Page 82 of The 1 Lawyer

CHAPTER 63

I DIDN’T even change clothes before I headed out.

When I parked at the front door of Hiram Caro’s casino, I was wearing the same blood-spattered jeans I’d worn overnight at the hospital. The young valet gave me a leery glance. I held up a hand because I wasn’t inclined to argue with him. “I’m leaving the car right here. This won’t take long.”

I drew startled stares from onlookers as I jogged down the brightly flowered carpet, passing the casino entrance and the hotel check-in. I didn’t stop until I reached the business offices. And when I pushed the door open and the receptionist stammered out a greeting, I didn’t pause to inquire if Hiram was in or if he was available. She left her desk and followed me down the hallway.

“Mr. Penney? Can I assist you?”

She couldn’t.

I didn’t knock on the door of Caro’s office; I just turned the knob and shoved open the door.

The office offered a floor-to-ceiling view of the hotel pool and, beyond that, the Gulf Coast. But Caro’s seat didn’t take advantage of the view; his desk faced a wall of screens displaying live footage of the activity on the casino floor.

The old man sat all alone in there at his massive wooden desk. That surprised me. I was prepared to find him flanked by security goons and bodyguards. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d seen him without Joey Roman at his elbow.

“Who let you in here?” he asked.

He didn’t appear to be flustered by my unannounced appearance, not that I could see. His hand was steady as he tapped his cigarette ash into an ashtray, a large brass replica of a roulette wheel. FABULOUS LAS VEGAS was embossed around the metal rim.

I said, “Nobody let me in.”

I took a seat in front of the desk as his receptionist poked her head into the office. “Mr. Caro, I’m so sorry!”

“Shut the door,” he said without glancing in her direction.

She closed it with a quiet click, and I said, “Last night, my investigator’s home was broken into. Two men attacked her.”

His face didn’t betray any reaction. “That’s too bad.”

“You’re right, it is. That’s some cowardly bullshit, striking out at me by beating up a woman who works for me.” It was an intentional choice, characterizing my relationship with Jenny as strictly business. Revealing the depth of our friendship would make her more vulnerable, and she was already in jeopardy.

Caro said, “I can’t disagree with that.”

Grasping the arms of the chair, I leaned toward the old man. “Don’t try to play me, Caro. I know you unleashed your hired thugs on Jenny Glaser last night.”

“You’re crazy. This is the first I’ve heard about it.” He stubbed his cigarette out in the center of the roulette wheel.

“I think you’re lying.”

His face broke into a grin. “That’s funny, Penney.”

“What the hell’s funny about it?”

“That you came over here because you actually believe I give a shit about what you think. Want to hear the goddamn truth?”

I wanted to take the metal ashtray and use it to smash his face, crush his nose, pay him back for what his thugs had done to Jenny. But I remained in the chair.

He went on. “I’m not interested in you or your friends. And I don’t care what you think I’ve done to your friends.” Caro’s eyes strayed to the closed-circuit television screens filming the casino floor. Then he returned his attention to me and placed his hand on the receiver of the telephone that sat on his desk.

“The only reason you’re still sitting in that chair is that I respect what you did for my son. If I wanted you gone, all I’d have to do is pick up this phone. But you know that.”

It was true. I was keenly aware that with one word from Caro, I would be planted at the bottom of a dumpster filled with oyster shells.

“But my son might not like that. He’s high-minded. Daniel wouldn’t be comfortable with his defense attorney getting rough treatment at a Caro casino. Daniel’s delicate about things like that. He’s always been sensitive. That’s what makes him such a good doctor.”

He spoke the word doctor with obvious relish. He picked up a pack of cigarettes and shook one out. He lit it, exhaled the smoke, and said, “My son is still trying to get past the turmoil and scandal that the Gates girl created in his life. Here’s what I recommend. I suggest that you and your investigator leave my son alone. He was found not guilty. There’s no reason for Daniel to continue to be tormented by that trial.”

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