Vegas Heat (10 page)

“It’s the best I can do at the moment. Are you going to be at the casino this evening?”

“It’s the only place I’m safe. All right, I’ll wait for your call.”

Fanny didn’t think she had the strength to hang up the phone. She felt the beginnings of a headache as her stomach started to churn. She’d wanted to go out to the cemetery and talk. She needed to look upward and speak to Sallie so she could try and understand her feelings. Now, she couldn’t do that. Now, she had to think about Ash and his impending dismemberment. She wished she could cry, for her mother, for Simon, for Ash. She knew if she gave in to that particular weakness, her strength would be gone.

She had to do something, but what? What would Sallie have done? Forget Sallie. Sallie had lived in a make-believe world for too long at the end. As sweet and as wonderful as she was, she wouldn’t have been able to handle this either. Or would she?

Fannie dropped to her knees and pulled out the jewelry box that had once belonged to Sallie. Helter-skelter she dumped everything on the floor until the false bottom fell out. Thank God the folded piece of paper was still there. What was it Sallie had said so long ago? If you’re ever in trouble, call this number and speak to the person who answers the phone. Just tell them who you are. No name, no address, just a phone number. Fanny sucked in her breath. Should she call now or should she wait? Maybe she should play Simon’s message again. Maybe she should go out to the cemetery. Maybe she should read a book on dismemberment.

Fanny stared at the phone for twenty long minutes before she could gather up the courage to pick up the receiver. Her hand trembled so badly she could barely dial the numbers from the paper.

The phone was picked up on the second ring. The voice was harsh and cold. “State your business quickly.”

Fanny flinched. “This is Fanny Thornton and I need to speak with you and I need to do it now. Not later, not tomorrow. I can be in town in forty-five minutes, and I can meet you at Sophie’s Cafe. Yes or no?”

“One hour, Mrs. Thornton.”

Fanny stared at the pinging phone in her hand. To calm herself she played Simon’s message five more times.

Fanny walked into Sophie’s Cafe with three minutes to spare. She sat down at a table in the corner and ordered a cup of coffee. Her gaze settled on the door. She waited. When the door finally opened, the two people sitting at separate tables got up and left. The waitress disappeared. She heard the snick of the lock and then the shades over the door being rolled down. It was like a scene in a bad movie. I can do this.
I really can do this.

He looked so normal, so clean and pressed, that Fanny relaxed. He wasn’t a youngster, but he wasn’t that old either.
It’s the white hair that makes him look older
, Fanny thought.
He’s waiting for me to say something
. “I don’t know who you are but my mother-in-law left me your phone number and said if I ever found myself in trouble, I should call and speak to whoever answered the phone. I, myself am not in trouble, but ... I...”

“I’m aware of your problem.”

“I rather thought you would be. I need your people to reduce the interest on my ex-husband’s loan. Bank rates will do nicely. Will you agree to that?”

“Impossible.”

“Then let’s try this on for size. Tonight, I shut off the power and the city goes black. After I do that, I turn my water valve and your people don’t flush. I can keep the electricity and water on at Babylon. You lose. We win. All night. Tomorrow night and the night after. Is it still impossible?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a very foolish response. In one night your casinos will lose millions. We pick up millions, but we do have an occupancy problem. Shall we try it for one night? By the way, who are you?”

“Just someone who was indebted to Sallie. My name isn’t important. Wait here, Mrs. Thornton. I’ll return in one hour. They serve a very good goulash. By the time you finish I’ll be back with your answer.” He snapped his fingers and a bowl of spicy goulash was set in front of Fanny. She barely heard the door close.

Fanny looked around for the door to the ladies’ room. Inside, she leaned against the door, her body shaking uncontrollably. She struggled to take long, deep breaths that exploded out of her mouth like gunshots. When she felt calm enough to walk, she returned to her table. She stared at the goulash and then at her watch. The minutes ticked by She nibbled on a piece of French bread and thought about her mother. Was she still alive? “I need a phone.”

