Page 18 of Black Ice
“Did you look around?”
“Yes. I didn’t see anything missing.”
“Glad to hear it. I planned to drop in and take a closer look in the daylight but with the storm and now this, ah…”
She saved him from finishing that sentence. “Dad’s fine out there,” she assured him. The last thing she wanted was to think about a dead body in the building. “I can’t imagine anyone will give us any more trouble while the snow is coming down like this.”
“Fingers crossed, you’re right. It’ll be white-out conditions soon. You’re riding it out here?” When she nodded, he excused himself. Stopping short, he turned back. “Did you check in before four a.m.?”
“Yes,” she replied immediately. “The front desk will have the exact time.”
“Good, good. And did you go anywhere besides your room or leave your room at all after you checked in?”
“Not until a few minutes ago when I came down here to help,” she replied.
He jotted her answers in his memo pad and tucked it back in his shirt pocket. “Be careful in the poker room today. The people who didn’t get out are bound to get a little stir crazy.” With a sad smile, he hurried after the detectives. She didn’t envy him at all.
In the breakroom, Sarah caught up with her immediately. “It was Stan,” her manager said quietly. “He…he died from a head injury.”
Evelyn sank into the nearest chair as her knees gave out. She thought of Stan’s wife and the baby who would never know his dad. “Someone attacked him?”
Sarah glanced around. “They don’t know the whole story yet, Evie,” she said with heart-wrenching sympathy. “I know the two of you were friends.”
“Was anyone herenotfriends with him?” Stan was that kind of approachable, the friendliest kind of guy willing to lend a hand if you needed to move a couch or needed help with a flat tire. She’d known him since high school, though he’d been two years ahead of her. “Stupid question,” she said. “The detectives wouldn’t be here if it was an accident.”
Sarah shushed her. “We don’t want to speculate or raise more rumors,” she scolded softly. “Can you take your shift today or do you need to go home?”
Evie pulled herself together. “I’ll be fine by the time I’m needed on the floor. It’s not like I could get out of here if I wanted to.”
“We won’t be at capacity,” her manager said. “If you get overwhelmed, just say the word and we’ll adjust.”
“I appreciate that, but busy is better for me right now.” She looked around at the others milling about in the breakroom. “What can I do to help you?”
Sarah pursed her lips. “Are you feeling creative? We have about seventy-five conference attendees who didn’t make it to the airport before the runway closed.”
“I thought evacuations were yesterday.” It still blew her mind that it had become an issue.
Evie had never seen such a panic around a storm. The Black Hills and all of the businesses in and around Deadwood hadbeen coping with weather events since forever. She knew her disappointment was more about losing out on tips. Dumb and completely the wrong priority, especially in lieu of Stan’s death.
“They hemmed and hawed and then it was too late,” Sarah said with a shrug. “Can you help me organize a couple of poker tournaments? The hotel is comping some spa packages, but that won’t appeal to everyone.”
Evie could organize a rafting or hiking trip in about fifteen minutes flat and she worked this problem with a similar mental checklist. It was a matter of number of people involved, skill levels and interests, along with location options. “I assume you’ll want to keep this out of the main poker room?” she asked.
“Definitely. We’ll use the ballroom. Plenty of room to set up several tables.”
“Got it.” Evie was thinking about the numbers. “What about dealers?”
“If you’re willing to take the lead, I can shuffle staff around to make it work.”
She was more than willing to work in an area where Wyatt wouldn’t see her. It would be almost as good as keeping her promise to stay home until the storm passed. She had no reason to feel guilty breaking her word, especially not with him, but old habits die hard.
“Then I’ll get on it. This is a great idea,” Evie added as she stood up. Her knees were steady again and she was filled with purpose, relieved to focus on something other than her dead friend and her problems at home.
“Fabulous,” Sarah said. “Head over to hospitality and they’ll help you get everything in place.”
Her new focus failed her as soon as she entered the casino floor, mindful that Wyatt could be out here too. How long would he be in town? She hadn’t asked because knowing how many more chances she had to run into him was dangerous. A gamble.He’d said he loved her and she believed he did care. Or had once cared.
Didn’t matter. Aside from her father, Wyatt was the only man in her life with the ability to hurt her. Deeply. He’d done it once and she couldn’t give him room to do it again.
