The woman was reclined as her make - up was being applied . The foundation had been smoothed out on her silky skin and then rouge was added for color . Mascara was spread across her eyelashes , and then liner to bring out her eyelids . The person doing the make - up was looking through the various lipsticks in the make - up kit , to decide which color would make her look pouty and sexy . A deep shade of red was selected and applied to her lips . It was then smeared over her cheeks and finally the red was streaked over each eye . She now had a face that looked like the Joker from the Batman movie . She didn 't care , she was dead . I was relaxing in my office waiting for Lacey to come bombing in , telling me there was an emergency that needed my attention . She loved to startle me whenever a person came in looking for a private investigator . I had a good staff and associates , Trapper and Earl , both very competent investigators , but a bit goofy at times . It was something that broke up the tension of dealing with missing children or murder . My good friend and business partner , Buck , took care of the security guard part of our business . He now had about a hundred and sixty men on his roster , all guarding various businesses in and around Las Vegas . I had moved my lovely wife , and now Vegas ' favorite talk show host , Penny , out to Vegas to live . She fell in love with the town on our earlier visits . After we came out , Buck , Trapper and then Earl all joined us in Sin City . We left Michigan with all the snow and cold , for the hot , sunny life in Vegas . I never regretted the move . Neither did Penny . I was suddenly startled by a tug on my pant leg . I looked down to see Willy , our toy Yorkie , pulling on my pant cuff . I smiled and reached down to pet him and pull him off my cuff . I hadn 't seen him come into the room ; he was so small and easy to miss . Now Penny wasn 't so easy to miss , as she came in the office . She was a beautiful woman for her age . Not that I complain about age , I was now sixty - three and still feeling like thirty . Age doesn 't mean a damn thing when you 're trapped in an older body . Penny was a couple years younger , but looked like she was in her forties , and still sexy as ever . " Jim , you have a person out here and he needs help . I should tell you that he is hunky and handsome . He 's a model ! " she beamed and went back out . I went through the glass doors to the lobby and saw him , he was hunky and handsome . I hated him right off . " May I help you ? " I asked Mr . Wonderful . Penny went behind him in the lobby and I could see she was checking out his body . He was wearing a red t - shirt and tight white jeans . I gave her a look and she smiled back to me . I cringed hearing the name , remembering her from the Black Widow murders . Her husband was killed by the spiders , and then we suspected her of the crime . She later proved to be innocent , but she was still a wacko . " You don 't need to be in there . Go bother Lacey or something , " I said as I went to the office , watching her in the hallway giving me dirty looks . I smiled to her , waved and closed the door . I knew that was going to bite me in the large butt later . I wondered how he figured he rated as a celebrity , but he must have money , so I wouldn 't feel bad taking some of it . " Yes , we do have bodyguards to watch over celebrities . Why do you feel you need one ? " " Tiffy Blumquest , the runway model , was murdered sometime last night . And threats were made to other models . I 'm not taking chances , so I came to you . " " I see . I 'll have to talk to a couple friends of mine on the LVMPD about the murder . How soon do you want to start ? " I liked hearing that . " Okay , I have a person who would do well for you , " I said thinking about Angelo , my former mob enforcer friend , who move here from New York and started working for us . " He 's someone who will not let anyone near you that you don 't want . " " Hold on , " I said as I went to the door and out . I went down to Buck 's office and found Angelo relaxing in a chair on the side of the room . Buck was behind his desk doing paperwork , which he hated , but it had to be done . Angelo saw me and stood . " Mr . R . , good ta see ya dis morning . " He was breaking back into his pattern of mob talk . Then he smiled and said , " I 'll rephrase that , how are you this morning ? " he grinned . " I 'm trying to refine myself , I am rubbing elbows with famous people now . " " Thanks . Follow me then . " He came out after me and to my office . We went in and I introduced him to Barry . They shook hands , as Barry was looking surprised at the size of Angelo . " No , problem . I won 't let you get hurt in anyway . But you have to listen to me when I give an order to do something , like get behind me . " " Sure , just stop on the way out to give the retainer to my receptionist and you can leave . You can be sure that Angelo is the man for your needs . " I was sounding like a commercial . They went out and I sat back in my chair as Penny came storming in . She closed the door and came over to sit on