Falling in Love at The Cos
(C) 2021 by Jim Hamilton
The Day Before Halloween
"Sir?" The flight attendant tapped the shoulder of the sleeping passenger in seat 22C. With a slight start, he opened his eyes. "I'm sorry to wake you, sir, but I need for you to return your seat to the upright position. We're going to be landing soon."
"Sorry," he replied. "I must have dozed off for a bit." He pressed the button and leaned forward, allowing the seatback to rise. Satisfied, the steward moved on toward the rear of the plane. Terry looked across his two adjacent passengers to the window in the hope of seeing something, but it was all darkness beyond the perspex. He tilted his head down slightly to see his distorted face reflected back at him before sitting upright and tightening his seatbelt a bit more.
He closed his eyes and listened to the thrum of the engines, trying not to be lulled to sleep again. It was nearly eleven o'clock back in Birmingham and it was already past his normal bedtime. The sudden slowing of the engines startled him, and he felt the plane nose downward slightly. An alarming shudder began as the plane tilted sharply to the right and when Terry looked through the window on the other side of the aisle, he could see a kaleidoscope of rainbow lights spreading out in all directions. It was like some sort of dazzling jewel set into the black and unseen desert landscape below.
A slight crackle emanated from the tiny speaker over his head. "Good evening everyone, this is your pilot once again. We are cleared to land and we're starting our final approach. Flight attendants prepare for landing." The plane tilted again and the engine noise decreased even more. This was Terry's first flight in an airplane and he didn't know if the sounds and vibrations were normal or not. He glanced around at the other passengers and no one seemed alarmed so he assumed that everything was okay.
A loud thump came from somewhere below and the shuddering increased ever-so-slightly. A furtive glance around him assured him that this was also normal. His stomach suddenly dropped and the engines sped up before slowing again. After a few more slight ups and downs, there was a bump and then another and then the engines roared to life.
"Dem's the brakes!" said the young man sitting next to him, laughing at his own joke. A cheer went up from most of the passengers.
"Good evening everyone and welcome to Las Vegas! The local time is now 8:52 p.m. and the temperature is a nippy 59 degrees. Please remain seated until we reach the terminal and the Captain has turned off the seatbelt sign. On behalf of our airline, I want to thank you for choosing to fly with us!"
Terry suddenly realized that he was holding his breath and he let it out slowly. He relaxed his death grip on the armrests as the plane taxied slowly toward the arrival gate. What was I thinking? he wondered to himself for the umpteenth time. He had let himself get talked into this by his friend Harold. "You're forty years old, Terry. It's high time for you to live a little!" He shook his head. He would rather spend his vacation surf-casting in Panama City. At least you could drive there instead of flying.
The plane came to a stop and the seatbelt light above his head went out. As the interior lights brightened, the speaker crackled once more, "The Captain has turned off the seatbelt sign and you may now retrieve your luggage from the overhead compartments. Once again, thank you for flying with us today!" All around him, people were pushing and shoving, each trying to get to their bags. When enough of the passengers had moved forward, he stood and followed them to the front of the plane. Through the open cockpit door, he could see what he assumed was the pilot and co-pilot. "Thanks for driving safely!" he called out to them while giving them a thumbs up. They smiled back, but looked at him a little oddly. He smiled to himself. I guess no one ever tells them that!
Terry followed the crowd since he figured that they knew where they were going. Along the way they passed several banks of slot machines with the players focused intently on their games. He had never played one of them before and he was immensely curious about how they worked. He was tempted to stop for a moment and check them out, but he was afraid of losing sight of his fellow passengers. Besides, he had been warned by Harold to ignore the ones at the airport. "They've got a captive audience so they're set to a low payout," he had explained.
As they walked past the various gates, Terry was amused at how many people were already decked out in Halloween costumes even though it wasn't until tomorrow. While he recognized many of the costumed characters, most of them were unfamiliar to him. I wonder if this is an early sign of a mid-life crisis? When you realize that you've lost touch with the fictional world? He laughed to himself at the thought. After descending an escalator, they finally arrived at a huge room with more than a dozen lozenge-shaped chrome carousels. His fellow passengers crowded around number seven and he took this as a good sign. Lucky number seven! he thought. He hoped he wasn't going to be one of those people who get to the airport, but their luggage went somewhere else.
Terry didn't have long to wait before he spotted his battered gray Samsonite emerge from somewhere below and slide down the shiny conveyance. As it moved past him, he grabbed it and stepped back out of the way of the others trying to get to their own luggage. While he had been waiting, he had located the exits along the side of the room that led to where a line of taxis waited. Weaving through the hubbub, he made his way outside and joined the end of the queue.
It was ten minutes before it was his turn, and he kept trying to stifle the yawns he was having. As the driver took his bag and stowed it in the trunk, he climbed inside the minivan and buckled himself in securely. After the driver shut the door and climbed into his own seat, he turned to Terry.
"Where to?" he asked with a thick accent.
"I'm going to The Cos," he replied.
"Gotcha!" The driver pulled away from the curb and accelerated. "Have you been here before?"
"No," answered Terry. "This is my first trip. A friend of mine booked me for two nights at The Cos."
"That must be some friend! The Cos is having their one-year anniversary blowout. Anyone staying there on Halloween gets fifty percent off of everything."
Terry yawned again. The driver apparently noticed it in his rear-view mirror.
"It's only 9:25, but you look tired. Where're you from?"
"Birmingham."
The driver raised an eyebrow, "England?"
Terry laughed. "No, Alabama. It's a two-hour difference and I usually go to bed around nine."
"Ahh." The cab sped up a bit. "I'll see if I can get you there a little sooner!"
They were now on a freeway of some sort and Terry could see the main strip in the distance. He yawned again, hoping that he could stay awake long enough to check into the hotel. When the going gets tough, the tough get going! he reminded himself. Soon enough, he would be in a room where he could just collapse on the bed and pass out. The driver was droning on about The Cos and he closed his eyes for a few moments. Just to rest them, he assured himself.
The taxi continued on the freeway, exiting east onto Flamingo. Turning north at the light, the cab made its way along the Vegas strip passing a dozen casinos before pulling up in front of The Cos. The gaily lit iconic buildings amid the crowds of revelers had flashed by like traveling through some surrealistic painting. Unfortunately, this unique experience had been totally lost on Terry as he dozed in the back of the minivan.
"Sir!" The taxi driver tapped him on the shoulder. "We're here."
Terry jerked awake and looked around. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to nod off." Behind his driver was a costumed Thor, sporting a long flowing mane of hair, standing attentively next to his suitcase.
"Umm, the fare comes to $27."
Stepping out of the cab, Terry removed his wallet and fished out two twenty-dollar bills. "Here you go. Keep the change." He knew that the tip amounted to nearly 50%, but he didn't care.
"Well, thank you!" replied the cabby. "That's very generous of you! I wish you the best of luck!" He closed the door and walked around to the other side of the vehicle.
Thor spoke up, "Welcome to The Cos! Can I get your bag for you?"
"No, that's quite alright, but thanks for the offer." He grabbed the T-handle and headed for the entrance, pulling the Samsonite behind him.
Thor called out after him, "Good luck, sir!"
