Con Game

by Alex Westmore

  “Get up, goddamnit! Get up!” Delta yelled. “You can’t be dead. You can’t!”

  Fires licked at Dori’s feet, and harsh winds blew tumbleweeds by her, but still no movement.

  “Please, God, please don’t let this be happening,” Connie said, rising. “If he comes on this screen, you better sedate me, Delta. I swear to God, I’ll go ballistic.”

  Three more minutes plodded by without any movement from Dori.

  “Do something!” Megan cried.

  “I’m trying,” Connie said, moving the joystick every direction. And then, quite suddenly, Dori raised to her elbows and looked around.

  “She’s up!” Connie cried, patting the computer.

  “Oh my,” sighed Dr. Rosenbaum, wiping his head with a handkerchief. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “I thought we were goners,” Megan added, hugging Connie and Delta.

  Wiping her palms on her pant legs, Connie inhaled deeply. “Tell me about the underworld, Mort. What are we looking for down here?”

  “There’s your answer,” he said, pointing to the screen, which now displayed a canoe being guided to shore by a skeleton dressed in a black robe.

  “That’s Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx.”

  Connie turned and stared at Dr. Rosenbaum. “Styx? As in the river of Hell?”

  “That’s the one. You’ll need to pay him to get across the river.”

  Connie smirked. “Another ploy to get me to open the box for money we don’t have. I’d rather try the shoes first.”

  Trying the shoes, Dori immediately lifted off the ground and glided over Charon’s canoe to the other side of the river. Once there, a large vulture swooped down and picked her up in his talons.

  “Damn. What now?” Connie muttered to herself, as the vulture glided through the air carrying Dori.

  Dr. Rosenbaum peered over Connie’s shoulder. “We’ve moved from the side we were on because we’re . . . well . . . she’s not dead. Only the dead cross the river Styx, and only if they pay the proper fee.”

  Silently, they all watched as the vulture dropped her down to a group of islands.

  “We’ve landed on the island of the Blessed Elysian Fields,” Dr. Rosenbaum continued. “That’s where the heroes go instead of to Hades. Elysium is the dwelling place of mortals made immortal through the favor of the gods.”

  “Then we’re here?” Connie asked. “Have we reached the end?” Before Dr. Rosenbaum could answer, the screen faded and was replaced by a lighter screen that resembled an ancient scroll.

  “This is it,” Connie announced, as the screen came into full view.

  Congratulations, Consuela and Company. Or is it? Have you left yourself enough time? Did you build for yourself a margin of error?

  This will be your greatest challenge yet. To stop me, you must find me. To find me, you must first solve the following riddle. I do remember how you and ‘the boys’ loved riddles and crass jokes. Let’s see how you enjoy the riddle of your life.

  As the scroll faded, Connie glared at the screen. “You’ll get yours, you bastard.”

  “Here it comes.” Suddenly, the screen came to life, and music accompanied the riddle, which Connie read aloud.

  One is a falling star, one comes from afar—

  One is body, one is brains, neither cares about man’s pains—

  One breaks laws the other makes, both are clearly just big fakes—

  The origin of one is the destiny of the other,

  Which will die, the sister or the brother? From this your quest will come to end—

  Upon your choice does her life depend.

  Megan jotted down the riddle and handed it to Dr. Rosenbaum, who studied it before giving it back to Delta.

  “There’s more,” Connie said, pointing to the ever-changing screen.

  Should you thus be able to discern the exact whereabouts of my latest victim, there is one last thing you should know. Up to now, I’ve allowed you aid. No longer is that true. If I am to be challenged in this final arena, it must be you and you alone, Consuela. To ensure that, I have already rigged up a major building on Officer Stevens’ beat with dynamite. The controls of that little explosive package are on my person. Should anyone else interfere—the cops, a bystander, anyone—I will detonate the building, sending all of those innocent beings to their deaths. Of course, should you accost me on your own, their lives and the life of your loved one will be spared. As long as you defeat me. So—while I have enjoyed matching wits with you and Officer Stevens, she is out of the game for good. Don’t try calling my bluff, because otherwise you will have to live with being responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of unnecessary deaths. Think about it. Good luck, Consuela, and may the best person win.

