They drove back to the casino under a clear sky and a low winter sun.
Michael and Maria wasted another half hour finding a security guard who could let them into the back. The casino floor was still empty, and the slot machines were still blank and dark. When they asked the security guard about the issues with the slot machines, he deftly avoided the question, as if he’d been coached on what to say.
Whatever was going on was very serious.
Allison was waiting for them when the elevator doors opened. She led them back to her office, which was right next to Clint’s. His door was closed but voices drifted through, not loud enough to be understood, but a meeting was going on.
Alison’s office was sparse, a desk fronted by two chairs and a filing cabinet against the wall. Above the cabinet was a silver framed group of three pictures: a baby, a girl about seven years old, and a teenager smiling in front of a new Tesla. All the pictures were of the same girl.
“Your daughter?” Michael said.
“Meili. She was so excited to get that car. Clint bought it for her when she got her license.”
“That was sweet of him,” Michael said.
“I wanted to kill him. I was waiting for her report card to buy her a car, and then he showed up to the house with the damn thing, didn’t even give me a chance to say no.”
“Generous guy, Clint,” Maria said.
“Yeah, he is,” Allison said.
“Was he that generous with everyone?” Michael asked.
“He didn’t go around buying cars for everyone’s kids, if that’s what you mean, but I’ve been working for him for a long time,” Alison said.
“So he rewarded long term loyalty. I mean, that’s what all the good bosses do, right?” Maria said.
“We aren’t like all the other casinos. We are one of the last independent operations, and he wanted to act accordingly.”
“And what about his relationship with Benny?” Michael asked.
“What about it?”
“We heard they had an argument last week,” Maria said.
“They fought all the time. Those two were like brothers. All they did was fight, and then they’d get done screaming at each other and go eat dinner. The two were inseparable,” Allison said.
“Supposedly Benny was angry about something being hidden from him,” Maria said.
“I didn’t hear any arguments about that, but to be honest with you, whenever Benny and Clint were going at it, I’d put on headphones, so I didn’t have to listen. They literally fought weekly. I kind of think they looked forward to it.”
“What about the sale?” Michael asked.
“What about it?”
“Tense time. Negotiations. Could Benny have something over Clint that could have messed with the sale?” Michael asked.
“Are you trying to imply that Clint killed Benny?”
“Not at all, but we need to ask questions about everyone,” Maria said.
“I can’t talk about confidential negotiations, but I can tell you that there was nothing I know about that would lead me to believe that Benny had any sway over the sale,” Allison said.
“I could see why Benny would want to mess with the sale, though. I mean, he’s here living in a suite, magnificent view of the strip, treated like royalty. Letting go of a lifestyle like that must be hard,” Michael said.
“Benny walked around this place like he was a king in his castle, but the reality was, this is Clint’s place and Benny was here because Clint wanted him to be here. The best thing that ever happened to Benny Alvarez was growing up next door to Clint, and Benny might not admit it in public, but he knew that. Benny was many things, but a stupid man, he was not. And if I’m not mistaken, didn’t you already arrest Jackson for Benny’s murder? Does this mean, you don’t think Jackson killed him?”
“When we investigate a crime like this, it’s important that we follow up on everything,” Michael said.
Allison looked at Michael like she thought he was bullshitting her.
“So you’re saying you arrest people even though you haven’t already figured everything out. Sounds a little sloppy,” Allison said.
Maria laughed. For all her meek appearance, this woman was tough.
“There seem to be some issues downstairs. What’s going on?” Michael asked.
“Issues?” Alison said.
Now it was Michael’s turn to look at her like he was the one being fed a line. Alison was smart and saw through their questions, but a good liar, she was not.
“Casinos generally don’t have all their slot machines down at the same time,” Maria said.
“You’ll have to ask Clint about that,” Alison said.
Behind them, the door to Clint’s office opened, and a group of people filed out.
“Could you let him know we’d like to talk to him?” Michael said.
Clint greeted them with a big smile and a handshake. He wasn’t alone; his attorney, Tom, was typing something on a laptop. Tom smiled a greeting at them before returning to his task. Clint guided them to some chairs in front of his desk.
“Hectic day?” Michael asked.
“When is it ever not?” Clint said. “I wanted to congratulate the two of you on making the arrest so quickly. Admittedly, I was shocked to find out it was Jackson. I mean, you think you know someone, right? But I probably don’t need to tell you two that. That’s what you see every day. The darkness hidden inside men.”
Clint’s phone buzzed. He looked down at the screen. Smiled an apology. Scrolled through the message. When he was finished, he looked at Tom, who closed his laptop and walked over to stand behind him.
“So, what can I do for you?” Clint asked.
“We’re just tying up loose ends,” Maria said.
