Inspector Rames

Chapter 7

"Lady, people get arrested near my casino every day. I don't know no Ryker James."

He ended the call.

I snatched my tabphone out of the air. "Well, fuck you, then!"

Alex strode in with two cups of coffee, two packets of sandwiches, and two chocolate bars. He deposited one of each on my desk. "No luck?"

I mellowed at the sight of the chocolate. "No. The owner of Victory Casino says he doesn't know anybody called Ryker James."

"So Ryker wasn't there on Monday."

"But we do know for sure that he was there last night. The owner's lying."

"He won't know all of his customers by name."

"I described him."

"Or face."

"He's a regular!" I attacked my chocolate bar. "He has a bloody gambling addiction!"

Alex shrugged and went to his desk, although he didn't sit down. "Whatever's going on, the fact is that Ryker still has no alibi. And Zoe was killed right outside his workshop."

"You should always look to the partner of a victim first."

"Or someone else they were previously involved with."

"Well, my bets are on Maxx," I huffed.

"I didn't know this was a betting shop," someone else said from the doorway.

I looked up. Sebastian Flynn was standing there, wearing an easy smile.

"This must be your new sergeant?" he continued.

"Oh, yes." I tried not to glare at Alex. Self-assured arrogance suited his face very well, and it was very irritating. "Sebastian Flynn, meet Alex Sullivan."

"Hello," my sergeant said.

"It's good to meet you." Sebastian leaned against the doorway. "Now, what's all this about bets?"

"We were discussing the Ackerman inquiry," I said. "I was actually hoping to pick your brains over it."

"Go ahead."

"One of our suspects was arrested by you outside Victory Casino in 2180. You charged him with ABH. Ryker James."

Sebastian frowned. "I remember some guy who was shot in the arm. The wound got infected, and he had to have it amputated."

"Ryker was certainly shot, and he has a cybernetic arm now."

"Then I know who you mean. You want me to tell you how the arrest went down?"

"Yes, please. And what you thought of him."

"It was the other man who started the fight -- and ended it when he pulled his gun. Ryker was acting in self-defence, but he took it too far. It just wound up being one big, messy brawl."

"What were they fighting about?"

"Ryker owed the guy some money but couldn't pay up. He'd gambled himself into serious debt. I think he declared bankruptcy not long after the incident." Sebastian shrugged. "I guess you want me to tell you if he's the kind of man who'd slit a woman's throat, but I don't know, sorry. I'm not a psychologist."

"He obviously has violent tendencies," Alex put in.

Sebastian grinned. "Ah, so you're betting on Ryker. I don't think I want to be around when one of you turns out to be wrong!" He opened the door again, then glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh, Amber -- Otto and I are going to The Silver Star after work. Do you two want to join us?"