Chapter Twenty
Jagger
Thursday morning, Keats, Gree, Diggs, and Leo all showed up at the office. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I joked as I went to my desk. Bailey was with me because he’d stayed home the previous day and had been bored out of his mind. I couldn’t blame him.
“Caught the bastard and turned him in.” Leo fluttered an envelope that probably contained a check for Sparky’s percentage plus expenses. Everyone clapped.
Leo continued, bragging about the job they’d just finished.
“Fucker crossed the border and thought he’d get away from us in Mexico.
Thanks to Gree’s mad tracking skills, we found the fucker at a cantina as he settled into a plate of pork tamales.
It was beautiful to see the look on his face when Greeley walked over to his table and took a seat across from him, taking his plate and diving into his meal.
“Our worst problem was that none of us speaks much Spanish, which made it a little rough in the beginning. It was a damn shame we didn’t have St. Michael along. He knows his way around down there and speaks the language very well.” Leo went to his desk and took a seat, staring at me.
“Things are slow, I’m afraid. Bailey and I took a call yesterday, but with school in session and tourism down, things are sluggish.” I stood from my desk and went to the breakroom, where Bailey was cleaning up our mugs from our morning coffee.
“Hey, you wanna go back up to Carson City and take care of this business with your brother? Those four are back now, and Denise is here. They can handle things for a few days.”
I was serious. We needed to get his brother sorted out before we could concentrate on our future together, if we wanted to have one.
“What about Dixie?” Bailey had a point there, but she was no trouble for anyone.
I glanced out at the swamp to see my four coworkers laughing and joking around, so I decided they could take turns caring for Dixie. I walked into the room and over to Diggs’s desk.
“Bailey and I need to handle some family business in Carson City. You guys got this till we come back? Oh, and Dixie? I’ll run to the house and get her stuff before we leave.”
Keats grinned. “Sure. I’ll take care of her.”
I nodded and went back to the kitchen. “Let’s run home and pick up Dixie’s stuff. Keats said he’d take care of her.”
Bailey chuckled. “Whatever you say, babe.”
I promptly grabbed all my gear and gave a wave to everyone before stopping at Denise’s desk.
“I’ll be out for a few days. I’ll call in regularly.
Those guys said they’ve got things here, and Keats is taking care of Dixie.
If there’s anything I can do up north, call me. Bailey and I are going to Carson City.”
“Sure, Jagger. Safe travels.” Denise winked before gathering up the recently delivered mail for processing.
As I was about to leave, I turned to Keats, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, petting Dixie. “I’ll drop the stuff off on our way out of town.”
Bailey stepped next to me. “Oh, Greeley, we saw Spitzer the other day. He asked where you guys have been. Something about you missing your pool league?”
Keats laughed. “That’s because they want a chance to win their money back. Most of them are cops, and they suck at pool. Thanks for passing along the word. We’ll call the asshole.”
“Oh, Keats, I think he’s interested in dating your little cousin who works at Steuben’s,” Greeley teased. Steuben’s was a restaurant-bar with twenty-four-hour gambling, much like many other places in Las Vegas.
“The fuck he is. It’s that guy Lola works with. Everybody knows Spitz is all cock, all the time.” Keats didn’t seem too keen on the idea of Spitzer hooking up with his cousin.
Before we got caught in the middle of their bullshit, I turned to Bailey. “You ready to hit the road? We’ll run home and grab our stuff. We can drop back by here to leave Dixie’s food and toys, and then I’ll drive first shift.”
“You’re the boss.” If only he knew how untrue that statement was. He owned my soul.
We waved. “See ya.”
As we pulled up to my duplex, my phone buzzed on the console of my truck. I shifted into park and picked it up to see a text from Detective Spitzer.
Call me when you can. Spitzer
I turned to Bailey. “It’s the detective. He wants me to call him.”
“Okay. Why not?”
I scrolled through my contacts, finding his number. I turned in my seat toward Bailey and tapped his name. It rang once.
“Spitzer.”
“It’s Jagger. What’s up?”
“I’m at a crime scene. Danny Bolls was found dead in his apartment. Overdose. Looks like someone worked him over pretty good before. Where’s your boy Bailey Gregory?”
My eyes were as large as saucers. No way would I let Spitzer pin anything on Bailey. “He’s with me. He’s been with me all day at the office. He’s been helping us out for the last couple of days. How long has Bolls been dead?”
