A Dubious Terrain (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 4) Read online

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The flight from Chicago finally landed at McCarran field in Las Vegas. Banyon quickly turned on his two cellphones while the big plane was still taxing to the gate. Loni was clearly excited as she leaned over Banyon to look out the window as they had descended. He had rubbed her back and she all but purred. As the plane reached the gate Banyon saw a different Loni. When Loni was nervous or excited, she always fidgeted in her seat. She also became very inquisitive and started to ask questions at a mile a minute.

  “What was that big lake I saw from the window?”

  “That is Lake Mead. You should have seen the Hoover Dam too. It is at the end of the lake. It is one of the marvels of the world. The Grand Canyon actually ends where Lake Mead begins. Did you notice?”

  “Yeah, can we go there? “I’m so excited to be in Las Vegas,” Loni gushed.

  “We will see,” replied an uncertain Banyon.

  “Why is there a different color ring on the mountains around Lake Mead?” she then asked with a tilt of her head.

  “The lake is down over thirty feet right now. It is exposed rock that usually is under water. The lake has been dropping for several years. I read somewhere the Nevada government is now trying to refill the lake. Anything near the lake has had to move several times to keep up with the changing coastline. The water to fill the lake comes from Colorado and there are many issues as other states also use the water. The West is all about water.”

  “Colt, I didn’t see many lawns around the houses I saw as we came in. Why don’t people have lawns here?” she asked.

  “Well, they are always water conscious in the desert. In fact, the government will actually pay you if you tear out your lawn and replace it with desert landscape.”

  Changing the subject again Loni asked. “How long before we can get to the hotel?” “I want to have some fun in the casino before we have to go to work.”

  “This is always the hardest part. After we reach the gate, we have to take an escalator down and then a tram to the main terminal. From there it is a five minute walk to the baggage claim. The bags will take a while. Then we have to stand in line for a taxi. The hotel is actually near the airport, but there will be a lot of traffic. Once we get to the hotel, we have to register and find our room. Remember this is one of the biggest hotels in the world. There are over five-thousand rooms. It may take us fifteen minutes just to reach our room.”

  “So, how long, Colt?” she pressed.

  “It is going to be another hour before we reach our room.”

  “Well, I can’t wait,” Loni said with wide eyed enthusiasm.

  “I can tell,” he replied, with a smile.

  “What is that beep?” Loni suddenly asked.

  Banyon pulled out the throw away phone Agent Gamble had given them and noticed there was a message. He quickly accessed the phone and listened to the message.

  He turned to her and spoke in a low voice. “It is from Agent Gamble. He wants me to call him immediately.”

  “But, I thought we were supposed to go to a website?” she replied as she reached into her carry bag and pulled out her computer.

  “This is an emergency,” Banyon calmly replied. “He left a number to call him as soon as possible.”

  “That is not going to be for another hour,” she said.

  “No, as soon as we get to the terminal, I’ll go outside and call him. You stay inside and gather the luggage.”

  Colt and Loni followed the excited crowd to the tram and eventually reached the baggage claim. Banyon left her at carousel number three. He made her promise to stay by the carousel and ran outside to make his call. He went to the corner of the building where there were no people and dialed the number. Agent Gamble picked up after three rings.

  “Gamble here,” he drawled into the phone.

  “Colton Banyon, calling you from Las Vegas.”

  “Good,” he immediately replied. “Something has come up and we need your special talents,” Gamble said. “I am secure here, can you talk?”

  Banyon quickly looked around, but had no idea what he was looking for. He then replied. “I’m outside the terminal and no one is around me.”

  Without preamble Gamble began to fill in Banyon. “We, I mean the FBI, were notified by an unknown person that there was a captured coyote at a specific location. You know what a coyote is, don’t you?”

  “Yes of course,” answered a confused Banyon.

  “Well anyway. When we collected him in Arizona, he had this big story. We also found a tape recording of the same story with him. I think it is connected to what you are working on.”

  “OK, let’s hear it.”

  “The coyote claims he smuggled three Mexican boys over the border last night. The boys are supposed to assassinate some America political figures that will be in Las Vegas tonight, but we don’t know who they are. There are going to be many politicians in Vegas tonight. I need you to find out who the politicians are and who these assassins are working for. I also need you to identify the assassins. Can you do that little buddy?”

  “I’ll get on it within the hour,” replied a concerned Banyon. Just as he had suspected, every time Agent Gamble was stumped, he would try to get Banyon to use Wolf to get his information. This is a big problem, Banyon thought. They will never leave us alone.

  “One more thing,” offered Gamble. “One of the boys was killed during the crossing. The coyote told us that he overheard the boss telling a white guy with the group he would have to take his place. We also found his fingerprint on the cell phone. This is important because we have his fingerprint in the system. He goes by the name of Eric Grey, but the system says that he is actually a guy named Eric Hand. No major notes on his file, just some busts for holding some marijuana. Find out what you can about him.”

  “So, this is about a political assassination?”

