Fitz laughed. “Dude, we don’t get paid for this, so you need to let it go. The young woman is dead, and the cops don’t seem to think there’s anything to worry about. You need a fucking hobby.”
Maybe he was right. We went out to his truck and got in, but I still wasn’t ready to let it go. I’d go to Horseshoe alone later and see what I could find out. Ruiz deserved to have someone fighting for his mother.
Tuesday took me back to The Strip, this time to the Horseshoe Casino. I called Denise to tell her I had a dentist’s appointment, and I’d be in around lunchtime. I hated to lie, but Fitz was less interested in Maria’s death than I was.
Why I’d taken such a fucking interest wasn’t clear, but there was a little boy out there without a mother who probably didn’t understand why she was gone. It broke my heart.
I went into the casino and up to the center bar, spotting a friendly bartender.
“What can I get you, my friend?”
I sat on the end stool where the electronic poker machine was out of order. “May I have a club soda? I need to talk to Maria Ramirez. She here yet?”
The older man stared at me as he made my drink. “Who are you to Maria?” It was a good question.
“I’m not trying to get her fired, but she got arrested for something I don’t think she did. I bailed her out, and I wanted to check on her. I think someone might be trying to harm her.” I pulled out my badge and showed it to him, which didn’t impress him in the least.
He nodded. “I haven’t seen her yet, but let me call the shift supervisor. I know Maria was sick last week. I’ll be right back.”
The bartender walked away to the phone and plugged a finger into his ear as he spoke into the landline. A moment later, he returned with my club soda and lime.
“Alaina will be right down. I hope Maria’s okay.”
Fuck, I hated to tell them Maria was dead, but I would keep my mouth shut until I found out what I wanted to know.
A couple of minutes later, an older woman stepped up and placed a tray on the bar top next to me. “You’re here about Maria?”
I turned the chair toward her. “Yes. I’m Jagger Hansen, a bail recovery agent. Maria had a court date last week, and she missed it. Have you spoken with her recently?”
She shook her head and motioned for me to step over to a high top, so I tossed a ten-spot on the bar and followed her to a stool. She turned her back toward the bar and swallowed. “Maria’s husband called in for her on Friday. She was scheduled to work the whole weekend, so of course, I had to scramble to cover her shifts. Is she okay?”
“Does Maria make a habit of calling in?” I didn’t give her an honest answer because once I told her the truth, the discussion would be over.
Alaina shook her head. “She always gets in before her shift, and if the girls on the floor are in the weeds, Maria is quick to step up. She’s a hard worker, and I’m lucky to have her.”
“She got any work friends?”
The woman studied me. “We’re all friends. We cover shifts for each other, and when we can coordinate it, we go for food together. What’s wrong with Maria?”
“Is there anyone on the job she would confide in if something was wrong?” I crossed my fingers under the table.
“There was a handsome Spanish man who would drop by on occasion. He had long hair and was taller than her. She’d call him her older brother. I just thought maybe they were adopted or foster siblings. Maria didn’t talk much about her family, except for her aunt, who lives in Jean, and of course, her son.
“Maria would spend her time off out there because her aunt took care of Ruiz. Is he okay? Is she okay?” Alaina was getting more upset, and it wasn’t in me to prolong the agony.
I glanced around to see nobody paying much attention to us. I couldn’t lie to the young lady because it was clear she cared about Maria.
“Maria died, Alaina. Did you ever witness Maria doing drugs?”
Tears immediately gathered in her eyes. “No, never. Oh god. What about Ruiz?”
Guilt swamped me. Alaina didn’t deserve my heartless interrogation, but she was all I had.
“From what can be determined, his father took him to Mexico. Rita told me Maria’s parents live in Mexico. Do you know how to get in touch with them?”
“I, uh, I don’t. Sorry. If I did, I couldn’t give you that information anyway. It’s a violation of our personnel policy.You could try to have the police contact our human resources department.”
Flags. Big red flags were waving as if they were in a hurricane. Alaina was suddenly nervous, and my training told me it was because she wasn’t being honest about something.
