Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  “All I can think of to do now is to have Jillian post the Chameleon contact code on her web site later today and then wait to see what happens. Jillian, as soon as he contacts you, if he contacts you, let me know right away. I’m going to be on pins and needles until I hear from you. If your still in the game as far as our new playmate is concerned, I’ll notify everyone else and we can then put our game plan into motion.

  “Good night you two. I’m beat and I’ll bet you are too. We should all get as much sleep as we can because I’ve got a feeling that this game is going to run into overtime and we’re going to have to be running on all cylinders if we’re going to win it. Hey, ESPN! Get a load of me will you? If this doesn’t work out, maybe I could become a sportscaster. Nah, I’d make a better cab driver. I’ve got all the moves down pat. Red means stop, Green means go and yellow means step on it. If anyone gets in the way, lean on the horn and shout at them at the top of my lungs. I’m a natural.”

  With a tired smile and a wave of his hand, he rose from the table and left the office.

  Jillian said goodnight to Popeye and headed for the door also. “Hold on a second, Jillian. Let me get my car keys and I’ll follow you home. This Chameleon character could be lurking around somewhere and at this time of day I’ don’t think it would be smart for you to travel alone.”

  “Oh, Popeye, thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I don’t think the Chameleon will try anything so soon after what happened at the Go For It. He’s probably too busy looking for someplace else to live to be bothered with me or anyone else.”

  “Nevertheless, Jillian, I don’t think you should be taking chances with this guy running around loose. I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me escort you home.”

  Seeing the deep concern on Popeye’s face Jillian relents and says, “Okay, Popeye, maybe your right. Thanks.” While waiting for Popeye to return, she starts wondering again about Popeye’s strong motivation to protect someone he hardly knows. “It’s really nice of him to be so worried about me, but I still think there’s more to his concern than just being a nice guy. I can’t help being curious as to what the deep down reason might be. I know it’s none of my business and I should butt out, but I also know I can be a nosy busybody when somebody I like is involved and I like this big guy.”

  Her thoughts are interrupted by Popeye’s return. “Okay, Jillian, I’m ready. Are you?”

  “Yes, Popeye, and thanks again for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem. Glad to do it.”

  Remembering how she felt when she left for home yesterday, she was comforted by the knowledge that Popeye was close by should the Chameleon try anything.

  The ride home was uneventful though and she quickly fell asleep when her head hit the pillow.

  The same was true for Popeye. Feeling good about being able to get Jillian home without incident, he quickly crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow.

  Chapter 37

  The next morning, with a cup of strong coffee in one hand and his head in the other, a common position for him lately, Red is sitting at his desk in his office trying to contemplate what the Chameleon could possibly do next. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the choices were practically unlimited.

  “This guy’s bag of tricks is loaded with possibilities. In military parlance, we’re definitely in a DEFCON 1alert situation. This guy’s becoming more aggressive, more dangerous with every stunt he pulls. I hope our plan to lure him to the Floating Fantasies with the attendance of Nate and Clyde Crowley at our contrived meeting doesn’t push him over the edge to physical violence before Chuck and his men can pounce on him. This reminds me, I want to sit in on Jillian and Sylvia’s dialogue meeting.”

  As he reaches for the phone to call Jillian to find out when she’s getting together with Sylvia, the door to his office opens and in walks Rex Spaulding.

  “Hi, Rex, I was going to call you later this morning to let you know what I was up to with the Chameleon. What brings you to town?”

  “This nemesis you’re tangling with. He’s been messing with my baby and I don’t like it one damn bit. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to play a part in dooming him to failure and putting him in the hoosegow for the rest of his miserable life.”

  “Well, have a seat and I’ll fill you in on what we’re going to try next.”

  Sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Red’s desk, Rex takes a long look at the floor to ceiling window behind Red and says, “There’s no need. I ran into Bill when I came onboard and he told me what you have in mind. I think it has an excellent chance of working and I’d like to be a participant in the meeting. My presence might very well lend more credence to its legitimacy.”

  Smiling Red responds with, “There you go again with the fancy lingo. You’ve got to remember, Rex, when you’re in Bettendorf you’ve got to speak like the natives if you don’t want them to shun you like you’ve got some strange disease.”

  Laughing, Rex comes back with, “Okay, I’ll try to behave appropriately. I mean, I’ll get with the program.”

  With a big grin on his face Red says “That’s more like it.

  “I was just about to call Jillian Prevot to find out when she’s meeting with our Sylvia to work out the dialogue for the meeting. Would you like to join us?”

  “You bet I do. I didn’t come here to sit on my duff and be a spectator.”

