by Marie Astor
“Better,” Regina conceded. Of course compared to Regina’s fake eyelashes, eye shadow extravaganza, and a thick layer of foundation, Janet looked like an amateur. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Upstairs was still empty, except for the employees: four girls outfitted in attire similar to Regina’s and five men dressed in black pants, black shirts, and black jackets. While the men were busy organizing the felt-covered game tables, their bulging muscles made it clear that dealing wasn’t their primary occupation.
Roman eyed Janet from head to toe. “Looking good, Janet. I mean that in a strictly professional sense of the word,” he added hurriedly. “Let me show you to your station.”
Janet followed Roman to the hostess stand. It was right across from the black drapes that marked the entrance into the casino. Two very tall, very bulky, bald-headed men stood on either side of the drapes.
“That’s Ivan and Boris,” Roman made the introductions, and the two men nodded.
Janet nodded back, deciding it was best to keep her interactions with those two to a minimum. “I would’ve never guessed that this place was here,” Janet said to Roman, her eyes wide open with admiration.
“That’s the idea,” Roman smirked. “We wouldn’t want the cops barging in here.”
“Why would the cops barge in here?” Janet batted her eyelashes.
Roman looked at her as though she had two heads. “Because we don’t have a gaming license, that’s why.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you needed one,” Janet said in her most naïve voice. As long as Roman believed that she was a complete ditz, she was safe.
“Yeah, you do. That’s part of the appeal. The people who come here can afford to go anywhere they want, but they love the danger of it, this living on the edge crap.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is, but it is hard work keeping it going. We need to be very careful. Usually Anton runs this place, but he’s away for the next few days, and I’m doing double duty filling in for him and managing Panther. I was in a tight spot when the hostess called in sick today; thanks for helping me out.”
“Thanks for letting me earn some extra cash. I hope to do it again sometime.”
“I just might need you to fill in tomorrow. I’ll let you know. Like I said, I don’t want anyone to know about this.”
“My lips are sealed.” Janet pouted for emphasis.
“Now, this is what you have to do: this place is invitation only. Regular clients have a card that looks like this.” Roman produced a plastic card from his pocket. It was the size of a credit card; the color of emerald green, it didn’t have any markings on it. “We had the color customized, so that the no one could fake it,” he added proudly. “Sometimes we’ll extend an invitation to a new client: they’ll have a card like this one.” Roman held up a card of the same size, but made of paper and charcoal gray in color.
“Got it,” Janet said. Her toes were starting to go numb in those merciless shoes, and her boobs were starting to sweat underneath all that padding, but she soaked in Roman’s instructions like a sponge. Finally, she’d hit the jackpot, and she couldn’t wait to tell Dennis. Why, it was possible that Libby himself might stroll in that very night to play a few rounds of roulette.
“To get in here, they have to first show the card to the bouncers upstairs—”
“The bouncers stand outside the entrance to let the clients in? Wouldn’t that attract attention?”
“You’re a clever one, aren’t you?”
“Sorry, just trying to help.”
“Don’t you worry, we already thought of that. The bouncers are on the inside. Once the client taps the card against the chip in the door, the guard sees it on his screen. He then knows to open the door. Of course if someone who wasn’t supposed to get their hands on the card got a hold of it, the guards would take care of that. All of our bouncers are former Special Forces,” Roman added proudly. “So that there’re no crowds, each client has an assigned time at which to come.”
“Wow!” Janet exclaimed with admiration, committing all the details to memory.
“So, once the clients come up here, they have to show the cards to you too. Then you walk them to their table. If they happen to be some big shot, be sure to be extra nice to them.”
“Is there a seating plan, like we have in Panther?”
Roman shook his head. “We don’t take names here. That’s why it’s important to know who’s important to give them better tables.”
“What if someone important shows up after we gave away the better tables?”
“That’s why you fill the crappy tables first, just like we do at Panther.”
“Right.” Janet nodded.
Roman checked his watch. “Almost nine o’clock.”
Janet bated her breath, eager to get a glimpse of the first arrivals. Any minute now they’d be walking in.
A few minutes passed, but no one walked in. Janet looked at Roman. “No one is coming.”
“Don’t you worry, they’ll come.”
Just then, the drapes parted, revealing the first guests: a man in his mid-fifties and a young woman half his age. The man was holding two cards in his hand: a green one and a black one. He cautiously eyed Ivan and Boris who nodded for him to go ahead.
“Good evening. Welcome,” Janet said, suddenly realizing that she didn’t even know the name of the establishment.
“Thank you.” The man smiled nervously, adjusting his tie.
Janet thought she might have seen his face in one of the business magazines, but she couldn’t remember exactly.
“I told you that we were too early,” the young girl complained. “You’re always such a square, George.”
That was it, Janet remembered, George Roshroom, an owner of an online food delivery business that had blossomed into an empire over the past five years. “May I show you to your table?” Janet hurried to ask before George’s face turned completely crimson.
“Yes, please,” he said.
