by Bob Moats
I headed north, got to Flamingo Road and turned right. I pointed out all the landmarks, the “99 Cent Only” store that I practically lived in and the library. Over to the left was the shopping center where I once bought my groceries at Albertsons and paid my car insurance to the Allstate people. I drove down to Spencer Street and turned right at the Rite-Aid drug store where I bought my beer and then announced that we would be going by the apartment buildings where I had lived with my son.
I turned onto Rochelle Street, pulled into the parking lot and pointed out the building I lived in. Leaving there, I headed back out to Flamingo and got to the strip, Las Vegas Boulevard, then turned north. I pointed out the Flamingo Hotel/Casino where I worked for five months. Then we went up past Harrah’s, the Venetian, Mirage, Riviera, up to the Stratosphere and beyond. Buck yelled out the names of strip clubs as we passed.
I drove everyone up past Charleston Avenue then up to just off Fremont Street. I circled around, found a parking space by the Golden Nugget, and everyone piled out. I took Penny’s hand, and we went around to Fremont Street. We wandered the enclosed street as I gave the guided tour of old town Vegas. We saw the Golden Nugget where Sinatra performed. Deacon smiled as he was named for Sinatra. We stood and watched the street artists painting on spinning canvas then stopped at booths selling everything from license plates and t-shirts to “I love Las Vegas” buttons.
I didn’t want to wear out my little troops on the first day, so I got the address of Deacon’s sister’s house, found it on my Palm TX map program and headed there. She lived in North Las Vegas, not far from where we were. Deacon got out and headed up to the house, banged on the door and yelled, “Open up, it’s the police.” Not a funny thing to say in this neighborhood.
I asked Deacon if he had let her know we were coming. He said he called her last week. I suddenly realized Deacon never told us her name. I asked, and he was embarrassed that he hadn’t told us. He said her name was Maria. Finally the door opened, and a very tired looking female stared out. She screamed “Frankie!” flung open the door, and jumped on him. I swear she was a head taller than Deacon, but maybe not. Deacon introduced her to us, she apologized, saying she worked last night and was still in bed. It was 3 p.m., and I remembered my days working there when I wouldn’t get out of bed till almost the same time. Many people in Vegas were night people.
She pulled Deacon in and invited us to follow. It was a pleasant house and well lived in. Deacon introduced Buck to Maria, and he went speechless. He looked like a deer in headlights, I said to Penny. She agreed. Maria kept calling Deacon by the name Frankie. I figured since Deacon’s real name was Francis Albert DeAngelo, she would call him Frankie. I had just assumed everyone called him Deacon.
Maria stood about as tall as Buck and was almost as muscular. She looked like she worked out besides doing her nightly shows. She was quite attractive and had her shoulder length, jet-black hair pulled back so tight it made her face look as if she had undergone a face-lift. She probably would kill Buck in the sack. Like Deacon, Maria had a face of Italian descent, but her nose looked like it might have had a bit of touch up along with the eyes. She seemed like a bouncy, happy person, quite the opposite of Deacon with the controlled storm that made up his character.
“My God, Frankie, you look so pale and skinny!” She laughed.
“I had an accident on the job. I didn’t tell you when I called last week. I was in the hospital for about a month, and I had major surgery on my hip.”
She looked shocked and said, “You OK now?”
“Yeah, sis, I’ll be all right with a little more therapy,” he replied. “It’s so good to see you again, baby girl!”
She pulled his head down and nuggied it. Then she said to Buck, “You gonna stay here with us?”
Buck looked terrified, as if hoping she wouldn’t nuggie his head, but said sure. She grabbed hold of him and almost lifted him off the ground with a bear hug.
She backed off and apologized. “I forget my own strength sometimes. You have to be athletic to be a showgirl, so many nights, so many kicks and numbers. We get pretty strong after a while. I promise I won’t kill you.”
Now he looked more than terrified. It was cute, I thought.
I told Deacon, Buck and Maria that Penny and I should go check into our room at the MGM Grand. I said if they need us to call my cell phone and we’d come running. But not until tomorrow. I grinned.
We said our good-byes. Buck looked like he was being sentenced to a week at hell house, and we took off.
*
Chapter Three
Penny and I arrived at the MGM Grand, and I let the valets unload the SUV. They gave me the ticket for the vehicle, drove it off and pushed the luggage into the lobby. We went to the check in, gave our names and signed in. Penny’s station was going whole hog with the accommodations, and we were whisked up to the next to top floor. Our bellman opened the door to our suite and moved the luggage into the room. He stood with a smile on his face. I knew he was hoping for a tip. I slipped him a five. He thanked me and headed out.
