“While there’s considerable circumstantial evidence against her, I honestly believe she’s innocent. Rose would have no reason to threaten me. She knows I believe she’s innocent. Considering we now believe that Monica was into blackmail, there are still a number of other suspects. Unfortunately, it doesn’t solve our publicity problem since most of them work for us. However, I don’t believe that the police have re-interviewed Jerry McCrae yet. If they let her out on bail, I’d like to allow her to come back to work.”
Tony sat back, his eyes grave. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“Trust me on this. She’s not a killer. She needs our support. Besides, if we suspend her, the newspapers will be all over it. She and the hotel will be convicted before she ever goes to trial.”
“Let me think about it and we’ll discuss it again once she makes bail.”
Since that’s the best I was going to get, I left. Alan had said that Tony talked to him about the memo and papers Mike found, but he still hadn’t mentioned them to me. Was that because he trusted me, or because he no longer did? I should have just asked him. Why hadn’t I? Maybe because I was afraid of the answer. Whatever, for the moment I still had a job and keeping it might very well depend on finding the real killer.
Now that I knew what Monica drove, I had an idea about where the car might be. Obviously, I wasn’t going to be able to enlist Alan’s help, so I went directly to surveillance, located upstairs above the casino behind an unmarked door. When I knocked, Jeff let me in. It was early in the day and the casino wasn’t busy. Jeff and Warren were the only two on duty. They sat at a console surrounded by monitors.
Jeff pulled up a chair for me from one of the other stations. “Welcome to the eye in the sky. I got the word to watch Arnie, but he’s been off for the last couple of days. I don’t have anything for you yet.” He continued scanning the monitors while he talked, glancing sideways at me occasionally. “I’m sorry about your accident. I still can’t figure out why the camera angle left out your car. Usually we can see everything. The only conclusion I can come to is that knowing the camera was there, someone moved it, and we just didn’t catch it. I’m really sorry. I assure you it won’t happen again. We’re keeping a close watch on your car.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I know there’s no way you can see everything. I’m actually here for an entirely different reason. Would it be possible for a car to be parked in the garage for several days without being towed away or anyone noticing?”
“Sure. There’s no limit on the amount of time a customer can park in the garage. All we look for are people loitering, or someone messing with a car.”
I waited while he refocused one camera so he could get a better look at one man playing blackjack. When he turned back to me I said, “I know that security does a patrol in the garage, would they notice if a car hadn’t moved for several days?”
“I doubt it. They look for the same things we do. What’s this all about?”
“I’m thinking maybe Monica parked the car she was driving in the customer parking garage that night, instead of employee parking. She’d only recently bought it, so it wouldn’t have had an employee sticker on it. Did the police pull the surveillance video of the garage that night?”
“Yes. We didn’t see anything unusual on it. I’m sure we would have noticed Monica getting out of a car.”
Darn, so much for that theory. “Oh well, it was just an idea I had. Thanks for talking to me.” As I started for the door, I had another thought. “On the day of the murder, how much of the tape did the police pull?”
“Two hours before the murder through to the next morning. Why?”
“So if Monica parked there on the morning of the murder, say when she came to work that day, is it possible that no one would notice?”
“Sure, she hadn’t worked here that long. As long as she didn’t have on a uniform or look directly at the camera, chances are we would have assumed she was a customer.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t have the authority to ask surveillance to pull up the tapes to look for the car, only the police or Alan could do that. The police wouldn’t, and I wasn’t up to arguing with Alan. I’d rather see if I could find the car first. If I actually found a new black BMW that still had dealer plates, then I would notify Rose’s lawyer.
Jeff walked me to the door, telling Warren he’d be back in a second. When the door clicked shut behind him, he leaned down and whispered, “Don’t trust everything Alan tells you.”
“Why?” I was shocked. Jeff worked for Alan, and I knew they were very close.
He took a deep breath before continuing. “Because I don’t think he’s been totally honest with the police.” The words came out in a rush.
As he turned to go, I grabbed his arm. “Jeff, if you know something, you need to tell the police.”
He looked down, shaking his head. “I don’t really know anything for sure. It’s just that I’ve seen some things that make me suspect that Alan knew Monica a lot better than he’s letting on.”
“What things?”
He turned away, knocking on the door for Warren to let him back in. “Look, forget I said anything. Like I said, I don’t really know anything. Just be careful.” The lock clicked and he slipped inside before I could ask any more questions.
I stood there wondering what that was all about. Had Alan lied to me when he said he didn’t know what Monica was doing? Was that what Jeff meant? I knew Jeff wouldn’t tell me anymore at the moment. I would have to wait until I could speak to him alone.
Anxious to get started looking for Monica’s car, I went back down to the casino level and out to the first floor parking. If Monica parked in the garage in order to be closer to work, it made sense that she would try to find a space on the first floor. I only saw one black BMW, and it had Arizona plates. By the time I made it back to the casino entrance, my feet were killing me. My new cranberry three-inch stiletto sandals, which were a perfect match for the cranberry suit I had on, were not made for walking long distances. I’d have to remember to bring a pair of tennis shoes to work before I tried again.
