Chapter 3
Watching Laurie playing the next morning, Rick marveled at her coolness under the open hostility of some of the competitors. She had been uncharacteristically nervous about the amount of make-up she wore to cover the bruise on her face, and changed tops three times to make sure she would fit in better.
In her "Margaret" disguise, she entered the hall on "Andy's" arm, then greeted her fellow players as if it was the most friendly place in the world. Sitting down at their assigned table, A.J. nervously adjusted his prop glasses as the assistants went up and down the tables putting out the bid boxes. Rick monitored the tables, making sure the rules were being followed, fetching extra score cards when needed, so he was able to keep an eye on George Petrie, the gossipmonger.
As it was an Open Pairs event, the two of them would be scored as one, so A.J. watched Laurie's leads carefully until he got the rhythm of her play down. Taking 3 slams in the first session alone, "Margaret" and "Andy" started to receive some grudging compliments from some of their tablemates. Now Laurie started to remember some of the techniques she had learned from Cecilia, and moved her and A.J. into the top ten at the lunch break. Signing out from his duties, Rick went to meet with Artie Southfield, only to be waylaid by James Stephenson, the Bridge Center's assistant.
"Mr. Simon, I'm afraid Mr. Southfield was called away for an hour, he asked if I would make his regrets and take a rain check on lunch." he puffed, wiping his hands and hurriedly pocketing a silver item. Puzzled, Rick replied, "Did he say where he was going?" "No, Mr. Simon, but he should be back soon, did you want to leave a message?" Rick shook his head, spying Laurie and A.J. in the background. He thanked Stephenson, then following his instincts, headed to the courtesy suite his friend was using as his office. Signally his brother and wife to follow him, he went down the hall to the suite, only to see smoke coming out from under the door. "A.J., there's a fire in Art's office, call security!" he yelled, rushing to the entrance, then touching the doorknob, found that it was still cool to the touch but locked. Just then Laurie joined him, then seeing an auxiliary door, checked it and found it was unlocked and also not registering heat. Getting down on the floor, she slowly opened the door then called out, "Art, are you in there?" a muffled coughing answered her, and she yelled over at Rick, "He's in there, grab an extinguisher, hurry!"
At once Rick took one off the wall, then taking the lead, crawled inside the room, where at once he saw flames shooting from the waist basket next to the table his friend was slumped over. Getting to his feet, Rick shot the fire with the extinguisher, then once the fire was contained, grabbed the office chair Southfield was in and propelled it out into the hall, as Laurie checked to make sure there was no other hot spots. Once they had removed the bridge president from the room, he started to come to, choking and coughing. Just then several firemen and paramedics
arrived, and after Rick explained what he and Laurie had found, took over the treatment of Southfield and cleanup of the fire.
A.J. brought his brother and sister-in-law some water, which they both downed thankfully. Surveying his now-conscious friend, Rick realized what a close call it had been. As the older Simon went toward him, Southfield looked at Rick and beckoned him closer. "Artie, what happened in there?" Rick asked.
"Someone came from behind and hit me, Rick, the next thing I know there's smoke and a woman's voice calling my name, was that Laurie?" "Yeah, she found the back door and started yelling your name. Do you have any idea who did this?" he replied tightly, furious at the attempt on his friend's life.
"No, buddy, but I do know one thing, we must be getting close to the murderer, he's getting sloppy." Art answered, as the paramedics sat him up. "Why's that," Rick said, helping adjust the gurney.
"He left me alive, that's his biggest mistake. We're going to finish this tournament, and we'll catch this psycho before he tries again." he fumed.
As the paramedic van left, Rick went back into the hotel and found Stephenson reorganizing the second Open Pairs session. "Mr. Simon, we'll be starting the Games in 40 minutes, please let the players know so they may go to lunch." he requested, clearly relishing his authority. It suddenly occurred to Rick that Stevenson had told him that Art had gone to a meeting, when his friend was already unconscious in his office. Turning to the bridge assistant, he asked him, "Excuse me, Mr. Stephenson, but didn't you tell me Mr. Southfield had a appointment out of the hotel this afternoon?"