Penny stood at the window, amazed by the view. I came up behind her and just about lost my breath. I didn’t like heights unless they were protected by rail or windows. Even then it still made me nervous. I wrapped my arms around Penny and kissed her ear. She said she loved this, the city, being there with me. I was also amazed at the sight we had from our window, as long as I didn’t look down. We could see past the Stratosphere, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, to the beautiful mountain range that circled Las Vegas. I loved the mountains and the sight of Las Vegas Boulevard snaking its way north past all the casinos that have stood for years, some new, some old, some waiting to be imploded to make way for shiny new buildings. The dreams of many people wanting a taste of the pie. I was content with the woman in front of me, my treasure.
We had most of our clothing unpacked. I was feeling quite hungry and said so. Penny agreed, and we dressed casually to go eat. We made our way to the lobby and out onto Vegas Boulevard. I pointed to the New York, New York Hotel building across the street and told Penny about working there for the magic shop. We wandered up the street and stopped into a Subway shop to get subs to eat. I took Penny around the side of the building where I used to sit to eat my subs what seemed like years ago.
We finished and walked farther up the street, taking in the sights. We got to the Flamingo Hotel and went in, through the casino, up to the show room entrance where I used to stand at the end of each show, selling souvenirs. Back out, we managed to get up to the Mirage, and since it was getting a bit dark, the volcano out front was starting to erupt. We went to the other side of the boulevard and walked back down towards our hotel. We got to the Bellagio Hotel, leaned against the stone railing and watched the fountains and blasts of water going up to the sky, doing its ballet. The air was warm and dry, breathing was easy and the spray of the water felt good to our skins.
We got back to the hotel, and I took Penny out to valet parking and got our vehicle. We drove back up the strip and again parked by the Golden Nugget. It was dark, and I wanted Penny to see the video overhead on Fremont Street. It hadn’t started yet. Music was playing down the entire length of the street, piping out from huge overhead speakers, making the sound surround us. Suddenly the entire place went dark. All the casinos had shut off their thousands of lights. The crowd gave a happy cheer, and then it began.
The whole sky overhead lit up with sound and video, jet planes roared from one end down almost two blocks to the other, eagles screamed and flew, music swelled and the whole thing turned colors and shapes. Penny grabbed on to me every time the scenes changed. She looked like a little girl at her first fireworks. The show ended, and she hugged me, whispering she could see why I loved the place.
We rode back to the MGM Grand with Penny humming music from the show. She looked beautiful in the lights from the strip, but I had to keep my eyes on the road. We drove into valet parking, they went off with the car, and we h
eaded into the lobby. The elevator took a slow ride to our floor. I kidded with Penny about having sex in the elevator, but admitted that they have cameras in them to watch us. I pointed up to the little eye in the corner of the ceiling. She laughed, pushed me against the wall and started smooching me, then threw a kiss to the camera. This girl is dangerous, I thought.
Back in our room, I turned on the whirlpool spa and stripped down before Penny knew what I was doing. She giggled and joined me. The whirlpool was right in front of the window so we could look out at the city lights, all shining bright. Before we could wrinkle too badly, we got out and dried off. I would have carried her to the bed, but my back would have gone out and ruined a great vacation. I told her to pretend I was carrying her and pulled her to the oversized bed. We made love for the next hour or so, and then we both felt the exhaustion of the day tugging at us. We cuddled and slept.
The next morning around 8 a.m. my phone rang. It was Buck saying, howdy. I asked if he survived the night, and he said they had a fantastic time. Maria took both of them to her show and got them front row seats. Deacon warned him not to look when the women were bare breasted, but Buck said he peeked. He whispered in the phone, Maria’s got a great rack. I could almost see his smile through the phone. He asked if Penny and I were coming to get them. I told him I had to go to Metro police to say hi to a few names on Trapper’s list, then Penny and I would be going to the convention center to get Penny registered. I said he was more than welcome to come, but he said he wanted to spend the day with Deacon and Maria. I said, no problem, and promised to call them later on.
Penny and I dressed and went down to find where the breakfast buffet was, located it and had a nice meal. We went out to the valet parking. Penny commented that it was a bit chilly out. I said April in Vegas had been known to be cold in the mornings. I said, you should have packed some warm clothes. She smacked my arm. The valet brought our vehicle around, and we drove out onto Tropicana Avenue and went to the address Trapper gave me for the Metro H.Q. he had worked out of.
We pulled into the lot, parked, and went to the front desk. A rather large officer was manning it and politely asked the nature of our business. I gave him the first name on the list, a Captain Weber, and the officer asked what it was in regard to. I felt like telling him that was none of his business, but I cooperated. I said we were mutual friends of Will Trapper. The officer stared at me for so long I felt uncomfortable. Then he smiled and asked what the dumb shit was up to these days. Thankfully, he knew Trapper and was a friend. I told him Trapper had just made homicide Lieutenant and helped me get my P.I. license.
I had my Glock in a box and showed it to him, saying I was doing bodyguard work and Trapper told me to check in before I carried it. He picked up the phone and called Weber directly. He smiled and said he had two friends of a scumbag that claimed to have worked there a few years back. He paused and then said, Trapper. I could hear a howl through the phone, then a door to our right flew open and a balding, overweight man came storming out.
