CHAPTER 4

Back at the Golden Stallion the pair met with Myron to bring him up to date on what they had so far. They left him looking just as worried as he had been earlier in the day.

The couple went up to their suite and settled in on the couch with the laptop. "So what do you think about Charlene Donohue?" Matt looked over at his wife. "I'd like a lady's perspective on her."

"Well, she is his ex. There's a little bit of motive. She's…uh…" CJ paused, trying to find the right words. "There's just no polite way to say it: she's a bitch." Matt started laughing. "But, it takes intelligence to play the game as well as she does – otherwise she wouldn't be here. You know as well as I do that poker is not only a game of chance but strategy as well."

"In other words if she killed him it would be too obvious and she's smart enough to know it."

"Exactly. All of the players are smart. If the cigar was the murder weapon, that took some strategy to figure out."

"The way I see it, we have a few things we need to check. Where did he get the cigars? Did any of the players – besides Charlene – know about his cigar habit?" He stood up and started pacing. "There's also the possibility of the mob connection." He paced for a minute. "Marlin is my second strongest suspect."

"It could be he thought that suspicion would naturally be focused on Charlene. Her attitude certainly makes it more likely."

"And I'd like to try to get a peek at the financials on these people. They've got to have money to get this far. I know Wilton won the lottery and Shaw has a major national company. Marlin was a stock broker…but why did he quit? Not many people give up a job like that to gamble."

"Myron did."

"Yes and no: when he quit the financial advisor job I don't think he realized how risky this business can be."

"He's really stressed out."

"And there's something else I want to know: where was Cipriano before he came here…" Matt stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"CJ, what if it wasn't one of the players from this game? He had to beat a lot of other people to get here."

"Thanks for opening up an entirely different can of worms." She blew out a breath.

"It is a possibility but I think we better concentrate on the folks we have access to at the present. They were with him when it happened." He looked at his watch. "They're going to pick up the game at 1:30. Let's see what we can get in the meantime." He sat down with her on the couch.

"So who do you want to start with first?"

"Let's look at Marlin a little more." He watched as she began searching.

"Alright, Marlin quit the stock broker job six years ago. He had worked for Michaelson & Haywood since his college days when he started as an intern. After graduation he was taken on full time and was their top earner at the end of the second year and several other years as well." She continued looking. "Ah hah – think I just found the reason why he left. Apparently Jacob Naisson – his boss – didn't think his wife was a proper bonus or perk. They were caught together by Naisson in the boardroom at the company headquarters. He immediately resigned and began playing poker in earnest. That was 2007."

"Guess that answers our question. He had plenty of money at that point and might have had a rough time getting another job. Let's switch gears. Let's see if we can get a fix on Cipriano's whereabouts before he came to Vegas."

After spending a couple of hours working the computer they grabbed some lunch and Matt headed for the game. He began talking to Eli Watson, one of the tournament organizers.

"Paolo Cipriano was an absolutely brilliant poker player. He had a great relationship with the cards – but no one else." Ward took a drink. "I don't think he could get along with anyone."

"That's what I've been gathering." Matt was leaning against the wall in the poker area of the casino. His phone vibrated and he looked at the ID: Mario Patrillo. "'Scuse me a minute." He stepped away from Ward. "Hey."

"The ME says it was poison and the lab confirmed it came from the cigar. You aren't going to believe what was in them."

"What?"

"A feather from a Hooded Pitohui bird."

"What in the hell is that?"

"Some bird from New Guinea."

"You're kidding; since when are birds poisonous?"

"These are. Ever heard of a poison dart frog?"

"Yeah. Some of the tribes in South America rub their arrow tips on the frogs and it paralyzes the game they hunt."

"Right. Well, these birds do the same thing but it's the feathers that contain the poison."

"Well that's certainly creative." Matt left the casino and went into the hotel lobby. "So we need to find out who has access to this stuff."

"Exactly."

"Okay, so…we need to see who's been to New Guinea." He entered the elevator and headed back up to the suite. "We need to see who's taken their passport for a trip."

"That's one way of putting it." Patrillo snickered.

"Talk to you later." He got off the elevator and went into the suite finding CJ right on the couch where he had left her. After explaining the bird feathers in the cigars he sat down next to her.

"Congratulations." She gave him a smile.

"On…?"

"I checked in with Chris a little while ago. Your favorite reporter, Tamara Placer showed up at the office looking for you again. Chris said she seemed really disappointed that you weren't there."

"Uh huh – anyway, let's get back to the cigars."

"I've been checking into who makes hand rolled cigars around the area. There are three shops in the city but none of them admit to selling to any of our suspects."

"He had them in the travel humidor." He sat back. "What about checking in Atlantic City and Atlanta?"

CJ began working the keyboard. "I've got several here. I'll give them a call." Pausing for a moment she looked at her husband. "Don't you think we should check St. Louis and Anchorage – just to be thorough? I know you're leaning toward Charlene or Marlin but we really need to keep an open mind, Matt."

"Yep, you're right." He kissed her on the cheek. "Just like always."

"Not always." She returned to the keyboard. "Just usually." Grinning, she continued her search. "Wanna split the list?"

"Sure." She hit the print button and the printer in the executive suite came to life. Matt went and pulled the pages out, giving her the top page while he took the bottom. He went over to the bar and had a seat on one of the stools, pulled out a pen, and started dialing the phone.