As Terry approached the entrance to the hotel, the massive glass doors slid apart, revealing the brightly lit brass and marble inside. He made his way across the expanse to the distant counters that proclaimed Check In / Check Out, trying to ignore the fact that he seemed to be the only person not wearing a costume of some sort. It was probably his imagination but he felt like people were looking at him and making fun of him. At least there's not a line, he thought to himself, as he stepped up to the counter.
"Welcome to The Cos!" said the bright-eyed young girl behind the counter. "Are you checking in?"
Terry glanced up at the sign above his head that said Check In before answering, "Yes, ma'am."
"Very good!" she said with a smile. "Can I get your name, please?"
"Sure. It's Worthwell. Terrence Worthwell."
"One moment, please, while I pull up your reservation." She tapped on the keyboard in front of her and peered at the small screen. "Here we are, Mister Worthwell. You're booked for tonight and tomorrow night. Is that correct?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Do you prefer smoking or non-smoking?"
He laughed. "Non-smoking please. I was once a smoker, but I quit after the first cigarette."
"Non-smoking it is." She turned and fiddled with a machine below the counter and came up with a keycard and a map of the facility. "Here you go, sir." She placed the map in front of him and marked on it with a red felt-tipped pen as she spoke. "You're here and the elevators to the rooms are here." She pointed to his left. "The main entrance to the casino is here, just past the elevators." She made another mark. "Customer Service is located here where you can pick up your CosPlayer card." She smiled. "You'll need that in order to participate in all of the festivities we have in store for you." She folded the map and inserted the keycard. "You're in room 1607. It's a nice corner suite overlooking the strip." She glanced at the clock. "You've got plenty of time to freshen up before midnight."
"What happens at midnight?" asked Terry.
"Why, that's the Witching Hour, of course! That's when Halloween officially begins here at The Cos!"
He successfully stifled a yawn. "It's wa-a-ay past my bedtime. I just want to get to my room before I fall asleep standing up."
"Very good, sir." She handed him the map and keycard. "Do you need assistance with your luggage?"
Terry shook his head. "No, ma'am. I think that I can manage it for myself." He grabbed the T-handle and headed off to find the elevators, once more wondering how he had let himself get talked into this. He found himself alone in the elevator as it ascended to the sixteenth floor. When the doors finally slid open, he followed the signs that directed him to room 1607 where he fumbled a moment with the keycard. Turning it right-side-up, the lock rewarded him with a cheery beep and an indicator light lit up green. There was a click and he pushed open the door and entered the room, dragging his suitcase behind him. As the door closed behind him, the lights came on automatically.
"Holy shit!" he said out loud. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected, but he wasn't prepared for the size and extent of his lodging. He stopped for a brief moment to take in the view from the living room before passing through a small dining area and then a miniature kitchenette before finally arriving at the bedroom. He removed his tie and went into the large and spacious bathroom where he splashed some water on his face before emptying his bladder. Too tired to get undressed, he fell backward onto the luxurious round bed and was almost asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Halloween
Terry slept the sleep of the dead right on through the witching hour and well into the morning. He awoke to brightly-lit chintz curtains that were clearly proof a new day had arrived. He opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was a little after seven o'clock and he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he suddenly remembered where he was, he thought to himself, I can't believe I'm in Vegas!
Before he could go downstairs and start looking around, he needed a shower and a change of clothes. Before that, however, he needed some coffee. He padded down the hall to the kitchenette where he vaguely remembered seeing a coffee maker. While he was waiting for it to do its thing, he explored his suite of rooms, pacing them off as he went. He estimated that it was about 1,200 square feet and reflected on the fact that it was larger than many people's homes. As he wondered about how much it was costing to stay here, it belatedly dawned on him that the young girl at Check In had never mentioned a price nor asked for a credit card. He had been so tired at the time that he hadn't noticed.
While Harold had booked the room for him, Terry had thought that he was supposed to be paying for it. He needed to call Harold, anyway, to let him know that he had arrived safe and sound. After that, they could straighten out this misunderstanding. He filled a cup with the hot dark brew from the coffee-maker and sat down at the dining table after pulling his phone from his pocket.
Harold answered on the first ring. "Well, well, well! It's about frickin' time you called. I assume that you made it to The Cos okay?"
Terry laughed. "Yes, Harold. I made it okay. We landed at about eleven o'clock last night and I didn't want to disturb you at such a late hour."
"How was the flight? Did you manage to enjoy any of it?"
"Parts of it were okay, but bits and pieces of it were a little iffy."
"So, what do you think of The Cos? Have you had a chance to lose any money yet?"
"Not yet," Terry replied. "Umm, speaking of money, when I checked in, they didn't ask for a credit card or anything. I thought I was paying for the room?"
"Well, you thought wrong. It's your big four-oh, Terry. What did you think I meant when I said I was giving you an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas?"
"Umm, yeah, but I was expecting a room and a bath with a twenty-inch TV on the dresser." He looked around the dining room. "This suite is like something you see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."
Howard chuckled his trademark deep rumble. "Enjoy it while you can, Terry. If it weren't for this board meeting, I would be there instead of you."
"It was awfully nice of you to do this, Harold," admitted Terry.
"Remember to charge everything to the room. I don't want you to have to pay for anything but the gambling, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I get it."
"Good," replied Harold. "I have to go now, but text me if you win anything. I mean like a thousand or two, not just piddly stuff, okay?"
"Got it. Text if over a thousand." He paused for a moment. "Thanks again for doing this. Not just for paying for everything, but for making me crawl out of my shell a bit."
"That's the whole idea, Terry! If you don't do these things while you're young enough to enjoy them, you may never get a chance later."
"You're right, as always, Harold," answered Terry. "Good luck with your board meeting."
"Thanks, I'll need it. Ugh. Hopefully your day will be better than mine." He laughed. "Here's to beginner's luck, Terry!" As was his habit, he hung up without saying goodbye.
He closed his antiquated flip-phone and sipped his coffee. Terry knew that Harold had a lot of money, but he had never really thought about how much it might be. In high school, thanks to his own part-time job, he had been the one who had always loaned money to Harold, even if it cost him most of a paycheck sometimes. He usually paid him back but there were times when he didn't. They had attended college together, but Harold had dropped out to start his own tire-repair business. "People will always need their tires repaired," he had said. Twenty years later, Harold owned nearly 150 tire repair shops spread all across Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.
A half-hour later, he had showered, shaved, and dressed. He checked himself in the full-length mirror, trying to give himself an honest assessment. At five feet, ten inches, he was in fairly trim shape thanks to his workouts and his short, sandy brown hair was still devoid of grey hairs. His eyes, once a bright blue, were more subdued now. He knew that he wasn't particularly handsome, but he was far from ugly. He had dated quite a bit, but he had never found anyone that was compatible with him over the long term.
He was wearing a faded pair of blue jeans, an old Doctor Who T-shirt, and some lace-up sneakers. It was as close as he was going to get to a costume. If people don't like it, tough beans! he laughed to himself. After making sure that he had his keycard, he left the suite and headed down the hallway to the bank of elevators.
