Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“And considering the spot where the victim was posed was likely chosen in advance, the killer would have known what time a scheduled bus would be driving by, right?” Sienna added.
“If he’s even halfway good at murdering people and posing them, yes.”
Sienna sighed. She hoped he wasn’t very good at it, because that would make catching him a lot easier. “Okay. What other items are on our list?” When Kat didn’t immediately answer, she looked up to see Kat watching Ollie, a thoughtful look on her face.
“Ollie,” she called, waving her hand to catch his attention. At her gesture, he looked up, once again removing the earbud, and looked at her expectantly.
“You’re a card player, aren’t you? I’ve heard you talking about it with some of the POs.”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “I play some blackjack on the weekends sometimes if my girlfriend wants to hit the casinos, but I only play for fun. Why?”
She tipped her head toward the board where the cards were hung. “Does that hand of cards mean anything to you?”
He looked to where she was pointing, tilting his head as he studied the suits, then shook his head. “The two jacks are a good start if you’re playing poker, right? Or maybe the nine of hearts and the jack of hearts if you’re looking to complete a straight flush . . . or is it a royal flush?” His brow dipped. “No, that’s all face cards, right?” He shrugged. “Like I said, blackjack is more my thing, and I’m not even that great at it. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Kat said. “And the suits of those cards stay in this room, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Thanks for your help.”
Ollie nodded, but his eyes were still on the board. “Gavin Decker,” he muttered.
A spike of prickled heat shot down the back of Sienna’s neck, and her gaze, which had gone back to the notepad in front of her, leaped to the janitor studying the picture of the cards on the board.
“Excuse me?” Her voice sounded strange, slightly choked. She cleared her throat to cover her reaction.
Ollie gave his head a slight shake, seeming to come out of a trance. “Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t much help with the card suits, but the design on the back of those cards . . . the swans . . .” He reached down and lifted a small garbage can and distractedly dumped the contents into the larger one and set the empty can back on the floor.
“Yes?” Kat said, eyeing him speculatively.
“Yeah, so the design looked familiar, only I couldn’t place why or where I might have seen it before. Then as quick as I questioned it, the answer came to me. Gavin Decker.”
Sienna’s heart skipped a beat. That name again. That damn name. And how the hell was it that it was being mentioned to her not even a full week since she’d arrived back in her hometown?
“Why does that name sound familiar?” Kat asked.
Sienna said nothing, letting them talk about Gavin Decker as though she had no idea who he was. And she supposed that—at this point—it was mostly true.
“He won the World Series of Poker two years in a row,” Ollie said. “He’s well known in Reno because he’s from here.” His brow wrinkled. “I think he might do some kind of security over at the Emerald Isle. Fans love to get photos with him and whatnot.”
“Okay, so what about the cards?” Sienna prompted, making a concerted effort to regain her equilibrium. The mention of Gavin’s name had just surprised her. And now that she looked closer, she could see that the design she’d thought was merely an intricate pattern of swirls was really the repeating picture of two swans, their necks positioned so that they formed a heart.
“Oh yeah, so I guess he had a tattoo on his wrist that he became sort of known for. Some company used the tattoo art to have a deck of cards printed, and they started being sold in casino gift shops.”
Swans. Tattoo. She swallowed.
“So they’re still sold in gift shops here in Reno?” Kat asked.
Ollie shrugged. “They’re not as popular anymore, which is why I didn’t immediately recognize the design. I used to see them a lot more, but yeah, I’m sure you could find them—maybe at the Emerald Isle, where he works.”
“Okay,” Kat said. “I’m glad you walked in when you did. Lucky timing on our part. Thanks, Ollie.”
Ollie nodded, shooting a quick glance at Sienna.
“Hi, Ollie,” Sienna said. “I’m Sienna Walker, by the way. I just started. Thank you for your help. If anything else comes to you about the cards, let us know, okay?”
He bobbed his head, beginning to push the garbage can toward the door. “Yeah, I will. No problem.” He ducked out the door, and it closed with a soft click behind him.