Racing With The Moon: Max Maxwell, #7

By Paul Sinor

Massive amounts of money are missing from a casino in Las Vegas. When Danny Lytle who works in the accounting department discovers where the money is going, he and his show-girl wife become a target not seen since the Mafia ran the city. 

 

After several murders, a name change and hiding in Budapest, Hungary are the price he has to pay.  Max has to find Danny and make sure he can testify while he is hunted on two continents.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9780228629511

Book preview

Chapter 1

Danny Lytle and his wife Katrina were by all accounts, the best-known non-celebrity couple in Las Vegas. Danny, known locally as Big Danny Lytle or more commonly Big Danny Little came to Las Vegas ten years ago and started working in the Top Hat Casino as a blackjack dealer. He had unusually large hands, and a personality that drew people to his table, so he was an instant celebrity when he began to work there.

He met Katrina one night after she finished her stint as one of the showgirls in the topless review. The review was one of the most popular on the strip and she stood out, in more way than one, when she was on stage. Katrina was born in Budapest and came to the United States when she was a teenager. They came to San Francisco where her father was the chef in an upscale restaurant. It didn’t take long for her to realize she was not like most of the other girls in school. By the time she graduated from the private Catholic high school she attended, she was a fraction under six feet tall. She had naturally blonde hair and breasts that were the envy of every girl, and the desire of every boy, in school. Her only outside interest was dancing and she followed through with that for two years after she graduated while in college in San Francisco.  After college, she was offered a job as a dancer in a troupe that was touring with a rock star.  When she arrived for a performance in Las Vegas she was singled out and offered a job in the review.  She was not immediately told it was a topless review, but once she saw the costumes and the choreography, she accepted.  At six feet in stockings and even taller in heels and headdress she was hard to miss in the review.

When they were not working, Danny and Katrina could be seen blasting through the city on a massive motorcycle. Katrina up front, long blonde hair flowing in the wind, whipping across Danny’s face as he sat on the back, with his arms wrapped around his wife.

They had been a staple at the Top Hat for several years when Danny was offered a promotion from the table to the front office.  He had studied accounting in college, so he was offered a position as one of the many bean counters who kept track of the massive amount of money that passed through the casino daily.  Very few people knew the actual amount the casino generated since it was an all-cash business.  Money from the cashiers and the floor was collected by armed guards and brought to a central counting room.  The people who actually touched the mounds of cash were watched as closely as the ones who packaged cocaine for some of the dealers in the city.  The difference was that most of the ones who cut and packaged cocaine were women who worked in the nude.  At least the counters at the Top Hat were allowed to wear clothes.

Danny was at his desk when Gary Scarborough approached him.  Hey, Big Danny.  You got a minute?

Danny looked up. He knew Gary by sight but had never had more than a passing conversation with him when he escorted a high roller through the casino floor.  Sure.  What’s up?  Danny pushed against the desk to roll his chair back.

What time do you take a lunch break?  I’d like to talk to you out of the office.

Danny looked at his watch.  Casinos were meticulous about not having windows to the outside world or clocks on the floor, so the office did not have a clock on the wall or anyplace else where employees could determine what time it was.  I guess I can break away now. It’s almost twelve thirty. That’s when I usually go.  His expression was a clear indication that he had no idea what Gary wanted with him.

Great. Let’s head for the Tip Top.  We can grab something there.

Like most casinos in Las Vegas, the Top Hat had an overabundance of places to eat.  The most popular with the average visitor was the buffet. More food than a normal person could possibly eat, but almost everyone who opted for the buffet line, filled their plates to overflowing, wasting much of it.  It was done with the idea that I paid for it, so I’m going to get some of everything here.

They left the mass of offices on the top floor of the Top Hat.  The penthouse level was reserved for the corporate offices. Dean Walters, the President and CEO of the casino had his domain secured in a corner where one floor to ceiling window overlooked the Strip and another one gave him a view of the city.  He was reputed to have no direct ties to mob money like some of the casino operators in the past, but it was widely known that he played in some shady circles.  For that reason, the state Gaming Commission kept a close watch and a tight hand on the activities in the counting rooms and where the numbers were entered in the elaborate bookkeeping system the casino employed. 

