Casino Capers

by Dan Kelly

  Ten minutes later it’s batter up time and everything goes as planned, well almost.

  As soon as the Chameleon opens the drapes, Popeye shoots him in both shoulders. He fires so rapidly that the two shots blend together and to the uninitiated it probably sounds like only one shot was fired. The force of the shots throws the Chameleon away from the window and flat on his back. He is writhing in pain, but he isn’t getting up. The gun he was holding in his right hand when he opened the drapes has flown out of his hand to who knows where. Sam’s gun is tucked in the waistband in the front of his pants.

  Popeye shouts into the extra cell phone to Tucker, “He’s down, shot in both shoulders and lying flat on his back in a lot of pain. When he was shot, the handgun he was holding flew out of his hand, but I don’t know where it is. Sam’s gun is tucked in the waistband of his trousers next to his belly. Right now I don’t think guns are on his mind.”

  Popeye barely has these words out of his mouth when he hears Tucker yelling, “Mr. Carducci, don’t try to get up and keep your hands by your sides. If you make any sudden move, you’re a dead man. Mrs. Delinquest, open the door, open the door!”

  Mrs. Delinquest rose from the sofa, but instead of going to the door she heads over to the Chameleon to see what she can do to help him. She never gets there. Shattered glass from the window is scattered all over the hard wood floor and she slips on some of it, falling and striking her head on a coffee table, knocking herself out.

  Popeye yells out to Tucker, “Mrs. Delinquest has slipped and hit her head on a coffee table. She appears to be unconscious. You’re going to have to break the door down after all. I’ll keep the Chameleon covered.”

  Tucker and his man kick the door in, retrieve the handguns and Tucker calls 911 for an ambulance and the police department. The Chameleon and Mrs. Delinquest are taken to the same hospital as Sam Ferguson and the Chicago police pick up the ball from there.

  After the paramedics have left and the police arrive, Popeye, Red and Tucker join Jillian, Rex and Joe in the apartment house lobby where a detective assigned to investigate the Chameleon’s shooting is waiting to interview all six of them.

  Several hours later, exhausted and starving they arrive back at Rex’s place where Claudia has a scrumptious meal waiting for them even though it is close to ten at night. Jillian exclaims, “Claudia, you must be clairvoyant. How did you know we’d all be famished when we got back.?”

  With a beautiful grin on her face she says, “Well, sometimes I hear this irresistible little voice in my head telling me it would be very nice and appreciated if I were to do a certain thing, so I do it and it makes me feel good.”

  With a stunned and somewhat cautious look on his face Joe Amato asks, “Have you been hearing this voice very long, Claudia?”

  Seeing his expression and the looks on everyone else’s face, she bursts out laughing. “Oh, Mr. Amato, I’ve been hearing it for quite a while. I’d be in a lot of trouble if I tried to tune it out, wouldn’t I Mr. Spaulding?”

  They’ve been had and their laughter is just the thing to wipe away all of the tension that has been suffocating them ever since they got to Chicago. Rex had called her from the lobby when they were being interviewed by the detective and asked her to put something together because none of them had eaten much all day and their stomachs were growling in protest. Her ‘something’ was something else.

  They all chowed down like they hadn’t eaten in a month. When they were finally satiated, they were so sleepy they could barely keep their eyes opened. There was no after dinner brandy and lighthearted conversation. They all headed straight for bed and within seconds were out like a light. It had been quite a day.

  Chapter 76

  The next morning they were all gathered around the breakfast table discussing the Chameleon’s vendetta and accompanying exploits, wondering what was going to happen to him and Sam Ferguson now. Nate had stayed over with them as he was also totally spent from the events of the preceding day and they didn’t want him falling asleep at the wheel of his car.

  There was a lull in the conversation and then Red asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. ‘Okay, big guy, who the hell are you really?”

  It got so quiet that the only sounds in the room were the peeps of Claudia’s pet canary in her cage in the corner. Sighing and taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, Popeye starts out with, “Okay, I’ll tell you my story. Once upon a time,”

  An exasperated Red interrupts with, “Come on, Popeye, be serious. Level with us.”

  “I am being serious. That’s how stories begin, with once upon a time.”

  Shaking his head Red says, “Rex, Bill Kieffer is bad enough. I know Bill is too set in his ways for any treatment to take hold, but there’s still hope for Popeye. He’s only recently been infected with this weird sense of humor. Please get him some help before it’s too late, for all of us. Maybe there’s a new pill or shot or something. Please, I beg of you.”

  Laughing Rex says, “I’m afraid there’s no cure for what ails Popeye. You’re just going to have to learn to live with it.”