my lap . " Feel like fooling around ? " she asked . He went out and I reached over to my desk intercom and called Lacey . " Hold my calls and I 'm now unavailable . Watch Willy and don 't let me be disturbed . " Penny did more fooling around than she did any serious damage to my body . " You 're teasing me , aren 't you ? Just to get a rise out of me . " I wasn 't going to answer that if she couldn 't tell . Lacey buzzed me on the intercom . I gave a dirty look to it and answered . " What did I ask you ? " I came up the hallway and could see a number of women in the lobby , all beautiful and sexy . I probably would have to adjust my crotch again . I came through the glass doors and smiled . Penny came out behind me and stopped just behind me . I could hear her whisper , " Don 't get any ideas . " " May I help you ladies ? " I asked loudly , as they were all playing with Willy on the counter , making little baby noises to him . There were six of them , and they turned in unison as one came forward to say , " Mr . Richards , we need protection . Barry said you could help . " " Cell phone , he called me , and I told the girls . We have been threatened by some crazy person who killed poor Tiffy . Can you help us ? " Suddenly one woman said loudly , " Oh , look , it 's Penny Wickens ! " Penny was still behind me and I was just about bowled over as they all rushed to meet her . " Miss Wickens , can I have your autograph , " one asked and pulled a pad from her tiny purse . Penny was loving the attention and smiled to me . I just leaned against the counter and waited for Buck . One woman saw him and said , " Wow , he can guard my body anytime . " Buck had this effect on women . He was tall , over six feet and very muscular . He was a biker back in his youth , so he developed a devil may care look about him . He came forward and asked me , " What can I do for all these pretty ladies ? " I went to open the glass door as one woman passed by and asked if I was married to Penny . I said I was , and she giggled then went on . Penny came up and made a giggling sound and said , " Gee , Mr . Richards , you are so lucky to be married to Miss Wickens . " She laughed , picked up Willy and went behind the counter to Lacey 's desk and sat next to her . I went to Buck 's office where he had the women sitting and standing . I went to his closet and took out a couple folding chairs he had for when he had meetings with his men . I gave them to the women and they sat . I went up by Buck 's desk and stood . The one woman , who seemed to be the queen bee , spoke . " I think it would be advantageous to have individual guards . We don 't all travel together . " " Good , we have bodyguards that can take care of all of you . I 'll get them and have it set up , " Buck spoke . He stood and went out the door to the back room where his guards lounged . He picked six of his men who had pulled bodyguard work before and had them follow him . The men entered the room and the women were ogling them . Buck went to his desk and called everyone to listen up . " Now I 'll assign the men to each woman . Who is going to represent the women for the fees ? " " This is part of the job , " Lacey defended . " This Las Vegas magazine has most of those women in it 's pages . There 's going to be a big fashion show next week and all the women are modeling . During the fashion show there 's going to be a reality show taping to name the best model of the year . It 's called " Greatest American Model " and will be on the Lifetime channel . " " Yes , it is . I need to talk to Lynn to see what she 's got on the murder . " I went back to my office passing by Buck 's room , hearing all the giggles and chattering going on . Buck was probably in his glory right now , and so were his men . I sat at my desk and picked up the phone . I wanted to call Lynn to get her take on the murder of the model , so we could plan better to watch the women in Buck 's office . Lynn , and her now husband Deacon , had come back from Hawaii after their honeymoon . They were separated from each other in the police departments , Lynn still a Lieutenant in Homicide and Deacon moved to Vice as a Sergeant . They had been our close friends since we came out here almost two years ago . Deacon came with us from Michigan and met Lynn , they fell in love and Deacon stayed . Penny and I went out the back door to my van , and drove over to the station . We arrived and the officer at the door knew us by now and said to go through . We got to Lynn 's office and she said to sit . Lynn opened the folder in front of her and took out a couple pictures , then spread them on the desk in front of me . I moved forward and looked . It wasn 't pleasant ; the woman was made to look like a clown . Her throat was red from where I assumed she was strangled . " Joe Lang examined the body and said the make - up was applied after she was murdered . Made her to look this way . He said she died quickly . " " In her apartment , one of the other models found her early this morning . The killer also wrote on the wall , ' She 's not the last to die ' in lipstick . We 're calling him , or