Ashes to Dust (Las Vegas Mystery)

the papers. He was very generous—always has been.”
    “He’s paying child support?”
    “Yes. He pays it on time every month. Calls the kids every month or so, and at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
    “Did he ever show hostility toward you?” Snow said.
    “No, never. Kevin was always the perfect gentleman.”
    “He never struck you?”
    “Never. He’s not that sort of person.”
    “Never pushed you?”
    “No.”
    “It sounds like he may have kept his frustrations bottled up inside. Do you think that’s the case?”
    “No,” Deanna said. She sighed. “With Kevin, I think it’s a case of not enough testosterone. I don’t know how else to put it. There’s just no fire inside of him. I don’t think the pilot light is even lit.”
    “Is it possible,” Snow said, “that there’s a side of Kevin you didn’t see? Is there any chance that he could have gone off the deep end and lost his temper and his sense of judgment long enough to kill someone, perhaps?”
    “No,” she said. “I’ve known him nearly all of his life. There’s just no way that’s possible. Not for a guy like him. Believe me.”
    “Alright,” Alice said. She looked at Snow and raised her eyebrows.
    Snow shook his head.
    “I want to thank you, Deanna, for taking the time to talk to us.”
    “You said this was in regards to a murder that happened there…is Kevin a suspect?”
    “Probably not,” Alice said. “We’re just talking to as many people as we can. We’re not really sure what we’re looking for or what we’ll find. This is a tough case.”
    “This woman who was killed—was she someone Kevin knew very well?”
    “She was a former girlfriend of Kevin’s. He’d been trying to get back together with her for quite a while.”
    “He must have cared a great deal for her,” Deanna said.
    “Yes,” Alice said. “Apparently he did.”
    “But she didn’t care for him.”
    “Apparently not,” Alice said.
    There was silence for a moment.
    Her voice was lower, barely audible. “That’s too bad.”
    Alice and Snow leaned closer to the speaker. To Snow it sounded like she was weeping.
    “Are you alright, Deanna?” Alice asked.
    She sniffed. “Yes, I’m okay. It’s just a little sad.”
    “What’s that, Deanna?”
    She sniffled softly for a moment. “Well…Kevin never cheated on me. Never. That’s something that wasn’t in him. I never respected that, I guess. Never thought about it until recently.”
    “I see,” Alice said.
    “The thing is…I told you my husband was playing golf…”
    “Yes.”
    “I know he’s not playing golf. He took his clubs and shoes and his balls—but he’s not playing golf.” She sighed and sniffed. “I wanted to marry a rooster. And I finally did. But I think I married one who likes to chase all the chickens around.”

Shillington’s Hotel and Casino was located on Flamingo Road, west of I-15 and a little over a mile west of the Palms. The casino was a rectangular building, surrounded by a series of arched entryways and fancy columns, giving the impression the customers were on their way to visit royalty.
    The gambling floor was constructed with high ceilings, multiple hanging chandeliers, and various carvings that looked as though they belonged on the prows of great sailing ships. The carpet was decorated with a colorful pattern of swirls, vines, flowers, and leaves that appeared to have been designed by a cross-eyed maniac experiencing a bad acid trip.
    Alice James and Jim Snow walked past rows of blackjack tables on the left and slot machines on the right, to the main bar on the east side of the casino.
    One of the bartenders stood facing them, with his hands flat on the bar. Dressed in a white shirt, open at the collar, with a black vest, he was in his mid-thirties, with black hair and a mustache.
    “We’re looking for Tex,” Snow said as they approached the bar.
    “You’ve found him,” the bartender said. He turned his head toward another man, who was stocking the beer cooler. “Ben. I’m taking five. Got it covered?”
    “Covered.” Without looking up, the other bartender continued loading beer bottles.
    “You folks want anything to drink?”
    “No, I’m good.” Snow turned his head to Alice. She shook her head.
    Tex led them to an empty table at the far end of the bar, out of the glare of the casino lights. The three of them pulled their chairs out and sat down.
    “You’re from Texas, I take it,” Snow said.
    “Nope,” Tex said.