by Gary Land
“Who is that?” Noly asked Thornton.
When Thornton didn’t answer, Noly swiveled his head around to look at his friend.
“There are thirty people in that shot, Boots...who do you mean?” Thornton said.
Noly had his first confirmation then that something was wrong with Thornton. He had felt it on the phone earlier. He sensed a nervousness that wasn’t normally there. This was definitely odd.
“You’ve been doing this too long not to know who I mean,” Noly said.
Thornton pretended to study the monitor more closely, then pointed to the man in the gray suit. “Guess you mean him.”
“Good guess.”
“He works security,” Thornton finally answered.
Noly looked at Thornton. “He works for you?”
Reluctantly, Thornton said, “Yes.”
Noly waited for Thornton to go on, but he didn’t. Noly looked at the tech again, who suddenly found something very interesting in a report on the desk.
“Paul, did I mention my friends are missing--they’ve been abducted,” Noly said, his anger coming to the surface. “Don’t make me ask you for his name and location.”
“Sure, of course--it’s Frank Hutchinson. He’s, um, on duty tonight.”
“Why was he on Trainor--did you set that up?”
“No, I...it could have just been that Joey sat down at his sister’s table--that’s against casino rules.”
Noly nodded.
“Look, Noly, I, uh, know you’re upset, but I think you’re reading too much into this.”
“I don’t--tell Hutchinson I want to talk to him.” To the Tech, he said, “Zoom in on Hutchinson and print me out a screen shot.”
Thornton stood up and steered Noly into a corner. The other techs in the room were watching them, but quickly went back to work when Thornton scanned the room.
“Look Boots, you can’t order my techs around. I let you up here as a courtesy.”
Noly had a strong impulse to reach over and break Thornton’s neck. Anger management wasn’t a tool in the Boots universe at the best of times, but with Sarah and Kacy gone, his ability to keep an animalistic rage in check was almost non-existent.
Thornton must have seen the change in Boots face, because he immediately mumbled an apology.
“You’re not telling me something, Paul, and if that something is responsible for any harm coming to Sarah or Kacy--”
“No, no, look, I want to hire you, Noly. Find out what’s going on--get my money back.”
“Your money?”
Thornton hesitated. “You know what I mean. Listen, my ass is on the line here.”
“The only thing I care about is Sarah and Kacy.”
“Listen, find out what that chip is all about. Help me out here,” Thornton pleaded. He motioned to the Tech to print out the picture Noly wanted.
“If the chip helps me get them back then that’s all it’s good for...we don’t even know what the chip is--what it means.”
“Just...help me out, Noly. Do what you have to for your friends, but keep an eye out for me. Okay?”
Noly hesitated. “As long as it takes me down the same path as finding Sarah and Kacy. As soon as it deviates, though, you’re on your own.”
Thornton handed him the close-up picture of Hutchinson.
After Noly left, Thornton stood in place for several seconds. He closed his eyes, and put his fingers on either side of his head and rubbed his temples. When he opened his eyes, he walked to the nearest desk, picked up the phone and made a call.
Collins was waiting for Noly when he came outside. He didn’t look happy. He started ranting about Thornton, and what he would do to him, when Noly cut him off.
“Jim, please, I don’t want to hear it. Ream him a new asshole later. Come on, I need to stop off at my bank. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
Noly got his key from the valet, and slipped him another twenty. He pointed to Collins cruiser, and made it clear that Noly expected it to still be there when he got back.
Collins climbed into Noly’s new Escalade and they pulled out of the casino driveway.
“Mmm, new car smell--you know the last time I had a new car?” Collins asked.
Noly took that for a hypothetical question and ignored it. He told Collins about the videos; about Joey leaving his office; Joey talking to Sarah; Joey followed by casino security. Noly hesitated. Instinct told him not to mention the chip. Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn’t, but Noly had a ticking clock in his head that told him he had to find Sarah and Kacy now. Kidnapping cases had their own sense of urgency, but kidnapping tied to another crime was beyond urgent. Sarah and Kacy were living moment to moment. So Noly told Jim the rest of it.
“You think that’s the magic chip?” Collins asked.
“It has to be.”
“But what’s inside of it?”
“That’s been bothering me too. And where is it now? Can you have Johnson track down what happened to Sarah’s tip box?”
“Sure.”
“Wait a minute!” Noly said. “The chip is in Sarah’s purse. Remember?”
“Right, Johnson mentioned it back at UNLV. Well, he said there were chips in the purse.”
“Where’s her purse now?” Noly asked.
“In evidence...back at the station,” Collins replied.
“Jim...”
“Yeah, I know--you need to see the chip. Give me an hour or so.”
“Thanks, Jim...I know I’m taking advantage of our friendship, but...”
“I understand, Noly, it’s...it’s what friends do.”
The ensuing silence felt uncomfortable so Collins cleared his throat. “Uh, who do you think killed Trainor?” Collins said.
“Not sure, but something doesn’t seem right to me,” Noly said. “Whoever it was, they’re not going to kill Joey if they didn’t already have the money, right? They’d want to make sure they could recover it.”
“Makes sense.”
