1 Law 4 All - Vegas. Billy Angel
Sugar kissed Jimmy on the cheek as he pulled out her chair. Tonya closed in on Rizzo and laid a wet kiss on his lips. When they separated, Rizzo said, "We're going straight for dessert!"
Tonya moved to her chair and commented, "Not until you feed me. I'm starving!"
Jimmy commented, "Those heels look uncomfortable."
Sugar said through a Cheshire Cat smile, "It hurts to be pretty!"
Paula stopped by the table with four drinks. "The ladies ordered a round of Evan Williams," she proclaimed.
"Couldn't have done a better job of ordering myself," Rizzo said.
"We'll have a round of Prime Rib, too," Jimmy ordered.
"Medium rare ok?" Paula asked. Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement. Paula left the table and went directly into the kitchen. She always treated her regulars special.
Jimmy made eye contact with Sugar. After a few seconds, she asked, "Is my head cracked or something."
"What's different about you tonight?"
Rizzo chimed in, "must be the shoes."
"No silly, it's our hair!" Tonya stated proudly.
The girls modeled their treated locks by moving their heads slowly back and forth. "Well?" Tonya questioned.
Jimmy took a chance and broke the silence. Looking at Sugar first he said, "You have some light streaks. Turning to Tonya, you have some dark streaks."
"They're called highlights, not streaks. Teenagers streak their hair. My darker highlights complement my strawberry blonde color," Tonya said.
"Emil calls my highlights a creamy, honey color," Sugar said.
Jimmy knew Rizzo wouldn't leave this alone. "Honey on Sugar. Does Jimmy's life get any sweeter?"
With her biggest, most beautiful smile, Sugar confidently stated, "No!"
The four finished cleaning their plates around midnight. During the meal, Jimmy and Rizzo went overboard complimenting the ladies new, hair coloring.
As the conversation moved to dessert, Rizzo's cell phone rang. A few seconds later, Rizzo looked at Jimmy and said, "Wendy's in the hospital. I should go question her."
The glow from the evening's meal died. Tonya and Sugar look like reality just slapped them in the face. Jimmy understood what was happening.
Speaking to Tonya and Sugar, Jimmy ordered them to be careful. "Do not ask or even mention Janelle or Wendy to anyone. But you can keep your ears open to everything."
"And don't tell anyone about me or Jimmy," Rizzo said in his best cop voice.
"I want to go to the hospital with you," Jimmy said.
Sugar and Tonya took their hint. "We'll be alright. You guys go," Sugar said.
"The tab is taken care of," Rizzo said.
"We're ordering the most expensive dessert. I need something to keep me warm in bed," Tonya said.
As Jimmy and Rizzo left the dining area, Tonya said, "Zero for two. I swear I'm going to have Rizzo for dessert before the end of the week!"
"I made Jimmy this morning and he's better than dessert." Sugar sighed while watching his butt disappear into the crowded lounge.
Inside St. Mary's Hospital, Jimmy and Rizzo introduced themselves to the second floor, station nurse. They learned that Wendy was moved from the critical care unit an hour ago and was in room 214. Entering a two-bed room, they walked by the first bed noting to themselves how disfigured the patient looked. The patient didn't look like Wendy so they went over to the next bed. They peeked around the curtain. The bed was empty.
Jimmy looked curiously at Rizzo. He walked back to bed one and lifted the clipboard hooked to the foot of the bed. After a few seconds he stared at the patient, then back at Rizzo. Without saying a word, he tilted his head in the patient's direction. Rizzo's mouth dropped.
They both stepped out into the hallway. Rizzo commented, "I've seen some messed up shit in my time. This girl was pretty ten hours ago. Someone rearranged her face with a vengeance."
Jimmy, trying to make sense of Wendy's beating said, "I think it's time to bring in the rest of my team."
Chapter 9 What Tracks
Larry Sneed, the four term Senator from Arizona gazed out his office window. The rainy weather in Washington DC made him long for some back-home sunshine. He opted for two fingers of liquid sunshine, Johnny Walker, Blue Label from the office's mini-bar.
Since returning from Las Vegas ten days ago, his macho, arrogant attitude had been on hold. The fatal encounter with that tall, red head needed closure.
He buzzed Alice Doyle, his long-time personal secretary, into the office. She knocked and entered. "What does the rest of the week look like?" he asked her as she moved towards the desk.
"It's a bit dicey. You have tomorrow morning blocked off for a Mr. Li Wing. The afternoon is filled with delegations from the Native American Council, water rights advocates and the NRA. From Thursday night on, your weekend's free. You did ask me to pencil in the World Series of Poker. I think that's in Las Vegas or Reno."
"It's in Vegas this time. I should go. I'm losing my tan."
Alice wryly said, "Would you like me to order up a plane ride?"
"Yes. Itemize it as a convention speaking engagement. I'll only need a small jet." He smiled to himself. "I'll let my colleague from San Francisco have the sixty-six seat jet this weekend. Senator Melossi likes to travel with a posse."
Alice made note of the Senator's request and asked if there was anything else. After he said no, she turned and left the office.
Senator Sneed immediately lit a cigarette and walked over to the mini-bar. He filled his empty glass with ice and Coco-Cola. He opened the mini-bar door and diluted the coke fifty percent with Johnny. He wanted a little boost from the caffeine. Besides, if anyone should drop in on him, they would presume he was drinking a soda.
Sitting behind his desk, he took several long drags on the cigarette. He sipped the drink and opened the top drawer of his desk. He picked out a new, prepaid phone. He opened his day planner and found the number for Ralph Locci.
He recalled how they met in Phoenix a long time ago. He was running for his first elected office as the State of Arizona's lieutenant governor on the same Democrat ticket with Ken Clark, the candidate for Governor. At that time, Ralph Locci was the mob's coordinator for the southwest's postal and service unions.
As the election drew near, Sneed expressed doubts of winning to Locci one night at a fundraising, cocktail party. Locci pulled Sneed aside and told him to campaign confidently. He said, "Act like you've already won, because you have."
Sneed asked how he could be so sure. Locci said because the computerized, voting machines were fixed like the slots in Vegas.
Since then, Sneed has never doubted his election outcomes. And Locci was promoted through the mob ranks until he was offered and accepted the CEO position with the Galaxy Hotel Cooperation.
Sneed dialed and three rings later Locci answered, "Hello."
"Locci?"
"Yea."
"Locci, its Sneed. Can you talk?"
Recognizing the cowboy drawl, he knew this was Senator Larry Sneed. He said, "Sure Senator, what's on your mind?"
"I'm flying out this weekend. I want to put any complications from my last visit to rest. And I'll need tickets to the World Series of Poker and a room at the Galaxy. Will that pose any problems?"
"No, of course not. How many poker tickets will you need?"
"Two will be fine. I'll trust you to get me a date, for appearances sake, that is." After a short pause,