1 Law 4 All - Vegas. Billy Angel

      Wendy slowly nodded yes.

      "Do you know where Janelle is?"

      "The only thing I know is that I never saw Janelle after that text message."

      Rizzo broke in. "So, Locci is mad because you got a message from Janelle about some senator?"

      "I guess so. I don't know anything anymore. You guys should get out of here. I'm leaving Vegas and never coming back."

      One more question, Rizzo said. "We took this picture from Janelle's apartment. Is this Janelle with you?"

      Wendy gazed at the picture of her and Janelle smiling happily in front of Wendy's cottage. "Yes."

      "Does Janelle have any distinguishing marks on her body?"

      "She has a dreamcatcher tattoo on her back."

      "Can you describe it?" Rizzo asked.

      Wendy swallowed hard. She reached for the cup of water on the side table.

      Jimmy noticed her reaching. He grabbed the cup and held it close to her face, straw facing Wendy's mouth.

      She took three soft sips and said "Thanks."

      Jimmy returned the cup to the side table.

      Wendy cleared her throat. "The dreamcatcher had a large round circle with three smaller ones coming off the bottom half of the large circle. The smaller circles had feathers hanging below and the usual Indian symbols. I remember how she'd cover it with makeup whenever we wore backless costumes."

      Chapter 11 Direction

      Jimmy and Rizzo sat in the car staring out the window. Jimmy broke the silence. "I don't blame Wendy for wanting to get out of Vegas and putting this behind her."

      "Color her gone," Rizzo remarked starting the car. "I want to take another look at Janelle's apartment."

      "What do you think we'll find?" Jimmy asked.

      "We won't know until we find it."

      They made their way across the strip to Janelle's apartment. Rizzo asked the manager if he'd seen Janelle. When the manager said no, Rizzo flashed his badge and asked him to open the door to her apartment.

      As they walked through the large courtyard surrounded by pods of apartments, two burley men rushed by them. One of them held a half-filled grocery bag.

      Rizzo asked the manager, "Do you know those guys?"

      "Nope. Never seen them."

      Jimmy turned. "I'll follow them. Maybe I can spot their car or something." And Jimmy took off.

      The two men were about twenty-five feet ahead of Jimmy. One of the men turned and looked behind. Jimmy immediately moved in front of a door and pretended to be fumbling for some keys.

      When the two men turned the corner, Jimmy trotted after them. He reached the corner to see one of the men standing at the driver's side of a black Lincoln MKZ. Then Jimmy saw stars.

      The next thing Jimmy heard was the manager asking if he should call 911. "No, I don't think we'll need them," Rizzo answered.

      Jimmy sat up and cleared his head. He had a fist-size pain in the middle of his face.

      "Did you see something, detective boy?" Rizzo smiled.

      "I saw a guy standing by a black Lincoln,… then stars. I'll be ok. Are you finished in Janelle's apartment yet?"

      "We might as well be. The apartment is a mess. All her personal stuff is gone."

      Jimmy said, "You think those two guys took her stuff?"

      Rizzo nodded. "Yep. If you feel ok, let's get out of here." Rizzo reminded the manager to call him if or when he saw Janelle. Then they took off in Rizzo's sedan.

      Rizzo dropped Jimmy off at his car. "You're on your own tonight," Rizzo said. "Tonya will take care of me. What are you up too?"

      "I'm going to organize tomorrow's Foundation meeting. Will you be available around noon?"

      "High noon in the dessert. How OK Corralish is that?"

      Back at Jimmy's office, Crystal, his secretary, noticed he walked in holding his nose.

      Crystal said, "I'll get some ice."

      "Thanks Crystal. I'll be in my office."

      Crystal left. Jimmy, starting to relax, semi-staggered to his office and sat down on his couch. The after-effects of the morning's excitement were settling in.

      Crystal handed him a bag of ice. "Does this have anything to do with that poor girl's beating yesterday?"

      "Maybe. Would you please get Ben Green on the phone?"

      Crystal walked to his desk and picked up the cordless, desk phone. She moved back to the coach and sat next to him. "I've programmed Ben Green and the rest of your Foundation people into the speed dial numbers. Ben's number two. I'll get you a list of the rest."

      She showed him how to use the speed dial pushing number two and handed him the phone. She stood and left the room without saying another word.

      "Ben Green."

      "Hey Ben, it's Jimmy."

      "Have you hit on double zero yet?"

      "Twice yesterday and three times last week." Jimmy said smiling.

      "Sounds like Vegas is agreeing with you."

      "I'm busier than a one-eyed cat watching three mice holes."

      Ben chuckled. "I take it Mac has talked to you about locating Janelle Park."

      "Yes. And I think we need to get the Foundation involved."

      There was a pause. Then Ben said, "Give me something to tell the gang when I set up the electronic meeting from Mac's office."

      "Tell them that I got my face pushed in at Janelle's apartment today. And Janelle's friend, Wendy, is in the hospital. Her face is unrecognizable. And we know who the local bad guy is but no clue as to the senator's identity."

      "Who's this we?"

      "My basketball buddy, Rick Rizzo, is a senior detective with the Las Vegas Police Department. He's involved because we're dating a couple of girls that work at Janelle's hotel."

      "I hope you're keeping your dick away from your reasoning processes."

      "No worries there. Can we set the meeting for noon tomorrow?"

      "I think so. Do you remember Bob Turnbol?"

      "How could I forgot those rides in that beat-up suburban van and that high tech room in his basement. Is he part of the Foundation?"

      "Bob's our technical adviser. Besides being a bug-master, he's introduced me to the world of high-tech electronic communications. He's setting up a communications center in Mac's office. That's where we'll be, when we conference tomorrow."

      "So noon, Vegas time?"

      "I'll do my best. Will work on getting the center operative this afternoon and text you tonight."

      "You are entering the world of high tech. You're texting, too!"

      "Yea, but remember, I have plenty of old school left in me. Like a Smith and Wesson still beats four aces, electronic or otherwise!"

      Chapter 12 Chinese Direction

      Alice Doyle, the Senator's secretary, called over the intercom, "Mr. Wing is here."

      Senator Larry Sneed wasn't looking forward to meeting with Mr. Li Wing. Sneed's overdue promises to deliver 50,000 acres of desert land to the Quon-Rong Holding Group nagged at him. These Chinese actually believed he'd deliver the land in the promised time frame. Don't they know nothing in DC happens in the promised time frame?

      Four years ago, Sneed had attached an amendment