The three made general small talk for a few minutes during which Guenther learned that Joyce had a degree in economics from the University of Nebraska in Omaha. She was a free-lance escort meaning that she had no pimp. That was a welcome relief. The fewer people in on the caper, the easier it was to avoid detection.
When the conversation turned to the specifics of the assignment, Guenther laid out a payment plan. Joyce would be paid $500 each day that her services were required beginning today.
If Joyce managed to make positive initial contact with Scott Baxter and accompany him to dinner or a show, then she would be paid an additional $1,000.
If that contact resulted in Joyce being invited up to Baxter’s hotel room for a night-cap, and if she was successful in administering the knock-out drug in Baxter’s drink, then she would be paid $10,000 plus she could keep any money she found in Baxter’s wallet or elsewhere in his room.
She would be given an untraceable cell phone from which she would call Willy when Baxter was unconscious. Joyce could leave at that time and Willy would look after planting some illegal drugs in the room. Willy would also be the one to take Baxter’s credit cards from his wallet.
“How will I know who the target is?” Joyce inquired.
Willy gave her a copy of Scott Baxter’s photo from the Internet.
“This is the fellow. He’s a retired attorney from Canada which indicates that he’s no dummy. You need to act in a sophisticated manner. Baxter is divorced and hasn’t had a girlfriend in a couple of years. He just retired last fall. I’m sure we don’t have to tell you how to attract a guy like him. You have the looks and demeanor of a successful female executive. The tricky part will be connecting with him in the first place.”
“I shouldn’t have any difficulty initiating contact. Older gentlemen tend to be gullible fools and lap up any attention from a pretty younger woman. Where and when will you need me?”
“Willy will hang around Baxter’s hotel today while wearing a disguise. If he spots the shyster, then Willy will call you and tell you where to go. You can take it from there.”
“What will I do if Mr. Baxter moves around after Willy calls?”
“Willy will keep you posted on Baxter’s whereabouts. He’s staying at the El Cortez downtown.”
“I’ve got a wide selection of wigs. Is it acceptable if I alter my appearance?”
“That’s a wise idea. Just make sure that your new look portrays sophistication and class.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll go back to my apartment and wait for Willy’s call.”
Joyce was paid in cash for her services today and she returned to her place in her own vehicle.
Willy and Guenther drove back to the office.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, Willy went home and donned his disguise. Then he drove to the El Cortez and wandered around looking for Baxter.
When he hadn’t spotted the attorney by six o’clock, Willy called the front desk and asked to be put through to Scott Baxter’s room.
“Mr. Baxter hasn’t checked in yet, sir.”
“I thought that he’d been staying here for a while.”
“He was at the hotel earlier in the week but checked out on Wednesday morning. He’s booked a room for tonight and tomorrow night but hasn’t arrived yet. He has guaranteed late arrival so a room will be waiting for him no matter what time he actually gets here. An actual room won’t be assigned until Mr. Baxter checks in.”
“Thank you for your assistance. I’ll try him again in a few hours.”
Willy called his boss and explained the situation.
“You may as well go home. Call Joyce and tell her that she won’t be needed until tomorrow. If Baxter has flown somewhere, his flight might not arrive until late.”
“That makes sense, boss. I’ll come back here tomorrow morning and try again.”
Willy called Joyce with the new information.
CHAPTER 19 (Back In Vegas)
On Thursday I ate an early breakfast in the hotel and checked out at eight o’clock. I drove south to Parker where I crossed the Colorado River back into California and continued on Highway 62 until it intersected with Highway 177.
I caught Interstate 10 and entered the Joshua Tree National Park at the south entrance.
The scenery was very interesting. At one lookout point called Keys View, I was able to see the Salton Sea in the distance.
I had planned on finding a hotel in Twentynine Palms but by the time I’d seen enough panorama for one day, I felt more like gambling.
I drove back to Needles and then continued on to Laughlin where I found an inexpensive room at the Aquarius just before seven o’clock.
I ate in the buffet there and then sat down to play slot machines.
Drinks were also free for gamblers so I imbibed with five Bailey’s coffees with whipped cream.
Lady Luck was by my side all evening and I made a gambling profit of $85 which more than covered the cost of the hotel room, buffet supper and drink tips.
Steve’s smart phone hadn’t rung even once during my road trip. That wasn’t particularly good news because it indicated that Schenteck hadn’t been intimidated by Steve’s letter and my comments.
On Friday morning I ate a huge breakfast in the hotel’s buffet. I checked out of the hotel but then spent an hour strolling along the pedestrian walkway between the hotels and the river.
Then I played slots for an hour on the same machine that had been so good to me last night. I made a further profit of ten bucks and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Laughlin had been very kind to me this time around.
The drive back to Las Vegas was uneventful except that traffic was dreadful by the time I hit the city.
It was seven o’clock by the time I reached the Golden Nugget and turned the rental car back in.
I walked the three short blocks to the El Cortez and checked in. I was given Room 321 in the older section of the hotel. I had found this section of the establishment to be nice and quiet. Some historical photographs on the walls of the casino indicated that this three-storey section of the hotel was built in 1941. In 1963 a fifteen-storey tower was added.
