Lost Light

only one piece of advice and that was to stay clear of Peoples and Milton and even Lindell. Not that she knew them personally. She just knew the FBI culture and knew their kind. Of course, her advice came too late for me.
    “I’m doing my best to do just that,” I told her. “It would be fine with me if I never see any of them ever again.”
    “But not very likely.”
    I suddenly thought of something.
    “You don’t have your cell phone on you, do you?”
    “Yes, but I don’t think they like you using cells in a place like this.”
    “I know. I’ll go outside. I just remembered I have to make a call or the shit’s going to hit the fan.”
    She got her phone out of her purse and gave it to me. I left the restaurant and stood in an indoor shopping mall that had been built to look like a Venetian canal complete with gondolas. The concrete sky was painted blue with wisps of white clouds. It was phony but at least it was air-conditioned. I called Janis Langwiser’s cell number and told her the coast was clear.
    “I was beginning to worry because I hadn’t heard from you. I’ve called your house twice.”
    “Everything’s fine. I’m in Vegas and will be back tomorrow.”
    “How do I know you’re not under duress? You know, being held and forced to say that.”
    “You got caller ID?”
    “Oh, that’s right. I saw it was a seven-oh-two number. All right, Harry. Don’t forget, call me tomorrow. And don’t lose too much money over there.”
    “I won’t.”
    When I got back to the table Eleanor wasn’t there. I sat down and was anxious about it but she came back from the rest room in a few minutes. As I watched her approach I felt she was different but I couldn’t place how. It was more than the hair and the deeper tan. It was like she carried more confidence than I remembered. Maybe she had found what she needed on the blue-felt poker tables on the strip.
    I gave her back the phone and she dropped it into her purse.
    “So how has it been here?” I asked. “We’ve been talking about my case. Let’s talk about your case for a while.”
    “I don’t have a case.”
    “You know what I mean.”
    She shrugged.
    “Things are going well this year. I won a satellite and took a button. I get to play in the series.”
    I knew she was talking about winning a qualifying tournament for the World Series of poker. The last time we talked about poker she had told me that her secret goal was to be the first woman to ever win the series. The winner of a qualifying tournament can take the cash prize or a so-called button, which is an entry into the series.
    “This will be your first time in the series, right?”
    She nodded and smiled and I could tell she was proud and excited.
    “It starts pretty soon.”
    “Well, good luck. Maybe I’ll come over and watch.”
    “Bring me luck.”
    “It still must be hard, Eleanor, making a living on the turn of the cards.”
    “I’m good at it, Harry. Besides, I’ve got backers now. It spreads the risks.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “That’s how it works these days. I have backers. I use their money when I play. They get seventy-five percent of what I win. If I lose, they take the loss. But I don’t lose too often, Harry.”
    I nodded.
    “Who are these people? Are they… you know?”
    “Legitimate? Yes, Harry, very. They’re businessmen. Microsoft men. From Seattle. I met them when they were out here playing. So far I’ve made them money. With the way the stock market’s been, they’d rather invest in me. They’re happy and so am I.”
    “Good.”
    I thought about the money Alex Taylor had offered me. And then there was the reward offered on the heist case. If I solved it, got back some of the money and somehow qualified for the reward, I could be her backer. It was a pipe dream. I wondered if she would even take my money.
    “What are you thinking about?” she asked. “You look so concerned.”
    “Nothing. I was just thinking about the case for a second. Something I want to ask the insurance investigator tomorrow.”
    The waiter brought the check and I paid after getting my AmEx card back from Eleanor. We left and got the car and I checked to make sure the suitcase was still in the back. We drove over to the Bellagio, a short distance that took a long time because of the traffic. I grew nervous as we got closer because I didn’t know what was going to happen when we got there. I checked my watch. It was almost ten.
    “What time do you