Down the street they enjoyed a world-famous shrimp cocktail and decided that a buffet so late in the evening would be unwise.
The casino they found themselves in was a little more old school than the ones on the strip. It seemed a little weary. It didn’t have all the flash the other casinos are famous for, but what it did have it had a great deal of. Old Vegas personality.
Carolyn ducked in for a specific reason, and the setting was perfect.
Once inside, Carolyn wandered from one bank of slot machines to the next. She stopped and looked at the poker machines, then wandered over to the tables. Adeline and Anna followed behind, absorbing the ambiance of the place, which in truth had much more character than some of the newer, higher-ticket casinos down the street.
They made a full circuit of the place, and then Carolyn led them into the women’s room. Once inside, she all but shoved them to the far end of the facilities and in a whisper said, “At first I thought I was crazy, but I’m not. We’re being followed.”
Anna hissed, “Who would follow us?”
“Hold that thought for a moment. Anna, is there any way someone could have heard you talking to Amy?”
“No.”
Adeline’s usual calm slipped just a bit. “How can you say no? You said that there are eyes in the sky. They watch every move you make in a casino hotel.”
Anna tried not to allow herself to get defensive. “The eyes in the sky are on the casino floor, mostly, but even if they were watching us in the hotel, they weren’t reading our lips. Don’t get paranoid.”
Adeline took just a moment. “I thought that they know all about you by the time you get to the registration desk. They check the number on your car tags as you drive up.”
Carolyn was one hundred percent focused. “We got a ride!”
Anna shook her head, a smile on her face, still mostly amused by the whole situation. “Yes, and thanks to Adeline’s lawyer they knew we were here, had a big ‘ol basket waiting for us, and a concierge to address our every need.”
“Which is why they would have no reason to follow us. The cover story of Carolyn’s granddaughter knowing Amy makes perfect sense. They don’t have the rooms bugged, for goodness’ sake.”
Carolyn was anything but amused. “Then who is following us?”
Anna said, “Perhaps he isn’t actually following us.”
“Why do you think I took such a convoluted route?”
“You did a fine job of it. I actually thought you were just looking for the perfect place to leave your money.”
“I was walking around so that I could see him either in a reflection or directly. He placed a quarter in a machine here and there, but he was following us.”
Anna leaned in. “Did you make eye contact?”
“No, I didn’t make eye contact. I didn’t want him to know that I know that he is following us.”
Adeline, having regained her sense of calm, said, “We have a couple of options. We can go back to the hotel. Did you see him there? Perhaps he doesn’t even know where we’re staying.”
“If he isn’t from the hotel, why is he following us?”
Anna winked. “Maybe he thinks we’re cougars out for a good time, and he isn’t so much following us as, you know, following us.”
“What?” Carolyn sounded horrified at the thought.
Adeline smiled. “Older women of some financial means. Maybe he just wants to be paid for the privilege of spending some time with us. Maybe he thinks we are a bit randy and looking for a true adventure. Such things are legal here.”
“In some counties, not all. It’s not legal in Las Vegas proper I don’t think.”
Adeline laughed. “My, Anna, and just why do you know that?”
“I watch a lot of television.”
“Uh-huh. So what are we going to do?”
Carolyn said, “I think we should split up.”
“And just why would we do that?”
Carolyn was intense. “He can’t follow all of us. If the two of you go one direction and I go the other, we’ll see who he follows.”
Adeline shook her head. “That is not a safe way to make such a determination.”
“Then what do you propose?”
Anna shrugged, getting tired of the game. “I propose that we could find a distraction or that we ditch him.”
Carolyn tried to keep her voice light. “You do watch a lot of television.”
Adeline took charge of the situation. “I suggest that we wander around the entertainment available on Fremont Street. Enjoy the activities we see. Keep an eye open for this man. See if indeed he follows us from one place to the next.”
Anna nodded. “Agreed. What does he look like?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“Then how will we know if he is following us?”
“Well, maybe I am crazy, and he’s just some poor guy minding his own business. Or maybe now that it’s in my mind, I’ve turned him into a suspect, and he doesn’t deserve to be. I figure that if you are aware of our surroundings, and you don’t see anybody, then I’m nuts. I can accept that. If you notice him, then I’m not nuts.”
Anna, frustrated, blurted, “This is a stupid way to approach this problem.”
“It might be, but it is still the way I prefer we do it. If either of you notice a man following us, then we’ll know we are being followed. What are the chances? Really. The more I think about it, the more I’m sure I just have an overactive imagination. The man is probably gone by now, never to be in our presence again. He probably won’t follow us out the door of this place.”
Anna, always organized, wanted a complete plan. “And if he does?”
Adeline was more accepting than usual. “We’ll worry about that problem if it makes itself known.”
The girls spent the next forty-three minutes wandering around the attractions that Las Vegas has to offer. They sauntered back the way they’d come and revisited the seventy million dollar light canopy over Fremont Street. They moseyed over to the young men on the street using spray paint to create scenes with such brilliance they were tempted to buy a masterpiece, knowing full well it wouldn’t travel well, nor would it fit with their décor.