Janet seated them at a table that was halfway between the worst and the best; George Roshroom was a big fish, but he certainly wasn’t the biggest. Then she went over to the bartender and asked him to send two complimentary martinis to the table; she hoped that it would put George in good graces with his demanding companion.
“So what’s the name of this place?” Janet asked Roman when she got back to the hostess stand.
“Maybe you’re also gonna ask me what’s our tax id number?” Roman smirked. “This place doesn’t have a name because it’s not supposed to exist.”
“Oh, I see. How silly of me.” Janet smiled sweetly.
“Don’t worry, Janet. You’re doing good.”
Over the next hour the place became filled to its capacity. Janet had counted one famous actor, three not so famous ones, two directors, three entrepreneurs, and one bestselling author. There were also numerous important and rich looking people whom she didn’t recognize, but they had the requisite emerald or charcoal cards, and she escorted them to their tables. To her surprise, there were no politicians, but then the night was still young. She was about to ask Roman if she could leave her post for a bathroom break when the drapes parted and she was faced with the state governor. The woman who accompanied him was not his wife. It took Janet a moment to realize that the woman on the governor’s arm was a Playboy Bunny; she had seen her on the cover of some gossip magazine.
“Good evening and welcome,” Janet greeted the pair, keeping the eye contact to a minimum. She ushered them to their table; the best table in the room Janet had kept open just in case.
“Great work, Janet,” Roman praised her. “You can take your break now. I’ll keep watch.”
Janet rushed to the bathroom where she promptly kicked off her shoes and massaged her toes. If she was going to do this again tomorrow, she was buying her own pair of navy stilettos.
A few minutes later she was back at her post with more arrivals to greet.
Pretty soon there wasn’t an em
pty inch of space left, let alone a table. People crowded at the bar, the game tables and the aisles. Janet had casually walked by the game tables and saw that the minimum bet was one hundred dollars. It was amazing that there were that many people willing to spend all that cash for the thrill of being in a place that wasn’t supposed to exist.
Janet checked her watch and was surprised to see that it was almost one o’clock. All that adrenaline made the time fly by. Suddenly, she realized how tired she was.
“Until what time do you need me here, Roman?” she asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? We close at five.”
“Five a.m.?”
“That’s right. I said it wasn’t going to be easy money.” Janet must’ve looked really miserable because Roman’s voice softened, “You can leave at three. I’ll handle the rest. We don’t really get new guests after three.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you want me to fill in tomorrow. I’ll get a pair of my own shoes; these are killing my feet.”
“What do you mean?”
“They are two sizes too small.”
Roman shook his head. “That bitch Regina. Go and change into your own shoes, Janet. I don’t think anyone is going to notice if you get my drift.” Roman eyed Janet’s boobs pointedly.
“Thanks.”
After Janet changed into her shoes, it got easier. She couldn’t believe that the evening was actually happening. She couldn’t wait to see Ham and Dennis’s faces when she told them about tonight. Aside from chewing her out for not following protocols, they were bound to be impressed.
By the time three a.m. rolled around, Janet was about ready to pass out.
“All right, Janet, get out of here. Good job. Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Roman.”
“Wait up, here’s the rest of the money.” Roman handed her four one hundred dollar bills.
“Thanks! Now I won’t be behind on my rent,” Janet played up the poor little girl act. She wondered if she’d have to surrender the money as evidence; not for nothing, she could use another pair of shoes.
Chapter 15
When Janet opened the door of her apartment, the light was on. She instantly thought of Dennis and felt a pang of guilt; she should’ve called him and told him she was going to be late. She heard Baxter’s feet scrambling down the hall. In a few moments he was there, pawing at her legs.
“Hey there, boy,” she whispered, wondering if Dennis was still there.
Her question was answered moments later when she saw Dennis sprawled out on her couch. He still had his clothes on; his head was tilted back and he was snoring loudly.
Forgetting about her own fatigue, Janet took off his shoes and helped him onto the couch. Then she covered him with a blanket. She assured herself that she was acting out of the best intentions by not waking him up. Dennis needed his sleep, and she wasn’t prepared to talk to him about the night’s events just now.
She showered, washing off the makeup and the grit of her night at Kovar’s casino. This was going to be a huge case. Needless to say Kirk & Associates wouldn’t get the official credit for it, but she was sure that their share of assignments was going to triple from now on. She got out of the shower, dried herself with a towel, and tiptoed to bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
***
The next morning Janet woke up from the comforter being yanked off of her. “Good morning, sunshine,” said a rough voice: Dennis’s voice.
“What time is it?” Janet groaned.
“Eight a.m.”
“Eight a.m.?” she whimpered.
“That’s right. I’m late because of you.”
“I didn’t want to wake you when I got home last night.”
“That’s very considerate of you. It would’ve been nice of you to also set the alarm clock.”
“Sorry.” Janet drew the cover up to her chin. She owed Dennis a long explanation about last night.
“We need to talk,” Dennis said. “Why don’t you shower and I’ll get the coffee going. We don’t have much time; I have an appointment at ten.”