her , the Lipstick Killer now . " " I sent Greg Warren out to check on it . I didn 't feel like being ugly around all the beautiful people . I 'm going to have Deacon dig into it more tomorrow . " " Oh , yeah , you don 't know . Weber put him back in Homicide , to watch me . He 's my safety net . I 'm really hating being fat and pregnant . " " On pins and bowling balls , " he smiled . " I 'm the legs for Lynn now . I go into the field and bring her the info to catch the crooks . It works for me , and Weber . He 's as nervous as I am . " " I 'm only sixty - three , and have lots of years ahead of me . Weber isn 't that much younger than I am . " " Don 't worry about it , the time to decide hasn 't arrived . Now can we talk killers ? " Deacon sat next to me and said , " Greg and I talked to the owner of Lansome Agency briefly , Kate Lansome , and she was in a rush to go to some meeting . She has an idea the murder was committed to prevent Tiffy from entering the competition . Then she rushed off . I 'll have Greg and I pin her down tomorrow to explain . " " Since I 'm restricted to my desk , maybe you could help Deacon to investigate . I have other crimes for Greg to investigate . I regret to admit it , but you seem to help out a lot . " " One of them could be trying to get closer to the million dollar prize . Although , strangulation isn 't really much of a method for a woman to commit . Men do most of that kind of crime , " I said . Deacon stood and tapped my shoulder , " You don 't want to be around when she talks babies . Follow me . " He went out , as I stood and followed . He led me to the breakroom , it was half full of people who probably should be working . Deacon offered me a Pepsi from the machine and made the selection . The can was semi - warm and flat . So much for precinct goodies . We sat by ourselves in a corner by a window looking out to the parking lot . Not a pretty sight . " Not much , the owner of the modeling agency said she thought the model was murdered because she was a front runner to win the competition for Greatest American model . The purse was a million dollars , and hosting a national TV show . What woman wouldn 't want to knock off the competition ? " " Yeah , you . If you 're not home by six , I 'm hunting for you , " she said with a smile . " And with my gun , " she added . I waved to Lynn and went to find Deacon in the motor pool . He pulled the Dodge Charger Interceptor again , he really liked that car . Macho car , macho man . Damn , now I had the song Macho Man , by the Village People in my head . I found him as I hummed the song and did a few disco moves in the parking lot , he gave me a stare . We drove out to the strip and in to the parking lot of the Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Boulevard . Deacon managed to find a row of trailers behind one of the buildings , serving as dressing rooms for the big televised Fashion show . One trailer had a sign in big letters , Make - up , on its side . Deacon parked and we went down the row of StarWagons , as the name stated on the end of each trailer . We came to the make - up trailer and Deacon went up the stairs . Suddenly a big man appeared at the door growling at Deacon , it was Angelo . " Well , then , he is . Not that it bothers me . He 's the one in the pink slacks at the end of the trailer . " " Thanks Angelo , " Deacon said as we went to the man having a fit about something . " I was entertaining a friend , in my home . I can get you his name if need be , but we 'd like to keep it quiet . He has a partner and he 's a jealous type . " " Dear , all these bitches would have cause to murder Tiffy . They all want that gold ring on the ride to fame . A million dollars and a TV contract , that 's a prize worth taking out the headliner of the show . " " Oh , good God , this wasn 't done by anyone who knows how to apply make - up . The eye liner is smudged and the rouge is too heavy . This was an idiot doing this . I 'd fire anyone who 'd do this . Poor Tiffy . " " My wife thanks you for that . Now can we get back on track here . We have a killer on the loose and we need to find him , or her . " " No , I think he was asking for it , " I said and walked away quickly , leaving Deacon standing behind the trailer . He followed , as I went up the stairs into the make - up trailer . I looked back to him and said , " Shall we go ogle some sexy women to prove our manhood ? " " Elementary , my dear Holmes . She is rather rude . " Deacon held his badge up to her face , real close so she could see . " Now you want to answer Sherlock 's question ? " " She thought she was God 's gift to fashion . She was good at the job , but she had an ego problem . There were a lot of girls who didn 't like her , more than me . A lot more who would have liked to see her dead . " She sat back and calmed down . We moved through a long hallway from the back entrance that emptied into the mall . On the way , we passed a number of women and men running back and forth , probably all in the show . We came out by a new looking stage built with an extended runway for the models . On the back of the