Bailey leaned forward. “I’m right here, Detective. Do I need to come to the station? You think I had something to do with this?”
“My snitch, Boyd Newton, came looking for Danny because the guy missed a shoot at Glory Hole. Found the body at three this morning. I suspect you have an alibi for last night?”
“Yeah. He was fucking me.” Spitzer pissed me off. No way did Bailey have anything to do with Danny’s murder.
Spitzer was quiet for a moment before he gave a quick laugh. “Okay, uh, that was blunt.”
Bailey got out of the truck and pulled out his phone, putting it to his ear and pacing in my front yard. This was a huge mess for sure. But if the cops thought he was guilty, they might not look for whoever actually killed Bolls. I couldn’t let that happen.
“You there?”
“Yep. What do you want Bailey to do?”
“I got the coroner’s report back on Maria Ramirez, and it’s inconclusive whether it was suicide or homicide.
She had enough X cut with ED meds and caffeine in her system to take down a fucking wildebeest. Her stomach was empty, which indicates she didn’t take pills.
The coroner found a puncture wound in her neck that he couldn’t account for, but he’s listing the cause of death as a heart attack.
By the way, she was pregnant. Doc says about eight weeks. ”
I’d heard of that drug combination before… Boyd Newton used to sell the same mix to other actors at Glory Hole Studio. He’d told us that he and Marcelo Garcia had a deal for Boyd to also sell on The Old Strip and they’d split the profit fifty-fifty.
Bailey opened the truck door. “We don’t have to go to Carson City. My brother came to Vegas, and I’m going to see him.” He slammed the door and headed to the garage.
It seemed like an instant later, the garage door lifted, and the sound of a Harley engine blasted out and onto the street in front of my place. Bailey kissed his index and middle fingers and winked as he drove by me and out onto South Sorrel.
“Spitzer, I gotta go. Keep me posted.” I ended the call and shifted into reverse, backing into my driveway and heading down the street behind him.
He was going at a pretty good clip, flying through a red light to get onto the highway before I could make it to the intersection. I’d lost him, but at least I knew where he was going.
I had to get there before something happened to get Bailey into trouble. It sounded as though someone was framing him for something he damn well didn’t do. Not on my watch.
“Hey, LT!” It was my old boss, Lieutenant Rupert, the head of the governor’s protection team. He didn’t appear happy to see me step off the elevator on the fourth floor of the Grant Sawyer Building, where the Nevada governor’s satellite office was located.
“Hansen. We’re busy. What brings you by?” Nope, not happy at all.
The guard in the lobby had called to get permission for me to come up to the fourth floor. I wasn’t sure if Bailey had beaten me downtown or changed his mind. I hadn’t seen his bike in the garage.
We both heard shouting through the closed doors behind Rupert. “That the governor’s brother?” Bailey wasn’t the one doing the shouting from what I could tell. His voice was deeper than the governor’s tone, if my memory was correct.
“How do you know the governor’s brother? What are you doing here, Hansen?” Rupert looked suspicious, as he had every right to be.
“I just wanted to catch up with my old friends on the team. When did you guys blow into Vegas?” It was a stall tactic on my part, and Rupert didn’t seem to be buying it.
The door flew open, and Bailey stormed out, his brother behind him. “I’m telling you, you’re wrong!”
The governor was shouting. His face was crimson and the snarled expression was identical to Bailey’s. The resemblance between the brothers—except for Bailey’s beard—was remarkable.
“You won’t give Lindsey the benefit of the doubt. You’ve made up your mind, and you’re unwilling to reconsider. I don’t understand why,” the governor shouted.
Bailey stepped closer to him, his jaw pulsing with anger.
“I don’t dislike her, Thomas, but if you can’t see that she’s not looking out for your best interests, I’m going to call Mom and have her come out here to slap you in the head.
Have you looked in the mirror, Thomas? Your eyes are sunken back in their sockets, and you’ve lost weight.
What the hell? Let me call a private company to come take your blood and test it. What can that hurt?”
I glanced at the governor’s clenched fists to see no bruises or cuts, which led me to believe he wasn’t the one who beat the hell out of Bolls, like Spitzer had mentioned. I wanted to talk to him more, but first I had to keep Bailey out of jail.
