Page 78 of Reckless Chance
“Now that he’s head of the family, he’s making efforts to legitimize their business interests. Unfortunately, he’s still routinely the subject of threats. That’s where the disguise comes into play. His various versions of Simon allow him to mingle in public and reduce the likelihood that someone will try to kill him.”
“That makes sense. I can understand why you are worried about being linked with him. You can’t afford for the Athena to be seen as having mob connections.”
“Exactly. We’ve found ways to quietly remain friends over the years, but we are extremely careful to keep our business interests separate. That means he’s usually not welcome here. I made an exception tonight because we needed information from him. He also wanted to see Evan and meet Cassie. Paxton taking on his alter ego was the easiest solution for all of us.”
“It’s complicated, but I guess it worked.”
“It did. Paxton gave me a photo and some info about my employee who was interacting with his guys. It turns out that my employee racked up a large gambling debt with the Rossi family. Unfortunately, Paxton doesn’t know the gambler’s full name, only that he goes by A.R.”
“Shit.”
“No kidding. I gave the info to Daniel. It’s possible this guy is an entertainer. The photo isn’t great, but security should be able to narrow down the possibilities.”
“May I see the photo?”
“I already told Daniel to scan it and send it to us.”
“Good. What will you do when you figure out who the gambler is? Will you fire him?”
“Gambling addiction is a serious problem. We’ll try to get him help, but he can’t keep working here. His debt makes him an easy target for blackmail. We can’t risk him using inside info about the Athena to pay off a blackmailer.”
“I see what you mean. Is gambling addiction common?”
“It occurs more often than we’d like. I’ve read studies that say it affects about one to two percent of Americans. It makes me ill to see people gamble away money they can’t afford to lose.”
“You must make a lot of money from those people though.”
“Hopefully not. Certain guests may lose a little more than they intended. When they do, most people don’t repeat that behavior, or they spend a little less on something else to make up for it. Those people usually aren’t addicts. The Athena doesn’t want money from people with gambling problems. We want people here who are having spectacular experiences, not those who believe their next bet will turn their life around. That never works out well for anyone.”
“What are you doing about it? How can you tell who’s addicted?”
“It’s a tough problem. There are signs that we watch for on the cameras. We also train our dealers to look for those gamblers. Then we can cut them off. We also discreetly provide info in all our guestrooms about the signs of addiction and how to get help. Sadly, it’s not enough unless all the casinos band together and implement similar programs. Even then, it’s only a start. It’s a slow process because not everyone shares my belief that we have a moral duty not to take bets from addicts. Some do no more than post the obligatory notices about responsible gambling and where to seek help if you have a problem.”
“Did you confront Paxton about whether his family played a role in Mr. Brentwood’s death and the other mishaps during rehearsals?”
“I did. I’m convinced he had nothing to do with any of that, but it’s still possible the two Rossi guys who were intimidating my employee could have. They may have tried to scare the guy into paying, and the wrong people were hurt. When I hear myself say that, it sounds a little far-fetched though.”
“It does, but I’m not ready to cross them off my list of suspects yet.”
“Paxton promised to investigate and let us know if those guys had any hand in the sabotage.”
“Good. Before you got here, I was thinking we’re gradually piecing the puzzle together, but I have a nagging feeling that we are overlooking something important.”
“There’s other stuff we should go over too. Do you have time to talk in the morning?”
“We can talk now unless you’re too tired.”
“Would you mind if we wait until morning? I’m mentally and physically exhausted.”
“Of course not. Let’s get some sleep.”
42
SEAN
Waking up, I sense someone staring at me. I crack open my eyelids a smidge, not wanting to face full-on daylight quite yet. Sure enough, Lowri is propped on an elbow with a mischievous grin on her face.
“What has you wide awake and so cheerful this morning?” I murmur.
