Page 39 of Homicide in Water Creek

The two cashiers left their register and walked to the desk, where they looked at the phone.

“I’ve seen him,” Nora said. “He was in here buying clothes not long ago.”

“Oh, really?” Jacks asked, feigning surprise, though her gaze flicked to him for a moment.

“It was maybe last week? He was buying cowboy gear, as he called it. Said he didn’t come prepared, which I thought was weird if he had enrolled in a rodeo school.”

“I’d probably remember him too, then,” Jacks said with a laugh, but King could tell it was strained.

“That’s not the only reason,” Nora said, leaning in close to Jacks. “He had a huge wad of cash. He just peeled off five bills to cover the clothes like he was buying a burger. He easily had a couple grand, which made me wonder what he needed all that cash for here. He kept it in a money clip that was cool, though.”

“A cool money clip?” Jacks asked, probably not wanting to ask her to describe it, yet clearly hoping she would.

King moved closer so he wouldn’t miss the description.

“It was a hinged clamshell,” Nora explained. “Gorgeous mother-of-pearl that really caught the light. In the center was a P in a super fancy font. Figured his last name started with P. Anyway, I thought it was neat.”

“Sounds like it,” Jacks agreed as her gaze met King’s. He shook his head, hoping she’d understand they had enough. “Well, I appreciate the information. Now that I know he picked up the supplies, I’ll ask him directly where he put them. It was nice to see you all again. I need a new pair of boots, so I’ll be back in a few weeks, once the cowboys are more settled into their routine.”

With a wave, Jacks left the store. Since no one had noticed him, he slipped out behind her and unlocked the SUV. Once inside, she turned to him.

“We got him!” she exclaimed, grabbing his tie.

“Correction,” King said, wrapping his hand around hers. “We learned where he shopped, but that doesn’t mean we have anything on him.”

“My gut says that money clip is important,” Jacks said, fastening her seatbelt as he did the same. She pulled out her phone and started tapping on it. “It wasn’t smart to carry that kind of cash around in a town like this. It will get noticed.”

“Chinos doesn’t strike me as the smartest bloke on the block,” King said, starting the SUV. That was an understatement. He was good at hiding on the ranch, but he made some big-city mistakes when he was in town. “Big-city mistakes.”

“What now?” she asked, glancing up from her phone. “Big-city mistakes?”

“Wherever he goes and whatever he does, he sticks out like a sore thumb unless he’s deliberately trying to hide, like taking phone calls late at night. If he’s a cop, he’s from the city. I would bet anything he’s also dirty.”

“Bingo,” Jacks said, as if she wasn’t listening to him.

Turning the phone, he leaned in, shocked by what he saw. “Parenti Casinos?”

“That’s their logo. The clamshell with a P in the center. I knew it rang a bell. There are a couple of casinos east of us.”

“Why would he have that?” King asked, shifting the car into Drive and heading back toward Water Creek.

“There are only two reasons I can think of: he won it at the casino or he worked there. Either is possible or probable.”

“Looks like we just got ourselves our first lead, baby,” he said, a grin splitting his lips.

“Not much of one.” Jacks’s shoulders deflated. “We still don’t have his real name or know if he’s even tied to the casino. For all we know, he won that money clip when he won that cash.”

“That’s police work, my girl,” he said with a wink. “The answers are never handed to you on a silver platter. You find a thread and start to unravel it. We have our thread. Now we pull on it. If we’re lucky, we can tie it to Vonita. If not, at least we’ll know Chinos’s angle.”

If Chinos was connected to Palatino Parenti in any way other than as a customer, they’d have to rethink their protection plans at the ranch. Parenti was known for his mob connections, something King had no desire to tangle with. Unfortunately, Chinos might not give them that choice.

Chapter Seventeen

After checking in at the ranch, Jacks drove back to the sheriff’s department, not surprised to find King still sitting in his desk chair in front of his computer. She’d left him there several hours earlier, as he was using his programs to track down Chinos’s past life. She hoped she had a way to help.

Walking into his office, she set a bag on his desk. To say he was surprised when he glanced up was an understatement. “What is this?” he asked, motioning toward it.

“A problem solved,” she answered, lowering herself into a chair. When he just stared at her, she sighed. “Chinos’s pop can. I know there are plenty of thumbprints on it to tell us who he really is.”