Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she softly says, “Okay.”

  Before Vince could leave, Red got another phone call. It was Rex again. “Tucker just called to tell me a landscaper had given a ride to someone resembling the Chameleon late yesterday afternoon. He picked him up outside the Crestmont Country Club and brought him into downtown Bettendorf.. He didn’t know who he had given a ride to until he got home and saw the picture on the six o’clock news.”

  “Okay, Rex. I’ll pass this on to Vince. He’s here in my office now. Bye.”

  As Red relayed the message to Vince, Vince was deep in thought and began nodding his head. “He must have just picked up on your evening trips to Crestmont. It probably took him a couple of days to find a way to keep you under observation without being seen. I’m sure he went out to Crestmont to get a lay of the land. It looks like he’s still bent on getting his revenge. Well, we’ll be ready for him.”

  Chapter 62

  Two more days go by with nothing happening and then it was like World War Three had been declared.

  It was about a quarter to eight on a balmy evening and Red and Jillian had just finished their second drink, this evening they were sipping Mai Tais, when suddenly there were short bursts of rat-a-tat-tats and staccato phfft like sounds of something striking the screen alongside their table. The screen was anchored to the sill or it would have hit them in the face. Quickly following this were the deafening sounds of Ramon’s rifle and Vince and Giovanni’s 9mms being fired at someone on the roof of the clubhouse and Red’s thinking that someone has to be the Chameleon.

  Somehow the Chameleon has managed to get up there without being seen and he now has all of them pinned down. Seeing that he has no clear shot at any of the people shooting at him and that Red and Jillian are behind some kind of protective barrier along with knowing the place will soon be crawling with cops, he soon realizes that he has no other choice but to get out of there. In a blink of an eye, he leaps from his hiding place behind a chimney and disappears over the other side of the peaked roof . That was the last any of them saw of him. It was like he vanished into thin air.

  Vince is beside himself. “How did that son of a bitch get up on the roof and how did he get away from us? There are only two ways to enter and leave the clubhouse and they have to be accessed from the pathway. We had both of them covered!”

  Giovanni whose face is almost purple with rage asked no one in particular, “And where did he get that weapon? That was no S&W 4046 that’s for damn sure.”

  Jillian looking at the dejected Red said, “I’ll say it for you. Ah nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts.”

  With a rueful smile on his face Red said, “Right now I want to say a lot worse than that.”

  Giovanni did that for him. Standing by a dumpster that is pushed up against the fence that separates the clubhouse property from the street, he’s looking down at the ground and cursing a blue streak. Walking over to him to try to calm him down, Vince sees what set him off. “I’ll be damned.”

  Red and Jillian are taking all of this in and Red realizes that something has just come to light for the two men. Red asks, “What’s going on? Have you spotted something?”

  Vince points to the ground and says, “Take a look.”

  Red does and he now understands the reason for Giovanni’s outburst. Next to the dumpster is a manhole cover, in place but smeared with blood.

  Vince states what is now obvious, but it makes him feel better than standing there looking like a jerk. Just beneath the surface it is quite clear that Vince Velossi is boiling mad for being fooled and foiled.

  “This is how he got on the grounds. He just waited until the coast was clear and then climbed out and entered through the back door into the clubhouse. This manhole must connect with one outside in the street. One of us must have hit him during the exchange of fire and from the amount of blood here it looks like it was more than a nick. How in hell did we miss this, Giovanni?”

  Looking into the dumpster Jillian said, “Maybe the dumpster has been repositioned. It’s practically empty now. When you first came here it could have been full and sitting on top of the manhole cover. Sometime after you checked things over here it could have been emptied and not put back in the exact same spot..”

  “Maybe.” The possibility made sense to Red, but it didn’t appear to mollify these Goliaths one iota. They were fuming.

  Red’s thinking, “If the Chameleon is caught by these guys, he might not get the chance to recuperate in a hospital after they’re through with him. They definitely are not happy campers.”

  It was close to midnight before the police finished questioning them. Chuck didn’t get there until the questioning was almost over. He had been tied up dealing with another crisis at the train station. Some drunk was shooting at some crows for relieving themselves on his car. It turns out that the gun he had was loaded with blanks. It was a starter’s pistol.

  By the time Chuck showed up, Vince and Giovanni had calmed down and Vince was saying to Red and Jillian, “Well, it was a good idea, but sometimes luck shines on the wrong guys.”

  Red replied with, “You got that right. It’s been shining on this guy for far too long. Show me where the spotlight is and I’ll smash it to smithereens. Let’s get out of here.”

