by Rickie Blair
“I’m Ruby.”
“Nice work, Ruby. Hey, moron,” Victor called to the man on the ground, “you just got your ass handed to you by a girl.” Victor chortled. “This way, Ruby. I’ll take you to Millie and Norris.”
Ruby bent to pick up the Maglite and followed Victor to the storm drain. At the entrance she hesitated. It was wide, at least eight feet, but darker and smellier than she had expected.
“How far do we have to go?”
“Not far. C’mon,” Victor yelled over his shoulder, disappearing into the gloom.
She took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold. The Maglite lit up the drain only twenty feet ahead. Water trickled down the center, while cockroaches scuttled along the walls to escape the light.
Fifty feet in, a face loomed out of the darkness.
Ruby shrieked and clapped a hand to her chest before realizing it was a chalk portrait on the wall. She bent over for a second to catch her breath and then hurried after Victor. The flashlight beam picked out his back as he trotted away from her, his sneakers kicking up pings of water.
Then he was gone.
“Victor?” Ruby called. “Victor?” Her heart thumped against her ribs. She edged ahead, jumping back as Victor’s head popped into the Maglite’s beam.
“In here,” he said, vanishing again.
Ruby swung the flashlight beam to follow him. A smaller drain branched off from the first and she turned into it. Twenty feet ahead, a battery-powered lamp lit the faces of Millie Havelock and a gaunt man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. Both were seated on a mattress which was raised off the floor on packing crates. Millie looked up as she approached.
“Millie, do you remember me?”
The elderly woman nodded.
“You’re the nice girl who’s going to find Tinks for me.”
“I did find her. And I took her to the vet.”
“Is she okay?” Millie’s eyes widened as she grasped Ruby’s hand.
“She has a few bruises, but the vet said she’s going to be fine. You can see her tomorrow.”
Millie beamed and turned to the man, who winked and gave her a thumb’s up.
“See,” he said, “I told you she’d be okay.” He turned to Ruby. “Thank you.”
“Oh, I forgot,” she said, “I brought you some food.” She turned her head. “I left it—”
“I’ll get it,” Victor said, hopping off the mattress. He trotted up the drain.
Ruby slipped off her cardigan and held it out to Millie.
“This is for you, too.” She helped the elderly woman slip it on and then turned to Norris. “I’m Ruby Delaney. We haven’t met, but I assume you’re—”
“Norris Havelock. Millie’s son.”
“And you live here?”
He nodded, his hands shaking violently on the mattress.
“Are you cold?”
“No.” He pressed his hands into the mattress and stared at the wall. “I know this isn’t a good place for Millie, but it’s all I have at the moment.”
“I didn’t say—”
“You didn’t have to.” He looked directly at her. “Crack cocaine. That’s what you wanted to know, isn’t it?”
“No. It’s none of my business.”
“I’m clean now. I don’t know how long it will last, but I wanted you to know. You’ve been kind to Mom.”
Ruby screwed up her face and leaned over.
“I hit her with my car,” she said in a loud whisper.
Norris threw his head back and laughed.
“I know,” he replied, exchanging glances with Millie who winked at him. “I heard all about it.”
Ruby tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat so she simply shook her head. That wasn’t the reaction that she had expected.
“But—”
“It was an accident,” Norris said. “Mom said she ran into your car, not the other way around. Anyway, it’s the least of our worries at the moment.” Even in the dim light, his face showed signs of strain.
Millie reached over and patted his hand.
“One day at a time,” Ruby said.
Norris gave her a puzzled look. “What?”
“When my sister died, I turned to alcohol. I lost my job, and my marriage. That’s the short version.” She sighed and propped her cheek on her fist. “But I’m okay now. Most of the time.”
“How did you—”
“I had help, Norris. And you need help, too.”
They turned as Victor splashed along the drain, holding the groceries aloft and grinning.
“Snack time,” he chortled.
