* * * * *
I took another shower at the motel, and then it seemed that the time to search had come. I packed my Colt, just in case. We got in the Cadillac, and left the parking lot to look for Talisha. I just followed my gut instinct. It was like finding a needle in a haystack so I couldn’t rely on much else. I tried to think like she would; any place that seemed to me that she wouldn’t like it, we turned around and kept on going. No point in wasting time. The first casino we checked out was on the ground floor of a large hotel. We rolled into the parking lot and the valet came to park the car as soon as we got out. I gave him the keys and he took it to a lot. We walked inside to take a look at whatever the game room had to hide.
There was no moon in the sky that evening, but it was still light even well into the night. The buildings covered in fancy screens and neon lights were all aglow. I couldn’t believe it before, but I could see why now, that if you look at the earth from space, even at night it still lit. Day in, day out, the lights, much like the people, never slept. The energy wasted was immaculate. Just to power these silly advertisements for a year, cost them $32,000,000. Un-fucking-believable. And meanwhile, we complain when 2 million of our tax dollars goes to renewing unused roads. Don’t even get me started on the water usage here. Anywhere suburban, the grass was green. This was in part of course due the high fertilizer usage, but also the regular watering of the lawns. But since Las Vegas in the middle of the desert, I doubt that came cheap. It obviously didn’t have its own water supply to use for that, so they probably run it in from somewhere. Now, water moves for one of two reasons: it runs downhill, or there is some energy moving it forward. That energy here comes in the form of pressure and is generated by huge turbines that spin due to electricity, once again, greatly boosting the electricity bill for the city of Las Vegas. Lucky for us, we aren’t on a “Save the Rivers” tour so we won’t be hearing anymore of that, but it is food for thought. The less we worry about the impact of Las Vegas on the earth, the sooner we can find Talisha and get out of here.
Inside the casino, we were greeted by a huge room. And I mean huge. About the size of a football field, all covered in tables and slot machines, and tons of other types of games. The sounds of laughter and chatter were masked by the colorful beeps and bloops of the slot machines and the clinking of glasses. The smell of fragrances and colognes was covered by the thick smoke and the sweat. I assumed it was an acquired taste. I looked over at one of the poker tables. The dealers were fast and precise, dealing cards in a perfectly distinguishable stack in front of the players, but I could hardly followed their hands with my eyes. We continued on deeper into the depths of the game room. The slot machines were plentiful, and hundreds of different types could be found, but there were never more than two people per machine. The larger crowds typically had gathered around poker tables and roulette tables.
We went further and further, looking at faces, trying find the familiar one. I told Gary to keep an eye on the left of the aisle we went down, and I would watch the right. I made I could get a clear look at everyone playing. We were pretty thorough but neither I, nor Gary found her. We started back towards the exit, but switched sides, just in case someone missed it, then the other might get a better view, or have a better eye and went back in the direction we came from, but ended with the same results.
So we were not so lucky with our first bet and left the casino eventually. I took out a $10 bill and give it to the Valet as he got out of our car. He gave us a quick thanks and hurried on to the next guests.
The second Casino was very similar to the first. In fact, the only major differences were some of the machines, and the uniforms of the waiters and dealers. And the giant fountain in the middle of the floor. The night already seemed too short. We were running out of hours, it would be dusk soon, and a lot of people took a nap during the day to take a break from their gambling. We didn’t have this kind of time to lose. With me gaining notoriety through media, and Gary losing money every second, we had to find her as soon as we could. I started working like a computer: I told myself I am looking for a blonde woman in her thirties. I automatically overlooked anyone that didn’t fit the description, and this actually sped me up a great deal. I only snapped back to reality when Gary patted me on the shoulder.
“Hey man, I gotta go to the bathroom.” He said.
“Go for it, I’ll wait for you.” I nodded
He rushed over the restrooms and he went in. I walked over to the wall, scanning the room while waiting for him. Both were fruitless, I couldn’t find Talisha, and Gary never showed up either. I had to have been waiting for at least 20 minutes by this point time, and still no Gary. People were coming and going and I was watching them, recording their faces. I went in to see what was up. There were two men by the urinals, but neither were Gary. The stalls were all open and empty. Gary had seemingly ditched me.
I was leaving through the door, deep in thought when I bumped into an elderly looking man, about sixty years old.
“Sorry sir, I’m just looking for someone.” I told him, and brushed off his blazer.
“It seems everyone is losing someone tonight. I lost a beautiful little blonde myself.” He said with a wink. I smiled back and continued on my way for about six steps when I froze in place. It all became clear now. I don’t know how I missed it. Gary didn’t have to go to the bathroom. He saw Talisha at a table, ditched me to warn her and ran off.
I was back in the Cadillac, thinking about what to do next. They obviously didn’t want to risk me spotting them so they would have left the casino entirely. They probably checked out of gambling for the night too. I headed down the street slowly, trying to get a glimpse of the pedestrians, but I was pretty skeptical myself.