Turning the corner, he could see that there was no one else waiting. He pressed the down button and waited patiently for the car to arrive. After a moment, a red down arrow lit up over the elevator to his right with a ding. The doors opened and he stepped back as two young men emerged, dressed in some sort of elf-like costumes he didn't recognize. He entered the elevator where a nice-looking woman about his age waited. She was dressed in a clingy bright red dress that fell to mid-calf and she had short coppery red hair. Her red shoes with their low heels matched the bright red of her dress perfectly, as did her small purse. He was curious about the character she was portraying. He pressed the button for the ground floor.
"Would you mind pressing number two for me?" she asked.
"Sure. No Problem." Terry pressed the button and then cleared his throat. "I don't mean to be forward, ma'am, but I'm wondering who you're supposed to be."
She smiled at him and winked. "What a coincidence! I was wondering the same thing about you." She ran her eyes up and down Terry as a slight blush infected his cheeks. "I've got it. You're supposed to be a Doctor Who fan!" She twirled herself around several times and faced Terry once more. "Now it's your turn!"
"Umm, I don't know," he said. "Maybe the Lady in Red? Like in the song?"
She laughed. "Wow! You guessed it! What tipped you off?"
Terry wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or not. "Your red dress is pretty hard to ignore." He mentally kicked himself. That didn't come out right.
She grinned. "You're not the first person to say that." Before Terry could reply, the elevator reached the second floor with a loud ding. "Well, this is my stop, Who Boy," she said as the doors opened. "If you get bored, you can always find me playing the slots in the High Stakes room." She stepped out of the elevator as she waved goodbye over her shoulder. The doors closed while Terry was still thinking of something witty or clever to say. He sighed to himself. Why do I have such a problem talking to strangers? The doors opened again and Terry joined the steady stream of costumed party-goers.
Deceptively small at its front entrance, The Cos fanned out a considerable distance to the rear. He had memorized the layout from the map he had been given and was planning to eat breakfast at Frère Jacques. Terry made his way there as if he knew where he was going and was pleased to see that there were a few other people, here and there, who weren't in some sort of costume. It was even more pleasing that a number of people headed in the opposite direction glanced at his T-shirt and gave him a thumbs up and he nodded and smiled at them in return. Apparently, he wasn't going to stand out any more than many of the others.
He passed the main entrance to the casino and continued along the now-widened hallway that was fronted with shops and kiosks. Just ahead, he could see the sign for Frère Jacques and he altered his course slightly. As he approached the café, he scanned the tables set behind a low rail and was pleased to see that it wasn't overly crowded. As he entered the front door, however, there was a line of about ten people waiting. Could be worse, he rationalized to himself, as he took his place behind Spiderman.
While he waited, he studied the people in line ahead of him. Harold had explained that The Cos hosted various cosplay festivals year 'round, but Halloween was extra special. Terry wondered if there was such a thing as an encyclopedia of characters he could reference. Judging by the variety of costumes he had seen it would probably be at least three inches thick.
The hostess led him to a small two-person table on the patio that sat next to the railing he had noted earlier. As a people watcher, this suited Terry just fine. A young man in a Captain America costume walked over to his table. "Welcome to Frère Jacques! My name is Cap and I'll be your waiter this morning." Cap handed him a menu. "Our special today is a three-egg omelet with ham and cheese, fried hash-browns, whole-wheat toast, and Applewood bacon."
Terry handed the menu back to him without looking at it. "That sounds perfect. Maybe some orange juice and coffee to go with it?"
The waiter nodded, "One special with coffee and OJ to drink. Do you need any cream or sugar for your coffee?"
"No. Just black will do."
"Very good, sir. I'll be right back with your drinks." He turned and went inside to place the order.
Terry watched the steady parade of flashy outfits pass by, some of them only a few feet away. Most of the people ignored him, but a few smiled as he caught their eye. When they did so, he would quickly look away. He felt like he was gawking at everyone like some sort of voyeur. Especially when he eyed some of the more scantily clad characters.
Cap returned carrying the drinks on a small round tray. "Here's your coffee and freshly-squeezed orange juice, sir." He set out the one and then the other on the table. "Your food will be ready shortly. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
Terry shook his head. "Thanks, Cap, but I'm okay for now."
"Very good, sir. I'll be back when your order's up." As before, he turned and went back inside the café.
Terry picked up the coffee cup and sniffed the heady aroma before taking a sip. The fragrance had promised a strong and rich brew and he wasn't disappointed. As he took a second sip, he thought to himself, Now that's some real coffee! He caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision and turned to find the woman that he had met on the elevator.
"Well, hello there, Who Boy! Fancy meeting you here!" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're not stalking me, are you?"
Terry tilted his head so that he could look up at her. "Stalking you? Of course not." He started to laugh, "That doesn't even make sense, you know. You got off on the second floor and I came straight here. How could I be stalking you?" He smiled. "It'd be more likely that you're stalking me."
Her countenance relaxed and she returned his smile. "Trust me. If I was going to stalk someone, it wouldn't be you." She pursed her lips. "No, it's probably just a coincidence."
"Where are you headed?" asked Terry. "The slot machines are that way," he said, while indicating the direction to the casino.
"I just won a big—and I mean really big—jackpot and decided that I simply have to have this adorable necklace I saw in the window of the jewelry store." She pointed in the opposite direction, "Which is that way."
Terry indicated the empty chair across from him. "Would you care to join me?"
She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm afraid that if I wait too long, the necklace will be gone."
"Maybe some other time, then?"
"You never know. Our first meeting was mere happenstance and our second meeting was a charming coincidence." She winked. "A third time will mean that there's some sort of pattern developing." With that, she turned and walked off to her rendezvous with jewelry. Terry smiled as he watched her disappear into the throng. What an odd person. He kicked himself mentally for not getting her name. For now, I'll just call her Red, he decided. He wondered idly if there was a support group for people like himself. Hi, I'm Terry, and I don't know how to talk to strangers! He tried to imagine himself saying that in front of a bunch of strangers, but failed.
Terry's musings were interrupted by the arrival of Captain America bearing a large tray with his breakfast. "Here you go, sir." He placed a large plate in front of him. "One triple-egg omelet with hash-browns." He set a small plate to the side. "Two slices of whole-wheat toast." Lastly, Cap added a chrome caddy with condiments. "Some whipped butter, three choices of jam, and some catsup and tabasco sauce if you need it."
Terry surveyed the food and grinned. "This looks great!" In fact, it looked a lot like what he always ordered at the diner near work, except much larger portions. The irony of ordering an American breakfast like this at a French café wasn't lost on him. "This smells wonderful!"
The waiter leaned over and peered into Terry's cup. "Let me grab the carafe and I'll be right back to top up that coffee of yours." Before Terry could say anything, Cap had disappeared back inside again. Turning to his food he began eating, while keeping an eye out for the lady in red. Several times, he caught a flash of bright color, but it wasn't the interesting woman that he hoped to see. Spotting Cap on the way back with a refill, he drained the rest of his cup and set it down.
"Here you go, sir," said Cap, as filled the cup up to the brim. "They just finished brewing another pot."
"Thank you, Cap, your coffee is wonderful!"
"We try to provide the best of everything for the players at The Cos." He grinned, "You and I have something in common, you know?"
Terry was nonplused by this. "We're both males?"
Cap laughed, "Well, that's true, but I'm talking about being fellow Whovians."