My new room was lovely. No wonder it had cost a bit more than my other room.
This Room 321 had a sitting area at one end with a small sofa and coffee table. It was a shame that I didn’t have anyone to entertain here. It had been years since I’d lucked in to a proper hotel suite. I was sorry that I’d already booked my next hotel and would only be in this lovely room for two nights.
There was a long line-up at Magnolia’s in the Four Queens so I wandered up to the Plaza and had a late supper in their diner. All I ordered was a hamburger, fries and a Pepsi since I had stuffed myself this morning.
I played slots at the Plaza for a couple of hours after supper and only lost ten bucks. I drank two bottles of beer while gambling.
On the way back to my hotel I stopped to watch the eleven o’clock light show before I called it a night.
My side trip to Arizona and California had been a very pleasant way to spend the past three days. It really felt that I was on vacation.
The only negative was my continued involvement in Steve Carling’s dispute with Guenther Schenteck. I was pretty sure that I’d bitten off more than I could chew.
I would definitely need Lady Luck at my side if I was going to escape this messy situation unscathed.
I sincerely hoped that my old joke that Lady Luck loved lawyers would prove to be true yet again.
CHAPTER 20 (First Contact)
On Saturday morning I slept in until eleven o’clock. Clearly the long drive and the booze had tired me out. I wasn’t a young buck any more.
It was too late for breakfast so I went downstairs and had lunch in the coffee shop.
Meanwhile, Willy Fraunz was at the El Cortez playing a slot machine which provided him with a view of the two main portions of the casino. This vantage point also allowed Willy to keep his eyes on the h
otel lobby and the main coffee shop.
Willy had already verified with the registration desk that Scott Baxter had checked in last night. Willy had arrived at eight o’clock this morning and had lost $120 on the slot machine so far. He hoped that his boss would cover those losses.
Finally just before noon Willy spotted Baxter descending a small stairway and making his way to the coffee shop. He called Guenther for instructions.
“Call Joyce and have her get her ass downtown. Continue to follow Baxter. It might be a bit early to make contact with him but we’ll leave it to Joyce to seize any promising opportunity.”
Willy called Joyce who indicated that it would take her about an hour to put on her disguise and drive to the El Cortez.
Before she arrived, Baxter was on the move. He went back upstairs to his room but returned five minutes later wearing his casino jacket.
Willy followed the lawyer out of the hotel. Baxter entered the D Las Vegas and wandered around the casino.
Willy called Joyce and suggested that she put her car in one of the parking garages near the D Las Vegas.
The ditzy woman hadn’t even left her apartment yet. Willy told her to call him as soon as she had parked her vehicle.
Before Joyce arrived, Baxter was back on the move. He walked over to the Fremont and plunked himself down on a penny slot machine.
Ten minutes later Joyce called. Willy instructed her to meet him at the west side entrance of the Fremont.
She walked in the hotel and saw Willy. He beckoned her to come over.
“That’s Scott Baxter wearing the El Cortez casino jacket. Can you take it from here?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Will you be sticking around? I might lose him before an opportunity arises to meet him.”
“I’ll be in the background for as long as it takes for you to make contact and set the bait. Do you have any plan?”
“It’s too early to suggest going back to his hotel room. I’m going to try and hang out with him until he asks me to join him for supper. Once that happens, then it should be clear sailing the rest of the way.”
Before Joyce had a chance to approach Baxter, he arose from the chair and left the casino.
Willy followed Baxter while Joyce hung back.
The shyster walked into the next casino which was Binion’s where he slowly moved around but apparently didn’t find any slot that beckoned to him.
He left Binion’s and walked across the Fremont Street Experience to the Golden Nugget.
Willy tailed him inside, making sure to remain inconspicuous and not get too near.
Baxter found a bank of slots to his liking and sat down at the end machine. Willy called Joyce and provided her with Baxter’s new location. Then he sat at a slot machine in a spot well behind Baxter which enabled Willy to keep his eye on the prize.
Joyce entered the Golden Nugget and walked around until she saw Scott Baxter.
The machine right beside him was vacant but Joyce didn’t wish to be too obvious.
She sat at another machine further down that bank of slots and inserted a ten dollar bill.
Baxter ordered a drink from the cocktail waitress which probably meant that he intended to stay at that machine for a while.
An older lady sat down on the machine beside Baxter.
Joyce played a few games on her own machine and then cashed in her ticket. She moved to another slot two seats down from where Baxter was sitting and right beside the older woman. Joyce inserted her ticket.
She continued to play on that machine for about fifteen minutes until the lady beside her stood up and left.
Joyce cashed in her ticket and moved over to the lady’s machine. She inserted the ticket and began playing the same game as Baxter. It was some stupid keno game called Caveman Keno Plus and Joyce didn’t fully understand it. She noticed that Baxter was playing only one credit at a time which probably meant that he was a cheapskate. What kind of lawyer would waste his time playing twenty-five cents over and over again?