When they left Danny’s office and stepped into the elevator, Gary reached beyond Danny and pushed the button for the casino level floor.  The elevator was for official use, and no passengers who were customers or guests of the casino got on, so there were no stops until they reached their destination.

The Tip Top was a mid-scale restaurant with a varied menu.  They were seated and ordered. Danny got a steak sandwich and Gary selected a chef salad.  They made small talk until their food came. When they were served, Danny basically ignored Gary as he pulled his plate closer.  Before he could ask, Gary pushed the tabletop container with salt, pepper, and other condiments to him.  Danny prepared his sandwich and dug in.  Both were mostly quiet until Danny placed a large portion of his sandwich on the plate and pushed it away.  I know you didn’t invite me to have lunch with you because you enjoy my company, so why am I sitting across from you?

Gary lay his fork on the edge of the salad bowl.  Good question.  I did some research on you...and your wife.  I know both of you have been here for quite a while.  I’ve seen her in the review...

Yeah, she’s hard to miss.

Gary laughed.  This would be an uncomfortable conversation in any city in the world except here in Las Vegas.

Danny smiled and nodded. He knew the fact that not only was Katrina the tallest dancer in the review, but with a thirty-six D cup bust she was a star in her own right.

I’ve seen you and Katrina terrorizing the locals on your motorcycle... He hesitated and motioned for their waitress to return to refill his coffee.  That’s what I want to talk to you about.

I don’t understand.  What’s our riding got to do with our jobs?  Is the insurance...

Gary waved him off.  No. No, nothing like that.  I love it. So does, Dean the CEO.  We want to use you and your wife in a publicity campaign.  Television and print. You’ll be on the side of every city bus that rolls through the city.  He watched the waitress refill his cup. What do you think about that?

Danny smiled. If it’s done for the right reasons, I don’t have a problem with it.  He took a drink from his coffee.  Course, I’ll have to run it by Katrina.  This is not something I want to decide on my own.

Of course. Gary hesitated as he pursed his lips in thought.  We want to feature you, not exploit you.  Everyone in the city knows both of you, so all we’re doing is introducing you to visitors.

Danny nodded.  I’ll talk to Katrina. See what she says and get back to you.  He pushed away from the table and slipped from his chair.  Thanks for the lunch. It’s nice to know the front office knows the rest of the staff exists.

Chapter 2

The pick-up times and locations for bank or security trucks to visit the casinos in Las Vegas was as varied as the casino themselves.  Some had the trucks park out front and the drivers and security personnel from the armored service walked through the casino floor with bags and carts filled with amounts of money most of the customers who saw them could not imagine.  Other trucks came to secure locations in underground garages or back parking lots. No matter where they arrived, the casino had heavily armed guards escort the money.  Along the way from the counting rooms, they would pass numerous other armed men and women who were employees but were not noticeable to the average player.  It was the job of the security department to ensure the money was collected and routed to the proper financial institution.

From the time he left the blackjack tables as a dealer, it had been Danny’s job to make sure the numbers matched.  What was turned in from the cashier cages and other collection points were counted in the most sophisticated manner possible so no mistakes were made prior to handing the money over to the delivery services.  It was supposed to be a foolproof system, developed over many years, and designed specifically to handle the amount of cash that was generated by casinos.

One of the things his professor in college had instilled in Danny, and all the students in his class, was that any system designed by man can be compromised by man.  After two years as one of many in the accounting department, Danny had risen to be head of one of the teams.  His team was the final checker to make certain that everything up to that point balanced.  It took him almost a year to discover the slight discrepancy in what he was seeing. The exact amount from one cashier’s cage matched the amount paid to a local contractor for an entry listed only as pick-up and delivery.  What was picked up or delivered was not on any invoice Danny could find.

Danny had been mildly curious when he first saw the entry. When it continued, it piqued his interest in finding out more about the company that was listed only as cleaning supplies.  It took many missed lunch breaks when he worked at his desk to get a good handle on what was going on while others around him who might stop by and inquire as to what he was doing were gone.  If he was right, a cleaning supply company was making one hell of a lot of money from the Top Hat.

