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I shove down an unexpected surge of emotion and just nod my acknowledgment. And then I stand there for a moment after she’s disappeared into the bathroom, listening to the sound of running water. What the hell is happening to me? I’m supposed to be focused on the job, on keeping Brie safe. Not…whatever this is.
Holden returns with an armful of sweats, eyeing me suspiciously after he lays them down on the bed. “All good?” he asks.
I nod curtly. “Just thinking.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but thankfully, he doesn’t push it. Instead, he makes a shooing gesture at me. “Off you go. I’ll keep watch.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He looks me head to toe with a twist of his mouth, and for the first time, I realize I’m covered in…well, the kind of thing Brie was also covered in. I don’t want her seeing me like this when she gets out of the shower.
“I’ll be right back,” I amend, and head off to shower and change.
I’m fast, but by the time I get back, Brie is out of the shower, though not the bathroom. Hudson makes a few gestures at me, and once I understand what it is I’m supposed to be doing, I knock softly on the bathroom door. “Brie? I’ve got some clean clothes for you here.”
The door opens a crack, and a hand reaches out. I pass the sweats through, trying not to imagine her naked body right there with only two inches of door between us.
Minutes tick by, but finally Brie emerges, looking much younger in a bare face, combed-back wet hair, and sweats that are a littleoversized on her. I can see the toll the night has taken on her in the tightness around her eyes.
“So, Brie,” Holden says, in a casually-non-casual way. “Am I to take it that you’re looking into Terry’s death yourself?”
She looks at me and shrugs, then turns back to him. “Yes. I’ve asked Nik to help me out as well. Please don’t try to talk me out of it?—”
“Au contraire,” he says at once. “Frank has been less than useless. I’ve asked several times to speak to him about that night, and he just won’t make the time.”
“Have you?” I break in. “What did you want to tell him?”
Holden looks at me a little suspiciously, but Brie gives him an encouraging nod. “Well, the night of the murder, Terry had a meeting with someone—and he wouldn’t tell me who it was.”
“But how did you know he had a meeting at all?” Brie asks. “Did you see the person come in?”
Holden shakes his head. “I know because he sent me away, told me to entertain myself for the night.”
“That was unusual?” I ask.
“It was unheard of,” he says bluntly. “Terry liked me with himalways, even in the most sensitive of meetings. I took notes for him and I—I gave him advice. I can’t even imagine what kind of meeting hewouldn’twant me sitting in on.”
“And you think this person must be the killer?” Brie asks.
“I think it must have been,” Holden says sadly. “Iwishhe’d told me about it.”
It’s interesting information, but not exactly useful unless we can figure out who this mysterious person was. But I let a beat pass where Holden and Brie both seem lost in their own thoughts, before holding up the flash drive again.
“Ready to see what’s on this?” I ask them, adding to Brie, “Holden brought in a laptop so we can run the video.”
She nods, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed. “Let’s do this.”
I sit on the side of the bed and Holden joins us too as I insert the flash drive. The screen flickers to life, revealing a 4-split view of security camera footage. The images switch every few seconds, cycling through different areas of the casino.
We all watch intently, but as the timestamp approaches the time of Terry’s murder, we see…nothing. No suspicious activity, no sign of the killer.
“Wait!” Brie’s finger shoots out, stabbing at the top corner. “I saw something.”
Holden leans in, squinting at the small screen. “It’s hard to make out details like this.” He grabs the laptop, quickly casting the footage to the large, wall-mounted TV. “Where do you want to stop, Brie?”
“Just run it back and forth a few times,” she says, her eyes fixed on the larger display. “Do you see it?”
I scan the footage, but nothing jumps out at me. Holden shakes his head, equally puzzled.
