from the false electric socket down to the baseboard and left it at that. She then grabbed the deodorizer and sprayed healthy bursts into the closet and alcove, then throughout the rest of the suite as she hurriedly moved through it.
After quickly packing her equipment in the two bags, Cassie grabbed the Polaroids off the bed and went back to the closet. Using the photos as a guide, she moved the clothing and shoes back into the same positions they had been in when she first entered the suite. She was careful not to allow the clothing to rub on the rear wall of the closet where there was wet paint.
As she slid the hangers back into place on the clothing bar, something heavy and hard in the pocket of a large sport coat banged against her. She reached into the pocket and brought out a gun. It was a Smith amp; Wesson 9 mm pistol with a black finish. She ejected the clip and found it was full. She paused even though she knew time was critical. Should she leave it or take it? Should she unload it? Too much was happening for her to think through the possibilities and come up with the right answer. She remembered something Max had always said about the ripple effect.
Remember the ripple effect. If you change something in a room it changes the universe of the job. It creates ripples.
She knew the answer then. You take the gun, the mark may notice and the job is finished. You unload the gun and the mark may notice and it is finished. No action means no ripples, no change in the universe.
She shoved the gun back into the pocket of the jacket and backed out of the closet, checking her work against the Polaroid one last time. Time was up. In her mind she saw Hernandez having already retrieved his briefcase and riding up in the elevator.
She grabbed the two bags, hoisting the straps over her shoulders, and headed out of the bedroom. As she stepped into the living room she glanced backward and froze.
She had left the desk chair pulled out from the desk.
No ripples, she thought, as she quickly moved back into the room and put the chair back in its place. She glanced around and everything now seemed right – she had no time for a Polaroid check of the bedroom. She went back to the living room and to the suite's front door, picking her hat up off the floor.
She turned the light out and looked through the peephole. She saw an empty hallway. She turned her head and listened. She heard no footsteps or any other sound. She put her hat on, then opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
As Cassie pulled the door closed she heard the chime signaling the arrival of an elevator car in the alcove down the hall. She quickly pulled the card key out of her back pocket and crossed to room 2015.
She opened the door and stepped in. She had made it.
14
THE hallway was empty but she waited. Cassie stood against the door inside room 2015 and pressed her left eye close to the peephole. Her hat tipped off her head and fell to the floor behind her. She heard voices in the hallway and began to believe she was mistaken, that it was not Hernandez but a couple returning to their room.
But then there he was. His huge form moved into her field of vision and the convex lens of the peephole made Hernandez appear even wider. He bent slightly to insert a card key into the door with one hand, the briefcase held at his side with the other. Trailing just behind him and almost out of view through the peephole was another man. Cassie noted the blue blazer with the Cleopatra insignia on the breast pocket. The security escort. She turned away from the peephole and moved close to the doorjamb so that she could listen.
'You want me to check for you, sir?'
'No, I'm fine. I appreciate it, though.'
'Then good night, sir.'
'Good night.'
Cassie heard the door across the hall opening. She switched back to the peephole. The security man was gone and Hernandez was moving into the open doorway. He suddenly stopped and stepped back into the hall.
'Oh, Martin?'
Cassie felt her heart skip a beat. What did he see, what did I miss? She tried to quickly review her hurried exit from room 2014 but she could not think of anything. She looked down at the two bags at her feet and started running an inventory through her mind. But she had barely begun when Hernandez began to speak and she moved her ear to the doorjamb.
'I almost forgot. This is it for me. I'll be leaving tomorrow. Can you hold on a second? I'd like to give you something for watching out for me these last few days.'
Martin's voice returned, very close to Cassie's door.
'That's not necessary, Mr. Hernandez. You can just thank Mr. Grimaldi. He wants all our guests to feel secure and, besides, it's against house policy for me to accept – '
'Who's gonna know? Vincent Grimaldi won't unless you tell him. Hold on a second.'
There was the sound of a door closing and Cassie returned to the visual. The security man called Martin stood in the hallway, his hands clasped in front of him. He looked up and down the hall, as if worried somebody – maybe the Vincent Grimaldi who was mentioned – would see him taking a gratuity. He then turned and looked right at the peephole through which Cassie was watching him. She froze. She thought that if she moved away he might see a change in the light behind the glass and then know he was being watched.
The door behind Martin opened and Hernandez appeared.
'You know, if you don't mind, come in here and check this out,' Hernandez said. 'There are fumes or something in here.'
Cassie pressed against the door harder and balled her hands into fists. She watched as Martin entered the room, leaving the door open behind him.
She could only see a door-wide slice of the suite. Hernandez and Martin both walked out of sight to the left and then after a few moments crossed her field of vision in the direction of the bedroom. Cassie heard talking and moved to the doorjamb and listened but could not make out what was being said. She moved back to the peephole and in a few moments Martin, followed by Hernandez, appeared again and headed toward the door. Their discussion became clearer as they got closer to Cassie's position.
'… in the smoking rooms,' Martin was saying. 'It's pretty much industrial-strength stuff that they use. See, you can't open the windows. No hotel in Vegas has windows that open. Too many jumpers.'
'Well, I guess it's been building up. This is my third day. I've smoked a few in here.'
He guffawed.
'Yes, sir,' Martin said. 'But if it is going to bother you I could check with the desk and see about moving you into another suite. I'm sure we'd have something available.'
Nooooo, Cassie felt like yelling. But it was Hernandez himself who rescued her.
'No, that's not necessary. I'll just have to light one up and see which one is stronger.'
He laughed again and this time Martin joined him.
'Okay, good night, sir. Have a good trip home.'
'I will. Oh, and here. Almost forgot.'
Hernandez held out his hand and Martin raised his. Cassie heard the click of casino chips being dropped into the security man's hand. There must have been a lot of them and they were of high value. Martin's exclamation of thanks came through the door loud and clear.
'Mr. Hernandez, thank you! Thank you! '
'No, thank you, Martin. Have a good one.'
'With this I'll have more than one!'
Hernandez laughed and closed his door after hooking a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the handle. Martin disappeared from Cassie's point of view. She heard Hernandez turn the deadbolt and then there was the metallic click of the flip-over lock being slapped closed. She stood motionless and not breathing for five seconds. Nothing happened. She knew her work on the door had gone unnoticed.
