Page 77 of Reckless Chance
“Oh, there was one other thing. I’m not sure it means much. They said he wore makeup sometimes. The problem is that it’s common for guys in Vegas to wear makeup for personal or professional reasons.”
“Thanks. I’ll pass the info to our team. Thanks for helping me out with this.”
I text Daniel to let him know about the new photo.
“You’re welcome. Now that our business is done, tell me about Lowri. You two have more of a connection than is typical for you. I sense she’s more than your usual arm candy. What’s the deal?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. That’s a story for next time.”
“Intriguing. Evan and I are getting together in a couple of days. Let us know if you can join us.”
“I will. Thanks again. My guys will make sure you make it out safely,” I say, opening my office door.
We part ways because Daniel is waiting for me in the security office to look through employee photos.
Then it’ll be time for the hard talk with Lowri. By that time, maybe she’ll already be asleep, and I can put off the conversation until morning. She’s a night owl, so it’s doubtful, but I can hope.
41
LOWRI
I’ve been back at Sean’s apartment for over an hour. My mind is racing as it runs on autopilot, processing all the information we’ve collected. At this point, I’m too tired to process this much data.
Needing a break, I crawl into bed and turn on a movie. That usually helps me clear my mind. Then I can work through the facts with Sean when he finishes his meeting with the friendly, but mysterious, Prof. Simon. I can’t wait to hear the inside joke Sean mentioned, and hopefully the professor will provide the remaining pieces of the puzzle.
The next thing I know,Sean is crawling into bed beside me and pointing the remote control at the television to turn it off. I must have dozed off while watching. Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I ask, “What time is it?”
“It’s late. Go back to sleep,”
“No, I’m awake now. Tell me about your meeting with Prof. Simon. Have you been with him this whole time?” I ask,propping myself up with a couple of fluffy pillows at my back and smoothing the comforter over my lap.
“After talking with him, I went to the security office to meet with Daniel to follow up on the information Paxton shared.”
“Wait a minute, you were meeting with Prof. Simon. Who is Paxton? And what was the inside joke about the professor?”
“I did promise to explain, didn’t I? I’ll start with a story from my college days. Evan and I were friends with Paxton Preston back then. One Halloween, Paxton decided to dress up as one of our professors, Dr. Simon. He looked exactly like him. He emulated the professor’s voice and quirks to perfection. It was hilarious.”
“So, are you telling me that tonight Paxton was pretending to be Prof. Simon?”
“Exactly.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t want anyone to recognize him, and for my sake, we needed to avoid anyone linking the two of us with each other.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s complicated. Do you remember when you were in my office and Daniel stopped by to tell me that two mafia guys were intimidating one of our employees outside a back entrance to the Athena?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve heard me mention Paxton Rossi. He’s head of the mafia family in Vegas. Paxton Rossi and Paxton Preston are the same person. When we were in college, Paxton didn’t realize his father was the mafia kingpin. His parents hid it from him by using his mother’s maiden name, Preston.”
“How is it possible he didn’t know?”
“His mother shielded him from his father’s business from the time he was a child. When he, his twin brother, and his sisterwere young, his mom moved them to London. They went to school there until they each turned eighteen and returned to the U.S. for college. It wasn’t until his last year of college that his parents told him about his dad’s work. He was dumbfounded.”
“That still doesn’t explain why he showed up as Prof. Simon tonight.”