* * *

When Danny went home after work, he only had about an hour with Katrina before she had to leave to go to the casino and prepare for the evening’s show.  The theater was dark on Monday and Wednesday nights so that was the time they had together.  Katrina slept during the day while Danny worked, so Monday and Wednesday were usually a date night for them.  Most of the men and women who worked at the casinos hardly every went to one unless it was for work.  There were several restaurants and clubs off the strip that tourists did not know about. These were the places where the locals went for dinner.

Even without the advertising campaign Danny and Katrina were easily recognized in most of the places they frequented.  They were seated and drinks were brought to them.  This was a place they came on a regular basis, so they did not have to order. The waiter knew what they drank and brought it to them as soon as they were seated.  Dinner was ordered and they settled in for a relaxed evening.

While they waited, Danny cleared his throat.  I hate it when you do that, Katrina said.  She had been in the United States long enough to lose almost all her accent from her native Hungarian language.  I know you are about to say something that I may or may not like.

Danny laughed.  Guilty as charged, Your Highness.  Before he could say anything else, their dinner was placed in front of them.

Let’s eat, in case what you want to say may be enough to spoil my appetite, Katrina said as she began to eat.

Danny was smart enough to be quiet while they ate.  He didn’t know how Katrina would feel about having her likeness plastered in busses running all over the city.  Danny knew he was extremely lucky to have such a beautiful woman sitting across the table from him.  Not only was she beautiful, but she was his wife. When they first met, nobody either of them knew believed it when they said they were dating. She was born in Budapest of Nordic stock. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, long legs, large breasts, teeth that looked like a toothpaste commercial advertisement in a magazine, and a smile that lit up any room she chose to visit.

Danny knew he didn’t share any of those attributes.  Her natural skin color was that of someone from a Nordic country.  Danny had the tone of someone who spent a great deal of time in the sun or money in a tanning bed.  He did neither.  His was from his Native American ancestry, two or three generations in the past. He was not even close to her height, had short dark hair that he kept cut close, a slight southern accent as a result of his being born in South Carolina, and living there most of his life.  To say love conquers all in their case was a gross understatement. It was not a conquest, but more like a moon landing: something that only happens once in a lifetime.

They finished eating and Danny ordered a brandy for after dinner.  When it was served, he raised the glass to his nose, inhaled the aroma, took a sip, and then held it aloft for a toast he shared with Katrina.  Here’s to the future.  No matter what it is or where it takes us.

Katrina touched his glass ever-so-gently.  That doesn’t sound like you.  What are you trying to say without saying anything?

Gary Scarborough came to see me today.

Who?

Gary Scarborough.  He’s one of the head poohbahs for the Top Hat.  He wants to do an ad campaign featuring you and me.  Photos on the side of some of the city busses...that sort of thing. He waited to see if he got a reaction.  When it didn’t come, he continued.  I told him I’d have to talk it over with you.  It’s not a decision I want to make on my own.

I’ve seen some of those ads. Most are for strip clubs and massage parlors.  I’m not sure it's something I want to be associated with.  She dropped her head and spoke with her eyes closed as if she were recalling the ads she had seen.  Is that the kind of ad he wants to do?

I don’t know, but I wanted to run it by you before I even ask what he has in mind.

She nodded.

Are you interested or curious enough for me to ask him what he has in mind?

I think you should talk to him.  I’m sure he thinks a lot of you...of us...if he wants to do something like that. She looked him in the eye.  If you think it’s okay, I’ll do it.

* * *

Danny was at his desk the next morning when he got a call.  Big Danny, this is Tommy Anthony.

As soon as he heard the voice, Danny recognized it as his friend from the Gaming Commission.  Tommy worked in the auditing department and he and Danny had met several times during past audits and had become friends outside of the workplace.  Both enjoyed playing bridge and belonged to a local bridge club.  Bridge was not a game played in the casinos, so it was only popular with the locals.

Morning Tommy.  You looking to schedule a game or is this official?

Well...I can’t say it’s official, but let’s just say that I’ll probably drop by to see you next week.

