Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(40)

By the time they’d wiped their hands the final time and shared an excellent cranberry cobbler, Hannah knew exactly how to proceed. She paid their tab, got Lisa settled in front of a quarter slot machine with the change from The Cookie Jar, and set out to find the manager.

After being referred to several employees, Hannah finally found a security guard who agreed to escort her to the manager’s office. The guard was tall, broad-shouldered, and perfectly impassive as he blocked a lighted security panel with his body and punched numbers on a keypad that opened the door to an inside corridor.

Hannah gave him a friendly smile as he motioned her through the door, but he didn’t smile back. It was obvious that a stern demeanor topped the list of requirements for casino security guards.

Once she’d arrived at the proper door, the guard knocked twice and then opened it. “A Miss Swensen to see you. She says it’s personal.”

A voice from the interior told Hannah to enter and she stepped into the office. The room was large and beautifully decorated. Three walls were ivory and the fourth was painted an attractive shade of Chinese red. It contained an ivory silk-covered sofa and two matching chairs that flanked a black lacquer coffee table with gold inlay dragons. The decor was an odd choice for an Indian casino, and Hannah was surprised. There wasn’t a single Native American blanket or artifact in sight.

An older man with carefully styled gray hair rose from his chair behind a black lacquer desk. “Miss Swensen? I’m Paul Littletree, the casino manager. Won’t you sit down?”

“Thank you,” Hannah replied and took the chair in front of his desk, a lovely black lacquer armchair upholstered in Chinese red silk.

“You can leave us, Dennis.” Paul Littletree waved a dismissal to the security guard.

Hannah waited until the door had closed behind the security guard and then she launched into the speech she’d prepared. “This is really embarrassing, Mr. Littletree. I’m afraid my brother got a little out of hand the last time he was here. My parents sent me out to apologize and offer to pay for any damage that he did.”

“When was this?”

“On Tuesday night. When he got home, he told my mother that he’d been in a fight with one of your bouncers.” Hannah lowered her eyes and attempted to look embarrassed about her mythical brother’s actions. “We think it’s that new girlfriend of his. She’s involved in some kind of antigambling movement and she talked him into driving out here to pass out brochures. My brother just has some scratches and bruises, but my parents asked me to check to make sure that your bouncer’s all right.”

“That would be Alfred Redbird. I noticed that he had some bruises and a black eye when he came in from the parking lot.”

“I’m so sorry.” Hannah sighed deeply. “Of course we’ll be glad to pay his medical expenses and make up for any time he lost from work.”

“That’s very generous, but it’s not necessary. Alfred didn’t need more than a couple of Band-Aids.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. My mother’s been worried sick about it. Was Mr. Redbird able to finish his shift on Tuesday night?”

“No,” Paul Littletree chuckled, “but that had nothing to do with your brother. His wife called at midnight and Alfred left to take her to the hospital. Their first baby was born at eight the next morning.”

Hannah smiled, even though she felt more like frowning. The bouncer was sounding less and less like a viable suspect. “I’d still like to apologize to him personally. Is he working tonight?”

“No, I gave him the rest of the week off with pay. He’ll be back on Monday and he should be used to being a new father by then. Relax, Miss Swensen. Your brother didn’t do any real damage, but I’m afraid we’ll have to ban him from the casino for a while.”

“I certainly can’t blame you for that. You have a very nice place here, Mr. Littletree. My friend and I just finished having the ribs at your restaurant and they were delicious.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying your evening with us.” Paul Littletree rose from his chair and Hannah knew that her interview was over. “Tell your parents that we appreciate their concern. And come out to see us again soon.”

When Hannah emerged from the office, the security guard was waiting for her. He wore the same unsmiling visage as he escorted her back into the main part of the casino, and Hannah fought the urge to do something to rattle his composure. If he ever decided to move to England, he’d be a shoo-in to replace one of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

Lisa was right where Hannah had left her, sitting in front of the same slot machine. There was a pile of quarters in the tray and Hannah was surprised. “Are you winning, Lisa?”

“I think I’m a couple of dollars ahead.” Lisa glanced down at her tray. “Why don’t you try it? It’s really a lot of fun.”

“All right, but only for a few minutes. I want to get back before nine. Just let me get some change.”

“Take some of these.” Lisa scooped some quarters out of the tray and handed them to her. “Maybe they’ll bring you luck.”

The machine next to Lisa was empty and Hannah sat down. Her last suspect had been eliminated. If the bouncer had been at the hospital with his wife, there was no way he could have shot Ron. As Hannah pulled the handle and lost her first quarter, she wondered what people found so fascinating about slot machines. They weren’t really interactive, but the man across the aisle from her was patting his machine with his left hand while he pulled the handle with his right.