They were watching a man paint names on individual grains of rice when Carolyn noticed the guy again. He was acting as if he was looking in the window of one of the cheesier souvenir shops, but it didn’t take much intelligence to recognize that he was using the glass to watch the girls instead of scoping out the perfect shot glass for someone back home.
They decided to head back to the strip to see if he followed.
He did.
The perfect opportunity to spy on the spy came when the girls wandered down to watch the dancing fountains in front of one of the main casinos. The show was spectacular. The water danced in time to lovely music. The water cannons sounded like real cannons, and the sizable crowd made noises of admiration in all the right places.
After the show, they walked in and had some gelato. It was when Anna was ordering her double chocolate that Carolyn turned around and saw the guy. She feigned grabbing her phone to take a picture of the dancing waters, when actually she was taking a picture of the spy.
Having that face recognition software that Amy had described — was it called NORA? — wwould come in handy just about now. In any event, they could ask Amy if she recognized the man in the picture. At least it was a start.
They ate their ice cream while they enjoyed another show at a casino down the strip, people dressed in costume walking in and among the crowd, waving flags and walking on stilts. It wasn’t their favorite entertainment of the night, but it allowed them a great opportunity for observation.
They then headed back to their suite.
The door hadn’t completely closed when they huddled.
Carolyn looked more excited than concerned. “I saw him again.”
“Me too.”
Anna chimed in. “Me three.”
“That’s it the
n. We are being followed.” Adeline adjusted her collar. “The question is, why?”
Anna muttered, “You would think a man of that age would be a retired police officer or maybe…”
Carolyn cut her off. “A man of that age? Thirty?”
Adeline was confused. “Thirty? The man that is quite clearly following us is more our age. Full head of silver hair. Rather dashing.”
Anna’s eyebrows knit together. “I didn’t see silver hair. I saw a scrawny guy about thirty. Dark hair. About as tall as Carolyn.”
Carolyn’s eyes were huge. “That is who I saw too. Wearing khaki pants and an ugly blue shirt.”
“That’s him.”
Carolyn turned to Adeline. “Then who is the silver-haired guy?”
Anna leaned in and added, “What makes you think he was following us?”
“Same thing that made you think the kid was following us. He was following us! I saw him when we left the restroom. He was at the slot machines. Saw him again when we were walking down the street. Remember when that rather unkempt young man shoved the flyer in my hand? I took the opportunity to turn, supposedly to say something to the young man with the flyers, but really to take a look behind us, and he was there, about four people back, on the left. Saw him again at the fountains. He was to my right, about fifteen people over. Saw him again when we were walking down the street. There is no doubt. He was following us.”
Anna sounded more annoyed than scared. “Well, great, we now have at least two guys following us.”
“At least?” Carolyn’s alarm seemed to be growing.
Anna explained her point. “Well, you have to figure, if there are two, there may be more, and if those two are obvious enough to be caught, is there a professional that wouldn’t be seen? What do you want to do?”
Adeline seemed perfectly calm. “Let’s go downstairs and have a drink.”
Anna chuckled. “Yes, adding alcohol to a scary situation always makes it better. Besides, shouldn’t you be getting some rest? Not long ago you were in the hospital.”
“I’ve never felt better. Maybe it’s the dry air. I feel exhilarated.”
Anna chuckled. “More likely it’s that silver-haired man following you.”
“Perhaps.” The smile on Adeline’s face was infectious. For a moment, the thought of danger turned to something a lot more pleasing.
Anna warmed to the idea. “Well, if we’re going to do this, let’s at least freshen up and go see a show or something.”
Carolyn offered, “I saw a little cove downstairs. A review show is open to those who want to see it. Let’s start there. It’s getting a little late for a show.”
Anna popped up with, “The male burlesque has a show just before midnight.”
Adeline laughed. “My vote would be to revisit that possibility tomorrow night. Is there something you need to share with the class, Anna?”
“What?”
“The male burlesque show seems to be at the forefront of your mind.”
“I spent a lot of time looking up all the different things we could do, and I just don’t want that effort to go to waste.”
“Yes, I’m sure it was much more effort to find a male burlesque show in Las Vegas than it was a zip-line expedition or all the details to get us to Hoover Dam and back.”
They laughed as each of them went into their rooms and freshened up.
Anna came back out in a stunning semi-casual dress the girls had not seen before. It was a long, bright orange dress with yellow embroidery crawling from the scalloped hem toward her knee in a dramatic slit. The bodice was very fitted. Where the straps connected to the bodice was a flourish of embroidery; then the straps widened to a hint of a cap sleeve. Anna could get away with the colors on her skin tone and the sleeves because her arms belonged on a much younger woman, as did the rest of her body.
Carolyn smiled. “Anna, you look beautiful. You do very good things to that dress.”
