by Bob Moats
“I don’t think Maria wants to talk now. She’s going to keep Buck happy for a while, if what Deacon said comes true.” I smiled.
“What?” she asked. I explained what Deacon said earlier and how he felt, that Maria might use Buck to get back at him.
I said, “I don’t care what they do as long as I stay out of the feud that’s going to start, and I hope it comes out all right.”
Penny said people are crazy.
“Speaking of crazy, we need to have a talk when we get back to the room, about your little assignation with that stripper.”
She grinned. “While you were gone, Tiffany came out again and was real friendly with me. She asked if I wanted a lap dance. I was polite and said no. I asked if she liked women, and she said she was bisexual. I said I wasn’t, but if I were, she would be someone I’d be interested in.”
“Damn, there goes my three-way.” I grinned at her.
“You’d really do that?” she demanded, gently grabbing my balls. “If you answer wrong, you may lose these.”
“I was kidding. You’re the only person I want in my bed.” I was sweating again.
“Good, don’t forget that.” She released her grip. “Although it might be interesting to see what that would be like.”
“Please, stop toying with me,” I begged, as we pulled into the MGM Grand valet parking.
I think the excitement of the strip club got the better of Penny. She did a little strip for me on the bed, and I had to admit later, that was the best sex we’ve had in a while. Not that sex was mediocre with Penny, but this was especially good. I might have to take her to strip clubs more often. We fell asleep together after that.
The next morning we both felt a bit sore from the Olympic treatment we gave to our sex life. We took a quick dip in the whirlpool spa and toweled each other off, then after dressing, shot down to get breakfast. I called Deacon, and he didn’t answer. I looked at Penny and said I was worried, that Deacon didn’t pick up his phone. She giggled and said, good one for Sergeant Carter. I called Buck and also got no answer. I hoped they didn’t kill each other.
We finished our meal, drove out to Maria’s house, and pulled into the drive. There was no car around. I was getting a little worried. We found a note on the door saying Deacon, Buck, Maria and Lynn had all gone to get breakfast and would meet us at the convention center. I was really worried now. What were they up to? Penny and I drove to the convention center and found the four of them hanging around Maria’s car, looking very friendly.
“OK, what’s going on?” I asked.
Deacon spoke first. “Nothing. We just had a good breakfast and now are waiting to go into the convention to wander for a while.”
Lynn Carter looked at me and gave a big smile. “I took the day off to spend some time with Frankie.”
“Frankie? Are we on friendly terms now?” I asked.
Deacon offered, “We’re enjoying each other’s company, yes.”
“OK, go enjoy your day. I have some snooping to do. Lynn, I may have a few more things to tell you after my snooping.” I gave up on trying to figure out their game.
“Oh, Jim, I found out from the case files that Lisa James was indeed pregnant at the time of her death,” Lynn offered.
“That’s what I hear. Nick should have used birth control instead of Viagra. Are you going to the show with us tonight?”
She said she was. I said great, kissed Penny good-bye and drove away from the bunch of nuts as fast as I could.
I headed over to the boulevard and up to the Stratosphere. I parked and took the elevator to the restaurant at the top. I asked where I could find Ralph Morse, and was told he was waiting tables in the next room.
I went there and sat. After a while a waiter came up, and I asked if he was Ralph. He said he was. I told him my name, that I was a private investigator, and that I was a friend of Aaron Goldman’s who had given me Ralph’s name. He asked how Aaron was doing, and I told him. I asked if he could take a break to talk. He said he had one coming in about a half hour, so I ordered a Pepsi and waited. He came by a bit later and asked me to follow him out to the observation deck. I looked at the height of it all. It seemed like miles down. I asked if we could stay in the lobby. He agreed, sensing my fear of heights. He said many people won’t go out to look at the city because of that phobia.
I asked him if he remembered the night when Nick North and Lisa James came in to eat, the night before she turned up dead. He said he was tired of telling the story. He’d been accused of lying about it by the police and wasn’t going to involve himself in it again. He started to turn away. I grabbed his arm.
“There’s a sister who’s hurting over Lisa’s death, and I want to bring someone to justice, even if it’s Nick North. I just want to know if you saw them here that night.”
He looked at me for a minute and said, “Yes. I told the police he was here, but they insisted he was in L.A. and maybe I was trying to frame him for the murder. I told them I didn’t even know him personally. Why would I frame him? I spent too many days going over it. North paid by cash so there was no record he was here, and the place was fairly deserted that night, just me and a few busboys that didn’t pay any attention. No one else remembers him being here. So I got fucked.”
I said I was sorry for that. I asked about the security cameras. He said that North avoided using areas with them. I was really puzzled now. Why would he bother to go out that night with her when he pretended to be in L.A. that weekend? Maybe he hadn’t planned on killing her that night, and it just came to a head so he had to cover his tracks. I thanked Ralph and apologized for bringing it up. I gave him a ten-dollar tip for the Pepsi, and he went off to work. I stood looking out at the sight of the city I loved. I felt like trying to see how far I could get, opened the door and went onto the deck.
