Chapter Text
Marinette has made a lot of convoluted plans over the years, not to mention the numerous backups and contingencies she had in case something went wrong. At this point it was second nature to come up with plan upon plan upon plan in case any one thing went wrong. It happened almost without her realizing at times.
Wrong didn’t begin to describe what her latest plan had led to.
Flames lit up the street as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. The air was sweltering, almost painful to look at.
“In my defense, the plan did not consist of stupidity in the form of throwing a flaming notebook,” Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and cursing Plagg’s bad luck.
“Yeah, well, you really turned up the heat on this one huh Naanders,” Detective Aderyn Moore snickered, struggling to appear professional as Officer Riley Sanders groaned about how bad puns and wordplay should be left to Detective Grayson.
“Ha ha. At least I caught the killer, no?” She retorted, crossing her arms as she shot the pair a look.
The door of a patrol car slammed shut behind them, the sound drowned out by all the different sirens going off.
“You did, and as such you get to explain how your hit and run case led to… this,” Chief Zhang furrowed his brow as he and Detective Grayson approached.
“Mari…. What the hell?”
She blew out a breath before turning to face the two of them with a bright smile. “I swear I can explain.”
—--------------------------------
Angel Point Lane
Bludhaven, NJ
2 days prior
—------------------
“Alright, what have we got?” Dick asked, as Marinette just continued past, pulling her sweater tighter around her, staving off the last bite in the air before the summer sun would turn the day toasty, ignoring the beat cop filling them in.
“Female vic, hit and run. Coroner places the time of death between 2:30 and 5 this morning.”
“It wasn’t a hit and run.”
“Excuse me?” the beat cop asked.
“It wasn’t a hit and run. It was a dump and go. She was murdered.”
“Was it now?”
Marinette nodded, crouching down next to the body. “See here? Defensive wounds. She put up a fight. Blood matted on the back of her head, and light bruising around her throat. My best guess? Her attacker tried to strangle her, not expecting much of a struggle, she broke free and either stumbled back and hit the back of her head on something, or they hit her on the back of the head with something. Besides, there’s not enough blood for it to have happened here. Therefore murder and dump.”
The beat cop snorted as she inspected the body further, poking the arm gently with a stick, humming softly to herself.
“Anything else Mademoiselle Psychic?”
“She worked at the casino.”
“How do you know?”
“Look at her tattoo. Queen, King, and Ace of Spades. Her thumbs are callused, there’s a tan line from her brace and scarring from surgery. Carpal tunnel would be my guess. I’d bet my lucky charm that she was a dealer at the local casino.”
Aderyn raised a brow at that.
“Riley?”
“Give me a sec…. Victoria Rose Champagne. Age 44. Card Dealer at Luthor Casino.”
“Well bless my soul, Naanders. I will never understand how you manage to gather all that and jump to conclusions as fast as you do.”
Marinette grinned, fighting back a small laugh. “I can do better. Her killer was a local.”
“And why do you say that?”
“They dumped the body on a backroad.”
“How do you know this is a back road?” Riley asked.
She raised a brow at that before vaguely gesturing around. “Because I have no idea of where we are.”
“Touche.”
Dick shook his head watching the three of them, before speaking up.
“We should go and speak to the spouse first. Inform him of the murder and question him.”
Marinette furrowed her brows at that. “Question him?
“Cases like these, it’s often the spouse. We usually look into them first.”
Marinette huffed a little at that, shaking her head. “It’s not him. We need to go to the casino. Which way is it?”
“Naanders-”
“Which way?”
“South. Now let’s go- Naanders, where are you going?”
She glanced over her shoulder as she walked off, shooting him a Cheshire grin. “South!”
Dick blew out a breath fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as she walked away, whistling.
“Moore. Sanders. Finish talking to the couple who found her, then look into the spouse. We’ll meet back up at the precinct.”
“Where are you going?”
“Someone has to keep Naanders from committing a felony.”
“I will not!”
Riley yelped as Marinette spoke up from behind them. “When did you-”
She huffed as the other two just sent her a look before continuing. “Anyways, you two have fun questioning people. I’ll be winning at the tables.”
“You are not gambling.”
“Sure. Let’s go with that.”
Aderyn laughed while Riley shot her a thumbs up. “Good Luck, Mari.”
“You’ll need it, Honey. At that casino especially,” Aderyn added on.
She grinned. “I won’t need it.”
“Sure you won’t.”
—--------------------------------
Luthor Casino
Bludhaven, NJ
—------------------
The doors slid open, blasting the pair with cool air, soft music, and the gentle murmurings and clinging of gambling and slot machines.
“Hey, Dick?”
“Yeah, Naanders?”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any money on you would you?”
He narrowed his eyes as he glanced over at her. “I might have a ten or twenty. Why?”
