make the joint habitable-sheets on the bed, Mr. Coffee in the kitchen. Most everything else could wait. I really needed to relax. What an ordeal this day had been. I was exhausted.
I should’ve just watched television, but I couldn’t resist going through the packing boxes, making sure everything was safe and still in one piece. Lisa had taken great care with my belongings. But she couldn’t know everything. She couldn’t know that the scruffy, torn T-shirt that looked as if it must be a dust rag was actually my favorite pajama top. She couldn’t know that I folded my sweaters along the vertical bias, not the horizontal. And she couldn’t know that I had left a full bottle of bourbon in my gym bag.
But I knew.
6
He had just unfolded the morning paper when Harv Bradford entered the canteen.
“Can you believe those cops are still running around outside, Ernie? Took me twenty minutes just to get into the hotel.”
He shrugged. “They have a job to do. They must keep the crime scene secure.”
“Yeah, right.” Harv poured himself a cup of coffee, took a sip, then winced. “Are we reusing yesterday’s grounds?” He tossed the drink into the sink. “You had any contact with the cops?”
“No.”
“Neither had any of the boys on the night shift. Kind of a snub, if you ask me.”
“They’re LVPD. Why would they consult with us?”
“We’re the hotel security force. We work every damn day right here where they found the body. Seems like we might be able to tell them a thing or two.”
“Such as what?”
“Well… I don’t know exactly. But something. At any rate, they could ask. To treat us like we don’t exist…” Harv shook his head. “Just seems disrespectful.”
“City cops never have any respect for private security,” he replied. “They call us rent-a-cops.”
“I think that sucks.” Harv was a little over six feet, but he carried a spare tire that made the gray uniform bulge in all the wrong places. He looked ridiculous, out of shape, stupid. And he wondered why the police didn’t want to consult with him. “I could tell them a thing or two.”
He lowered his paper. “You know something about the body they found?”
“Well, no. Not exactly. But it’s possible I might’ve seen something without knowing I saw it, you know what I mean?”
I know you’re a fool, he thought.
“Hey! Is there something in the news about it?”
Harv snatched the paper out of his hands without even asking. It was because of his height, of course. Because Harv towered above him, that gave him free rein to disregard common courtesy.
“What do you know?” Harv said, slapping the paper. “The Transylvania made the front page. Did you read it?”
“I
was
reading it,” he answered sharply.
“This is pretty cool. Look at the size of the headline. I bet this is getting national play.”
“We can but hope.”
“Kinda exciting, ain’t it? Being a part of a big story like this.”
“I don’t believe that either of our names is mentioned.”
“Maybe not. But it happened right where we work. And I know the guy who found the body.”
“You’re a celebrity, Harv.”
“If you ask me, this is what the money boys get for choosing such a creepy theme for this place.”
“The children like it.”
“Yeah, and since when did Vegas care about children? This new crowd-they got more bucks than brains. I liked the town better when the mob ran it.”
“Those were the good old days.”
“You really don’t think those cops would want to talk to me?”
“I really don’t, Harv.”
The paper crumpled in his hands. “Know what? I always wanted to be a cop. A real one, I mean. When I was a kid. But I couldn’t afford the school and I couldn’t pass the test. So I went into private security.”
“And isn’t that satisfying? You wear a uniform. You have the occasional opportunity to hustle prostitutes. Strong-arm card cheats.”
“It ain’t the same. People look up to cops.”
“Do
I should’ve just watched television, but I couldn’t resist going through the packing boxes, making sure everything was safe and still in one piece. Lisa had taken great care with my belongings. But she couldn’t know everything. She couldn’t know that the scruffy, torn T-shirt that looked as if it must be a dust rag was actually my favorite pajama top. She couldn’t know that I folded my sweaters along the vertical bias, not the horizontal. And she couldn’t know that I had left a full bottle of bourbon in my gym bag.
But I knew.
6
He had just unfolded the morning paper when Harv Bradford entered the canteen.
“Can you believe those cops are still running around outside, Ernie? Took me twenty minutes just to get into the hotel.”
He shrugged. “They have a job to do. They must keep the crime scene secure.”
“Yeah, right.” Harv poured himself a cup of coffee, took a sip, then winced. “Are we reusing yesterday’s grounds?” He tossed the drink into the sink. “You had any contact with the cops?”
“No.”
“Neither had any of the boys on the night shift. Kind of a snub, if you ask me.”
“They’re LVPD. Why would they consult with us?”
“We’re the hotel security force. We work every damn day right here where they found the body. Seems like we might be able to tell them a thing or two.”
“Such as what?”
“Well… I don’t know exactly. But something. At any rate, they could ask. To treat us like we don’t exist…” Harv shook his head. “Just seems disrespectful.”
“City cops never have any respect for private security,” he replied. “They call us rent-a-cops.”
“I think that sucks.” Harv was a little over six feet, but he carried a spare tire that made the gray uniform bulge in all the wrong places. He looked ridiculous, out of shape, stupid. And he wondered why the police didn’t want to consult with him. “I could tell them a thing or two.”
He lowered his paper. “You know something about the body they found?”
“Well, no. Not exactly. But it’s possible I might’ve seen something without knowing I saw it, you know what I mean?”
I know you’re a fool, he thought.
“Hey! Is there something in the news about it?”
Harv snatched the paper out of his hands without even asking. It was because of his height, of course. Because Harv towered above him, that gave him free rein to disregard common courtesy.
“What do you know?” Harv said, slapping the paper. “The Transylvania made the front page. Did you read it?”
“I
was
reading it,” he answered sharply.
“This is pretty cool. Look at the size of the headline. I bet this is getting national play.”
“We can but hope.”
“Kinda exciting, ain’t it? Being a part of a big story like this.”
“I don’t believe that either of our names is mentioned.”
“Maybe not. But it happened right where we work. And I know the guy who found the body.”
“You’re a celebrity, Harv.”
“If you ask me, this is what the money boys get for choosing such a creepy theme for this place.”
“The children like it.”
“Yeah, and since when did Vegas care about children? This new crowd-they got more bucks than brains. I liked the town better when the mob ran it.”
“Those were the good old days.”
“You really don’t think those cops would want to talk to me?”
“I really don’t, Harv.”
The paper crumpled in his hands. “Know what? I always wanted to be a cop. A real one, I mean. When I was a kid. But I couldn’t afford the school and I couldn’t pass the test. So I went into private security.”
“And isn’t that satisfying? You wear a uniform. You have the occasional opportunity to hustle prostitutes. Strong-arm card cheats.”
“It ain’t the same. People look up to cops.”
“Do
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