Flustered, Stephenson sputtered, "well, that's what Southfield told me, how was I to know he didn't go? Excuse me, I have to speak to the hotel concierge." as Rick watched him beat a hasty retreat toward the lobby, he saw A.J. approaching and beckoned him to the empty registration area.
Pretending to show him the revised game schedule, the older Simon told his brother about Art's assistant and his suspicious behavior. "I think he might be our man, we need to find Captain Ron and see if he has any results back from the lab." Suddenly he realized Laurie wasn't in sight, "A.J., where's Laurie? I thought she was with you." The younger Simon grinned, "She's with Captain Ron in the coffee shop, we figured you were busy with Art so we ordered lunch. Come on, I got you a sandwich."
Entering the crowded restaurant, Rick caught sight of his wife, sans wig. She looked up and meeting his eyes, smiled in relief. His heart did its usual flip-flop; God, he loved her, after 11 years he realized she was his life. As he hurried toward her he decided that no matter what she said, he was taking her home after the afternoon session, it was just too dangerous now.
As he got to their table, Laurie slid over to make room for him and A.J., and he leaned over and kissed her. "I missed you too, Rick, is Art alright?" As the waitress put their lunch on the table, he replied, "Yes, no thanks to our murderer. Captain, do you have the results back from A.J.'s room yet?
The policeman nodded, "I have them back, but you're not going to like this. A couple of the prints belong to a criminal named Stephen James, wanted back east for assault and robbery. He has a history of victimizing bridge players, robbing and beating them up for prize money. The other prints were too smudged to read. The problem is, this James is a disguise artist, he could be any of the men in this tournament. I talked to Mr. Southfield, he's really unclear as to how long he was out. Rick, Laurie tells me you spoke to his assistant before lunch, he was supposed to be at a meeting?"
"Yeah, only he was in his office the whole time. I think we ought to look at Stephenson as our main suspect, now if only we could get a sample of his prints." Rick tackled the rest of his sandwich as A.J. brought the rest of them up to speed on the behavior of some of their competitors. Laurie started to laugh as A.J. told the others of how George Petrie had dropped his cards all over the floor upon losing all 3 boards to "Margaret and Andy". "Rick, he was acting all puritanical towards Laurie, then when she bid game he just about turned purple, I've never enjoyed beating someone at a card game more!"
Turning toward his wife, Rick cleared his throat then started to say, "Laurie, I think you and." "Hold it Rick," Captain Ron interrupted him. "If you were going to say that A.J. and your wife should drop out, I have to agree with you, but only after this afternoons Open Pairs event. I have an idea of how to get a sample of Stephenson's prints. Laurie's going to ask him to help her pin her badge, then I'll pick it up from her and take it to the lab." "I'll be right next to her all afternoon, she'll be safe out in the open." A.J. pointed out.
"All right, but as soon as the last boards are picked up, I want you two upstairs, ok?" he growled, hating to be out-voted where his brother and wife's safety was concerned. Laurie put a hand on his arm, "Don't worry, I think I'll have gotten bridge out of my system after this. I really like the social bridge games better anyway. A.J. and I have to get ready, can you finish my sandwich, darling?"
Rick gave a reluctant smile as he got up to let her out of the booth. As she stood up, she gave him a hug, whispering, "I love you for worrying, Rick, but don't, please." He held her tightly, then released her, telling her "Behave yourself, remember, nowhere without A.J.!" His brother followed her, saying to Rick as he went past, "See you at the tables!"
Sitting back down, he caught Captain Ron staring after the two Simons, and felt a pang of compassion for the divorced policeman. "You miss your kids, don't you?" he ventured, feeling funny about asking a personal question of the straight- laced Captain.
