Page 36 of Rattler's Revelation
“Officer Sterling, this is Madilyn Montgomery. She was Nadine’s next-door neighbor. Madilyn, this is Officer Sterling with the LVMPD and his associates, Bianca and Rattler.”
“Rattler?” Madily says, glancing up and down Rattler’s impressive form. “You’re a Demon Dawg. Why is a Demon Dawg hanging around with a cop and a stripper?”
Bianca gasps, while Rattler and I glare at the woman. “Bianca isn’t a stripper,” Rattler growls. “Show some respect.”
Madilyn holds her hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it. She looks like she could be a stripper. It was a compliment.”
Rattler opens his mouth to respond, but Bianca waves him off. “Don’t worry about it. We have more important things to discuss.”
Rattler doesn’t seem to agree as he continues to glare at the woman, leaving me to question her.
“We believe someone abducted your neighbor, Nadine Hartley. We were wondering if you remember seeing any suspicious men in or near her apartment over the past three weeks?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“No, why would you suggest that?”
“Because he was here with his other Demon Dawg friends. They packed up Nadine’s apartment. I saw them when I was coming home from running a few errands. They ignored me when I asked what they were doing. I think they were the ones who dumped her useless turtle on me.”
“What makes you think they were Demon Dawgs?” Rattler asks.
“They were wearing those leather vests, like you’re wearing.”
“Are you positive it looked exactly like this? It had a dog on the back?” Rattler asks, turning around to show the back of his kutte.
“Huh, now that you mention it. No. There wasn’t a dog. I remember seeing the words Las Vegas and a percent sign.”
“You said one looked like Rattler, what about the other two?” I ask. “Was this one of them?” I ask, showing her a photo of Tommy.
“Yeah, he was one of them. The other was a few inches taller. I say he’s about your height,” she tells me. “Ugly dude. Well, ugly if you don’t like freckles. He was covered with them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: RATTLER
Bianca’s gasp draws my attention.
“What’s wrong?”
“It can’t be. He was my friend. It can’t be him,” Bianca rambles. She looks so upset that I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me.
“Who are you talking about, Bianca?” Randy asks. “Does that description mean something to you?”
“That sounds like Billy.”
“Billy?”
“Billy Stocko. He works as a bartender at 1%. You met him the day we met,” Bianca says, turning her face up to mine.
“I did?” I think about that day. I saw her for the first time upstairs in Brigit’s office, then later, when I was leaving to get the van so we could transport Walt to The Pit. “You introduced me to him.”
“What’s going on?” Randy asks when he realizes how close Bianca is to tears. He reaches over to massage her neck while I explain her suspicions. “We don’t know it’s him,” Randy tries to assure her.
“One way to find out,” I say, taking out my phone. “Chill, we have another possible accomplice who works at the casino. Can you send me an image of Billy Socko? He’s a bartender. Yeah, he works in Bianca’s area. Okay, thanks.” I end the call and wait for the image to come through.
“You didn’t tell her what we found in Nadine’s apartment,” Randy reminds me.
I shrug. “I forgot. Let’s figure out if this is the guy, and I’ll call her back.” When the phone pings, I turn it so Madilyn can study it. She immediately nods when she sees him.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