  “Alas! Alas! I’m doomed to torture for years to come. My kingdom for a taxi to call my own. Hell, I’ll take a rickshaw!”

  No one has any idea what this last outburst is all about, but Bill Kieffer would have fallen on the floor in fits of laughter.

  Laughing so hard there are tears in his eyes, Popeye manages to blurt out, “Red, Red, calm down. Get a grip on yourself. I’ll answer your question.”

  After a few more giggles, he turns serious and tells them everything.

  “Ever since I was a little boy I’ve been in love with boats and the water they float on. An ocean, a sea, a lake or a river, I have no preference. They all have their own brand of magic and mystery that have captivated me for as long as I can remember. By the time I was thirty-five, I had sailed all over the world and experienced many fascinating things and was content to be a merchant marine for the rest of my life. Then one day, my thirty-fifth birthday to be exact, I was in the port of San Diego, California celebrating my birthday with some shipmates when I was approached by a man who would bring about major changes in what I thought was really important in life.

  “The man worked for the United States government in a highly classified operation that existed solely for the protection and well-being of the country and its citizens. It focused on those who would threaten our safety, our economy, our way of life by entering our country illegally and very surreptitiously. The enemy had a lot of different names including smuggler, terrorist, assassin, spy and saboteur.

  “This man told me that he and others had been observing me and my activities for quite a while and had scrutinized my background back to the day I was born. They were impressed with my knowledge of seaports, freight and shipping regulations all over the world as well as my network of people engaged in importing and exporting. He said that he and his superiors thought that I would be an ideal undercover operative for their operation, continuing to work as a merchant marine.

  “He was a very convincing guy and after I had bombarded him with dozens of questions and received very candid and detailed answers with no evasion whatsoever, I bought in and have never regretted it. I was an active operative for twelve years, but I eventually got burned out and began to yearn for a more sedate life and was allowed to retire if I promised to keep my mouth shut. If I ever broke my promise, I would simply disappear. I was not offended by the warning even though I believed every word of it. I knew the importance of the secrecy surrounding the operation and had no intention of breaking my promise.

  “So, when I left the employ of the United States government I had to look for a job. Fortunately, one of the people in my network had an opening, so I wasn’t unemployed for more than a week. The end.”

  Everyone had been totally engrossed in Popeye’s story, completely oblivious to everything and everyone else, including the singing canary, until Red brought them out of their trance with his
over emphasized “Ha, Ha.”

  Jillian asked him, “Aren’t you breaking your promise now by telling us all this?”

  “No I’m not. When I saw that the Chameleon situation was getting more and more serious, I made some phone calls and was given permission to get involved and reveal what I just told you.”

  Nate asked, ‘What was the name of this operation that recruited you? You referred to it in the past tense, so I’m guessing it no longer exists.”

  “Well, Nate, you’re partially right. With the creation of Homeland Security, the operation’s name, purpose, parameters and sanctions were amended to accommodate a new mission. Its former name, current name, structure and responsibilities are still Top Secret.”

  Red has become very quiet and slipped into the reflective mood that scares the daylights out of Popeye. Popeye has noticed this and begins nodding his head and says, “Come on, out with it. Let everyone else know what you’ve figured out.”

  Somewhat taken back by Popeye zeroing in on his thoughts Red confidently says, “I’d bet my last nickel that Tucker was the man that recruited you and Rex was the individual that hired you.”

  Smiling, Popeye shouts out in his best imitation of a carnie on the midway, “We have a winner! Give that man a kewpie doll. Come on folks, step right up and try your luck. For one thin dime, just on tenth of a dollar, you too could be a winner.”

  “Come on, Rex. Have a heart. This guy needs help. He’s lapsing into a serious addiction here.” Beginning to laugh uncontrollably he adds, “It’s not a laughing matter. Sanity is involved here. Mine!” then everybody joins in the laughter.

  When everyone pauses to catch their breath, Jillian reaches over and gives Popeye a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and voices the unanimous sentiment of the entire group, “I’m very glad you chose to get involved.”

  Popeye lowers his head, covers his face with his hands and softly mumbles, “Oh, Olive, not in front of all these blokes.”

  Red yells out, “Spare me, Rex, please. Spare me! A blind man can see that he needs help.”

  Laughter breaks out again and when the canary joins in by breaking out into song and pooping in her cage, they lose all self-control, pounding their hands on the table, stamping their feet on the floor and gasping for breath. When Popeye manages to mumble, “First I had to deal with a lizard, now I have to contend with a chirping canary critic. Where did I go wrong?” they really lost it to the point where bladders rebelled and there was a mad dash for the bathrooms.