Captain Ron nodded, "Yes, Rick, and you don't know how much I envy you two. I know the hard times you've had, but it's so much easier to take when you have someone to come home to. At least I get to see my three girls every weekend, but it's still not the same."
Abruptly he got up as the clock next to them struck one. "I'll meet you back at the registration desk at 5, I should have some news about our suspect then." He shook hands with Rick then made his way over to the entrance to the Tournament Hall. Rick signed the check, then exiting after the policeman, watched as "Cousin Margaret" came into the lobby. Walking up to James Stephenson and his ubiquitous clipboard, he watched her point to her badge, then her lapel. He saw the heavy-set man's face light up, and had to restrain himself from intervening as she had him pin her badge on.
Suddenly he saw his wife's expression of distaste, then she dodged Stephenson's hands and practically ran into the hall.
Forcing himself to take the side entrance, Rick missed the look of rage on the assistant's face as he stared after the blond. Captain Ron didn't, as he slipped into the session and casually walked past "Margaret and Andy". Laurie took the opportunity to drop her badge, then carefully removing the plastic cover, left it on the carpet. The policeman made a show of picking up the cardboard insert, and handing it to Laurie, who pinned it back on her jacket.
Leaving the room, he passed Rick, then in a low voice told him, "Watch Laurie carefully, she must have given Stephenson the brush off, cause if looks could kill, well, just watch her." He nodded, then made an excuse and delivered the bid box to the tables in their section himself. Stopping to place the box in front of his brother, he told him, "Watch out for Stephenson, he didn't take kindly to Margaret's turn down." His wife glanced up at him, a look of embarrassment on her face. "Rick, he tried to feel me up, I told him I asked for a hand in attaching my badge, not a hand up my blouse." she whispered, then smiled brightly as the partners for the opening hand arrived. Rick resisted the urge to squeeze her shoulder, instead brushing her neck with his hand as he walked past.
Looking back as he went to fetch completed scorecards, he saw her wink at him, and then look back down at her hand.
As the afternoon wore on, Rick heard back from the hospital that Art had been released, so he made an excuse and met him at the hotel entrance. Astonishingly, the bridge chairman appeared to have suffered no ill effects and when Rick expressed his surprise at his fast recovery, dismissed it out of hand as "nothing special."
Once Art had been filled in by Rick on the afternoons events, he was eager to take back control of the Tournament. The older Simon went back to the session hall, realizing it was almost time to collect the final boards. Looking at the computerized tallies being run, he saw that "Scott/Scott" were in first place for North/South. Those competitors who had completed their games were now collecting around the last two tables to finish, one with George Petrie and the foursome with Laurie and A.J.
As the last board was opened, Rick saw that "Margaret" had a big smile on her face, then quickly bid "One Heart". As the bidding went around the table, A.J. raised it to "Two Heart", then Laurie took it to game at "Six Heart". A murmur went through the crowd, which grew as Laurie went from her hand to the dummy in front of A.J., then completed the grand slam to a surprisingly enthusiastic reception.
A groan, then cursing erupted from the table Petrie was at, as he and his partner went down three. Quickly regaining his composure, the nerdy-looking player came over to "Margaret" as she was thanking her fellow players. Holding out his hand, Rick saw him congratulate her, then let her walk in front of him as A.J. was held up by a couple of their fellow players. Turning to finish collecting scorecards, he suddenly got a flash of something, panic from Laurie. Looking up, he didn't see her, so quickly he interrupted "Andy" and excusing him, told him, "Something's wrong, where's Laurie?" A.J. looked around, then spotting a pair of shadows in one of the empty vendor booths, said, "She's in there, with Petrie. I'll get her."
As Rick went to meet them on the other side of the hall, he glanced over and saw A.J. leading his wife away from the white-faced little man, her "Southern" accent carrying. "Andy, ah did not encourage him, and I refuse to play with him ever again, he is no gentleman!"
