Pesky Politicians in Las Vegas
Page 15
Ellen edged slowly toward Trish and said, “We don’t need to talk about this now, darling. Why don’t we go upstairs and talk privately? You know it’s a bad habit to argue in public.”
The rage in Trish’s eyes died down, and she looked at Ellen warily, as though accepting the wisdom of her mother’s words.
Sensing her daughter’s hesitation, Ellen stepped forward rapidly, grabbed Trish’s arm, and dragged her off toward the door.
“Excuse us,” Ellen managed to say, as Ian and I watched her drag Trish away.
We both stared off after Ellen and Trish, long after they were gone, our jaws agape.
“I would never have thought…,” said Ian.
“Me neither.” I frowned and rubbed my nose thoughtfully. “I wonder what they’re going to do.”
“The penalty for juveniles isn’t as harsh as for adults,” said Ian. “Perhaps Trish can claim dementia.”
“I don’t know. The whole thing is just so… I almost wish we hadn’t found out about this.”
Right then, Steve appeared, glaring at us. “I’ve been asked to escort you off the premises.”
Ian and I stood up, surprised.
“Why?” I said.
Steve shrugged. “The boss lady isn’t too happy with you. Come on, now.”
Ian and I didn’t bother to argue, and we left quickly.
As we drove home, Ian and I couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that had enveloped us as soon as Trish had raced into the room.
“Let’s not go to the cops just yet,” I said, feeling sorry for Trish and Ellen. “Why don’t we give those two a chance to sort things out between themselves first?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Ian said. “But what if they don’t go to the cops?”
“I’m going to text Ellen with a deadline. If they don’t go to the cops and make a confession on their own within the next three days, we’re going to go the precinct and tell Detective Elwood what we know.”
“That sounds good,” said Ian. “I hope they’ll be okay.”
I nodded. “I hope so too.”
All Trish and Ellen had wanted was to provide a better life for the other, and neither of them seemed to have succeeded.
Chapter Twenty–Eight
A week later, Ian and I were having an early dinner of microwaved chicken pot pies.
“Did you see in the news that Ellen admitted to killing Carl?” said Ian.
“I did. I’m not surprised they chose this route. Ellen’s so protective, there’s no way she’d let her daughter take the rap for murder.”
“Ellen’s lawyer made a statement, said it was self-defense.”
“But poisoning is kind of premeditated. Of course, he seems like a good lawyer, so I’m sure they’ll manage to convince the jury that Ellen didn’t see any other way out.”
“It’s still manslaughter,” said Ian. “But if her lawyer’s as good as he seems, Ellen should be able to get off with a light sentence.”
“It does seem unfair, though. Trish wanted her mother to be happy, and now she’s facing murder charges.”
“Perhaps Ellen’s better off in prison, where she doesn’t have to deal with an abusive husband every day. I do feel sorry for Trish, though.”
I nodded. “I feel sorry for both of them. At least Gary’s off the hook now, and he can go about his life as usual.”
“Speaking of life as usual,” said Ian, “I can’t wait till Nanna moves back to Vegas again. When is her honeymoon going to end?”
I shrugged. “When she and Wes left for Hawaii the day before yesterday, she said they’d take a few more weeks. Maybe they’ll move back to Vegas for six months after that.”
“That would be great!” said Ian. “It would be so much fun if Nanna could help us out with our investigations. She’s good at this.”
“I’m not sure she should be investigating with us,” I said. “It just doesn’t feel right.”
Ian was about to say something in Nanna’s defense when my phone beeped with a text. I read the text, smiled to myself, and typed out a quick reply.
Ian rolled his eyes and said, “Was that Detective Ryan? Are you going out on a date with him again?”
I nodded. “We’re going out for dinner tomorrow. And this time, I’m going to make sure that I don’t get distracted and run off. I’m going to make sure that it goes really well.”
“Even if Johnson or Stone shows up halfway through your dinner?”
“Maybe I’ll make an exception if Johnson or Stone shows up. But I’m sure that’s not likely to happen.”
Chapter Twenty–Nine
Detective Ryan and I went to a small seafood restaurant that was just off-Strip, and the two of us ordered a platter to share. The place was tiny, and though the food was great, not many tourists seemed to have heard of it. Which suited me just fine—because of the lack of crowds, the service was excellent and there was enough space between tables to have a private conversation.
“I’m glad we’re doing this,” I said as we dug into the food and sipped on our white wines. “I’m really sorry I had to run off the other day.”
“That’s okay,” said Ryan. “It’s nice that you’re so loyal to your friends.”
“Stone was always good to me,” I said. “I need to help him out if I’ve got a chance to.”
“I guess your meeting with that man went well?”
I concentrated on the piece of calamari I was chewing and tried not to look as though I was deciding how much I should trust Ryan. “It went okay,” I said finally. “I guess I couldn’t have expected much better.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Ryan. Before he could ask me any more questions about Johnson, I changed the topic of conversation to Carl’s murder, and the art of solving mysteries.
We chatted for a while about work, and about our families, and then before we knew it, dinner was over.
“Time really flies,” I said, wishing that the date could go on for a bit longer.
“I know,” said Ryan. “It’s such a lovely night. Could I walk you back home, or would that be too far for you?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I like walking back home. I do it every night from the casino. It would be nice to share the walk with you.”