  Delta rested her hand on Connie’s shoulder as the screen went blank. “That S.O.B. didn’t miss an angle, did he?”

  Rising, Connie took the notepad from Megan and read the riddle again.

  “You know I’m not going to let you go after him alone,” Delta stated flatly.

  Connie returned her penetrating gaze and nodded. “I didn’t expect you would.”

  “We can do this. We can nail him before he gets to her.”

  Bowing her head, Connie drew in a jerky breath. “We have to, Delta.”

  “We will. Like Pandora’s box, you gotta have hope. You have to believe we can.” Pulling Connie to her, Delta felt her finally give way and cry uncontrollably into her chest. The pressure of playing the game was off, only to be replaced by a pressure of far greater magnitude.

  “We’ll find her, Con.”

  Pulling away and wiping her eyes, Connie nodded. “And when we do, don’t get in my way, Delta. Promise me you won’t get in my way.”

  Gazing down into the eyes of a woman who was at the very end of her rope, Delta nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

  Chapter 45

  Dr. Rosenbaum stepped up to the huddle of women and cleared his throat. “Excuse

  me, ladies, but it would seem that time is of the essence.”

  Connie shook her head as if coming out of a daze. “The riddle. God, we bust our asses just keeping Dori alive through that madman’s maze, and that bastard lays a damn riddle on us.”

  Megan took the pad and read the riddle out loud again. “God, he’s a nutcase. Anyone have any ideas? Where do we go from here?”

  “I’d say we’re looking for persons or people who advertise their schedules,” Delta offered. “In order for him to make this all come together this far in advance, he’d have to know when and where these two people would be.”

  “Wait a minute,” Connie said, taking the notepad. “First off, he mentions a brother and a sister. He’s comparing two potential victims. Agreed?” Everyone nodded. “Then, we do this systematically. Split that butcher paper down the middle, and we’ll do a compare and contrast.”

  Dr. Rosenbaum was the first to pick up a pen. “Let’s start with the falling star. Can we agree that he’s talking about someone who used to be great but is no longer?”

  “I like that.” Megan stated.

  “It could be a movie star or an athlete or some kind of entertainer. Someone who has a touring schedule of some sort.”

  “Unless,” Dr. Rosenbaum continued, “He means it literally. Does anyone know what a falling star is called?”

  No one knew.

  “I’ll look it up,” Megan said, moving toward the stacks of books on the floor.

  “Okay, how about the next line: `One is body, one is brains’?”

  “I’d say the body is a woman, and the brains is a man. As chauvinistic as Elson is, it’s a sure bet it isn’t the other way around.” Connie watched as Dr. Rosenbaum scribbled on the paper.

  Megan looked over Connie’s shoulder. “The line I find curious is `One breaks laws the other makes.’ Who makes laws?”

  “Politicians do,” Connie said, as all eyes turned on her. “Elson always thought politicians were the phoniest people on earth. He us
ed to say they were all phony and more interested in lining their pockets than with taking care of the people who voted them into office.”

  “Oh my God,” Megan said, cupping her hand to her mouth. “You don’t think he’s going after a politician?”

  Connie picked up one of the many newspapers lying on the floor and thumbed through it. “It’s beginning to makes sense. A politician would pack the house in any hotel or auditorium.” Delta picked up the pink sheet and studied the front page. “Right. And a politician’s schedule of speaking engagements is often available in advance. I’ll make some calls and see if anyone special is scheduled to speak.” Taking her portion of the paper with her, Connie went into the kitchen to use the phone.

  “Good. We’ll keep working on the other end.” Turning back to Dr.

  Rosenbaum, Delta frowned. “So far, we’re making a quantum leap in our guess that it’s a male politician we’re after. What else do we have?”

  “Not much here on the other side,” Dr. Rosenbaum offered. “It’s a woman, of course, but only if we’re correct in our thinking that the other is the male. If she’s a woman . . .”

  “I think he’s talking about a prostitute,” Megan added quietly.