Suppressing a smile, Rick left the room, taking the scorecards to a sour- faced Stephenson, now back at his small information table. Walking toward the elevators, he heard A.J. call his name, then turned and found Laurie and his brother in the courtesy suite. A.J. was comforting his wife when he arrived, and at the look of pain on her face, Rick dropped to his knee next to her. "Darlin', what happened, did Petrie hurt you?" A.J. looked at him, "Rick, that little bastard did something to her hand. Honey, it's all right, I'll get you some ice, but tell us how he got you in there."
She raised her eyes to their concerned faces, "That nasty little man was complimenting me on our game, then he asked if he might apologize for some of the things that were said before. I didn't want to talk to him, so I told him it was all in the past, that's when he took my arm and veered us into that booth. It startled me, then when I tried to excuse myself, he grabbed my wrist and threatened me. I told him to let go, then he bent my hand back, saying if I didn't quit voluntarily, he'd give me no choice. If A.J. hadn't walked in," she stopped, gasping as Rick gently touched her rapidly swelling hand. He took Laurie in his arms, then held her until she stopped shaking.
"Sweetheart, we're going upstairs to pack, then the three of us are going to the emergency room to have your hand looked at." he told her, Laurie leaned against him, saying "You're right, it hurts too bad to play with. When we get to our room, you'd better call Captain Ron."
Helping her up, the two brothers walked Laurie to their suite, then A.J. got her an ice pack and had her lay down for a few minutes while they threw their clothes in their suitcases. When Rick called Captain Ron at headquarters, the policeman was angered at Petrie's actions, then told both brothers that all the prints and DNA matched the prints and DNA of James Stephenson aka Stephen James. "I already laid the ground work to catch him in the act, Rick. I called the bridge office, and asked them to keep the members lounge off limits as some crucial evidence is in there. I want you two to hide in there, and when Stephenson comes in, as I'm sure he will, hold him until I get there. Keep Laurie in her suite, I don't want him to try to get her, too!"
Rick agreed, then thought of something. "Captain, I'd rather Laurie be out of the hotel, why don't you meet her outside and she can give you the high sign if the trap works!"
"Good idea, Rick, that way she's out of his grasp. Now, have her stay in the Lobby until you see Masterson, then send her outside, I'll look for her in half an hour." the policeman replied.
Ending the call, Rick relayed the information to A.J. and his wife. At first Laurie balked, "I don't want you two to take that kind of chance. Wait until Captain Ron gets here." 'Honey, we'll be fine, Rick and I just want you safe, please." A.J. insisted.
Laurie gazed at both brothers, then smiled at them. "All right, A.J., you and Rick win. I'll wait out in the lobby, then go outside when you see Stephenson." Getting up, she flexed her fingers then sighed in relief. "Now it feels better!" Taking her purse, she kissed both men, then promised to stay with Captain Ron when he got there.
Waiting a minute after she left, Rick and A.J. went to the elevators, then watched the entrance to the Members Lounge. Abruptly, they saw a tall figure enter via the service hallway, so they came around the back entrance, and going in, hid themselves behind a couple of chairs.
The brothers were scarcely in place when footsteps sounded in the hallway, then the scratch of a key against the lock alerted them to an intruder. As the light from the hall entered the room, Rick stifled a gasp, at the unmistakable figure of George Petrie came into view. As he came in, he went at once to the area around the scorched desk that Art Southfield had been found at. Deciding to move before he disturbed any evidence, Rick crept to the light switch, then flipped it on, causing Petrie to freeze as he reached inside the desk drawers. A.J. trained his weapon on him, as Rick went to him and frisked him, finding a loaded revolver in his pocket.
He returned to stand next to A.J., as he told him, "Game's over, Petrie. Your partner is telling all to the good Captain from Phoenix P.D.". Rick stared at the thin man; still not believing the nerdish card player was the would-be murderer.
"No, game's still on, Mr. Simon.", Petrie returned. "If you look behind the curtain, I still have a trump up my sleeve."