The feeling of helplessness took over. I cursed myself, Gary, the Cadillac. Anything I could set my sights on. Fuck everything. How could I trust that little prick that tried throwing my ass in jail so he could sit in comfort? Not making that mistake again, that’s for sure. What the fuck am I doing? I’m sitting in the middle of Vegas with close to no money, in a car that doesn’t belong to me. On top of that, the police are on my trail for murder. I was exhausted, and had lost all hope. My only chance to prove my innocence had gone up in smoke.
The sooner I can get in a bed and get a good night’s rest, the sooner I can wake up fresh, and worry about catching up to them again. I was too tired to think straight. I would try again tomorrow, I decided. I headed back to the motel to lay in bed. When I parked the car, the convertible was still there, but there were two people packing in its trunk. I got out and started heading towards my door, when I heard the voices whispering, it was a man and woman, as far I could tell. I went around to investigate. I couldn’t believe my luck.
I recognized them from their silhouettes and their movements immediately. It was Talisha and Gary. The dream team. I had to rub my eyes and remember to close my mouth. I got back in the Cadillac before they realized my presence. I pulled back out and drove up behind the Mercedes making sure they couldn’t leave in their car. I jumped out of the car and grabbed Gary by his neck. I used my momentum to swing him around and threw him at the door with full force. Talisha screamed as he crashed through it tearing it off of its hinges and landing on the door. Considering how thick Motel doors are, that was pretty impressive. He laid on the ground gasping for breath as I turned to face Talisha. I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her in behind me and shoved her towards the bed, where she took a seat. I pulled Gary in and stood the door up, closing it the best I could.
“Leaving without a goodbye, Gary? That’s pretty cold of you, I thought we were closer than that.” I said as he started standing up. “You too missy. Didn’t your mother teach you better than that? I think old Mr. Moneybags is still looking for you.” I continued, to Talisha this time.
She seemed to take offence to this because she stood up and starting beating my chest, and yelling.
I shoved her
away and she fell to the floor.
“You’re supposed to be in jail!” She wailed.
“Surprise! Also, I’m claustrophobic. Sorry doll.”
Gary took this opportunity to man up. He lunged at me and tackled me to the floor. He sat up on my chest and started pummeling my face. When he stopped for a second to catch his breath and see if I’m out cold, I opened my eyes.
“Is that all you got big boy? I thought you somehow got your act together since we’ve been talking, but clearly you’re still working on that.” I taunted.
His face turned bright red and he went for another swing. I was torn between letting it connect and catching his fist with my hand, but I felt I needed it to wake up so I let it through. At the moment of impact, I sat up, pushing him backwards, but I also brought my knee up and kneed him in the back. He arched his back trying to numb the pain so I punched him in the stomach as hard as I could. He doubled over trying to catch his breath again. He was gasping for air and rolled off of me. Talisha screamed again and started kicking me in the side with her pointy-nosed stilettos. Although they weren’t doing any damage, they did hurt quite a bit. I caught her leg, and rolled like and alligator, bringing her to the ground too. I jumped to my feet quickly and kicked Gary in the stomach making sure he’s staying down.
I took the Colt out of my pants and pointed it at Talisha. Gary won’t be much of a threat for the rest of this little scuffle.
“Now, were all going to get in the motherfucking car, and have a lovely little trip. Are we clear? Any questions? No? Good.”
Talisha was almost glowing with hatred, she started to protest.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch. I am this close to making sure you stay here, and never make it to Brooklyn.” I said, and held my index finger and thumb really close together.
She stood up and I shoved her towards the door.
“Move it, cunt.”
She glared at me, but stayed silent. I bent over to help Gary up by his arms.
We walked out to the car. There was light coming from the reception. I took a look at the door, the old receptionist man was standing there, his face as blank as ever. He did a little headshake of disappointment. I ignored it and got in the car, in the driver’s seat. Gary was beside me, and Talisha in the back behind him. I turned the ignition and we left lot, unknowing that we would never make it back, not together.
* * * * *
Sorrenson and his partner were in the Eagle police station, just a few miles from Gypsum. They had both unbuttoned the top buttons on their shirts to fight against the heat. Sorrenson was hung up the phone but immediately started dialing again. Although he was calling a number 1200 miles away, someone picked up after a few seconds.
“Lacroix here.”
“Lacroix, this is Sorrenson.”
“Sir! I have some news!”
“Out with it son. Let’s do this.”
“So i did a little research on James’ history. I got nothing from that though. Literally nothing. Not until he got into his boxing career. Now he has a private business. He works with nobody, so that didn’t help much either. No affiliates, no sponsors, nothing. It’s like as if he doesn’t have a relation with any of his clients.”
“Thanks Lacroix. It’s a start, but we will need more. Keep on searching.”
Sorrenson hung up glanced over at Agent Miller. He got an idea. He called the local police office.
“Special Agent Sorrenson here. We are tasked with finding Roy James. Could you get someone from forensics to go to the Motel-70 in Gypsum and dust for prints? They will tell you which room to search.”
Miller looked at Sorrenson curiously, who shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“Come on, let’s take a lunch break.”
Miller and Sorrenson didn’t get back to the office for another hour and half. The prints from the motel were all filed neatly and placed on the desk assigned to Sorrenson. He picked on up and gave it to Miller.
