“After a third woman went missing, the detectives had some tips that someone who either worked or hung out at this one casino was involved somehow. There was a certain type of woman that fit the profile, or so the investigators thought. They figured young, struggling to make ends meet, and trying to make some quick cash. The Nevada State Police has a program where they receive assistance from the federal government on cases involving crimes committed on or near casinos. With there being multiple murders, the feds stepped in. In the interim, Marlee went undercover.”

“Marlee?” Calder asked.

J.J. looked away a moment and took a deep breath. Conway had a bad feeling in his gut. He had been over some things online with Sandman, who filled him in on part of this case she was talking about. They were guessing this was part of J.J.’s situation but they weren’t certain. Conway was insisting on more information the more he and his team became personally interested in J.J.

“She worked in the same department that I did. She was really pretty, very gung ho about being a good cop. But she was new to the department and the force. The Commander thought she could ease her way into the casino and maybe get some inside information. But before she even got close, her identity was detected.”

“What happened to her?” Brook asked.

J.J. got off Conway’s lap and stood up. She nodded her head as she spoke, as if trying to act unaffected.

“She was raped, beaten, and murdered. We found her body way out in the middle of nowhere. It hardly even looked like her.”

“That’s awful, J.J. I’m so sorry,” Lincoln stated. Conway reached out and pulled on her T-shirt.

“You were there when her body was discovered?”

“I was involved with this case along with the detectives. The agents sent one of their own in next, and she wound up dead. But instead of witnesses seeing Denise leave with someone from the casino, witnesses saw her leave, smiling and hugging some guy that we never found. They got into a limo, so we thought he had money and was maybe a regular. There wasn’t too much to go by.”

“So they couldn’t get some guys in there as security or even maintenance workers?” Calder asked.

“No. It wasn’t until I was asked to go in undercover in a completely different position than the others, because of my background. It was a huge risk, but some informants from the casino had said that some sort of illegal prostitution business was going on.”

“What do you mean with your background? What was the position you had to fake?” Calder asked.

She took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders.

“I was a Vegas showgirl. I had a stage name, wore sexy gorgeous outfits, and sang and danced. I was a huge hit, actually. The public responded to me so well and so quickly that I was noticed immediately.”

“Wow, our own little sin city showgirl,” Brook teased.

“That’s impressive. You can’t fake that kind of talent. You must be really good at performing and singing?” Lincoln asked.

“I had a lot of practice as a kid and in high school. I loved it. I probably could have gone professional maybe, but law enforcement was my calling.”

“Why is that?” Conway asked.

“My dad was killed in the line of duty. My mom died during a conveni

ence store robbery when I was thirteen. I guess I wanted to help stop criminals like that before they hurt or killed someone. I don’t know.”

“That’s commendable, J.J.,” Conway told her.

“Well, I fit the role, and I did such a good job that I attracted the men responsible for the murders.”

J.J. began to explain about the owners of the club, the McCues, and then about how Tara approached her. She went on to describe the scene with Tara and the man in black who was acting out a role.

“Wait. Where were you when this was going on?” Conway asked.

* * * *

J.J. felt her body begin to shake and a chill run over her flesh. She clasped her hands together as she looked away from them. She walked over by the dresser and ran her hand across the carved wood. The furniture was absolutely stunning. She had never seen anything like it before.

“This furniture is gorgeous,” she said, turning toward them.

“Brook made it,” Lincoln told her and she was pleasantly surprised.

“Brook, you made this? You mean carved it by hand and everything?” she asked and he nodded his head. She was so impressed. What wonderful hands and a creative mind he must have to do such intricate work. She looked at him and held his gaze. He was so big and muscular up top. He had wide shoulders and those gorgeous brown eyes that more often looked sad than happy. She felt something inside her tingle like an awareness of some deeper emotion.

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