Holcyons (ePub)

From Chapter Two

CASINO

THE MANAGER'S OFFICE

As Kader entered the office he saw two men, Deton, and another man, seated on either side of Mr. Marsh.

"Come on in kid. Have a seat," Marsh said.

Kader sat opposite them.

"This is our new employee, Kader Carlyle. Kader, meet my Vice President of Operations, Mr. Deton, and that is our Head of Security, Mr. Wayland."

"Why did you want to see me, sir?"

Marsh folded his hands on his desk. "I was wondering if you could, how should I say, demonstrate your perceptive skills for them."

Kader replied, "I'd rather not, if that's okay."

"Why?"

"I really want to keep my job."

"I don't believe anyone can read minds." The uniformed security officer, Wayland, sat back in his chair. "I'm volunteering. There's nothing you can say to me, kid. Give it your best shot," he said with a half-laugh,

No sooner were the words out of Wayland's mouth than Kader said, "You have spent time in prison, and are tormented by a fear that you are gay."

An infuriated Wayland flew from his chair and attacked Kader, tackling him and throwing punches. The other two men pulled Wayland off Kader and hustled him out of the office. Kader had a swollen cheek and a bloody lip. As Marsh settled Kader back in his chair, he yelled for his secretary. When she appeared he said, "Bring us breakfast, and some ice!"

~

An Hour Later

~

Marsh was explaining the monetary problems of the casino to Kader. "Other casinos are not hurting like we are, so I'm counting out any scam from the outside. My belief is that the problem is inside, with the employees."

Deton sipped his coffee, "I agree. They're stealing from us. Trouble is, we don't have any proof."

"What do you want me to do?" Kader said, pressing the ice to his forehead.

Deton answered. "We want you to do your...thing...read our employees...the people behind the gaming tables."

Kader lifted a muffin off the tray. "Thanks for the breakfast, Mr. Marsh."

"You're welcome." Marsh leaned forward saying, "Give us a profile, anything that would suggest who might be stealing from the house."

Deton added, "That might be tough for him to do on a busboy's salary, Mr. Marsh."

Marsh replied, "I'll give him the Head of Security's salary, if he can solve this."

~

Kader felt off balance as he walked onto the casino floor. Those blows to the head had left their effect. His vision was blurry and he was overwhelmed by the sounds of voices, slot machines, and the high energy hustle and bustle of the casino floor. Then he found a space by the swinging kitchen doors. He pressed his back against the wall and took a deep breath. The din of the casino was awash in emotional glows of yellow, with flashes of green, radiating from the crowd.

Steadying himself, Kader began to move among the tables. A winning spin at roulette would bring a yellow flash of greed to the lucky person. Someone at a slot machine would get matching fruit in a winning line and cheer, enveloping them in yellow light. At the same time, all non-winners surrounding the winner, would be bathed in auras of envious green. The blackjack dealers and the spinners of the roulette wheels neither won nor lost. Their aura was supposed to be the blue pathos of indifference, a layering of both green and yellow. But the tellers also glowed in winning-yellow. As Kader walked through the casino, each of the dealers was illuminated in yellow. Kader could only surmise they were all on the take. Indeed, Marsh's employees were stealing from the house.

Kader decided to report his findings. He could at least confirm Mr. Marsh's suspicions.

Just as he was making his way to the office, he saw a dark, silver-edged shadow, slipping effortlessly through the customers' bodies on the gaming floor. It was nothing more than a slithering, nebulous form. He stood, transfixed, as he watched the glinting shape course through the unsuspecting crowd, jumping from one body to the next with a slight movement of wings. There was a large, boisterous m