The Gamble and the Grave (Veronica Barry Book 4)

by Sophia Martin

  ~~~

  She recognized the marble floor, and the musical sound of bells and ringers. It was the casino again, and she was approaching another counter. It wasn’t the same one as before—this one was smaller, tucked away so the sounds of the machines were more distant. The area was well lit, but there weren’t the storefronts she’d seen before. Beyond the counter was a set of double doors—all intricate golden bars like something out of The Great Gatsby. Beyond them she could glimpse a security guard sitting reading a magazine.

  A balding man with a gray mustache looked up from behind the counter.

  She held up the key with one hand and her ID with another—Veronica caught sight of the photo, but it only confirmed what she already knew; that she was seeing Ariana’s memory. The man behind the counter nodded and smiled.

  “Right this way, ma’am,” he said, and he pushed a button that sounded a buzzer, unlocking the doors. They walked through together and the security guard, who had risen from his seat, hit another buzzer that shut the doors behind them. Veronica felt a chill—the doors brought to mind a prison, with their auto-locking mechanism. The balding man led her to another door, this one much less ornate, on the other side of the small room. He put his hand on a pad and a small light by the door went green. The guard spoke into a radio, “Customer entering vault.”

  Beyond the plain door was a hall, and at the end was a huge wheel like something out of a movie about bank robberies. Veronica walked a step or two behind the balding man, and he went to the wheel and entered a code. Then with a heft of the bars he opened the vault.

  He remained outside the vault door while Ariana stepped through the circular opening and into the vault. It was immense, but the first section was all safe deposit boxes, so she didn’t have far to go. Ariana ran her finger along a row of numbered boxes, stopped at 10476, and then ran it down the column. She put the key in 10482.

  ~~~

  “10482,” Veronica said as she opened her eyes.

  “No way, you got the number?” Miguel exclaimed.

  “10482,” Veronica repeated, afraid it would slip away. She looked at Daniel, who had his little notebook out and was writing in it. “Did you get that?” she asked him. He nodded.

  “That’ll save us a step,” Miguel said, sounding pleased.

  “I still don’t know the name of the casino,” she said.

  “Did it look like the one Wyatt Williams was in?” Miguel asked.

  Veronica paused and nodded. “It did.”

  “That’s the Silver Star,” Miguel said. “He still works there. I talked to management there—he’s been there for five years.”

  “So he’d have been there when Ariana went,” Daniel said.

  Miguel nodded. “I doubt he knew her as Ariana, though. She was only 18 or 19 when he knew her—she was too young to gamble.”

  “That’s right,” Daniel said. “You have to be 21.”

  “She had an ID but I didn’t see the dates on it. It was probably fake,” Veronica said.

  “Did you see if it was her name?” Daniel asked. “It would make our lives a lot easier if she used her real name—Miguel being her brother and all.”

  Veronica shook her head. “All I saw was the photo.”

  Daniel pressed his lips together and gave a nod. “Okay. Miguel, do you have a copy of Ariana’s death certificate?”

  “Yes, I have a file with all the paperwork the Sac PD gave me. Why?”

  “In case she did use her own name,” Daniel said. “We’ll be able to claim the contents of the box because you’re next of kin, and she’s deceased. Otherwise I can try to flash a badge, but without a warrant we may not get very far.”

  “But Miguel has the key,” Veronica said. “Why do we need to go to all this trouble? Isn’t the key all we need?”

  Daniel shook his head. “They’ll want proof of ownership and, failing that, some sort of legal claim to the contents.”

  “Do you think they’ll even still have the box rented to her?” Miguel asked. “I mean, it’s been two years—unless she set up some system for paying her bill, they’ve probably emptied the box and rented to someone else.”

  “Not necessarily,” Daniel said. “Banks can’t just dispose of the contents of safe deposit boxes and I’m betting it’s the same for other places like casinos. They might have emptied the box, but they’ll be holding on to the contents in the main safe for a long time in case the owner turns up. I think they eventually might do a public auction where they sell abandoned items, or maybe just advertise in a paper about them. But my guess is it would take longer than two years to get to that point.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Miguel said.