stage was an elaborate neon and LED lit sign announcing the big " Greatest American Model " competition . Behind the stage was erected a tent that was attached to the back of the stage . Probably where the models changed . Deacon went to a flap opening of the tent where people were rushing in and out . He walked through the flap and into what was a chaos of movement and rushing people . There were about twenty persons moving about , it was hard to get a number since they moved so quickly . Amanda tore out of the tent towards the stage , as we went to the opening where we could watch her walk the walk . While the music blared , she strutted like some hot shit , stopped and did a turn , then stopped again . She gave a shocked look and then collapsed to the stage in a heap , covered by the gown she was modeling . There were loud expressions of surprise from the crowd , as people from the show rushed to her . Deacon was out of the tent quickly and up to her , pushing people back . He was on his knees checking her , and saw the rivulet of blood from her side . He pulled his cell phone and made the call to LVMPD . Tom pulled his walkie - talkie and called for the rest of the mall security to get to his location . He called to his men around the stage and gave them orders . I was standing off the side of the platform watching it all go down . Deacon looked to me and shook his head , she had to be dead . " Jim and I were standing over there , " he pointed to the opening in the tent , " I heard no shot , the music was too loud , or the killer could have silenced the weapon . CSI is going over the security camera footage , to see if he can see a gun flash . There were lots of people here , they didn 't even jump when it happened . I guess they didn 't figure there was a gunman in their midst and they didn 't hear the shot . " " Yeah , well , she 's out of the race now . We 're getting a pattern here . " She looked to me and asked , " Did Amanda have a bodyguard ? " " Tom Deluca ? There 's a name I haven 't heard in a while . I knew he left LVMPD years ago , but didn 't know he ended up here . " " Okay , let 's go talk to these people . We may have to shut this thing down for the sake of everyone else . " Lynn turned and went to the tent now being guarded by the security people . They let her and the rest of us pass , we went in . There were eight people sitting around a table covered with props for the show . They all looked distressed and upset . Lynn went to them and asked for the head of the group . One woman stood and said she was . Lynn went over to her . The woman looked really upset , almost on the verge of crying . " This shouldn 't be happening . This was supposed to be a fun competition and promote our products . Not become a murder fest . " " They say it 's a cut throat business . Now it 's a murderous business . It boils down to money and power . Isn 't that the main reason for crime ? " " You really like to mess up my cases , don 't you ? " Lynn said , as she went to the stage where CSI was trying to get a handle on the shooting . " Anything , Dave ? " she asked the supervisor of the team . " From the security video footage we examined , she was facing the back of the stage , and was hit on her right side . So we deduce the shot came from high up , over there , upper level east , by Macy 's . " He was pointing up towards an area with potted palms . " Anything is possible . You need to check the maintenance people , video shows a couple were in that vicinity with cleaning carts , during the time of the shooting . A cart could have been used to easily carry the weapon . We 're checking the palm plants for gun shot residue . I 'll give you a call if we get anything . " Dave saw his people standing by the huge potted palm plants and asked what they had . One of the CSI techs pointed to one of the huge square posts holding up the building , next to the plants . Everyone looked to the wall of the post , as he moved the palm branches aside and they saw it . A smiley face made with lipstick . Deacon asked Dave where the mall offices were . He called a uniform standing nearby and said to take us to the offices . We followed the fairly young man , who looked like he may be a rookie . " Yes , sir . Just out of academy , last month . I 'm Frank Melkan , " he said , and stuck out his hand to shake , we did . " I know who you both are , pleasure to meet you . I grew up here in Vegas and always loved watching the Metro Police working the streets . I applied and was accepted . I wouldn 't mind making Detective someday . " Deacon laughed , " It 's not all that glamorous , believe me . Just do your best , stay clean , and kiss a lot of butt . You may make it . " We went across the mall to where the mall offices were and Officer Melkan left us at the door . We entered to a high counter and the girl behind the desk asked if she could help us . Deacon showed his badge . The girl looked to it and said , " We 've been busy with police all morning , this is about the dead model , I presume . " We thanked her and waited . About two minutes later and fairly large man came out of a hallway