Back in my office, I put a call through to Detective Franklin. After reading Marcia’s diaries, I was curious to find out what happened to Joey Green. Luckily, he was in the office.
“Valerie, it’s good to hear from you. I hear they made an arrest on your case.”
“Yes, but they arrested the wrong person. I can assure you that she’s innocent. I hope you don’t mind, I gave your name to her lawyer. I told him about Joey Green.”
“I don’t mind, but there’s not much I can tell him. I haven’t found anything but a birth certificate and a social security card. He worked for a Louie’s restaurant for a couple of years and then he just disappeared. There’s no record of him ever working anywhere else. He never even filed a tax return. My guess is he’s probably dead.”
“Wouldn’t there be a death certificate?”
“Not if he was never identified. He’d just be one more John Doe.”
“Thanks anyway. I appreciate your taking the time to look into it. By the way have you seen Dee lately?”
He chuckled. “As a matter of fact I have. She’s finally agreed to have dinner with me tonight.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I’ve never known Dee to date. She’s always said her boys were the only men she needed in her life.”
“It wasn’t easy. I’ve been giving it the full court press with flowers, candy, and even balloons. I think I just wore her down.”
“Good for you.” He got another phone call and had to go so I said goodbye, promising to let him know if there were any new developments on the case.
By the end of the day, I had actually managed to clear most of the paperwork from my desk. Delgado called a few minutes before five to tell me they called him back into work.
Shortly after, Charlene came in and sat down. “Evan just phoned. He said he had to work late.”
“Delgado was just called back
into work. If the kids don’t need you, why don’t we go to dinner and then stop by and see Rose?” After being released on bail, she called to tell us, that for the time being, she would be staying with her sister. Rose’s sister lived in Henderson off the 215.
Charlene said, “Good idea. Let’s take my car. I can drop you back at the hotel on my way home.”
When we got in her car, I said, “Let’s drive through the garage. I want to look and see if we can find the car Monica was driving.
“What are we looking for?”
“Rose said she saw her driving a new black BMW with dealer plates.”
Nothing on the second level, but when we reached the third level, Charlene pointed. “There’s one, right next to the elevators.”
Charlene stopped the car. I got out and walked over it. The doors were locked. I peered in the windows, looking for anything that would identify this as the car Monica drove. There was a leather briefcase on the back seat that looked like the one Monica always carried. However, what really cinched it for me was the tie that was lying on the front seat. I recognized it as the one of a kind, hand painted Goofy tie I had given Alan for Christmas. Stunned, I just stood there.
Charlene called to me, “Well, can you tell if it was hers?”
I managed to tear my eyes away. Walking back to Charlene’s car I said, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this was hers.”
Charlene must have seen something in my face, because she said, “What is it? There’s not another body in there is there?”
I got back into her car before I answered. “No.” I hesitated to tell her about the tie. I didn’t want to believe that Alan had lied to me and to the police. “Can you call Rose’s lawyer, and let him know we found the car?” Charlene knew I was keeping something from her, but she reached into her purse to pull out her phone. I was sitting with my phone in my lap, debating whether I should report it to the detective in charge of the case, or whether it would be better to let Mr. Canfield notify the police. Lost in thought, I jumped when Alan walked up and tapped on the window. He motioned for me to roll down the window, but I just sat there.
Charlene, not understanding what was going on, opened the door.
“Charlene, don’t! Stay in the car.”
She ignored me. She waved Alan over to the BMW. “Alan, Valerie thinks this is the car that Monica was driving.”
Alan gave me a puzzled look before going over to look at the BMW. He and Charlene both stood there for several minutes, just looking at the tie displayed on the front seat. Charlene knew that tie as well as I did. She started to back away from Alan.
He turned to face me. We stared at each other. I could see the look of defeat on his face. I tensed as he slowly he reached behind him.
Chapter Seventeen
Alan unclipped his cell phone from his belt. “Hi, Ray, can you notify the police that we found Monica’s car? It’s a black BMW in section 3B.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.
Charlene came back and pulled her car into a vacant parking space while we waited for the police to arrive. She and I stayed in the car until a security vehicle arrived. Two Royal security guards got out of the car and spoke with Alan. I saw him take out his gun and give it to one of the officers. I got out of Charlene’s car and stood facing Alan.
He walked over to me with both hands up. “I swear I didn’t kill her.”
“You just had an affair with her.”
He nodded.
“Why did you lie?”
“I never lied to you.”
“You told me you didn’t know what she was doing.”
“I didn’t know she was using her position to blackmail people. I was stupid enough to think she cared about me. I didn’t know about her background, or that I wasn’t the only one she was offering her services to.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to see that look on your face, the one you’re wearing right now, disappointment and disgust. Look, she caught me at a low moment when I was feeling lonely and depressed. She was a beautiful woman and she wanted me. I was egotistical enough to believe that she was attracted to me.”