Fanny dialed the operator and placed a call to the hospital. She asked for the floor nurse on Harriet’s floor and was told her mother had passed away at twelve minutes past noon. She placed a second call to Shamrock, Pennsylvania, and spoke to her brother Daniel. “Tell Brad and Daddy. We’ll talk tomorrow, Daniel.”

Fanny’s third and fourth calls were to the water company and the electric company. To both she said, “Stand by for my call. I’ll call you either way once I’ve made my decision.”

More minutes crept by Fanny placed money next to the phone for her long-distance calls. The money and phone were whisked away so fast, Fanny barely saw them disappear.

Her headache was alive now, banging inside her skull. She needed to be hard and strong and not let these people intimidate her.

Five minutes to go.

The goulash was cold now, the French bread dry and hard.

Three minutes to go.

“I need a telephone.”

Two minutes to go. One minute.

Fanny stared at the doors of the café, at the green shades drawn to the bottom of the glass.

One minute past the hour.

Two minutes past the hour.

Fanny picked up the phone, her back stiff, her jaw tight. Water or power? Power of course. She dialed the number, announced herself just as the door opened. “Six points above the bank rate.”

“No deal.”

“In five minutes, Mr. Secore, turn off the power. You understand the power is to stay on at Babylon. I’ll stay on the line.”

“Five points.”

“Four minutes, sir. The answer is no.”

“Four points.”

“My answer is the same.”

“Three and that’s as low as I’m authorized to go.”

“I’m sorry. Bank rates. It’s dark outside. Aren’t the lights pretty? I don’t think there’s another place in this country that has as many lights as this town. Thirty seconds.”

Fanny watched sweat bead on the chiseled features. He was scared.

“Pull the switch, Mr. Secore.”

“Wait.”

“Too late, Mr. whatever your name is.” Fanny dialed again.

“Mr. Quincy, this is Fanny Thornton. Turn the valve. Make sure there’s water at Babylon. Thank you.”

“Mrs. Thornton ... please, wait.”

“Why?”

“Let me go back to my people. Four points isn’t that unreasonable.”

“To me it’s very unreasonable. Bank rates. The power and water stay off all night. Another thing, Mr. whatever your name is, nothing had better happen to my ex-husband. If it does, I will call in the FBI and they’ll be all over your people ... what’s that expression that’s used so much these days? Oh, yes, like fleas on a dog. Sallie would be very disappointed that you didn’t come through for her. I think she honestly thought you people had a code of honor. Obviously she was wrong. Another thing, if anything happens to any member of my family, and that includes me, there will be no water or power until everything is probated, and our affairs are so complex it could take years. Think about that when you go back to report to your people. I’ll call you tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.”

Fanny walked out the door, her back stiff, her eyes watering with the headache pounding inside her head. She had to drive to Babylon now through the dark city God in heaven, what had she just done?

Twenty minutes later, Fanny walked into her ex-husband’s office. Birch was standing next to his father, his face ashen. Ash’s face was gleeful.

“By God, you did it, Fanny! You shut down this town! You brought them to their knees. I’ll kiss your feet, Fanny, if you want me to. You came through for me. I knew you would.”

“At what cost to the rest of us, Ash? At what cost?” Fanny whispered as her son wrapped his arms around her.

His arm tightening on his mother’s shoulder, Birch said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drive up the mountain tonight, Mom. I’ll call the desk and get you a room.”

“He’s right, Fanny. The dark stuff is going to hit the fan in about thirty minutes. Forget what I just said, it’s happening now,” Ash said, his eyes on the monitors. His excitement was palpable.

“Stay here, Mom. Keep the door locked. Dad, are you going out to the floor?”

“Damn right I am.”

The moment the door closed, Birch said, “Turning off the power and water is about the stupidest thing we’ve ever done. What the hell got into Mom?”

“I didn’t tell her to do it if that’s what you’re thinking. I asked her to bail us out and she said we’re tapped out. You heard what I heard. Jesus, we’re over occupancy. We have to do something.”