“You mentioned being shocked that we arrested Jackson. Why?” Michael said.
“Just didn’t see it coming,” Clint said.
“To be honest, our evidence on Jackson, it’s good enough for an arrest, but not good enough for a conviction. Juries like to know why people do things. Could Benny’s murder be tied to something with the sale of the casino?” Michael said.
“I’m not sure that my client is qualified to be providing explanations for why a murder was committed,” Tom said.
“He knew both the vic and the suspect. He’d watched them interact for a long time. There’s probably no one more qualified,” Maria said.
“Resentments build over time. Human beings are remarkably irrational. Could have been many things that caused this terrible crime,” Tom said.
Michael smiled at Tom, thanked him for his observation, and looked back at Clint, “But we’d really like to hear anything that you could think of that might help us understand Jackson’s state of mind.”
“Do you suspect my client of being involved in this crime?” Tom asked.
“We’re just trying to-” Maria started, but Tom cut her off.
“Yes, yes, just trying to ask my client seemingly innocuous questions while hiding your true motivation. Not very ethical, detective,” Tom said.
“It’s fine, Tom,” Clint said. “Lawyers, they’re basically Dobermans in suits. They only think to protect and attack. Useful, but sometimes things require a bit more discretion.”
“My client-”
“Tom, it’s ok, seriously. Stand down a little, will ya?”
“We understand that you are in some complicated negotiations regarding the sale of your hotel,” Michael said.
“Is there an uncomplicated negotiation? Seriously, I’d love to have one of those. That would be amazing,” Clint said.
“Maybe a better way of saying it would be that it’s a particularly tense moment in time,” Michael said.
“Not really. I haven’t wanted to sell until now. People have been after my hotel for two decades, it seems that from the moment I opened the doors, people were trying to get me to sell, but I still loved walking in the front door, you know? If we’re honest, it’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s just walking into a place where everyone knows exactly who you are and they treat you like a king. That’s a little intoxicating,” Clint said.
“But you are ready to sell now,” Maria said.
“It’s time.”
“The first time we spoke with you, you mentioned how close you and Benny were,” Michael said.
“We grew up together, two little shits on the east side of Vegas just trying to make something of ourselves. I was a computer geek, and Benny was outgoing, life of the party kind of guy, so we were an odd couple. When you are as socially awkward as I was, you remember the people who let you be how you were. I hit the big time financially first, but Benny was making a name for himself as a comic, more or less at the same time. There was a bond there that can be hard to understand from the outside,” Clint said.
“Some people have hinted that Benny was getting in the way of the sale,” Maria said.
Clint laughed. A full, hearty laugh. The kind of laugh that a man makes when he’s been under an enormous amount of tension, and the joke was exactly what he needed to let all that tension go.
“A witness heard you two arguing,” Michael said.
“God, Benny and I fought all the time. I called him a prick at least three times a week. Very few people could piss me off as much as he could. Something about celebrity. They hit it big one time, and they’re fucking narcissists for life. Benny thought he was still doing HBO specials, you know? He had a hard time admitting that the good times were over. But he had no issue with the sale. I had given him shares years ago, and the sale was going to be a boon for him,” Clint said.
“How much in shares?” Maria said.
“Five percent.”
“I can show you documentation to substantiate Benny’s ownership and interest in selling the hotel,” Tom said.
“That would be great. We’d love to see that,” Maria said.
“So, does this mean you don’t believe Jackson killed Benny?” Clint asked.
“We’re just being thorough,” Michael said.
“We noticed that things were different downstairs. Propped doors, non-functional slot machines. What’s going on?” Maria asked.
“Apparently, I need a new IT team. Someone screwed up an update and everything went to crap. They’re working on fixing it all right now. We’ll be back up and running shortly,” Clint said.
After Maria and Michael were gone, Clint walked over to the window. His blood pressure was rising. As if the hacking attack wasn’t enough, these cops were digging deeper than he wanted.
“Just being thorough?” Clint said.
“I’ll speak to my contacts at the police station. Find out what’s going on,” Tom said.
“If Allison hadn’t emailed to warn us, who knows what dumb mistake I would have made,” Clint said.
“You’re not big on dumb mistakes,” Tom said.
“What about the other thing?”
“The reporter?” Tom said.
“No, the Japanese massage girl that likes to tickle your balls with a feather. Yes, the fucking reporter,” Clint said.
“He’s already started on his research. Usually it takes him a couple of days,” Tom said.
“I don’t know if waiting a couple of days is wise. A friend of mine told me that Maria Varela is disturbingly thorough,” Clint said.
“I’ll call the reporter. Tell him to get out whatever he has as soon as possible,” Tom said.
“Yeah, do that. And get me a status report on this fucking hacking,” Clint said.