  “We are not sure, but we know this plot is connected with a known drug kingpin named Danta Lopez. We are going to bust his organization tonight. We have even learned where he brings in his drugs and where several hideouts are located in the desert. The coyote says several Border Patrol people are on the payroll, so we are using only some trusted FBI agents. This is going to be big, really big,” Gamble spoke with the enthusiasm of a child that had just been told that they were going to Disneyland.

  Banyon suddenly realized that Agent Gamble was thinking about his career, not about the artifacts. “Are you still going to be in Las Vegas later for our hunt?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Gamble.

  Thinking fast, Banyon said. “Well, Maya Patel was looking forward to working with you. You and she were going to be a team to go after one of the artifacts. I think that she likes you,” Banyon reasoned.

  “Well, I’ll try,” Gamble insincerely replied. “I’ll let you know as soon as we get this takedown setup.”

  “Please try,” Banyon begged as he hung up the phone. His plan to wipe Agent Gambles mind of their special talent hinged on Maya, she needed access to Gamble.

  Banyon now had new worries on his mind.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  He rushed back into the terminal and was weaving his way through the luggage area when he became distracted. He spied an older man with a tee shirt that had “Theta Kappa Beta” in bold letters across the front. He immediately changed course and rushed up to him.

  “Are you a Beta?” he asked the startled man.

  “Pledge class of 1968,” he replied with a smile. “Gerry Berkman is my name.”

  “Pledge class of 1967,” Banyon responded. “Colton Banyon. Gerry I hardly recognized you. You lost a little hair and gained a little weight.”

  “You too, Colt.”

  The man held out his hand and they performed the secret hand shake that all fraternity brothers knew. Then they hugged.

  “Hey, that’s right, you were at the seventy year reunion in Glens Falls last summer,” Berkman said. “Great turnout, we probably had three hundred people there.�
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  “Yeah, Bones did a good job coordinating everything.

  “Jerry Welcher did a great job,” Banyon agreed.

  “I’ve got about fifty new guys on my Facebook feed now,” Banyon told him.

  They continued to chat for another ten minutes before Banyon realized that Loni was probably looking for him. They agreed to meet up and have a few drinks while they both were in town. He then excused himself and went looking for Loni.

  ***

  He finally found Loni playing a slot machine near the claim area. She noticed him and cashed out immediately.

  “Where have you been,” she blustered. “I want to get to the casino.”

  “I ran into an old college buddy,” he replied.

  They collected their luggage, but didn’t speak. As soon as they were situated in a taxi, Banyon began whispering in her ear. He told her what Agent Gamble wanted him to do and also Agent Gamble probably wouldn’t make it that night. She sat looking straight ahead with a startled look on her face.

  The Taxi driver was watching in the rear view mirror. He often checked out pretty girls and this one was very pretty. When he saw the startled look in the girls face, he chuckled. He thought the man was telling her what he was going to do to her in the hotel room. He had seen the look before on many pretty faces.

  When they arrived at the MGM a porter took their luggage. They proceed to the checkin area where they joined the end of a long line. The lobby of the MGM was huge. There was a fountain in the middle and lots of marble like pillars everywhere. People were streaming back and forth hustling to and from the very large casino. It felt like Grand Central Station in New York at rush hour. The scene was a visual overload.

  The clerk handed Banyon a piece of paper. “A Ms. Previne Patel has left you a message,” she announced.

  Banyon opened the message and read it to Loni. “It says that all three Patel’s’ were already settled in the suite located next to the suite reserved for us. She says they were going to the pool and they want us to put on our swimming suits and join them in a cabana they have rented. If not, they will return at around four o’clock.”

  “I hate those women,” Loni spat out. “They better not show up in their string-bikinis. That would be too much.”

  “If they do I’ll close my eyes,” Banyon lied.

  Suddenly Loni grabbed Banyon by the arm. “Look,” she exclaimed as she pointed to a large poster behind the counter.

  The poster advertised a big fight that night at the Garden Arena in the building. It was the first fight card for the LDA league. The founders name was listed. It was Danta Lopez.

  The girl who was checking them in noticed the shock on their faces and turned to look at the poster. She misunderstood their expression and thought they were fight fans. She then told them since they were staying at the hotel they were entitled to two free tickets for the event. It was slated to start at seven-thirty that evening. She asked if they wanted the tickets.

  “I can give you near the floor tickets,” she announced.

  “How much?” Banyon asked. He knew that some fight cards charged huge amounts of money for close in tickets. People loved to be close to a fight.

  “Well, sir,” she proudly said. “The hotel is giving you the tickets for free. They are complementary to our suite guests.”

  Loni quickly grabbed the tickets. “I hope it is good. I like fighting.” She looked at Banyon with even greater excitement on her face.

  The checkin clerk continued speaking. “It is a new type of fighting. It is no holds barred and it is Latino fighter again all comers professional or amateur. It should be interesting,” she indicated. Banyon took that as maybe not very interesting.

  As soon as they finished with the counter person, a porter approached and asked if he could take their luggage to the room and show them the way. Banyon told him to wait a second and stepped away from everyone. Loni was already showing her impatience and tapped her foot. He opened the special cellphone and called Gamble.

