Nightwalker (21 page)

They rose, and he rested his hand on her back as they left the restaurant. He heard the jingling of Ringo’s spurs as they neared the car.

“Shotgun, if you don’t mind,” Jessy said to Ringo.

Ringo laughed, catching Dillon’s eyes, and slid into the back.

W
hen they got to the Big Easy, Ron Pearl was actually up in the rigging, checking the machinery that controlled the sail that had fallen. He saw Jessy with Dillon and called down to tell them that he would just be a second. A moment later he was on the ground, facing them.

He was an agile man of about fifty, and he’d been in Vegas working on shows forever. He’d done it all, worked props and sets, even acted on occasion. His delight, however, was in managing a cast and all in the technical details that went into a show. Jessy had worked with him before, and she adored him.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m Ron Pearl. And you’re…?”

“Dillon Wolf. Jessy told me what happened. What went wrong?” Dillon asked.

“I actually called the cops about this, because I think we had a prankster up in the rafters. Someone who lost
big in the casino and wanted to shut us down, put management out some money themselves,” Ron said, looking at Jessy. “I’m hoping it was a prank, anyway, and they didn’t know anyone was down there. So the cops came and took some prints off a backstage door, but I don’t know how much that will help. There were some weird scuff marks up there, too, and they took some pictures. They’re still checking it out, and I’ve made sure everything’s been resecured and is totally safe. I put a security guy up on the catwalk today, just to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Jessy noticed that Dillon didn’t look entirely satisfied. “Mind if I take a look for myself?”

Ron started to frown; the rafters could be dangerous, and Dillon wasn’t one of his own. But Dillon didn’t give him a chance to protest. He leaped on stage and started climbing the rigging as if he’d been trained by Cirque du Soleil.

“Where the hell did you find him?” Ron asked Jessy.

“He found me,” she said with a shrug.

A few minutes later Dillon rejoined them on the ground. “It’s got a safety catch. Someone had to undo it on purpose.”

Ron stared at Dillon, clearly worried.

“Shit. I guess it’s a good thing the cops are on it. I don’t suppose you’re hanging around for the show?”

“No, he’s not,” Jessy answered for him. “He’s busy. He has a lot of things to do.”

“Well, see you later, then,” Ron said. “I’ll let the security guy know to be extra vigilant. Jessy, you ought to be back in costume and makeup.”

“I’m going right now,” Jessy said. “I’ll see you later,” she told Dillon coolly as she passed.

“I’ll be back,” he assured her.

“Take your time,” she said. “I can keep myself busy.”

“Good-looking guy,” Ron told her as soon as Dillon was out of sight.

“He is that,” she agreed.

Jessy headed backstage to her dressing table. April was already dressed and almost finished with her makeup. “Hey, there. Did you hear? Someone really was messing with the rigging.”

“Yes, I heard. But they’ve added security. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Go figure,” April said as she powdered her nose. “I was afraid to be a flight attendant. Who would have thought you could be in danger doing a kids’ pirate show?”

She left, ready to take her position backstage. They would be opening the doors soon.

Jessy followed her a few minutes later. She shifted the curtain slightly to look out to the audience. She could see kids filing in, along with a number of adults. She looked past them to the glass partition separating the theater from the lobby.

Grant Willow, one of the security guards, was at the door, watching the last people filing through the door. Next to him, Tanner Green was standing with his face pressed to the glass.

Behind Green, leaning against the far wall, one leg cocked for support and arms crossed over his chest, stood Ringo Murphy, keeping an eye on the proceedings.

He saw Jessy peeking out from behind the curtain and lifted his hat to her.

Oh, Lord, she thought. This was crazy. She was being haunted by one ghost and guarded by another.

“Places!” Ron called, and she stepped back, ready to make her entrance as Bonny Anne, queen of the pirate ship
Treasure
.

Once again, Emil Landon was waiting in his office, anxious to see Dillon.

“Well? Have you found out what’s going on?” Emil asked impatiently. “What have the cops found over at the Sun? Someone over there is guilty, has to be,” Emil said. “And I’m sick of holing up in here, afraid to go out.”

