Bob Moats - Jim Richards 01-03- 3 for Murder Box Set (23 page)

Deacon said not to worry, he’d watch out for his sister while we’re there.

After a while Buck and Deacon left. Penny and I sat on the couch and relaxed. I put my arm around her, and she tucked into me.

“Did you have your talk with Deacon?” she asked.

“I did. I told him I was really thankful he saved your life. I wouldn’t have been able to live if you were killed.” I kissed her cheek.

“Yeah, sure, you’d be snuggling up to Deacon’s sister about now.” She chuckled.

“Not really. I’m allergic to feathers. Besides, I think Buck may have a crush on her, the way he kept bugging Deacon for more info. I think Deacon may regret telling him about her.” I decided to change the subject. “I haven’t told you much about when I lived in Vegas. You interested?”

She said she was.

“Well, back in 2003 I got an email from a girl I knew from my first marriage. Her brother was a teen when I first met him. He was attempting to become a stand-up comic, more of a prop comic, kind of like Carrot Top. He would occasionally help me when I did shows and needed extra performers. He eventually toured around the country, going to comedy clubs and polishing his act. Then he finally started working in Vegas and got a contract at one of the big casinos. His production manager was leaving to go to Chicago, and he needed help. His sister mentioned me, so he wrote and asked if I was interested. I said I was, went out to look it over and took the job. It was good at first, but I found out too many things about him I didn’t like. I didn’t expect a saint, but I didn’t expect the crap he did. He was abusive to the people who worked for him. I finally had enough when he exploded about something I had no control over, and I quit.” I was quiet for a minute thinking about the memory.

“Did you come back to Michigan then?” Penny asked.

“No, I stayed for a while. My son was living with me at the time. He had a job, so we had some income. I finally found an ad in the classifieds for a magician to work at a chain of magic stores located in various casino shopping centers. I stood out in front of the store doing my magic to attract people to come in. I was a pitchman, as they call it. It was fun, but it was work. Unfortunately, my son’s job went bust. We were struggling to get by on my small income, and we were both a little homesick. Plus, every Sunday when I called my mom, she would tell me how poorly Dad was doing. I didn’t want to be 2000 miles away if something happened to him. So we came back.”

Penny apparently detected a bit of sadness in my voice. “You’d rather be back there?”

“Oh, I miss it. Yes, I’d like to be back there. Maybe when I retire.” I smiled.

“Retire? You’re starting a new career as a private investigator, which I think is silly, but I support you, and you’re a year and a half away from social security. You better move fast before retiring to Las Vegas.” She grinned. “What is it about Vegas that would make you go back?”

“After I moved back to Michigan I had the chance to compare between the two places. I found that in Vegas I loved the sunshine, the heat, walking down the Strip and seeing happy people, being in a Disneyland for adults, the sounds of the casinos, driving up the Strip amazed at all the lights, walking around Fremont Street and watching the two block long video playing overhead, having just about any kind of store available for anything you could ever want from all over the world, the diversity of people both living there and visiting. The place is always changing, something new every day, something new to see, and a dream fulfilled. I got to perform magic in Las Vegas, about a 1000 plus shows…well, I could go on, but we have so little time.”

We both were quiet for a while, then I said, “I think what really got to my soul, one night I was standing in the parking lot at the edge of an office complex just off from the desert. I was looking out at the miles of flat land, tumbleweed and cactus, seeing the Vegas strip in the distance, all the casinos brightly lit like a carnival. I watched the light beam from the Luxor pyramid blasting up to the heavens, and I felt the warm, dry air and the total stillness surrounding me. It was an experience I couldn’t shake. I felt one with heaven.”

“Maybe I could do my show from Vegas,” she said quietly.

“Well, that’s all down the road. We need to get you ready for your big week. I just know your show will go nationwide,” I said and got up, nearly tripping over the luggage still in the middle of the floor. “Are these things going to be here for the next few months?”

“No, I think we can put them in the spare room for now. I can take my time packing them.” We stood and started to pick them up.

“Yeah, don’t forget the warm clothes,” I kidded. She whacked me with a small suitcase.

*

Chapter Two

Penny was wearing a sexy, short cocktail dress and I was in a new suit that Penny bought me as a graduation gift. We were all ready to head out to my big event. I was graduating from P.I. school, as I called it. Buck and Deacon were going to meet us at the community college meeting hall where the small ceremony would be held. It was not a big thing, but the college liked to make their students feel like they were doing something important.

We drove there and luckily found a parking space close to the front. Buck and Deacon were standing out front of the building with Trapper. I said my hellos to everyone, and we went in. The ceremony was brief but nice. Penny snapped pictures with my Fujifilm digital camera. After it was over, we all stood together as my instructor took a couple of pictures for me.

Trapper pulled me aside. “Jim, you have a way of growing on people, and I got to like you. Plus, the good words you put in with the chief of police helped me get my promotion. That’s why I helped you out with all this. I think you have a good head for this business, and you’re snoopy.” He laughed and held out the small package he was carrying. “This is for you, you earned it.”

I opened up the box and found a .40 caliber Glock handgun. I was overwhelmed. “Can I shoot someone with it, just to try it out?”

Trapper looked over to Buck and said, “Yeah, I know someone you can start with.” We both laughed. Trapper said the gun needed registering in my name, so I had to come down to the precinct to take care of it.

