Page 53 of Earning Her Trust

Craig Foster flinched. It was only a split-second reaction, and he covered it quickly with a plastered-on smile, but Ghost still felt a cold, vicious satisfaction settle in his chest as he stalked toward the man.

“We need to talk.”

Foster dropped his hand from the door, pasted on a smile, and pretended he wasn’t rattled. “Mr. Booker. And Ms. Lefthand. What a surprise.”

Naomi stepped up beside Ghost, hands tucked in the hoodie pocket, face set. She looked smaller in his clothes, but the tension in her jaw said she was ready to chew Foster’s head off. Good. Sometimes all of that bound-up fury could be useful, especially when the other side was a smug, slippery bastard who thought he ran the town.

She didn’t waste time. “We have questions about Leila Padilla.”

“And you’re going to answer them,” Ghost added.

Foster’s smile thinned. “I’m busy. If you want an appointment, you’ll need to schedule it with my assistant.”

“You’re name has come up in the investigations of two separate missing women,” Naomi said. “Seems like you’d be very interested in making sure your name doesn’t keep popping up.” She didn’t bother to sit, just squared off in front of Foster’s desk like she could stare him into submission.

Foster’s smile didn’t budge, but his fingers curled a little tighter around his mug. “I had nothing to do with Bailee Cooper’s death. They caught her killer all but red-handed. And I don’t know Leelee Padilla.”

Interesting that he’d called her by her nickname when they had only used her full name. Ghost glanced at Naomi to see if she’d caught the slip, too.

Judging by the way she stared Foster down, she had, and she was already calculating how to use it to her advantage.

She was kind of scary right now.

Was it wrong of him to find that sexy as hell?

“Yes, you do,” she pressed. “You’ve been seen speaking with her on multiple occasions at the casino.”

Foster shifted behind his desk, running a thumb over the rim of his mug. “I speak to many people. Doesn’t mean I know them.”

Naomi smiled. It was not a friendly one, and if Ghost had a heart, he thought it would’ve fallen half in love with her right at that moment.

“But you did know her, Mr. Foster. You just called her by her nickname.”

She had him. If Foster had been a rabbit, he’d be frozen with his ears flat to his skull. Instead, the guy just smoothed his tie and tried to look bored.

“Maybe I heard someone use it in passing,” he said. “The casino’s noisy. People talk.”

Ghost drifted a step closer to the desk, just enough to make Foster’s eyes flick in his direction. “You were seen giving her money.”

“She was a cocktail waitress. I tip well.” The man’s tone was clipped now. “It’s good manners, not a crime. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”

Ghost cut him off with a look. “We’re not done.”

Foster’s smile froze. He set his mug down, careful, like he was afraid they’d lunge at him if he made a sudden move. Ghost noted the slight shake in his hand. Not much, but enough to make the coffee slosh.

Naomi stepped closer, flanking the desk. “It wasn’t a tip. You gave Leelee money, same as you did for Bailee Cooper. You told her you could help her get ahead. What was she supposed to do for you in return?”

“I invest in talented young people. That’s not illegal. She wanted to open a salon. I gave her advice. That’s all.”

“That’s all?” Ghost moved in, close enough to crowd the man. “You didn’t pressure her? Offer her a sponsorship in exchange for anything?”

Foster’s gaze flicked to the two of them, calculating. “That’s a hell of an accusation.”

“We’re just getting started,” Naomi said. “I have statements from other casino workers. This is not the first time you’ve sponsored a young woman.”

Ghost watched Foster’s face. Sweat beaded at the man’s hairline, but he still tried for bravado.

“If you had anything real, you’d be here with a badge and a warrant, not skulking around with a…” He gestured at Ghost, some of the old arrogance seeping back in. “Felon who by all accounts should still be in prison. I don’t have to talk to you. In fact,” he reached for his desk phone, “I’m calling Sheriff Goodwin and having you both arrested for trespassing.”