  “You got that information right quick,” Gamble started.

  “Don’t have it yet,” replied a curt Banyon.

  “Then why did you call?”

  “The man you are looking for, Danta Lopez will be at the MGM at seven-thirty tonight,” answered Banyon.

  “How did you find that out so quickly,” replied Gamble?

  “He is the founder of some fight league. Their first bout is here at the Garden Arena. It is tonight. There are big posters all over the MGM. Loni and I even have tickets.”

  “Well, that certainly makes my job easier,” a surprised Gamble announced.

  “You need to be here,” a forceful Banyon said. “I’m sure that the artifacts will be near also. We need your help,” he once again pleaded.

  “Well, ole partner, I guess that Maya will get to see me pretty soon then,” a now affable Gamble said.

  “Good,” replied Banyon dryly. “We are all meeting in my suite at four o’clock, be there.” He gave the Agent his suite number and hung up.

  Things were looking up, he thought.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Colt and Loni headed down the long corridor to their suite at the MGM. It was on the second floor. The bellman was about twenty steps ahead of them and anxious to get back to the registration desk and more customers. He opened the door and disappeared into the suite before either Loni or Colt had reached the door.

  Banyon had been studying Loni. She had lost her giddiness since they had checked in, or rather when Banyon had read her Previne’s message. She walked down the long hall with a gritty determination pasted on her near oval face. Banyon had only seen her look like that when they were in stressful situations. It gave him some cause for concern. He wondered what she was thinking about.

  They entered a beautiful suite that had a large sitting area with two couches facing each other, a small bar and kitchenette, lots of rugs and fine furnishings. It had immense floor to ceiling windows that ran the length of the room and offered a beautiful view of the strip and the hotel pool. The bellman was opening the sheer drapes for the windows.

  “Will there be anything else?” he asked with his hand out.

  Banyon asked, “Where are the bags?”

  “I put them on the bed in the master bedroom,” he replied. He then pointed to the end of the long room.

  Banyon reached into his pocket and gave the bellman a good tip. The bellman nodded and left immediately looking for someone else to hustle. When Banyon turned back to talk to Loni, he found that she was gone. He realized she had made a beeline to the bedroom. He closed the suite door and checked the entrance door between their room and the Patel’s. He found that it was locked from their side. He then proceeded to the master bedroom. He found Loni there staring out the window at the pool two stories below. She seemed to be studying something.

  “Nice view,” he commented as he opened the single large suitcase on the bed and began to unpack. Loni did not reply. He pulled a handful of clothes from the suitcase and went to the closet to hang them up. He heard some rustling of clothes and when he turned back around, he was surprised. Loni now stood completely naked in front of the window. She had never been very neat, but her clothes had been thrown all over the room. It looked to Banyon like she had all but ripped the clothes from her body. He stood with his mouth open and admired the view. She had a petite frame, but still it had curves along with a perfect round ass. Her body was highly toned and her skin was smooth as milk. He liked it a lot and had often told her so.

  “Are you are showing off for me?” he joked. “If you are, I like it. Why don’t you come over here so that I can see you better?”

  Loni almost always responded to his flirting, but not this time. Loni didn’t turn towards him. Instead she uttered, “I can’t take it anymore. I have to fix this.” Her little fists were balled up. She was preparing to go to war.

  “What are you talking about?” a confused and nervous Banyon asked.

  “Look,” sh
e answered, and pointed to the pool area, two stories below. “It is them I can’t stand.”

  Banyon walked over to the window and stood next to her. She pointed and he followed her direction to a blue canvas cabana at the back of the pool area two floors below. Shaped like a Bedouin tent, the entrance was dark, but lounging on chairs just outside the entrance to the cabana were the three Patel sisters in small bathing suits. There appeared to be several men milling around and clearly flirting with the women.

  “I need to fix that,” she said. “In a few hours they will be all over you. It will drive me crazy. I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to fix this now,” she added with grim determination. “This is war,” she declared under her breath.

  A suddenly very nervous Banyon asked, “How are you going to fix this? What is it that you are fixing?” He was now very concerned about what she might do to the Patel’s. Loni was a trained self-defense expert. She had protected Banyon many times in the past. He wondered if she intended to do them harm. My god, he thought. She is preparing to go to battle with the Patel sisters over me.

  “Are you going to hurt them?” he asked.

  “Only their egos,” she muttered

  “Why?” he asked.

  “You belong to me, not them,” she muttered as she turned toward him with a look of violence on her pretty face.

  “I don’t know what you’re up too, but don’t do it. Don’t let your impulsiveness get you into trouble,” Banyon remarked.

  “It has taken me too long to make this happen,” she said.

  Banyon sensed that she had reached a decision. She kissed him on the lips and bounced over to the suitcase and began to throw things on the bed. Banyon thought she looked pretty good, bent over and naked, but said nothing. Soon she stood up with the pieces of a tiny string bikini. It was the same one the Banyon had first seen back in his office in Chicago. It took her twenty seconds to situate it around her body. Then she grabbed a robe from the closet and headed for the door.