Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  Everyone nods their agreement and Red adds, “Before we do anything though, I’m going to get Joe Amato’s okay and through him the rest of the casino managers’ okay to spill the beans about the part they’ve played in trying to apprehend the Chameleon. My feeling is that this news should convince the Chameleon that he’s up against some very strong opposition and trying to get to me by sabotaging the other casino’s operations with the hope that this would either bring enough pressure to bear on me to force me to quit or enough pressure on my employer to fire me would be doomed to failure. If any of the other casino managers nixes the idea, we’ll have to come up with something else. I’ll also let Rex Spaulding know what we’re up to and get his input.

  “I should have the casino managers’ answer one way or the other by noon tomorrow. Also, I should have a better idea about where we stand with our banking problems by then as well. Does anyone have a problem with meeting here again tomorrow for a luncheon meeting? Hopefully, we’ll be able to proceed with the plan and have the financial wherewithal to implement it if funds be needed.

  “No problems? Good, and thanks, Jillian, for your willingness to get involved.”

  “Your welcome, Red. The way I see it, the casino industry in Bettendorf is now my industry and I have a responsibility to do what I can to protect it.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. Okay, out with all of you. I’ve got a casino to run.”

  Chapter 19

  At ten o’clock the next morning, Red has just finished speaking with Joe Amato, and gotten his okay and assurances that the other casino managers will go along with what he’s trying to do and is now trying to get his act together regarding what he wants to accomplish at the noon meeting. He reaches for pen and paper to make some notes, but gets no further as his phone rings. It’s Rex Spaulding. He was able to convince the CEOs at Bank Alpinum and Bank Pasche that the transfers that were made were fraudulent. They transferred the funds that were in the accounts the Chameleon had opened into other accounts that Rex maintained with them and closed the unauthorized accounts.

  “Fortunately, Red, the Chameleon hadn’t transferred the money out to another financial institution and then repeatedly re-transferred it out to other banks until the funds got lost in the shuffle. They are conducting an intense investigation into how the Chameleon was able to open these accounts in the first place and will keep me informed as to their progress. Until now, they were confident that their firewall configuration was impregnable. Has Ray Cantor heard anything yet from our bank there in Bettendorf?”

  “I should be getting an update from Ray later this morning.”

  “Well, when he gets word that a new account has been opened and stricter security measures put in place that are satisfactory to him, have him call me and I’ll arrange for the funds to be transferred back to the U. S. Hopefully, this will be done before the day is over, so I won’t have to juggle other funds to keep you operational.”

  “Will do, Rex. While I’ve got you on the line, I want to tell you what I’m up to regarding laying another trap for the Chameleon.”

  Rex listens quietly while Red recounts what he, Bill, Popeye and Jillian had discussed in their meeting yesterday and briefs him on how he met Jillian and why he’s asked her to get involved. When he finishes, there’s nothing but the sound of breathing at the other end of the line. Red’s figuring Rex doesn’t like the idea and is going to tell him to forget it. Instead, the silence is broken by a soft chuckle and Rex asking, “Is this Jillian really that much of a looker? All I get to look at around here is a bunch of guys and my computer. Maybe I should change my line of work. It appears that a casino manager’s perks are a hell of a lot better than mine.”

  “Does this mean that you don’t mind if I go ahead with my plan?”

  “Red, I told you when I hired you that I would back you up on everything you wanted to do to stop this guy. I haven’t changed my mind, but you haven’t answered my question. Is this gal really that attractive?”

  “Rex, you’ve got to see her to believe it when I say she’s got any movie star I’ve ever seen beaten by a mile. She’s very beautiful and on top of that she’s very intelligent and a very classy lady.”

  “Hmmm. It sounds like you have more than a tactical interest in this young lady. Stay alert lad. You might find yourself going down a road with no U turns or turn offs.” Chuckling more loudly, he hangs up.

  Thoughts of Jillian and the humorous warning that Rex laid on him keep distracting him to the point that he’s about to take a walk on deck to clear his head so he can get back to planning for the noon meeting, but is stopped by the phone ringing again.

  This time it’s Ray Cantor calling to tell him that the necessary changes and safeguards have been put into place at their local bank and Red passes on Rex’s instructions and urges him to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

  “Well, we’ve been able to avoid calamity this time, but I wonder if we’ll be as successful when we face the next disaster the Chameleon is sure to throw our way. This guy is beginning to really bug me!”

  As Red steps out on deck, he sees Popeye waving for him to hold up as he approaches from the Floating Fantasies stern. Waiting for him by the deck’s railing, Red glances up at the deck above him and spots Jillian looking down at him. “Hi, Red. I’ve been walking all over this ship for hours and now realize why Rex Spaulding is so enamored by it. The Floating Fantasies is an amazing creation. The craftsmen were worth every penny of the fifteen million dollars he paid to spawn her.”