“No reason. Can I borrow it? I swear I’ll pay you back.”
“Marinette….”
“Please?” she pleaded. “I won’t do anything bad. Promise.”
Dick sighed as he took out his wallet, pulling out a crisp 10 dollar bill and holding it out to her, pulling it back as she went to snatch it.
“Don’t do anything illegal,” he warned.
“Who, me? Never,” she asked, blinking sweetly, causing Dick to snort as she snatched the bill from his hand. “Have fun!” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared amongst the patrons, weaving her way through the tables before finding one with an empty seat.
She smiled, slapping the 10 dollar bill onto the table. “Deal me in.”
—------------------
“Detective Grayson?”
“Yes?”
“Hi. Deuce Coinne. Head of Security here at Luthor Casino,” the man offered, holding out his hand. Dick took it, giving a firm handshake before letting the other man lead him away.
“What can I do for you today?”
Dick gave him a tight smile. “We found one of your employees on the side of the road this morning. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Victoria Rose Champagne?”
“Tory? Oh god. Is she okay?”
“I regret to inform you she’s dead.”
Deuce froze at that, taking a moment to take a deep breath and collect himself, before nodding.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Tory is- was, one of our best dealers. She was quick and no one could catch a cheater faster than she could. Friendly as well. She often worked some of the most popular tables.”
“Did you ever suspect her of double dealing or did she ever do anything suspicious?”
“No, no not at all. I mean she often worked more hours and spent more time here than our other dealers, but I always guessed it was because she and Vic have a son. We all know how expensive little kids can be. I swear my little girl outgrows her favorite dress every other week. But I never suspected her of anything. She was always wonderful to be around.”
Dick nodded, “Do you know if anyone has filed a complaint against her recently? Maybe a disgruntled customer who thought she cost them money? Anyone who wanted her dead?”
Deuce shook his head. “No one comes to mind. Um, we have surveillance on the floor at all times,” he told Dick opening a door leading to a room filled with screens. Each screen focused on a table or a section of slots. A guard sat there, keeping half an eye on them, swiveling slightly in their chair. “The casino offers full service gaming, and we recently spent 10 million upgrading the facilities to improve the customer’s experience. Softer lighting, a wider selection of games and alcohol, as well as expanding the main room and reinforcing the walls with compressed lead for safety in the case of an event. Stronger than steel, these walls.”
Dick frowned at that detail, filing it away for later to pass along to Superman, as he looked through the screens. One eye peeled for his consultant as he watched, cards getting shuffled and dealt, practically flying through some of the dealers hands.
He was about to ask a question, when a small light started to blink under one of the screens, the guard and Deuce immediately going over to look at it.
“What’s happening?” Dick asked, peering over to see a bouncer walking over to speak to a petite dark haired woman, who looked suspiciously like his consultant.
“Suspected cheater at table 12-B.”
“Dammit, Naanders.”
—------------------
“I’m not cheating,” she protested.
“I’m sure you’re not, ma’am,” the bouncer said, sarcasm seeping into his voice.
“This is a luck based game-”
"Doesn't mean you don't have the ability to cheat. Explain."
She crossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. "Well you see when I was a teenager I was blessed by the powers of a luck Goddess for years of service with her, defending the world from a mind controlling maniac."
"Pfft yeah right."
"It's the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Would you like to study me as I play the next round? I'll show you my cards to explain the decisions. Watch. You can even handle my cards for me if you’d like. I don’t like being accused of things that aren’t true.”
“Ma’am-”
“Come on. Be my hands for a few games.”
He let out a sigh, standing behind her, watching her like a hawk for the first game, refusing to touch her cards as she played. He agreed to her offer for the next two games, as she stepped back slightly, only looking at the cards as he handled them.
The look he gave her after the third game almost made her laugh.
“How the hell are you so good?”
She gave a small laugh as she shrugged. "I'm just lucky."
He shook his head as he started to walk off. “‘Lucky as a ladybug’ as my old man always said.”
She snorted at that. “You have no idea.”
“Is that so, Naanders?”
She jumped, turning to find Dick standing there with his arms crossed, accompanied by another man, whom she had a sneaking suspicion was the Head of Security given the way he scrutinized her.
“Detective! How goes the investigation?”
“Fairly well, until my consultant was found cheating.”
“I was not cheating!”
“Regardless, of whether or not you were cheating, why don’t the three of us go and speak to the CEO?” the Head of Security piped up.
“Yes. Let’s!” Marinette hopped off her chair, grabbing her chips and following the two of them, purposefully ignoring the look Dick shot her as she introduced herself to Deuce.
—------------------
The trio stopped in front of a plain door, Deuce reaching up to knock, giving a quick knock.
“Mr. Owens? The detective is here to see you.”