That was all Danny needed in order to know an unscheduled, surprise audit from the Commission was coming.  Got it.  I’ll see you then.  Danny replaced the handset and sat quietly for a moment.  He knew the audit was coming and he thought he knew why.  If he was right, a lot of people were going to be looked over as closely as if they were getting a physical before joining the next class of astronauts. He had planned to contact Gary Scarborough later in the day to discuss the idea of his and Katrina’s appearance on busses on behalf of the Top Hat, but that was now so far on the back burner that it was not even getting warm.

For the next two days, Danny ran a series of computer programs.  Some were shared by all who were in his department, and two were programs that he had developed and securely hidden on his computer.  It would take a long time for anyone who suspected he was putting his own designs on one of the Top Hat’s computers to find it, and even longer to open it.

Since Tommy had confided in Danny, he felt he owed his friend to keep the audit a secret.  It was not uncommon for the Gaming Commission to arrive unannounced to conduct an audit, but they had done one only two months earlier. To do another one so soon was an indication to Danny that this was more than just a routine, albeit unscheduled audit. They were looking for something, or they had found it during the last audit, and wanted to confirm it.

Danny was almost certain he knew what it was they had found.

Monday and Tuesday passed with no unusual activity in the front offices.  Danny and Gary had lunch again at the Tip Top and Gary explained, in general terms what he and the casino’ public affairs office had in mind for the ads.  They would be tasteful, featuring Danny and Katrina’s faces.  Katrina would be seen in her stage costume, wearing the covering over her breasts that all the dancers did when they did the weekly family show.  It would be to advertise the Top Hat as a place where the entire family could come and enjoy the Las Vegas experience.

I probably need to get back to the office.  We’ve got an audit coming up next week and I want everything to be in order.

Gary stood and placed a charge card on the table.  How do you know we’re having an audit?  Those things are supposed to be secret.

Danny smiled and said over his shoulder as he walked away. Like you said, everyone in the city knows me and Katrina. It’s nice to have friends in the right places.

Back in his office, Danny printed out several pages from the program he had created and secured on his computer.  He wanted to have them for future reference in case he was right in his thinking about the cleaning supply company’s entry.  If he was, he was sure there would be a full investigation and consequently, there had to be a place or person to blame.  He did not intend for it to be him, but he knew how vulnerable he and everyone else in the department was going to be.  He had never been in any type of military service, but he knew from those who had that the saying, the best defense is a good offense was very true.  He had to go on the offense.

Wednesday night meant that Danny and Katrina would be dining out. With Katrina usually gone or prepared to leave for the show when Danny arrived home, he preferred to have a simple meal. Many nights it consisted of a frozen dinner entre from a local supermarket and a small salad he picked up at a drive-in burger joint on the way home.  Monday and Wednesday nights were the only times when he had the opportunity to have what he considered a decent meal.

They were seated at a full-service restaurant.  They had requested, and been given, a table near the back of the room. It was for privacy, not only to have a quiet conversation, but to keep people they knew, and sometimes strangers, from coming by their table for conversation or a photo.

Danny wore a pair of charcoal slacks, a light blue shirt with no tie and a dark blue blazer. Katrina was dressed in pale yellow pants, a light shade of green silk blouse and had a matching cashmere sweater draped over her shoulders.  She wore heavy make-up when she was working, so on the nights out that she and Danny shared, she wore only the bare minimum.  Danny once told her a Hollywood make-up artist could not make her more attractive than the minute she awoke every morning. For him, it was not as much a compliment as it was a statement from his heart.

We haven’t had a chance to talk for a bit, so I want to bring you up to date on a couple of things.  Danny hesitated speaking, when a waiter came to their table and took their order for drinks and dinner.  Katrina ordered Dover Sole and Danny had a filet mignon.  Both ordered coffees to be brought after they finished their main course.  Once the waiter was satisfied he had everything he needed, he left them alone.

Why do I get the impression you’re holding something back from me? Katrina asked as she took a sip of the glass of white wine she ordered when they were seated.

How long have you known me?

Let’s see... She stopped to think.  We met about seven years ago...and since I’m only fifteen now, I’d say about half my life.  She smiled over the rim of the glass.  Seven years, four of which you and I have been a couple and married two.  How’s that?  You’re good with numbers.

