Crimson Pt. 01

Before Cassie could answer, Thomas spoke up, "We have intense training for our new hires. With the gambling laws in this state, we need to ensure all of our employees understand all the nuances. I'm afraid it's all day, sometimes topping twelve hours. Our trainees are so tired they just turn in when they're finished. We put them up in one of our rooms while they're here."

"How long does this training usually last?" I inquired.

"Usually two to three weeks." Thomas explained. "I'll get Cassie to call her parents later today and ease their worries. We try to stress to our trainees to tell someone where they are, but not all of them listen."

I wasn't done asking questions, but Thomas was done answering them. Before I could say anything else, he said, "If you need anything further, you can direct them to our lawyer. Now, Cassie must return to her training or she may fall behind. I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I'll have Paul escort you out. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Before Thomas finished talking, security escorted Cassie out of the office. Thomas stood up, shook my hand, and handed me a business card with his lawyer's information on it. He ended that abruptly. I was sure he was hiding something, but that wasn't my concern. Cassie was safe. That's what I came here for, so my job was done. Paul walked me back to the lobby and gave me his business card. I was back in my car and on the road within ten minutes.

I reported back to the precinct and filled out the paperwork to close the case. I called Cassie's parents and notified them of what I found, and that she should call later tonight. Well, it wasn't a total waste of time. I stuffed myself at the buffet, so at least I had that. It was certainly better than sitting in the office all day.

After work, I drove to the diner to meet Brenda. Our dinners were the highlight of my week. Right on time, she walked in and sat down.

"What? Kathy not coming?" I asked, disappointed.

"No, not tonight." She quickly replied. "She's not feeling well and I have her at home with a friend. She told me to say hi."

We both ordered and made small talk until our food came out. Half way through eating, Brenda had some news to share.

"I found a job." She announced.

"What?" I replied, excited. "That's great. What is it?"

"It's at a law firm downtown." She answered quickly. "I never stopped putting in my resume, but I never figured I would hear anything back. The other day they called me in for an interview, and they said I was perfect."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I inquired.

"I didn't want to say anything until I had it." She replied. "I've been to interviews, but once they find I have a record, it's over. I thought this would be the same way, but they didn't mind."

Brenda indeed had a record. Vice picked her up a few times for soliciting, and once for shoplifting. She didn't have money for food and a shopkeeper caught her taking peanut butter and jelly along with bread. It was a bullshit collar, but the officers had to book her because the shopkeeper pressed charges. I report him at least once a month for health code violations just to make him suffer.

"I never asked, but what is it you did before the recession?" I inquired.

"I was a financial analyst." She answered. "I worked for a brokerage firm. My degree is in business banking and finance. I was working on my masters before the markets crashed."

"Well, damn." I answered, absolutely flabbergasted. "I've known you for years, and I never would have guessed. That's incredible, and I'm thrilled for you."

"Thanks, James." She replied. "I didn't want to tell you about my past because of how embarrassed I was. I went from a six-figure income to walking the streets. I didn't even want to look at myself in the mirror. I'm just so happy I can barely contain it. I can finally give my daughter the life she deserves and get us into a safer place to live."

I congratulated her and heaped as much praise on her as I could. She deserved it. She was beautiful, but the worry and stress was causing her to look older than her twenty-eight years.

"At what law firm are you working?" I inquired.

"Wallace, Johnson, and Simons." She answered.

What the hell? What are the chances? I pulled out my wallet and looked at the business card Thomas gave me at the Casino. It was the same law firm. In fact, it listed Theodore Wallace as the Casino's lawyer.

"What's wrong?" Brenda asked me. I realized I had a puzzled look on my face and explained, "That's the same law firm that represents Crystal Lake Casino. I was just there for a missing persons case today."

"Oh my, is everything ok?" she asked.

"Yes, everything is fine." I replied. "The missing woman was there taking part in a training program for new employees. They're pretty extensive in their training, and it could take three weeks."

"That's a coincidence." Brenda explained. "My new job is the same. They hold their training out of town, and I'll be gone for a few weeks."

