Trick Roll: The Dark Side of Las Vegas

By Kyril Plaskon

Las Vegas is plummeted into an identity crisis by the economic downturn. Psychopaths, suicide, drugs in the water and an underground corrupt prostitution ring are a sober look at the reality of Vegas. The story is told through the eyes of a naive TV reporter who touches down in Las Vegas hoping to break these stories wide-open but faces powerful forces to maintain the status quo. The story uses television news to transport the reader across time, space and topics to explore the shocking underbelly of this raunchy desert city. As the city is trying to re-gain its former glory, police, politicians and prostitutes are at odds over legalizing the worlds oldest profession in Las Vegas. The public is caught in the middle. The story of manipulation and illusion of glamor leaves you wondering what is real.

Opinion on prostitution is changing. A decade ago (2002) a survey of 600 Nevadans found that 52% favored the existing legal and regulated brothels. The trend was that new arrivals to Nevada opposed legal prostitution while long-time Nevadans tend to support it.

A July 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 56% of Nevada voters thought that prostitution should be legal, while only 32% thought it should be illegal and 12% were not sure.

A June 2012 a Public Policy Polling survey found that 64% of Nevada voters thought that brothels should be legal in the state. 23% thought they should be illegal. 13% were not sure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kyril Plaskon
• Release date: Feb 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301835447

Kyril Plaskon

Kyril Plaskon is author of Silent Heroes of the Cold War Declassified (Stephens Press 2008) and a long-time reporter for tv, radio and print from Alaska to Chile. He began life with a dual urban-rural identity. Hailing from the mountainous rural region bordering Mexico and making daily journeys to the urban barrios of San Diego. He learned Spanish and helped start an adventure program for kids in inner city schools. Ever since he was given the choice of what to do, he chose enterprise journalism and has been exposing abuses of power for the past 20 years. For college, he escaped the mild climate of San Diego and dove into the arctic Alaskan wilderness. He lived in a 300 square-foot cabin heated by wood that he chopped in the lonely silence of white snow and fog near a sough bordered by tall dark pines. When it came time to choose a college internship, he shocked his professors by jumping on a plane bound for Chile where he eventually work for United Press International. He also worked for the Chilean government press office where he translated quotes sent by U.S. spies that was used to identify and conduct surveillance of persons within Chile. On that same trip, he traveled a bit and got lost for three days with only a raw potato and a power bar near a massive volcano. When he returned to that small cabin in the Alaska snow, he wrote his first book: The Last Rite. The life of an aspiring writer is slow and painful. He enjoys painting and gardening to take his mind off the constant keys. But this is what he has always done and always wanted to do. The world of journalism has been a struggle for Kyril D. Plaskon, at times earning as little as $11,000 a year. To supplement his income he has cleaned toilets, worked in construction, renovated old houses, ran rickshaws, served food and worked as a tow truck driver. But before the age of 40 he has won some prestigious awards and has volumes of investigative articles penned for small weekly papers to international broadcast news networks. Kyril Plaskon's journalism career took a new turn in 2005 when he tracked down the story of an obscure plane crash on a mountain outside of Las Vegas that turned out to be the greatest loss of life in the U2 project and was kept secret for nearly 40 years. After 3 years of research and weekend writing while working full time in TV news, he had the fascinating non-fiction account of CIA secrecy that changed the course of the Cold War and military flights. It is also a unique account of the trans-generational impact of war and secrecy on American families. Silent Heroes of the Cold War was published by Stephens Press in 2008. Other works include Trick Roll, a film noir screenplay exploring a reporters helplessness in one of the biggest company towns in the world, Las Vegas. He wrote that screenplay in just one day. He has many other titles in the works and plans to publish 20-years of written archives.

Book preview

TRICK ROLL

KYRIL D. PLASKON

Copyright 2013 by Kyril Plaskon

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FADE IN

EXT: HAZY HOT LAS VEGAS SKYLINE -- DUSK

It's cooled off to 117 degrees as the dusty sunbeams set over the flashing golden monoliths of Las Vegas. A long line of twinkling airline lights speckle the skyline like fireflies swarming to the city. We hear the voice of a PILOT from one of the planes over a loud speaker.

PILOT (OFF.S.)

Ladies and gentlemen, it's 4:30 and 117 degrees on the ground. Welcome to . . . fabulous Las Vegas!

INT: AIRPLANE COACH SECTION -- BRIGHT FLOURECENT LIGHTING

The airplane is like a packed club in an elevator, with light music, chatting and lots of drinking. QUILL PIEDRAS is wearing a designer suit and looking out the planes window.

PILOT (OFF S. CONT.)

Whether you are here for a convention, business, a little bit of gambling fun, personal business or don't want anyone to know you are here, the Las Vegas Visitor's Authority wants you to know that tipping is customary in Nevada. 15 percent is good . . . 20 percent and you go home with both knee caps! Ha ha! We should be touching down on the hot ground in about 15 minutes. Now stand by for the same message in a variety of languages.

The captain pushes a button on the planes dash and the same message begins to play in different languages. Quill's friend KIP COLLINS is sitting next to him. He is well dressed. Collins is loosening up his tie, sipping hungrily on hot sloshing coffee, eagerly chatting up a group of rowdy BACHELORETTES who are drinking bloody marys and spilling them on their white garments. They are listening to hip hop music on their iPhones.