The roar of the roller coaster zipping by scared the crap out of me. I took my time going towards the edge, stopping just before the mesh screen wall that prevented jumpers. I looked over and saw an open gate in the mesh. I presumed it was so workers could go out to check the tracks for the coaster. I went over to see if anyone was there. Suddenly I felt some one grab me from behind and push me towards the opening. I was frozen looking down at the drop as the person pushed me through the opening.
I was dropping but managed to grab a thin rail under the opening and held on for dear life. Then I did something stupid. I looked down. It seemed hundreds of miles down to me, and I grabbed on tightly with both hands and started yelling for help. My arms ached from holding my weight, but terror kept my hand gripped tightly. What seemed like hours went by when I heard a voice above me screaming to hold on. I looked up. It was Ralph. He was trying to reach my hands. He grabbed on to my wrist, pulled up, and then with his other hand he grabbed my arm. I heard another voice overhead, and another person reached for me. They both pulled me up and back onto the deck. I just lay there, sweating and trying to catch my breath.
“I came back out to tell you something and heard you yelling. Glad I did.” Ralph was gasping for air, too. The other person was a tourist who came out to see the sights. I thanked both of them, took out my phone and dialed Weber. When he came on I told him someone just tried to kill me. He was upset and asked me if I needed help. I said I was all right and told him what happened.
As I was talking to him hotel security came rushing out. I told them to wait, and told Weber I would be in to file a report on the incident to put it on record. I finished with Weber and told security what had happened. They examined the gate, and after checking with maintenance, said it was open for repairs being made on the tracks. They called to find out where the repairperson was. No one knew. I got up, wobbly on my feet, thanked everyone again, and wanted to get back on the ground. Security said they’d look into the incident. I gave them my card and left.
I sat in the car, still in the Stratosphere parking, for about a half hour, trying to get my heart rate and blood pressure down. I took deep breaths and tried not to go in
to shock. Someone knew I was there to nose around about the case, but who? Aaron knew I was going to check it out, I’d told Penny and that was it. Was someone following me?
I thought about the person who tried to do me in. I couldn’t see him, but he was about my height, didn’t feel fat, and, judging from contact with his body, he seemed fit. His one arm that came around my front showed a white shirtsleeve and a strange ring on the pinkie finger. I would know it if I saw it again. Damn. I began to wonder if this was all worth it after seeing the drop I almost took, looking up above me to where I had been hanging off the side. I realized I had been at death’s door on the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, and I could have been a spot on the asphalt. I had to get my mind off that. I headed back to the convention center.
I parked in the exhibitor parking and went in. I got to Penny’s booth, and she smiled at me but backed away from the table. I said I wasn’t going to embarrass her. I went around the side of the booth where Deacon and Lynn were standing. I took them both to the back of the booth and told them of my experience at the Stratosphere. Deacon looked seriously worried and said, that’s it, he was going to be my shadow for the rest of the trip. Lynn said maybe I should back off from investigating. I said that was not an option, I knew it was a danger going in. I said Deacon knew the danger when he jumped in front of that bullet meant for Penny. We do what we have to and take the risks. I asked them not to say anything to Penny about it until I could talk to her. They both agreed. I asked where Buck and Maria were off to.
Deacon frowned and said, “They’ve been playing kissy face all morning. Damn sister of mine took advantage of Buck, and I think they spent the night together.”
I asked, “Where did you spend the night?” He blushed for the first time since I knew him. He said it was none of my business. I looked at Lynn, and I could see a blush through her tanned face.
I said, “OK, it’s none of my business,” and laughed my head off as I walked back around the booth.
Penny caught me by the side of the booth and planted a big wet one on me.
She said, “Hi, sailor, in town for the night? I work at a very private strip club, and you are invited.”
I created a monster. Deacon and Lynn came over by us.
I asked if Maria got us the tickets for tonight’s show, and Deacon said she did, that we needed to be there by 9:30 to get them. The show started at 10:00, and we didn’t want to miss it. I said I remembered what a pain in the ass Nick was to get him to start his show on time, after his opening act would perform. I said we wouldn’t miss much.
Buck and Maria came back, and I said I should go find that make-up table. I asked Buck to hang around and keep an eye on Penny. He said he would.
Penny said, “I arranged with them to disguise you so I wouldn’t even recognize you, which might be interesting for later tonight.”
“Oh, I can’t get a three way, but you can go to bed with a stranger? Ha!” I snorted and went off to find the booth. Deacon and Lynn followed.
After a bit of searching I found the booth and introduced myself. One girl, Pam, said she was a fan of Penny’s since she used to live in Detroit. It would be a pleasure to make me up. They had me sit in a stylist type chair and proceeded to spend about an hour changing my face and adding hair. Deacon and Lynn were amazed by the transformation. I thanked the girls and headed back to Penny’s booth. I told Deacon and Lynn to hang back a bit as we approached. There was a small crowd, and I walked through, standing for a minute to see if she recognized me. She didn’t.
