Teemings
The E-Zine of the Straight Dope Community

Vegas Flyer (Chapter 7)

by aha

Tanner's eyes popped open at Six O'clock a.m. on Monday morning. For a couple of seconds he couldn't remember where he was, but when he looked to the other side of the bed at the sleeping Gloria, it all came back into focus. He was momentarily flooded with guilt from last night's interlude. He shook it off. There had been no room search during the night and probably wouldn't be. Caesars Palace did not want to take a chance of disturbing any of the high roller guests. If they knew that he was in the building they would be watching every exit however. He shook Gloria awake.

"Good morning sugar." She said.

"Its time to make our move." James replied. He unlocked the metal fastener on the briefcase and counted out $20,000. "This is yours."

"Thank you." She said sleepily then put the money in her suitcase. Having not dressed yet he took the duct tape and began taping the rest of the money to his body in various places. He taped a row of money around his waist and to both legs where the pants became loose below the knee. Then taped a towel around his middle covering up the sharp outlines of the bills. It gave him a paunchy middle-aged look. Then he glued the pencil thin mustache to his upper lip, and then put on the white shirt and tie and finally the tan suit that Gloria had gotten for him in downtown Vegas. She had also bought him a fedora shaped straw hat, which he now tried on. Not bad.........he was not a hat wearer but in this case it did serve to make him look different. He turned to Gloria. "Ready?"

The elevator door opened and Tanner, with Gloria on his arm, took a deep breath and stepped out. It was nearing mid-morning and the lobby was full of gamblers already. He looked at the exits and saw two uniformed policemen on the ones he could see from where he was standing. He was going to have to rely completely on his disguise and the distraction of Gloria on his arm. One thing was for sure, he didn't look anything like the guy that had checked in three days ago, and if they could fall into a stream of people going in and out of the front exit they might just get away with it. He felt in his pocket for the sixty-two hundred that was left over from his initial twenty-five thousand dollars that he had bought with him. This would be needed to either rent a plane or buy a car, as he had serious doubts about getting out of the Vegas airport without being detected. They walked past the casino, talking to each other like they had just met and were infatuated with each other, and then fell into a line of people exiting the front door. As they approached the two uniformed policemen, Gloria pulled his head towards her and gave him a lingering kiss on the side of the mouth, so that the only thing the policemen could see was the back of Tanner's straw hat. By the time she had finished her kiss they were standing in the Nevada breeze.

"Cab misses Jennings?" The doorman asked as soon as he saw her.

"Yes please." She chirped. Tanner reached in his pocket and pulled a twenty from the roll and handed it to the doorman.

"Thank you sir." Without really looking, his eyes were fixed on Gloria's ample behind as she bent over to get in the cab.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

"Just drive." James replied.

As they pulled away he felt better just getting away from Caesars Palace, but he was far from out of the woods yet. After 10 minutes of driving he noticed a pay phone located by a convenience store. He tapped the driver on the shoulder.

"Pull over here." The cab swerved over and pulled into the front of the store. Tanner got out, looking around he could see no police cars so he picked up the receiver, put in coins and dialed collect to his number.

"James?" Margaret's voice came on the line. Where are you?"

"Margaret, is there anyone there with you?" The fake mustache was beginning to itch and the money was beginning to chafe various parts of his body.

"No one. James, where the hell are you?" She repeated almost yelling.

"Everything is all right on this end. Have you heard from Boardman?"

"Yes, he said you’re through at company. James I'm so confused."

"It doesn't matter about the old man and his job...we are fixed for money. Just be quiet and listen, I don't have much time. What I am about to ask you to do will be upsetting but if you love me you'll do as I ask."

There was a pause...."Ok."

"Call Don Harrison at Burbank Reality, his number is on the rolodex on my desk in the den. Tell him you want to put the house up for sale. We'll take whatever he thinks it's worth. He can sell it the furniture with it." Harrison was an old Vietnam army buddy and Tanner knew he could depend on him no questions asked.

"We are leaving Burbank forever, Margaret, for Jamaica. We have the money we need now to start our own business. I will tell you the rest soon."

"But..." she started.

"Margaret please shut up and listen... get a pencil and write this down... I don't have much time. Tell Don I will let him know where to send the money for the house. Tell him you need some money right now, that he can take it out as an advance on the purchase of the house. Then pack whatever you need, along with our passports.... our passports," he repeated, "that’s important, Margaret, don't forget them. Go to the airport and buy a ticket to Miami, use cash, don't use a credit card. Take the plane to Miami and check into the Meridian Hotel at the airport under the name Liz Smith and wait for me. I'll be there as quick as I can. Got it?"

"I think so, but I wish I knew what was going on."

"You will in time, just do as I say...I know its on blind faith, Margaret, but you know I love you and I have never made a promise to you that I couldn't keep, and I promise it will be ok." He noticed a police car cruising slowly past the convenience store.

"I can't talk anymore. I love you." He hung up the phone and got back into the cab. They pulled back out and headed in the he general direction of the airport.

"The little woman?" Gloria asked with a trace of sarcasm.

"Yeah," he said as he settled back into the seat of the cab.

"I gotta have a destination sooner or later buddy." The cabbie barked.

"Where can I rent an airplane?" Tanner replied.

"There's a couple of places by the airport I think," said the driver.

"Find one and there's an extra fifty dollars in it for you."

A few minutes later the cab pulled up in front of Desert Aviation.

"Wait here," he told the driver and walked inside. At first he thought no one was there, then he spied an old man with a receding hairline propped back in a straight chair, under an air conditioning unit, eating a Butterfinger.

"Got a plane for rent?" James asked.

"Sure do." Tiny slivers of Butterfinger caught up in the flow of the air conditioning unit flew across the room.

"Got two one-fifties and a one seventy-five in the hanger all available."

"I'd like to rent the one seventy-five." Tanner replied.

"Ok, forty-five dollars an hour plus gas." He laid the candy bar down.

"That's fine, it will be one way to Burbank airport. Do you have connections there that will fly it back?"

"Yep, but it will cost you the round trip air mileage and a five hundred dollar deposit plus gas." He had resumed his attack on the Butterfinger.

"I'll pay cash up front for the whole thing." The man's eyes brightened.

"I'll have to see your pilots license." He said. James pulled out his wallet and dug out his license. He was glad he had kept them current.

"Here's your keys, hanger four, and you can file your flight plan in the air. Leave the keys at the Avionics Inc. desk at Burbank. Cessna Charlie whisky 25766 is topped off with gas and ready to go."

"Thanks." Tanner started back to the cab. Once outside he motioned for Gloria to get out of the cab.

"I guess this is where we part company. I want to thank you for everything." She leaned into him and threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

"Take me with you." Her eyes were watery.

"I can't."

"James, we could have such fun together. Wasn't it good for you last night? I know you liked it. We're good together, James...take me with you and you won't be disappointed." Her words came out in a rush now.

"I didn't need the $20,000, James. I helped you escape because I could see that you and I are two of a kind. We could travel the globe, do things together, change our names, whatever you like." Her voice had taken on a pleading tone. She drove a hard bargain.

"Gloria, I love my wife...always have, always will. I'm sorry but last night should not have happened." She slowly released her arms from his neck.

"You bastard." She said softly.

"Good-bye Gloria." he said and disappeared inside of hanger number four.