and motioned to us to follow . We went down the hall to an office that was huge . It had a couple desks and numerous people running around doing their work . Norton motioned to a couple ugly chairs by his desk and asked , " What can I do for you , officers ? " " That 's Detectives , well , I am , he 's a civilian adviser , " Deacon said pointing to me , " We need the names of your people who were in the area at the time of the shooting this morning . " Deacon handed the man a piece of paper with the information given to him by CSI regarding the location of the shooter . The man looked at the paper and then turned to a big board on the wall and studied it for a few . It had plenty of names , times and locations for cleaning and other functions . " Well then , someone else shouldn 't have been there . I keep a tight ship and want to know where my people are at all times . There was only one person scheduled to be on that level at that time . If there was someone else , then it wasn 't one of my people . " " Fossily , hold on , " he turned back to the board and then said , " He 's cleaning restrooms on this level , end of the court . Go out the door and all the way straight down . He should be in the men 's or the women 's right now . " " Thanks , " Deacon said and we went out . We walked towards the restrooms , passing through busy tourists milling about , all going around in their own little worlds . They had no concern or idea about the murder that took place earlier . It was fairly crowded , I was sure that made the store owners happy . We ended up all the way across the mall and found a sign pointing out the restrooms . We followed and found them . There was a cleaning cart in front of the men 's room , blocking the entrance . " Yeah , as a matter of fact . It was left on that level by the restrooms . It should still be there , I wasn 't going to move it , if the guy was too lazy to do it . " Deacon pulled his cell phone and called Dave to tell him about the cart . " It should be by the restrooms on your level . Check it out . " He listened , then hung up . " Thank you , Mr . Fossily . If you should see the man again , call me . " He handed the man his card and we left him at the men 's room door . We headed off again towards the custodial offices and entered . The woman at the desk called Norton and he came out . " Did you find Fossily ? " he asked . Norton thought for a moment and then replied , " It wouldn 't be easy , but we do have rooms throughout the building where we keep equipment , he could have pulled one of our spare carts out from there . As to the uniform , all our people have their own , we don 't stock extras . If this guy did have a uniform , he would have had to have bought it from our supplier . " " Sure , if it does belong to one of my crew it would have a name tag on it . That would help clear up the extra uniform . " Deacon handed him his card and said to call if they find it . We thanked him and left , heading back to the stage . We came up finding Dave and he turned to us and said , " We found the cart , they just brought it down . " He pointed to the cleaning cart now being examined by his people . One of the techs was rummaging in the trash bag and pulled out parts of a sniper rifle , disassembled . " Well , this is a break . He must have pulled it apart to take with him , but something stopped him . He just left it , " Deacon said . " If you find any prints on it , let me know . Although I believe it probably was wiped clean . " We left the stage and went around to the tent in the back . There were two uniforms watching the opening . Deacon smiled and said , " Tough duty having to guard all these beauties ? " They both grinned and agreed . We went in and found Lynn and Penny talking to one woman standing by a makeshift table for make - up . We came up behind them and waited . " That was the last you saw of our victim Tiffy ? " Lynn was asking the woman . She didn 't appear to be a model , she was too plain and was dressed in every day clothing . " Yes , and some have agents . They all want a piece of the riches these girls make . But I 'm sure her manager wouldn 't kill her , she was worth more alive than dead . " " We talked to a couple air - headed models and they had nothing ground shaking to tell . The make - up people all agree that Tiffy wasn 't made up by a pro . Did you get anything ? " " That earned you a few points , you can cash them in tonight . " She walked to the opening and out . I followed , watching her rear . Still a nice sight . I came to Lynn and Deacon both talking about where to eat . Deacon wanted something grilled , Lynn wanted a Gyro at a Greek restaurant . I interrupted . " Guys , we 're going back to the office , you enjoy your meal and we 'll see you later . " They both said their good - byes and went back to arguing about where to eat . I smiled and led Penny out . Suddenly I stopped and asked , " Do you have the van ? " We spent about ten minutes trying to find the van , I was trying not to laugh for fear Penny would punch me . After about five more minutes we found it . I opened the door for Penny , she