Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  It takes the better part of a week for a jury to be selected and the opening arguments to be presented. Red and Rex were in the courtroom on the first day of the trial and after the opening arguments had been given they both felt that the score between the prosecution and the defense was a tie. This made Red feel a little better about their chances of winning, but he wasn’t rushing out to buy balloons and confetti.

  The only thing a little out of the ordinary occurred when the judge asked the Chameleon how he pled to the charges leveled against him. The Chameleon refused to answer. He wouldn’t even look at the judge. The defense attorney had to answer for him, not guilty by reason of insanity. Other than that, there were no surprises.

  Despite the Chameleon’s intelligence, creativity and skill with his hands, he’s not a very impressive person, hardly someone who’d stand out in a crowd. He has light brown hair shorn in a buzz cut, the color of his eyes matches that of his hair, his facial features are very ordinary except for his chin which is almost non-existent and his lanky six foot one inch frame belies his athleticism.

  During the luncheon recess, Rex arranged for everybody to meet at his office at six that evening to discuss attendance at the trial. He also called Nate and Clyde Crowley and arranged for them to call in at that time also, so he could put them on the loudspeaker and they could participate as well.

  It’s now six o’clock and everyone’s assembled to hear what Rex has on his mind. Rex opens the meeting with, “Believe it or not boys and girls, my motivation for what I’m about to say is not my deeply rooted devotion to the almighty greenback. I like saving money, I like making money, but there are a few things I hold more important than accumulating wealth.” Laughing he adds, “Notice I said ‘few’”.

  Then turning serious he continues with, “I’d like to volunteer to be the eyes and ears for the rest of the group for the duration of the trial and offer to hold a daily conference call at this time every evening to let you know what has happened during the day and to give you my impressions of the proceedings.

  “This entire Chameleon ordeal has been an enormous emotional drain on all of us and there’s no sense in all of you adding more stress to your psyches by sitting through the entire trial worrying about all of your work that is piling up. The only time you’d have to take off is when you’re scheduled to testify. For those of you who work for me, this is not an ultimatum. If you want to attend the trial for the duration, you may and I’ll not dock a red cent from your pay.

  “One good thing that has come out of this Chameleon affair is that I got to know all of you. You’re an amazing bunch of people and your emotional well-being is a lot more important to me than my bank balance. So, how do all of you feel about this?”

  Red responds with, “I for one think it’s a great idea. I’d rather be kept busy working than have to look at the Chameleon all day. He’s not much to look at, but the sight of him makes me sick. When I think of what he might have done had Popeye not found him, my temper begins to soar and my stomach starts to rebel against whatever I’ve put in it. Nausea hardly begins to describe the experience.”

  Jillian says, “I agree with Red, but for a different reason. The Chameleon is a very dangerous man and a very clever one to boot. If he figures out a way to unleash all that venom that is stirring around inside of him, it won’t matter to him if he’s sitting in a courtroom.He’s not much to look at, but Hhh The moment he gets the idea, he’ll erupt like a volcano and if he sees any of us we’ll be in deep trouble. He’s a very imaginative individual and whatever he comes up with I’m sure will catch us by surprise. I don’t want to be anywhere near him if this happens.”

  Popeye says, “I was thinking I’d attend and sit as close to the Chameleon as I could get just to make him feel as uncomfortable as he’s made us feel. On second thought though, it’s probably better that I don’t. My presence might disrupt the trial if he reacts in an angry or fearful way and his behavior might prejudice the jury in his favor.”

  The rest of the group accepted Rex’s offer as well and then the meeting dissolved into several different conversations going on at once.

  Rex, Red, Nate and Clyde were talking about Nate and Clyde coming back to Bettendorf for the trial and staying on the Floating Fantasies as Rex’s guests if they could get away. Jillian and Popeye were discussing the likelihood of the Chameleon seeking damages for the injuries he suffered from Popeye’s beating. Bill and Chuck were expressing their concerns about the security detail assigned to the courthouse during the trial. It was like a small cocktail party without the alcohol and, of course, without the laughter.

  When court reconvenes the next day, it is obvious that the previous day’s proceedings have caught the attention of the news media. There are reporters all over the place. By the end of the week, the Chameleon is the topic of conversation everywhere. In the courtroom, it is standing room only. As more and more details of the Chameleon’s vendetta are revealed, the public’s fascination becomes more intense and, surprisingly, a ground swell of understanding and sympathy for the defendant’s predicament begins to develop.