Watching Laurie playing the next morning, Rick marveled at her coolness under the open hostility of some of the competitors. She had been uncharacteristically nervous about the amount of make-up she wore to cover the bruise on her face, and changed tops three times to make sure she would fit in better.
In her "Margaret" disguise, she entered the hall on "Andy's" arm, then greeted her fellow players as if it was the most friendly place in the world. Sitting down at their assigned table, A.J. nervously adjusted his prop glasses as the assistants went up and down the tables putting out the bid boxes. Rick monitored the tables, making sure the rules were being followed, fetching extra score cards when needed, so he was able to keep an eye on George Petrie, the gossipmonger.
As it was an Open Pairs event, the two of them would be scored as one, so A.J. watched Laurie's leads carefully until he got the rhythm of her play down. Taking 3 slams in the first session alone, "Margaret" and "Andy" started to receive some grudging compliments from some of their tablemates. Now Laurie started to remember some of the techniques she had learned from Cecilia, and moved her and A.J. into the top ten at the lunch break. Signing out from his duties, Rick went to meet with Artie Southfield, only to be waylaid by James Stephenson, the Bridge Center's assistant.
"Mr. Simon, I'm afraid Mr. Southfield was called away for an hour, he asked if I would make his regrets and take a rain check on lunch." he puffed, wiping his hands and hurriedly pocketing a silver item. Puzzled, Rick replied, "Did he say where he was going?" "No, Mr. Simon, but he should be back soon, did you want to leave a message?" Rick shook his head, spying Laurie and A.J. in the background. He thanked Stephenson, then following his instincts, headed to the courtesy suite his friend was using as his office. Signally his brother and wife to follow him, he went down the hall to the suite, only to see smoke coming out from under the door. "A.J., there's a fire in Art's office, call security!" he yelled, rushing to the entrance, then touching the doorknob, found that it was still cool to the touch but locked. Just then Laurie joined him, then seeing an auxiliary door, checked it and found it was unlocked and also not registering heat. Getting down on the floor, she slowly opened the door then called out, "Art, are you in there?" a muffled coughing answered her, and she yelled over at Rick, "He's in there, grab an extinguisher, hurry!"
At once Rick took one off the wall, then taking the lead, crawled inside the room, where at once he saw flames shooting from the waist basket next to the table his friend was slumped over. Getting to his feet, Rick shot the fire with the extinguisher, then once the fire was contained, grabbed the office chair Southfield was in and propelled it out into the hall, as Laurie checked to make sure there was no other hot spots. Once they had removed the bridge president from the room, he started to come to, choking and coughing. Just then several firemen and paramedics
arrived, and after Rick explained what he and Laurie had found, took over the treatment of Southfield and cleanup of the fire.
A.J. brought his brother and sister-in-law some water, which they both downed thankfully. Surveying his now-conscious friend, Rick realized what a close call it had been. As the older Simon went toward him, Southfield looked at Rick and beckoned him closer. "Artie, what happened in there?" Rick asked.
"Someone came from behind and hit me, Rick, the next thing I know there's smoke and a woman's voice calling my name, was that Laurie?" "Yeah, she found the back door and started yelling your name. Do you have any idea who did this?" he replied tightly, furious at the attempt on his friend's life.
"No, buddy, but I do know one thing, we must be getting close to the murderer, he's getting sloppy." Art answered, as the paramedics sat him up. "Why's that," Rick said, helping adjust the gurney.
"He left me alive, that's his biggest mistake. We're going to finish this tournament, and we'll catch this psycho before he tries again." he fumed.
As the paramedic van left, Rick went back into the hotel and found Stephenson reorganizing the second Open Pairs session. "Mr. Simon, we'll be starting the Games in 40 minutes, please let the players know so they may go to lunch." he requested, clearly relishing his authority. It suddenly occurred to Rick that Stevenson had told him that Art had gone to a meeting, when his friend was already unconscious in his office. Turning to the bridge assistant, he asked him, "Excuse me, Mr. Stephenson, but didn't you tell me Mr. Southfield had a appointment out of the hotel this afternoon?"