thanked me with a kiss . I drove back to our office and parked in front . We entered the door to the front lobby and found Tracey smiling . " Hey , Mr . and Mrs . Richards , how are you today ? " Lacey and Tracey , it was confusing sometimes , but they both were good workers . Penny and I quietly went through the front doors to the main lobby and found Lacey with her head down in a pile of papers busily working . Penny went to the counter first and yelled . " Hey ! " " Sorry , I couldn 't resist . Where 's Willy ? " Just as she said that , the tiny dog came running from out of the hallway and up to her . Penny picked him up and nuzzled him . I got to Earl 's door , but stopped . I peeked in Trapper 's office and it was empty . I turned back to Earl 's office and went in . " What up , super spy ? " I asked . " So I missed the bevy of beauties ? I need to get to work on time more . Now , I have a case that needs an extra eye . I got a call from an old friend and he is being accused of stealing corporate secrets from the company he worked for . They let him go because of it and may press charges for stealing . Are you busy on the model case ? " " Yeah , I still have a big nest egg from my sordid past with the CIA . We both could retire happily to our own island in the Bahamas . Now , poor Trapper will have to work until he drops , " he said with a laugh . They both gave me stares that suggested I might get pounded . " I 'll just leave you to talk it out . Later . " I left the room quickly , nearly running into Penny in the hallway . " He needed help with a case . I 'm busy , so he 's going to ask Trapper . Let 's move along . " I was turning her and pushed her gently down the hall to my office . " Hey , slow down . Are you in trouble ? " she asked . I knew whatever I said would come out wrong , " No , not what I meant . We have plenty of romance , don 't we ? " I was ready to duck . She just stood staring at me . I wasn 't sure what she was planning . Then , she smiled , " I have gotten lots of romance from you . I like when you surprise me with flowers and candy . " I realized I hadn 't done either of those things , so I had to change the subject quickly . " How would you like to go eat at Wolfgang 's and then maybe take a walk around the Boulevard Mall ? They have nice jewelry stores . " I relaxed hearing that . " I wasn 't very happy about it . That sucker hurt and I didn 't like wandering around lost in the desert trying to get back to civilization . " It was inevitable , so I paid the bill , left a hefty tip and we went out . As we were getting into the van , my cell phone rang . I had put a ringtone on it that sounded like the old - type phones ' ring . That annoying clanging bell sound , but it was so cool to watch people trying to figure out where the sound was coming from . " He was guarding the woman . He went to get her a cup of coffee , from next door at the coffee shop , and when he came back she was dead . I 'm feeling really sorry for him , he 's really angry . Could he do something dangerous ? " We arrived at the building and went in the front door . There were uniforms all over the place , probably to ogle all the good looking models . We came in to find Greg Warren standing outside a door looking in . I took Buck 's arm and pulled him aside . " Okay , I understand your pain , but calm down . We 'll find the fucker , but you know it takes time . " " I got too confident . I didn 't figure she couldn 't be murdered in the office . I took over for Liston , the guard assigned to watch her . He had to take his kid to something at school . I was relaxing when she wanted a coffee , I went to get it next door at the coffee shop . " " Sure , if you like dog piss . She was a whiney bitch , but she was my whiney bitch . So I went to get her a good cup of coffee next door , and when I got back she was dead . She had lipstick smeared all over her face . Damn it ! " Lynn was standing at the door and said , " Don 't blame yourself Buck , this guy was a pro . No way he could have slipped in and then out after the kill . He , or she , was here all the time . I got my people questioning everyone as to who was in the building , we 'll narrow it down . " I turned to Lynn , Deacon was standing behind her . " This is getting to be too much . Too many quick kills in such a short time . If you pull the plug on the competition , the killer has no reason to murder any more women , " I said . " I said that , but the Mayor and the City Council has already put their two cents in . This show is bringing in mucho bucks to the city and the prestige of our town for the thing is important for the image . The Mayor is sympathetic , but he wants results to end this before the big show . " " Well , gee , Jim . You want to tell him that . I don 't like the man , he puts the buck above lives . I 'm not happy , so we need to get on with this and catch the killer . " " Okay , the beauty was garroted with a wire . Thin and short , just enough to reach around her neck , judging by the thumb bruises on her neck by the wire scar . Easy to bring in , hidden in any number of places on a body and