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Judge lifted a finger. “I’m game.”
Utah lifted his chin. “Count me in.”
Drake nodded. “Second Wednesday of the month.”
Murdock checked the calendar on his watch. “That’s this coming Wednesday.”
“We could use a little downtime after work,” Drake said.
“Is this just your team?” Parker asked.
Drake shook his head. “You’re welcome to join us.”
“Thank you.” Parker clapped his hands. “It’s been a while since I played poker.”
“How about it, ladies?” Cassie cocked an eyebrow. “If the guys are playing poker on Wednesday, we should have our monthly poker and margaritas that night as well.”
Dezi shook her head. “I’d love that, but I’m supposed to go to Bozeman that day for my uncle’s funeral, and his attorney wanted to see me the same day.”
Molly frowned. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Dezi nodded. “I didn’t know my mother’s brother well. He was somewhat of an odd character in our family.”
“How so?” Cassie asked.
Dezi’s lips twisted. “He fancied himself a treasure hunter.”
“Seriously?” Gabbie’s brow knitted. “Was he successful at it? I mean, did he make a living searching for treasure?”
“Not really. It was a sore subject with the family at my grandmother’s dinner table.” Dezi shrugged. “He couldn’t hold a job for very long. He claimed he’d found a clue and had to leave to chase it down.”
Grimm shook his head. “He’d leave his job to chase a clue?”
“Yes,” Dezi said. “Needless to say, his employers were never happy with him leaving when they needed him.” She sighed. “When I was with him, he seemed kind to me. I liked him as a person, no matter what the rest of my family thought. He didn’t mean anyone harm; he just wasn’t very stable.”
“His attorney wanted you to stay to visit with him after the funeral?” Drake asked. “Did your uncle leave something in his estate? Is that why his attorney wanted to visit with you?”
“I have no idea.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. “I got this letter from my uncle yesterday. I didn’t understand it and was going to call him today to find out what it was all about.” She stared down at the envelope. “Now, it’s too late.”
“He sent you a letter right before he died?” Grimm asked. “Did he die suddenly of a heart attack or stroke?”
She looked up into his eyes, her own a deep dark brown. “I don’t know. The county sheriff where he lived called to inform me of his death.”
Molly winced. “Ouch. Whatever happened to sending someone to deliver that kind of information in person? And why didn’t you tell us your uncle passed?”
Dezi gave a weak smile. “He was already dead. I couldn’t do anything to change that. And this was my debut night working at the Lady Luck Lodge. I had already started laying out the ingredients. You had guests to feed…” She lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Besides, cooking is therapeutic to me.”
“What about the rest of your family?” Grimm asked. “Shouldn’t you be with them?”
Dezi stared down at the letter in her hand. “I’m all the family he had left.”
“Dezi’s mother and father died when their car slid off an icy road two years ago,” Molly said. “Dezi was at cooking school. I drove down to give her the news.”
Dezi smiled gently at Molly. “You did, and I’ll be forever grateful. My grandparents passed when I was a teen.” She looked up at Grimm. “He was the last of my family.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Grimm said. “I lost my family while I was deployed to Iraq. If it weren’t for my team…”
“We’re family,” Drake said.