Flustered, Stephenson sputtered, "well, that's what Southfield told me, how was I to know he didn't go? Excuse me, I have to speak to the hotel concierge." as Rick watched him beat a hasty retreat toward the lobby, he saw A.J. approaching and beckoned him to the empty registration area.
Pretending to show him the revised game schedule, the older Simon told his brother about Art's assistant and his suspicious behavior. "I think he might be our man, we need to find Captain Ron and see if he has any results back from the lab." Suddenly he realized Laurie wasn't in sight, "A.J., where's Laurie? I thought she was with you." The younger Simon grinned, "She's with Captain Ron in the coffee shop, we figured you were busy with Art so we ordered lunch. Come on, I got you a sandwich."
Entering the crowded restaurant, Rick caught sight of his wife, sans wig. She looked up and meeting his eyes, smiled in relief. His heart did its usual flip-flop; God, he loved her, after 11 years he realized she was his life. As he hurried toward her he decided that no matter what she said, he was taking her home after the afternoon session, it was just too dangerous now.
As he got to their table, Laurie slid over to make room for him and A.J., and he leaned over and kissed her. "I missed you too, Rick, is Art alright?" As the waitress put their lunch on the table, he replied, "Yes, no thanks to our murderer. Captain, do you have the results back from A.J.'s room yet?
The policeman nodded, "I have them back, but you're not going to like this. A couple of the prints belong to a criminal named Stephen James, wanted back east for assault and robbery. He has a history of victimizing bridge players, robbing and beating them up for prize money. The other prints were too smudged to read. The problem is, this James is a disguise artist, he could be any of the men in this tournament. I talked to Mr. Southfield, he's really unclear as to how long he was out. Rick, Laurie tells me you spoke to his assistant before lunch, he was supposed to be at a meeting?"
"Yeah, only he was in his office the whole time. I think we ought to look at Stephenson as our main suspect, now if only we could get a sample of his prints." Rick tackled the rest of his sandwich as A.J. brought the rest of them up to speed on the behavior of some of their competitors. Laurie started to laugh as A.J. told the others of how George Petrie had dropped his cards all over the floor upon losing all 3 boards to "Margaret and Andy". "Rick, he was acting all puritanical towards Laurie, then when she bid game he just about turned purple, I've never enjoyed beating someone at a card game more!"
Turning toward his wife, Rick cleared his throat then started to say, "Laurie, I think you and." "Hold it Rick," Captain Ron interrupted him. "If you were going to say that A.J. and your wife should drop out, I have to agree with you, but only after this afternoons Open Pairs event. I have an idea of how to get a sample of Stephenson's prints. Laurie's going to ask him to help her pin her badge, then I'll pick it up from her and take it to the lab." "I'll be right next to her all afternoon, she'll be safe out in the open." A.J. pointed out.
"All right, but as soon as the last boards are picked up, I want you two upstairs, ok?" he growled, hating to be out-voted where his brother and wife's safety was concerned. Laurie put a hand on his arm, "Don't worry, I think I'll have gotten bridge out of my system after this. I really like the social bridge games better anyway. A.J. and I have to get ready, can you finish my sandwich, darling?"
Rick gave a reluctant smile as he got up to let her out of the booth. As she stood up, she gave him a hug, whispering, "I love you for worrying, Rick, but don't, please." He held her tightly, then released her, telling her "Behave yourself, remember, nowhere without A.J.!" His brother followed her, saying to Rick as he went past, "See you at the tables!"
Sitting back down, he caught Captain Ron staring after the two Simons, and felt a pang of compassion for the divorced policeman. "You miss your kids, don't you?" he ventured, feeling funny about asking a personal question of the straight- laced Captain.