  “Should we maybe call the casino before heading all the way over there?” Veronica asked.

  Daniel and Miguel both paused to consider her question.

  Finally, Daniel shook his head. “I don’t think so, actually. If we knew for sure she used her own name, we could, because Miguel has a legitimate claim to the contents of her safe deposit box. But since we aren’t sure, we screw up any chance we have of getting the contents if she didn’t use her name. Like I said, it’s a long shot to expect them to give us the contents based on me just flashing a badge, but there’s still a slight chance they’ll do it. But they won’t if we start by calling and asking about the box, using the reason that Miguel is the deceased owner’s brother. Then we’d look like we’re cons trying every angle we’ve got to get at that box.”

  Veronica and Miguel both nodded.

  “I say we go to Reno, and I’ll start by flashing the badge and asking if box number—” Daniel glanced at his notes— “10482 was rented under the name Ariana Santiago. If they say yes, Miguel can step up and show them the paperwork he has verifying her death, and claim the contents of the box. They’ll probably require that you pay the cost of renting the box or some portion of that, by the way.”

  “I can do that,” Miguel said.

  “If they say it was rented under another name, we may not get much farther. We’ll have to hope we’re dealing with someone who really likes to cooperate with the police,” Daniel said.

  “You think it’s more likely they’ll refuse to cooperate?” Veronica asked.

  “Well, I don’t know for sure, but it seems like it would be in their best interests to keep the name of the person who rented that box confidential, and to keep the contents confidential as well—at least until they were ready to do a public auction or whatever. And there’s a chance they’re about to do that, or have already done it.”

  “But maybe if they are about to do it, they’ll be more willing to let you have a look at the contents,” Miguel said.

  “Yeah, maybe, because their own liability concerning any confidentiality would be pretty much done with,” Daniel agreed.

  “And if they’ve already auctioned it off, or they’ve already put an ad in the paper, and someone else claimed it?” Veronica asked.

  Daniel grimaced. “Probably our best hope then is that the name of the person who bought it or claimed it would be a matter of public record. But I’m not really sure how all that works, to be honest.”

  “Okay then,” Miguel said, clasping his hands together. “Sounds like we should get going. I really appreciate both of you going all the way to Reno, and helping me like this.”

  “I have one condition first,” Veronica said.

  “Name it,” said Miguel.