"What about Kathy?" I asked.

"Oh, they said she could come with me." She explained. "They're putting us up in a rental while I train. The law firm has offices all over the country, and they train all of their new employees in the same place. They told me it cuts down on expenses, and ensures everyone receives the same training."

I've never heard of a law firm needing that, but what did I know? The important part was Brenda had an actual job. It was just great news. We spent the next hour talking, and Brenda covered everything she knew about the job and the people she met. She informed me she had to leave tomorrow morning, but she would let me know when she arrived back in town. We finally shared numbers, and I snapped a picture of her for her contact on my phone. She reminded me she expected to be out of contact for long periods of time, so don't be concerned if I didn't hear from her. Fair enough.

After saying my goodbyes, I drove home. It was getting late, and I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to melt into my couch, turn on old reruns, and drink myself to sleep. As I drove, I thought about how life can change. In my case, less than two hours. For Brenda, it took years. I was glad she was getting out of her prison. I just didn't have hope I would ever walk out of mine.

I stopped off at the liquor store across from the precinct and picked up enough supplies to get me through a few days. I sat at home consuming my new purchases, slowly passing the point of lucidness. I continued drinking until I reached the point I was after.

"Honey, how was your day?" I heard Amanda ask next to me.

"It was ok." I answered. "I missed you. I look forward all day to coming home and seeing you."

She was wearing what she always wore. A brightly colored sundress that hung off her shoulders. It was my favorite and gave me a marvelous view of her cleavage. Right above her breasts hung a silver angel necklace. I stared transfixed at the light reflected off it and felt calm.

Her dress came down to about mid-thigh, showing off her long, beautiful legs. All of that was good, but her smile and beautiful blue eyes pulled me in. I reached over and held her hand, feeling her soft skin. She always used lavender body lotion to keep her skin soft, something her mother taught her.

She leaned down and gave me a kiss. Her lips were heaven, and I melted when they touched mine. She pulled back and lifted her dress over her head. Her marvelous breasts came into view. She always had perky B cups before the pregnancy turned them into large C cups. I reached out and felt them as she climbed into my lap. Her lavender perfume overwhelmed me and I momentarily lost myself.

Fumbling with my pants, I pulled out my already erect cock. Amanda reached down, grabbed it, and placed it against her vagina, rubbing it a little and driving me crazy. She looked at me with a wicked smile, teasing me and still rubbing. I grabbed her hips and pulled her down, entering her with a pop and driving my cock deep inside. She threw her head back and moaned. She loved it when I was forceful, something she always wanted me to explore more.

She slowly rode me, keeping eye contact and kissing me occasionally. We sat like that for what seemed like hours, enjoying each other. The feeling was magnificent. As Amada picked up speed, my grip on her waist tightened, and I pumped my hips into her harder. We continued picking up speed until I exploded, emptying everything I had into her. She threw her head back and orgasmed, leaning back to the point I thought she would fall off of my lap.

After her orgasm subsided, she leaned forward and rolled off of me. She leaned sideways and put her head on my chest. "That was wonderful, darling." She purred. "I always enjoy that. Tell me, what do you think about that girl from the Casino?"

"What? I don't care about her." I answered. "All I care about is you. I never want this to end."

"Nonsense." She replied. "You know that wasn't right. You have good instincts, and I know you felt something off about that entire episode. You need to look into it more."

"But honey, she's safe." I answered, feeling frustrated Amanda wouldn't let it go. "She's alive. I did my job."

"Stop it James." She admonished me. "She's alive, but not safe. You know it as well. And Brenda, what about her?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure where she was going. "She's great. She has a new job."

"Working for the law firm that represents the Casino." She explained. "That's too much of a coincidence. Add to that she has extensive training planned, just like Cassie. Something smells fishy."

"You may be right." I admitted. "But it's not my concern."

"It is your concern, James." Amanda warned me. "Your new life is waiting for you. Lives depend on it."

"I don't understand what you're saying." I replied. "My life is here. Can't we just stay here and forget everything else?"

"I'm afraid not honey, it's time to get up." Amanda said, standing and looking down on me.