Terry glanced down at the TARDIS on his shirt and looked back up. "It was a present from my Dad before he passed away. I've managed to watch every single episode that was made, just to pay my respects."
"Oh. I see." After an awkward moment, he replied "Well, you'll need to be careful while you're here. We've got several Daleks and Cybermen roaming around. You don't want to get yourself exterminated or deleted!"
"Or upgraded," he replied, dutifully. Ask him. You can do this, Terry said to himself. "Umm, do you mind my asking your real name? Mine's Terry."
"Not at all. It's Gerald. To be honest, Captain America wasn't my choice. We're all assigned characters and costumes according to some mystical system of hiring and placement."
"At least I recognized yours." Terry looked out at the passing crowd and then turned back to Gerald. "I've been watching everyone for a while now. The Marvel characters I get. Ditto for DC comics. A few others, here and there, but most of them are unfamiliar."
Gerald laughed. "Don't worry about it. No one knows them all." He scanned the area. "I need to get back to work now. Welcome to The Cos, Terry!" he said, as he turned and headed to a table near the entrance to the patio.
As he ate his meal and kept an eye out for Red, he thought back to Howard's explanation of The Cos. When he had first mentioned it, Terry had thought that he meant the abbreviation for Cosine. As a high-school math teacher, this had immediately intrigued him and he was disappointed to learn that it had something to do with cosplay. It had opened to great fanfare on Halloween last year and had been a mecca for cosplayers ever since. While he was somewhat impatient to get his first in-person glimpse of a casino, he forced himself to eat at a normal pace while he finished his meal. His next stop would be Customer Service to get his very own CosPlayer card. He saved the orange juice for last and decided that it was even better than their coffee. He set down the empty glass and subconsciously rubbed his stomach. Now that's a breakfast!
Cap—Gerald—spotted that he was done and made his way to the table. "Let me get those plates for you," he said as he gathered them up. "Is there anything else I can get you? How about another refill for your coffee?"
"Thank you, but I'm fine, Gerald. I'm supposed to charge this to my room, but I'm not sure how to do it."
"No problem. I'll be back in a moment with your check." He disappeared through the doorway once more.
Terry turned to watch the flow of bodies once more as they weaved and dodged each other. Like Brownian motion in a cup of really hot tea! floated across his mind. He laughed at the random thought.
"Here you go, sir." Startled, Terry turned to find the waiter standing there. That was fast, he thought. He took the proffered check holder and set it on the table. "Just print your name and room number and then sign it down below," Gerald instructed.
Terry did so after adding a decent tip and then handed the folder back to Cap. "Here you go. I suppose that you need to see my ID?"
Gerald shook his head. "That's okay. You look like a trustworthy soul." He grinned. "Besides, if you stiff us, we'll put out a BOLO for you on our CosPlayers network. It doesn't matter where you live, the players are everywhere and they will find you out."
Terry wasn't sure if he was kidding on not. It suddenly dawned on him that he wasn't asked for ID when he checked in, so maybe he was serious. "Good to know." He pushed his chair back and stood. "Thank you for the best breakfast I've ever had, Gerald. I'll be back in a few hours for lunch." He smiled, "Will you still be here?"
He shook his head, "No, sir. I get off at 10:30. But I'll be here tomorrow morning. Our special will be Eggs Benedict on English muffins with cinnamon toast."
"Sounds good," said Terry. "I'll be back!" He turned and headed for the exit and joined the throng. Most of the people kept to the right side of the wide mall-like thoroughfare, but a few walked against the flow. As he turned the corner to the hallway that led to the casino, he could hear the noise before he arrived at the entrance. He stood off to the side and looked through the wide opening, surprised at how big it was. He had studied its layout on the map, but seeing it like this, with its high ceilings and expanse, was nearly overwhelming. Terry realized that he was holding his breath and exhaled loudly. Wow! This is definitely exciting!
He followed the wall to the right which he knew would eventually lead him to Customer Service. As he neared the circular counter, he was dismayed to see five or six long lines. He joined the one for new customers and took the opportunity to once more watch the incredible variety of people, as they almost robotically pressed the button on the machines in front of them.
"Sir!" Terry turned to see that it was his turn and walked up to the counter where a young Supergirl was waiting for him.
"Sorry about that," he said. "This is my first time in a casino."
"Well, then, let me welcome you to The Cos. Are you staying here tonight?"
"Yes, ma'am. Room 1607." He added, "My name is Worthwell. Terrence Worthwell."
She tapped her keyboard and then looked up again. "I'll need to see some sort of photo-ID, please."
Terry laughed as he pulled his wallet from his hip pocket. Extracting his driver's license, he handed it over to the clerk. "I'm surprised that your CosPlayers network doesn't already know all about me."
"Our what, sir?"
"Your CosPlayers network. You know. Where you send out the BOLOs for miscreants?"
She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have no idea what you're talking about."
Belatedly, he realized that he had been pranked by Captain America. "Sorry, ma'am. It was a joke."
She didn't reply but tapped on her keyboard and then, a moment later, retrieved a card that spat from her printer. She indicated the keypad to the side. "You need to type a four-digit PIN number to use with your card." Terry punched in 5-4-4-2. She handed him the card and his driver's license. "Here you are, Mister Worthwell." She pulled out a brochure and slid it in front of him. She circled in red the first paragraph. "With your CosPlayer card, you get one thousand dollars in free slot play and 50% off all meals and drinks until midnight." She glanced at the time. "There's also a slot tournament every hour, but you just missed the deadline for the current one. Your card number has already been entered for the drawings we are having every half-hour." Seeing his blank look of not understanding, she pointed to a nearby attendant dressed in a nondescript green suit. "If you have any problems or questions, just ask any of the attendants that we have roaming around." She smiled, "Good luck, Mister Worthwell."
She appeared to be looking over his shoulder at the next customer, so Terry obligatorily moved off to the side where he could return his license to his wallet. He read the brochure, front and back, and it answered most of his questions. He tossed it into a nearby trash container and slid the CosPlayer card into his pocket. It's time to take a tour of the place! he thought to himself, as he began to follow the outermost walkway which seemed to encircle everything.
From his study of the map, he knew that the casino was shaped like a "Y" that extended far behind the main hotel. On the map it didn't look so big, but as he walked along, he was impressed with the overall scope of the place. The base of the "Y" contained only slot machines while the two branches led to the gaming tables and a sports bar. The branch to the right was where Red might be playing. He remembered what she had said in the elevator, "If you get bored, you can always find me playing the slots in the High Stakes room."
He was hoping to run into her again, although he wasn't quite sure why he was so interested in her. He had long ago learned not to judge a book by its cover, but beyond her beauty, there was some undercurrent that attracted him. Once again, he could hear her voice, "A third time will mean that there's some sort of pattern developing." He realized that he was hoping a pattern would develop, but he didn't want to push his luck. He continued his circumferential tour of the main room until he arrived back at the entrance.
He had always been fascinated by slot machines, even though he had never encountered one in real life. From a mathematical point of view, he was curious about the statistical odds involved in their operation. He had read several books and watched numerous YouTube videos about them, but he wanted to see them in person. To press a button and see whether he won or not. He stood and watched several nearby people playing. He noticed a man just sitting down and observed him inserting his CosPlayer card into a slot. It's time, Terry. Quit farting around!