While Norris doled out cheese and crackers, Ruby detailed Tinks’s injuries. Norris glanced at his mother, but said nothing.
“There’s more, though,” Ruby said. “I think Millie has been the victim of a mortgage fraud.”
“I know,” Norris said.
“How did you—”
“When I heard about the house, I knew something was wrong. Mom’s always paid her bills.”
“Oh, sorry. You guys want me to come back?” said a voice behind Ruby.
“Nah, stay,” Norris said. “Ruby, this is Zeke, a friend.”
A slight, scruffy man in his early twenties, with a laptop under his arm, stood a few feet away. Ruby gaped at the sword that hung from a leather strap over his shoulder. This drain was almost as busy as the Strip, and every bit as bizarre.
Chapter Thirty
Ruby looked over Zeke’s shoulder as he called up his screen grabs of the online auction site and explained his plan.
“What has this got to do with Millie?” she asked.
“Zeke, she’s right. I don’t want to get involved in this,” Norris said. “It’s a matter for the cops. Maybe even the FBI. But not us.”
“I agree,” Ruby said. “You should go to the police.”
“I can’t.” Zeke glanced helplessly around. “I … can’t.”
Norris pressed his lips together and looked at the ground.
“Send it in anonymously, then,” Ruby said.
Zeke fidgeted on the mattress, nervously tapping the laptop’s keyboard.
“Yeah … but then I wouldn’t get paid.”
Ruby let out a heavy sigh and turned to Norris.
“I talked to Kingsley Greaves, Millie’s bank manager, this morning—”
“You have no idea how dangerous Luca is,” Zeke broke in. “And yet everybody thinks he’s so great. Take a look at this.”
Ruby looked down at the laptop as the screen filled with a news article about a charity fundraiser. A wiry dark-haired man with slightly bulging eyes, wearing an evening jacket, gazed out from the accompanying photo. On either side, middle-aged women in long beaded gowns beamed at the camera.
Norris leaned in, peering at the screen.
“Is that Luca?”
“Yeah. You’ve never met him, right?” Zeke asked.
“No,” Norris said, his forehead wrinkling, “but I’ve seen him somewhere. At one of the casinos, I think.”
“Most of the casinos won’t let him in. He’s not allowed on the Starlight’s floor, for sure. Card counting or something.”
“He is a bit skeevy looking,” Ruby said, tilting her head.
“That’s him.”
They turned at the sound of Millie’s wobbly voice. She pointed a shaky finger at Luca’s photo.
“That’s him,” she said, louder this time.
Norris and Ruby exchanged glances.
“Mom? What are you talking about?” Norris asked.
“The men who came to the house. He was with them. He’s the one who kicked Tinks,” Millie said, close to tears. “That’s why she ran away.” She looked at Norris, beseeching him. “We have to find Tinks.”
Norris spoke to her in a calm voice. “Mom, listen to me. Are you saying this man,” he pointed at the screen, “came to the house?”
“He told me if I paid them seven hundred dollars every month, I wouldn’t have to leave
. And I did, Norris. I paid them every month.” Tears glistened on her cheeks. “But then they came back, and they said they were looking for you—”
“Looking for me? Why?”
“I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“Then what happened?” Norris asked in a low voice.
Millie sniffed and wiped her nose.
“Tinks barked at them so they kicked her out the door. And when I went after her…” A sob caught in her throat.
Norris reached over and hugged her, but Ruby saw the black expression on his face.
“What do you need?” Norris quietly asked Zeke.
“A place where I can go online. And where I can recharge the battery on my laptop. Somewhere with Internet access, somewhere hidden.”
“I know a spot,” Norris said. “The tunnels connect to a parking garage under the Starlight. I’ve seen the security guards use laptops and stuff down there. I’ll show you.”
“Once I’ve downloaded the evidence, I need someone to take it to the Starlight offices so they can pass it on to Watson in London. I can’t go there myself.”
Norris glanced again at his mother.
