Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  “You’re probably right. Let me call Jillian to see if she’s okay with going to Chicago.”

  “No need. She’s packed and waiting for us at my private airfield.”

  “Man! You guys were pretty darn sure of yourselves weren’t you? Am I that predictable? What would you have done if I had said no way?”

  With a hard to read grin on his face Popeye said, “We probably would have kidnapped you.”

  Chapter 64

  When they arrive at Rex’s private airfield, Red is astonished at what he sees. It’s more than an airfield. It’s a small fully equipped airport. On the flight ramp are numerous aircraft of varying makes, models and vintages. Behind the flight ramp are a half dozen maintenance hangars and in the midst of these is an old fashioned diner that is doing a brisk business from what Red can see. About a hundred yards off to the side of all this is a hangar much larger than the rest and sitting in front of it with engines running is a bird that has to be the dream of every private pilot on the face of the earth.

  The private jet is a Gulfstream G650 and Rex confirms his ownership by pulling up to the open hangar doors. Red’s thinking, “Wow. I knew Rex was rich, but I never thought he was this loaded. I read somewhere that the price tag on this baby is close to sixty million dollars.”

  Red is completely enthralled by it and as they all pile out of the car a smiling Popeye whispers in his ear, “Close your mouth. Planes aren’t the only things that fly around here.”

  When they board the plane, Rex gives him a guided tour, obviously proud of his ride in the sky. Everything is state-of-the-art, from the avionics to the décor and everything is simply mind boggling beautiful. The crew consists of a pilot and co-pilot and two flight attendants to spoil the guests rotten.

  When the brief tour is over, Red asked Rex where Jillian is and one of the flight attendants who has overheard replies with, “She’s out on the flight ramp looking at some of the planes parked there. She said she and her dad used to fly some of them in air shows when she was in high school and college.”

  “Jillian’s a pilot? Hey knucklehead. Why are you so surprised? She’s had your heart doing barrel rolls ever since you met her!”

  Taking Popeye aside he says, “It’s probably not a good idea for her to be out there where she can be seen and remembered. I’ll go and get her. When are we taking off?”

  “As soon as she’s onboard.”

  As Red turns to head for the door, Jillian steps into the cabin and with a big smile walks up to him, takes his hand and says, “Going my way stranger? It appears I’m needed in Chicago.”

  “If you can tolerate the drab surroundings, you’re most welcome. Besides, Chicago is not the only place you’re needed.”

  With a slight tilt of her head and a couple of wiggles of her eyebrows, a jokingly lascivious smile spreads across her face as she steers him to a set of luxurious seats and says, “It’s my pleasure to be at your service, Mr. Borman.”

  Laughing, they plop down in their seats. Red’s thinking, “If the Chameleon doesn’t stop getting in the way of my getting to know this gorgeous woman better, I’m going to start my own vendetta that’ll make the Chameleon’s look like an episode from Divorce Court.”

  About mid-cabin, Rex has an area that is set up as an office with desk, chairs, computer/printer/scanner set up, phones and a TV. As the plane is taxing out to the runway, Rex is on the phone setting things in motion. The flight to Chicago is a very short one, about 18 minutes at an air speed of 500 mph, but Rex has pushed all of the required buttons by the time they are landing in Chicago. Red’s thinking, “The man definitely knows how to get things done.”

  As the plane pulls up on the apron adjacent to a hangar where service people will turn the aircraft around, do a visual inspection for any external damage, check the tires, refuel and replenish any supplies that are needed, Rex comes up front to talk with Red, Jillian and Popeye.

  “The ball’s in the Chameleon’s court now. All we can do is wait and see what he does with it. As we speak, Tucker and Vince are deploying their men to provide maximum protection for Nate and Clyde and at the same time give themselves sufficient cover until the Chameleon shows up. I have a penthouse in one of the apartment houses not too far from Chicago’s banking district and there’s more than enough room for all of us to stay there until all of this is over.”

  Red’s thinking, “Of course you do. After this plane ride, nothing you own will surprise me.”

  Forty-five minutes later Rex’s limo pulls into the valet parking lane in front of the hotel. The instant the limo comes to a stop their doors are opened and they get their first taste of what it’s like to live on the right side of the tracks. The red carpet is rolled out and they are treated like royalty.

  The bellhop captain says, “Welcome Mr. Spaulding. It’s so nice to see you again. Your luggage and that of your guests will be taken to the penthouse immediately. Is there anything you require at the moment?”

  “No thank you, Alfred. Oh, there is one thing. I would very much appreciate it if you and your team would keep the fact that I have guests our little secret for the time being.”

  “As you wish sir.”

  Rex hands him what Red is sure is a hefty tip and they are all escorted to the private elevator that will take them up to the penthouse.