Noly took side roads to the bank so he could drive at a more leisurely pace as he rolled things over in his mind. He blew through a stop sign without realizing it. Collins tried to push his foot through an imaginary brake on the floorboard. “Jesus, Noly, pay attention.”
“Sorry.” Noly pulled over and parked, but left the engine on so he could keep the air conditioning running. “Let’s start from the beginning. Joey makes one or more of these magic chips, he scams the casino out of...how much was it?”
“Two point eight million dollars, less than we thought at first,” Collins said.
“Joey didn’t have the chip with him when he was killed.”
“He might have had another chip with him, a copy, and the perp took it.”
“OK,” Noly agreed. “He hides something in at least one of them--and he smuggles it out of the Casino, gets spooked because Hutchinson is following him, and then drops it in Sarah’s tip box.”
After a moment, Collins said, “Do we assume he meets up with his partner, or was Joey ambushed? Maybe this Hutchinson guy.”
“Yeah, I need to find him,” Noly said.
Silence hung in the air while the two of them tried to make sense of all of it. Noly absent-mindedly rubbed his scar.
They drove the remaining distance to Noly’s bank, and he dashed inside. Collins watched in amazement through the glass windows as three bankers in business suits ran to Noly’s side to fawn all over their biggest depositor. Noly returned from the bank ten minutes later carrying two large envelopes.
He handed one of the envelopes to Jim. “Here--twenty thousand dollars. I want you to pass it around. Snitches, informants, whatever you’re calling them nowadays. If you need more let me know. Someone must have seen something, or knows somebody that saw something.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“It works the way I say it does,” Noly roared. He took a deep breath and looked at Collins. “Are you going to help or not?”
“What’s the other envelope?�
��
“Another twenty. I’m going to reactivate my contacts. I had people all over town, every casino, government offices...at least now I’m in a position to pay them off.”
“Okay, Noly, I’ll put the word out.”
“Thanks, Jim.”
Collins shook his head. “Jesus, Noly--answer me one question. We’ve been buddies a long time. How the hell did you keep Sarah such a big secret? Why? I know nothing about her, but apparently she’s the fucking love of your life. And Kacy...” Collins paused. “Is she your daughter?”
Noly stared off into space and looked profoundly sad, as he said, “No.”
Chapter 20
Noly arrived back at the Platinum Palace, pulled into the casino drive and parked behind the police cruiser.
“I’ll meet you at the station in an hour,” Noly said. “One more thing...this security guy, Frank Hutchinson. Pull up everything you can find on him. I’m not buying what Thornton said. Something’s going on there.”
After Collins pulled away, Noly got out of his car, and threw his keys to the valet.
“I’ll get you on the way out,” Noly yelled.
He flipped open his cell as he strode toward the automatic doors. The burst of cool air that met him as he went inside felt wonderful. He scrolled through his contact list and hit send on Eddie Majors. After a couple of rings, the voice on the other end said, “Majors.”
“Eddie, its Noly Boots. Are you working today?”
“Yeah--hey, Boots. What’s up?”
“Where are you? I’m in the casino now. I want to talk to you.”
“I’m at the high-rollers pavilion upstairs.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Eddie Majors had worked at casinos his entire adult life. He started his career as a blackjack dealer and rose through the ranks, working every job on the casino floor. He turned down many executive-level jobs so he could continue to be, what many considered, the best Casino Host in Las Vegas. As Host, he saw to the needs of those special high-rollers known as Whales. He flew them into Vegas on private jets, squired them around time in luxurious limousines, and provided for their every comfort. As long as they gambled exclusively at Platinum Palace. And agreed to put at least a million dollars into play.
Noly walked through the casino, past the slot machines, and cut across the casino floor towards the escalator that led to the second floor pavilion. The dinner time crowd walked with purpose towards the steak-and-crab all-you-can-eat buffet--a bargain at fifteen dollars. Noly walked against the flow of traffic, but like a human Red Sea, the people parted to either side as Noly cut a path towards Majors.
Noly only hesitated once as he approached the blackjack table that Sarah normally worked at. The table had a cover over it. At least half the tables were closed down at this hour. Activity would slowly build after dinner and through the night until all the tables were in full use.
As Noly cut diagonally through a second bank of slot machines, he turned the case over in his head, running through the facts he knew, and some assumptions he had made. He knew Sarah and Kacy had been kidnapped. That wasn’t entirely true, but Noly couldn’t wrap his mind around the possibility that they were dead. He refused to consider that, even though there had been no contact with the kidnapper, no calls, and no ransom demands. He felt sure he would know if something had happened to them, his connection with them too strong.
Joey Trainor commits a crime, steals close to three million dollars, and uses an altered casino chip to hide something that he needed to smuggle out of the casino. He had a partner, or maybe not a partner. Maybe something else, but someone knew about Trainor, and that someone either killed him, or had him killed the same night he handed the chip over to Sarah. Noly also knew Jennifer Thomas was Joey’s girlfriend, she worked for the Casino’s bank, and her part in the crime also got her killed.
Whatever was happening here, Noly felt sure none of it, other than the original crime Joey had implemented, was planned. This felt more like a domino effect, a chain reaction of events careening out of control.