Captain Ron nodded, "Yes, Rick, and you don't know how much I envy you two. I know the hard times you've had, but it's so much easier to take when you have someone to come home to. At least I get to see my three girls every weekend, but it's still not the same."
Abruptly he got up as the clock next to them struck one. "I'll meet you back at the registration desk at 5, I should have some news about our suspect then." He shook hands with Rick then made his way over to the entrance to the Tournament Hall. Rick signed the check, then exiting after the policeman, watched as "Cousin Margaret" came into the lobby. Walking up to James Stephenson and his ubiquitous clipboard, he watched her point to her badge, then her lapel. He saw the heavy-set man's face light up, and had to restrain himself from intervening as she had him pin her badge on.
Suddenly he saw his wife's expression of distaste, then she dodged Stephenson's hands and practically ran into the hall.
Forcing himself to take the side entrance, Rick missed the look of rage on the assistant's face as he stared after the blond. Captain Ron didn't, as he slipped into the session and casually walked past "Margaret and Andy". Laurie took the opportunity to drop her badge, then carefully removing the plastic cover, left it on the carpet. The policeman made a show of picking up the cardboard insert, and handing it to Laurie, who pinned it back on her jacket.
Leaving the room, he passed Rick, then in a low voice told him, "Watch Laurie carefully, she must have given Stephenson the brush off, cause if looks could kill, well, just watch her." He nodded, then made an excuse and delivered the bid box to the tables in their section himself. Stopping to place the box in front of his brother, he told him, "Watch out for Stephenson, he didn't take kindly to Margaret's turn down." His wife glanced up at him, a look of embarrassment on her face. "Rick, he tried to feel me up, I told him I asked for a hand in attaching my badge, not a hand up my blouse." she whispered, then smiled brightly as the partners for the opening hand arrived. Rick resisted the urge to squeeze her shoulder, instead brushing her neck with his hand as he walked past.
Looking back as he went to fetch completed scorecards, he saw her wink at him, and then look back down at her hand.
As the afternoon wore on, Rick heard back from the hospital that Art had been released, so he made an excuse and met him at the hotel entrance. Astonishingly, the bridge chairman appeared to have suffered no ill effects and when Rick expressed his surprise at his fast recovery, dismissed it out of hand as "nothing special."
Once Art had been filled in by Rick on the afternoons events, he was eager to take back control of the Tournament. The older Simon went back to the session hall, realizing it was almost time to collect the final boards. Looking at the computerized tallies being run, he saw that "Scott/Scott" were in first place for North/South. Those competitors who had completed their games were now collecting around the last two tables to finish, one with George Petrie and the foursome with Laurie and A.J.
As the last board was opened, Rick saw that "Margaret" had a big smile on her face, then quickly bid "One Heart". As the bidding went around the table, A.J. raised it to "Two Heart", then Laurie took it to game at "Six Heart". A murmur went through the crowd, which grew as Laurie went from her hand to the dummy in front of A.J., then completed the grand slam to a surprisingly enthusiastic reception.
A groan, then cursing erupted from the table Petrie was at, as he and his partner went down three. Quickly regaining his composure, the nerdy-looking player came over to "Margaret" as she was thanking her fellow players. Holding out his hand, Rick saw him congratulate her, then let her walk in front of him as A.J. was held up by a couple of their fellow players. Turning to finish collecting scorecards, he suddenly got a flash of something, panic from Laurie. Looking up, he didn't see her, so quickly he interrupted "Andy" and excusing him, told him, "Something's wrong, where's Laurie?" A.J. looked around, then spotting a pair of shadows in one of the empty vendor booths, said, "She's in there, with Petrie. I'll get her."
As Rick went to meet them on the other side of the hall, he glanced over and saw A.J. leading his wife away from the white-faced little man, her "Southern" accent carrying. "Andy, ah did not encourage him, and I refuse to play with him ever again, he is no gentleman!"