  As one would expect from a guy who has megabucks at his disposal, the penthouse is very impressive, but surprisingly not overly ostentatious. Jillian’s thinking, “Wow, the person that put this together was a decorating genius. It’s exudes a comfortable hominess yet on a grandiose scale. Until I saw this, I would have said that was impossible.”

  Red’s thinking, “Careful, Borman. If you break anything here, it’ll take you the rest of your life to pay for the damages. The toilet paper probably costs more than you make in a year.”

  Popeye’s thinking, “I wonder what Rex has in the fridge. I’m starving.”

  Rex gathers all of them in the living room and says, “Please make yourselves at home. Feel free to roam around and check things out.” Turning and smiling at Popeye he says, “Popeye, I know you’re hungry, so feel free to raid the fridge. I’m sure you’ll find something there to your liking.”

  Popeye smiles back and says, “The guy’s scary. He seems to know what I’m thinking before I do.”

  Rex responds with, “Popeye, that was a no brainer. You’re always hungry.”

  Everybody laughs, including Popeye, then Rex sobers the mood with, “While you’re checking the place out, I’ll contact Tucker and Vince to find out how they’re progressing with getting their people positioned. Red, before Popeye and I approached you with our idea, we ran it by Nate and Clyde and, with some trepidation, they agreed to give it a go if you and Jillian did also. I gave them your decision while we were flying into Chicago, so they’re expecting to be contacted by Tucker and Vince to give them the info they need to deploy effectively.

  “Oh, one moment.” Rex walks over to a panel on the wall, presses a button and asks, “Claudia, would you come into the living room for a moment please?”

  A mature sounding voice came back with, “I’m on my way, Mr. Spaulding.”

  A minute later a tall, slim, middle aged woman somewhere in her forties came into the living room. She was a pleasant looking woman with thick wavy black hair streaked with gray shorn just below her ears and an easy, friendly smile.

  “This is Claudia everyone. What you see here is her doings. She’s not only a fantastic decorator, but she manages the entire household from staff to finances as well as my calendar when I’m in Chicago. She’s indispensible to me. I don’t know what I would do without her.” When Rex finishes with the introductions he asks, “Claudia, would you please show these folks where they will be sleeping, so they can get unpacked and settled in?”

  “It will be my pleasure, Mr. Spaulding.”

  Checking Rex and Claudia out more closely, seeing the way they interact, Jillian gets the impression that there’s more
than a working relationship between these two. Jillian’s thinking, “Good for you, Rex. You need a respite from making gazillions of dollars or you’ll wind up dead broke in the other areas of life that really matter or maybe just plain dead in a graveyard somewhere before your time. Whoa, girl. Mind your own business.”

  Red comes over and asks her what she’s smiling about and surprised that she is openly smiling she quickly covers up with, “Oh, just one of those female thoughts that women like to keep to themselves. It’s a gender thing.”

  Curious, Red is considering trying to tease her into sharing her thought with him, but is interrupted by his cell phone ringing. It’s Bill Kieffer with potentially good news.

  “Red, Chuck just called to tell me that none of the hospitals or medical clinics has so far reported someone answering the description of the Chameleon coming in for treatment of a gunshot wound or any other kind of suspicious wound. Although he bled quite a bit, apparently it was something he could treat himself if he had access to some antibiotics, peroxide and some bandages. He’s clever enough to get his hands on something like that.”

  “That’s a good possibility, Chuck. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll see that it’s passed on to everybody. I’ll keep you in the loop as to what’s happening here.

  “Let’s see, it’s about four o’clock now. The newspapers should be hitting the streets pretty soon and the stories we’ve concocted should be posted on the web sites by now. Things should start to warm up for the Chameleon real soon. If he’s well enough to travel, he could be on his way to Chicago within the next 24 hours, but that depends on when he gets wind of what has happened to Jillian and me. Thanks again, Bill. Bye for now.”

  Red passes on what Bill had to say to Jillian and Popeye, but Rex was off somewhere talking with Tucker and Vince so Claudia volunteered to track him down.

  A few minutes later Red heard Rex calling his name over the intercom. Red answered and told Rex what Chuck had told Bill and what Red surmised would be happening within the next 24 hours. “That’s good news, Red, and I agree with you. Things should start popping around here pretty soon. Go get unpacked and I’ll see you at dinner around six.”

  Red went and got unpacked, called his brother Nate to let him know he was in town and would stop by his office tomorrow morning and then set out to find Jillian.

  Walking through an unbelievable game room, it has pool tables, shuffles boards, dart boards, foosball games, pinball machines, poker tables, he spots her sitting outside on an enormous roof top patio under a large white and blue umbrella sipping what looks like a mint julep. In the center of the patio is a humongous pool, it’s clear blue water supporting an array of different colored floating rafts and chairs and fully equipped bars at both ends of the pool, so those in the pool don’t have to get out to get a refreshing drink. Luxury at its finest.

