were inside, she said, “He’s only putting on a show. This is why I need you here. The FBI could be the abductors and the local police don’t give a piss about Rowena.” It always ate at her when law enforcement didn’t seem to care about a missing or murdered person. This time it happened to be a friend, which infuriated her even more.
Heath ran his hands up and down her arms. “But we do. Don’t lash out at everyone who is either not qualified to know how to work a murder or is overworked.”
The elevator did a little bounce before stopping and he released her.
Dela stepped out as soon as the doors opened. She hated it when Heath was right, but that was why she wanted him here. To help her keep a clear head and find Rowena’s killer.