  Ten minutes later, bladders and funny bones relieved, they’re all back at the kitchen table enjoying some more of Claudia’s wonderful coffee.

  Red says, “I now understand why Rex, Tucker and you put on that little charade in Rex’s office when Rex introduced Tucker to all of us. Some of us sensed something was a little off kilter when you first saw each other, but it was just a feeling, nothing concrete. At first, I thought it was nothing more than dislike at first sight. I’ve had experiences like that before, but as we had the chance to observe the two of you together more we began to suspect that you guys knew each other.”

  “Well, I was quite shocked when I walked into Rex’s office and saw Tucker there. I hadn’t seen or talked with him in years. I wasn’t aware that Rex and he knew each other. Shortly after that meeting, Rex told me how they first met.

  “For the better part of the first three years I was working undercover, Tucker was my mentor. As I became more proficient in clandestine affairs, I was weaned and carried out my assignments pretty much on my own. I had a new boss, but he was only a code name to me. We never met.

  “As you know, Rex has his fingers in all kinds of business endeavors all over the world. Soon after I was turned loose, I had the good fortune to run into Rex on a dock in Hong Kong. I was investigating a narcotics smuggling operation that involved some of the ships owned by Rex. He was very cooperative and was a big help in shutting that smuggling operation down. That was the beginning of our relationship.

  “A couple of years later Tucker’s and Rex’s paths first crossed when he was looking into an art smuggling operation in Belgium where canvases were being hidden inside of mattresses at a manufacturing plant that Rex owns and shipped to the U. S.

  “Rex and Tucker never met or even talked with each other during the entire investigation, but Rex had given his unconditional approval to his plant manager to fully cooperate with Tucker and his team of investigators and Tucker never forgot that. The CITGO situation in Venezuela came later and that was the true beginning of their relationship.

  “Rex knows when to keep his mouth shut, so neither of us knew that the other knew Rex until that meeting in Rex’s office. When Homeland Security was created and the old operation was absorbed into it and restructured, Tucker didn’t like the new setup, so he too retired.”

  When Popeye finishes, he leans back in his chair, takes a sip of his coffee, lets out a long sigh and says, “Man, I’m glad that’s over. Listening is a lot easier than talking.”

  Everyone laughs because they all know that Popeye is indeed a man of few words.

  Chapter 77

  A couple of hours later, Red and Nate walk into Rex’s game room to play some pool and find Jillian sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs, sipping a soft drink, looking off into space. Red walks over to her and says, “A penny for your thoughts. Not very original, but it did get your attention.”

  “Hi, guys. What are you two up to?”

  “We came in to play some pool. Would you like to join us?”

  “No thanks. I was just thinking about going to the hospital to see Carl Carducci. I feel sorry for him. He’s all messed up inside and has no one who cares what happens to him. Maybe I can think of something to say to him that will make it a little easier for him to deal with what’s facing him.”

  Red’s thinking, “This guy tried to kill her and she feels sorry for him. This lady is definitely something different from anyone I’ve ever come across.”

  Drifting off again into her own thoughts she suddenly snaps out of her reverie, stands up and announces, “I’m going to the hospital.”

  Red says, “If you’d like some company, Nate and I would be glad to tag along.”

  “Okay, I’m a little nervous about seeing him. Having you guys with me could help me stiffen up my backbone.”

  Having called ahead to see if the Chameleon was allowed visitors, they were initially told no, but Rex pulled some strings and they were told to check in at the nurses’ station on the fourth floor for visitors’ passes. Forty-five minutes later they’re walking down the hallway toward the semi-private room where Carl Carducci and Sam Ferguson are under police guard.

  When they enter the room, Carl Carducci is under heavy sedation and in a deep sleep. Sam Ferguson, however, is wide awake and seems to be glad to have someone to talk with.

  Jillian asks, “How are you feeling, Mr. Ferguson?”

  “I’ve been in better health, that’s for sure. The wound got infected and I became septic, so there was a little excitement here until they got that situation under control. The pain’s not too bad unless I move my foot. When I forget and move it, I want to scream bloody murder.”

  Red asked, “Have you had a chance to talk with Carl since they brought him in?”

  “No, he’s been out of it. He moans once in a while and that’s it.”

  The psychologist in Jillian takes over and she asks, “How long have you known Carl.?”

  “Most of my life. We went to school together, played together and when we grew up hung out together.”

  “Did he ever display any unusual behavior about his sibling while you were growing up?”

  “Other than saying a couple of times that one day he was going to try to find his brother, the subject didn’t come up until his dad died. When his father passed away, he began to change. He became obsessed with searching for and finding his brother. When he found out that his brother had been killed in that fire, something snapped in him. He becam
e a different person.”