"What?" I asked. "I don't understand."

"I said it's time to wake up." She was holding an alarm clock in her hand. She lifted it up and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a hundred pieces. It startled me and I opened my eyes.

Damn, right back in my bed, alone. My alarm was buzzing, and I shut it off. My head pounded, and I barely made it to the bathroom. I followed my usual routine, drank my breakfast, and headed to work. I thought about calling Brenda to ask a few more questions, but decided against it. She was probably already nervous, and I didn't want to add to it.

I thought more about the conversation with my wife the night before. I know you're thinking that I'm mental. Yeah, I probably am. That doesn't bother me. I love my wife and I have conversations with her. Is she here, or is that just the alcohol talking? I don't know and I don't care. I have the same feelings I had when she was alive, and to me, that's all that matters. It's all I have.

I spent the next few of weeks looking into the Crystal Lake Casino and Theodore Wallace's law firm in my free time. There wasn't much to find. Mr. Wallace founded the law firm thirty years ago, and it quickly gained reputation and offices throughout the state and country. The expansion was meteoric, and it was now the largest law firm in the U.S. I could find nothing that explained how it expanded so quickly.

The Crystal Lake Casino was built just five years ago after the same Theo Wallace petitioned the state legislature to legalize gambling. Most of it is owned by a collection of private interests. However, I could only lock down Mr. Wallace's name as an owner. The others, if there were others, were too well hidden.

I pulled some late night and overnight stakeouts at the casino and law firm. I didn't see too much out of the ordinary. Men and women came and went. There were several women that visited both places many times, but that wasn't suspicious enough to investigate further. They may be employees of one of the other business, and the law firm represents the casino. It didn't seem too far out of the ordinary.

Brenda finally returned after three weeks. She called and wanted to meet me at the diner and I looked forward to talking with her. When I walked in, I almost fell over. Brenda was there, but she looked different. She stood in front of me in three-inch heels. That wasn't new. What was new was her now blonde hair, styled in a wave and falling to her shoulders. Her breasts seemed fuller, but it may have been a new bra. She always had nice, rounded C cups, and I could see almost all of them pushing out the top of her red dress. Her dress clung to her hourglass shape and ended at her lower thigh.

I wasn't an expert on women's clothes, but her dress looked expensive, as did her heels. Her makeup was well done, much better than I was used to seeing. It must have been the difference between the cheap stuff she used before and what she wore now. As I walked up, she looked a little worried.

"Brenda, you're a knockout." I said, barely able to keep my eyes off of her. "Did they give you a makeover?"

"They gave me a new wardrobe, that's all." She said, dismissing what I just said. "That's not why I'm here. I'm supposed to deliver a message to you from Mr. Wallace. He knows you've been investigating his law firm and the casino. He wants a meeting with you."

I didn't know what to say. How the hell did he find out? I didn't think I was that sloppy. Then again, when am I not?

"When does he want to meet?" I asked.

"Right now." She answered, looking nervous. "His limo is waiting for us in the back of the diner."

That didn't sound good. I may not be the brightest in the world, but I knew better than to get into someone's car unless I trusted them.

"You can tell Mr. Wallace I would love to talk with him, but he can come to the precinct."

Brenda looked around quickly, then leaned in and said, "James, please. Listen to him. If you don't, he will hurt both of us. He's not a nice man."

Fuck. What choice did I have? I quickly called my desk phone and left a message. I recorded the details of what I was investigating, who I was looking into, and the events of this evening. I made sure it had the fact that I was leaving the diner with Mr. Wallace, and that if I disappeared, he was the first they should look at. I knew in the event of a death, all the officer's files and messages were cataloged. Someone would find it.

I told Brenda to lead the way, and we walked out the back door. Just as she said, they parked a black stretch limo across the street. It looked more like a stretched SUV more than a car, and the size was impressive. We walked up to it, and the door opened. Out stepped two security guards, who motioned for us to climb in. The limo had two rows of seats, one facing forward and one facing the rear. There was a mini bar along the left side. The floors were lower, and a larger central area was between the two seats.

