Identity (19 page)
Authors: K. J. Cazel
Tom’s plane touched down at 7:07 p.m. at McCarren International Airport. Tom immediately took off his jacket as he departed the plane with his carry on. A warm humid breeze caused him to take a deep breath to acclimate to the change from the airplane’s cabin.
Once outside the terminal, Tom directed the taxi to take him to the Best Western Hotel. When he met with local law enforcement, he wanted them to see that he was one of them, not just a high roller, but also a man on a mission. After checking in, he took another taxi to the Metro Police Department on Stewart Avenue. Upon entering the station, he asked for the Missing Person Division. The officer on duty directed Tom down the corridor on the left; he would see the sign on the door. Tom followed the directions and entered the office where several women officers were working at their computers. A middle-aged uniformed brunette got up from her station and greeted Tom.
“How can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Tom Cassell from the Chicago Police Department. I called last week to see if you had any information regarding Ginny Cassell or Sergio Rizzo.”
The officer returned to her desk and checked through the various files. She returned to Tom at the counter. “I’m sorry we have no record on either party. No arrests; or information from the hospitals either. I’m sorry.”
“Damn. I’m going to be in town tonight and Saturday, flying out on Sunday. Do you mind if I check around?”
“Not at all. Just don’t cause any trouble.” She gave a light laugh.
It was still early in the evening so Tom walked over to the Main Street hotels and casinos to start his inquiries. Three hours later, he knew that Sergio and Ginny had not conducted business on this side of town. He grabbed a taxi to take him back to his hotel. Tomorrow was another day.
Saturday morning Tom slept in until 9:00 a.m. For him that was late since he knew he had a lot of hotels to check out. After having breakfast, he started on the West side of the street with the Luxor Hotel. As he entered the hotel he marveled how the designers brought the Egyptian theme to life. At the front desk he introduced himself and took a picture of Ginny out of his polo shirt pocket. As more of a courtesy, the clerk took the photo out of Tom’s hand and studied it. “I’m sorry I don’t recognize her.” He then showed it to the other clerks. From their negative responses, Tom knew this was the first of many strikeouts. Tom took the picture back from the clerk, thanked him and left the hotel.
Tom crossed the street and entered the MGM Grand. This lobby was another spectacular scene. Tom repeated the scenario from the Luxor and yielded the same results. He moved on and entered the New York New York Hotel and Casino. The scent of the various New York style restaurants overwhelmed him. He knew that when he was finished checking with the reservation desk, his appetite would be sated by one of New York vendors.
As Tom ate his Broadway Burger he watched the various patrons as they entered the hotel. Each one seemed to have a different agenda, some went directly for the food while others entered the casino.
After his meal, Tom continued walking up Las Vegas Boulevard. The sun reflected off the buildings causing the temperature to rise. Tom could feel little beads of sweat on his forehead. He made a right onto Second Street and entered the Imperial Hotel and Casino. Two men were standing at attention ready to welcome guests. Tom introduced himself, similarly as he had done at the other hotels. He then produced his picture of Ginny. When the clerk took the picture and studied it, Tom could see from his facial expression that he recognized her. The clerk showed the picture to the man standing next to him who wore a security badge on his blue shirt. The man took the picture from the clerk. “I think you should talk to Chief Security Officer, Nolan. His shift begins at five.” The security officer returned the picture to Tom. Tom thanked the two men and said he would be back at five to speak to Nolan.
Tom crossed the street and went back to his hotel to grab a few hours of sleep. He entered his room and could see that housekeeping had been there and had opened the curtains. The room was cool compared to the outside temperature. Tom knew his internal clock was confused with all these recent time changes, but he had to try to catch some Zs. He closed the curtain, set the alarm for 4:00 p.m. and lay down on the bed. He was fast asleep in minutes. At four the alarm went off and startled Tom. He couldn’t believe that he was in such a deep sleep. He didn’t wish to miss his opportunity to speak to Nolan. He changed his shirt and left the room.
Although Tom had been a detective for the past eight years, he still felt some anticipation about his meeting with Nolan. This may be the closest he’s been to Ginny in the past three years. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be lucky and find her on this trip. He entered the Imperial Hotel and took a seat in the lobby to wait for an opportunity to meet with Nolan. At five, Tom watched the lobby. Nolan was late. At 5:10 p.m. a six-foot brawny man in a tight blue security shirt entered the lobby from the back area of the hotel. Tom got up and approached Nolan. “Mr. Nolan, I’m Tom Cassell from the Chicago Police Department. I’d like a minute of your time if that’s okay.”
