Jackpot

“You’re one smooth talker.”

“My speciality,” Joh

“I’m going to buy you a steak and a Lowenbrau when we get out.”

They walked down the hallway to the next door, which led to the booking room. Then, they waited. Bronco had told Joh

“You sure this is go

“Positive.”

Sweat was pouring down Joh

“Start walking,” he said.

Joh

Joh

No one but me,he thought.

Bronco removed the handcuff key resting in his pants pocket. He shoved the key into the handcuff on Joh

“This my ticket to freedom?” he whispered.

“You bet,” Bronco said.

Lifting his foot, Bronco placed the heel of his shoe into the small of Joh

“Escaped prisoner!” Bronco yelled at the top of his lungs.

Joh

The cops were going to find out he’d killed Sandy. He’d left his prints on her clothes and done a crummy job of dumping her body in a deserted lot. The other times he’d killed girls, he’d dumped them in bodies of water, only those were hard to find in the desert. He’d left too many clues, and it was just a matter of time before the police co

These were the thoughts going through Joh

The cop shielded his head with his arms, and the club bounced off his forearms. People in the room were yelling, the noise so loud that Joh

Joh

As he died, Joh

“You’re not yelling at me,” Gerry said.

Valentine saw the Washoe County Detention center a block ahead. “Is that a statement or a question?”

“You’re not mad?”

Valentine shook his head. He’d had his pocket picked several times when he was a cop. There was nothing you could do except be more careful the next time.

“Hopefully, the guard that led Bronco back to his cell kept him handcuffed,” Valentine said.

“You think Bronco would use my pen to attack him?”

He nodded. The gambling world was replete with stories of Bronco wrestling with security guards and jumping through plate glass windows rather than allow himself to be captured by the police. He pulled into the visitor parking lot. It backed up on the employee lot, and he saw a cop wearing a baggy uniform ru

“What's that guy doing?”

“Looks like he's using the unlock mechanism in his key chain to find his car,” Valentine replied.

“How does that work?”

“You forget where your car is parked, you point the key chain, and press the unlock button until your car lights up. I do it all the time.”

“Holy shit — he's got a shotgun.”

The cop in the baggy uniform was ru

“Sweet Jesus,” Valentine said.

Chapter 24

Mabel was examining a double-sided chip when the phone rang. The chip had been sent by a grateful casino boss, along with a thank-you card. Tony had spotted the gaff while watching a surveillance tape, and alerted the casino to the theft.

The double-sided chip was a marvel of ingenuity. On one side was a $5.00 red chip; on the other, a $25.00 dollar green chip. The scam used two people — a crooked blackjack dealer, and a dishonest player. The player would make a bet with his double-sided chip, with the $25.00 side showing. If the player won, the dealer paid him even money. If the player lost, the dealer would pick the losing bet up, flip it over secretly in his hand, and place it in his tray with the $5.00 dollar chips. The player would toss twenty-five dollars in bills on the table, and ask for chips. The dealer would give him five $5.00 chips, including the double-sided chip. What made the scam so deadly was no matter what happened, the player always came out ahead.

“Grift Sense,” she answered.

“Good afternoon,” a man said. “May I please speak to Mabel Stuck.”

Mabel Stuck?It sounded like some pesky telemarketer.

“The name’s Struck, not Stuck, and this number is on the national Do-Not-Call-Registry,” she informed her caller. “Please remove us from your list, or we will contact the Florida attorney general.”

“Ms. Struck, I’m terribly sorry. Please accept my apology.”

“Who is this?”

“Chief Ru

Mabel brought her hand up to her mouth. Ru