3 Sin City Hunter by Maddie Cochere Page B

man was capabl e of. The gun was fired with intent to kill, and I was more certain than ever the man outside the door had been murdered. **
     

Chapter Eight
     
    “You look really pretty, honey. Do you need a ride back to the hotel tonight?”
    Dad and I were sitting at a table in front of Starbucks, and he was making sure I was ready for my big day. Darby was still asleep when I left the room, so I had gently knocked on my parents’ door to see if they were up. Dad was, and he slipped out with me to have breakfast before the driver from Slimmers came to pick me up.
    “Nope,” I told him. “The driver will take me back and forth all week, so I don’t have to worry about transportation .”
    We were having coffee and breakfast sandwiches while w e shared the local newspaper. I finished the sports section and was delighted to see the Blue Ball Blades won both of their games over the weekend. I was able to talk with Dell for a minute yesterday, and he had four tickets set aside for us for tonight’s game. We were planning a late dinner atop the Stratosphere afterward, and Dell would be joining us.
    I passed the sports section to Dad, and he passed the local section to me. Two pages in , a shudder ran the length of my body, and my stomach did a cartwheel. The headline Slain Janitor Found in Desert was screaming at me. I couldn’t contain the shocked “ oh no ” which passed my lips for Dad to hear.
    “What is it, Susan?” he asked.
    It was obvious I was upset, and there was no p ulling it back. “Dad, a janitor was recently killed. They found him in the desert.”
    “That’s horrible, honey, ” he said, “ but why would it upset you ?”
    “His wife filed a missing person’s report, ” I said, “ and they identified his body through dental records.” I continued to scan the article becoming more horrified with each passing sentence. “His body was placed on railroad tracks which is why they had to use dental records.” I looked at my dad with wide eyes and said, “Dad, his name was Gilbert Torres, and he was a janitor at Slimmers Corporate Offices.”
    I knew in my heart thi s was the man I had seen outside the hotel door by the dumpsters. It had to be. Carl had even referred to him as a janitor.
    “I’m sorry to hear that ,” dad was saying as I finished reading the article . “Hopefully, you’ll still be able to get some work done , but the atmosphere will probably be s omber today .”
    I hated the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I no longer had an appetite to finish my breakfast. I stood up, grabbed my briefcase, gave Dad a kiss on the cheek, and headed for the front door. The car would likely be waiting for me already.
    As I neared the front desk, I ducked into the restroom. I wanted to double-check my makeup and take a minute to compose myself. I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. There wasn’t any reason to tie a Slimmers janitor in the desert to the hotel, so I could only hope the police wouldn’t have any reason to talk with me. My face was pale. I touched it up with a little blush, and reapplie d my lipstick. My hair was the way I liked it, simple but with a soft, slightly full look.
    Betsy Ann had told me suits weren’t necessary in the office and business casual attire would be fine. I had chosen to wear a short sleeve, black wool dress. It had a low, square neckline showing a hint of cleavage, and t he length was to the top of the knee. It was beautifully sewn and created a lovely, lean, fitted silhouette. It was actually quite sexy without being revealing. I slipped into a soft, black cardigan for the ride over to the offices. Pleased with my look, and feeling more in control of my emotions, I headed out the front door and into the waiting car.
     
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
     
    “Gregory, take Susan to her office so she knows where she’ll be working. You can then take her on a tour of the main floor. She’ll be with me upstairs after lunch.”
    Betsy Ann looked at her watch, reached