  “You have to show Daniel your car.”

  ~~~

  As Veronica had expected, Daniel was like a little kid with a new toy when Miguel showed him the red GTO. She could tell how badly he wanted to take it for a drive, but he reined himself in and said they’d better get going to Reno. Miguel would ride with Daniel and Veronica in Daniel’s Camry, which had far better fuel efficiency.

  “But maybe after all this is done you could come by sometime and take the GTO for a spin,” Miguel offered, grinning. He obviously enjoyed Daniel’s enthusiasm.

  “
I will be taking you up on that,” Daniel said.

  As they settled in for the drive to Reno, Veronica relaxed into the front passenger seat, feeling a lot more comfortable than she had on the way up to Miguel’s studio. Miguel leaned forward from the back seat, keeping up a steady conversation primarily with Daniel, discussing classic cars, asking him about police work, and eventually sharing what it was like to have a father in politics. After almost three hours, driving through wooded areas and into the mountains, they emerged on a road that curved above the city of Reno. Veronica gazed down at the brightly lit buildings as they approached. It was dusk and the effect was quite beautiful.

  As they entered the city, however, it became more obvious to her that most of the casinos and other buildings they passed had seen better days. A lot of the marquees had a distinctive sixties quality to them, which appealed to Veronica’s love of all things retro, but which also spoke of how rundown some of the establishments were. Newer hotel-casinos had sprung up on the outside of the city, and huge billboards advertised their deals and which performers were going to grace their stages, but the casinos that made up downtown Reno looked to be going to seed. They passed several strip joints, too, and the overall impression Veronica got was of a city that might have once aspired to rival Las Vegas, but could no longer hope to do so.

  Veronica had never been to Las Vegas, however, so she told herself she might be wrong about that. Still, it seemed unlikely that Las Vegas casinos and strip joints would have aged the way these Reno places had. It made her feel a bit sad for the city, and like she wanted to adopt it—she felt like if she was asked, she’d say she’d rather go to Reno than Las Vegas. As if Reno was the underdog and she wanted to see it win in a fight with Sin City.

  Veronica rolled her eyes at herself and watched as they left downtown Reno behind and headed out to the large, newer casinos. Up ahead she spotted the Silver Star, which had a shining tower illuminated with strips of lights that went from the top of the roof to the ground. A large star shown at the top, a bit like a Christmas tree, Veronica mused. Billboards advertised Chris Isaac as their main performer that week.

  “It’s after five,” Miguel observed. “Do you think we’ll even be able to talk to anyone about the safe deposit box?”

  Daniel nodded. “I can’t imagine they keep normal business hours. Gamblers generally don’t keep track of time.”

  Soon they had parked and Veronica stretched her arms and legs as she exited the Camry. “Maybe I should try to get a vision before we talk to anyone,” she said. “I might get an idea of whether Ariana used her own name—save us a step.”

  “You think just touching the walls or something…?” Miguel asked.

  “Can’t hurt to try,” Veronica said.

  She tried running her fingers along the outer wall of the casino, then against the wall of the entry hall, and she touched several chairs, a lit-up bannister, a large fountain… the hall extended into the casino, with side rooms buzzing and ringing with the sound of slots on either side. They walked together as Veronica tried to get a reading off anything she could, but nothing happened. She didn’t even get irrelevant stuff. The lights and sounds were certainly distracting—maybe casinos were the antithesis of hospitals and cemeteries: too much stimulation in the real world to allow much to go on with the spirit world.

  Shaking her head at Daniel and Miguel, she continued down the vast corridor and soon they were approaching the wide desk she recalled from the first vision Ariana had given her of the casino. Off to the right the corridor branched into a kind of mall full of brightly lit boutiques with designer clothes and accessories in the windows. To the left it led to staircases, and, according to an ornate sign, to restaurants and the outdoor area, which boasted two pools and a bar.

  “Should we ask the front desk about the safe deposit box?” Miguel wondered.

  “No,” Daniel said. “The fewer people we have to try to get through, the better. Let’s figure out where you go to access the boxes.”

  Veronica spotted a large directory on the way to the restaurants and outdoor area. She headed for it and the men followed her.

  “You are here,” a red marker proclaimed, situating them in the welcome area around the front desk. The casino floor plan was shaped like a huge letter Y. They had come in through the base of the Y. The left prong led to the restaurants, and beyond them was an auditorium for concerts like Chris Isaac’s. The right prong led past the boutiques, into several halls of slots and tables, and then beyond that was a spa. There were multiple corridors so it was possible to bypass the restaurants to get to the outdoors or the gaming halls to get to the spa.

  “And this is only the first level,” Miguel breathed.

  Sure enough, the casino boasted twenty floors. Each floor above them had rooms and a smaller gaming hall. A couple also had special accommodations for private parties.

  “I don’t see the safe deposit boxes,” Veronica said.

  “In the basement,” Daniel said, tapping the map. A smaller area was pictured to the side, and marked “Lower Level.” Daniel was right, there was a vault and a room labeled “Safe Deposit Boxes.”

  “Let’s go,” said Miguel.

  ~~~

  “We have no current or previous customers by that name,” the clerk at the computer outside the vault area said. He was a young, brown-haired man in the usual Silver Star uniform of a black vest over a crisp white button-down shirt with black trousers. A name tag on his chest read “Justin.”

  Daniel put his badge away. “You’re sure? Maybe a different spelling of Santiago?”

