Lost in Las Vegas by Kristen Painter

Author:Kristen Painter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sugar Skull Books
Published: 2020-12-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Sinclair

Lou managed to fit my dad in at eleven the next morning. Practically dawn by Vegas standards. Earlier would have been better, but an appointment was an appointment, so my dad agreed.

The rest of the night was spent speculating about who was behind my mom’s abduction, running every possible scenario we could think of and re-reading the ransom note.

We also helped Birdie dig through employee records. We even went back into employees who’d been fired or who had moved on in the last year. Anyone who might have an ax to grind. Of course, employees that had left in the last year wouldn’t know about the new trick, but they might know about the tunnel under the stage.

As had become our guiding motto in this search for my mom’s abductor, we were leaving no stone unturned.

Right around 3 a.m., Birdie announced, “I’ve got something.” She pointed at her computer screen. “An employee by the name of Buck Murphy deposited forty-five hundred dollars yesterday.”

My father shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s anything more than Buck having a good night at the tables. Pretty sure he spends at least an hour playing blackjack after every shift.”

Birdie glanced at my dad. “You think so? That seems like a lot of money.”

“Two years ago he bought himself a brand-new Dodge Charger. Paid cash. All from blackjack. Plus Buck’s been around a long time. Since before we took over the theater at the Oasis.”

“Which means he has to know about the tunnel,” Birdie said. “But he’s probably not going to do something to mess up his job. Then again…” She shrugged.

I got up and stretched. “He could be worth talking to. Maybe see if he suspects anyone.”

Jayne nodded sleepily. “Short-list him for later.”

And that was that until dawn broke, when we took a break to eat. No one was really hungry, except Jayne and Birdie, but we made breakfast anyway. Eggs and toast, nothing much. My dad went out and got doughnuts, too. I think more because he needed something to do than for any great desire for sweets.

We’d gone through more coffee, and in Jayne’s case, more Dr Pepper, than I think anyone had consumed since the last World Grand Tour Poker tournament.

And, because of everything going on, I brought Sugar and Spider into the house. With my dad’s permission, of course. Jayne and I certainly weren’t going to be spending much time in the RV with the search for my mom in full swing, and neither of us liked the thought of them being out there alone.

It was nice having them around. The cats were a welcome diversion from the dark cloud hanging over us, entertaining us with their exploration of the house and sudden bursts of speed through certain rooms.

I had a moment where I thought if my mom never came back, my dad should get a cat. Then I almost wept that such a thought had even entered my brain. It made me sick. My mother was absolutely coming back.

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