I felt like an idiot. All this time I’d been feeling guilty for leading him on, and he’d been using me. “So these last couple of weeks of ‘I want to be more than friends,’ that was just a way to cover your butt in case I found out? You figured if you could get me into bed, then I wouldn’t be able to say anything to Tony.”
He shook his head, reaching out to me. “It wasn’t like that.”
I backed away from him shouting, “Oh really, I’m supposed to believe that after working together for five years, suddenly after you start screwing Monica, you develop the hots for me?”
He dropped his hands to his side, matching my tone. “Why does it matter to you anyway? You never wanted me. You have your detective. How do you think it feels to know that when I kiss you, you feel nothing? All he has to do is walk in the room and you light up like the fourth of July. Fine I screwed up. I needed someone to make me feel like a man. So sue me. I’m human.”
The tears rolled down my face. “It matters because I thought we were friends. I thought I could trust you,” I said quietly. There was nothing else to say. My anger had dissipated, leaving behind disappointment and a feeling of betrayal. Maybe I was a fool, but I believed him when he said he didn’t kill her. After that, we waited silently for the police to arrive, not looking at each other, both of us examining our shoes. Charlene had walked away when our exchange became heated. She remained a few feet away, talking on her cell phone.
The police finally arrived. Once they took our statements, Charlene and I were free to go. It was too late to see Rose, but we still needed to eat. Charlene, craving Mexican food, headed south on the interstate and exited at Sahara pulling into her favorite Mexican Restaurant.
I wasn’t ready to talk about Alan, or how his involvement would affect the case. Instead, while we munched on chips and salsa, I told her about the entries I’d read in Marcia’s diaries. “I felt sorry for her. Even Joey kept her at arm’s distance, never letting her know how to reach him. Then when she really needed him, he disappeared.”
Charlene tossed her head. “So she had a difficult childhood, so what? Lots of people do. They don’t all turn into prostitutes and blackmailers.”
The waiter came back with our drinks. I ordered the seafood enchiladas and Charlene ordered the fajitas. Once he left I continued. “Since her mother kicked her out when she was sixteen, she really didn’t have any other choice.”
Charlene shook her head. “There are always choices. She could have gone to the police, or the nice Mrs. Combs next door. The trouble with you is that you’re a sucker for a sob story.”
I bristled. “That’s not true. I terminate and discipline people with sob stories all the time.”
“You follow the rules and do what you have to do, but that doesn’t mean you don’t feel sorry for them.”
“And you don’t?”
She put down her drink. “I believe that most people live the lives they’ve chosen. Even if life's dealt them a rotten hand, they can choose to learn from it, or they can choose to let it dictate the rest of their lives. How many battered woman have you helped to get away from their no-good husbands? You’ve given them a chance to change their lives, and the next thing you know, they’re back living with the guy. They had options, and this is the choice they made. Why should I feel sorry for them?”
I frowned. This attitude was so unlike Charlene. “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”
She shrugged. “Monica may not have had options when she was young, but once she had a job and was in total control of her life. She was free to make other choices. Instead, she chose to blackmail and hurt people. I hold her responsible for those choices.”
I sat back wondering what was going on with Charlene. I’d never known her to be so judgmental. Then it dawned on me. “You and Evan still haven�
��t gotten together?”
Before she could reply, the waiter came back with our orders on sizzling platters. She dug into hers, eyes down.
“Why don’t you two just go away for the weekend?”
She sighed. “It’s not that easy. Lincoln’s on the basketball team, and Patty’s in drama and drill team. Practically every weekend, either the kids are in something we don’t want to miss, or they need a ride somewhere. If both of them had a weekend free, I’d worry that they would either kill each other, or decide to host a party.”
I looked at her sternly. “I don’t feel sorry for you. You chose to have children.”
She laughed. “Touché. As hard as it is, it’s also amazing.”
When we could no longer avoid the subject, she said, “Is it possible that Alan did it?”
Now, forced to consider it, I had to admit, “Possible, yes. By having a relationship with Monica, he was breaking the rules and placing the hotel at risk for a lawsuit. I guess she could have threatened to expose the affair. But so what? It’s not as if they would fire him. Considering that half the corporate executives are married to cocktail waitresses or dealers who used to work for them, the most he would have gotten was a slap on the hand, and one of them would have to transfer to another property.” I signaled the waiter for another coke.
“It could have been an accident.”
“If so, why not just report it?”
“Maybe he got scared.”
I gave up trying to eat and pushed my plate away. “Okay, just for arguments sake, let’s assume he killed her. He did have a key to my office, although I can’t imagine why he would let her in there. His only alibi was that he was home alone when she was murdered. No one questioned it, because he didn’t seem to have a motive. I guess he could have taken her keys, and searched her house between the time she was murdered and when security reported finding the body. He would know where the cameras are. Easy for him to redirect one while he cut my brake lines, but there was no need for him to search my house. He must have known that Monica would never send me anything. Even if she had, he could just wait until I told him about it.”
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