Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  Popeye had been smiling throughout the exchange about his gambling adventures in St. Louis, but Red’s suggestion instantly wiped it off his face.

  Rex said, “You know that’s a damn good idea. What do you think about it, Popeye?”

  Taking a quick look at Jillian, he launched himself out of his chair like a rocket at Canaveral and said, “I’m on my way.”

  Jillian shouted after him, “Wait! At least you can take the time to eat something.”

  Running towards the door he shouted over his shoulder, “I’ll grab a sandwich along the way.” The next instant he was gone.

  Rex said, “I think he likes the idea.”

  Jillian’s thinking, “Be careful, Popeye. Don’t take any stupid risks on my account.”

  Seeing the concern on Jillian’s face, Rex leaned over and squeezed her hand and said, “Don’t you worry about Popeye. He knows how to take care of himself I can assure you. There’s only one man I’d feel safer with than Tucker and he just left.”

  Red’s thinking, “How can you assure her of something like that. What do you know about Popeye that the rest of us don’t know?”

  Chapter 53

  Another ten days go by without any new developments. When Popeye first arrived in St. Louis, one of the first things he did after checking in with Tucker was talk with the pit bosses and dealers he had gotten to know during his previous visits. He verified that they had copies of the sketch and told them to call him on his cell if they became suspicious of any one, no matter how unsure they might be. He was hoping that whatever rapport he had managed to build up with them would help motivate them to stay on the alert.

  On the eleventh day after his arrival, he got a call from one of the pit bosses, Brett Moyer, telling him that he had just thought of something that might help him find his man. “Popeye, it just occurred to me that some of the casinos use a temp agency in town that trains and provides people who work roulette and crap tables as well as black jack and poker dealers to casinos to fill in for people who get sick, go on vacation, whatever. Theses floating temps fill in for a day, a week, a month or sometimes even longer. You might want to talk to the agency about any new dealers in town.”

  “Thanks, Brett. What’s the name of the agency?”

  “Wheelers and Dealers.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Hey, it’s a tough, competitive world out there. You’ve got to be willing to try anything if it has a chance to work.”

  “Yeah, but Wheelers and Dealers? Who owns the place, Bat Masterson?”

  “No, but close. The owner is a lady who claims to be a direct descendant of Charles Cora, the legendary gambler of the Old West. She goes by the name of Cora Cora.

  “You’re putting me on, right?”

  Laughing Brett replies, “If I am, I’ll pay for your drinks for the entire night the next time you come in.”

  “But drinks are free as long as you’re gambling.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot. I don’t gamble. It’s for suckers. No offense big guy. Tell you what. I know Cora, so I’ll pave the way for you and ask her to call you on your cell. Okay?”

  “Wheelers and Dealers. Cora Cora. What’s the world of gambling coming to? Maybe I’ll take up darts, pool, shuffle board or even pinball. Okay. I’ll bite. Ask her to call me.”

  While both of them are aughing, they hang up.

  The next day Cora calls and tells him Brett has clued her in and to bring over copies of the sketch for her to look at and hand out. He heads right on over and as he opens the door to walk inside, who’s walking out but the Chameleon. As surprised recognition spreads across both their faces, the Chameleon quickly bolts for the back door, but Popeye is quicker. He grabs the Chameleon by his collar and one handed lifts him straight up in the air and then slams him against the wall.

  As the Chameleon struggles to get his balance, he grabs a flower vase on one of the desks and hits Popeye in the head with it. He has just made a gigantic mistake. Although blood begins to trickle down Popeye’s forehead, the blow has no other effect on him. The emotional pressure from all of his fear for Jillian, from the renewed mental flagellation over his sister’s death, from the anxiety he’s had to deal with over what might happen to his colleagues, all of this has found a release and the Chameleon is it.

  The police who responded to the 911 call from Cora said that the Chameleon was lucky to be alive. After much argument, Rex and Tucker were able to get the St. Louis District Attorney to release Popeye on his own recognizance. In a few days, a hearing will be scheduled to determine if Popeye acted in a legally justifiable manner. The DA has already agreed to the Chameleon being returned to Iowa for prosecution on his offenses back there when he’s released from the hospital. Tucker has arranged for 24/7 guards on his room and will personally escort him back when he’s able to be transported.

  Back in Bettendorf, Rex, Red, Tucker, Popeye and Jillian are sitting in Rex’s office discussing what has just transpired in St. Louis. Rex has two long couches and several over-stuffed chairs in his office and everybody is physically comfortable, but mentally is another matter.

  Tucker is saying, “Rex, we should make Bob Dorsett aware of Popeye’s little altercation in St Louis.”

  Rex said, “So the rest of you know who Tucker is talking about, Bob Dorsett is an exceptional defense attorney that I have on retainer because Tucker and I occasionally get in scrapes of one kind or another where his services are well worth the exorbitant fees he charges.”