  “I’m sure Rex would be ecstatic to hear you say that.” As Popeye comes up along side him he says, “Enjoy. Perhaps this evening you will allow me to share some of the culinary charms the Floating Fantasies has to offer. Do you have any plans?”

  “No I don’t and that would be a great way to spend my evening. What time?”

  “How about meeting me here at eight o’clock? After dinner, we could check out some of the entertainment being offered. After all, this is what brought you onboard in the first place, right?”

  “It’s a date. I’ll see you at eight.” Smiling at the unintended rhyme, she turned and walked away.

  Turning to look at Popeye, he sees this big grin and hears this deep rumble of laughter. “Well, well, well. It looks like our casino manager has found an interesting way to deal with his troubles. I’m sorry to put a damper on the moment, but I want to get your thoughts back to the Chameleon and tell you about some things I’ve done to beef up security around here.

  “To prevent any attempt to sabotage our engines, to mess with our navigation systems, to punch holes in our hull, to interfere with communications between different areas of the ship or ship and shore or to tamper with the food being served at any of the restaurants, I’ve arranged for some of my retired merchant marine buddies to come onboard and keep on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. From all outward appearances they will appear to be guests, but they are well trained and experienced in how to recognize potential trouble. You’d be amazed at the type of smuggling related scenarios that take place in the life of a merchant marine.

  “I’m keeping Sentinel Services out of the loop just in case our boy is connected with them in some way and using my buddies won’t tip the Chameleon off that we might be on to him being or posing as a security guard.”

  “I like what you’ve done, Popeye. This should force him to try something even more bizarre, more risky, as we’re closing all the roads to the more obvious, readily available, practical means of raising havoc. Be sure to let Bill know what you’ve done. I’ll see you at our meeting at noon.” With that, Red heads out on his walk around the ship to clear his head and think about the best way to implement his plan.

  Chapter 20

  At noon, everyone, including Sylvia Paganino whom Red has also asked to attend, is gathered around the conference table in Red’s office eager to dig into the spread Red has arranged to be delivered by the Beaucoup Buffet located at the stern end
of the main deck.

  The variety and amounts of food, its presentation, the medley of aromas emanating from it, all of these things blend together to cause everyone to salivate uncontrollably. The restaurant is rapidly developing a reputation for its exquisite mixture of exotic and native cuisine for the culinary delight of the more adventurous diners onboard as well as for its extensive menu.

  Smiling, Red says, “Judging from the ravenous looks on your faces, it would be cruel of me to ask you to wait until after our meeting to enjoy what’s before you, so have it. I want this to be a working lunch anyway.”

  Once everyone has filled their plates and begun to eat, Red begins the meeting by introducing Sylvia to Jillian. “Jillian, this is Sylvia Paganino, our entertainment director and publicist. Syl, this is Jillian Prevot, the new entertainment director at the Go For It. Jillian was a practicing psychologist before she became an entertainment director and has volunteered her experience in working with all kinds of personalities to help us lay a trap for the Chameleon.”

  Red quickly brings Syl up to speed by summarizing what was discussed in yesterday’s meeting and why they are meeting here today. He informs them of the unconditional support they have from Rex and the other casino managers and the resolution of their banking problems which frees up funds that might be needed to implement whatever their final plan might be.

  “It is now time for the rubber to meet the road. Does anyone disagree with or want to add to the proposal I made about using a TV interview and a website to spark the Chameleon’s desire to get to know Jillian better?”

  Bill is the first to speak up. “I think the concept is great, but it has a serious weak spot. We’d be banking a great deal on the Chameleon seeing or even reading or hearing about the interview and getting the web site information. We’ve got to come up with something to greatly improve the odds of him tuning in to the TV station and getting the news first hand. If we can get him to tune in, Jillian’s appearance and comments will have a greater initial impact on him than getting the information second hand and most likely filtered down in some way.”

  Red suggests, “We could set up some 30 second spot announcements on the local channel about the upcoming interview three days hence, referring to the beautiful and exciting new entertainment director that has just come on the scene at the Go For It who has some novel and intriguing ideas for gambling and entertainment. We know the Chameleon has an avid interest in casino operations and may just be curious enough to tune in with the hope of picking up some new ideas for making my life miserable.”

  Jillian quickly jumps in with, “What makes you think I’ve got some novel and intriguing ideas to talk about?”