He walked to the first row of slots, overwhelmed by the flashing lights and jangling noises. He was expecting to see clunky machines, not these fancy constructs with multiple screens. He found one that looked interesting and studied it a bit before inserting his card into the slot. The border lit up green while an LCD screen displayed the words, "Welcome TERRENCE to The Cos!"
Terry studied the screen. There were three rows of three squares, each with a separate symbol. He tapped the HELP icon and was rewarded with a screen with verbose instructions. He grinned. RTFM! he thought, as he began reading. It turned out to be more complicated than he had imagined and he went back and forth re-reading them several times. Supergirl had said something about free slot play, but there was nothing in the instructions about that. He saw an attendant passing nearby and he called out to her, "Excuse me!"
"Yes, sir," she said, as she walked over. "How can I help you?"
Terry pointed to the card slot. "How do I use this to access the free play?"
"Oh, that's easy." She indicated the keypad next to the slot. "Just type in your PIN number." He did so. "Now choose number two." He pressed the FREEPLAY selection and it displayed $1000.00. "Now you just need to insert a dollar bill to get started."
He frowned. "I have to use my own money?"
"Yes, but just to activate it." She smiled, "After that, it's our treat!"
He pulled his wallet out and found a single and inserted it into the bill acceptor. "Now what?"
"You can play just the one dollar or play up to eight dollars on each spin."
"Eight dollars?" Terry was shocked. "For just one spin?"
She pointed to a machine nearby, "You can play up to twenty-seven dollars a spin on that one."
He shook his head slowly. "I had no idea it would cost so much!"
She smiled. "This section is all dollar machines. We have penny machines toward the middle, if you'd rather play them." She pointed to the machine in front of him. "Either way, you need to play the dollar you put in. Don't hit the MAX BET button unless you want to play all eight dollars." she cautioned him.
"I get it." He returned the smile. "Thanks for the help."
"You're more than welcome, sir. We're here to help you." She saw someone else beckoning to her and left him trying to decide what to do.
Go big or stay home! he said to himself as he pressed the MAX BET button. The images slid down the screen in a blur and, one by one, came to a stop. The machine started playing music and sprayed a virtual fountain of gold coins into the air. It took him a moment to realize that he had just won two-hundred and forty dollars. Holy shit! he exclaimed to himself.
Terry didn't realize it at the time, but he had just become hooked on slot machines.
He pressed the button again and watched as the symbols whirled by before coming to a stop. Nothing happened. In the corner of the screen it said he still had two hundred and forty-one dollars, but the free play amount had dropped to nine-eighty-four. He frowned. He pressed the button again, and the screen blurred and he lost a second time. He still showed two hundred and forty-one on the win meter, but he had lost another eight dollars of free play.
"Drink, sir?"
Terry turned to see what was apparently a waitress of some sort. "Can I get a coffee?" he asked.
"Of course, you can. Do you take cream or sugar?"
He shook his head, "Just black."
She made a note on the tablet she was holding. "I'll be back soon with your coffee." She wandered down the aisle between the machines calling out "Drinks? Drinks?"
He pressed MAX BET again and won twenty-four dollars. Three more no-pays and then he lined up the special symbols. His heart jumped when he thought it was the big jackpot, but the screen cleared and said that he had fifteen free replays. The game started playing by itself. It spun twice and hit sixty-four dollars on the third spin before skipping three more and then winning eighty more. Terry sat there, mesmerized by the images moving down the screen and suddenly stopping before blurring again.
"Here's your coffee," said the waitress, breaking his trance.
"Ah, thank you," said Terry. "How much is it?"
She laughed, "It's on the house." She stepped around behind him, "Good luck!"
He sipped his coffee, once more marveling at the heady taste of The Cos brew. His last free spin finished and displayed the total win of one hundred and forty-four dollars. The screen cleared and he was back at the game once more. His wins now totaled four hundred and nine dollars. He tapped the help icon and re-read the instructions for the free replays. Now I get it! he assured himself.
Terry lost track of time as he pressed the button again and again and watched the symbols dance on the screen. The rhythmic process of spinning the virtual wheels and waiting to see what happened was hypnotic. From time-to-time, he would win a small amount, but the biggest was only eighty. However, by the time he used his last free play spin, he had more than twelve hundred and one dollars. That's a twenty percent return on my investment! he marveled. He kept pressing the button again and again as he won some and lost some. Just one big jackpot and I'll cash out! If I get all nine of that bonus symbol, I'll win $480,000!
He was partway through his second cup of coffee when he suddenly became aware of his bladder. I'm gonna need to hit a bathroom pretty soon. Terry wondered how that worked. Do I need to cash out? Or can I save my machine somehow? A glance at his current winnings made the decision for him. I'm down to two-hundred and forty-one dollars again! He started laughing. I'm right back to where I started on the first spin!
He had been so absorbed in the rhythm of the game that he had lost track of everything else, including the time. He stretched and forced himself to resist pressing MAX BET once more and he pressed the CASH OUT button instead. He was rewarded with a cheery-sounding noise and a white slip of paper appeared from the front of the machine. He stood and folded the coupon before stuffing it into his pocket.
His stomach rumbled and he looked around, but there was nothing in sight to indicate the time. He pulled his phone out to check. Oh, good grief! he thought. It was almost one o'clock. I've been sitting here doing nothing but press a button for nearly three and a half hours. The realization actually scared him. He had never been one to experiment with drugs and he rarely drank alcohol, so losing control of his senses like this was quite shocking. He shook his head. What was I thinking?
From his previous tour, he knew where the nearest bathroom was located and threaded his way through the forest of machines. When he emerged a few minutes later, he headed for the right branch of the "Y" where there was supposed to be a food court of some sort at the far end. It also meant that he would pass by the High Stakes slot room on the way. As he walked past its entrance, he peered inside, but there was no flash of red anywhere. Pretending not to care, he continued on to the end where he stood in line for a CosBurger and fries.
While he was waiting, he dwelt upon his hypnotic episode with the slot machine. The books and videos had cautioned him about that, but he had believed that he wasn't susceptible to their influence. When he went to pay for his food, the young Snow White behind the register asked for his CosPlayer card and he belatedly realized that he had left it in the machine.
"I don't have it with me," he explained while mentally kicking himself. He paid full price for the food and took the number she handed him. While he waited for his number to be called, he watched the other patrons. He noticed that only about a third of them were in a costume of some sort which was the exact opposite outside the casino. He fretted over leaving his card, but there was no more free play left on it and he didn't think there was any value to it.
"Number twelve!" came a voice over the ceiling speakers. He jumped up and went to the counter to retrieve a tray with his burger and fries and carried it back to where he had been sitting. He made a quick trip to the side of the room and returned with a large Dr. Pepper. As he had done at breakfast, he forced himself to eat at a normal pace, chewing his food fully before swallowing. He sipped his soft drink in between bites and reviewed how much money he may have spent during his madness. I just spent five or six thousand dollars and only have two-hundred and forty-one to show for it! Still, he rationalized, he was ahead on winnings, thanks to the free play.
