Jingle of Coins Read Online Free PDF Page B

the hallway.
    One of the guards nodded. “No problem, boss.”
    He turned to the other guard. “Stay here. Make sure she doesn’t leave.” Turning on his heel, he walked to the technical lab and placed the hearing aids in the center of a small worktable equipped with a microscope and bright light. A few moments later Kurt Strauber, the chief technician, joined him at the table.
    “What’s up?”
    Hoyland pointed to the hearing aids. “Check them out.”
    “It’ll take a few minutes.”
    “I’ll wait.” Hoyland selected a chair near the door and watched as Kurt meticulously tested each hearing aid, then sliced it lengthwise. An acrid smell wafted toward him when Kurt used drops of acid to create holes in the center of each piece.
    “Well?” he asked impatiently when Kurt removed his goggles and swept the remains into a small dish. “What did you find?”
    Kurt shook his head. “Nothing. Whoever made this did a hell of a job. I’ve never seen so many layers of plastic melded together. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but they’re clean.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Yeah.”
    Hoyland frowned. “Damn. I was sure you’d find something. Thanks.”
    Kurt tipped his fingers to his forehead. “No problem. Anything else?”
    “No, you can go back to the floor.” Hoyland scooped up the pieces, followed Kurt out of the lab, and slowly walked to the security platform. “Craigone, take a look at this,” he requested, extending his hand.
    Glen reached for one of the larger pieces. “What did you find?”
    “Nothing. They’re clean.”
    Glen turned the piece over and then held it up toward the overhead light. “You’re sure your guy didn’t miss anything?”
    “He even checked them under the microscope.”
    “Then it has to be something else,” Glen announced, returning the piece. “Tell you what. Give me all the information you’ve got on her, and I’ll check our database when I get back to Vegas. I don’t recognize the face, but you never know. Maybe I’ll get a hit.”
    Hoyland motioned to one of the technicians. “Bring me everything we have on a woman named Emily Sane. If we’re lucky, she’s got a slot machine bonus point card on file.” He sighed, then rolled the pieces of plastic in his fist. “Damn it, I know she’s cheating. I hate to let her walk.”
    “Well, at least you have her on tape,” Glen said. “Once you figure out how she does it, you can always prosecute later.”
    “If I can figure it out. I’ll join you after I’ve taken care of Ms. Sane,” the security chief announced as he strode from the room.
    As Glen waited for the security guard to escort him back to the conference room, he thought about the woman’s actions. She was good; he’d have to give her that. He made a mental note to ask for a copy of the security tape to take back to Vegas. It might be interesting to see what further investigation would reveal.
     
     
    Emily sat quietly, staring at the cream-colored walls and wondered if the security chief watched from a remote location, waiting for her to become so nervous she’d confess. If so, he had a long wait coming. Everything she’d told him was the truth, whether he chose to believe it or not.
    She breathed a sigh of relief when Hoyland returned and chose a seat across the table. At least he hadn’t brought the cops. Pinned to her chair by the man’s powerful stare, she felt as if she were being dissected, inch by miserable inch. She tore her gaze from his and glanced at the pile of shredded plastic he placed on the table. “What the hell did you do to my hearing aids?”
    “Be glad we didn’t find a transmitter built into them,” Hoyland replied. “We’ll pay to have them replaced.” He walked over to her chair and curled his fingers around the armrests. “However, that doesn’t mean I believe your story,” he whispered in a cold, icy voice. “I’ve been in this business too long to be gullible. I don’t know how you do it, Ms. Sane, but