The door opened right as Deuce went to knock again. He was barely able to stop himself from accidentally knocking on the CEO’s face.
The man in the doorway was small, ratlike in appearance as he glanced around before darting out with a smile, taking Dick’s hand in a handshake, and kissing the back of Marinette’s hand. She wrinkled her nose at that, disguising it poorly with a smile-like grimace.
“Hello, hello. I’m Colbert Owens, I run this Casino on the behest of Mr. Luthor.”
“Your name is… Colbert Owens?” Marinette asked, rubbing the back of her hand across her pants leg. He grimaced as she asked that, running a hand through his combover.
“Please, just call me Colby.”
“Mr. Owens-”
“Colby, please.”
“Colby, what can you tell us about Tory? What she did for the casino and anything that might help point us in the right direction.”
“Oh! Oh, um, she was very helpful. She’d often help out with odd jobs. Nothing too major usually. Um, just an extra pair of hands around here when we needed. We’d pull her for special events and parties that were held occasionally. She was always happy to help.”
“And what animal would you say she was?” Marinette interrupted, earning a glance from Detective Grayson.
Colby stopped wringing his hands as she said that.
“Excuse me?”
“What animal would you say she was?”
“Oh, um. I suppose she’d be a- Jesus, I don’t know. A squirrel,” he muttered, tripping over his answer before narrowing his eyes at her. “Weren’t you the cheater at 12-B.”
“I wasn’t cheating. However your dealer is working with a whale. The redhead guy at the end of the table. They have quite a cushy deal going on from the little I saw.”
“What?”
“Mhmm. She slips him the good cards. Or tries to at least. She fumbles on occasion.”
Colby looked over at Deuce.
“I’m on it. Detective, Miss Naanders, lovely meeting you. Good luck.”
“You as well.”
Colby cleared his throat, wringing his hands once more. “I have a, um, meeting here in a few minutes, is there anything else I can do for you, Detective?”
“No. No. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else.”
“Of course. Well in that case-”
“Actually, really quick,” Marinette interjected. “Do you know of a notebook or journal Tory might have kept.”
Colby tensed for a second before shaking his head. “Er um, no. No I don’t.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Of course.”
The three bid their adieus, Dick and Marinette making it to the elevator before he turned to her.
“Okay, Marinette. What do you know?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Then what was that? About the animal and notebook.”
“Like I said. Nothing.”
Dick let out a groan. “Well at least your noncommittal responses aren’t grunts and hmms,” he muttered as Marinette laughed, leaving the elevator.
“Wait for me a minute. I have some chips to cash in.”
—--------------------------------
Bludhaven Police Department
—------------------
“Finally, y’all came back!” Aderyn exclaimed, looking up to catch the pair walking in, separating as Dick went to his desk and Marinette plopped down on her couch.
“What did you guys find out?” he asked.
“She was married to Victor Champagne. Kind enough man, a few priors on him from some bad mistakes as a teen. Some petty theft and accidents,” Aderyn informed them.
“He was really nice,” Riley chimed in. “Though, it was hard breaking the news. He - uh- there were a lot of tears and I’m not the best with, you know…. Comforting others I don’t really know. But he said he last saw her yesterday morning before she left for work.”
“They have a son, Vincent. 12 years old, same age as my Benny,” Aderyn let out a little tut. “Poor thing, losing his mama like that.”
Riley scratched the back of their neck at that. “And he told us that he took Tory’s last name cause she got very happy every time she said her full name because ‘Rose Champagne’ and that we could look through any of their things if it helps find her killer.”
Dick nodded at that, opening his mouth to say something when the Chief’s sharp shout of “Grayson,” rang through.
“Coming, Chief,” he called, before turning to look at Marinette. “Please don’t burn down the precinct before I get back.”
“Me? I would never.”
She laughed as he walked off, leaning back into the couch.
“So, Marinette….”
“Yeah, Riley?”
“So much, I mean, so um, how much did you end up winning at the casino?”
“Oh about 100 thousand.”
Riley let out a small sputtering noise. “Holy- God, I could pay off the rest of my student debts and then some with that money. God, Marinette. I envy you. How’d you do it?”
She shrugged, with a small grin. “I’m just lucky.”
“No one’s that lucky.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Bean. It’s all in the Luck of the Draw.”
“Well, I sure wish I had your luck.”
She laughed, standing and stretching while giving them a Cheshire grin. “Maybe one day. Now come on.”
“Where?”
“I wanna talk to Vic. And since I’m not technically police. I should have at least one of you two with me. Aderyn, care to join?”
“You two go on ahead. I’ll hold down the fort for when Grayson gets back.”
“Alright. See you in a bit. Adieu!”
“Why are we going? I was just there?”
Marinette laughed, dragging them along. “Just come on.”