Terry finished his meal, worrying about his players card and wondering about Red. Piling his trash on the tray, he carried it over to the trash bin and dumped it, even though most of the customers just left them on the tables. As he walked down the narrow concourse and drew near the High Stakes room, he furtively glanced inside. A flash of red caught his eye and his pulse quickened as he veered toward the entrance. There was a uniformed attendant standing to the side and Terry nodded to him and walked on into the room trying to look like he had done this before. He didn't want Red to think that he was stalking her—although he reflected that he actually was—so he wandered the long way around.
As he pretended to study a machine here and there, he caught more glimpses of red. It's her! he thought excitedly. He finally reached the row of machines where she stood playing, apparently preoccupied with her game.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" She turned and smiled, "Hello, again, Who Boy! Is this yet another coincidence? Or is a star-crossed pattern emerging from the Universe?"
Terry blushed, but managed a grin. "Or maybe I'm just stalking you?"
She laughed. "That's what I thought." She looked bemused. "This is your first trip to a casino, isn't it?"
He nodded, sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Blindingly so. Let me guess. You spent all of your free play on the first machine you came to and lost all track of time. You kept playing until you finally had to use the bathroom. In your haste, you left your players card in the machine."
He stared at her. "How could you know all of that? I'm not that predictable, am I?"
"Maybe you are and maybe you're not. I saw you at the corner machine when I came in and you were still there at lunchtime." She smiled, "I made an educated guess about the bathroom, though."
"And my CosPlayer card?"
"Another educated guess. Nearly everyone does that the first time or two."
Introduce yourself! he told himself sternly. "Umm, we haven't been properly introduced. My name's—"
She held up her hand to stop him before he could finish. "I don't think that we know each other well enough to exchange names." She winked at him. "At least not yet. Until then, you can call me Red and I'll call you Who Boy, okay?"
Terry was surprised that she wanted him to use the same name he had been using mentally. He stepped closer and reached out his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Red." She reached out her hand in kind and a spark crackled between the two of them. Terry felt a jolt run through his arm and down his spine.
"Sorry about that!" She glanced down at her feet. "My shoes seem to have a thing about this carpet." She reached out again, "Pleased to meet you, Who Boy." This time they completed the handshake.
His spine was still tingling. "Maybe it's your animal magnetism," he teased.
"Do you really think so?" she purred, drawing closer. "Do you believe in fate, Who Boy?"
Terry didn't know why he was so drawn to this strange woman and he no longer cared. "Something has brought us together," he mused. "Chance, Fate, Chaos—call it what you will. From the moment I first saw you in the elevator, I haven't been able to think of much else."
She laughed. "That's what these machines are for! They're like eating Lotus blossoms!" She pointed to the machine in front of him. "Put a dollar in that one and let me show you a really neat trick."
He looked at the red-lit slot. "I don't have my CosPlayer card."
"You don't need your card. Besides, you really don't want to call any attention to yourself when I show you this."
Terry pulled the coupon from his pocket. "Will this do?"
She shook her head. "It's linked to your card. It's best to use cash."
He pulled his wallet out and extracted a one. What am I getting myself into? he wondered as he fed the bill into the acceptor.
"We're not going to do MAX BET on this machine. Press the BET button once," she instructed. Terry complied. "Okay now." She moved around behind Terry and pressed herself up against him. "Put your hand on the SPIN button, but don't press it." He did so and she placed her hand on top of his. She leaned forward slightly and whispered in his ear, "You like this don't you? You don't mind if I snuggle up close behind you, do you?"
"Not at all," he managed to get out. Terry's pulse quickened as he felt the warmth from her body. It had been many years—too many—since he had last been this close to a woman. "What now?"
"Relax your hand and I'll press down on it at the right moment."
Terry frowned. "The right moment?"
She whispered in his ear again. "I can sense the electronics inside as the counters struggle to emulate a random number generator." She pressed his hand. "It's like some sort of sixth sense, if you will."
Terry watched as the symbols slid down the screen in a blur and then lined up. "Holy shit! That's eight hundred dollars!" he exclaimed, excitedly.
"Shhh!" admonished Red. "We don't want to draw any attention to us." She stepped back, releasing Terry. "Cash out. We need to move over a few rows." Terry grabbed the coupon and then followed her, trying his best to look casual. She led him to another machine. "Put another bill in this one."
Like before, she pressed herself up against him and placed her hand on top of his own. Unlike before, she slid her other hand up under his T-shirt. His knees wobbled at the brush of her fingers on his stomach. I've never felt like this before, marveled Terry. "Umm, are you trying to seduce me?"
"As the great Yoda might say, 'Do or do not. There is no try,'" she whispered and then tapped his hand. This machine was different and he watched as the five mechanical reels spun and stopped, one-by-one.
Nine-hundred and sixty dollars! he silently yelled to himself.
"You have to cash out again and put another bill in this machine over here." He followed her, almost blindly, wondering why she was doing this. Women like Red never took an interest in him. He had long ago gotten used to feeling invisible to most of the opposite sex.
"The smallest I have is a five."
"That'll do," she said. "Make sure you press the BET button."
Terry complied and assumed the position as before. She snuggled up behind him and reached around, slowly running both of her hands up and down his chest. "You're pretty buff, Who Boy. Do you work out?"
"Umm, I have a weight machine in my basement. I also jog to work and back five days a week." He relaxed in her embrace, reveling in the feeling. "Aren't you going to tap my hand again?"
Red paused her hands and held him gently. "Nope. You're going to do this one solo."
"I don't get it."
"Let go of your thoughts and sense the vibrations. Like a complex melody, the counters have sixteen million notes, but the song repeats itself about five times a second. If you tune yourself to the repeating spikes, you can anticipate when you need to tap the key to hit one of them."
Terry shook his head, but relaxed himself completely, conscious of the fact that Red was now holding him up as he let his mind go blank. Time seemed to slow down and he heard the tune that was coming from the machine in front of him. After a few hundred repeats, he tapped the SPIN button.
"Ooh," purred Red. "You've got the touch, alrighty."
Terry stared as the three wheels spun and stopped with the same symbol on each reel. Seven hundred and fifty dollars! Terry thought, gleefully. He hit the CASH OUT button and retrieved his coupon. As Red removed her hold on him, he turned and embraced her fully. She responded by once more running her hands up under his T-shirt, melting into him as she did so. "Do you have any idea of the effect you're having on me?" he asked.
She lowered her hands to his hips and pulled him even closer. "As a matter of fact, Who Boy, I think I do."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
She brought her hands up behind his head. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" she asked, before tilting his head down and kissing him on the lips.
Once again, it seemed like time stood still for Terry. After what seemed like hours of pleasure had passed by, Red pulled back, destroying the illusion. He looked at her in wonder. "I never believed in it before now," he admitted, before leaning down to kiss her again.
Terry broke the kiss this time and smiled at her. "Maybe we should take this dance somewhere else?" He glanced meaningfully around at some of the other players that were looking at them oddly. "Do you have a room here at The Cos?"
She shook her head. "No, but you do, don't you?" She stepped back. "Maybe we could dance there instead?" Without waiting for an answer, she winked seductively at him and then strode out of the room.