  Vince and Giovanni drove Jillian back to her apartment in the cab and Ramon drove Red back to the Floating Fantasies in the other car. Red was quiet all the way back to the Floating Fantasies, but before they got out of the car in the parking lot Red said, “Thanks, Ramon, for what you did tonight. Even though our brilliant plan turned into a fiasco, it could have been a lot worse had you not been there.”

  With a surprised look on his face Ramon asked, “What are you talking about? I should have taken that guy out, but I only wounded him.”

  “I know, but it was your shooting that scared him to death, kept him ducking so he couldn’t get any more clear shots off. You’re one hell of a shot and I’m glad you were there. I’m glad Vince and Giovanni were there too, but their guns were useless at that distance. Pausing he added, “I just had to get that off my chest.”

  “Okay, Red. Thanks for the kind words.” A smile broke out on his face and then he added, “So you think what I did tonight was good shooting, do you? That was nothing. You should see me shoot pool.”

  “Oh no! Another Bill Kieffer. What have I done to deserve this?”

  “Who’s Bill Kieffer?”

  “I’ll tell you sometime when I’m drunk and too numb to feel any pain.” Laughing, Red climbs out of the car and says, “Come on. It’s time to hit the hay.”

  Chapter 63

  When Red gets to his office the next morning, Rex and Popeye are waiting for him. “Whoa. I don’t handle surprises very well before I’ve had my morning coffee. Good morning and what’s up? I know something’s up because you two are supposed to be someplace else other than here. Popeye, I thought you were breathing down the neck of the Chameleon and, Rex, you’re supposed to be in Dallas. What gives?”

  Without a hint of what is coming, Red is floored when Rex says, “Red, I’m here to ask for your resignation and Popeye’s here to assist in making funeral arrangements for Jillian.”

  Dumbfounded, Red’s head slides forward as he utters the only thing that comes to mind, “Huh?”

  Now smiling Popeye says to Rex, “If it worked on Red, it’ll work on Carducci.”

  With his heart beating like a trip-hammer Red asks, “What the hell are you guys up to?”

  Rex said, “I’m sorry, Red, but you were the ideal guinea pig for what we’re thinking of doing.”

  Popeye finished the explanation with, “We heard about what happened at the Crestmont Country Club and we’re sorry that things didn’t work out, but we think it could be a blessing in disguise.

  “If the Chameleon thinks he’s accomplished what he set out to do in Bettendorf, get you fired and kill Jillian, we think he’ll head straight for Chicago to settle the score with Clyde Crowl
ey and your brother Nate. He’s probably still ticked at Rex, me, Joe and Chuck, for the part we’ve played in his apprehension, but we’re pretty sure we’re down at the bottom of his target list for now, although he’s probably got a circle around my name for the beating I gave him.

  “He may be slowed down somewhat because of the wound he received at Crestmont, but his perceived success here will have his adrenaline flowing big time and we’re thinking he’ll want to get there ASAP to finish what he started.”

  “Listen, guys. I’m tired of all these schemes. We’ve used some very clever ones already and he’s still out there somewhere free as a bird. I say let’s leave the Chameleon to Tucker and his men to track him down and bring him back or put him down for the count. Besides, if he’s hurt badly enough, he’ll want to get that wound treated and give it a chance to heal a little before trekking off to Chicago. He could stay around Bettendorf for a while or head for some other state like he did the last time until he feels he’s physically able to resume his lust for revenge. Conjecture just doesn’t work with this guy. He’s too damn unpredictable.”

  Popeye had anticipated that Red might at first balk at their idea for the very reasons he just stated, so he held off on making some additional points until now, hoping that they will provide the final shove to convince Red that what they have in mind is worth a try.

  “Red, if we do nothing the Chameleon could still hide out until he recovers enough to pick up where he left off, but under that scenario we’d be forced to engage in more conjecture regarding who his next target might be. It could be Jillian, you, me, hell anybody in our little group. By doing what Rex and I are suggesting, we can greatly diminish the conjecture and greatly influence the Chameleon’s behavior. There’s an outside chance that he might decide to go after me or one of the other secondary targets instead of immediately setting out for Chicago, but I think it’s a small one.”

  Popeye saved what he thought was his best argument for last. He felt strongly that it would be the clincher and he wasn’t disappointed. “I ran this by Jillian and she thinks we’ve got the Chameleon pegged.”

  “Popeye, you fight dirty.”

  “With a big smirk on his face Popeye said, “Sometimes, Red, a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. Besides, I’ve never been a big fan of the Marquis of Queensbury rules. I like Popeye Petersen’s rules better.”