“Let’s get someone to run a quick scan on these. You never know until you know. He might just have a background already.”
“I will find someone who can do this for you.” Offered Miller and she was already off.
“Don’t go too far! I think we need to check back at the motel soon.”
“I doubt that receptionist could tell us anything new, sir.” said Miller.
“I don’t want to talk. I just want a room.”
They asked for the same room that James and his companion had taken for the evening. They looked around to see if any traces had been left that would be of use to their investigation, or anything out of place at all. They were simply doing it out of habit, rather than hope. They didn’t expect to find anything, because these rooms were cleaned every day. The door handles and many surfaces that are frequently touched were covered in graphite powder. The forensics unit had left those there when they were searching for prints. It didn’t bother them at all because they just wanted to use the bed. The overnight flight had exhausted them, and they still suffered from jet lag. The extreme heat wasn’t easing their case. Special Agent Sorrrenson knew that a well-deserved rest would bring progression, and the little annoyances would no longer be the hindrances they were being.
Merely a quarter of an hour later the phone rang, waking them up. The receptionist was on the line.
“Sir, you are needed at the station.” Came the message.
So they had found a match after all. All feelings of exhaustion were gone from Sorrenson now. Finally, they had another clue, and a big one, to zeroing in on James. A trail they could follow, a scent they could pick up. They hurried back to the base as fast as they could, to learn more about this secretive partner.
His name was Gary Palmer. Born in New York. He had a criminal record from trying to break into a car when he was 15. He was in a youth correctional facility for two years and had gone clean since. Or was never caught. But his record said he was clean.
“What would a guy like this be doing with a murderer like James?” Asked Agent Miller.
“I have no clue.”
“Let’s call Lacroix. Maybe he got somewhere too.”
They dialed the station back in New York again and got connected.
“We have the second identity. We are faxing you the details right now.”
“Mhmm, got it right here.... Palmer? This guy, Gary Palmer?”
“Do you know him?”
“Never even heard of him.”
“Didn’t you come across him while searching James’ history?” asked Sorrenson.
“No sir. I would remember something like that.”
Miller dialed the Youth Correction Facility where palmer spent two year of his life. However that was close to thirty years ago. None of the staff had been there for that so they were no help at all.
“Sir, if I remember correctly, you said that the suspect was heading west, right?” asked Lacroix.
“That’s correct” replied Sorrenson.
“I tried to get in touch with the victim’s wife, if she maybe knew a thing or two about Palmer or James. She wasn’t at home. In fact, she’s not even in town. She left to Vegas on the day of James’ arrest. It gets better though.”
“Let’s hear it son.” Sorrenson felt his heart pounding, and adrenaline coursing through his body.
“Mrs. Kirkwood, she too spent time in the same correctional facility as Palmer. At the same time.”
“That’s my man, Lacroix!” Sorrensons practically yelled. They were hot on the trail once again. He hung up the phone and slowly turned to face Agent Miller.
“What’s going on, sir?” She asked.
“How do you feel about gambling and prostitutes, Miller?”
“Not again...”
* * * * *
The motel receptionist reached for the phone as the suspicious vehicle pulled out of the parking lot. He was on the night shift, so this was very unusually. He was dozing off when he heard the tires
squealing on the pavement. He heard the shouting, screaming and a loud crash. He didn’t feel safe enough to go outside to investigate so he watched from the lobby window. He saw the black sedan behind the red Mercedes with its trunk open.
Soon enough he found the people making the racket, the only people who were checked in at this time. There was a blonde woman with a limp who had been here for a few days. Her hair was now a mess and her dress straps were sliding off to the sides. There were two men behind her, those who arrived today. One of them was double over and seemed drugged. The larger one looked and made eye contact with him. The receptionist was glad he didn’t go outside, because he noticed the weapon in the larger man’s hand.
He slid more to the side of the window but continued watching. They got in the car, and quickly drove off.
He didn’t know what to do. He felt it was his duty to report it. What is they caused more problems elsewhere and it caused someone to get hurt? He couldn’t live with that possibility, so he called the police to make a report.
The two special agents were called at 9:55 in the evening. They were already in Vegas, and someone from a motel had reported that two men and a woman were disturbing the peace. They said that the suspects had made a clean getaway but one of them had a gun.
The local police had already been dispatched with multiple patrollers around the scene, with two officers per vehicle. There were three choppers in the air, and were on the lookout for a red Mercedes.
Sorrenson and his partner were in a black sedan, listening to the events and individual teams’ updates on the URH radio. Agent Miller had a map in her lap, opened up so they could follow specifically where teams were visually as well.
Amongst the reports, they finally heard what they were waiting for: one of the patrollers had found a red Mercedes.
Agent Miller turned on the siren, and Sorrenson stepped on the gas, and they started towards Flamingo Road.
CHAPTER 9
I tried to calm down as I left the lot but I was too worked up. I tried to focus on the road instead. I didn’t push it. I went at a normal pace, blending in with the rest of the traffic. I had no reason to be in a rush, but I also could hardly wait to get home. I felt like a cat bringing home a bird I caught. I couldn’t wait to show the police station back home what I had found. I just had to manage for another day or two to stay unnoticed.
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