If the machines were comparable to the Lotus Blossoms, they had nothing over Red's effect on Terry. He stuffed the coupon into his pocket and followed her out to the concourse. Catching up with her, he put his arm in hers and proudly escorted her to the elevators, drawing the admiring looks of the passers-by.
As chance would have it, they were alone in the elevator and took advantage of the opportunity to embrace and kiss once more. By the time they reached the sixteenth floor, both were breathless as Terry led the way to his suite. I can't believe I left here only a few hours ago! he thought, as he used his keycard. Holding the door for Red, he followed her inside, shutting it behind him.
He let himself be led down the hallway to the bedroom where she pushed him back onto the bed. Undoing her dress, she let it slip off of her before climbing on top of him. All sense of time abandoned Terry once again as they made love and rested and then made love again. They repeated this so many times, that Terry lost count as nothing more existed beyond Red and himself and he wanted it to never end.
"Wake up, Who Boy! It's almost midnight."
Terry groggily shook himself awake. He grinned, sheepishly, "I guess I must have dozed off." He patted the bed beside him. "Are you ready for another go?"
"Not right now." She shook her head and gestured. "Come with me outside where we can hear the noise."
Terry sat up on the side of the bed. "What noise?"
She smiled. "At midnight, they ring the bells and the street crowd gives a great cheer that we can hear from the balcony." She extended her hand and helped him to his feet. It mattered not to Terry where she was going as long as he was able to tag along. He opened the sliding door and they stepped out onto the narrow patio. Down below, somewhere in the distance, a bell began to ring. There were others further away, but this one was close by.
Red embraced Terry, kissing him deeply. "What do you think, Who Boy? Want to be with me forever and ever?"
"I'd give anything to have you forever, Red." He laughed. "How could you think otherwise?" As he was kissing her again, the clock gave its final toll and Terry felt his knees buckling once more. I'm literally swooning! he marveled, as he slowly toppled over the balcony railing, still cradled in Red's arms.
The Day After Halloween
Diaz was standing at the valet kiosk when he heard a loud thud behind him. Turning around, he stared at the inert body splattered on the concrete sidewalk only five feet away. Ohmigod! he said to himself. After a moment, his training kicked in and he snatched the radio from his waist. "Security, this is Diaz at the valet station. I think someone just fell off of the building."
"This is Felix, Diaz. Say again?"
"Someone jumped or fell off of the building." He paused before continuing. "They're not moving, Felix. I think that they're dead."
"Keep people away from the body. I'm sending Fred and Tina out to help."
"Will do," replied Diaz. Already several people had wandered over, their phones held in front of them as they approached the lifeless form spread-eagled on the sidewalk. "Please stay back, folks. Security is on the way." He tried to stay between them and the body, but they kept milling around.
"Everyone! Please step away from the sidewalk!" came an authoritative voice from a large woman in uniform. Whether it was her voice, her bulk, or maybe the gun on her hip, the crowd moved back, still holding their phones up. She walked over to him, followed closely behind by a second guard. "So, what happened, Diaz?"
He pointed. "I was standing right there when I heard a loud thump. When I turned to see what it was, well..." His voice trailed off as he pointed to the lifeless body.
"Did you check for a pulse?"
He shook his head. "That's your job. I just park cars, you know?"
Tina knelt carefully beside the body, placing her fingers on the neck for a moment. "Nope. No pulse. They're deader than a doornail." She stood and used her radio. "This is Tina. It looks like we have a middle-aged male, deceased. Cause of death appears to be acute splatteration."
"Thanks, Tina. I'll cancel the ambulance. The police should be arriving at any moment. Let me know when they get there."
"Will do, boss." She frowned at the growing crowd. "Get back everyone! The police are on the way." A third security guard joined her and Fred. "I wonder who he is?" she said.
"It looks like he's got a wallet in his hip pocket," said Diaz. "We could check his ID."
"We could," replied Tina. "But we won't. We don't want to disturb what may be a crime scene."
"You think he was murdered?"
She shook her head. "Not really, but until we know more, we leave it up to the cops."
"Speaking of which," said Fred. "Here they are." Red and blue lights flickered across the front of the hotel as a patrol car pulled up next to the small crowd. A young, lanky policeman emerged from the car and walked over to the security guards.
"I hear that you have a jumper," he said, surveying the scene. "That's the fifth one in town this year." He looked at Tina. "Do you have an ID on him yet?" She shook her head again.
An unmarked car pulled in behind the patrol car, its red and blues flashing behind the grill. A short, rather stout man emerged wearing a beige trench coat and joined the circle around the body. "What do we got here, Elroy?"
"A dead body. Apparently male. It looks like he fell from one of the upper floors."
"Have you checked for ID yet?"
"No, sir. I was waiting for you to arrive. No one's touched the body except for Tina, here, who checked for a pulse."
The detective turned to Tina. "Are you sure that he was dead?"
She nodded. "Definitely. As a matter of fact, his body was ice cold."
"Well, then, let's see who he is." The detective removed a package of gloves from the inside pocket of his coat and extracted two of them. Putting them on, he knelt down and eased the wallet out of its pocket and stood back up again. Flipping it open, he carefully looked through the contents before turning to the patrolman. "I need an evidence bag. And put some gloves on!"
Elroy jogged to his patrol car and returned with a medium-sized clear baggy. As he carefully held it open, the detective slid the wallet into the bag and then sealed it. He took the bag from Elroy and turned to Tina. "You know the drill. I want to see the videos, next."
"Aren't you going to tell us who he is?" she asked.
The detective indicated the crowd. "Too many ears."
"Gotcha," she said, as she turned to escort him to Security. She spoke into her comm unit, "This is Tina. I'm bringing Lieutenant Columbo down to the Bat Cave."
"Roger that," answered Felix. "See you in a few."
"I really wish you wouldn't call me that, you know," said the detective.
She smiled at him, "Hey! It's The Cos. You look the part, you get the name."
He shook his head in resignation. "Do you know where Fairfield, Alabama is?"
"Is that where our DB is from?" She paused for a moment before replying. "Never heard of it."
"Me neither."
As they rode the security elevator down to level B3, Tina asked, "So, I hear that Marge is preggers again?"
He laughed. "Yep. This'll be number seven." Winking, he said, "I can use all of the deductions I can get."
The elevator dinged to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a large room filled with wall-to-wall monitors. Five operators sat at their consoles, monitoring different areas of the casino, while their supervisor paced behind them. He looked at the two newcomers. "Hey Charlie! Welcome back to The Cos!"
The detective returned the smile. "It's good to see you again, Felix." He looked up at the monitor displaying the body out front. "In case you're interested, his name is Terrence Worthwell."
Felix called out to the room, "We've got a name. Terrence Worthwell."
"I'm on it, chief." After a moment, the monitors began to fill with videos and Terry's driver's license appeared on one of them. "He checked in last night—umm, make that the night before last—at 9:47pm. He was booked into room 1607 and entered the room at 9:56."
"Did you say 1607?" asked Felix.
"Yes, sir."
"Can you tell if he asked for that room, specifically?"
"No sir. We'd have to get that from the second shift clerk."
He looked distracted. "Contact whoever checked this guy in and find out, will you? Their shift ended only twenty-two minutes ago. They might even still be here."
"Will do, boss."