We went back to the gang. I showed Buck and Deacon the Glock. They both ogled it. Penny said that I’d probably shoot myself with it, and kissed me. Trapper said we now had to get me registered, and he would help me with the P.I. licensing process on Monday.

We all went to the Cloverleaf restaurant to get some pizza and beers and enjoy the evening. Buck had his usual Diet Sprite and was having a good conversation with Trapper about their escapades. Penny held my hand tightly as if I would run away, which I wouldn’t with her by my side. We all talked about going to Vegas next month and all the sights I’d take them to see. Buck just wanted to go to a Vegas strip club, the best sight he could think of. I told Buck he’d better have a good amount of cash to afford those sights. We had our fill and said our good nights. Penny was my designated driver as she knew I’d be celebrating.

We got home, and Penny brought out a bottle of champagne she had hidden. We toasted to my night. Then we headed towards the bedroom, and she said in my ear, “I’ve always dreamed of hitting the sheets with a private dick.”

I looked at her and said, “Well, this private eye is going to become a private dick just for you.” In all, it was a great night.

One month later we were scurrying around getting things ready for the trip the following week. Time flies when you have to be ready for anything. I was all licensed as a P.I., and Penny bought me a box of engraved business cards saying I was open for business. I figured I would work on starting my business after we got back from Vegas. I wanted to take time to really make a go of it. Penny took me to the couch, and we sat. She handed me an envelope and told me to open it. I found a check for a large amount of money from her station.

“What’s this for?”

“I told the station that I was a big investment now, and I needed protection, so I said I hired a P.I. to be my bodyguard. They agreed, and that’s the advance fee I told them you were worth.” She glowed.

I kissed her cheek and said we’d have to copy the check and frame it, my first paying job.

At the last minute, we were still trying to get ready. Penny had five of the suitcases filled with her stuff. I got the last one. I travel light. Trapper came by to instruct me on getting my gun through airport security and what to do when I got to Vegas, to let the police know I had it, and that I was a P.I. and a bodyguard for Penny. It was always a good gesture to inform the local police as to my intentions and not be a surprise to them. Besides, Vegas had their share of armed bodyguards, so they tended to be tolerant of it.

Trapper told me, “You have any problems out there, call me. I have connections.”

“How’d you manage that?” I asked.

“I was born in Henderson, just below Vegas. Well, you already know that. My dad was a cop. My parents moved to North Las Vegas when I was in my teens. I went to Bishop Gorman High and was a rookie for Metro police for about two years, then I was a bicycle cop on the strip. I still have friends. I’ll give you a list of people to contact once you’re out there.”

I was amazed. “Trapper, you never mentioned this before. Why now?”

“Wanted to keep it on a low level till you were ready to go. Otherwise you would probably bug me about it.” He smiled.

“Thanks, I appreciate that. How’d you end up here in Michigan?” 

“My dad died when I was in Police Academy. My mom remarried to a guy from Mt. Clemens, and they moved here. After a while I had enough of the nut jobs on the strip so found a position with the Clinton Township police. Mom still lives here with husband number two.” 

“Wow, great, I’ll have to throw your name around when I’m out there.” I grinned.

“Yeah, just use my list to throw my name. Some cops out there weren’t my best of friends. If you know what I mean.”

“I think I do.” Since I knew how friendly Trapper could be.

Penny came up and asked if Buck was still going to bring his van for our trip to Detroit City Airport. I said that was the plan. Trapper gave Penny a friendly hug and said he had to go back to work.

He looked at me and said, “Crime won’t be the same around here without you. It’ll probably be less.” He smiled then departed without saying good-bye. He did that a lot.

“OK, I have a list of what we have to do.” Penny handed me the list and said, “Take care of it.” She smiled and went back into the house.

The next morning was beautiful, an unusual occurrence for Michigan. Buck pulled in promptly at 7 a.m. and had Deacon with him. We loaded the luggage into the van and headed out to I-94 for our trip to City Airport where the station kept its corporate jet. Once there, we were greeted by the pilot and the flight attendant and instructed on how to be good passengers.

All our baggage was loaded, and Buck commented to the flight attendant about the odds of our baggage ending up in Vegas with us. She smiled and said that as long as the plane stayed together, everything should land together in Vegas. Buck laughed and said, “What stays together, lands together in Vegas, baby!” She was mildly amused.

I had taken numerous commercial flights back and forth to Vegas. This was the smallest plane I ever took. We all had window seats and buckled in for the takeoff. Deacon looked pale. I asked if he was all right. He smiled and said he wasn’t a good flyer. I said, just think of me and a room full of cats. He laughed aloud and put his head back with that image. The plane moved out to the runway and must have been given clearance as we were soon zipping out and away into the wild blue yonder. My stomach settled, and I looked at Deacon. He was smiling. “Did the cats kill me yet?” I asked. He looked over and nodded.

We flew over the United States at a leisurely pace. About midway I started to see the mysterious dark circles on the ground that I had seen in the past flights. I figured they were some alien signage to show where to land their saucers. Penny said they were probably agriculture crop circles, but did say they looked pretty from the air. Miles and miles of them, some full circle, some three quarter and some half, all spelling out “Land here.” Then we got to the mountains. It was amazing to see cities nestled below thousand foot cliffs and roads zigzagging across the landscape, seemingly going nowhere.