disposed of easily . CSI is tearing into the building looking for it . I don 't think they will find it , but that 's my opinion . " " You 're just a fountain of information . Thanks Joe . Let me know if you find out anything else . " Lynn turned to Deacon and said , " Shall we see if our people have found anything from their questioning ? " She went out followed by Deacon , Buck , Penny and me . She went down a hall to another office where Greg Warren was standing outside the door . " How 's it going Greg ? " " My people are all good , background checks and criminal records . They have been with me since I started the security business . No one was new recently . " " I 'm a receptionist . I watch the front office and keep things running properly . It 's not easy to keep all these women being where they should be . " Nothing more could be done at the modeling agency , until they tracked down the photographer , so Penny and I left . I figured the photographer would be hard to find and I wasn 't going to worry about it . Now Buck was another matter . He left with us in his own car and followed us to the office . We arrived and parked in back . In the parking lot , Buck stood looking at the building . " What 's going on in your head , Buck ? " I asked . " I started this security business , with your help , to make something of myself and my people . Today , I failed one person , who I was supposed to be guarding . I 'm not happy about it . " " Buck , they slip through the cracks . We can 't be everywhere and prevent everything . We just have to take it one day at a time . I understand your pain , but it 's done and we need to find the killer to make it right . " " Thanks Penny . Jim isn 't good enough for you ; leave him and run off with me . We 'll get away from all this insanity and live a happy life . " " Well , you 're an idiot . I 'm the best thing you 've ever had . Now let 's go in and see if Will and Earl have murdered each other . " We came in the back door and I waved to the camera so Lacey would know we were in . We went to our respective offices and I sat at my desk . Lacey came to the door and said , " Wow , it 's strange to see you sitting there . " " You have a person up front who needs your help . " She smiled and walked off . I looked to Penny and said , " I 'm not having a good day with women , am I ? " " I 'm Laynie 's manager , Marty Brice . I 'm concerned also about her safety . Your name came up in conversation with the police . They can 't provide protection unless there 's an attempt on Laynie 's life . You were recommended . " I knew this is what Buck needed to take his mind off the murdered woman , so I led them to his office . He was sitting at his desk staring at the ceiling when we came in . He sat up straight when he saw Laynie , and then stood . " Well , Laynie Keller , it 's an honor to meet you , " he said rushing around his desk to pull a chair over for her . She thanked him and sat . Buck ignored the manager and sat on the edge of his desk by Laynie . " What can I do for you ? " " I have a stalker , and he won 't leave me alone . Now he 's making threatening statements towards me . I need someone to protect me while I 'm here in Vegas . " " No , he has sent anonymous messages to my hotel where I 'm performing this next week . I can 't work under these conditions , but I have a contract to fulfill . Can you help ? " Buck looked to me , then said he 'd be right back . He asked me to follow him and we stopped in the hallway outside his office . " Jim , what should I do ? I want to find the killer of the model , but she 's Laynie Keller , I really want to guard her . " Buck paused , looking distressed . " Sure , I want to find the killer , but that 's Laynie Keller . I don 't often get a chance to be around such a celebrity and a great looking one at that . She needs proper protection . " He had a dilemma , I could tell . " I 'll even bring my own coffee for her . She won 't be out of my sight for a minute . " He gave me his trademark walrus smile and went back in his office . I felt better now and turned , nearly running into Penny again . " Are you going to follow me around all day ? " I asked . " Until you take me to a jewelry store , then you 're on your own . " She kissed my nose and went towards the lobby again . It was hopeless . I went to Earl 's office and it was empty , so went back to the lobby . I almost forgot that I told him I would help . I could afford it and Angelo so wanted to have an Italian restaurant , I wanted to help him . " Have him see me when he gets back . " I headed back to my office and felt Penny following me again . " I 'm not buying any jewelry for you , dog . You 've got a nice collar now . " I went to the intercom on my desk and told Lacey I was taking Penny out to deplete my bank account and then we started to leave the building , when Buck came rushing up . About an hour and $ 1 , 200 later , we arrived back at the office . Penny had to rush up to show Lacey her new necklace and earrings , and Willy 's faux ruby dog collar . Now why would a jewelry store carry dog collars ? I swear , Vegas is a crazy town . I looked into Earl 's office , still empty , and so was Trapper 's . Buck was out with his favorite pop singer so I was the only one left in the office . I went to my desk and sat . I speed dialed Lynn and she came on , " What 's up Sherlock ? " " The shooting at the mall was by a man dressed as a custodian , the garroting of the model in the office was by a man masquerading as a photographer . I think we have a frustrated actor hit man . Maybe he was hired by someone to knock off the models ? " " It 's a thought , all the kills were professional , especially the shooting at the mall . But I think any good hit man would know how to disguise himself . I haven 't found one model who could even identify him . They all saw different things , he was ten different people according to them . " " They tell us twelve women are still in the running . Three dropped out after the model was strangled in the office . They value their lives more than money . " " Or they didn 't figure they would win . Either way , we have twelve women to watch . I 'll talk to Buck and see what extra protection we can put on them . I 'm sure the LVMPD doesn 't want to incur the expense of manpower . " " Yep , the Mayor and council are all for making money with this dog and pony show , but God forbid if we have to put out a few bucks to save lives . I 'm presume Lansome Modeling is paying you , correct ? " " I 'm not even going to repeat it . I need to keep my mouth shut to keep from having to buy presents . I 'll talk to you tomorrow , unless you find the photographer . Call me . " I sat back in my chair just as Penny came into the room , still holding Willy . " Why are you just sitting there ? Isn 't there crime to solve somewhere ? " " Sounds good to me . I 'll tell Lacey we 're leaving . " She left my office as I stood , trying to get my body into a straight up position , I hated getting old . My parents always said that the body would break down , I didn 't believe them . Now I know better . I was finding new things to ache about weekly . We left and had our meal , then went to our home on the outskirts of Las Vegas , overlooking the valley and the strip . I pulled into the drive and parked the van by the garage . It was too big to put in the garage , besides , my restored 1989 Crown Vic was in there along with Penny 's car and the mini - limo . I probably should take the Vic out occasionally and drive it . " Do I look crazy . That 's not accepted wear for swimming . " She kissed me and went off to get changed . I yelled , " Why don 't you go skinny dipping , I 'll join you . " I went to the kitchen and put some kibble down for Willy , although he ate most of my burger at Sonic . I took a couple beers from the fridge and put one on the counter for Penny . I couldn 't figure how she could drink one - on - one with me and not get a beer gut like I had . I really need to work on my figure , I looked as pregnant as Lynn . " Nope , all is good on that respect . Plus all the fixtures and cooking appliances are still there , so it wouldn 't take any time at all to get ready to open . Just get a staff and food and I 'm ready to go . " " I 'll get it to you tomorrow , as soon as I talk to the seller . It 's a sweet little place , lots of atmosphere . An Italian treat with all the decorations . Plus the location is great . " " Sorry , I thought it was funny . " He stood and said , " I 'm going to call my Mom and tell her the good news . I may need some of her recipes for the menu . " He went back out the gate to our guest house . Thankfully , there were no calls in the night about killers or stalkers . I guess crime happens everywhere you go , but my curse of murder following me was still holding up . Three murders in less than two days , and a celebrity being threatened with death , my life was busy . Although I just usually stood around , giving my pearls of wisdom while LVMPD did most of the work . I was slowing down now , letting other younger people do the work , while I provided a little bit of brains . Not that I had many brain cells left . I slept well , Penny had to get up early to go play TV host on her talk show . Willy was on the end of the bed watching me lay there . " What 's on your mind this morning ? " I asked him . He came running forward and started to lick my face . I didn 't like being licked by a dog , any dog , so held him back . Now Penny could lick my face anytime and I 'd let her . " Thank you , I thought you were going to say Brad Pitt . No I don 't need to be hypnotized , especially after that case we had with the murderous hypnotist . Just leave him at the studio . " I sat up on the edge of the bed and looked to her , " You know , I used to be terrified to come home , back when we lived in Michigan . I never knew what you were going to bring home from the studio to bug me . " " Yeah , I had fun in those days . Now it 's all Vegas stuff , no silly things , like yoga or baking . I don 't have anything unique to bug you with now . " She stood looking at me , then said , " Give me a day or two and I 'll find something to bring home . " She kissed me and went out of the room .