Deadly Disco in Las Vegas: A Humorous Tiffany Black Mystery (Tiffany Black Mysteries Book 6) Read Online Free PDF Page B

an exception,” suggested Ian.
    “Not with Josh,” said David. “He’s been with too many women to be anything less than jaded. He told me once that he couldn’t have a long-term relationship because at the end of the day, women are psychotic. Clingy, and never leave you alone.” He looked at me apologetically. “Josh’s words, not mine. Anyway, that’s why he wouldn’t risk sleeping with anyone at work. He didn’t want them harassing him all the time, even during his office hours.”
    “But he got married once,” said Ian. “What was that about?”
    David shrugged. “I guess he fell in love. It happens.”
    “And he really thought it would work out?” I said.
    “I think he knew at the back of his mind that it wouldn’t. But he also really wanted to have a family. And when they broke up, Josh helped Mary out as much as he could. She was a good woman, too, didn’t want his money. She could’ve fleeced him if she’d wanted.”
    I thought back to Mary, talking about how grateful she was that Josh had helped her start her business and had been a good father. “I guess she wanted more than money.”
    David nodded, understanding what I meant. “There’s more to life than cash.”
    The three of us were reflective for a few moments, and then Ian said, “What about you? How close were you and Josh?”
    David crossed two of his fingers together and held them up. “Like this. I guess we made quite a pair in college, but afterwards… anyway, I ran into Josh in Vegas after a few years at my job. It was great to see him, and I’d been looking for an out. Josh and I—we had a good business together. We worked well as a team.” David sighed, his eyes looking more tired than usual. “I’ll miss that guy.”
    Ian and I exchanged a glance.
    “I hate to ask this,” I said, “but you understand that I have to. Where were you when Josh died?”
    David said, “I was home, sleeping in. I got a phone call from Amelia just before one o’clock. She was calling from the hospital. They’d brought Josh in. She’d panicked and cried for a while and then called Mary and me.”
    I nodded. He was at home, alone, which meant that if Josh had been murdered, David was a suspect. He had no alibi. And he’d inherited a third of Josh’s estate. While David claimed that Josh had been a good friend of his, murders have been committed for much less money. So I had to keep in mind that David might have played a part in Josh’s death.
    “What was Josh doing here at midday, anyway?” said Ian. “Don’t you guys start work later?”
    “It varies,” said David. “We’ve got flexible hours. Sometimes, Josh tried to work days. He said that the quiet helped him think, and it was easier to communicate with some of the suppliers who kept business hours.”
    “And was Amelia here?”
    David shook his head. “The way it played out was this. Josh must’ve come in early to work. At twelve thirty-five, Amelia got a text saying it was an emergency, she needed to come into the office. When she got here, she found Josh lying on the floor. No one else was in here.”
    I nodded. “How did Amelia get into the building?”
    “We use the staff entrance on the side,” said David. “There’s a keypad on the outside. During the night, it’s unlocked, and we have a bouncer warding off smart alecks. If there’s someone who wants the VIP treatment, we escort them in through the back. Sometimes we do that with large groups, too, to keep them from crowding the main entrance.”
    I nodded. “So Amelia must’ve come in through the side entrance.”
    David said, “Yeah, it’s easier for us staff to use, and we don’t have to cross the dance floor every time.”
    “And she used the keypad.”
    “She must’ve.”
    “Who else knows the code?”
    David said, “Just, me, Josh and Amelia. No one else.”
    “So if someone else was here with Josh when he died…”
    David said, “They don’t need to have known the keypad code to get in.