Not being pre-warned, Nolan innocently replied, “Sure. How can I help you?”
Tom took the picture of Ginny from his pocket and presented it to Nolan. He could see from Nolan’s expression that he recognized Ginny. “Is she in some sort of trouble?”
“No. This is my sister and she became involved with a seedy character and I’m trying to find her.”
“I think you and I should have a talk, but not here. Meet me at the coffee shop at 2:00 a.m. after my shift.”
“Gladly.”
Tom was not a gambler so Las Vegas was a city that didn’t excite him. He had eight hours to past the time before meeting with Nolan. He left the Imperial Hotel and walked back to Las Vegas Boulevard.
While walking down the street, he was surprised how many foreign languages he heard. He continued his walk until he stopped in front of the Bellagio Hotel. As the music played, he along with dozens of others, watched as the water fountains danced. Tom watched in fascination for almost a half hour.
The sun was starting to set and there was a wind that carried a light mist from the fountain. As he walked eastward, he saw another crowd standing shoulder-to-shoulder watching the street show at the Treasure Island Hotel. Tom did not hesitate to watch too. He was impressed as to the talent of these performers and their ability to capture the crowd’s enthusiasm.
When the performance ended, Tom drifted along with the crowd to the Circus Circus Hotel. He entered the casino area and watched as the aerial act performed with precision. He had one more stop before he would start back.
The Venetian Hotel and Casino was just across the way. This hotel was a beehive of activity. Various chauffeur driven cars pulled up to the front driveway. Tom entered the main floor and marveled at the artwork on the wall and ceiling. He continued to scope out the building, He arrived at the Grand Canal with the authentic Venetian gondolas. Tom kept shaking his head in disbelief. All these visitors thought they were going to walk away from Las Vegas with more cash than they came in with. With these spectacular hotels, there is no way the “house” doesn’t win. After stopping at a street café to get a light dinner, Tom left the hotel and headed back east.
It was nearing midnight by the Tom arrived in front of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Two more hours before meeting with Nolan, he decided to give in to a tourist attraction and bought a ticket to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The one-minute glass walled elevator ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower gave him a birds-eye view of Las Vegas at night. From the observation deck, he enjoyed a panoramic scene of the colorful lights and landmarks of Vegas. From the top of the tower, his eyes could see Bellagio’s dancing fountains.
At 1:30 a.m. Tom entered the small coffee shop down the street from the Imperial Hotel. He took a booth that was facing the door so he could see Nolan when he entered. He was impatient and kept checking his watch. At 2:15 Nolan entered the coffee shop and joined Tom in the booth. When Nolan sat down, a waitress came to the table with a coffee cup and pot of coffee. She greeted her familiar customer. “Hi, what kind of pie would you like tonight?”
Nolan looked at the waitress and replied, “Peach.”
Tom waited for the waitress to leave. “I’m glad you came.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I almost didn’t come. What do you want to know?”
“To start with, how do you know Ginny?”
“I didn’t know her, but I did know her manager. His name was Sergio Rizzo.”
“How did you become acquainted with him?”
“He came to the hotel a few years ago. I was going through a divorce and needed the money. We worked out a deal.”
“And Ginny?”
“She was one his girls. He had her under control with drugs. He had one particular client that needed a red head and he brought her to him. They had several encounters, but the last one was bad. The client really beat her up. Sergio attacked him when he saw what he did to her. I heard the commotion and had to stop it before someone called the police. I helped Sergio and the girl out and told them not to come back again.”
“Do you know where I could find Sergio?”
“Sorry I don’t. My poker buddies said they heard about the trouble at the hotel and that Sergio left town.”
“Did you buds say where?”
“They think he left for California, probably LA.”
Tom dragged himself out of bed to answer the phone. These short trips across the globe were taking a toll on his body clock.
In a non-coherent voice, Tom greeted the caller, “Hello.”
“I’m sorry Tom, did I wake you?”
“What do you think?” When the words left his mouth, he knew he was being unfair to his sister, Jenny. All she wanted to know was how the trip went.
“Did you find out anything about Ginny?”
Tom took a few seconds to gather his thoughts and cleared his throat before answering, “It seems she left Las Vegas with Sergio for California, presumably Los Angeles.”
“Now what?”