Noly stepped onto the escalator, and dissatisfied with its speed, proceeded to run up the stairs, taking two at a time. He turned right at the top, walked past a circular bar, and stood outside the High-Gaming area. He saw Eddie Majors bend down and speak to an elderly Japanese woman sitting alone at a blackjack table playing three hands at a time. She had a white orchid in her smoky-gray hair, and was the only player in the area.
Noly knew chip colors used by all the major casinos in town, so he knew that the orange and green chips that Miss Orchid had stacked in front of her were worth twenty-five thousand dollars each. She bet four chips on each hand. Three hundred thousand each deal. That was crazy. He had over twenty million to his name, but he would never consider betting that kind of money. He watched as the hands played out, and the dealer went bust. Eddie congratulated her, saw Noly, and excused himself from the table.
Noly couldn’t remember the last time he saw Eddie wearing anything other than a Tuxedo. The guy must own a dozen different outfits. Eddie stayed in great shape. He looked ten years younger than his actual age of fifty-five. He needed to stay fit to keep up with the demands of the job, which required him to be ready and available at all hours of the day and night. Noly always thought of Eddie as a stronger, meatier version of Alan Alda.
“Noly, good to see you,” Eddie said.
“Eddie, can you get away for a few minutes?”
“Yes, it would be preferable to watching Mrs. Hyde continue to win.”
“Mrs. Hyde?” Noly asked.
“She married an English Baron worth a few billion dollars. He’s no longer alive, and she travels the globe--continuously. She has no home, sold the estate years ago. Just travels from one hotel-casino to another. Follows the seasons--hates cold weather.”
They walked over to a booth tucked into one corner of the bar, and Eddie waved at the bartender and showed him two fingers.
Eddie turned towards Noly. “Still drinking Glenlivet?”
“When I drink, yeah. Mostly beer these days.”
“What a shame,” Eddie teased.
They sat down and the bartender brought over the two Scotch whisky’s. Eddie brought his glass up and said, “Cheers.”
Noly clinked glasses and took a sip, while Eddie finished his off. “Ah, Mrs. Hyde is already a distant memory.”
“Eddie, my girlfriend and her daughter were abducted last night,” Noly said.
“I’m very sorry, my friend. How can I help?”
“Sarah is Joey Trainor’s sister. The kidnapping is somehow tied to what’s going on here at the casino. Do you know about the theft?”
“His sister? Hmm, yes, I’ve heard about the three million, although not much more. They’re keeping a tight lid on this.”
“Who is ‘they’? Paul Thornton?”
“No, Mr. Morelli, himself. Word came down that no one is to discuss anything about the theft with any reporter or the police.”
“Morelli?” That surprised Noly. “Morelli doesn’t usually get involved in day-to-day issues, does he?”
“No, but it is three million,” Eddie said.
“Mrs. Hyde can win that in an hour. It’s a drop in the bucket for Morelli.”
Joseph Morelli bought the Platinum Palace Casino three years ago in a controversial transaction that received above normal scrutiny from the Gaming Commission due to Morelli’s “shady associations” with “unsavory” characters (at least according to the Wire service stories picked up by the Nevada Daily News.) For a while, it looked like Morelli’s deal wouldn’t go through, and then some state politicians, and the Governor himself, stepped up and made some persuasive arguments to make it happen.
“That’s true,” Majors replied. “But Morelli is the type of person that takes it as a personal affront. You don’t want to get on his bad side.”
Noly thought that was odd, that a back-room kind of guy like Morelli suddenly involved himself in a
messy situation like this.
“Okay, well, did you know Joey Trainor?”
“Not at all, I’m afraid...but if you’re interested in hear-say...”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s probably not surprising that the whole casino is talking about this, and the three words I have consistently heard to describe Mr. Trainor are ‘asshole,’ ‘arrogant,’ and ‘cocky.’”
Interesting how siblings can be completely different, Noly thought. Sarah was intelligent but humble, kind, compassionate, beautiful. He shook his head to drive memories of Sarah from his mind.
“Being arrogant has a way of getting a person killed,” Noly remarked.
“Do you know how he stole the money?” Eddie asked.
“I’m not sure anyone does yet. At least I haven’t heard anything,” answered Noly.
“Well, I suppose it was some sort of computer thing, that’s what he does after all. What he did.” Eddie waved at the bartender. “Would you like another, Noly?”
Noly shook his head, and Eddie held up one finger.
“Eddie, do you know a security man named Hutchinson, Frank Hutchinson?”
“Hutchinson, yeah, bald guy, friendly as a cold sore?”
“That’s him, he works for Thornton,” Noly said.
“I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean? He’s in security, part of SECOPS.”
“He’s in security, but he works for Morelli,” Eddie said.
“What? How do you know that?”
“I’ve heard him use it as leverage against other employees. You know, ‘I work directly for Morelli, so you want to think twice about...’ whatever.”
“Well, that’s interesting,” Noly muttered under his breath.
The bartender arrived with Eddie’s second Scotch, and he lifted it to his lips.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself--there he is.” Eddie motioned with his head towards the far side of the circular bar.