3 Red. The Lucius Bunk Series, #3

Marvin Dimple was a reserved, introverted man, who lived alone and worked as a bookkeeper in Las Vegas. His one major weakness was his addiction to playing roulette in a Vegas casino. One late Friday night, he had a long run of bad luck and had no additional funds available to try and win back his money. Being the last player at the roulette table that night, he and the croupier became engaged in conversation.
The croupier referred to Marvin's gold and diamond-studded watch, indicating that Marvin would get substantial cash immediately by getting a loan from a nearby pawn shop, using his watch as collateral. After some initial resistance, Marvin began to consider the idea. He left the casino and began walking home to his nearby apartment when he saw the bright neon sign of the pawn shop referred to by the croupier.
Marvin decided to go inside to make an inquiry, a decision that set off a sequence of shocking and ominous events that required the involvement of Detective Sergeant Lucius Bunk of the Las Vegas Metro Police.