Another anomaly was that Baxter had a small notepad and a pen with him and he seemed to be keeping track of every tiny jackpot.
It was both bizarre and pathetic but at least it offered an excuse to chat the weirdo up.
“I don’t mean to pry, but do you have some type of system designed to beat the odds?”
Joyce smiled demurely at Baxter as she cooed at her quarry.
Baxter was clearly pleased with the female attention because his countenance immediately brightened.
“There is no such system. The odds always favor the casino but I’m a bit of a numbers freak and like to keep track of my results. I record how much money I’m throwing into the machines as well as what jackpots I hit.”
“Is that what your little chart is for?”
“It is. I normally select seven numbers. With this particular game, each time at least three of my chosen numbers are hit then I win the corresponding jackpot shown on the left hand side of the screen.”
Baxter pointed to a row of numbers which indicated the amount of the jackpot from three hits up to all seven.
The man was excruciatingly boring as he droned on.
“In addition to my own chosen numbers, the machine selects three random numbers and places an egg on each one. If I’m lucky enough to hit two of the three eggs at the same time that I hit at least three of my numbers, then the jackpot is four times higher. If I hit all three eggs, then my jackpot is multiplied by eight times.”
Already Joyce wanted to scream. This idiot gave new meaning to the term “nerd.” It was going to be a very long day. The fool still wasn’t finished with his explanation.
“The thing I enjoy the most on this type of keno slot is that every time I’m fortunate enough to hit at least three numbers and at least two eggs at the same time, then the bonus feature kicks in.”
“What’s the bonus feature?” Joyce asked enthusiastically as if learning about it would unfold the secrets of the universe.
“The machine randomly selects three extra numbers which show up on these three small circles. If I manage to hit one, then the jackpot jumps up to the next highest level. It’s thereby possible to hit a huge jackpot of $2,000 with just a twenty-five cent bet.”
It’s also possible that I might bang my head against this machine until I’m unconscious if I have to listen to your drivel much longer, Joyce thought.
Despite her growing revulsion, Joyce replied cheerfully, “It sounds like great fun. I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the lesson. By the way, I’m Ellen.”
“I’m Scott. It’s nice to chat with you. I hope that your machine is kind to you.”
Joyce had contemplated a whole range of phony names but settled on Ellen because it seemed to have a bit of class. With most of her tricks, she used the names Cindy or Bambi.
“Where are you from, Scott?”
“I used to live in Toronto but last year I retired and moved to my home town which is a small city in Ontario called Belleville. Are you on vacation?”
“I’m here for a few days from Los Angeles. This is my first visit ever to Las Vegas. I’m staying on the Strip but a friend from work told me that the slot machines downtown pay out a lot better. So far that hasn’t been the case.”
Instead of her response initiating a more personal conversation, Baxter launched in to some sort of idiotic ratings list of what he considered to be the loosest casinos in the downtown area.
Joyce wished that she could administer the knock-out drug immediately. Listening to this tedious moron for another several hours was going to knock her out instead.
She excused herself while she visited the ladies room. In the stall she snorted a half-line of cocaine as a pick-me-up. Without a bit of pharmaceutical stimulation, Joyce would definitely be brain-dead by suppertime.
She steeled herself to return to her machine and be immersed once again in Baxter’s verbal torture.
CHAPTER 21 (Flirtation Failure)
“Did you hit anythi
ng good while I was in the ladies room?” Joyce asked excitedly.
“I hit five numbers once which earned me $3.25 but that’s the only decent jackpot I had.”
Joyce almost burst out laughing. Most of her tricks were high rollers who bet hundreds of dollars on each blackjack hand. This bloke was thrilled to win three bucks.
“Have you taken in any shows since you hit town?” Joyce asked.
“No I haven’t. I did rent a car for three days and drove down to Lake Havasu City and Laughlin. I also saw the Joshua Tree National Park in California. It was a nice break from Las Vegas. How have you spent your vacation so far?”
“I only got here yesterday morning. I walked around the Strip most of the day and played slot machines but I had no luck. That’s why I took a cab downtown today to see if my friend was right. I do like the fact that the hotels down here are much closer together. I did a ton of walking yesterday. I fly home early on Monday morning.”
“Do you have to go back to work on Monday?”
“Yes I do although I told my boss that I might be an hour late getting in depending on whether my flight is on time or not. This is just a weekend jaunt. I work in an insurance broker’s office so yesterday was the only vacation day I used. My boyfriend and I broke up just before Christmas. I wanted to see Las Vegas while I was still footloose and fancy free. When do you fly home?”
“I don’t leave until the 4th of March. The main purpose of this trip is to escape a bit of the Canadian winter. January up there was brutal this year and I was sick of the cold and snow. I’ve already been here for two weeks.”
“What line of work were you in?”
“I was a lawyer in Toronto.”
Finally the bore had said something that interested Joyce.
“Did you handle any criminal work?”
“No, I was mostly an office attorney assisting folks when they bought or sold their homes. Earlier in my career I also did some civil litigation.”
Lady Luck Loves Lawyers Page 6