Read Online Luck Be a Lady (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg - Free Book Online Page B
Book: Luck Be a Lady (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg
Read Free Book Online
Authors: Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg
Ads: Link
things to take care of," I mumbled.
Her eyes fell, but she quickly covered it with a bright, forced smile. "Sure. Call me later?"
"I will," I promised, rising and hitting the penthouse door before she could drag me to the Torture Chamber.
I got in the elevator and contemplated the different floor buttons. Security was on the second floor. I mentally played out the conversation I'd have with Alfie about my room break-in. None of the possibilities had me coming out sounding anything other than paranoid. What I needed was something solid. Some real evidence that Mr. Price had been… or still was… at the casino. I thought back to the info Mr. Carvell had given security. He mentioned that he'd met Price at the poker tables. It wouldn't hurt to at least go ask around, see if any of the dealers had seen Mr. Price.
I hit the button for the main floor, riding down to the lobby. The casino floor was fairly busy for midmorning. I weaved my way through the noisy slot machines and found the modestly populated poker tables. I started at one that was empty, asking the dealer wearing a name tag that read Sal if he'd seen Carvell chatting with anyone. Luckily, Carvell was a familiar enough fixture that Sal knew exactly who I was talking about. Unluckily, he didn't remember him speaking with anyone in particular on the night in question. I thanked him, moving on to another dealer near the back of the room. But before I got there, a commotion at one of the busier tables grabbed my attention.
A tall, lanky dealer leaned across one of the high-stakes tables, hands fumbling between two players who were shouting heated words at one another. If I had to guess, they were seconds from exchanging their words for blows.
I darted over, and the dealer's face brightened. "Ms. King, Security is tied up with a large cash delivery. Can you find someone to help?"
"What's the problem, gentlemen?" I shoved myself between the two bulky older men, one in a ball cap and dark glasses, and the other in a nice pin-striped suit. They continued grabbing around me, pushing on each other. I allowed them to jostle me about for a few seconds, trying to remain calm and speak soothingly, until a fist hurtled past my face. Fearing the losing end of a sucker punch, I shoved my fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly, fairly pleased with the resounding trill.
Suit Man backed up a few steps and said, "That son-of-a-bitch stole my chips!"
Ball Cap Guy smoothed his bunched Yankee's T-shirt with a pair of sweaty hands, leaving streaks on it. "I did nothing of the sort," he whined, his voice high and tense.
I honed in on the details of each man, just like my father had taught me, taking them each in from head to toe. To spot a liar, you needed to watch for tells, just like in poker.
Suit Guy looked me straight in the eyes, his gaze cool and calm, while Ball Cap Guy was sweating profusely, shifting his weight from foot to foot, with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.
"May I see the contents of your pockets?" I politely requested of Suit Man.
"What?" He rolled his eyes and snorted as he shoved his hands into his armpits. "This isn't the frickin' Hokey Pokey, Sweetheart. I just want the five hundred dollars in chips this asshole stole from my stack."
I gave him my sweetest smile. "Sir, we have a lot of surveillance." I waved my hand toward the surplus of hanging black balls. "We have a dedicated camera trained on each of these tables. All it will take is a quick trip up to the security office to straighten this out. Or, we can bypass the formality, and you can show me what you have in your jacket pockets, please."
I watched as Alfie walked up behind Suit Man, pausing when he saw me.
But Suit Man didn't see him, instead focusing on me as he poked a finger to my chest. "I don't gotta show you a damn thing, bitch."
That did it. Alfie was at the man's side in one long stride, yanking the man's shirt collar. "That's no way to talk to a lady. She said 'please,' but
Her eyes fell, but she quickly covered it with a bright, forced smile. "Sure. Call me later?"
"I will," I promised, rising and hitting the penthouse door before she could drag me to the Torture Chamber.
I got in the elevator and contemplated the different floor buttons. Security was on the second floor. I mentally played out the conversation I'd have with Alfie about my room break-in. None of the possibilities had me coming out sounding anything other than paranoid. What I needed was something solid. Some real evidence that Mr. Price had been… or still was… at the casino. I thought back to the info Mr. Carvell had given security. He mentioned that he'd met Price at the poker tables. It wouldn't hurt to at least go ask around, see if any of the dealers had seen Mr. Price.
I hit the button for the main floor, riding down to the lobby. The casino floor was fairly busy for midmorning. I weaved my way through the noisy slot machines and found the modestly populated poker tables. I started at one that was empty, asking the dealer wearing a name tag that read Sal if he'd seen Carvell chatting with anyone. Luckily, Carvell was a familiar enough fixture that Sal knew exactly who I was talking about. Unluckily, he didn't remember him speaking with anyone in particular on the night in question. I thanked him, moving on to another dealer near the back of the room. But before I got there, a commotion at one of the busier tables grabbed my attention.
A tall, lanky dealer leaned across one of the high-stakes tables, hands fumbling between two players who were shouting heated words at one another. If I had to guess, they were seconds from exchanging their words for blows.
I darted over, and the dealer's face brightened. "Ms. King, Security is tied up with a large cash delivery. Can you find someone to help?"
"What's the problem, gentlemen?" I shoved myself between the two bulky older men, one in a ball cap and dark glasses, and the other in a nice pin-striped suit. They continued grabbing around me, pushing on each other. I allowed them to jostle me about for a few seconds, trying to remain calm and speak soothingly, until a fist hurtled past my face. Fearing the losing end of a sucker punch, I shoved my fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly, fairly pleased with the resounding trill.
Suit Man backed up a few steps and said, "That son-of-a-bitch stole my chips!"
Ball Cap Guy smoothed his bunched Yankee's T-shirt with a pair of sweaty hands, leaving streaks on it. "I did nothing of the sort," he whined, his voice high and tense.
I honed in on the details of each man, just like my father had taught me, taking them each in from head to toe. To spot a liar, you needed to watch for tells, just like in poker.
Suit Guy looked me straight in the eyes, his gaze cool and calm, while Ball Cap Guy was sweating profusely, shifting his weight from foot to foot, with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.
"May I see the contents of your pockets?" I politely requested of Suit Man.
"What?" He rolled his eyes and snorted as he shoved his hands into his armpits. "This isn't the frickin' Hokey Pokey, Sweetheart. I just want the five hundred dollars in chips this asshole stole from my stack."
I gave him my sweetest smile. "Sir, we have a lot of surveillance." I waved my hand toward the surplus of hanging black balls. "We have a dedicated camera trained on each of these tables. All it will take is a quick trip up to the security office to straighten this out. Or, we can bypass the formality, and you can show me what you have in your jacket pockets, please."
I watched as Alfie walked up behind Suit Man, pausing when he saw me.
But Suit Man didn't see him, instead focusing on me as he poked a finger to my chest. "I don't gotta show you a damn thing, bitch."
That did it. Alfie was at the man's side in one long stride, yanking the man's shirt collar. "That's no way to talk to a lady. She said 'please,' but
Similar Books