  It’s clear to Rex and Popeye that Red is seriously considering their idea, so they say nothing and let him think. After about a minute or so of this though, they start to get fidgety because they have no idea what path Red’s thinking has taken him down. Will he reach a destination or just run out of road? Their exasperation is about to goad them into voicing their frustration over Red’s indecision with some four letter words that should do the trick very nicely when Red calms them down with, “Assuming I go along with this squirrelly idea of yours, how are you going to get the word out and what happens to Jillian and me?”

  Rex answers with, “The Bettendorf Police have not released a statement yet about what happened at the Crestmont Country Club last night. There were reporters all over the place last night, but Chuck managed to keep a lid on what had gone down with a typical boiler plate response. To paraphrase he said, ‘All I can tell you is that there has been an exchange of gunfire at the club. I have no details at this time. We are beginning our investigation into the matter and will call a press conference to keep you informed as to the progress of our investigation when we have something to tell you. I will take no questions at this time.’

  “What we want to do is get Joe Amato to notify the area newspapers that Jillian Prevot was killed in a shootout at the Crestmont Country Club involving Carl Carducci otherwise known as the Chameleon. Joe would point out that this is the man whose picture has lately been televised throughout the area for sometime now. We’d ask Joe to offer a $50,000 reward to anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of this maniac. I’ll provide the reward money. The newspapers will flesh out the story as only newspapers can do and we’ll supplement those stories with a story of our own on Jillian’s web site. Perhaps your Sylvia could help us with that.

  “The local TV stations will pick up on the story as well. This accomplishes two things. It will convince the Chameleon that Jillian is dead and put additional heat on him from people looking to collect the reward. Things will get so hot for him around here he’s going to feel like he’s being charbroiled. This will give him additional incentive to head for the cooler climate of Chicago. To keep things chilled there, we won’t put any word out to the media or anyone else in Chicago about our search for the Chameleon but the police. This should encourage him to make a move on Nate or Clyde without delay.

  “The combined manpower of Tucker and his men and the personnel from Vanguard Vigil will be sufficient to cordon off the areas where Nate and Clyde live and work so tightly that not even a gnat could get through without them knowing about it. The bodyguards assigned to Nate and Clyde will remain visible. After his experience at the country club, if there were no signs of bodyguards his suspicions might be aroused. Everyone else will remain out of sight until the Chameleon moves inside the established perimeter.

  “Once he’s crossed over and into the area cordoned off, Tucker and his men along with the bodyguards not assigned to Nate and Clyde will converge and overpower him. Once he’s subdued, he will be turned over to the Chicago police for detention until appropriate arrangements can be made for him to be transported back to Bettendorf.

  “As for you, I will put a blurb on our web site and in the local Bettendorf Bugle that you have been let go due to my no longer wanting to put up with the harassment, havoc and disruption aimed at the Floating Fantasies by the Chameleon in retaliation for what he perceives as an injustice done to his brother by your brother.”

  “Okay. Where do Jillian and I go while the hunt for the Chameleon goes on?”

  “Well, you can go anywhere. Jillian’s the problem. She sure can’t stick around Bettendorf. She’s too apt to be seen by somebody who’s heard that she supposed to be dead.”

  Popeye suggests, “Both of you could go to Chicago. You could lend support to your brother as long as the Chameleon is at large and Jillian’s psychology background could come in handy during any surrender negotiations with the Chameleon. Her interactions with him have given her some understanding about how he might react under various circumstances. Nobody knows Jillian in Chicago and she could stay behind the scenes in any negotiation situation, so the Chameleon wouldn’t know she’s there just in case he manages to do another vanishing act.

  “If this doesn’t appeal to either of you, there are a lot of other places Jillian could stay until Tucker and his men put him in the clink again.”

  Once more Red becomes very quiet, staring trancelike at the Waterford crystal clock and pen set on his desk. Finally he breaks the silence with, “I can’t find fault with your reasoning for going to Chicago. Alright, I’ll buy in on your game plan and on-going to Chicago. I think Jillian will want to go to Chicago too. She and my brother hit it off quite well when they met for the first time and I think she’d want to lend her support to Nate as well. When’s kickoff time?”

  In almost comical unison, Popeye and Rex said, “Now!”

  “Don’t you think Jillian and I should be out of town first? We’ll have to pack and schedule flights. I don’t think Jillian and I should fly together and Jillian should make her appearance as low key as possible. We might not be able to get on a flight until tomorrow, so maybe you guys should hold off until then.”

  Rex barked a resounding “No! I have my private jet standing by to fly you to Chicago now and it shouldn’t take you that long to pack enough for a two weeks stay there at the most. We want to turn up the heat on this guy as quickly as possible. We don’t want to give him too much time to think. We want him reacting instead of enacting. That way he’s more apt to make a mistake that will lead to his undoing.”