  Red called Jillian and found out that the meeting was set for 3 o’clock this afternoon in Sylvia’s office.

  “Red, I’ve some things to do in town, so I’ll meet you there at three.”

  When Rex left, Red resumed his worrying, especially about Jillian. “She’s a very unusual gal. It’s not just anybody who would have jumped in like she did, even if they had a strong commitment to help keep their new community free of vengeful riffraff. If the Chameleon becomes completely unhinged, blaming everybody connected with his vendetta, she could become a prime target. When all of this started, I never would have thought that we’d be dealing with such dementia. Well, it’s too late now to dwell on regrets. We’ve got to let everything play out and hope for the best. Ah, nuts, nuts, nuts!”

  When three o’clock rolled around, no one showed up at Sylvia’s office, including Sylvia. More than a little annoyed, Red was about to raise holy hell, when Popeye appeared in the doorway with the explanation.

  “You’re not going to believe this, Red. I just got a call from Jillian. She’s over at the Go For It. She went over there to talk with the hologram technicians and as soon as she got there the casino was held up. She’s okay, but a couple of dealers were roughed up. No one was seriously injured. The robber left a calling card. On it was a picture of a lizard and the printed words, ‘Any friend of my enemy is my enemy. If you put your hand in the fire, you’re going to get burned.’ There are cops all over the place and they won’t let anyone leave until they’ve been questioned. Jillian said she tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.”

  Red checked his cell phone and he had forgotten to turn it on when he woke up this morning. “Well, that accounts for Jillian. Do you know where Sylvia and Rex are?”

  “That’s the rest of the reason I said ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ Rex is stranded in an elevator that’s stuck between the 14th and 15th floors of the Sullivan building and Sylvia’s car broke down on the Expressway and she’s been waiting two hours for a tow truck.”

  “Where the ding dong is Kieffer?”

  “He went over to Chuck’s office to talk about the security issues that must be addressed when we raise the curtain on our next little dramatic endeavor. With the robbery at the Go For It, Chuck probably would have responded and might have taken Bill with him when he heard about the calling card our ‘friend’ left.”

  “You’re right, Popeye. I don’t believe any of this. It’s got to be a nightmare. Slap me and wake me up. This can’t be happening.”

  Sighing, Popeye said, “Turn your phone on. If I hear
anything, I’ll let you know.” Popeye disappeared down the hallway from Sylvia’s office, leaving Red shaking his head over these latest developments.

  “I wonder where I put my old boss’s phone number at the cab company. Things definitely aren’t going my way here. Ah, nuts, nuts, nuts! I wonder if Jillian at least had the chance to post her latest comments on her web site along with the Chameleon contact code. The way my luck’s been running, probably not.”

  Chapter 38

  By nine o’clock the next morning, Red was able to round up Jillian, Sylvia and Rex and they were all sitting in his office exchanging ideas about what the dialogue should be for each person participating in their sham meeting.

  Jillian was saying, “The interplay between us has to appear normal and purposeful. The meeting must have all the ear marks of legitimacy. The Chameleon is so skittish now that the slightest hint of something being out of whack could trigger a violent reaction and a complete loss of self control. In that state of mind, he’s liable to do anything. If he starts shooting into your office and no one goes down, he just might start shooting at anyone in sight to vent his frustration. We’ve got to be extremely careful to be convincing, to be believable.”

  Rex responded with, “We’re getting your message loud and clear, Jillian. We must avoid the meeting appearing contrived, something being put on for show. We must project an aura of serious concern and along with a sense of urgency. I have a question. Will all of us have to memorize our dialogue and then rehearse like we would in a play? None of us are actors, so I have some concerns about us being able to appear normal in such a setting.”

  Jillian said, “No, memorization won’t be necessary and I don’t think we’ll have sufficient time to rehearse enough, to inject the required histrionics and practice using them, to the point where we could pull normalcy off. I strongly believe that the Chameleon wants closure to his frustration and he wants it now. It won’t be long before we hear from him again.

  “Once we have the dialogue written, it can be projected on a screen directly in front of the participants and behind the people on the opposite side of the conference room table. These screens can be deleted later from the hologram video before it is transmitted. Sylvia and I can structure the dialogue so there will be a normal segue from one person to another.

  “Now, let me address the issues of normalcy and rehearsal. The only rehearsal that will be required and time will allow is a few readings to familiarize everyone with what each person will be saying and to practice not appearing to be reading anything by looking away from the script from time to time, glancing at the other participants or at something else in the room as though thinking about what or how something is to be said. I think there’s enough ham in most people to be convincing while doing this. People on the TV talk shows and newscasts do it all the time and most of them aren’t actors.”