  “Jillian, Joe Amato would never have hired you if you didn’t have something special to contribute to his operation. You wouldn’t have to get into specifics during the interview, just generalities that would tease and generate speculation about what you might have in store for the patrons of the Go For It. You could also say that you will be dropping more clues on your web site over the coming weeks. This, in addition to your comment about the vendetta against a local casino manager, should leave the Chameleon thirsting for more and lure him into

  checking out your web site.”

  Jillian responds with, “You must know Joe pretty well.”

  “We’ve shared more than a few cocktails and rounds of golf over the last five years or so, but don’t worry about anyone stealing your ideas. All of the managers have banded together in this struggle to put the Chameleon out of business out of fear that he might one day target them for revenge for some off the wall reason. Everyone will play fair with anyone who tries to help them deal with this dilemma.” Smiling, he softly adds, “This is not to say we won’t try to copy them after they’ve been launched if we think they’ll put more money in our bank accounts.”

  Jillian laughed and said, “Fair enough. I guess the next step will be to do some scripting for the 30 second announcements, the interview and my initial comments on the web site.”

  “This is why I asked Sylvia to join us. In addition to being our entertainment director, she’s also our communications tactician when it comes to advertising and the media. With your knowledge and skill sets, I’m sure the two of you will be able to come up with a dialogue that will have our nemesis chomping at the bit.”

  Sylvia, who is well known for her willingness to participate in raising awareness and funds for any good cause, has worked alongside one of the local TV reporters in several of these endeavors and they got along very well. “If I’m up front with Tim Rollins at Channel 6 and tell him what we’re trying to do, I believe he’ll conduct the interview and do his best to get it aired in prime time. Of course, he’ll probably want an exclusive when all of this is over with.

  “As for the spot announcements, that’s out of his bailiwick, but I’m sure he can put us in touch with the right people to set them up. We may have to pay for them because those spot announcements are a major source of revenue for any TV station. As for the web site, I have people working on one for the Floating Fantasies. I could ask them to put ours on hold and work on Jillian’s. These guys are the best and we wouldn’t have to waste time searching for other developers.”

  Red nodding his approval said, “Do it. Rex will foot the bill if we have to pay for the announcements. Even though The Go For It will be getting a lot of free publicity, I won’t ask Joe for one red cent as he’s already doing plenty by acting as liaison between the casino managers and me and allowing Jillian to work with us even though he’s paying her to work for him. He’s doing this knowing full well that the Chameleon might decide to go after him for his complicity in helping me.”

  Bill joined in with, “As soon as the interview is aired, constant surveillance must be put in place to protect Jillian in case the Chameleon’s actions put her in any danger.”

  “Don’t you worry about that. Nothing is going to happen to her while I’m around.” Popeye boomed.

  “I know that, Popeye, but you could never melt into the crowd. You’re just too big. If the Chameleon suspects she’s being watched, the ballgame is over. Perhaps we could use some more of your merchant marine buddies. They would fit right in with the locals. Could you call on any more of your former shipmates, ones that you’d be comfortable with putting Jillian’s safety in their hands?”

  Popeye thought for a moment then said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anyone.”

  Red asked, “Bill, do you think your brother in-law could help us out with a couple of off duty patrolmen?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to ask, but he took an awful lot of flack after his last attempt to help us didn’t pan out and might be a little leery to go out on a limb again. I’ll call him when we finish up here.”

  “Thanks for your offer, Popeye. We’ll come up with something to keep me out of harm’s way.”

  Popeye appeared mollified, but his gut was still in a turmoil over the potential danger they were putting her in. He was getting a very familiar bad feeling which was growing rapidly that unless he was someplace close by something bad was going to happen to Jillian.

  Since he was a kid, Popeye has had an uncanny ability to sense serious trouble brewing way before it rears its ugly head and this sense has just kicked in to overdrive. He’s scared for Jillian. Although he’s just met her, he likes her a lot. She reminds him of his kid sister who wasn’t afraid of much either. This got her shot and killed in a very bad part of town where she was working to help underprivileged kids get a shot at a better life. He had the same feeling in his gut then that he has now and didn’t listen to it. He’s second guessed himself ever since, convinced that if he had tried to talk her out of taking the job she might be alive today.

  “I can’t stand by and do nothing again. I’ve got to figure out a way for me to stay within easy reach of her without drawing undo attention to myself.”

  “Okay, the rubber has hit the road. We’re out of the gate, so now where are we headed? Syl and
Jillian are going to work on making the Chameleon aware of Jillian’s existence and arousing his curiosity and testosterone levels to the point that he will want to make contact with her on the web site. Once we have him sufficiently smitten to do that, then what? How are we going to tempt him to meet with her face-to-face?”