  Walking up to her he says, “Quick pinch me. This can’t be real. People live like this only in the movies.”

  “Isn’t it beautiful? Not just the pool, but the flowers and shrubs placed in all the right places. The fire pits and barbecue pits are out of this world with all their fancy accoutrements. You’re right. It’s like a dream or a movie set.”

  “You know, Jillian, it’s amazing. With all of his wealth, with all that he’s accomplished, Rex is a very down to earth guy. He doesn’t lord what he’s accomplished over anybody. He enjoys what he has and likes to share it with his friends and associates. He’s not like a lot of rich people I’ve had to deal with in the casinos. To use an expression I’ve picked up from my nephew, he’s not just cool, he’s frigid.”

  “He’s definitely not your typical tycoon that’s for sure. I had a British college roommate who was fond of saying when she got into a difficult situation, ‘Well I’ve certainly stepped onto a sticky wicket haven’t I?’. That’s what Rex knew might be happening when he hired you. As things have turned out, he wound up stepping into a whole pot of glue that has gummed up the works on the Floating Fantasies several times now, but he’s still sticking by you, keeping his word.” Laughing she added, “Yeah, he’s definitely not your run of the mill tycoon. Most would have left you stuck in the mess all by yourself.”

  Looking down to the bar at the end of the pool closet to him thinking that a Bushmills on the rocks would hit the spot right now, he spots Rex coming out of a door behind it.

  “Our host approaches.”

  Squinting into the sun, Jillian comments, “Uh, oh. Something’s happened. He doesn’t look happy.”

  When Rex reaches them, Jillian’s observation proves to be right on.

  “I don’t believe someone can be that stupid and still function.”

  With puzzled looks on their faces they both ask almost in sync, “Who are you talking about?”

  “That Commissioner Crowley, boy, what a moron. I called Clyde at his home to see if Tucker and Vince had contacted him yet and who answered but the intellectually challenged Curtis Crowley.”

  Red’s thinking, “It takes a lot to piss Rex off this much. Whatever the Commissioner said must have really come from left field.”

  “He wants us to call the whole thing off. He says it’s subjecting his brother to too much risk, that it would be better if his brother went into hiding somewhere until the Chameleon was caught. He thinks that because some of the crimes the Chameleon committed involved casinos, he as Commissioner should have been brought into the loop for approval or disapproval. He threatened to call the newspapers and tell them it is all a hoax. I tried to explain to him that by doing that he would be waving a red flag at a demented bull who would become even more determined to settle the score with his brother because Clyde was playing a part in the ruse.

  “He refused to listen, kept interrupting me with tirades and wouldn’t put his brother on the phone. When Clyde picked up an extension to try to calm his brother down, the Commissioner wouldn’t let him get a word in edgewise.

  “I had to call Vince and have him call Clyde’s bodyguards and instruct them to threaten him with charges of reckless endangerment and obstruction of an operation approved by the Chicago Police Department. Whether these charges are legitimate or not, I haven’t a clue, but they sound convincing.

  “Vince also had the bodyguards tell him that since he was interfering with a police approved and ongoing operation and because he wouldn’t back down he was going to be placed under citizen’s arrest and held incognito until the operation was concluded. Vince said that the Commissioner went ballistic and he thought he might have a coronary, but he finally bought the bluff and settled down. Vince’s men won’t let him out of their sight until this whole shebang is over with.”

  Jillian said, “What’s with the Commissioner being such a buttinski and why does Clyde let him get away with it?”

  Red answered with, “From what Clyde has told me it’s something the Commissioner has been doing since they were little kids. He said most of the time it’s harmless though frustrating. If his interference involves something really serious, Clyde puts his foot down. I think Clyde going along with Rex and Vince’s little charade is a way of putting his foot down. Clyde’s a lot smarter than his brother.”

  Rex said, “I sure hope the Chameleon makes his move real soon. I’m afraid of what Joe’s friends might do if the Commissioner gets too far out of line.”

  Red said, “Speaking of Joe, I better call him to keep him in the loop about what’s happening here. He’ll be a bear to everyone he comes in contact with if I don’t, to say nothing of the number of cigarettes he’ll suck in worrying about what’s going on. He’s been a true blue friend through all of this and the least I can do is try to keep him from getting an ulcer.”

  Chapter 65

  The rest of the day and all of the next go by uneventfully. If the Chameleon wasn’t in the picture, their stay at Rex’s penthouse would have been like a dream vacation, being waited on hand and foot, but all good things do come to an end and their situation was no exception.