“You do it, Dad. I have to get Mom a room.”

“Take a look at the registration desk. We were probably sold out five minutes after she had the switch pulled. We need more help. Start calling around. Give Sage a call. Billie, too. Everyone we know. This is a golden opportunity, and we can take in some serious money this evening. Don’t just stand there, Birch, get to work!”

“What about Mom?”

“She can stay in the penthouse with me. There are two bedrooms, you know.”

Birch raced back to the office. “No rooms, Mom. You’ll have to stay in the penthouse. Don’t worry. He’ll be on the floor all night. It’s jamming out there. I have to get some help here.”

“Can I do anything, Birch? I’m willing.”

“I think it would be better if you went upstairs. I don’t want to have to worry about you.” He buzzed the head of Security. “Neal, come around to the office and take my mother up to the penthouse. If you can spare anyone, have them hang out in the hall. After you do that, call in everyone who’s off tonight. Cut whatever deal you have to to get them in here.”

“She really pulled the switch, huh?”

“That’s not the half of it. They can’t flush either.”

“I didn’t know your mother had that kind of guts. I don’t mean that in a ...”

“I know what you mean. I never thought she’d do it either. I think she’s in shock that she did it. Keep checking on her all night, okay?”

“Sure, Birch.”

Birch walked over to a secluded alcove and picked up one of the phones to ask for an outside line. He dialed, the breath rushing from his mouth when he heard Sage’s voice. “Sage, Mom pulled the switch and turned off the valve. The town is pitch-dark. I need you to come in and help. Call Billie and anyone else you can think of. This is going to be one very long night.”

“Why?” Sage gasped.

“Because those ... hoods have Dad on the ropes. I’ve got her safe in the penthouse, and Neal is watching out for her. Listen. I don’t have time to chat. Call Sunny, but tell her to stay home. She could get hurt if she’s on the floor. Some of these people can act like animals when things get out of control, and, trust me, things are out of control. Tell Tyler to come over if he’s free. Bess, too, and John if he isn’t at the hospital.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll call from the car. What’s The Emperor doing?”

“Holding court. What the hell do you think he’s doing?”

“For some reason I thought he’d be counting his money I’ll see you in a bit.”

Birch trotted out to the floor, his eyes raking the room for a sign of his father. Every table, every slot machine was filled to capacity. The noise was deafening. He thought about calling the police when he saw the guards at the huge front doors. He’d never seen people clamor and bang on plate glass to get into an establishment to gamble away their money. In another hour or so it was going to turn ugly.

“Mr. Thornton, the switchboard is going berserk. We can’t handle the calls coming in. These messages seem like the most important. I thought you might want to see them right away as some of them sound... disturbing.”

Birch shoved the stack of yellow slips into his jacket pocket. He could just imagine who the calls were from and what they said.

It took Birch thirty-five minutes to cross the room. On the way he broke up two tussles with patrons fighting over slot machines. “Do it again and you’re out of here, and you won’t be permitted back in. This is the only game in town so think carefully.”

Smiling and jostling his way through the packed room, Birch finally reached his father, who was speaking with a reporter from the Nevada Sun. “Dad, I need to talk to you.” Ash excused himself, turned his chair around to follow Birch.

“This is what I like, a full house. The tournament was nothing compared to this. So, what’s your problem, Birch? Aside from wall-to-wall people, things are running okay I saw Sage a moment ago, and Billie was handling drinks. Bess is changing monies. That’s Tyler over there with Neal, so I guess he’ll be handling the money, too. I called Wells Fargo and they’re going to pick up money on the hour. I haven’t seen any of the other owners, have you?”

“I haven’t seen them, but I heard from them.” Sage pulled the stack of crumpled messages from his pocket. He rifled through them. “All present and accounted for. What’s your next question?”

