Smoke and Mirrors

55

Winter was dreaming that he was with Hank Trammel and Faith Ann Porter in New Orleans when something awakened him. Lying there in the darkness gathering his wits, he wondered what it was that had interrupted his dream. The travel clock beside the bed clicked away each second. He knew he was in Brad’s guest bed, and he reached beside him for his Reeder.45, but his hand found only flat sheet where he’d left the cocked-and-locked weapon.

“Well, well,” the eerie voice said. “We meet again.”

In the darkened room, Winter could make out the shape of a man standing beside the bed.

“Your friends are dead, and it’s all your fault. If you had kept our bargain, they wouldn’t be.”

A sudden flash from the gun’s barrel illuminated the room and Winter yelled out. Sitting up, he grabbed his handgun.

The light came on and Alexa rushed in, sweeping her Glock around to cover the room. “What happened?” she asked, looking at him and the gun in his hand, which was aimed at the wall beside the bed. Styer’s presence had been one frightening dream wrapped in another.

“Nightmare,” he said, his voice cracking. The clock read five-thirty.

Alexa dropped the Glock to her side and frowned at him. “Want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No, Lex,” he replied. “Sorry I woke you.”

She looked at him with tired eyes and said, “Maybe you should keep that gun a little farther away when you sleep. Just a suggestion, since I’m on the other side of the wall.” She flipped off the light and closed the door.

Winter lay back, resting his head on the pillow, which was damp from perspiration. He lifted his head and flipped the pillow over to the dry side.

He was shaken by the dream, and doubted finding sleep again would be possible. There was no question in Winter’s mind that Styer was responsible for both killings, and since the casino had the only motive in both, someone there had to be involved. Winter figured he’d turn the casino upside down and see what hit the ground.