“When the time comes, Zeke, I’ll go to the Starlight for you.”
Ruby reached out to place a hand on his arm.
“Wait. You’re not going after this guy by yourself, are you? Now that we know who defrauded your mother, we can go to the police.”
Norris shrugged off her hand.
“What good would that do? You went to the bank already, and they told you nothing was wrong.”
“Yes, but—”
Zeke broke in. “If we go to the police, Luca will only laugh it off. Nothing ever sticks to him.”
“But I’ve seen Millie’s cancelled checks,” Ruby said. “The person who cashed them can be traced. If it was Luca, and Millie can identify him, that will be enough to charge him. You don’t need to do this.”
They all turned to look at Millie, huddled on the mattress.
“You really think they’ll listen to her?” Norris asked softly. “Or that Luca cashed those checks himself? And even if he was charged with a minor fraud like that, he wouldn’t be locked up for very long.” Norris narrowed his eyes. “I want to get him where it hurts, in his bank account. If Zeke is right, Luca will never know who snitched. It’s perfect.”
“Your first priority should be finding your mother another place to live.”
Norris stiffened. “Thanks for your help, Miss Delaney, but we can take it from here.”
Ruby bit her lip. She didn’t intend to give up, not when she was this close to solving the case.
“Okay, but listen. I’m staying at the Starlight, so why don’t I drop off the evidence? Since I’m a guest, no one will look twice when I get into the elevator.”
Norris brightened, patting his shirt pocket.
“That’s a great idea, thanks. But I’ll go with you part of the way. I’ve been meaning to sneak back into the casino to cash this chit.” He pulled the voucher from his pocket and held it up. “Fifty-three dollars and forty-five cents.”
Zeke stared at the voucher and leaned in for a closer look.
“What did you write on the back?”
“Nothing.” Norris turned the paper over. “That gibberish was there when I grabbed it. The machine will still cash it okay.”
Zeke held out his hand. “Can I see it?”
Norris handed over the chit and Ruby shone her flashlight on it. Zeke’s brow furrowed as he studied the scrawled writing.
“This isn’t gibberish, Norris. It’s a website address.” He pointed at the scrawled letters. “See that ‘dot-onion’ at the end? That indicates the dark web. When I’m back online I’ll check it out. Where did you say you found it?”
Norris stared at Luca’s photo on the laptop again, this time with his mouth open.
“I remember where I saw that guy,” he said, pointing at the screen. “He was sitting at the slot in the Starlight where I found this voucher. Security threw him out.” Norris frowned. “Why would Luca go into the casino only to get thrown out?”
“He likes to play games like that.” Zeke closed the laptop. “If you see him again, I’d stay clear if I were you.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Ruby’s cellphone beeped with a delayed text message as soon as she emerged from the storm drain.
have u forgotten dinner?
on my way, she replied.
Felicity had texted her twice more by the time she made it back to the hotel, left the car with the parking valet, and headed upstairs to change.
nearly there, Ruby tapped into her phone as the elevator rose to the tenth floor. meet u at the bar.
She hustled down the hall to her room. Once inside, she pulled off Juliana’s black wig and dropped it on the bed with her jacket then wiggled out of the skirt and left it on the floor. In the bathroom, she hunched over the vanity, holding her eyes open to let the blue contact lenses drop out. Then she ran a brush through her own currently auburn hair, and added a swipe of eye shadow. Dashing to the closet, she pulled out a black dress and slipped it over her head while crossing the room to retrieve her diamond stud earrings from the bureau. She fastened the earrings and glanced at her watch, unable to resist. Twenty-nine seconds. Excellent. Quick changes were second nature to an actor, but this might be a personal best.
Ruby scanned the room for her evening bag, found it on the night table and headed out the door. As she slipped the key card through the lock, carpet rubbed against her bare feet. Oops. She unlocked the door and grabbed a pair of strappy heels from the closet. Hopping on one foot, then the other, she slipped them on and stepped into the corridor to relock the door.