Ash’s eyes were so gleeful Birch felt sick to his stomach. “If your mother hangs tight on this, I’m home free in three days. It’s time those sharks took a hit. Not only will they be willing to give me bank rates, they’ll pay us to turn the power and water back on. I can either go with the bank rates and pay the loan off the way I wanted, or I can pay it off and walk away. I also have the option of banking all this money we’re raking in to get those riverboats operational. Three days, Birch. Customers will be bouncing off the walls and hanging from the ceiling to give me their money.”

Birch’s stomach rumbled. “What about Mom?”

“One of a kind. She always comes through,” Ash said magnanimously.

“That’s not what I meant. They’ll meet her demands tomorrow and she’ll turn everything back on. She’ll never go for three days.”

“She will if they threaten her. That’s the next step. Intimidation is how they get to you. Fanny won’t tolerate it. She’ll extend the days each time they do or say something she doesn’t like. Your mother is a woman of principle. I’m counting on her staying that way, too. She won’t let me down.”

“That’s funny as hell coming from you, Dad.”

An ear-piercing whistle sounded across the room. Birch craned his neck to see Sage motioning to him. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” Birch said to his father.

“I am. This is my night, kiddo. I can’t wait to see the morning papers. I can see it now, three-inch headlines.” Ash waved his arms expansively. “EMPEROR TAKES OVER CITY!” He shrugged at Birch’s retreating back.

Tonight, Las Vegas was his alone.

“This is a zoo. We better start clearing out some of these people before the fire marshal shuts us down.”

“If you think that’s going to happen, you’re nuts. No one in this town is going to mess with Mom. The threat was always there, right out in the open, but no one, and that includes me, ever thought this night would come to pass. Mom is the most powerful woman in this town, probably this state. If you were the fire marshal, would you take her on?”

“Probably not, but there’s danger here. I say we go to the stockroom and pull out all those portable fire extinguishers and keep them handy. You have to keep all the exit doors clear. We need some more people, Birch. Hell, I’m willing to go out on the street and recruit if necessary. I guess you know the switchboard is jammed.”

Birch waved the stack of messages under his brother’s nose. “And, on top of these, let me tell you what our father’s thinking is on all of this ...”

“I hate this goddamn business,” Sage muttered as he struggled through the crowds of gamblers.

Upstairs in the penthouse, Fanny stood in the dark staring out at the town that was just as dark. She shivered. She wanted to go home and play Simon’s message again. She needed to hear his calm, sane voice. Needed to hear him say he loved her, needed to hear him say he would call again. She wanted to sit in her big red chair with Daisy in her lap.

“I’m going home.” She scribbled off a note and left it on the dining-room table.

Thirty minutes later, wearing Ash’s jeans, windbreaker, and baseball cap, Fanny slid behind wheel of the junk car Sunny kept in the garage for emergencies. She gunned the motor and then roared up the ramp and out to the main road. She didn’t take a deep breath until she was out of town and on her way up the mountain, her high-beam lights leading the way.

A long time later, after disconnecting the phone, when she was ensconced in the depths of the old red chair, coffee cup in hand, Daisy in her lap, she burst into tears. “Oh, Simon, I need you.” Fanny fell asleep, Simon’s name on her lips, his message playing over and over until Daisy, too, drifted into slumber.

Simon woke, showered, shaved, and brewed a pot of coffee he carried out to the porch. He propped his feet on the railing, staring off into the distance. His left hand dropped to the portable radio next to his chair. From long years of habit he listened to the early-morning news and the late news. He adjusted the volume and waited to see what had gone on in the world overnight. He listened, his thoughts far away until he heard the commentator say,
“Last night just as darkness fell, the Big White Way in Las Vegas turned black and dry. Stories, none of which can be confirmed, range from Russian spies blowing up the
electric company to squirrels chewing up the circuitry. One has to wonder how and why squirrels would turn off the water, though. The smart money
is saying the man known as The Emperor of Las Vegas turned off the power
and water in a fit of pique. Ashford Thornton, the owner of Babylon
,
couldn’t be reached for comment. Babylon is the only casino to have power and water in the town of Las Vegas. We invite any listeners who have additional information to call us here in the news room. This is Sam Le Roy signing off. Stay tuned for Maxwell Minton and the latest Top 40 hits to start off your day.”