Okay, I’ll accept that.  During that time, I have never kept a secret from you, and I don’t think you’ve kept one from me.  If you have...

I haven’t, she interrupted.

That wasn’t a question.  All I’m saying is that I’ve never kept anything from you and now is not the time to start.

She reached across the table and took his hand in hers.  I...I don’t think I like where this is going. Are you all right?

Oh, yeah.  Nothing like that. It’s something at the casino that has me worried.  He looked around to see if anyone was seated close enough to overhear their conversation of if he saw anyone he recognized.  We’re getting an audit next week and I don’t think it’s going to turn out too favorable for us.

Katrina spoke just above a whisper.  You’re not involved in anything...illegal...are you?

No, I’m not but I may know who is and that can be just as bad.  Before she could ask any more questions the waiter appeared balancing a large round tray on his hand.  He placed it on a nearby empty table and then served them from it.

Will there be anything else? he asked.

Not now, but we may want desert when you bring our coffee, Danny smiled as he watched the waiter place his filet on the table in front of him.

I’ll bring the desert cart when I bring the coffee and you can make your selection at that time.

During the meal, Danny shared his concerns with Katrina. She listened and did not offer any advice as to how to handle the situation.  She knew Danny could do the right thing and also that only he was the one to determine what that thing was.

By the time Danny arrived in his office on Thursday morning, the audit room was brimming with new faces.  They were not new employees of the casino that had been hired overnight, but a team, larger than ever before, from the Gaming Commission ready to do and in-depth audit.

Tommy met Danny at the door.  Morning Danny. Let’s go to your office before we get started out here.  The two men had both a professional and a somewhat personal relationship developed over the years, but the tone of Tommy’s voice was anything but friendly.  Danny’s office was small but adequate.  It had a desk where he spent most of his time, a computer with a double monitor screen, and the usual stacks of folders that one would expect to find on the desk of a bean counter. A large metal chair with a green colored leather seat and matching back was angled to the desk as if someone had been sitting in it and working with Danny.  The chair, and a table with a picture of Danny and Katrina on it were the only other two pieces of furniture in the room.

When they got inside, Danny pointed to the chair.  Have a seat, Tommy.  Talk to me.

You’re a hard man to get anything over on, you know that?

Comes with the turf when you’re married.  You’ll find out one day...but that’s not why you’re here, is it? Danny leaned forward on his desktop.

No...we’ve...we think we’ve found some irregularities in some of the reports we’ve been getting from the Top Hat.

What kind of irregularities...as you call them?  If it comes from this office, that’s a serious allegation. 

Tommy noticed Danny tensed up and leaned forward in his chair awaiting a further explanation.

You know I can’t go into details, but some things just don’t add up...no pun intended.  Tommy looked around the office as if to make certain they were still the only two people in there.  With every square inch of a casino floor and the counting rooms covered by a multitude of cameras, there was always a possibility that they were being watched and recorded in Danny’s office.

Tommy blew out a breath he had been holding.  Let’s see how this audit turns out. I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t be explained.  He stood to leave. It’s like my old high school football coach used to tell us. ‘No blood, no foul.’  I don’t think we will find any blood.  He headed for the door.  Let’s all have dinner one-night next week.  I’ll bring...somebody and dinner will be my treat.

Danny watched Tommy leave and go to one of the auditors and watch as he reviewed a computer screen on the desk of one of the women who worked in the outer office.  After standing with the man for a few minutes, Tommy moved on to another person and watched as they had the employee print and then they copied several pages from the screen.

The audit took the remainder of the day and Danny did not leave his office until Tommy dropped by and told him they were finished, and he’d be getting the results in a week.  They agreed on the dinner plans and Tommy headed out of the office.

There was no good time to be driving on what was known as the Las Vegas Strip. Las Vegas Boulevard is the main drag that runs through the center of the multitude of casinos and other businesses that draw more people annually to Las Vegas than any city in the United States. Taxi’s, busses, locals, and tourists in their personal autos cluttered the boulevard in both directions.  Busses with advertisements for casinos, restaurants, strip or what was now known as gentlemen’s clubs and