Mr. Wallace sat facing the rear, closer to the driver. I sat in a seat across from him, but Brenda sat next to him. The security guards climbed in and sat on either side of me. Yeah, that wasn't intimidating at all.

Theodore Wallace was an older man, probably pushing sixty. He was in fair shape, but carried a small belly. He had gray hair on his balding head, and his hair was thinning on the sides. He wore a pair of thin framed wire glasses. I made out a little stubble on his chin, but otherwise was clean shaven. He looked to stand about 5'10, but seated, I couldn't be sure. I glanced to the sides and noted the two security guards were armed. So was I, but I doubted I could outdraw two men.

"Detective Green, it's a pleasure to meet you." He announced. His pleasantries felt fake. "I've been looking into you as you've been looking into me. Let me say that I don't appreciate you investigating me or the casino. I do, however, understand it's part of your job. That I can respect."

"Why am I here?" I broke in. I wasn't letting this weasel lead the conversation without some input from me. I had to show him he didn't intimidate me.

"I didn't get to where I am today without seizing opportunities." He answered. "And I see one in front of me. I have a need for a detective to add to my payroll, and your assignment in missing persons works out perfectly."

"What are you asking?" I interrupted. "Just get to the point. I don't enjoy beating around the bush."

"A man after my heart." He replied. "I want you to work for me, provide security for some of my employees, and run interference for me with your department."

"What type of interference?" I asked. I didn't like the direction this was going.

"Your visit to the casino was unwelcomed, although not unexpected." He explained. "Our folks were sloppy. They didn't clean up Cassie's credit card records as they should. That led you right to us. I can't have that happen again."

"What in the hell are you hiding?" I asked, getting annoyed. "Are you running some sort of prostitution ring?"

"You're close detective." He answered. "We run a sort of pleasure club. We use women to please our members in a variety of ways."

"Ok, so you are into prostitution." I replied. "I don't care, and honestly, most of the people I work with don't either. I'm friends with plenty of women that work the street."

"No, you don't understand." Mr. Wallace explained further. "Our members don't want prostitutes, they want the housewife next door, or the woman executive, or the college student. We provide them with what they want."

"Ok, now we're getting somewhere." I fired back. "Was that so hard to say? Is that what happened to Cassie? What did you do, kidnap her and force her to sleep with your members?"

I was talking out of my ass. I was putting the pieces together, and was just trying to stay ahead of everything. I didn't think it was that obvious, but I wanted to keep myself in the conversation and put him on the defensive.

"You're almost correct." He said. "We don't kidnap them, however. Each woman we take in has at least one legal or financial problem. In Cassie's case, we caught her trying to steal from the casino. She was in debt to us and we caught her lifting chips from another patron at one of our tables. People will do foolish things for money. We gave her a choice. She either works for us or we press charges. The amount she stole is a felony, so the choice was an easy one for her."

"You blackmail women and pimp them out to your members." I responded. "Your mother must be so proud. Again, I don't give a fuck. That's not my problem."

"And that, detective Greene, is why I want you to work for me." He asserted. "The fact you don't care makes you perfect. Any other officer would want to report me, but not you. I will pay you well, enough to move out of that shitty apartment into someplace much nicer."

"You can keep your money, and for the record, I don't want to move." I retorted. "If that's all you have, you can let me out here."

"Oh, I think I have something else that may interest you." Mr. Wallace boasted. "Brenda, kneel."

Once he said that, Brenda stood up. The limo was big enough for her to stand, but she was still bent over slightly. She moved in front of Mr. Wallace with her back to me. She reached down and pulled her dress over her head. She stepped out of her panties and took off her bra. Keeping her heels on, she kneeled in front of him, put her arms behind her back, and spread her legs with her heels together.

She was just a few feet in front of me and I had a perfect shot of her ass. I noticed it over the years, but it was always in some sort of shorts or tight skirt. Seeing it now made me erect. Her ass was the perfect shape, nice and rounded, but not too big.

As I was admiring Brenda, Mr. Wallace said, "Suck."