'On the what?'
'On the square. As in legit.'
'Oh. You some big-time gambler or something?'
'I don't play,' he admitted. 'It's a poor man's tax.'
A flashing red light on the baggage carousel went off. The woman's eyes brimmed with hatred and Valentine got the feeling he'd ruined her vacation before it had started. Their bags came off the carousel together, dead last.
Valentine lugged his suitcase outside and stepped into an oven. High noon, and the desert was burning up. Standing on line at the taxi stand, he heard a man call his name. Without his glasses, Valentine wasn't very good at recognizing people anymore, and he watched a tall, well-tanned individual approach, his cigar-store-Indian face gradually coming into focus. The off-the-rack suit had law enforcement written all over it.
'Bill Higgins. Fancy meeting you here.'
The two men warmly shook hands. It had been years, but Higgins hadn't changed. As head of Nevada's Gaming Control Bureau, he had forged a brave new world by joining forces with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement in the prosecution of a team of suspected hustlers. The alliance had worked, and the two bodies had been talking ever since.
'How's life treating you?' Higgins asked.
'Can't complain,' Valentine said. 'Nobody listens.'
'Let me give you a ride.'
'You don't know where I'm going,' Valentine said as Higgins dragged his suitcase over to the curb. Then added, 'Or do you?'
'The Acropolis, right?'
'Yeah,' Valentine said, unable to hide his annoyance. 'Who told you?'
A white Volvo was parked in the fire zone, a bored-looking guy with a buzz cut at the wheel. Higgins tossed the suitcase into the trunk. Valentine slid into the backseat and Higgins got in beside him. The car edged into bumper-to-bumper traffic.
'To the Acropolis,' Higgins told the driver.
'The back way?' the driver asked.
'That's probably a good idea.' To Valentine, he said, 'Traffic's gotten so bad you have to drive five miles out of your way just to get anywhere.'
'Who told you I was coming to town?' Valentine said.
'One of my sources,' Higgins replied. 'It's funny, because I was going to give you a call.'
'You were?'
'Yeah. I need your help.'
The Volvo took the entrance ramp and edged into traffic on the Maryland Parkway. Bill wasn't the type to ask for help unless he was drowning; so much for the fun weekend away from home. Yet at the same time, it felt good to hear someone say he was needed.
'Help's my middle name,' Valentine said.
'Retirement treating you well?' Higgins asked as the Strip's gaudy casinos came into view.
'Depends on your definition of well,' Valentine replied. 'Lois died nine months ago, my son and I don't talk, and I seem to be clocking more hours than when I was a cop. Otherwise, it's not so bad.'
'I'm sorry about your wife,' Higgins said after a pause. 'At least you haven't lost your sense of humor.'
'I'm told it's the last thing to go.'
The driver circled the Strip. It had grown into a real city, the old stalwarts like Caesars Palace and the Trop dwarfed by silly-looking pyramids and medieval castles, each new property standing belly to butt with an established hotel, the new kids pushing out the old. Sin City was morphing into Disney World.
'How'd you get into the consulting racket?' Higgins asked.
'After Lois died, I had nothing to do. One day the phone rings. Head of security for Trump Casinos in Atlantic City asks if I'd be interested in viewing some surveillance tapes. I explain to said gentleman that I'm retired and no longer among the living. Said gentleman offers me a hundred bucks an hour, minimum thirty hours a month, and my business was born.'
Higgins whistled through his teeth. 'They're paying you three grand a month to watch surveillance videos?'
'They sure are.'
'You working for other casinos?'
Valentine nodded. His uncanny ability to sniff out hustlers had saved Atlantic City's casinos millions over the years, and his opinion was eagerly sought. Along with Social Security and his pension, he now made the kind of living he'd always dreamed about. If only Lois were here to show him how to spend it.
'How's things by you?' Valentine asked.
'Crazy,' Higgins replied. 'I always envied you guys in Atlantic City. Protecting twelve casinos is nothing compared to the sixty-two I've got out here.'
'Running a skeleton crew sure doesn't help,' Valentine said.
The driver let out a laugh. Higgins didn't see the humor; a scowl twisted his face. When it came to gambling, Las Vegas bested Atlantic City in every department but one-gaming control. Higgins's bureau employed a measly three hundred agents to do everything from collect taxes to prosecute cheats, while Atlantic City employed twelve hundred strong. Compared to the Garden State bureau, Higgins's operation was Third World at best.
'What's gotten into you?' Higgins wanted to know.
'I want to know who told you I was coming to town.'
'A snitch on my payroll told me,' he said icily.
'Someone I know?'
'I don't think so.'
The Acropolis's legendary fountains came into view. Nick Nicocropolis's voluptuous harem of ex-wives looked as unappetizing as Valentine last remembered. Making one mistake in your lifetime was acceptable, but six was a crime.
'I want to warn you,' Higgins said. 'Nick Nicocropolis is running a shaky operation. He's not filing CTRs with the IRS on high rollers, which can only mean he's skimming money to stay afloat. If we decide to nail him, I'll give you a heads-up so you can get out of town.'
'I really appreciate that, Bill.'
'No problem. Now, let me ask you a question. I'm sure you've seen the tapes of this guy who beat them. Any idea what he's doing?'
'Either he's reading the dealer's body language,' Valentine said, 'or she's signaling him.'
'You don't think he might be doing something else?'
'Like what?'
'I don't know. Maybe he's come up with a new way of beating the house. Like card counting.'
It had not occurred to Valentine that Slick might be doing something new. No wonder Bill was biting his nails. A third of the people who gambled in Las Vegas did so at the blackjack tables. If Slick had developed a method to beat the house, the game of blackjack would have to be drastically changed, or worse, discontinued altogether.
'I don't think so,' Valentine said. 'If this guy had a new system, he wouldn't have come back three times. My instincts tell me the girl's involved.'
'You think they're a team?' Higgins asked.
'It crossed my mind.'
His friend breathed a sigh of relief and looked straight ahead. He was part Navajo and rarely made eye contact while speaking. 'Well, that certainly puts a whole new light on the situation.'
'Why? You weren't thinking of dropping charges, were you?'
'I was until now.'
'Did you grill her?'
'A detective over at Metro is interrogating her right now,' Higgins said. 'That's where I'm heading after I drop you off. You can join me if you want.'