  “Okay.” Red said. “We’re all on the same page regarding what we want to accomplish. Sylvia, Jillian, how long do you think it will take you two to work up the dialogue we’ll need?”

  The two women looked at each other then Sylvia said, “Jillian and I work extremely well together. We found this out while working on the dialogue for the spot TV commercials, the interview with Tim Rollins and the comments on Jillian’s web site. If we can work someplace where we won’t be interrupted, I’d say we could have it together by noontime tomorrow. What do you think, Jillian?”

  “That’s doable. Red, just make sure there’s plenty of caffeine and energy snacks on hand to keep us going.”

  “You’ll have it. The noontime deadline works out well with the arrival time of my brother Nate and Clyde Crowley from Chicago. They’re flying in at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon.

  “Jillian, I’m assuming you didn’t get the chance to post the Chameleon contact code on your web site yesterday because of what happened at the Go For It. Am I right?”

  “That’s correct, Red. I will do it as soon as this meeting breaks up.”

  “Great. Then, as Grandma used to say, ‘Let’s be commencin.’ or, as Grandpa used to say, ‘Let’s shake, rattle and roll.’ Chuckling he said, “What can I say? I had some real old grandparents.”

  Chapter 39

  Jillian was right. She posted the contact code on her web site when the meeting broke up and the Chameleon called her at her office at the Go For It and left a message two hours later. Jillian was tied up working with Sylvia on the dialogue, so she didn’t get the message until she checked her messages at eight o’clock that night.

  “If the Chameleon sticks with the contact procedure we agreed to at the ski resort, he should call me again tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Sylvia and I still have work to do on the dialogue, so I hope I can buy enough time with the Chameleon to get things set up for the meeting.”

  She called Red to let him know that contact had been made and then went to bed exhausted.

  At nine the next morning, Jillian is sitting at her desk waiting for the phone to ring, but nothing happens. “Uh, oh, what’s up now? Has he written me off? A few minutes later she is relieved to hear the phone ring, but her relief quickly turns to dismay when she hears a recorded message urging her to call an 800 number to find out more about a terrific new vacation spot in Tahiti.

  Slamming the phone down in disappointment, she waits another half hour, but only receives three business calls and nothing from the Chameleon. “Well, it looks like we’re back to the drawing board. I guess it’s time for me to call Red with the bad news.”

  She does so and he asks if she can get together with him over lunch to discuss where they can go from here. She agrees to meet him at his office at noon and decides to spend the rest of her morning talking with the hologram techs about what was needed for the meeting to dupe the Chameleon. She never did get the chance to talk with them yesterday. Despite the fact that the Chameleon didn’t call, Red still thinks there’s got to be a way they can use it to get the Chameleon to stick his neck out onboard the Floating Fantasies.

  At about a quarter to twelve, she leaves the Go For It to meet Red for lunch. As she’s walking to her car in the parking lot, a dark blue Chevy Tahoe pulls up alongside her and the driver calls out to her. “Ms. Prevot, I’m sorry it was necessary for me to abandon our contact agreement. I just think it’s best for me to keep my options open, so no one can anticipate what I might do. If you still want to talk with me, we can take a drive through the park and I’ll drop you off back here when we’re done.”

  “It’s the Chameleon! I never would have recognized him with that shock of reddish orange hair, handlebar mustache and sideburns. I don’t know if the pale hazel eyes are his or part of his get up, but they sure seem to belong on the face. What should I do?”

  It takes only a nanosecond for her to make up her mind. Climbing in she says, “Wow. I didn’t recognize you. You’re really good with these disguises. Where did you learn how to do that?”

  “When I was in college, I belonged to a theater group and worked back stage with the lighting and scenery and used to watch the makeup artists and costume people do their thing. I was fascinated by how they could change someone’s appearance so drastically and found it enjoyable to use what I learned on myself. I got pretty good at it as you can see.”

  They drove for a couple of minutes in silence and when she was reasonably certain that he was waiting for her to broach the subject of his behavior at the ski resort and the Go For It, she jumped in with both feet.

  “Mr. Carducci, why did you leave the ski resort in such a hurry? It appeared to me that something frightened you. I heard dogs barking, so I went to the door to see what all the commotion was about and when I opened it I saw you running to the back of the cabin. A few seconds later you were flying a small helicopter over the tree tops and soon disappeared. And why were you staring at my table at the Go For It the other night and why did you hurt that security man when he came over to talk to you?”

  “Way to go, Jillian. There’s nothing like coming out shooting from
the hip. It keeps the enemy off balance, but you could get hit with a rick-a-shay if you’re not careful. Lighten up.”