“Bailey, let’s go.” My voice was raised a bit, not shouting, but I could tell Rupert was about to step in, and I knew the guy was one tough son of a bitch. He had no problem using force to protect the governor.
Bailey turned around to see me standing in the large outer office, and his face softened. “You followed me?”
“Of course I did. This isn’t productive, the two of you shouting like this. Let’s dial things back before one of you says something you can’t take back.”
“Hansen’s right, Mr. Gregory.” Rupert turned from staring at Bailey to staring at the governor. “Sir, this building isn’t as secure as the Capitol. Maybe you and Mr. Gregory can continue this discussion somewhere more private?”
I glanced over my shoulder, where a few people were milling around, all of them staring in our direction. “Bailey, let’s let your brother get back to taking care of the state’s business. Maybe you could meet each other somewhere private this evening and hash things out.”
It wasn’t my business at all, the relationship between Bailey and the governor, but I was in love with Bailey, and his well-being was my foremost priority.
I knew his brother was important to him, and he’d never want to harm that relationship.
I was determined to get him to calm down and think rationally.
“Yes, Bailey. Come to the condo at six. Lindsey isn’t with me. We can talk there.” The governor stepped closer and hugged Bailey, who returned the hug. They broke apart, and Bailey breezed by me. “Let’s go. I need a cup of coffee.”
We stepped onto the elevator, and I wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders. “Where’s your bike?”
He grinned. “I got lucky. I found a spot on the street.”
We walked down the block to a breakfast and lunch spot, choosing to sit inside as the temperature was too high to comfortably sit outside, even with the cooling misters around the patio.
The host showed us to a table in the back, and after our server brought us coffee and menus, I studied Bailey. “How’d you find out he was in town?” I knew the brothers spoke on a regular basis, but Bailey hadn’t mentioned anything to me about his brother being in Vegas.
“I called him when I got out of the truck. I hoped he wasn’t in Vegas, but my gut told me he was.
Thomas and his security team flew down yesterday afternoon.
Lindsey stayed behind because of the charity event she’s planning for October first. I’m telling you, Thomas didn’t kill that man.
He’s just not that kind of man. Can’t say the same about myself. ”
“Bailey, I’m not gonna lie. It looks like more than a coincidence that the governor is here and Bolls is dead.
If any of the news outlets put together that your brother was involved with Newton, and Bolls was Newton’s body double in the videos Newton makes, it could look like your brother was jealous.
Maybe he thought something sexual was going on between Bolls and Newton, and it was a lover’s rage that got Bolls killed.
Your brother will have a hard time explaining it. ”
I hated to belabor the point, but… “Was he alone at the condo last night?”
Bailey stared at me a moment before sighing. “I didn’t ask him, but I wouldn’t take the bet that he was alone.”
I nearly dropped my cup mid-sip. “He’d chance having Boyd over to the condo?”
“A man thinking with his dick doesn’t apply logic or reason to situations.
Thomas claims he didn’t go to the lake house because he didn’t want to draw too much attention from his staff to the fact that he and Lindsey aren’t getting along these days.
He’s afraid someone is already talking to the press about what’s been happening between them: the shouting matches, the slamming doors, and the two of them not eating meals together like they usually do.
“He’s here to moderate a meeting between small business owners and the city officials regarding the upcoming Formula One race and how it affects mom-and-pop businesses along The Strip.
The pre-race prep and the events around the race cut deeply into profits, and the business owners want assurances that the sponsors and the city will make up the projected losses.
The meeting is tomorrow afternoon at the Convention Center, followed by a reception thrown by the mayor at the Intercontinental Casino and Resort. ”
Bailey picked up his cup and took a few gulps from it before the server returned for refills. We gave our breakfast orders, and she left without comment.
“Are you going to see him this evening?”
“I need to go talk to him. Will you go with me?” The pleading tone in Bailey’s voice caused my gut to churn. He sounded so vulnerable due to his desire to keep his brother’s governorship from scandal.
I sucked in a deep breath, hoping to reassure him. “I love you, Bailey. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. “I love you too, Jagger. Thank you for being supportive. I’ve gotta help Thomas because I don’t think he’s in a place to help himself.”
The circumstances of our professions of love weren’t ideal, but I wasn’t sorry we’d both said the words. It was my job as his partner to look out for him, and I’d do it with everything inside me.