Lucky Stiff Read Online Free PDF Page A

starts reading.
    “It seems that Jack has a girlfriend, a woman named Catherine Albright, who conveniently appeared on the scene right around the time Jack won his money. I’m going to do a little research on her and see what I can dig up. There’s also a housekeeper, who comes several times a week, and a nurse, who comes once a day. Jack never married, had no children of his own, and had only one sibling, an older sister named Megan Denver. The sister had one child—a son named Brian, who’s now twenty—and the sister and her husband were both killed in a car accident a couple of years ago. That leaves the nephew, Brian, as Allen’s closest surviving family member.”
    Junior closes his notebook and Hurley looks over at me. “We’ll need to talk with all of these people, and there are more neighbors I want to canvass, too. I have names I can run, and I’ll set up some interviews for tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
    I glance over at Izzy, who nods his approval. “That should be fine,” I tell Hurley. “How about I meet you at the police station around eight?”
    “That’ll work,” Hurley says. “In the meantime, do you have any plans for tonight?”
    I’m puzzled by the question because it sounds suspiciously like a date request. But Hurley quickly adds, “I think we should visit the casino where Jack won his money and check out the employees who were on duty that night. Are you up for a little investigative gambling?”
    “Tonight? It’s Christmas. Are they even open?”
    “You bet they are,” Hurley says with a wink. He’s very “punny” today.
    “Okay, sure. I’ve never been to a casino before. It should be interesting.”
    “Never?” Hurley says, sounding skeptical. “You’ve never gambled?”
    “Oh, I’ve gambled plenty, just not at a casino.” I’m pretty familiar with most games of poker because one of my stepfathers—my mother’s third husband—used to have a bunch of friends over once a week to play. I’d often sit in and watch, studying the facial expressions and body language of the players as they considered their cards. I’d ask questions whenever I didn’t understand the rules, and sneak the occasional sip from my stepfather’s alcoholic drinks.
    “Well, you’re in for a treat, then. How about I pick you up at your place at six?”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    “See you then.” He turns to leave, but he hesitates and looks over at me. Then, with a sly grin, he walks over and whispers a parting shot in my ear: “Be sure you wear your lucky undies.”

Chapter 3
    I manage to escape from the office a little after five, which doesn’t leave me much time to get ready for my trip to the casino with Hurley. After letting my dog, Hoover, outside to do his business, I top off the food and water bowls for both him and my cat, Rubbish, and then watch as Hoover lives up to his name by sucking his bowl clean in about a minute flat. I take another quick shower to wash away any lingering dregs of the “eau de formaldehyde” cologne that seems to permeate my workplace. Then I use the rest of my time trying to come up with something to wear. I don’t have a whole lot to choose from. I didn’t bring many clothes with me when I fled my marriage, and I only went back once to get more stuff. I didn’t have far to go. Izzy has been my neighbor for the past seven years.
    Any clothes I had left at the old house were destroyed in the fire, and I haven’t spent much on new stuff because my funds have been a bit limited lately. When my marriage fell apart, I hid out in Izzy’s cottage for two months, wallowing in my humiliation and misery, and putting on a few pounds as I became a preferred customer at all the take-out joints in town. In doing so, I spent most of my severance pay, and all the credit cards and accounts I had access to before I left were in David’s name. Izzy giving me a job certainly helped; and while things are better now, thanks to my divorce settlement, I haven’t