Page 39 of Caged

“Have they threatened you in anyway?” I asked.

“No. We have an agreement. I’ve been working off my debt, and I haven’t gambled in weeks.”

“How did you find them?” Maxwell asked.

“They found me. Like I said, I worked on their company van. One of the guys overheard me talking to a friend at work about taking a trip to Vegas. I wanted to go, thinking it’d be good to get away, but couldn’t afford it. I’m a casual gambler, so I was as interested in the change of scenery as much as the casinos.”

“So he approached you?” I asked, pushing him back on track.

“Yeah, he was real nice, apologized for interrupting us and eavesdropping, but since he had, could he offer us a local solution.”

“If Vegas wasn’t about the gambling, why’d you say yes?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t have if it’d been just me, but my friend wanted to go so we made a night out of it.”

“Did you both lose?” Maxwell asked.

“No, only me. I’d been on a winning streak and my hand was a sure thing. Or so I thought, but I didn’t have enough money to call. They offered to let me bet with money I didn’t have.”

“Like a loan, if you lost?” I asked. Poor guy was set up. No doubt the house cheated.

“Exactly. I was able to make the first payment without any issues. But then I got sick-” he cut himself off. “I sent Wendy to the cleaners with the second payment. I assumed all she did was drop it off to Adam at the front counter.” Guilt washed over his face.

Maxwell and I made eye contact; we could now connect Wendy to the Quick Wash. And Roman. Unfortunately, that connection didn’t bode well for her.

“Did she say anything afterwards? Has she mentioned the cleaners since then?” I asked.

“No. Nothing. But she’s a teenager.” He broke eye contact. “She doesn’t talk to me much about anything anymore.”

We got more information on his payment plan, which sounded generous given what we knew about Roman.

Back in the truck, Maxwell said, “I have a feeling Wendy is the reason for his generous repayment plan.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” I said, turning the key and bringing my truck to life.

“Yeah, until we know the why we’ll assume the worst.”

“Sexual favors?” I asked, feeling gross just for saying it.

“Maybe, but it could be voluntary on her part. I doubt she would’ve mentioned Mr. R. the way she did if she was being coerced or forced.”

“Good point. You think Mr. R could be related to Roman?” I asked. We knew from the picture that Mr. R. wasn’t Richard Roman, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a Roman.

“It’s possible, but we can’t assume.”

I wasn’t assuming, I was thinking out loud, but didn’t think it was worth arguing over. Not when we were more or less on the same page and getting along. “Fair enough. Where to next?”

She pulled up the ex-boyfriend’s information. “Let’s surprise Bill with a visit. I’d like to find out what she said when she broke up with him.”

She typed the address into the dashboard GPS.

Fortunately, Bill was home and happy to tell us all about how Wendy trampled his heart by pulling a one-eighty and dumping him for an older, richer, better-looking guy.

“Her words, not mine.” He looked Maxwell up and down. I noticed that happening a lot during this investigation.No wonder she dresses in suits and plays down her beauty.

“Did she tell you his name?” I asked, forcing his attention back to me.

“No, she just described him like he was her meal ticket.”

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