Hugo Blythe was just outside the door, Dillon knew. He had been surprised to find that other than the big bodyguard and the boss, the penthouse was empty. Not even the huge-breasted secretary had been in sight.

“The latest attack took place right here in your own casino,” Dillon told him.

“What?”

“There was an incident at the pirate show yesterday,” Dillon told him.

Emil Landon stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “You think that was an
attack?
It’s a kids’ pirate show. Some joker broke in and messed with the set. Nothing was broken, so what’s the big deal?”

“The ‘big deal’ is that one of your players could have been seriously injured,” Dillon said coldly.

Landon bristled at Dillon’s comment. “Don’t go mistaking my words for a lack of concern. I had the incident
investigated immediately, but that’s all it was—an incident. That actress should have been offstage with everyone else by then, so no one could possibly have meant to hurt her or anyone else. This was probably some bored kid’s prank. What the hell does it have to do with someone being after me?”

“I’m still not sure why you’re so convinced that someone wants to kill you,” Dillon said, drawing a small notebook from his pocket. “When we first met, you said you were being followed. Green and Blythe both worked for you for some time, right?”

“Right, but…hell, that’s why I finally called Harrison Investigations. I kept feeling I was being watched, even when I knew there was no one around. It was eerie. Even with those guys around, you know? And I figured you guys don’t just prove there are ghosts around, you debunk them, too, right?”

“Right,” Dillon agreed. “So what about Green and Blythe? What did you have them doing? And what was Green up to the night he died?”

“When one was on, the other was off,” Landon agreed. “Where the hell Tanner Green was before he was murdered, I have no clue. It was his night off.”

“All right. But these men were there to protect you, and you still felt unnerved enough to ask for outside help because your car was followed a few times when you went out to dinner. What else? A man of your position and power…it had to take more than that to convince you that someone was trying to kill you.”

“Someone shot at me one night,” Landon told him uneasily.

“Someone shot at you? And you didn’t inform the police? Why?”

“What the hell were the cops going to do? I was in the parking lot of a restaurant. I heard shots. Blythe threw himself on top of me, and we heard a car speeding away.”

“What kind of car?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see the car, I only heard it.”

“If you’d called the cops, they might have found the bullets.”

“Look, my bodyguard is dead, and you haven’t found a damn thing. The cops are working on it, you’re working on it, and what the hell do I have? Zilch.”

Dillon wanted to tell him to go to hell then and there. There had to be something more going on, and Emil Landon just didn’t want to talk about it.

If it weren’t for Jessy, Dillon would have told Landon to stuff it then and there.

But Dillon wasn’t going to find himself barred from the casino on some trumped-up charge when he needed to be there to keep an eye on Jessy.

“I’m going to head back over to the Sun later today,” he said, rising. “I just wanted to make sure you knew you had trouble in your own casino first.”

“Trouble? This is a casino. We throw angry drunks out on a daily basis, and the cops are in here at least once a week because some asshole gets nasty. This was some prankster messing around where he didn’t belong,” Landon said, but he must have seen something in Dillon’s eyes, because he quickly added, “I value my employees. Trust me, I’ve made sure that
the situation has been taken care of. I’m not a great humanitarian, but that pirate show makes money hand over fist—not just on ticket sales, but because it brings people into my casino. What do you think the parents are doing while their kids are being entertained? Losing money, that’s what. My security staff are good. Interview them at your leisure, and you’ll see that I’m telling the truth. It’s me I’m worried about. I’m getting cabin fever, afraid to leave my own penthouse. Get out there and find out who the hell killed Tanner Green—and who the hell is gunning for me.”

Dillon left, bidding Hugo Blythe a cheerful goodbye as the goon saw him to the outer door.

But as he rode down in the elevator, he reflected grimly that he didn’t believe Emil Landon, and he didn’t trust him.

But he didn’t want a showdown with the man.

Not now.

Soon, but not now.