The legs on Simon’s chair hit the porch with a thud. Tootsie and Slick woke up, stared at him, then went back to sleep. Simon cursed his lack of a phone, civilization and anything else that came to mind. “C’mon, you guys, gather up your gear. We’re going to Las Vegas.”

Simon didn’t bother to pack. He gathered up his clothes and possessions, making nine trips to his car throwing everything in the trunk any old way. He emptied out the coffeepot and carried a cup to the car, where he set it on the console. “Hop in.” Tootsie and Slick climbed into the backseat, their chews, toys, and blankets spread around them. If he was lucky, he could make Las Vegas by eleven o’clock and Sunrise by noon.

It wasn’t until Simon stopped for gas at the halfway point that he realized Ash didn’t have the authority to turn off the power and water in Las Vegas. Only Fanny could do that. “Son of a bitch!” He threw money in the general direction of the gas station attendant, slid into his car and peeled rubber, his tires leaving long black skid lines on the concrete.

Fanny connected the phone at one minute to nine. It rang almost immediately.

“Mom, where have you been? We’ve been calling all over the place. There was a busy signal at Sunrise. We thought someone snatched you and forced you to leave that note. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Tell me what happened.”

“It would be easier to tell you what didn’t happen. We made a barrel of money. Sage, Billie, Bess, and Tyler came to help out. Sage went out on the street and recruited bouncers. We needed to keep the exits clear in case anything went wrong. We were seriously over our occupancy rate. The cops and fire department were out in force, but nothing serious went awry. The casino is still jamming. Wells Fargo takes money out on the hour. Dad just took about ninety pills and is sleeping. Sage is eating breakfast, Billie is catnapping, and Tyler went to the hospital. Sunny just walked in a minute ago. Our rooms are booked solid, and Dad raised the rates by a hundred percent. Nobody complained if you can believe that. All the headliners from the other casinos left town this morning. At least that’s what the news said. This stuff is going to make a hell of a scrapbook. Mom, why’d you do it?”

“Your father said those people would kill him. He was frightened out of his wits. I had to do something. Where could I possibly come up with fourteen million dollars in three days? I had to do what I did. I gave them a choice, they chose not to take it. All I asked for was bank rates on the loan. They came down to three above the bank, and I said no. Three percent of fourteen million dollars compounded daily is a lot of money. We played hardball. They blinked. Did I say that right, Birch?”

His mother the hardball player. His mother going up against gangsters. It boggled his mind. “I couldn’t have said it any better. What are you going to do now?”

“I told them I’d call them at nine o’clock. It’s after nine. I don’t want to seem eager. Maybe I won’t call them.”

“Dad wants three days. Can you handle it, Mom?”

Three days. Fanny’s stomach started to gurgle. “I’m just going to ... what I’m going to do is ... wing it. I want to hear what those people have to say.”

“Every single one of them called the casino last night. The switchboard finally blew out around four this morning. It’s being fixed as we speak. I’m calling you from a phone booth out on the street. We didn’t return any of the calls. I’m going to try and grab some sleep. Sunny is going to watch the monitors. Call me when you know something. Mom, be careful.”

“I will. I have Daisy right here.”

“I don’t think that powder puff is going to be much protection if anyone comes looking for you.”

“They won’t do that, Birch. They know the alternative if they do. Get some sleep, honey I’ll talk to you later.”

Fanny replaced the phone and reached for her coffee cup.

The phone rang again just as Fanny poured more coffee. She let it ring five times before she picked it up. “Mrs. Thornton? You said you would call at nine o’clock. I waited for your call.”

Fanny sucked in her breath. She would recognize that voice if she was in a cave full of screaming bats. “I was washing my hair at nine o’clock,” Fanny lied.