He stared intently at the screen for a minute longer.
Then he sat back. Thanks very much, Sarah.
She might have been aggravated at the time shed been asked to give him, but she smiled. She probably didnt often get thanked for what was, after all, just her job.
Sure. Anytime, she told him.
I mean it. She reached into her shirt pocket and produced a card. Her name and rank were on it, along with a phone number and an e-mail address. Ive heard about you, about what you do, what yousee. They say youre the real deal. I meant what I said. Whatever you needwhateveryou can call me.
He took her card, nodding gravely. Now that, I really appreciate. He left her feeling very grateful indeed.
She had pretty much just told him that she would work for him on the q.t. That was priceless.
But right now he had to find Jessy Sparhawk. She was the only one who might know what Tanner Green had said right before he died.
There had been a recent period in Vegass history whenthe tourist board had decided to turn Sin City into a family-friendly resort. The plan hadnt worked, and the city had soon reverted to its old image, but the aftereffects lingered, and some parents still brought their children along when they came to gamble. As a result, a lot of the casinos provided diversions aimed toward the kiddie set, because the problem with Vegas was that parents could be distractedmaybe only momentarily, but still with frightening repercussionsby bright, blinking lights and a sudden insistence that the next dollar shoved into a beckoning slot machine would be the one that hit the jackpot.
At the Big Easy the problem had been solved by offering an afternoon of pirate-themed entertainment, food and drink for the younger crowd.
It was glorified babysitting.
But Jessy had never minded that. She liked kids. Sure, every once in a while they wound up with an obnoxious little twerp who wouldnt stop tugging on beards, dumping the treasure chest or trying to look up the skirts of the pirate queens or the servers. But all in all, it wasnt a bad gig. It was actually a lot better than performing at a bachelor party for a bunch of drunks who seemed to think that anyone under thirty and wearing a skimpy costume was for sale.
In contrast, working the babysitting detail was usually fun, and that day it was going very well.
They had almost three hundred kids, some of them there gratis for guests of the casino, others had been enrolled at a steep price tag by parents staying elsewhere, though compared to the hundredseven thousandsthat could be dropped at one of the gaming tables or in slot machines in a matter of minutes, it was still small change.
The audience ranged from age two up to twenty-one. The older kids were usually there because they had younger siblingsand because eighteen- to twenty-one-year-olds still couldnt legally step out onto on the casino floor or drink.
The show itself was mostly improvisational banter punctuated by carefully choreographed dance numbers. The cast played pirates who had somehow wound up stuck on Lake Mead, and they sang traditional pirate songs as they searched for treasure.
It was when the kids were shouting, trying to point out to her rather ditsy pirate queen that the treasure chest was right beneath her nose, and she was spinning around searching, that she saw him.
He was standing just outside the room, leaning against a wall painted with a mural of the high seas and pirate ships flying the Jolly Roger, and he was staring through the glass wall that surrounded the theater space, watching her. He was wearing a suit, and he somehow managed to look both real and not real
He wasnt even a foot away from Grant Willow, one of the four security menall of them highly skilled but able to relate to the kids without intimidating themwho took turns standing watch in the vestibule, and he seemed totally oblivious to the other man.
She knew the watchers face. She had stared at that face in the most uncomfortable circumstances imaginable. He couldnt possibly be thereand yet he was.
She blinked.
And then he wasnt.
She must have come to a dead halt, stunned, because Aaron Beaton, playing the role of Captain Gray-specked Blackbeard, started prompting her. Bonny Anne, Bonny Anne, have ye found it? Have ye found me treasure?
She stared at him without any idea how to respond as her blood grew cold.
He hadnt been real.
She had simply conjured him up in her minds eye.
Or he had been real, just someone else. Someone who only looked like a dead man.
After all, a man had died on top of her last night; she had a right to be traumatized. To be seeing things. There was nothing odd about it at all.
Bonny Anne? Aaron said sharply.
Your treasure? My treasure! she insisted, dragging herself back into character.
Her declaration started a mock battle that was really a carefully choreographed dance piece. She battled gamely, whirled and jumped, then looked back to the doorway and almost missed a beat.
