Page 39

I scooted out of the booth to let him out, and as he stood, I gave him a quick hug. Jonesy reached out and grabbed his hand before he went back to the kitchen.

“Nice that he was working here tonight,” I said as I sat back down and picked up the menu by the edge of the table. I noticed Jonesy already had his bourbon on the rocks in front of him. He saw me eyeing his drink.

“I ordered my regular. I could have ordered yours, but I didn’t want to risk ordering if you wanted something other than a gin and tonic,” he said, slowly turning his glass on his napkin.

“That’s okay. Something’s on your mind, though. I smell rubber burning… and you seem to be elsewhere.”

He snickered before taking a sip of his bourbon. “It’s nothing bad. I came up with a way to help with the security around the Miss California pageant next week. I wanted to run it by you first before I meet with the captain and the special events officer.”

“Alright…what’s got that brain of yours working?” I replied, just as our server walked up to the table. Jonesy stopped before answering.

I figured that had to be Mark, whom Andrew mentioned. “Gentlemen, have you had a chance to look over the menu, or would you like to know tonight’s specials?”

I gave him a quick smile before saying, “I think I’d like to order a cocktail first, Mark.”

I noticed his eyes brighten when I used his name, and his smile grew bigger.

“Certainly. What can I get for you?”

“I think I’ll go with an Aperol Spritz, please.”

“Very good, sir. I’ll bring it right away.”

Once he’d walked away, Jonesy giggled slightly. “I think you threw him a curveball saying his name,” he said.

“I’m good with curveballs. I played baseball, as you recall. Plus, he’s kinda cute… great smile.”

“Very true. Most of the staff here are good-looking. Nice choice with the cocktail, by the way. I’m glad I didn’t order for you.”

I smiled. “Let’s back up. What were you going to tell me?”

He shifted in his seat. “I’m thinking of going undercover at the Miss California pageant.”

“Okay. You’ve done undercover work before, so what do you plan to do… unless it’s really dangerous? And the way you’re acting is making me nervous.”

Mark returned to the table with my cocktail and asked if we were ready to order.

“Sorry, we haven’t had the chance to look at the menu. Can you give us a few minutes?” Jonesy said. Mark said there was no problem and told us to flag him down when we were ready.

Shifting back to our conversation, Jonesy said, “You were backstage up in Lake Tahoe. The craziness and all the work that happens. Well, I want to go undercover and be part of the makeup team. I know how to apply it, and I already have all the tools. That way I can watch what’s going on and be an extra eye backstage.”

“It sounds like a great idea,” I replied. “You don’t plan on doing it as Onyx, though, right?”

“No, no. I mean, I’ll wear flashier clothes and a touch of makeup to make myself not look like a cop.”

“You do have that air about you… but what about Sean, your partner? Will he be undercover as well?” I asked.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. This may not happen unless I get approval from the captain anyway. My gut tells me it’s a good idea, and it gets me inside without anyone knowing who I am. I think it’ll work,” he said with certainty.

“Knowing what I witnessed at Bally’s, I think it’s a great cover to be on the inside.”

“Oh, and I told the captain today about your involvement with the Chandlers. I think you’ll either hear from him or the investigating detective about what you know regarding Raymond’s wife,” he added. “They’re gonna want to interview you.”

“That’s fine. I planned to call her tomorrow morning to offer my sympathies. But as I was driving here to meet you, I thought I might stop by their estate and chat with her in person. Body language can be telling, unlike a phone conversation. Hopefully, there might be something about how she responds,” I said.

“Let’s order, and you can tell me what you plan to do when you’re up in Lake Tahoe on Wednesday,” Jonesy replied. I motioned for Mark to come over.

Now, all I had to figure out was how to play my part up in Lake Tahoe.