  “You do?” Delta asked.

  “Why?”

  “She’s all body, she doesn’t care about man’s pains, she’s not real. Or, at least, the love men think they get from her isn’t real. She also breaks the laws. I’ve been there. It fits.”

  Nodding, Delta watched Dr. Rosenbaum jot this possibility down on paper.

  “It works.”

  Dr. Rosenbaum rubbed his chin. “And a politician and a prostitute are diametrically opposed. I concur with Megan. If it isn’t a prostitute, I think we’re pretty damn close.”

  Megan smiled at him. “The problem we run into, however, is that practically every hotel in the city has prostitutes. We couldn’t begin to narrow down the places unless we have a specific name to look for.”

  “I agree,” Delta said, nodding. “We have to be looking for a certain woman. One who fits the Greek theme.”

  Suddenly, Connie came running back into the room. “Okay, here it is: Congressman Antony Stiropoulos is in town, and he’s speaking to polisci students at the Hyatt tonight.”

  Delta clapped her hands together. “Look at his last name. That’s Greek if ever I saw it!”

  “Bingo!” Connie cried out, as Dr. Rosenbaum wrote `Stiropoulos’ in big capital letters on one side of the butcher paper. “He fits the riddle. I’ll bet he’s our man.”

  “Now we can use it to figure out the woman,” Megan said. “We have a male politician whose family name is Greek.”

  Connie said. “That must be it.”

  “Right. So let’s go with a woman who breaks the laws, who doesn’t care about man’s needs, and whose destination is Greece.”

  Megan grinned and shook her head. “I’m telling you, it sounds like a prostitute to me.”

  For a moment, the room quieted while everyone mulled over their own ideas and opinions.

  “But what about the falling star line?” Connie asked. “Megan might have a point, but I think an average prostitute would be impossible to find and even harder to obtain a schedule from.”

  Delta eyed Connie and could see her mind spinning. “So?”

  Connie reached down for the newspaper. “So, let’s take it one step further. Let’s look for a porn star.”

  “An aging porn queen.” Megan uttered, and without hesitating, she snatched a different pink sheet of the newspaper from the floor. “How could I have forgotten? A friend of mine from the streets, JoJo, used to love watching her perform. And her name . . . God, what was it?” Turning the pages so quickly they ripped, Megan nodded. “I’ll know it when I see it. It’s right there on the tip of my tongue.”

  Dr. Rosenbaum cleared his throat. “I . . . uh . . . I believe the woman you’re speaking of is . . . ahem . . . Rana Agnost.” A fine red blush erupted over the professor’s face. “Otherwise known as—”

  “The Love Goddess!” Megan shouted, tossing the open pink sheet on the table. “Aphrodite!”

  All three women turned to stare at the now completely embarrassed Dr. Rosenbaum.

  “I, uh, well, we’re not computers, you know. Bachelor parties rent those kinds of movies and, well . . .”

  Connie jumped up and hugged him. “No excuses necessary, Mort. We’ve got that S.O.B., and that’s all that matters.” Releasing him, Connie swiped up the pink sheet and read what Megan had seen. “She’s hosting a big bash at the Carlton tonight—the Aphrodite Ball.”

  Delta paced across the floor. “Damn it. The Carlton and the Hyatt are at opposite ends of the city. He isn’t going to make this easy.”

  Megan whipped the phone off the hook and dialed a few numbers, spoke quietly into the receiver, and hung up before anyone could ask what she was up to.

  “We’ve got tickets to the Aphrodite Ball for tonight.” She smiled and shrugged. “Connections. What more can I say?”

  “Now what?” Connie asked.

  “Now, we need to get some men over to hear Stiropoulos speak.”

  “I can be of some assistance there,” the Professor said. “I’ll call the head of the political science department and see if he can get us tickets.”

  “Good. We’ll want men inside as well as out,” Delta said, going into the kitchen and returning with the phone. “We have a lot of bases to cover before this thing is over.”

  Connie stopped Delta before she could dial. “You’re not calling Leonard, are you?”

  Delta stared into Connie’s eyes. “Con, I have to.”