Anna laughed. “I’ve had this in my closet forever. Never had a good place to wear it.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Thank you. I must say, you are looking pretty good yourself there, woman.”
Carolyn was wearing a tea-length black and white printed dress, nipped in at the waist, with a deep v-neck and bracelet-length sleeves. With the collar popped in the back, she was wearing large black earrings and bright red lips. The outfit was a nod to the past in a June-Cleaver-could-have-worn-this way, but had a modern flair and was perfect for Carolyn with her tiny waist and smooth movements.
Adeline joined them moments later. Perfectly tailored white shantung silk pants, heavily bejeweled tank, and nude heels with a bit of a platform.
Anna smiled. “Well, look at us. We clean up pretty good.”
“It certainly explains why a silver-haired gentleman might be following us.” Carolyn raised her brows.
Anna did a very model-like turn. “Speak for yourself. Honey, this dress calls a young man with energy and stamina. Silver-haired gentleman, my ass.”
The girls laughed all the way to the elevator.
CHAPTER FIVE
AS THE DOOR to the elevator opened, the concierge greeted the girls. “I’m sorry, I was just on my way to your room. May I have a word with you please?”
“Certainly.”
“Will you be kind enough to follow me to security?”
It was Adeline who spoke first, still somewhat shocked. A stranger might think her response haughty. It was becoming obvious to the other girls that haughty was Adeline’s fallback position. “And just why would we do that?”
“The head of security would like to speak to you. It is important.”
Anna, always up for an adventure, said, “Sure, we’ll follow.”
Carolyn and Adeline exchanged a look and fell into line behind the concierge and Anna.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt your evening, ladies.”
Adeline took the lead on this one. “To what do we owe the interruption?”
“We thought we should bring to your attention that earlier this evening, as you and your friends were making your way through the facility, our security noticed that you were being followed.”
Anna blurted. “I knew it. Who is he?”
“He? Actually it was a young woman.”
Thinking they might have gotten Amy in trouble, they all took on a more somber tone.
“I’m sure it was nothing.” Carolyn was the first to comment.
“Perhaps. We really had no grounds to stop the young woman. She stopped at the elevator banks. We thought you might be willing to look at an image of her and let us know if she is familiar to you.”
The look Carolyn exchanged with the girls made their approach clear. Carolyn would speak; they would stick with her story.
The image of a young woman flashed on the security manager’s iPad. “Is she familiar to you?”
They were all stunned. “No. I’ve never seen her before. Girls?”
Adeline and Anna each took a look, both relived it was not Amy and concerned that they seemed to have yet another individual following them.
“If you will allow it, we would like to investigate this further.”
Adeline found her voice first. “Please do.”
“We will let you know if we find anything. Perhaps this is harmless. Until we determine that is the case, I have taken the liberty of having your room monitored more closely. Should anyone try to gain entry without your personal entry cards, you will be notified immediately. We have also directed your room telephones to contact security immediately should you pick up the receiver without dialing pound nine within ten seconds of lifting it.”
Anna and Carolyn remained silent. Better to keep your mouth shut in these types of situations. One person speaking for all is the best approach.
Adeline seemed comfortable in the lead. “Thank you.”
“If you need to contact us in an emergency situation, please simply say nothing or the words ‘front desk’ if you are u
nder duress.”
“Thank you.”
“Can we be of any further assistance? Do you require an escort anywhere in this facility, or perhaps in another?”
“No thank you, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Ladies, please enjoy your night.”
Adeline started to talk the moment they were out of the security reception area. Anna hissed to wait.
Once out in the public areas of the casino, Adeline turned to the girls. “What do you think?”
Anna put one hand on her hip. “Never in my life have I ever even heard of such silliness. Three people following around three women. Guess it wouldn’t have done any good to split up after all. Each one of them could have followed one of us.”
Carolyn was obviously flustered. “Why the hell is anyone following us? I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all.”
“Nor do I, Carolyn, but as Anna said, this is completely out of my frame of reference. I’ve no idea what we should do. Contact the police? Confront the young woman should we see her again? What do you propose?”
Anna, always practical, was firm. “We are not confronting anyone. At this point we have a slight advantage. They don’t know that we know that we are being followed. All we have to do is figure out who is following us.”
Carolyn took a breath to try to calm herself. “And how do we do that?”
“I’ll call Gaston. My attorney. He frequents this establishment. He may have some contacts. He may have an idea. If he can’t come up with anything, we will contact the police. I don’t see that we have any other choice.”
Anna still sounded more annoyed than scared. “I still don’t understand who would follow us. We don’t have any business here. The housekeeping guy isn’t going to be able to afford a whole army of people to follow three little old ladies around Las Vegas. This just might be the dumbest thing I ever heard.”
“Well, what do you propose we do? I can contact Gaston first thing in the morning, but I’m not comfortable calling him in the middle of the night. It doesn’t seem to me to be that urgent, and I’m not certain he would be able to accomplish anything at this time of night anyway. Security here at the hotel seems to have it well in hand.”
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