He was back.
And he was watching her with huge eyes and an expression filled with both tragedy and remorse.
Since the promo poster Dillon had seen the night before pictured Jessy Sparhawk, it was a reasonable assumption that if he headed to the Big Easy she was likely to be working.
She was.
The pirate party was scheduled daily from one to six, giving the parents a full afternoon of worry-free gambling. Dillon wondered how many of them forgot to come back at closing time, but he assumed the casino had a plan for dealing with that.
The theater was surrounded by glass walls, and the outer vestibule was decorated with pirate paraphernalia and wall paintings. Inside the room, the stage held an impressive pirate ship that seemed to float above shimmering blue water, an effect caused by lighting under a glass stage floor. There were interactive areas for the kids, and each seating section sported a different-colored pirate flag, dividing the kids into teams so they could root for their color-matched champions onstage. There were huge treasure chests around the room that held soda, candy and chips, along with healthier soy snacks and natural iced teas. It was a top-quality production, designed to appeal to kids of all agesalong with the occasional adult he saw in the audience. He noted that the smaller children were together in one area, and there seemed to be at least three employees wearing pirate-themed casino uniforms to attend to every nine or ten children.
Onstage, the pirates were going at it.
He recognized Jessy right away, despite her wig and makeup and pirate attire. The kids were shouting to her, laughing, and even the almost adults in the room were having fun and shouting right along with everyone else for her to find the treasure.
Then she froze. Justfroze, staring at the doorway.
It was only for the blink of an eye; then she jerked her gaze away and responded to one of the male actors. A sword battle ensued, then somehow turned into a dance.
Then, once again, Jessy Sparhawk froze.
Dillon felt a tap on his shoulder and thought it might be the big security guard who was keeping an eagle eye on the room.
But it wasnt. Ringo was at his side.
Over there, Ringo said quietly.
Across the lobby, standing near the guard, stood another man. A big man in a suit.
Tanner Green.
Dillon started toward him, moving quickly but casually, keeping his eyes focused on the guard, as if he was just going over to ask him a question about the show.
Tanner Green.
Dillon started toward him, moving quickly but casually, keeping his eyes focused on the guard, as if he was just going over to ask him a question about the show.
But Tanner Green sensed him, and he was having none of it. He turned and stared hard at Dillon.
And then he disappeared, fading like mist taken by a sudden wind.
You scared him! Ringo said accusingly.
Inwardly, Dillon cursed himself. He should have watched the man a while longer. He should have been patient. But if Tanner Green was walking around in some spiritual limbo, it was imperative for Dillon to reach him. Speak with him.
And he had moved without menace. This was one spooked ghostno pun intended, he thought with a grin.
The guard looked at him and nodded, mistaking him for a parent. Kids will be out in a little while, maybe twenty minutes or so. A lot of them hang around to get their pictures taken with the cast.
Thanks, Dillon said, turning away from the guard and putting his hand up to his face as if rubbing his chin, so he could speak softly to Ringo without being overheard.
Why was he so frightened of me? he asked.
Duh. The man was murdered, Ringo pointed out, as if pointing out the obvious to a three-year-old.
Irritated, Dillon chose not to respond to his ghostly companions sarcasm. Ringo might be from the Old West, but he had adopted the modern vernacular with enthusiasm, as if that somehow made him more a part of the earthly world.
Maybe he was afraid of you, then, Dillon asked. Youre the one carrying a gun.
That actually makes sense, Ringo admitted. He probably hasnt seen many other ghosts, and, if he haswell, I guess an old gunslinger might be a bit too much for him to handle. And he probably doesnt want to believe that hes dead, either. Probably hasnt accepted it yet.
Whatever the cause, Tanner Green was scared.
Even so, he had come out in the open to stare at Jessy Sparhawk, the woman he had been lying on top of as he breathed his last.
And she had seen him. Dillon would swear to it.
The play finished and the kids rushed the stage. The performers posed for pictures, laughing, talking, signing miniposters that seemed to come out of nowhere. He watched Jessy pick up a toddler for a photo, then talk to the little girl and sign a poster. She seemed totally at easeuntil she glanced back toward the door and an uneasy look crossed her face.
