Vegas Moon

III

It costs Lucky another ten grand to finally get Donovan Creed on the phone. When he does, it goes like this:

“Mr. Creed, this is Jim Peters, from Las Vegas. My friends call me Lucky.”

Dead silence.

“Are you there?”

“Sorry, I thought you were making a speech.”

“Where are you, Mr. Creed? I mean, are you in the states?”

“Mr. Peters, I’ll be glad to tell you where I am, but it’ll cost you an ear.”

“A…what? Did you say an ear? What are you talking about?”

“You want something personal from me, I get something of yours in return. Since you asked, I’m in—”

“Shit no!” Lucky screams. “Don’t tell me!”

The voice on the other end is calm. “Fair enough. Why are we speaking today?”

“Ever hear of a guy named Connor Payne?”

“I have.”

“What do you know about him?”

“He’s one of the most lethal people in the world. Why do you ask?”

“I have reason to believe he murdered a friend of mine a few hours ago.”

“A close friend?”

“Well…yes. I mean, she was the Medical Director of a corporation I invested in. I’m the majority stockholder.”

“Wow. So Connor Payne murdered your friend.”

“Yes.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Me? I…well…I mean, I’m trying to do something about it right now. By calling you.”

“Did you have sex with her just the two times, or has this been going on awhile?”

“I—what? No. I mean, we did business together. We had a professional relationship.”

“Are you telling me Phyllis Willis was a hooker?”

“What? No, of course not. I mean, wait—how did you know her name?”

“It’s my job to know. By the way, were you able to keep your polyp?”

“My…polyp? What polyp?”

“The one Dr. Gayle cut out of your colon this morning.”

“He…I mean…what?”

Creed made a tsk, tsk sound. “Let me guess: he told you there was nothing in there.”

“His exact words were, I was clean as a whistle.”

“He keeps them, you know.”

“Polyps?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Makes necklaces out of them. Sells them on the Broomilaw.”

“The Broomilaw?”

“When it ices over. Between bear fights.”

This conversation has completely gotten away from Lucky. He starts over. “Mr. Creed, I want to hire you.”

“You want me to get your polyp back?”

“I want you to protect me from Connor Payne.”

“Whew.”

“Excuse me?”

“Thank God you’re asking for something simple.”

“Simple?”

“Compared to getting your polyp back.”

Lucky was getting frustrated. “Are you sure you’re Donovan Creed?”

“Pretty sure.”

“The Donovan Creed who kills people?”

“Are you recording this conversation?”

“Of course not!”

“Too bad. I’ve been working on my tough guy voice. I was hoping to hear how it comes across over the phone.”

“Mr. Creed.”

“Yes?”

“I’m a wealthy man. I can pay you to protect me. How much would you charge?”

“Depends on what you want. Do I just have to keep you alive, or would I have to kill Connor Payne?”

“You…could kill him?”

“I could. But I doubt I’ll have to.”

“Why not?”

“If he knows I’m guarding you, he won’t come within ten miles of us.”

“If that’s true, I shouldn’t have to pay you very much,” Lucky said.

“That’s a rather odd way to look at it.”

“I’ll pay you twenty grand a week. How does that sound?”

“Paltry.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“A premium hooker would cost you thirty. And offer no protection against Connor Payne.”

“I don’t need a hooker.”

“You might, if you’re right about Phyllis being dead.”

Lucky sighed. “Look. You want the job or not?”

“Mr. Peters?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a liar, a cheat, and a cheapskate.”

“Based on?”

“You lied about fucking Phyllis. You cheated on your wife. And you don’t want to pay me a fair price to save your life.”

Lucky paused. When he spoke, he sounded dejected. “How’d you know about Phyllis?”

“Carmine told me.”

“Carmine Porrello?”

“You know any other Carmines?”

“He said he didn’t know you! That sonofabitch charged me fifteen grand for Sal’s phone number! And Sal charged me ten for yours!”

“So you’ll pay twenty-five grand to get me on the phone, but only twenty a week to protect you? That hurts, Mr. Peters. If I have to seek therapy over this, who’s going to stop Connor Payne from killing you?”

“I can kill him myself.”

“Now that’s a bold statement.”

“There’s a device. I only need you as long as it takes to find it.”

“Interesting. Tell me more.”

“I can’t. Not over the phone. If you protect Gwen till I get back to Vegas, you and I can search Phyllis’s office together, and find this thing I’m looking for.”

“Gwen?”

“My wife. Her life could be in danger.”

“Why?”

“If Connor Payne thinks I have the device, he might go to my house looking for it.”

“Or for you.”

“Right.”

“But you don’t have it.”

“No. Phyllis has…had it.”

“Want me to check her office?”

“You can’t. The police are there. You can get me in there tonight, though, right?”

“If I come to Vegas,” Creed said.

Lucky said, “How did Carmine know about Phyllis?”

“Mr. Peters, you may be brilliant when it comes to bookmaking, but you don’t know shit about the people who are scheming to bring you down.”

“And you do?”

“What I don’t know I can figure out.”

“But you won’t help me.”

“Did I say that?”

“You said I was a liar, a cheat, and a cheapskate.”

“True. Nevertheless, I’m in.”

“You are?”

“I’m intrigued.”

“Why?”

“Connor Payne is a one-man army. I want to know how you plan to kill him.”

“I’ll tell you tonight, after I land. There’s a direct flight to Vegas, leaves at five, gets there nine twenty. I need you to go to my house, watch my wife till then.”

“Okay.”

“And bring her with you to the airport to meet my plane.”

“You need to let her know I’m coming.”

“Of course.”

“There’s one problem.”

“What?”

“The police are having a convention at your house.”

“How do you know?”

“Carmine told me.”

Lucky’s heart sinks. “You don’t think something’s happened to Gwen, do you?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Why?”

“No ambulance.”

“Mr. Creed. Are you in fact in Las Vegas?”

“Let’s put it like this: I can be at your house in an hour.”

“And you’ll take the job?”

“If you agree to cooperate.”

“What would I have to do?”

“Tell me everything.”

“Everything?”

“That’s right.”

“About Connor Payne?”

“We can start with him and see where it takes us.”

“Fine. But I can’t divulge any details about my business.”

“Why not?”

“It could ruin me.”

“Let me put it this way. You can tell me what I want to know, or you can tell Connor Payne everything. And he won’t ask nicely.”