I walked up to the table and said loudly, “May I kiss you?” and grabbed her, planting a big one on her lips. She broke free and slapped my face, and then she looked in shock when she realized it was me. Deacon came through and told everyone to stand back. He held his badge up and said loudly that I was under arrest for assault. Lynn came up and flashed her badge, too, and proceeded to handcuff me. Penny was laughing her ass off. Buck and Maria had no idea what was going on.
They hustled me around back, then Lynn let me out of the cuffs. I asked where she hid the things on her body. She said she had ways. Penny came back followed by Buck and Maria, and she studied my face for a bit.
Then she said, “Not bad, sailor, you’ll do. I’ll see you later tonight.”
*
Chapter Nine
“Wait a minute. If you want me in this tonight, I get to bring Tiffany,” I protested.
“Well, I hope you and Tiffany have a good time, because I won’t be there,” she rebuffed.
“All right, I’ll leave Tiffany out of it, but you’re not getting any of this,” I said, motioning around my new face.
“My loss. I guess I can put up with your old face.” She grinned.
“OK, I can leave it on, but you have to go over and get made up as a blonde bomb shell. Fair trade.”
She laughed and said, “OK, it’s a deal, but I get you tonight, and tomorrow you get Lola.” She pulled her long brown hair up on her head and mimicked sexily, “You like Lola, big boy?”
I tried not to laugh so I didn’t mess up all the rubber glued to my face. “OK, deal.”
Our happy couples were enjoying our little theatrics, and then I announced we should get our butts in gear to be on time for the show. We packed up and everyone headed to their respective domiciles to dress up. We agreed to meet back at the MGM Grand and headed out together in the SUV.
Back in our suite, Penny kept looking at me as she got ready. “What?” I asked finally.
“I don’t know. It’s just weirding me out. I’m so used to your adorable face, and now I see this stranger. I’m not sure about you.” She continued getting ready.
“I can be very friendly,” I said in an evil sort of way.
She said, “Stop that.”
We were ready and got a call from Deacon that they were on the way. Penny and I went down to valet. They brought the car around, and we waited. Deacon pulled in, had the valet check the car, and they piled in. We drove up the strip toward Fremont Street again. This time we were going inside the Golden Nugget where Nicky was performing.
We parked, went around to the front entrance and asked where the showroom was. We had to go up a flight of stairs to find the entrance to the theatre. Maria went to the ticket booth, gave them her name, showed I.D. to verify the tickets were for her, and we went in. The usher said to follow him. I stopped him and asked where he was putting us. He pointed out a table by the stage. I asked him if it was possible to be seated back in the seats. He looked at the seating chart, said he had a block of seats open and took us there. We were close enough, but not so close that Nick would take notice.
We sat and chatted till about 10 p.m. when the lights dimmed. A voice came from above announcing that we would be entertained by the magical couple, The Fredericks, David and Shana. I was stunned. I leaned over to Penny and whispered, Nicky had an affair with Shana back when I was around. I guess it never came out to David. Penny just mumbled about Nick being a horndog.
The Fredericks came out and did their feats of magic. It was the same as I remembered from when they opened for Nick at the Flamingo. They performed longer than the usual 15-20 minutes an opening act got, so I presumed Nicky either wasn’t ready or he was shortening his act. Finally the couple finished and went off to good applause. The music swelled, and the lights all dimmed again. The announcer introduced the “star” of the show, Nick North!
I hadn’t seen Nick in almost six years, and he looked bad when he waddled out. He’d gained a lot more weight, and he looked tired. Probably from juggling too many women or doing too many drugs. Nothing had changed, including his act. It was like I never left, same tired jokes and silly moves with vulgar language peppered throughout his act. I knew the jokes were funny to people who might never have seen him before, plus he had good delivery, so people laughed.
He liked to pick out one guy in the front row to make fun of for most of his act. I was surprised no one ever punched him out for it. He found his pat
sy and proceeded to put the guy down, blasting him with everything from having a small penis to being bald, making the guy squirm in his seat. That was really funny, because Nick was bald and wore a hairpiece. Nick now had a stool on the stage to sit on. He never had that before. Every so often a babe in a sexy outfit would bring him a short glass of what probably was water. For all his other vices, Nick didn’t drink alcohol. He’d make a couple of jokes about the girl and her sexual prowess, down the drink and send her off.
This all went on for around 70 minutes, about 20 minutes shorter than he used to do. He announced that he’d be up at the theatre entrance to sign autographs, he had photos available for only $20, and fifty percent went to charity. The audience politely applauded his magnificence, and he ran off to the front of the theatre. When I worked for him, it was lucky if he gave five percent to charity. The IRS should have looked into his extra income.
The audience was slowly filing out, and we went past the table he had for autographs. There was a guy standing next to the table taking the cash for the photos and keeping everyone lined up. I remember when I used to do that. I stopped my troops and walked back around to the side of the table, leaned over, and whispered into Nick’s ear, “I’m watching you, North.” Then I turned and walked away.