Then she saw Dillon and was visibly startled. After that she lookedfrightened, rattled, though she continued to smile as she interacted with the kids.
He waved to her at one point, and she waved back.
The security guard with the broad shoulders and pleasant smile walked over to him. You a friend of Jessys? the man asked. Not just a waiting parent?
No, Dillon told him, shaking his head. And yes, Im afriend of Jessys.
You can go on in if you want, the guard said.
Thanks, Dillon said and headed toward the stage, Ringo still at his side.
He noticed a woman turn around as they passed, a puzzled look on her face. She drew her sweater more closely around her, as if she had suddenly felt a chill. That was the way it was for most people. They didnt see the dead, couldnt communicate with them, but something inside told them that someone was there.
Dillon smiled at the woman and kept going, hoping Ringo wasnt feeling mischievous and wouldnt tease her with a tap on the shoulder or a tug at her skirt. He moved quickly, because if you werent looking, Ringo wasnt as prone to act up.
Jessy was still onstage, posing with the last of the kids.
She looked at him over the head of a toddler, and he sensed she wasnt all that pleased to see him. But she was in performance mode, so she forced a smile to her lips.
Very impressive, he told her, reaching the stage. He saw her fellow cast members glancing his way and whispering to one another. He was being assessed, he knew.
What a surprise to see you here, she said.
He decided not to mince words. I need to speak with you.
Oh? This isnt a great time. I have to get out of costume, check my schedule for the next few days.
Ill wait.
She glanced away, biting her lip. She might be a good performer, but she was a lousy liar. She didnt have a good excuse for refusing to talk to him, and she wasnt going to invent one.
Im not having a great day, she said. Im really tired.
I wont take much of your time. And you have to eat, right? Why not let me take you to the fast-food establishment of your choice, and then Ill leave you alone, I promise.
She let out an uneasy sigh and gave in. Sure. I need about half an hour.
Thanks. I really appreciate it, he told her.
She nodded curtly, and he couldnt help thinking that she made a gorgeous pirate. Her costume wasnt risqué, but her breasts rode appealingly in the cotton blouse above the top of a leather corset. Her skirt was long, but slit up one side for dancing. Her stage makeup was heavy and came complete with false eyelashes, but even so, up close, she was stunning.
And she was afraid.
He forced himself to take a step back. She was a bit too appealing, and he had to concentrate if he wanted to get to the truth behind Tanner Greens death. And he just knew she wasnt going to be receptive to anything he had to say. Most likely, given that he had been there last night, his very presence was probably anathema to her already.
And things werent going to get better.
Ill meet you at Chens. Its just down the Strip, she said.
Thanks, he told her again. Ill see you there.
He watched her head backstage. Right before she left, she looked backand not at him.
Then she shudderedas if shed seen a ghostand disappeared behind a black velvet drape.
4
There was an incredibly simple answer to what was plaguing her, of course. She was simply seeing someone who looked like Tanner Green. It wasnt as if she actually knew the man and could be sure it was him.
Bull.
She knew his face, and that was all that mattered.
That face was etched in her mind. She would never forget it. She had been looking into his eyes as he died.
Key words. He had died.
Maybe she had been listening to Timothy too much, and now she was seeing dead people just as he saw ghost dancers in the sky.
She winced as she sat down at her dressing table. Why on earth had she agreed to see Dillon Wolf? She didnt want to, and she didnt really understand why. The man was attractive, courteous, charming and, well, hot, as Sandra would have put it.
But
He was somehow connected to the extremely odd visions she was having. How or why, she didnt know. Everything was tied up in feelings of fear and unease, and she didnt like feeling this way at all. At least the cops were leaving her alone; they evidently knew that shed had nothing to do with Tanner Greens death other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She reached for a makeup-remover pad and set to work. With her makeup gone, she looked young. And afraid. Hell, she was afraid. And she really hated that.
Whos the hottie? April Brandon, one of her fellow pirates, asked, grinning.
Pardon?