By the time she walked into the Starship Lounge, Felicity was nursing a martini and chatting with the bartender. When he thrust his chin in Ruby’s direction, Felicity turned.
“Ruby!” She slipped off the bar stool, frantically waving. “Over here.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
“No problem,” said Felicity, slipping back onto her stool. “I’ve been chatting to Tony.” She smiled at the bartender and then waved her hand at the seafood restaurant beside the lounge. “We can eat here, but our table’s not ready yet.”
Felicity’s martini glass was almost empty.
“Is that your first?”
“Nope. You’ve got some catching up to do.” Felicity giggled, then winced. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Ruby turned to the bartender. “Diet ginger ale, please, Tony. With a cherry.” Ruby slid onto the stool beside Felicity. “No problem,” she said, giving Felicity’s arm a friendly squeeze. “I’m fine. I had wine last night and nothing happened, remember? Stop worrying.”
The bartender placed the ginger ale in front of Ruby before walking away. She took a sip and put the glass down.
“Guess what? I found Millie Havelock.”
“Really? How?”
“I met someone who saw Millie and her son in an encampment by the homeless shelter in Henderson, so I went there to check. They’re living in a storm drain. It’s appalling.” She picked up her glass again. “I’m going to go back to see if I can help them.”
Felicity stared at her. “Not tonight?”
Before Ruby could answer, the bartender leaned over the bar. “Sorry to butt in, girls,” he said, “but I couldn’t help overhearing. Those encampments are dangerous. Don’t go there, especially not at night.”
“See?” Felicity said.
The maître d’ came through the connecting door from the restaurant and walked up to them. “Ladies, your table is ready.”
Tony put their drinks on a tray and the maître d’ headed back to the restaurant with it. Felicity slid off her stool to follow, wagging a finger at Ruby.
“Tell me you’re not going back there tonight.”
“I won’t. But I’m definitely going to call that bank manager again. He should help Millie, especially now that we know about the fraud.”
The two friends chattered over bouillabaisse and Felicity had another martini. Finally they leaned back and fell silent. Felicity fished the olive from her glass.
“Did you get around to calling Hari?” She popped the olive into her mouth, looking up expectantly.
Ruby stiffened, running a hand across her throat as she scanned the room.
“I did, yes. He’s feeling better.”
“Says Nurse Ruby.”
“Ha, ha.”
Felicity straightened up and beamed at her. “That’s a great idea. You could get a nurse outfit, you know, those tight ones with the plunging neckline and the fake stethoscope? And drop by one day to check up on him.” She giggled. “I’m sure he’d be up for it.”
“Oh, my God, Felicity. You know we don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“I don’t know why not. You have feelings for him. He has feelings for you. Just do it already.”
“Felicity!”
“What?”
Ruby opened her mouth to speak, sighed, closed her mouth and then tried again.
“Look, I’m not sure how I feel about Hari. But I do know he recently had his heart broken in a spectacular way. Even if something were to happen, how would I know if it was real?”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“No, I’m not. I’m barely divorced. He just lost Leta. We’re not ready for anything new.” Ruby picked up her water glass, her heart racing.
“Oh, please.” Felicity flapped her hand dismissively. “Hari has always been crazy about you, from the first day you met at the performing arts academy all those years ago. Do you think he would have looked twice at Leta if you’d paid him any attention? Real attention, I mean.” She shrugged. “I don’t see what you’ve got to lose.”
“Our friendship. That’s what I’ve got to lose.” Ruby lowered her glass with a trembling hand. “What if it doesn’t work out and…” Her voice trailed away and she turned her head.
Felicity squeezed her hand. “I get it, I do. Anyway, he’s in London so it doesn’t matter at the moment, does it?” After paying their bill, Felicity tucked the receipt into her evening bag. “And now,” she said, turning to Ruby, “let’s hit the casino. Ready for blackjack?”