  Red is beginning to get that bad feeling in his gut again. “If the jury is reacting to the testimony the way the general public is, we’re definitely going to crap out.”

  On Wednesday of week two, it is Jillian’s turn to take the stand. After she was sworn in and before she could sit down, what Jillian was dreading came to pass. The Chameleon vaulted over the defense table and lunged for Jillian violently screaming, “You lying bitch! You lying bitch!” One minute he was just sitting there as calm as can be and the next he was a menace on the move to mayhem.

  His attack caught everybody by surprise and had he not tripped over his own feet Jillian could have been seriously hurt. Fortunately, before the Chameleon could recover, two bruiser bailiffs were all over him, wrestling him to his feet and out of the courtroom. The judge called a fifteen recess to give everyone a chance to get their nerves under control and afford himself better odds of restoring order in his courtroom.

  When court reconvened, the Chameleon was again seated at the defense table, but now his hands and feet were shackled.

  The judge resumed the proceeding with a warning to the defendant. “I will not tolerate any further outbursts from you in this courtroom. If you utter one word without my approval, you will be gagged. If that doesn’t work and you continue to disrupt this trial, you will be viewing and listening to it from a cell.”

  The Chameleon didn’t acknowledge the warning and didn’t even look at the judge when he was speaking to him. The fury that propelled him minutes ago was barely under control, his efforts to keep himself in check were clearly evident on his face. When Jillian again took the witness stand, the way the Chameleon glared at her impacted everyone in the courtroom. If the Chameleon was trying to intimidate her, he failed miserably. Her only reaction to the Chameleon’s glare was a polite stare and a slight shaking of her head.

  The judge looked at Peter Tremaine and said, “You had better get your client to change his demeanor or he’s out of here.”

  The defense attorney leaned over and said something to his client and whatever it was it defused the anger, for how long was anybody’s guess.

  The rest of the week went by with no further disruptions from the Chameleon, but Rex is thinking, “This guy’s lost it. This is just a temporary lull before the next storm, like the center of a hurricane.”

  Chapter 56

  At 8 o’clock on Monday morning of the third week of the trial, everyone, jurors, attorneys, witnesses, spectators, is roaming around the hallway outside the courtroom waiting for the doors to be opened. Nate and Clyde are scheduled to testify, so they flew in last night and stayed on the Floating Fantasies. They were unable to take advantage of Rex’s offer to stay there for the duration of the trial because of their responsibilities in Chicago. Red was there to keep his brother company.

  Nate looked like Nate, Mr. Cool without a care in the world. Clyde was sho
wing signs of stress and expressed his concern to Red.

  “Red, what if this guy winds up in a mental institution instead of prison? It would be a lot easier for him to escape from that kind of facility or he could be found sane and released within a year or two. If he gets loose or is set loose again, the pent up frustration, anger, hatred will make him even more dangerous than he is now.”

  “You make a good point, Clyde, but if the Chameleon winds up in a mental institution it will be one that houses the criminally insane, not your average guy that goes bonkers with illusions that he’s being hunted down by aliens.”

  The better part of an hour goes by and the doors are still locked. Rex is about to knock on the door when the bailiff opens them and asks, “Will Mr. Spaulding and Mr. Borman follow me please?”

  Nate asks, “Which Borman? There are two of us.”

  The bailiff turns her head and asks someone that can’t be seen from the hallway the same question.

  Instead of getting an answer she is gently pulled back inside and Chuck Corrigan fills the doorway.

  “Red, Rex, follow me.”

  They follow him into a room where jurors go for deliberation. “Chuck, how did you know I was here? This is the first time I’ve been here since the opening day of the trial. I decided to come today because my brother is scheduled to testify.”

  “Bill told me last night that you were planning on being here today. I had to call him about a surprise birthday party I’m putting together for his sister and the subject of the trial came up.

  “Guys, I’m afraid I have some very bad news. Luck is still very much the Chameleon’s friend. He got away earlier this morning.”

  With shock on their faces, both Red and Rex ask the same question, “How?”

  “The van he was being transported in from Fort Madison was in a bad accident with a big rig and wound up overturned in a ditch. The driver of the van was killed and the guard in the back with the Chameleon was seriously injured and knocked unconscious. The Chameleon was able to get the key to his shackles from the unconscious guard and took off out of a broken window before the state police or an ambulance arrived. We have no idea where he is.”

  Shaking his head Rex says, “This guy is definitely an odds buster. His luck has got to run out sometime, damn it!”

  Chuck added, “I have some more bad news. He also took the officer’s sidearm.”

