He held her gaze. “Promise me you’ll stay here. I’ll go after Dylan.”
Tears flooded her eyes, but she nodded, feeling defeated.
“Tell me what happened with the snake.”
Brushing the hair away from her forehead with trembling fingers, she told him about the strange box with the rattler inside.
“You could have been killed.” His voice was tight.
“I admit I was careless, opening a rattling box, but-”
“Someone tried to kill you.”
“No,” she protested. “I get drop-offs sometimes. People mistake a wildlife preserve for an animal rescue. It’s irresponsible, of course, to leave a rattlesnake in an unmarked container, especially one without proper ventilation-”
“You could have died, and you’re worried about the goddamned snake!”
She flinched at his vehemence.
“Where’s the box? Did you bring it?”
Shaking her head, she said, “It’s still at Dark Canyon.”
“And the snake?”
“In a safe place,” she hedged.
He nodded, but his mouth had this hard look about it. It was the way a man held his face before he threw a punch. “I’m going to find whoever did this.”
She felt a shiver of unease. “Find Dylan first.”
22
Luke met up with Clay on his way out to the lobby. He wanted to go straight to Dark Canyon and tear the place apart looking for clues, but he had a missing Dylan Phillips to deal with and a loan shark to interview.
“False alarm,” he said as they walked toward the exit together. “Guess it was a dry bite.”
Clay recognized the term and relaxed his shoulders. “Hardly anyone dies from a real bite these days, anyhow. Not with treatment.”
“Someone left the snake in an unmarked box on her doorstep at Dark Canyon.”
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “What kind of idiot would do that?”
“It couldn’t have been Jesse,” Luke admitted grudgingly. “He was locked up all night, and the box wasn’t there when we-” He broke off, feeling heat creep up his neck. “It wasn’t there last night.”
Clay smirked, guessing what they’d been up to. “Jesse might not want to see Shay with another man, but he wouldn’t deliberately try to hurt her.”
Luke didn’t bother to dispute him. It seemed as though the people of Tenaja Falls had difficulty believing any of its residents were capable of wrongdoing, and that attitude was real sweet, but not particularly helpful to his investigation. “What about these guys at Wild Rivers? Are they harmless, too?”
Clay was optimistic, not naive. “No, they aren’t. But I expect you already know that.”
Luke’s response was noncommittal. Moses Rivers, the man behind the casino chain, had a dangerous reputation. If some of his bookies had roughed up Bull Ryan, Rivers would know about it. He also had ties to Sin City. “I doubt Rivers had anything to do with the hit on me,” he said, thinking aloud. “His holdings are all outside of Vegas.”
Clay shrugged. “If you want to talk to him, he’s been hanging out in Pala, keeping his eye on construction.”
“Call the casino and let Rivers know we’re coming,” Luke said.
“I’ll follow you over there,” he added, getting into his truck. Before he started the engine, he picked up his radio. “Deputy Snell, come back.”
Garrett didn’t always answer, but this time he did. “Snell here, over.”
“What’s the status on our BOLO?” He’d put out a “be on the lookout” alert for Dylan this morning.
“Nothing yet. I checked his house and the Martinez place.”
Luke asked him to drive by the basketball courts and signed off, growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress, wishing he could be a dozen places at once. He didn’t want to leave Shay alone and unprotected, and he didn’t trust Garrett at all.
“There’s
Luke had never been to the Wild Rivers Casino at Pala Reservation. Construction had started about ten years ago, well after his last visit with his father. He met Clay outside, near the wide automated doors. As they walked in together, all of Luke’s thoughts were washed away by casino madness. The garble of voices and whir of slot machines, once music to his ears, now sounded like unnecessary noise.
The lights were too bright, the cigarette smoke too thick. Underneath that, there was a faint metallic odor, the smell of spent coins, stale sweat, and desperation.
He blinked a few times, ignoring the sensory overload and letting the superfluous details fade into the background, an old Vegas trick that didn’t come as easily as it once had. A stunning, dark-haired woman came forward to greet them. Her voice was cool and impersonal, but not unpleasant. “Sheriff Meza? I’m Willow Rivers.”
He shook her slender hand, noting that she had the figure of a showgirl, encased in a slim-fitting skirt and elegant silk blouse. With her perfect makeup, flawless skin, and seductive smile, she was a very pretty package, but one that left him cold.
Luke pictured Shay’s flyaway hair and casual style, her frankness and transparency. Every thought, every emotion was reflected on her face. The woman before him didn’t appear to have emotions.
“Deputy Trujillo,” she said, nodding as if they’d met before.
“Clay,” he corrected, shaking her hand.
She led them toward the elevators, making small talk with Clay as they rode up to her father’s apartments. Although Willow Rivers reminded him of a Miss USA contestant, with her smooth responses and carefully crafted persona, he couldn’t say he disliked her.
Her presence obviously made Clay uncomfortable, however, and he resisted her attempts to put him at ease. Wielding hospitality like a weapon, she seated them in a plush office inside a penthouse suite and poured them each cold drinks. Her blouse gaped open a little as she placed Clay’s drink before him, but he averted his gaze.
“He’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, leaving the room in a swish of long hair and a whisper of silk.
“You seem nervous,” Luke said to Clay, hiding a smile.
“She freaks me out,” he admitted under his breath, taking a sip of his 7-Up. “If her father asked her to, she’d probably offer complimentary blow jobs.”
Luke almost choked on his own drink. He was still trying to recover when Moses Rivers strode into the room. How a lovely creature like Willow could have sprung from this man’s loins was a complete mystery. He was a large, intimidating-looking brute with harsh features, clubbed-back hair, and severely pockmarked skin.
“Do you want anything, Daddy?” Willow asked. Her affection for him seemed genuine, unlike the rest of her. “A cold drink?”
When he looked at his daughter, Moses’ face went from ugly to merely homely. “No thanks.”
Smiling, she shut the door.
Moses’ placid expression disappeared.
Luke knew the man was referring to his brush with death in Vegas. “My health has always been excellent,” he said, hoping Rivers hadn’t heard Clay’s last comment. “But I can’t say the same for everyone in Tenaja Falls.”
“I heard about Bull,” Moses said, his eyes flat. “It’s a shame.”
Luke shouldn’t have been surprised. This man had friends in very high places, and they kept him well informed. “When did you last see him?”
“Last week. Friday.”