The show went smoothly. The entire cast had been a little on edge, she had realized during the performance, which had somehow made
her
feel calm. The sail fell right on cue, with everyone in proper position, and then it was returned to its original position just as it was every day, seven days a week. When the show was over, Jessy did notice that the techs hurried backstage more quickly than usual, and Ron Pearl himself was there, keeping an eye on everything as the cast posed for pictures and gave autographs to the children. Ron was still there as the last of the audience departed, and when
he shooed the cast back to the dressing rooms he seemed both relieved and happy.

Ringo didn’t follow her back to her dressing room; now that she was aware of his existence, she was certain that she would know if he was there. Although, she realized, now that the show had gone off without a hitch and she’d had some time to calm down, having a hundred-and-something-year-old ghost in her corner might not be a bad thing.

She found herself actually wanting to have a discussion with him.

As she had the night before, she gave Sandra a call on her cell, then was surprised when Reggie answered the phone.

“Hey,” she told Jessy, approval in her tone. “I hear you’re dating Mr. Hottie.”

“Reggie, please. Your mom has already tortured me enough on that score. And speaking of your mom, where is she?”

“I don’t know, and she forgot her phone here when she went out, so I couldn’t call and ask her. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to see what she’s up to.”

“Don’t know. I just came in from school. But I’ll tell her you called.”

“Okay, thanks.” She hung up, wondering what she should do. A second later her phone rang and she answered it, even though she didn’t recognize the number.

“It’s me calling from a pay phone,” Sandra said quickly in response to Jessy’s cautious, “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Jessy asked her.

“I’m down the street,” Sandra told her. “I suck as a friend—sorry. I was going to meet you right there at the show, but I stopped in at the Rainbow, and a new slot machine sucked me in. I just realized the time, so don’t worry, I’ll be there in five minutes, and we can hang out until tall, dark and stunning returns.”

“Sandra, you really don’t have to babysit me,” Jessy said, but in fact, she was glad that Sandra was on her way. Just in case she really was in danger, she would rather not be alone.

Of course, now she had a ghost watching out for her, as well. Or maybe he’d been there all along. Although apparently Ringo went off on his own periodically, and she was pretty sure he could only be in one place at a time. She wondered what rules, exactly, ghosts had to follow.

“It’s not babysitting to spend time with a friend,” Sandra assured her. “Consider me on my way.”

“No,” Jessy said, suddenly sick of everyone—including herself—seeing her as a potential victim. “You’re just down the street. I’ll come to you.”

“Are you sure?”

“The Strip is crawling with people. I’ll be fine.”
Besides, I have a cowboy ghost following me,
she added silently.

“Okay, but come right here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jessy hung up, smiling.

She gathered her personal belongings and left her dressing room.

Tanner Green had departed somewhere toward the end of the show, but Ringo had remained, so she looked
around for him when she got back out front. She was surprised that he was nowhere to be seen and wondered if he had tried to follow the elusive Tanner Green.

It didn’t matter. The Strip was crawling with people. She would be just fine.

It was time to find Darrell Frye, which proved to be easier than Dillon had thought, because the pit boss was back at work. All Dillon had to do was wait fifteen minutes and Frye would be on break. He headed off to the casino’s coffee bar to wait.

The Strip was crowded with people.

As she walked down the street, staring at the neon and glitter that defined Vegas, Jessy found herself amazed that someone had come to the desert, started with nothing and ended up with the fantasy playground that was Vegas. Sure, a lot of it was false and plastic, but underneath the facade, it was just like any other place. Lots of people came to play—but others came to work. People built homes, and raised families, and it was a mecca for young entertainers.

And for her, it was—and always had been—home.

Suddenly that comfortable thought fled from her mind, driven out by the realization—immediate and absolutely certain—that she was being followed.

She told herself that it was Ringo, but she knew it wasn’t. She realized that she’d always known when Ringo was around, even when she hadn’t been able to see him, because of his spurs.

This wasn’t Ringo. This was someone who was
stalking her. She hadn’t seen anyone when she left the theater, so this had to be someone who knew when she got off work, someone who had timed her movements and waited in the crowd to pick her up when she left, someone who knew exactly where she was right this second and could easily attack her if he chose.