Chapter Three
"Ladies and Leroy," Terry said. They were meeting in the apartment they'd gotten for the girls.
"The three of you are sisters who grew up in foster care, you've all been round the block but always looking out for one another. Here's your IDs, credit cards, other documents. You've all worked casinos before but this is the first time you've all managed to work together. Betty Jo, you've got a rap sheet - prostitution. Billie, arrested for drugs when you were just out of high school, clean since. Bobbie, you're the only one who's stayed on the right side of the law, dragging your two sisters toward the light, as it were. Leroy, you're just in town from Biloxi, never been to Vegas before. You're staying in a cheap hotel right around the block. Here's your ID and a credit card. Phones. All with SIM cards we can follow and monitor, so no talking sexy on them unless you want us monitoring to have to take cold showers.
"The op is run out of that apartment over there. I've got line of sight on Leroy's hotel room and this apartment. We've several vans which we'll cycle through so none of them become too obvious.
"If I need to speak with you your phones will get a text message saying "Race 22 - Bucks Folly" Don't look for me, I'll find you. Girls, Betty and Billie start the evening shift tomorrow, Bobbie, afternoon after that. Leroy will be dealing tomorrow afternoon for the geriatric set under close observation to see how he does, so stay away from him. Questions?"
"And if we need to speak to you?" Billie asked.
"Text me at 434-5555. I'm your bookie. If you can't for some reason, you girls order a Singapore Sling at the bar and carry it to the slots. I'll find you."
"Are we working wired?" Betty Jo asked.
"No. I don't want you in any more danger than we can help, at least until we can figure out what's going on," Terry replied. "We've hacked into the casino CCTV so we'll follow you that way. Don't forget, the casino is big time wired. And there are mics in strategic places so no place is safe for chatter."
Betty Jo nodded. When no one else said anything she said, "There's something I need to tell ya'll. A sort of FYI, just in case thing." She took a breath and went on, "I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant."
"Ah. And, uhm... thanks. If you start having difficulties then you're out the minute we can extract you safely. Leroy?" Terry asked.
Leroy was standing there, staring at Betty Jo. When he realized he was the center of attention he grinned. "Wow. Congrats, Betty Jo. I hope?"
She blushed and mumbled, "I don't know yet, but thanks." She grimaced and looked at her sisters. The message they were sending her was clear. They'd talk later. In private. And it reminded her of something else. "Leroy, we should set up a schedule I think, where you and I can check in with each other. Mentally I mean. Tight connection and short."
"Yeah, good point." When Terry looked a question, Leroy told him, "Uhm, it's a weird thing, you know. We're uhm, a little different. We can, uhm disappear too, so if we do, don't get all panicky, 'kay?"
"Disappear?" Terry asked. "Like what we did to go to London?" Terry asked Betty Jo.
"Yes and probably exactly like what was happening with the guys your people were tailing who disappeared. The scientific term is teleportation. What Leroy and I are talking about is telepathy. If this goes on very long Leroy, we might want to talk to Stephen and Ian about setting links with Billie and Bobbie and Terry too. Also I meant to check and forgot to, about a way to monitor telepathy inside the casino."
"Okay, I'm gonna need a refresher course on what it is you guys can do," Terry said. "Who can I talk to while you're in?"
"Depends on the topic," Betty said.
"Look, if you guys can teleport and whasis, telepathy, then I need to understand it. Especially if the bad guys can do that too."
Betty exchanged a look with Leroy. "Okay basically there's two kinds of talent, magical and what you could generically call psi or -pathic. Talk to Ian on the magical," she said and rattled off a cell phone number. "For the psi you should talk to Stephen and Leroy can set that up. He's in the psi category, I'm mainly in the magical, though I know little about it and have some abilities that result from things in the psi category." She grinned at Terry. "Clear as mud, right?"
"Why didn't you offer all this before the op. Geez," Terry muttered hurriedly writing down the numbers. "Stephen who?"
"Because it's not common knowledge and Saul didn't need to know, nor does anyone else," Betty said. "But this is exactly why we got called in. And it's just Stephen."
"All right. You guys settle in while I try to catch up."
"Terry, anything new from the informant? Or on your missing agents?" Bobbie asked.
He shook his head. "I'll let you know."
"Well," Leroy said. "I better go hang out at my flea-bag hotel. Thanks for that Terry."