  “Delta, you heard what Elson said. No cops, not even you.” Connie shook her head as she reached to take the phone from Delta.

  “I know what he said, Con, but we have two places to cover. We can’t be at both. We need his help on this one.”

  Connie’s eyes narrowed. “No way. I won’t let you do this.”

  Delta gently pulled the phone away from Connie’s grasp. “We have to. Leonard and his men can help.”

  “Or hurt. I won’t put Gina in danger, Delta. I mean it. Find some other way.”

  “Connie, right now, this is a crap shoot. We can’t cover both hotels. We have to take one and hope it’s right. In the meantime, we might be able to skirt a disaster by having the second choice covered as well. We have no other options.”

  Megan nodded. “Delta’s right, Connie, it’s a fifty-fifty shot at this point. All we can—”

  “Maybe it isn’t,” Mort interrupted.

  “What?” All eyes turned to the man reading the riddle again. “The final line reads ’upon your choice does her life depend.’ ”

  “So?”

  “So, it’s a play on words. Don’t you see? Is the ‘her’ Gina, or the woman in the riddle?”

  Connie was over to him in one long stride. Taking the riddle, she read it again to herself. “God, Mort, you may have just found the edge we need.” Looking up from the paper, Connie grinned. “He’s right. Elson has given us an obvious clue; just like they do in the damn computer games. Mort, you’re a genius!” Throwing her arms around him, Connie held him in a bear hug.

  “Then we go to the Carlton.” Delta stared at the paper and ran her hand through her hair. “The Carlton is the last hotel in the string of hotels in the city.”

  “The party is on the tenth floor,” Megan added. “I’ll bet that’s the last floor. Del, call and find out.”

  One minute later, Delta depressed the receiver and nodded. “Aphrodite’s suite is at the top.”

  “The last floor of the hotel.”

  “That makes it two omega’s—two lasts. I say we go with that one.” Connie folded her arms across her chest and stared hard at Delta.

  “‘We,’ meaning who?” Delta looked into the face of a woman hanging on the edge of desperation. She was afraid of what Connie might do if Delta didn’t play it her way. Delta was also scared of what Connie might do if left
to her own devices.

  “All right, Con, how about this? We can send Leonard and his men to the Hyatt. Just to be safe, we’ll have him clear out the whole damn building. We can lead him to believe that Elson might show up there. While he’s doing that, we’ll go to the Carlton.”

  Connie frowned. “We? You keep saying that.”

  “Well, you’re not facing him alone, Con.”

  Megan nodded and stood next to Delta. “Del’s right. We need to stick together. He wants to face you alone, Con. Don’t play into his hands.”

  Sighing, Connie nodded. “Fine. We don’t have time to argue about it.”

  Delta sighed as well, relieved that she didn’t have to wrestle Connie on the matter. “We’ll take him out at Aphrodite’s party.”

  Megan raised her hand as if she was in school. “How do we find out where he’s keeping Gina?”

  Delta quickly answered. “Take him alive. Right, Con?”

  Connie’s dark brown eyes narrowed. “Right.”

  Connie walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a picture of her and Gina at Disneyland out from under a magnet. She held it in her hand a long time before dropping it in her chest pocket. “We’ll give this to Leonard, just in case Elson is holding her in the Hyatt.” Turning to Dr. Rosenbaum, Connie reached out and shook his hand. “Mort, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us. You’ve been a tremendous help.”

  “It’s been my pleasure, really. You three ladies are quite a team. I certainly wouldn’t ever wish to cross any of you.” Dr. Rosenbaum’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

  Connie smiled as she opened the front door. “How can we thank you?”

  “Thank me over dinner. But for now, Godspeed to you all.”

  Starting down the driveway, Connie took the picture out of her pocket and looked at it one last time. “I’m coming, baby,” she said, stuffing it back in her pocket. “I’m coming.”

  When Delta pulled into the dark parking lot, she saw Detective Leonard’s beat-up

  Oldsmobile sitting next to a maroon Porsche.

  At the other end of the lot sat five other unmarked vehicles, waiting like poised cobras.