KIP

My buddy here just got a job in Vegas, Channel 4, K-G-A-T-TV. Hitting the big time! He's got all the inside hook-ups.

Quill turns to the girls and gives a big silent no with his lips. He shakes his head. The plane shutters temporarily interrupting the party atmosphere.

BACHELORETTE 1

Reporter hu? check this out Anderson Cooper!

The bachelorette stands up and leans over to show him her cleavage and while she is shaking she looses her balance and nearly falls down, dropping her phone down the isle. Not to be outdone, BACHELORETTE 2 gets up and starts dancing, pumping her arms in the air.

BACHELORETTE 2

Oh! Oh! Woot! Woot!

She gets up and starts shaking her booty in the small space between her seat and the back of the seat in front of her. OLD LADIES in a seat nearby like it and rock their heads a little. Quill looks over. Kip starts to fumble quickly with his seat belt so he can get up and dance too. Then BLING! The fasten seat belt light comes on but no one seems to notice except Kip, who lets out a sigh as he stops trying to unhook his seatbelt.

CAPTAIN (OFF S.)

Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. We will be experiencing some typical turbulence as we arrive in Las Vegas.

A STEWARDESS hurries toward the group of bachelorettes, Kip and Quill. The mood changes quickly. A massive jolt makes some of them quickly check their seat belts and others GROAN with nervousness. Another jolt throws the dancing bachelorette to the floor. The plane then continues to shake up and down so that she can't get back up. The pilot addresses the panicking passengers in a calm soothing tone.

CAPTAIN (OFF S.)

Lady's and Gentlemen, we firmly advise you to use your seat belts because it's bumpy. However, these jitters are not too dangerous. Let me explain what's happening.

Another shake rattles the plane so loud, the RUMBLE drowns out everything else. The stewardess who was running down the aisle toward the bachelorette face-plants into the floor.

CAPTAIN (OFF S. CONT.)

We are hitting what we call thermal turbulence. In the summer time the heat rises at the same time as cold air from space is being sucked in. We are caught in the middle of the chaos of rising and falling air currents. Just hold on tight.

Peoples hands are gripped to their seat belts and plastic seat arms and tables -- terrified.

CAPTAIN (ON S.)

If you are looking out the window like I am, the sky is nice and clear, but if you are looking at the wings, don't they just look like they are going to snap off!

Quill turns to look out the window. The wings look like flapping seagulls.

CAPTAIN (OFF S. CONT.)

Well, I assure you, those wings won't snap off. This will all be over in just a little bit. Most people make it through without getting hurt. Our stewardesses do this every day. So just sit back.

Quill looks at Kip who seems to be holding his breath. The Bachelorettes are hugging. Quill looks at the stewardesses who are visibly scared. The one on the floor claws her way back up, turns tail and runs toward the front of the plane to try to strap herself into the three-point seats.

Quill and Kip hold on to their thin little styrofoam cups and the coffee is spilling everywhere. A huge jolt sends the running stewardess to the ceiling of the plane and then bouncing off the seat backs. The bachelorette is also sent skyward, face-first into a luggage compartment and then falls into the aisle, knocked out at Kips feet.

EXT: MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL--DUSK

The plane touches down on just one wheel, then the other, then the front. Then the sound of the PASSENGERS CLAPPING is drowned out by their GROANS and the REVERSE OF THE JET ENGINES.

INT: MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL--ARTIFICIAL FLASHING CASINO LIGHTS

People are playing slot machines and hanging around in a glass booth nearby and smoking. A metal sign on each machine has a star and says Government Property. Heavily armed police are standing in the airport haze watching the gamblers, keeping a weary eye on the flood of foreigners. Another flashing sign reads thank you for Gambling on Government. Some VEGAS PERSONALITY shows up on the screen and introduces images that coincide with what she is saying.

BILLBOARD PERSONALITY

Isn't this great! A casino in an airport. Why didn't they think of this sooner. You can feel good about gambling here. Gambling on government slot machines pays the tax bills and lowers the cost of your flight. Every dollar you spend is one more dollar for schools, parks and senior services.

Mostly old people are playing the slot machines.

BILLBOARD PERSONALITY

So, cha-ching! Have a good time and lets fund government together.

A bachelorette is being wheeled away on a gurney with a bloody and bruised face and a neck collar. Cops are talking to hot girls in the background. Kip notices the signs and the cops. He is walking next to Quill who is walking next to one of the bachelorettes who is walking next to the gurney.

BACHELORETTE 2

So, we still gonna see you tonight?

KIP

Quill, get over here!

Quill is distracted by the signs and flashing lights everywhere and cops. The bachelorette starts walking away.

BACHELORETTE 2

I don't know, that is up to you!

She smiles and walks away backwards, pulling down her top to reveal her cleavage again, then turns and stumbles off toward the baggage claim. Two escorts walk up to Kip and Quill. They are very sober, tall, buxom, with many fake body parts including, boobs, lips and hair. One has a very low smokey voice.

ESCORT

We heard you on the plane. I think what you are looking for are professionals.

ESCORT 2 stares them in the eyes while reaching down toward their hands. Kip and Quill