  Red’s face has turned almost as red as his beard and he lets out a string of ah nuts, nuts, nuts that must have set some kind of record, both for length and volume.

  After Red cooled down Rex said, “Well, I guess I better make another phone call to Tucker. This is getting to be a habit that’s spinning out of control, like a glutton in a bakery shop. Getting in too deep can be a danger to your health. Hell, it could kill you.”

  Rex made the call and Red headed back to his office to make his, stopping in the hallway to let Nate and Clyde know what had happened. They said they were going to fly back to Chicago and asked Red to keep them abreast of what has going on.

  Driving back to the Floating Fantasies, Red’s trying to deal with all the emotions running through his mind. Guilt, frustration, worry, doubt, indecision, all keep running into each other, creating nothing but confusion and not a hint of what his next course of action should be.

  “One thing’s for sure. I’ve blown my chance at the taxi business. Staying alive and in one piece has just taken the number one spot on my priority list. There’s room in the slot for those who have stuck by me through all of this, but so what? I don’t have a clue as to how I’m going to do it. Nuts, nuts, nuts!!”

  Chapter 57

  About mid-morning the following day, Red stops by the Go For It to see how Jillian is holding up. He’s been up and about since five that morning because sleep had eluded him most of the night. The Chameleon’s vendetta has turned into something a lot more macabre and after his attempt to hurt Jillian in the courtroom the other day Red is very fearful that she will be the first person he’ll go after when he’s ready.

  When he arrives at her office, the door is open and she is deeply engrossed in something on her computer. Rapping softly on the door a couple of times he says, “The way you’re glued to that monitor somebody must be having one doozy of a sale.”

  Startled, she dropped her pen in her lap as she looked up to see who was there. Seeing Red she smiled and said, “Your timing couldn’t be any better. Take a look at the e-mail I just received.”

  Looking over her shoulder he read,

  Just remember, bitch, every dog has its day.

  Yours is coming and you will pay.

  Your lying days will soon be over.

  With the bees you’ll be sharing clover.

  Your friends too will rue the day

  They chose to get in my way.

  Justice must be meted out,

  By any means, by any route.

  You all may choose to run or hide,

  But you’re going to lose no matter what you decide.

  I will not rest until the deed is done,

  For I’m your nemesis, the Chameleon.

  Shaking his head Red says, “What’s with the rhyming? It appears that he not only has a screw loose, it looks like all of his hardware has joined the party and is rattling around in that noggin of his.”

  “It’s not a good sign, Red. He’s thoroughly convinced that his irrational behavior is rational and just.” Sighing she added, “I need a hug.”

  Reaching for her Red’s thinking, “This is not the scenario I have in mind when I think of holding her in my arms. We’ve got to come up with something that will protect her and the rest of us from this screwball.”

  Just as Red pulls her into his arms, Joe Amato shows up. Grinning he says, “Well, well, what do we have here? Shall I come back later?”

  One look at their faces dispels any remaining inclination to tease them. “What’s wrong?”

  Jillian points at her monitor and says, “Take a look.”

  After reading the message, all Joe can think of to say is, “Oh boy.”

  Red responds with, “As always, you’re a man of few words, Joe.”

  Now stone faced Joe says, “The time for words is over. It’s time do something that will put an end to this misfit once and for all.” In amazement, Red and Jillian watch him hurry out of her office and listen to him run down the hall and slam the door of his office.

  “In all the years I’ve know him, I’ve never seen him so angry or move so fast.”

  Nervously Jillian asks, “What do you think he’s going to do?”

  “In his current frame of mind, I’m afraid to think about what he might do. Joe’s a stand up guy, a good friend and normally wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he has his own rules when it comes to dealing with someone who’s messing with him or someone he cares about. He knows some very scary people who will do just about anything for a price. All we can do is hope that he’ll calm down before he starts making phone calls.”

  Jillian’s starts to print a copy of the e-mail for Chuck after which she’ll put it in her ‘Saved File’ when her phone rings. It’s Rex trying to set up a conference call between Tucker and everybody else. “Do you know where Red is, Jillian? I don’t think he’s on the Floating Fantasies. I’ve been paging him for an hour and haven’t heard from him.”

  “He’s with me, Rex. I just received a frightening e-mail from the Chameleon and Joe Amato, Red and I have been talking about it. I’ll forward a copy to you in a moment. When do you want to set up the conference call?”

  “Right now if it’s at all possible. Tucker doesn’t want to waste any time picking up the Chameleon’s trail again, but he wants to run a few ideas by you before he takes off.”