  “A different spelling?” the clerk echoed, eyebrows raised.

  “Would you please check?” Daniel said, shooting Veronica a look that said he didn’t think this was going to work.

  The clerk typed something. “I’ve tried it with a ‘d’ instead of a ‘t’ and a ‘y’ instead of an ‘i.’ No results.”

  “Maybe a different spelling of Ariana?” Miguel suggested.

  With a sigh, the clerk typed some more. “No, I’m sorry. Nothing.”

  “She didn’t use her real name,” Miguel muttered.

  Daniel gave the clerk a winning smile. “Justin, would it be possible to have a look at the contents of box 10482? This is part of an on-going investigation.”

  “Do you have a warrant?” the clerk asked. Veronica’s heart sank.

  Daniel shook his head.

  “Well, without a warrant I shouldn’t actually even be looking up names of customers, sir,” the clerk said. “The Silver Star prides itself on good customer service, and part of that is maintaining confidentiality. I could get in some trouble just for having checked on that name.”

  “Well, no harm done,” Miguel said, giving the counter between them a friendly pat. “All you did was confirm that you’ve never had a client named Ariana Santiago. That doesn’t actually infringe on the privacy of any of the clients you do have.”

  The clerk gave Miguel a tight smile. “I hope you’re right, because I have a feeling if this gets back to my supervisors, I’ll be lucky to walk away with just a reprimand.” He glanced at each of them. “In any case, I’m sorry, but that’s really all the help I can give you without a warrant.”

  A thought struck Veronica. “Okay,” she said, giving the clerk her best you-know-you-want-to-help-me smile. “But there is one last thing you could do for us.”

  A muscle jumped in the clerk’s cheek.

  He wasn’t going to cooperate, no matter what she asked for, she realized. This called for desperate measures—she only hoped the spirits would work with her on this. Veronica reached across the counter and touched the clerk’s hand. He pulled away before she got a vision.

  “Come on,” she breathed, too low for him to hear. “Isn’t there anyone out there who’d like to give Justin a message?”

  “Thank you for your help,” Miguel was saying, and Veronica got the impression her action had embarrassed him. “We really appreciate you going out of your way.”


  I would.

  Veronica stiffened. “What?” she breathed.

  I would. I would like to—I would like to give Justin a message…

  The voice was female, but other than that, she couldn’t get a sense for anything else. Adult, she supposed—but that was all.

  “Well, fire away, because time’s running out,” Veronica whispered. Miguel was glaring at her and edging away from the desk. Daniel was looking from Miguel to Veronica, obviously caught in indecision.

  Tell him it’s Jessica. His neighbor.

  “Do you remember a neighbor named Jessica?” Veronica blurted, just as Miguel took her elbow. She was so focused on Justin’s response that she didn’t see Daniel’s face, but she sensed that he was reacting to Miguel taking her arm and he wasn’t happy.

  “What?” the clerk said, his mouth remaining open on the vowel, his face slackening.

  “You had a neighbor named Jessica,” Veronica said. Daniel stepped closer to her, and Miguel released her arm.

  We grew up playing together. I had a dog and his parents wouldn’t let him have one. She was a golden retriever named Maggie.

  “Did you know Jessica?” Justin asked, blinking his eyes as if she’d shined a light in them.

  “She had a golden retriever named Maggie, and she kind of shared Maggie with you, because your family wouldn’t let you have a dog.”

  “She—she told you about Maggie?” he said.

  Veronica shook her head. “I never met Jessica before,” she said.

  Justin frowned at her. “I don’t understand.”

  Ask him if he remembers where we hid his dad’s broken trophy.

  Veronica repeated the question to him.

  Justin stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall behind the long, curving desk. “What the hell is this?”

  It’s still buried under the bench in my old back yard.

  “Under the bench,” Veronica said. “She says it’s still there.”

  “How—how would you—?” Justin stammered. His voice trailed off as his gaze went from Veronica, to Miguel, to Daniel, and back again.