“Another search. I worked with a private detective here in Chicago. I’ll see if he could recommend any one out there.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. We’re having an Easter buffet on Easter Sunday. I’ve already invited Steve and Carole. Why don’t you invite Sarah?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?”
“Don’t nag. I’ll get around to it.”
“That’s a good brother. I’ll send you a Tweet with the time.”
“Damn, Jenny, can’t you just tell me now? Why do you keep dragging me into these technology things?”
“Because I love you bro. Bye.”
“Bye.”
***
Tom went to the refrigerator to see if he could muster up something to eat. He picked up the carton of milk and took a sniff. He gagged and immediately threw the contents in the sink flushing the spoiled milk down. He decided that instant black coffee wasn’t so bad of an idea this morning. Shuffling the contents of the cupboard around, he found an energy bar. He wasn’t pleased with his choices, but that would have to do until he had time to replenish his stores.
After eating the energy bar, he set the cup of coffee on his desk and cleaned up for the day. Feeling more alert, he returned to his desk to organize his notes before calling the private investigator. Once that chore was completed, he opened his center drawer and sifted through the paperwork to find the investigator’s business card. At last, he found it.
He punched in the numbers.
“Peter Kowalski.”
“Mr. Kowalski, this is Detective Tom Cassell. We met several years ago on the Donovan murder case.”
It took Kowalski a few seconds to respond, “How can I help you detective?”
“I’m trying to locate my sister. I have done my due diligence but now I am going to need some assistance.”
“What exactly do you need?”
“My information has led me to Los Angeles. An area that I am totally unfamiliar with.”
“Detective Cassell, I am not licensed to work in California, but I can refer you to a friend of mine that I have worked with.”
“That is what I was hoping.”
“Hold on a sec while I get his number.”
Kowalski returned to the phone and gave Tom the number for Bill Weber in Lost Angeles. Tom thanked Kowalski for his assistance.
***
Tom called the number for Weber. No one answered and it went directly to an answering machine. Tom left his name and number. All he could do now was wait.
Tom reported at the precinct for the third shift. Steve was already there waiting for him.
“Okay, partner. What did you find out in Las Vegas?
Tom updated Steve on what transpired on this trip. Steve listened, but couldn’t wait for him to finish so he could ask him the all-important question.
“Do you think Ginny is alive?”
“I have to believe she is. If she isn’t, Sergio Rizzo is going to pay.”
Steve was taken back from Tom’s statement. Never before had Tom expressed the idea of taking the law into his own hands. This was a new side to his partner of five years.
***
It was two days before Bill Weber got back to Tom. Tom explained that he was trying to locate his sister and her manager who left Las Vegas for Los Angeles. Weber explained that Los Angeles had its fair share of seedy neighborhoods where they could be conducting business. Tom expressed to Weber that he felt that Rizzo would probably be working around hotels as he did in Las Vegas.
“My starting fee is $500.00 a day plus expenses. I’m going to have to pull in some IOUs to get the police records.”
Weber then asked Tom what he wanted to do when he found Rizzo. Tom told him to contact him immediately. He would come to Los Angeles to bring Ginny home.
***
Days passed as Tom and Steve continued to work in unison as they investigated a new crime on the North side of Chicago. A bomb had destroyed a restaurant owned by a Jewish couple.
This was unfamiliar territory for the team, but not for other law enforcement agencies in the United States. A special FBI team arrived in Chicago as the newspaper insinuated that it was a hate crime.
Both Tom and Steve didn’t feel it was a hate crime, but it was something completely different. From their investigation, they found that a landlord recently evicted several stores in the hope of building a new mall in the area. The restaurant was a hold out. The Jewish couple had owned the restaurant for thirty-five years. It was their life.
***
Two weeks had passed and Tom finally heard from Weber.
“I’d given up hope. Did you find something?”
“I found Rizzo, but your sister isn’t with him. I checked with Los Angeles Vice to see if they picked up a Ginny Cassell. They didn’t have anyone with that name, but they had a Ginger Nash. She fits the age, hair color and, of course the first name of your sister.”
“Nash is my sister’s middle name.”
“When she was picked up, her mug shot showed a very abused person. She was released. I’m trying to find out the name of the person who posted her bond.”
“Do you know where she is now?”
“No. I’m still working on it. You understand that this isn’t my only case and this could take more time.”
“I’ll transfer an additional $5,000.00 into your account I can’t impress upon you that this is a very time sensitive matter. My sister’s life is in danger.”