Ashes to Dust (Las Vegas Mystery)

times, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder, and I get the impression you may be looking for something that isn’t always there. Not that I can blame you for that; I find myself doing the same thing when I’m with you.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean there are people who treat me differently because I’m with you. I don’t notice it as much anymore, but I did in the beginning. Some of them glare at me, and others—women mostly—look at me with warm approval.”
    “Is that why you stopped dating me?”
    Snow shook his head. “Of course not. I don’t give a shit what other people think. I do what I want.”
    Alice smiled. “Then what was it?”
    “How many times are you going to ask me that?”
    “Until I get a valid answer.”
    Snow sighed. “Alright, let’s just say I got a little scared.”
    “Because of me, or women in general?”
    “Both. I’ve been through the ringer quite a few times—twice divorced. But it progressed to the third date. You invited me in. I thought, this is it—and to be honest, that old saying popped into my head.”
    “What old saying?” Alice said.
    Snow grinned. “Once you go black, you never go back.”
    Alice nodded, smiling. “Well, that didn’t hold true for my father.”
    Snow’s grin faded. His eyes narrowed. “Your father was white?”
    “That’s what I’m told. I never met him; he left when I was six months old.”
    “Were he and your mother married?”
    She emitted a short laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”
    “Your mother never got child support?”
    “Oh sure. I will say that for the man. He does take responsibility for his actions. He sent money every month until my eighteenth birthday.”
    “Do you know where he’s living?”
    “Silicon Valley, California. He’s the CEO of a high-tech company in Santa Clara. Deposition Technology, the second-largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer in the world. He’s probably worth at least a few hundred million.”
    “You ever try to contact him?”
    She threw Snow a scowl. “Hell no. I’m not going crawling to that sonofabitch. My number’s listed. If he wants to reach out and touch my ass, he can call me. Besides, if I ever end up in the same room with him, I’m afraid I’d be tempted to knock his teeth down his throat. And that wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
    Snow chuckled. “Hopefully you’ll never get that mad at me.”
    Alice dabbed at the corner of her right eye with her thumb and then returned her hand to the steering wheel. “You’ll never give me the chance.”
    Snow looked at his hands and said nothing.
    “The thing is,” Alice said, “neither of us is seeing anyone. I feel like it’s kind of a waste if we don’t spend some of our off hours together. Just as friends, maybe. Why be alone?”
    Snow considered this for a moment. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. If you don’t mind being bored, you could come over once in a while. I like to enjoy my time off sitting in my underwear, drinking beer, watching baseball. How does that sound?”
    “Tennis would be a nice alternative,” Alice insisted. “And, I must say, I do have some attractive underwear.” She smiled.
    Snow chuckled. “Hmm, on second thought, I think we better institute a dress code. Or I may end up in California, sending child support payments to Vegas.”
    “You’re not like that. You would never leave.” Alice reached over and took his hand, interlacing her fingers between his. “I’m getting a little hungry. How about you?”
    Snow nodded. “I’ve got a two-for-one coupon for the Boulder Nugget buffet. Shall we call it a date?”
    Alice shook her head. “No,” she said. “We’re on the clock.”

    Snow was standing in front of the mashed potatoes when his cell phone chirped. He stepped back, pulled it out, and flipped it open. It was Jack Roberts.
    “You having any luck?” Roberts asked.
    “We’re making progress,” Snow replied.
    “With Miller?”
    Snow turned his head toward the carving station. The prime rib looked tender and moist, not much fat. He licked his lips. “We haven’t talked to him yet.”
    “Why the hell not? He’s the most likely suspect.”
    “That is true,” Snow agreed. “But we find it more beneficial to our investigation if we gather the necessary information required prior to interviewing him. Otherwise, we won’t know which questions to ask.”
    “Yeah, well, I guess that makes sense. When do you plan to interrogate him?”
    “It probably