  Red said, “I think the findings will be in Popeye’s favor. He was acting in self-defense and gave the Chameleon what he had coming to him and as far as I’m concerned that was still not enough.”

  Tucker said, “You’re probably right, Red, but we shouldn’t take any chances. I’ve seen some real strange things happen in a courtroom.”

  Rex said, “I’ll get right on it.”

  Popeye and Jillian have been sitting together on one of the couches with Jillian holding on to his upper arm since they entered Rex’s office. Popeye hasn’t said much since returning from St. Louis. He figures the less he says the better. “If I open my mouth, I might say something that could be used against me later if a clever attorney has a go at me. I wouldn’t have killed that creep, but I did want him to suffer, to feel the panic he’s inflicted on others.”

  Red said, “Another thing we should take a look at is the Chameleon’s confinement when he returns to Bettendorf. I’m going to give Chuck a call to see what other cells he could be locked up in until trial. Those holding cells are a piece of cake for him.”

  Looking intently at Tucker Jillian said, “Do you really think the Chameleon would try to kill us?”

  “I know it’s hard to imagine that someone would dislike you enough to want to kill you. This is one of those things that happens to the other guy, never to you.” Pausing with a quick glance at Popeye, he continues with, “Jillian, I’ve had to deal with a lot of crackpots and zealots in my time who have turned to murder to satisfy their obsessions and, unfortunately, the Chameleon is a perfect fit for the mold. His level of frustration is so high right now he’s ready to come apart at the seams. Yes, I think he would try to kill all of you if given the opportunity. Clyde Crowley, Nate Borman, Red, Popeye and you would be his primary targets because you have been the biggest thorns in his side. Bill Kieffer, Chuck Corrigan and Joe Amato would be his secondary targets if he decided to go after any of them at all.”

  Shuddering, Jillian’s grip on Popeye’s arm tightens and Red picks up on it. “Something’s changed between those two. Ever since the dinner at Cherie’s Jubilee when Popeye bolted from the restaurant and Jillian expressed concern about his not eating before he left, something’s different. It’s like they’ve drawn closer together. Hmmm. Well, well, Borman. Is that jealousy knocking on the door here? Oh, come on. He’s old enough to be her father. Still, May/December relationships have been around for a long time. Come on, Borman. Get a grip on yourself.”

&n
bsp; Rex said, “Tucker, thanks again for all of your help and coming back so quickly when the Chameleon got away. If you hadn’t pegged Missouri as his first destination, we could still be looking for him who knows where.”

  “Well, I’m glad I was able to pinpoint where he was headed. If it wasn’t for Popeye though, we’d probably still be in St. Louis trying to draw the net tighter. That was a good idea of his to use the relationships he has built up with some of the people at the casinos to help us out. Things couldn’t have worked out any better as Popeye was in the perfect position to take advantage of Lady Luck’s gift.”

  Red’s thinking, “There must be something in the air. What happened to the negative vibes between these two? I’m sensing a hint of friendly respect coming from both of them. They still don’t look at each other for more than a couple of seconds, but something has changed.”

  Before Red can speculate any further, Tucker rose and said, “I can’t do any more here, so I’m heading back to Dallas. Please let me know how things turn out with the Chameleon.”

  When Tucker left, the meeting broke up. Everyone was relieved and glad to be going back to work, to once again be dealing with the ordinary, the familiar. There was no longer the need to worry about what the Chameleon might do next and where he might be lurking.

  Chapter 54

  It takes three weeks for the Chameleon to heal up enough to be transported back to Iowa. He is not being confined in one of the Bettendorf Police Department’s holding cells as more secure arrangements were made to hold him in the state penitentiary at Fort Madison.

  The assistant district attorney assigned to prosecute Carl Carducci, Pauline Poletti, has just begun the interview and evidence gathering process and Red is concerned about her limited experience as a trial lawyer. She only passed the bar a year ago and has been handling mostly drunk driving, shoplifting and vandalism cases. The Carducci prosecution will be a step up for her.

  The Chameleon is no longer just sitting around staring at the floor. He’ll get up and walk around, act normal, but he refuses to talk with anybody, even the public defender. He’s undergone a court appointed psychiatric examination and even though he wouldn’t talk to the psychiatrist it has been determined that he’s lucid enough to stand trial. The public defender’s strategy will most likely include attacking that determination with expert testimony of his own psychiatrists to convince the jury that the Chameleon is indeed insane.

  Red is worried that the public defender, a Peter Tremaine who has an attractive win record over the past seven years, will be too much for Ms. Poletti to handle.

