Page 59 of Captivating Anika
“That’s what he said,” I confirm.
“We found a large number of casino chips hidden in the spare wheel well of her car.”
“Kim’s car?”
He nods. “I’m pretty sure it’s what her husband was referring to.”
“But I don’t understand, casino chips? Kim said they were struggling financially. She was working her butt off to make ends meet while that bastard was at home drinking away what she brought in.”
“He was probably drinking,” Livingston concedes. “But not necessarily at home. Do you know what a chip walker is?”
I glance over at Hog, who nods. I don’t have a clue.
“No idea.”
“A chip walker is someone who comes into a casino with a wad of money, buys casino chips, and walks from table to table, maybe placing a few minor bets here and there, before cashing out and walking away with clean money.”
“Money laundering,” Hog contributes.
“Exactly. The organization we’re investigating specializes in money laundering. They’re hired by anyone who gained money through illegal means, could be anything from an individual involved in insider trading or a large drug cartel. The people we’re looking into receive money from the client, it gets divided through their network, using different methods to launder the funds before it is returned to the client, minus a hefty fee.
“Chip walking is one such method, and we have reason to believe that’s what Christopher Cooper is engaged in.”
“I’m still not sure I understand. What would this have to do with Kim disappearing?” I want to know.
“He was skimming,” Hog concludes.
“Skimming?” I parrot.
The agent is quick to clarify.
“He’d pocket a few of the chips before cashing them in and handing over the money. A few chips here and there wouldn’t be so noticeable since he was expected to place a couple of bets to make the transactions look legit. The chips we found were from the Ute Casino in Ignacio and a smaller one near Cortez. We found the equivalent of twenty-one-thousand dollars in the trunk of Kim’s car.”
“I don’t believe for a minute she had anything to do with that,” I vouch for my employee.
“Maybe not, but it could make her a target,” Livingston suggests.
“A target for who?”
“His employer,” Hog jumps in. “Twenty-one thousand isn’t chump change and they may have clued in to the fact he was skimming.”
“But that still wouldn’t explain why they’d be interested in Kim.”
“Unless Cooper told them she had the money.”
My head is hurting as I’m trying to make sense of it all. I automatically grab for the bottle of ibuprofen in my desk drawer, only to remember I popped the last two not quite an hour ago and the bottle is in the trash.
“Except it was obviously still in her car when that was found,” Hog points out. “That doesn’t make sense.”
The agent seems to agree, nodding as he pushes away from the wall he’s been leaning against.
“Lots of missing pieces we’re still trying to fill in. I’d appreciate if you could keep this part of the investigation to yourselves. It’s for your own safety as well.”
Wonderful. It’s one thing to look over my shoulder for an angry drunk, but quite another to have to worry about a gang of criminals.
Hog
Well, that decides that, from here on in I’m sticking to her like fucking Velcro.