[ November 3, 2007; 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. ] Orange County Airport Marriot Hotel

Leave a message for Mike.

We carried the plates into the kitchen and she washed while I dried. An oldie was playing on the stereo, nice and slow, and I turned her to me and we started to dance. She put her head on my shoulder and I wished this moment could go on forever, not bed, or making love, […]

“Let’s get another cup of coffee and sit down. It’s time we had that talk.”
She got the coffee pot and we sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. I looked at her, waiting.
“I’m in a lot of trouble,” she began. “Let me tell you how it happened and then you can tell […]

“Tony,” I said in my most sincere voice, “I don’t know Theresa and I don’t know where she is. Sorry.”
“I’ve played poker all my life,” Tony said wearily, “and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. You’ve got to read the other guy’s mind, look at his face and tell what he’s thinking, is he […]

Leave a message for Mary.

Leave a message for The Capo.

“Be sure to see Old Town. If you never heard of Virginia City, Montana, you’re gonna be surprised. This was a real Wild West town with a real gold rush and saloons and whores and vigilantes. The vigilantes even hung the sheriff.”
“Sounds like my kind of place,” I said and started for town. “I’ll […]

I started walking down the strip, taking it all in and checking out each hotel I passed, the Mirage with its white tigers and volcano, Caesar’s Palace and the Forum, the Bellagio in all its luxury, the Monte Carlo, New York, New York, with a roller coaster outside and its casino in the middle of […]

I needed to check out the Capri, where I figured the “caper” actually took place, to see if anyone there remembered anything that would help me with my “cover,” another word used only by private eyes in bad movies. I pulled on sneakers and black socks to go with a pair of yellow shorts, and […]

I walked down to the Venetian early because I hadn’t seen it yet and wanted time to look around. I’ve never been to Venice, or to Europe for that matter, and I guess the entrance was supposed to represent St. Mark’s Square, or at least that’s what I thought St. Mark’s Square would look like […]

It was still early, Vegas time, and I showered after the long drive and then headed for the lagoon at the Treasure Island. There was a huge crowd waiting for the next free show and I joined it, trying to work my way up to the spot where Mary had tossed the bag into the […]

I got into West Yellowstone late Thursday and caught a cab to the Old Faithful Lodge. It was as I remembered it, a fairy tale lodge made of wood, but such wood, shaped and polished and reflecting the candles and lights of a lobby that soared toward the heavens. The Capri and the Venetian and […]