  Red’s thinking, “The deck is definitely stacked against us. The revelation of the reasoning behind the Chameleon’s vendetta along with the acts he’s committed to carry out his vendetta in the hands of a seasoned attorney like Tremaine could be devastating to the prosecution’s case. Tremaine will paint a picture so vivid, so impressive that it will be extremely difficult for an inexperienced attorney like Poletti to come up with an effective counter argument.”

  Red, Rex, Bill and Chuck have already been interviewed by the ADA, but Nate, Clyde Crowley, Jillian and Popeye haven’t met with her yet. Nate and Clyde will probably just have to give signed depositions since they’re back in Chicago and Jillian and Popeye are now sitting in her outer office waiting to be interviewed.

  Jillian leans toward Popeye and says, “I’ll sure be glad when this is all over. It sure has been an emotional drain.”

  Popeye smiled and replied, “Well, you sure have handled it very well. Red’s very lucky to have you in his corner. A lot of people wouldn’t even have got involved.”

  Jillian started to say something when she was interrupted by the ADA’s admin telling them the ADA was ready for them.

  “Good morning Ms. Prevot, Mr. Petersen. Thanks for coming in.” Pointing to a small circular table with six chairs around it she said, “Please have a seat. Those chairs are a lot more comfortable than they look.” She was right. At first glance, the thinly padded seats, backs and arm rests didn’t look very inviting, but they were very with it ergonomically. Seeing the surprise on their faces she added, “I conduct a lot of interviews in my office and some of them run quite long. The last thing I need is to have people concentrating more on the pain in their butts and backs than what I’m asking and telling them.”

  Opening a folder that contains six pages of questions she begins the interview with, “What I want to do this morning is run by you a long list of questions pertaining to your involvement with Carl Carducci. By the time we’re through, you’ll really appreciate those chairs.”

  Three hours later, they were on a first name basis and exhausted. “That should do it. Jillian, Popeye, your cooperation and I might add perseverance have given me some very good information that will be a big help in putting together a formidable case against Mr. Carducci.”

  Popeye asks, “What do you think your chances are of convincing a jury that Mr. Carducci was legally sane when he did what he did?”

  “I’d give myself 3 to 1 odds. I know a lot of people would reverse those odds because of the difference in experience between me and Peter Tremaine, but the key to winning a case lies in the preparation. Sure, presentation, theatrics, histrionics, all these play a role, but success comes from how well an attorney prepares.”

  Popeye responds with, “An old judge friend of mine once passed on to me some very sage advice. ‘A court room is like a battlefield. Every trial is a war. The assistant district attorney is a legal warrior and the defense attorney is the enemy. As an ADA, you must go into battle with the fruits of a thorough reconnaissance, heavily armed and prepared to fire whenever the opportunity presents itself. You must never put yourself in a position to be out muscled, out maneuvered. If you go up against an enemy who is better equipped, better armed, in other words better prepared, you’ll get slaughtered no matter how brave you are.’

  “He also said, ‘You never confront the enemy with a pistol and only one bullet. It is not the way to win a war. You’re just asking to be buried in jurisprudence boot hill.’

  “I think this last is what Peter Tremaine will be doing. With all of your preparation, I think you’re homing in on his Achilles Heel. He’s banking on the fact that he only has to convince one juror to get a mistrial and you have to convince all twelve to get a conviction. Has a trial date been set yet?”

  “I like the judge’s analogy and no, not yet. We should be ready to go in a couple of weeks.”

  Popeye then said, “Okay, Pauline. If you don’t need us for anything else, we’ll grab our happy butts and get out of here.”

  Chuckling she said, “If I think of anything else, I’ll contact you through Red Borman.”

  As they’re waiting for the elevator to take them down to the underground parking garage, Jillian looks up at him and says, “Boy, you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? Not only do you know judges, but your memory for detail would rival my laptop.”

  Before he could say anything, the elevator ping, pinged its arrival and it was loaded with people, so he just gave her a wink. Jillian’s thinking “And why is a judge giving you that kind of advice?”

  Chapter 55

  When the trial date is set, adrenalin begins to flow. The attorneys are eager to face off even though they both have reservations about the strength of their cases, Red’s fear that the trial outcome will not be to his liking is escalating, Bill and Chuck are becoming more nervous over the possibility that the Chameleon will manage another escape now that the trial date has been set and his fate is now in the hands of twelve strangers, and Rex is starting to be concerned about a possible civil suit against him for his culpability regarding the beating Popeye gave the Chameleon.

  Jillian’s and Sylvia’s adrenaline is also on the move, but for more pleasant reasons.

  As testimony is given and the whole story unfolds, the trial should capture the attention of the media and through them the interest of the public at large. Jillian and Sylvia, pu
blicists extraordinaire, are looking for ways to exploit the notoriety that will soon surround the Chameleon when that happens. They are trying to outdo each other, so they are keeping their ideas under wraps, which is a hard thing for them to do because their friendship keeps getting stronger and they’re hanging out a lot more together.