the door made him straighten again. “Housekeeping,” called a voice.
He took off the glove and snapped it into a wastebasket. There was another knock, louder this time. He went to the door and flipped back the inside bolt, then opened it.
“Good morning,” Deke said pleasantly, flattening himself against the wall.
“If you say so.”
Leaving the cart at the door, the housekeeper entered, brushing past Deke. She was a lot bigger when she was that close, about the size of a linebacker. A thick hand yanked at the hairnet, dragging a wig off with it and revealing a crew cut. Both got tossed on the floor.
An armchair groaned as Huxton Smith settled his bulk into it, unbuttoning the striped uniform to reveal a bulletproof vest. He scratched his sandy, gray-speckled hair.
“Whew. Glad this stakeout’s over. I hate wearing a disguise. Especially that wig.”
Deke laughed. “But you look great with a center part.”
“Shut up. I never knew making beds was such hard work.”
“How were the tips?”
“This suite, not great. Your criminal element tends to be cheap.”
“They know they’re not coming back, Hux.”
His partner looked at the slashed suitcases. “Guess they got what they came for.”
“You didn’t hear them leave?”
“No. My supervisor had me cleaning room 17-B right around then. A bunch of frat boys hired strippers and sneaked in a keg.”
“Whoopee.”
“You got it. Quite a party. They served beer plus vodka plus a mixed assortment of uppers in a candy bowl.”
Deke grinned. “You took inventory.”
“While I mopped up the vomit, yeah.” Hux scratched his head with both hands. “What a bunch of gorillas. According to hotel security, they trashed the furniture and started a slugfest, during which the strippers helped themselves to the loose wallets and vamoosed. Cops got called, hauled everyone in the room out and down in the service elevator.”
“Where are they now?”
“The fratties are probably sleeping it off in the drunk tank downtown. The strippers went back to the Bump ‘N’ Grind, I guess. And here I am.”
“You have it easy,” Deke said dismissively, “handing out pillow mints while I dodge bullets.”
Huxton looked him over. “Heard you almost took one. I can see the mark from here.”
Deke glanced down at a streak in the shoulder of his leather jacket and shrugged. “A graze. Good as a miss.”
“Tough talk. Move faster next time, Bannon.”
“I had to get some people out of the way. A TV news reporter and a crew of two.”
“What the hell were they doing there?”
Deke sighed and leaned against the wall across from Hux. “Using the building for a backdrop. Unannounced and unexpected.”
“What? I didn’t get briefed on that.”
“I got them out before the law arrived.”
Huxton’s face creased into a frown. “How come I didn’t see anything on the news?”
“I talked to one of them afterward, asked her to keep it to herself and her crew. She didn’t seem eager to let her boss know that they’d been there.”
“And why was that?”
Deke shrugged. “She knew she’d stumbled onto a hot story and she doesn’t want it taken away from her. That was my understanding, anyway. First time I ever actually talked to a reporter.”
“Then watch your back,” Huxton said emphatically. “Total pain in the butt, those news people. Bigger snoops than we are, and sometimes they’re better at it.”
Deke nodded.
“But they don’t have skin in the game. Once they ramp up their ratings or print a screaming headline that sells papers, they’re done. We’re still fighting it out with the bad guys.” Huxton paused, narrowing his eyes at Deke. “So did you two actually make some kind of a deal?”
“I’m not sure.”
Hux sighed. “Here’s how it works, babycakes. You pretend to be her source in return for her silence.”
Deke shook his head. “I’ll try. I need to talk to her again.”
“Lead her on. Stall. Distract her with a
He took off the glove and snapped it into a wastebasket. There was another knock, louder this time. He went to the door and flipped back the inside bolt, then opened it.
“Good morning,” Deke said pleasantly, flattening himself against the wall.
“If you say so.”
Leaving the cart at the door, the housekeeper entered, brushing past Deke. She was a lot bigger when she was that close, about the size of a linebacker. A thick hand yanked at the hairnet, dragging a wig off with it and revealing a crew cut. Both got tossed on the floor.
An armchair groaned as Huxton Smith settled his bulk into it, unbuttoning the striped uniform to reveal a bulletproof vest. He scratched his sandy, gray-speckled hair.
“Whew. Glad this stakeout’s over. I hate wearing a disguise. Especially that wig.”
Deke laughed. “But you look great with a center part.”
“Shut up. I never knew making beds was such hard work.”
“How were the tips?”
“This suite, not great. Your criminal element tends to be cheap.”
“They know they’re not coming back, Hux.”
His partner looked at the slashed suitcases. “Guess they got what they came for.”
“You didn’t hear them leave?”
“No. My supervisor had me cleaning room 17-B right around then. A bunch of frat boys hired strippers and sneaked in a keg.”
“Whoopee.”
“You got it. Quite a party. They served beer plus vodka plus a mixed assortment of uppers in a candy bowl.”
Deke grinned. “You took inventory.”
“While I mopped up the vomit, yeah.” Hux scratched his head with both hands. “What a bunch of gorillas. According to hotel security, they trashed the furniture and started a slugfest, during which the strippers helped themselves to the loose wallets and vamoosed. Cops got called, hauled everyone in the room out and down in the service elevator.”
“Where are they now?”
“The fratties are probably sleeping it off in the drunk tank downtown. The strippers went back to the Bump ‘N’ Grind, I guess. And here I am.”
“You have it easy,” Deke said dismissively, “handing out pillow mints while I dodge bullets.”
Huxton looked him over. “Heard you almost took one. I can see the mark from here.”
Deke glanced down at a streak in the shoulder of his leather jacket and shrugged. “A graze. Good as a miss.”
“Tough talk. Move faster next time, Bannon.”
“I had to get some people out of the way. A TV news reporter and a crew of two.”
“What the hell were they doing there?”
Deke sighed and leaned against the wall across from Hux. “Using the building for a backdrop. Unannounced and unexpected.”
“What? I didn’t get briefed on that.”
“I got them out before the law arrived.”
Huxton’s face creased into a frown. “How come I didn’t see anything on the news?”
“I talked to one of them afterward, asked her to keep it to herself and her crew. She didn’t seem eager to let her boss know that they’d been there.”
“And why was that?”
Deke shrugged. “She knew she’d stumbled onto a hot story and she doesn’t want it taken away from her. That was my understanding, anyway. First time I ever actually talked to a reporter.”
“Then watch your back,” Huxton said emphatically. “Total pain in the butt, those news people. Bigger snoops than we are, and sometimes they’re better at it.”
Deke nodded.
“But they don’t have skin in the game. Once they ramp up their ratings or print a screaming headline that sells papers, they’re done. We’re still fighting it out with the bad guys.” Huxton paused, narrowing his eyes at Deke. “So did you two actually make some kind of a deal?”
“I’m not sure.”
Hux sighed. “Here’s how it works, babycakes. You pretend to be her source in return for her silence.”
Deke shook his head. “I’ll try. I need to talk to her again.”
“Lead her on. Stall. Distract her with a
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