Page 87 of Reckless Chance
“I told you that I don’t know anything about football. Why would I gamble on it?”
“Maybe you were placing bets for Sergio. Is he a fan of the LA Tigers?”
“I don’t know if he likes the Tigers. He follows the Las Vegas team, whoever they are, but we don’t gamble. I don’t know the guys in the photo. I didn’t harm Brentwood. This is all absurd. You’ve made a major mistake. Since you won’t listen to the truth, I’m not saying another word until I get a lawyer.”
“Fine, but you’re making this whole situation harder on yourself.”
Amelia is true to her word and sits there silently, glaring at Fielder.
Fielder opens the door to the interrogation room and signals for two officers to take Amelia away before he joins us in the viewing room.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“I’d be shocked if she knows anything about football, much less gambles on it.”
“Yeah, she didn’t know there isn’t a team named the Tigers in LA. That was a clever test,” Lowri says.
“A simple trick of the trade. It’s doubtful that she’s your gambler even though the initials match.”
“I agree. It would have been too easy for the killer and the gambler to be the same person. At least we no longer have amurderer running loose here. Unfortunately, we still don’t know which employee is involved with the Rossis.”
“Don’t worry—criminals slip up. They’re not as smart as they think they are. We’ll let you know when this is all wrapped up. In the meantime, your show can reopen,” Fielder says as he departs.
“That’s good news. Will you open the show tomorrow?” Lowri asks.
“No. They need a couple of days to rehearse and give Amelia’s understudy time to practice. Most importantly, they can’t use the tree, and I don’t want any audience members on stage anytime soon. We’ve kept Mr. Brentwood’s death reasonably quiet, but the idea of reenacting the scene where he died would be morbid.”
“I’m glad they’re rewriting that part of the show. If you don’t mind, I’m going back to your apartment to deal with my other work. I’ll have Walter bring me food. I plan to work straight through dinner. Want to grab a drink around 9:00 p.m. or so?”
“That works. While you catch up on work, I’m going to reach out to Paxton. It’s time he helps us set a trap for this A.R. person. I’ll also meet with Ron to discuss reopening the show in a few days. Rehearsals can resume tomorrow morning, but I want him to walk me through his plans to rework the show without the tree prop. I’ll text you where we can meet for drinks.”
“Perfect. I’ll be ready for a change of atmosphere after being stuck at my laptop for several hours,” she says, walking away without any physical contact.
No kiss on the cheek. No quick hug goodbye. Not even a simple squeeze of my forearm. The absence of her touch leaves me with an emptiness. The comfort she’s brought me in the last few days is gone. She wasn’t cold or rude or even angry, but it’s different than before. I don’t like it. And it’s all my fault for being such a jerk and messing up what we had.
Later tonight, I’ll find a way to fix my screw up with Lowri. Now, I must focus on identifying the gambling employee.
If A.R. is a true gambler, he or she won’t be able to resist the offer I have in mind for Paxton’s guys to put on the table. It will flush A.R. out into the open. Problem solved.
Why didn’t we come up with this idea sooner? Of course, there was a murderer to catch.
48
SEAN
Paxton wasn’t willing to share the method his guys use for contacting this mysterious A.R. fellow. Hewaswilling to tell his men to lure A.R. to the Rossi home with a proposal for a double-or-nothing bet to square his debt with them. Given A.R.’s inability to pay and apparent penchant for gambling, he won’t likely pass up the opportunity to make one more bet that could free him of debt.
When A.R. shows up, Paxton will learn the gambler’s real identity. Then we can fire him. As for A.R.’s gambling debt, Paxton promised to work out a nonviolent solution. I have no choice except to trust him on that part.
With the plan in motion for catching A.R., it’s time to concentrate on convincing Lowri that I haven’t been using her, at least not in the way she thinks. She’s special to me, and I can’t imagine losing her friendship and support. It’s going to be difficult enough to let her go at the end of the ninety days, but there’s no way I’m letting us part on bad terms.
I’ll show her that this short relationship has been real for me. Our marriage may not be destined to be permanent because that’s not what either one of us has ever wanted. But everyemotion and every moment together have been authentic, at least for me. I’m pretty sure that’s true for her as well.
I racked my brain for a romantic idea that not only would wow Lowri but also would demonstrate my sincerity. I have a decent amount of experience with impressing women. I’ve just never tried to prove my true feelings to anyone. Hell, I’ve neverhadfeelings like this for anyone. It was a wake-up call finding her sobbing in the bathroom. My failure to share the requirements of the trust agreement inflicted more pain than I’d imagined possible. I’d expected her to be mad, not hurt. Seeing her that way gutted me.
Hopefully, the plan I settled on will work. I shared my predicament with Emily and asked for her help with putting my idea into motion. After chastising me for being such an idiot, she got to work and made a couple of suggestions of her own to amp up the evening.
The alarm on my phone buzzes. It’s time to meet Ron. Once that’s done, I should have enough time to change clothes and meet Lowri.