“I hope to hell Trapper’s not planning on coming back here!” He grinned, coming up to me.
“No, Captain, he’s quite happy back in Michigan.” I introduced Penny and then myself.
We all shook hands, and he studied Penny for a couple of seconds. “You that TV show woman that was stalked by the psychos back in Michigan?”
She blushed and said she was. He looked at me. “You the guy who stopped them?”
I said I was one of them. “It was a group effort. Trapper was involved and saved my life by shooting the ring leader of the killers.”
“Damn, Trapper must have straightened out his act. He was a real pain in the ass when he was a rookie. He used to smuggle hookers into the precinct and have little orgies in the back cells.” He grinned wide.
“I’ll have to call him on that when we get back.”
“Come on into my office and we’ll talk.” He led the way. We had a good talk about everything Trapper had done in his reckless youth. I had some great stories for Buck. I explained my being there to let them know of my intentions to carry a weapon and be a bodyguard for Penny. He handed me a couple of his cards and said if I had any problems to show this and have them call him. He did have me write down the serial number of the gun, just for the record. I did.
I put the gun in the holster I had on under my jacket and relaxed. We talked a little more about the classmate murders. Penny was really talking up a storm about it. I figured she must be over it now. The captain was enjoying our talk and asked us to stop back and visit again. He had business to attend to, and we had to get Penny to the convention center. We all shook hands and went out. An officer in bicycle uniform stopped us and said when we saw Trapper to tell him Marko says hey. Word spread fast.
We drove out. I swung back around to Tropicana Avenue and headed to Paradise Road, to where the Las Vegas Convention Center was located. On the way over I pulled out my cell phone and hit speed dial for Trapper.
He answered, “Richards, you in trouble already?”
“No, I just wanted to know if you have any hookers in your jail cells.”
He was quiet for a moment. “They just had to mention that, eh?”
I said, “Weber told me a whole lot about you. I have a new respect for you now, and a whole lot to tell Buck.”
“Oh, you do that and I’ll never speak to you again.”
“Well, I have to share something with him. Just to balance the scales. He feels less than you for the stuff he did. I’ll go easy, just enough to make him happy. Oh, someone named Marko said hey.” I chuckled.
“That jerk was just that, a jerk. I only pretended to like him. Did you get things settled with Weber, with your gun, I mean?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re square. He seems like a decent guy.”
He agreed, “Weber was a tight ass, but fair. I trusted him. You should, too.”
“OK, Penny and I are going to get her checked in at the convention center, so I’ll keep in touch.”
He said, do that, and hung up.
We got to the convention center, and Penny located her booth. It was a nice set-up, big picture of Penny looking beautiful and signs touting her accomplishments and guests on the show. There were banks of televisions all running clips from her various shows, giving a selection of different styles. I noticed a stack of pamphlets that featured the classmate murders incident and Penny’s involvement, complete with forensic pictures of the killers. Must have gotten the photos from someone in the police department. Trapper might be interested in seeing one of these. Her producer saw us and came over, hugged Penny and shook my hand.
“Penny, we have good vibes from two networks interested in your show. Nothing definite yet, but plenty of interest, and the convention hasn’t even started yet. Lots of done deals go on even before the show, so keep your head up.” He waved to someone down the aisle, excused himself and went to schmooze.
We sat down on a couple of chairs at her booth and relaxed a bit. I looked at the decorations and props and asked her what she thought of it all. She was impressed with the work they put into it. I asked how she felt about going nationwide with her show. She said it would be a big responsibility, having to entertain people across the country, trying to please everyone from small towns in Maine to big cities like this one. She wondered if she could pull it off.
I said I had every faith in her abilities to pull it off. I had been at most of her shows since she returned to work, and I could see the usefulness of the information and discussions from her guests as well as the entertainment of it all. She was a great host, had personality and humor. She was easy-going with the big stars that appeared on her show and asked well thought out questions. She would do well in Metro Detroit or across the country. Her producer came back by and said the CW network had just approached him about the show. They wanted to see the stats and numbers on the ratings in our market. He was really happy and scooted off.
I smiled at my girl and said things were lo
oking up. The convention officially started at noon, so we had time to go back to get Penny dressed appropriately so she could play star. We had a quick brunch before heading back to the center. I called Buck and Deacon to see if they were playing nice. They were exploring Neonopolis up in the Fremont Street Experience with Maria leading the charge. I said I hoped they wouldn’t break anything and told them I’d call them later when the convention ended for the day. When I told Penny what our little family was up to, she smiled.
The show started, and I sat off to one side where I could watch Penny doing her thing. She smiled and shook hands and signed autographs for just about everyone who came by. Around 5 p.m. I was getting hungry and asked Penny if she needed food. She said a hot dog or something simple would be nice, didn’t want to overstuff herself during the show. I ambled off, found the food court and got us a couple of hotdogs and Pepsis, then returned. She ate when she could. Her booth was popular.