Suppressing a smile, Rick left the room, taking the scorecards to a sour- faced Stephenson, now back at his small information table. Walking toward the elevators, he heard A.J. call his name, then turned and found Laurie and his brother in the courtesy suite. A.J. was comforting his wife when he arrived, and at the look of pain on her face, Rick dropped to his knee next to her. "Darlin', what happened, did Petrie hurt you?" A.J. looked at him, "Rick, that little bastard did something to her hand. Honey, it's all right, I'll get you some ice, but tell us how he got you in there."
She raised her eyes to their concerned faces, "That nasty little man was complimenting me on our game, then he asked if he might apologize for some of the things that were said before. I didn't want to talk to him, so I told him it was all in the past, that's when he took my arm and veered us into that booth. It startled me, then when I tried to excuse myself, he grabbed my wrist and threatened me. I told him to let go, then he bent my hand back, saying if I didn't quit voluntarily, he'd give me no choice. If A.J. hadn't walked in," she stopped, gasping as Rick gently touched her rapidly swelling hand. He took Laurie in his arms, then held her until she stopped shaking.
"Sweetheart, we're going upstairs to pack, then the three of us are going to the emergency room to have your hand looked at." he told her, Laurie leaned against him, saying "You're right, it hurts too bad to play with. When we get to our room, you'd better call Captain Ron."
Helping her up, the two brothers walked Laurie to their suite, then A.J. got her an ice pack and had her lay down for a few minutes while they threw their clothes in their suitcases. When Rick called Captain Ron at headquarters, the policeman was angered at Petrie's actions, then told both brothers that all the prints and DNA matched the prints and DNA of James Stephenson aka Stephen James. "I already laid the ground work to catch him in the act, Rick. I called the bridge office, and asked them to keep the members lounge off limits as some crucial evidence is in there. I want you two to hide in there, and when Stephenson comes in, as I'm sure he will, hold him until I get there. Keep Laurie in her suite, I don't want him to try to get her, too!"
Rick agreed, then thought of something. "Captain, I'd rather Laurie be out of the hotel, why don't you meet her outside and she can give you the high sign if the trap works!"
"Good idea, Rick, that way she's out of his grasp. Now, have her stay in the Lobby until you see Masterson, then send her outside, I'll look for her in half an hour." the policeman replied.
Ending the call, Rick relayed the information to A.J. and his wife. At first Laurie balked, "I don't want you two to take that kind of chance. Wait until Captain Ron gets here." 'Honey, we'll be fine, Rick and I just want you safe, please." A.J. insisted.
Laurie gazed at both brothers, then smiled at them. "All right, A.J., you and Rick win. I'll wait out in the lobby, then go outside when you see Stephenson." Getting up, she flexed her fingers then sighed in relief. "Now it feels better!" Taking her purse, she kissed both men, then promised to stay with Captain Ron when he got there.
Waiting a minute after she left, Rick and A.J. went to the elevators, then watched the entrance to the Members Lounge. Abruptly, they saw a tall figure enter via the service hallway, so they came around the back entrance, and going in, hid themselves behind a couple of chairs.
The brothers were scarcely in place when footsteps sounded in the hallway, then the scratch of a key against the lock alerted them to an intruder. As the light from the hall entered the room, Rick stifled a gasp, at the unmistakable figure of George Petrie came into view. As he came in, he went at once to the area around the scorched desk that Art Southfield had been found at. Deciding to move before he disturbed any evidence, Rick crept to the light switch, then flipped it on, causing Petrie to freeze as he reached inside the desk drawers. A.J. trained his weapon on him, as Rick went to him and frisked him, finding a loaded revolver in his pocket.
He returned to stand next to A.J., as he told him, "Game's over, Petrie. Your partner is telling all to the good Captain from Phoenix P.D.". Rick stared at the thin man; still not believing the nerdish card player was the would-be murderer.
"No, game's still on, Mr. Simon.", Petrie returned. "If you look behind the curtain, I still have a trump up my sleeve."
