Page 57 of Claimed by the Lawman

Chapter 18

“SHERIFF, PLEASE DON’T tell me you’re here to give a girl a hard time again. I run a tight ship around here.”

“You run a strip club, Ruby. Nothing is ever legit.” Kace watched the flaming red head roll her eyes. She was dressed in heels and leather that showed off her body in great detail. With a sigh, she sashayed from her office and into the empty outer room where a dozen or so tables were set up surrounding the stage. In the center was a tarnished pole.

He dragged off his hat and held it against his chest. “I have a couple of questions. You have a few minutes?”

She shrugged a shoulder which sent the spaghetti strap of her too-tight cami down one arm. “Let’s get this over with so you can be on your way, Sheriff. You’re not good for business.” She reached for a pack of cigarettes, withdrew one and lit it with a shiny pink lighter.

“I’ve reopened the Posey case. Remember her? Susannah Posey?”

Ruby drew in a long inhale of the cigarette and puffed out two circles of smoke. “Yes, I vaguely remember.” She tilted one wide hip. “She’s been dead a long time.”

“I read the statement you gave Sheriff Mansfield. You attended a party with Ms. Posey the night that she was found dead. You stated that she had been doing hard drugs and drinking that evening, acting erratically.”

“I don’t remember what I said but if my name was signed to the statement then I’m assuming it was from me.” She swayed her way across the plush red carpet and took a seat at the bar. “Jimmy, get us both a drink.”

Kace waved to the bartender. “No, Jimmy. I’m good.”

Ruby laughed. “Come on, Sheriff. Can’t you indulge a little? I won’t tell a soul.”

“How about that statement, Ruby? Do you still remember seeing Ms. Posey that evening in question?”

After Jimmy handed her a frosted glass filled with ice and a frothy pink liquid, she took a sip, and finally answered, “Like I said, that was a long time ago.”

He nodded, taking a few steps closer and sitting on the stool next to her. “Were you and Ms. Posey friends?”

She took a long puff off her cigarette. “Friends? No. We moved in different circles.”

“Is that so?” He laid his hat on the bar which gained him a disgruntled look from Jimmy. “Recently I was lucky to come across Ms. Posey’s diary. Several times throughout she mentioned your name.” Ruby’s olive complexion turned snow white.

“That can’t be possible.” She leaned forward slightly, a move that brought her heavy breasts upward.

He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew the small diary, placing it next to her on the bar. Ruby’s expression stayed blank, but he noticed a slight tremor in her fingers as she snuffed out her cigarette into a glass ashtray. “Jimmy, will you leave us?”

Once the bartender took his leave through a side door, Ruby leaned in. “What are you asking me, Sheriff?” She kept her voice low.

“For the truth. You didn’t mention to Sheriff Mansfield that you were Ms. Posey’s boss. Did you?”

She leaned back into the chair, tapping the tips of her long, claw like fingernails on the edge of the polished bar. “I don’t know what you think you know, but I assure you I barely knew Susannah and I wasn’t her boss.”

“Come on, stop the lie. She worked here.”

Her smiled turned sketchy. “You should know by now that I don’t discuss my girls, prior or present with anyone. You have a warrant?”

He laughed and leaned closer. “Do you get that not telling the truth in a legal statement could result in the DCI rushing in here and checking the books as well as the age of your girls.”

“All my dancers are of age, Sheriff,” she sneered.

“True, the girls on the books, otherwise I would have shut you down by now…but I’ve heard a rumor that some girls are paid under the table. Are those girls of age too? I bet it’d be interesting to find out how lap dances turn into a whole lot more behind those doors in the back.” Hell, he was reaching, but he hoped she didn’t pull his bluff. Although he’d bet his eye teeth there was a lot more going on than lap dances, he couldn’t prove it, at least not yet. He also lied about her name being in the diary, but he was following a strong hunch. Susy mentioned a red head that had helped her out more than once.

“Don’t threaten me, Sheriff,” she snarled.

He smiled and stood, placing his hat back on his head. “You must be getting me mixed up with Mansfield. I don’t threaten, Ruby. I make promises that I keep.” He started to move but the hand on his arm paused him.

“Fine.” She wrinkled her nose. “She worked for me a short time.”

He sat back down. “Stripping?”

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