"Think nothin' of it, Leroy. Welcome to the big time."
"The three of you are sisters who grew up in foster care, you've all been round the block but always looking out for one another. Here's your IDs, credit cards, other documents. You've all worked casinos before but this is the first time you've all managed to work together. Betty Jo, you've got a rap sheet - prostitution. Billie, arrested for drugs when you were just out of high school, clean since. Bobbie, you're the only one who's stayed on the right side of the law, dragging your two sisters toward the light, as it were. Leroy, you're just in town from Biloxi, never been to Vegas before. You're staying in a cheap hotel right around the block. Here's your ID and a credit card. Phones. All with SIM cards we can follow and monitor, so no talking sexy on them unless you want us monitoring to have to take cold showers.
"The op is run out of that apartment over there. I've got line of sight on Leroy's hotel room and this apartment. We've several vans which we'll cycle through so none of them become too obvious.
"If I need to speak with you your phones will get a text message saying "Race 22 - Bucks Folly" Don't look for me, I'll find you. Girls, Betty and Billie start the evening shift tomorrow, Bobbie, afternoon after that. Leroy will be dealing tomorrow afternoon for the geriatric set under close observation to see how he does, so stay away from him. Questions?"
"And if we need to speak to you?" Billie asked.
"Text me at 434-5555. I'm your bookie. If you can't for some reason, you girls order a Singapore Sling at the bar and carry it to the slots. I'll find you."
"Are we working wired?" Betty Jo asked.
"No. I don't want you in any more danger than we can help, at least until we can figure out what's going on," Terry replied. "We've hacked into the casino CCTV so we'll follow you that way. Don't forget, the casino is big time wired. And there are mics in strategic places so no place is safe for chatter."
Betty Jo nodded. When no one else said anything she said, "There's something I need to tell ya'll. A sort of FYI, just in case thing." She took a breath and went on, "I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant."
"Ah. And, uhm... thanks. If you start having difficulties then you're out the minute we can extract you safely. Leroy?" Terry asked.
Leroy was standing there, staring at Betty Jo. When he realized he was the center of attention he grinned. "Wow. Congrats, Betty Jo. I hope?"
She blushed and mumbled, "I don't know yet, but thanks." She grimaced and looked at her sisters. The message they were sending her was clear. They'd talk later. In private. And it reminded her of something else. "Leroy, we should set up a schedule I think, where you and I can check in with each other. Mentally I mean. Tight connection and short."
"Yeah, good point." When Terry looked a question, Leroy told him, "Uhm, it's a weird thing, you know. We're uhm, a little different. We can, uhm disappear too, so if we do, don't get all panicky, 'kay?"
"Disappear?" Terry asked. "Like what we did to go to London?" Terry asked Betty Jo.
"Yes and probably exactly like what was happening with the guys your people were tailing who disappeared. The scientific term is teleportation. What Leroy and I are talking about is telepathy. If this goes on very long Leroy, we might want to talk to Stephen and Ian about setting links with Billie and Bobbie and Terry too. Also I meant to check and forgot to, about a way to monitor telepathy inside the casino."
"Okay, I'm gonna need a refresher course on what it is you guys can do," Terry said. "Who can I talk to while you're in?"
"Depends on the topic," Betty said.
"Look, if you guys can teleport and whasis, telepathy, then I need to understand it. Especially if the bad guys can do that too."
Betty exchanged a look with Leroy. "Okay basically there's two kinds of talent, magical and what you could generically call psi or -pathic. Talk to Ian on the magical," she said and rattled off a cell phone number. "For the psi you should talk to Stephen and Leroy can set that up. He's in the psi category, I'm mainly in the magical, though I know little about it and have some abilities that result from things in the psi category." She grinned at Terry. "Clear as mud, right?"
"Why didn't you offer all this before the op. Geez," Terry muttered hurriedly writing down the numbers. "Stephen who?"
"Because it's not common knowledge and Saul didn't need to know, nor does anyone else," Betty said. "But this is exactly why we got called in. And it's just Stephen."
"All right. You guys settle in while I try to catch up."
"Terry, anything new from the informant? Or on your missing agents?" Bobbie asked.
He shook his head. "I'll let you know."
"Well," Leroy said. "I better go hang out at my flea-bag hotel. Thanks for that Terry."
"Think nothin' of it, Leroy. Welcome to the big time."