Chapter Eleven: All Cards on the Table
Ink
I thought about it and thought about it. I was procrastinating at the end of the day. I’d avoided Jaz like the plague. I refused to chase her anymore, not in the upfront way. I would chase her behind the scenes. It meant looking through the day that I saw Jaz cheat and scouring over the tapes from the whole day and night. I wanted to show her directly and let her know she was headed down the road to jail.
I wanted it to go further between us, but first I had to clear things up with her and get her to stop cheating. I didn’t even see Marty when he snuck up to my shoulder while I looked over the footage.
“Whatcha looking at?” he asked cheerfully as he hobbled past.
I jumped. “Nothing, just checking into things and getting used to the cameras,” I lied. It seemed to get harder and harder to keep my search hidden from the guys at the casino. I wanted to tell them, but I also wanted to make sure I protected Jaz to some degree.
“Best way to learn. Good for you. You’re doing a good job on the floor.” Marty kept moving past.
I felt thankful for this. “Thanks, Marty. I appreciate it,” I called out, simultaneously making sure none of the others were directly near me.
I kept watching the tape. There it was. A post bet. Dated three and half weeks ago. Jaz caught red-handed. I rewound the tape but didn’t alert the others just yet. I wanted to speak to the Biloxi casino first. I still had time. I froze the screen and wrote down the exact timestamp of the video when Jaz became the main character in the show.
I made a call on my phone as the other security guards talked shit and kept their eye on the other monitors. I stepped out of the room and made the call. I’d been given a line number once I explained it was in regards to a fraudulent case. The general manager of the hotel had left me a voice message.
“Thank you for calling Biloxi Grand Hotel, this is Marshall Garrett, please call my direct line on 228-253-678. I’m eagerly looking forward to your call.”
I rang the number with my heart thumping in my chest.
“Hello, this is Marshall Garrett, how can I help you?” he answered.
I paced the break room, so I wouldn’t be in one spot and so none of the other guys could overhear my conversation. “My name is DC. I'm security personnel at Red Stone Casino. I was calling as I think we may have a similar person doing the rounds of our casino.”
“Really? Do you have a name for the person of interest?” Marshall said gruffly at the other end of the line.
I was wary of saying too much, knowing the casino was owned by a motorcycle club. “Yes, her name is Jasmine Roberts.”
“Hmm, let me pull up our database, let’s see what we can work out. Sometimes, it’s better to give me a physical description or send through a photo. A lot of these fraudsters change their names and wear wigs, that’s how they can continue to move around so frequently.”
I heard him clicking away on his keyboard. “I understand. It’s not a 100 percent necessary—”
“Oh, but it is,” he interjected. “The more we share our black lists the better chance we have of nailing these guys and having our casinos maintain their profits without getting robbed,” Marshall clarified. “Okay…” He continued. “I am not seeing Jasmine Roberts on my black list. I would remember. I make a habit of reciting these names by heart. Go ahead with some physical descriptors and I will see if I can match any and send through to you for confirmation.”
I was one step closer to shutting down Jaz’s gambling habit for good. If she would stay put long enough then we might have a chance. It might hurt her at first to be caught, but in the end, it would be the best thing for her. “She has a dark bob just above her shoulders, she’s about 5’6”, she dresses dramatically, she’s petite and has sharp blue eyes.”
Marshall chuckled on the other end of the line. “She sounds like a unicorn, but we did have a woman fitting a similar description. She had blonde hair… so it’s a long shot, but the height you described stands out to me. If it is this person, you have a real shark on your hands. We lost over 100K over the course of a few months to this person. She was in and out of here so fast, we didn’t have time to track her. Her name was listed as Shae Roberts and she is now banned from Biloxi Casino.” He sounded angry. Very angry.
I felt like kicking myself. I wanted to get him off the scent. Dammit. “Okay, my number is—”
“That’s perfectly fine. I can see it right here on my caller ID. Let me know when you get this. Sending right now.”
I heard the noise of the phone beeping as I waited for the photo to come through. Two text messages came through. Two MMS messages. A small blonde, same blue eyes as Jaz. Same mouth. I would remember that delicate sweet thing anywhere. The cheekbones. Yup. That was her.
That’s her. That is her.
A hard breath escaped my lips. If I told the general manager it was Jaz, she might not have an opportunity to come into a casino ever again. I had a plan for her, if she was willing to listen.
“I’m glad you were persistent in trying to get in contact with me. We partner up with casinos to stamp out cheaters, so if you identify her then we can attempt to get her banned across all 52 states,” he said.
“Hmm. That’s not her at all. I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” I said quickly, trying to get off the phone.
“Are you sure it’s not her? The lady you described seemed to match, according to your description.”
My cheeks flushed. I might have spoken too early and gotten Jaz into trouble. Now, I would have to shield her. “No. Those pictures, even the facial features don’t resemble her at all.” I stood firm in the lie.