Ryan smiled, and the two of us strolled slowly back toward my apartment.
As we walked, I subconsciously took the route I often took on my way home from work, and we wandered down the dark alley behind the Cosmo hotel. As we walked together, chatting about Vegas, tourists and dealing with criminals for a living, I thought back to how many people I had encountered right here in this dark alley. There had been Jack, my ex-boyfriend who had taught me a number of innovative ways to enter locked buildings; there had been a crazy murderer who had wanted to kill me; and of course, there had been Stone, who had handed me the emergency cell phone with which to get in touch with him.
As we walked, I glanced back over my shoulder involuntarily. I felt as though someone was watching me, but when I looked, there was nobody lurking in the shadows. Or perhaps there was—and the shadows were just too dark to make anyone out.
“Are you okay?” said Ryan. “You don’t seem to like walking down here.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I walk down this street all the time.”
Far too soon, we were standing in front of my apartment, saying goodbye.
I tried to push away all thoughts of Stone, and what he might be up to, and how I might be able to help him find out who was sabotaging him. It was time for me to move on with my life, and there was a handsome man standing in front of me who could help me do just that.
“I had a lovely time tonight,” I said.
Detective Ryan smiled. “Me too.”
As we stood facing each other, I noticed as though for the first time just how luminous his eyes were, shimmering like gray pearls under the streetlights. Ryan smelled fresh and delicious, and he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me toward him. Our lips met, pr
essing against each other tenderly, and I gave in to the sweet, delicious taste of his lips. I sunk into him for what seemed like forever, and when we finally pulled away, I felt breathless and exhilarated.
I smiled at him, about to say something, when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a movement.
My head spun around, and my gaze locked on to Stone’s.
He was standing on the other side of the street, wearing a crisp black shirt and black dress pants. His tall, muscular presence almost melted into the shadows, but his dark black eyes glimmered with an intensity I knew well.
Our gazes probably only met for a split second, but it felt like an eternity. And then, Stone turned and walked away.
“Wait!” I said.
I didn’t bother to think; I didn’t bother to make any excuses to Detective Ryan. I dashed across the street, following Stone as he turned around the corner, and finally caught up with him.
“Wait,” I said. “Stone. Don’t go.”
Stone turned around. There was something in his dark eyes that I couldn’t quite place—a mixture of suspicion, disappointment and relief.
“You look well,” he said.
I looked at Stone carefully. He looked just the same. I said, “I talked to Johnson the other day. I can help you out if the CIA guy comes to Vegas. I can help you out if you need anything.”
“You seem busy,” said Stone. “You and the detective seem to be getting along well.”
Annoyance flooded through my veins, and I couldn’t stop myself from snapping at him. “I thought I’d pursue an actual relationship with an adult man who could be a good boyfriend.”
“Well,” said Stone, his face completely devoid of all emotion, “that’s good to know.”
Instantly, I felt sorry for having lashed out at him. But he was the one who’d kept telling me that there could never be anything romantic between us; how could he blame me now for trying to have a grown-up relationship that could actually work?
“Let me know if you need me to help out with anything,” I said. “I just turned down the opportunity to be a pit boss so that I could take time off whenever I needed to.”
“Thank you,” said Stone. “I’m glad we’re friends—I mean it. Johnson might be in touch soon. I hope everything works out for you.”
Before I could say anything else, Stone stepped into a black hatchback that was parked on the side of the road and drove off.
I stared after him for a few seconds, and then I walked slowly back to my apartment. Detective Ryan was still standing where I’d left him, his arms crossed, an expression of disappointment and mild annoyance in his eyes.
I could barely bring myself to look at him. “I’m really sorry,” I said. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“Stone seems very important to you.”
“He is,” I said honestly. “And until this gets sorted out, helping him out will always be a priority. I’m sorry if this is all a little too much for you.”
Ryan smiled. “It’s okay. I understand you needing to rush off to help a friend. And like you say, hopefully it’ll get sorted out soon.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you understand.”
“As long as there’s nothing romantic between you two. The way you rushed off like that had me a bit worried.”
I forced myself to smile. “There’s nothing romantic between me and Stone. And I’m sorry the date had to end like this. I had a really lovely time.”
“Me too. I hope we’ll do it again?”
“Yes,” I said, smiling happily. “I hope so, too.”
Epilogue
A few months later, the jury came to a verdict at Ellen’s trial.
There was sufficient evidence to prove that Carl had been abusive toward her during their marriage: there was testimony from Ellen’s close friends, as well as testimony from her local hospital, where Carl had sent her a couple of times.
The jury came to the conclusion that even though the poisoning had been premeditated, Ellen had feared for her life and had seen no other way out. In the end, Ellen was given a suspended sentence.
Through the grapevine, I heard that Ellen had sold off most of her jewelry to pay for her lawyer’s fees, but she’d managed to keep her small house back in Indiana. After the trial, she and Trish moved back there to start their lives afresh.
THE END
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty–One
Chapter Twenty–Two
Chapter Twenty–Three
Chapter Twenty–Four
Chapter Twenty–Five
Chapter Twenty–Six
Chapter Twenty–Seven
Chapter Twenty–Eight
Chapter Twenty–Nine
Epilogue