Janet staggered out of bed and headed for the shower. She set the water at the coldest setting and got in. The ice cold water bludgeoned her, but she forced herself to stay under it. She needed to be awake for what she was going to tell Dennis.
Fifteen minutes later Janet walked into the kitchen. Dennis had set two cups of coffee on the table and two toasted bagels.
“What, no eggs?” Janet asked. She had really been hoping for some bacon and eggs.
“You’re out of eggs. I was lucky to find these frozen bagels.”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot to go shopping.”
“Like you forgot to call me and tell me you were going to be late last night?”
“Sorry. Something came up last minute.”
“Do you know how worried I was? I didn’t know what to do. I called you a hundred times, but you wouldn’t pick up. I almost went over there to look for you.”
“I’m sorry, but when you hear what happened, you’ll understand. I have some really important news.”
“So do I; I think I should go first.”
Janet was about to object, but the somberness of Dennis’s expression made her change her mind. Besides, she could use a few minutes delay to fortify herself with coffee. “All right. I’m listening.”
“I told Ham about Mila and her hiring me to do a job for her.”
“And?”
“He was very pleased.”
“Well, that’s great news. Today is the big day, right? Are you ready?”
“I think so. Ham had arranged training for me with this guy who’s an expert in the field. Mila gave me the model number for the safe, and I spent half a day yesterday practicing on mock-ups. I think I got the hang of it. Then we spent several hours tinkering with simulated bank firewalls, so I think I’m in good shape. I have another training session scheduled today.”
“That’s wonderful. I think you’ll knock it out of the park. I can’t wait to see the reaction from the Feds.”
“About that—”
“Yes?”
“Ham thinks it’d be best if you terminated your involvement with Panther. He’s worried that Mila will blow your cover; it’s just way too dangerous.”
“I think you should hear what I have to say first.”
“Janet, you don’t understand. Let me rephrase myself. Ham wants you to pull out of Panther and get back to the office. He’s dropping the Libby case, and he’s got a new assignment for you.”
“He’s dropping the Libby case?”
Dennis looked away. “Yes, he said it’s taking too long; he’s going to go back to the client and say that Libby is clean. Since we got a sure lead for Muller’s money, he wants us to focus on that.”
“We got a sure lead? If it weren’t for me getting that job at Panther, there’d be no lead. Now you’re going to get all the credit, while I’m gonna be stuck at the office, doing some crappy background check.”
“Janet! I tried to talk him out of it.”
“So you admit it; you admit that that’s how he thinks of us.” Janet took Dennis’s silence as acquiescence. “Well I’m not quitting Panther, not when I finally found something that’s way bigger than tracking Muller’s money. Do you know that Kovar is running an underground casino, right here in New York City?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Janet, this is huge. We’ve got to tell Ham about this.”
“Why? So he could take me off the case and give it to you? I don’t think so. I’m going to see this thing through, and I’m going to get the credit for it.”
“Janet! This is way too dangerous. Is that why you were late last night?”
“Yes. The casino hostess called in sick, something about a drug overdose, and Roman asked me to fill in. It’s this huge operation in the same building as Panther and no one even knows.” Janet halted.
“In
the same building as Panther?”
“Yes, they must’ve done a great job soundproofing it because you can’t hear a thing. You go through a side entrance, down into the basement, or maybe sub-basement, I wasn’t sure. They’ve got roulette, craps, black jack; I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it.”
“Janet, this is huge! We’ve got to talk to Ham right now.”
“With one condition: I’m staying on the case. I have to be on it; Roman trusts me.”
“You know it’s not up to me, but I promise to try my best to convince Ham.”
Janet sighed. She knew that Dennis was on her side, but she couldn’t help being angry at him. Sure, Ham’s double standards weren’t Dennis’s fault, but it didn’t make her feel any better. That wasn’t fair either; deep down she knew that Ham’s reaction came from his concern for her safety. While she would be the first to admit that she could be pigheaded at times, she wasn’t pigheaded enough to jeopardize a case. Last night had been reckless enough. “All right. I’m going into the office right now to talk to Ham.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t. You’ve got training. Wouldn’t want you to blow it with Mila tonight.”
“I still have some time. I can at least be there for a little while.”
“We’d better get going then.”
***
Half an hour later, Janet and Dennis stood in the doorway of Ham Kirk’s office.
“Janet, so good to see you! Dennis!” Ham frowned. “Shouldn’t you be at that appointment?”
“I’ll be leaving shortly, sir, but first, Janet and I have some very important news. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Janet has some very important news. You’re on, partner.” Dennis squeezed Janet’s hand for reassurance.
Janet took a deep breath. “As you know, I’ve been working at Petr Kovar’s restaurant, Panther, as a waitress in hopes of discovering a link between Kovar and Libby.”
Ham nodded. “Janet, that was a mighty good try. Sometimes even the best investigators come up flat. It’s time to close the case. I’ll give our findings to the party senior management and let them decide. It’s time for you to hang up your waitressing shoes, forgive the pun.”
