Dying For LA by Ian Jones (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

sorry to break it to you like this Paul, but that’s why we’re here. There’s something else going down, and it looks like Maddie and Deanna were caught up in something that got out of control. We’re just looking for some answers. We were at the Mile High Club, Rob Johnson told us you can maybe help,’ Reed explained.

Faber looked at him, then at John.

‘Sure. Maddie was never any trouble. I don’t know what you been told about her.’

‘Well, we know what she did, that’s kind of why we’re here,’ John said.

Faber nodded.

‘Jesus. I can’t believe it. I liked Maddie. A lot. Ask away.’

‘We heard that she started operating over here, but she was at Caesars before. It seems like she was avoiding someone, did she say anything to you?’

Faber gave a small laugh.

‘Operating. Yeah, I guess that’s as good a word as any. But Maddie wasn’t really like that, she was different. Look, I knew Maddie pretty good. She never gave anyone any problems, we never got guests climbing the walls or nothing like that. She would move around, centre on a place, then move on. She was at Caesars. She was pretty upset about something, that’s for sure. There’s a guy up there called George Scott, everyone calls him Gee-Gee. He’s front of house manager, and he really is a dick. I knew Maddie had a couple of run-ins with him, I guessed that was why she got out of there but look, I never asked ok? I liked her but it wasn’t my business.’

‘Why was Maddie different?’ John asked.

Faber smiled.

‘Look, prostitution, it’s a real big deal round the strip. This place is full of guys all the time. They come here on bachelor parties, boy’s weekends, exhibitions, conferences, you name it. Every day of the year. And a lot of them want to party. Now most of us turn a blind eye when we know the girls, because we got an understanding. No shit on our doorstep. But there are others who come and go, and cause problem after problem. Maddie got it. She was a looker, she was expensive, and she would do two, maybe three a night at the most and never once had a problem. I don’t know what happened at Caesars, I avoid that prick Scott, but my guess is it likely wouldn’t have been her fault.

John Looked at Reed, who nodded.

‘Let’s go see George Scott,’ he said.

Faber stood up and shook their hands.

‘Listen guys, George Scott isn’t a popular guy, he is a real scumbag. He pulls all kinds of strokes but he’s got protection up there; he’s been at Caesars for years. My advice is lead with the big guy. That will rattle him, he thinks he’s tough. I’d like to see it for myself.’

John patted Faber on the back.

‘Thanks a lot Paul, and really, we are sorry to have to tell you about Madeline.’

Faber shrugged, and then walked off into the body of the casino.

Reed stood up and looked lost, John rubbed his eyes and got to his feet, unsure if things weren’t just getting even more complicated.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Voorhees was in his office tapping away on his laptop keyboard while Rico and Sal were still trying to get the television to work properly in the adjoining room. Sal checked his watch.

‘Man, I’m starving,’ he murmured.

‘Yeah me too,’ Rico replied, and his stomach rumbled in agreement.

Voorhees had adamantly declared they wait for the new guys to show up and then Rico would go and pick up the pizzas so everyone would eat together. But there hadn’t been any time given for this, Voorhees had eaten something in the afternoon, and it was after nine now. As usual Voorhees’ word was law, they hadn’t even considered not following it to the letter.

‘When are these guys arriving?’ Rico asked quietly.

‘I got no idea. Yann just said today, maybe I should ask, what do you think?’

They both looked through the partition glass at Voorhees frowning away at the screen.

‘Maybe better give it half an hour.’

They carried on messing about with the TV, which was kind of working, and just as it was becoming frustrating it suddenly flashed up clearly with an HBO movie, so they sat down to watch. As soon as they got comfortable Voorhees’ mobile trilled out suddenly, both men looked across.

Voorhees was talking and nodding, then hung up and struggled his big frame out of the chair. He waddled out and into the room and stood directly in front of the TV.

‘Get down to the gates and open up, take a car, we don’t want to look like assholes. Then Rico you get your ass down the street and pick up the food, savvy?’

Sal and Rico jumped up, left the building then jogged across the dark yard to the big storage shed opposite where they had put the cars and climbed into the Lumina, which they hadn’t really used since they picked up Weiss from the station. Sal started it up, then drove out and headed for the gates, switching on the headlights at the last minute. Rico climbed out, opened the first gate and watched Sal drive through, then closed and locked it and opened the second. Sal rolled through about halfway and stopped, Rico got back in.

They both peered out through the side windows and the windscreen. Both directions from where they were sitting were clear, a few cars moving on the main road ahead but that was it.

‘Do you think Yann meant they were here already?’ Sal asked.

‘I got no idea, I thought that’s what he meant.’

‘Yeah me too.’

Frustrated Rico slammed his hand down on the dashboard in front of him.

‘Fuck this man. All the fucking time it’s the same old shit. Nothing gets organised properly.’

Both men were uneasy, they were out here, in the open, waiting for people they didn’t know who could have another Karl Weiss with them, and also had no idea who might be watching, they were completely exposed.

‘Man, I wish I bought that