"Thanks, Rico." He turned to another operator, "Jennifer! Get us a timeline on this guy and start reviewing the footage. I need to have a confab with Columbo." He beckoned to Charlie and they walked across the room to his small office, shutting the door behind them.
Charlie spoke up first. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence."
"And sometimes it's not," chuckled Charlie. "Either way, we've got a possible suicide, accident, or homicide on our hands."
Felix nodded. "Yeah, but which one?" He shook his head. "Once the press gets hold of this, they're going to milk it for all it's worth."
"Is that such a bad thing, from a marketing point of view?"
Felix laughed. "Jeez, you're morbid." He smiled at Charlie. "Of course, ever since we had that jumper on our very first opening day last year, we've been booked solid." He shook his head, "Some of these cosplayers are overly fascinated with death." He opened the door and strode back into the control room. "Let's see what the videos might tell us." He stood behind Jennifer. "Show us what you've got."
She tapped on her keyboard. "Rico got hold of Rita Djubnic who says that she assigned him the room from the queue." Her monitor showed Terry at the Check In counter and then switched to the elevator camera. "He goes straight to the elevator and gets off on the sixteenth floor." The camera switched to show a long hallway. "He enters the room and doesn't leave until 8:04 the next morning." She switched videos as she continued narrating. "He goes straight to the café where he had breakfast and then to the casino where he gets a players card. He then wanders around the entire main room before finally sitting down at a machine."
Rico chimed in, "For the next three and a half hours, he played a thousand off of the free play and then cashed out at two-forty-one."
Jennifer continued, "He hits the bathroom and then heads down to the food court where he has a CosBurger and fries. Then he walks back toward the main room, but pauses and suddenly decides to check out the High Stakes room."
"Is that a Doctor Who shirt that he's wearing?" asked Charlie.
"Yes, it is," replied Jennifer. She switched to the cameras in the High Stakes area. "He wanders around a bit before he gets to this point." She paused the video. "Now this is where it gets a bit wonky." They watched as Terry reached out as if to shake hands with someone and then he suddenly went rigid, his arms straight down by his sides. After a moment, he turned and walked out of the room. "He goes straight to the elevator and enters his room at 1:47pm and never comes out again."
"The door access logs show that he opened the slider on the balcony about fifteen seconds before midnight," offered Rico. "It looks like he must have jumped."
Felix turned to Tina, who was standing patiently near the entrance. "Check out room 1607 and see if anything looks amiss. And check with housekeeping to see if they noticed anything when they serviced his room."
"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" She gave a snappy salute and entered the still-open elevator. "I'll call in once I'm done there."
"I want to know what happened to him in the High Stakes room," asked Felix. "Play it back again."
"Yes, sir," replied Jennifer. She tapped once more on her keyboard.
Felix's comm unit crackled. "Sir? This is Fred. The medical examiner has arrived."
"Thanks for the heads-up. Let me know if they need me." He turned to Charlie, "Your M.E.'s here."
"So I heard. I'd better go oversee this." He headed for the elevator. "Don't bother yourself, old man, I'll see myself out."
"Ciao." Felix turned to Jennifer once more. "Go back to where he reaches out his hand. Play it again at one frame per second." They watched as his face went blank once more. "Okay, you can go back to normal speed again." They watched as he marched with a stiff-legged gait out of the room.
"It looks like he's playing the part of a zombie, but walking at a normal speed," observed Rico.
Felix agreed. "The lights are on, but no one's answering the doorbell." He frowned. "Give me every video we have of him from that moment forward. I want to see if he breaks character at any point."
"Yes, sir," nodded Jennifer. "If he's not putting on an act, he might be having some sort of psychotic episode."
Rico laughed, "He's more like Dead Man Walking than The Walking Dead!"
Three floors above, Charlie emerged from the main entrance and pushed his way through the crowd gathered around the scene. It had been cordoned off with yellow tape and he ducked under it. "Hello, Kenny. Sorry to drag you out of bed at this hour of the morning."
The middle-aged man looked up from where he was squatting over the body. "It's in the job description, you know." He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Your shift ends at midnight, doesn't it?"
"I had just left the station and headed home when the call came in. I was first on the scene, so it's my case." He winked. "I can always use the overtime." He tossed him the evidence bag with the wallet. "His name's Terrence Worthwell. Room 1607."
"Are you having the same sense of déjà vu that I'm having?"
"You mean, because it's been exactly a year since the Lady in Red took a swan dive off of the very same balcony and landed in the exact same spot?" He nodded. "In that sense, yes. However, unlike Red, this guy never lost any of his money." He gave a wry chuckle, "Besides, he's also a he, not a she, and he's wearing a Doctor Who T-shirt."
Kenny stood up and faced Charlie. "Red was an obvious suicide. This one's clearly a homicide."
"A homicide? The videos show that he was alone in his suite when it happened."
"Well, I don't have an exact time of death, but this guy's been dead for at least ten hours." He knelt and lifted the T-shirt. "He fell face down, but you can see the lividity that had already settled in."
Charlie nodded. "He was on his back for a few hours."
Lenny dropped the shirt hem and stood up again. "Yep. He didn't jump off of that balcony, he was thrown off of it by someone else." He stepped back and motioned for his two attendants to remove the body. "I'll know more once I have a chance to do a proper autopsy. He may have been drugged."
As the aides wheeled the gurney to the coroner's van, Terry and Red stood watching them, not five feet away. "They're loading my body into the meat wagon and I don't even care. Who are you, Red? What are you?"
She sighed. "I didn't mean to involve you like this, but it's some kind of weird twist of fate, apparently."
"What do you mean?"
"When you got on the elevator, it looked like you could see me. When you spoke to me, it was obvious that you could, indeed."
"Is that unusual?"
She laughed. "In the year since I jumped off of that same balcony, no one else has noticed me at all. I'm a ghost of some sort, invisible to everyone. Except you, apparently. It wasn't until after we touched that our spirits comingled and I managed to direct you up to your room. At that point, I realized what we had in common."
"Which is?"
"You're the second person to spend Halloween in room 1607. When midnight approached, we went out onto the balcony and fell off together."
He looked down at himself. "So, how did I get back into my clothes? We were both naked when we went out onto the balcony." He watched the rear doors slam shut on the vehicle. "And why did he say I had been dead for ten hours. We spent hours and hours getting sweaty, remember?"
"All in your head, I'm afraid, but I experienced it, too. You can think of it as a premonition of what is yet to come, once we get to know each other better." She reached out her hand, "By the way, my name's Vivian."
Terry grasped her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vivian. As you heard the man say, mine's Terrence. But please call me Terry." He walked over to a trash receptacle and dumped his wallet and the contents of his pockets, including his cell phone, into it. "I assume that I won't be needing these things anymore."
"You assume right."
"So, what do we do now?" asked Terry.
"Whatever we want," answered Vivian. "How about hitting the slots over at the Wynn?"
"Sounds good to me. The Cos was my first casino, you know. I'd like to see more of them."
"We can come back here next year, okay?" She grinned, "I think that might be a lot of fun." She looked at the Wynn in the distance. "Should we walk? Or shall we fly?"
Terry hooked his arm in hers. "Let's walk, if you don't mind it. I really hate flying."
"I don't mind it at all, Who Boy. We have all the time in the world."
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