Page 19

The traffic out of the city was heavy, but not surprising. I-80 heading east over the Bay Bridge was bumper to bumper, and I cursed more than once, having to hit my brakes repeatedly. At one point, Craig placed his hand on my lap to calm me down. I wrapped my hand around his, which seemed to do the trick. He told me what strategies he planned to use at the casino, and it made me smile, knowing he was going to enjoy the trip.

We arrived at Bally’s Resort after about three and a half hours. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains, the resort offered breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe’s pristine shoreline. But we weren’t there for the views or the lake. We were there for information about the latest missing contestant and to get a glimpse into the world of beauty pageants.

I pulled up to the hotel entrance and was greeted by a handsome young valet who gave me a ticket for my car keys. Craig grabbed our bags from the trunk, and we headed to the front desk to check in.

Although we were slightly early, our room was ready, and after handing over my American Express card, I received our room key cards. Craig stayed quiet, but I felt his energy buzz, eyes fixed on the casino. We could hear the slot machines and exuberant players, and the longer we stood there, the more I knew Craig was hearing the siren song of spend your out-of-town money and keep our lights blinking.

“Easy does it, Slick, try not to bankrupt us before we even see the room. Let me call Sheriff Landon and see if he can meet us tonight. I want an update on the missing woman,” I said wryly.

“I get it. The tables can wait,” he replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

We took the elevator to the twelfth floor. Craig whistled when we entered our suite, and I understood why. The main living room had two matching sofas and a pair of slipper chairs flanking them, with a square glass coffee table in the center. To the right was a mirrored wet bar, with a large abstract painting on the wall beside it. To the left was a set of double doors, open to reveal a king-sized bed with nightstands on either side. The entire suite was decorated in neutral gray and white, giving it a contemporary feel. It didn’t disappoint.

As I took our bags to the bedroom, I noticed the en-suite had a huge glass shower with two rain shower heads on opposite walls. It looked as if the entire bathroom was done in white marble with gray veining.

“Oh, my God. Jonesy, get in here,” I heard Craig bellow as I set the bags on the luggage racks.

The urgency alarmed me, and I sprinted into the living area and saw Craig holding a remote, aimed at the large painting on the wall. There was a hum, and the painting rose into the ceiling, revealing a 75-inch TV.

“Holy shit! This is fucking awesome,” Craig said with a huge grin.

“It’s impressive, I’ll give you that,” I replied, trying not to act overly impressed—even though I was. “Let me call the sheriff and see if he’s available.”

I knew Craig would check the TV channels, so I went into the bedroom to make the call. After the third ring, a gruff voice answered. “Sheriff Landon,” he said, his tone clipped.

“Hi, Sheriff. This is Detective Jones from the San Francisco homicide division.”

“Yes, I remember. We chatted earlier in the week.”

I needed Craig to be part of the investigation, not necessarily in an official capacity, but one where I could use his expertise to gather information beyond what the police could find. I needed to tell the sheriff we were there, but I didn’t need him to know Craig was my boyfriend.

“Well, I’m here in Lake Tahoe. My associate, Craig Bannon, a private investigator, is with me. We wanted to see the crowning ceremony tonight, but I was wondering if we could meet with you this evening to talk about the missing pageant contestant? If this is related to the one murdered and dumped in San Francisco, it might give us more information about what happened…or what is happening.”

I heard the sheriff clear his throat. “I’m already at the hotel with two deputies and an additional security team watching the contestants. If we keep the meeting brief, I can spare a few minutes to chat.”

“Where are you? We can meet you…say, in thirty minutes?”

“That can work. We can meet at the dedicated security office in the hotel's center. Just knock on the door and show your badge.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” I replied gratefully before ending the call.

I walked out of the bedroom to see Craig on the sofa, engrossed in a baseball game. “Alright, sports fans, we have a meeting with Sheriff Landon in thirty minutes,” I said, walking up behind him and placing my hands on his shoulders.

“Okay,” he replied, tipping his head back to look up at me. I bent down and kissed his nose.

“Let’s see what more they know, if anything,” I said.

We changed into business attire, made sure we had our room keys before leaving, and then headed to the security office. The elevator doors opened to an empty cab, and I pushed the button marked ‘Casino.’ The elevator stopped on the sixth floor, which surprised me, given the number of guests and pageant contestants in the rooms. I expected it to stop on almost every floor, given how busy the resort looked.

When the doors opened, a beautiful young woman in a fitted suit and an older woman who looked like her mother entered. Their resemblance was uncanny. The younger woman wore a lilac sash emblazoned with “Miss Boulder City,” and she smiled at us before turning to face the doors. My mind raced as I remembered that Gretchen, our murder victim, had held the title of Miss Boulder City earlier in the week.

Apparently, the show must go on—murder or not. There was always someone to fill the vacancy.

10

CRAIG

When the elevator reached the casino floor, my excitement almost got the better of me, but I looked at Jonesy, who was wearing a frown and looking at the floor. The two women who’d entered the elevator on the sixth floor walked out and seemed to know where they were heading. We held back before exiting.