Chapter Three: Good News Travels Fast
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The news of the incident in the employee parking lot spread through the casino like wild fire through dry brush. Even at the late hour of three in the morning, employee and guest alike ventured out to look at what was left of the crime scene. The lot had been taped off and police were everywhere, looking for clues and trying to reenact what had happened. The general public didn't know the specifics of who was involved or what happened, but it was an established fact that some guy had been brutally assaulted.
Sighing, a dark blonde woman pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to the front. Mary Connell was the Special Events Coordinator for the Montecito, and had heard about the incident a few moments ago while stepping onto the casino floor. As she reached the front of the line, she looked around for her best friend, Danny McCoy. A puzzled look appeared in her eyes as she noticed that neither her nor Ed Deline were anywhere to be seen.
"Mary!" a woman's voice called. Connell looked over to see an African American woman waving at her from near Ed's Hummer, where some of the Montecito employees had gathered. Ducking under the police tape, she quickly ran over to join them.
"Hi." she greeted, looking at the group. Sam was comforting a hysterical-looking Delinda, while Mike, who had been off on his own, walked over and joined Nessa, who had waved Mary over. "What's going on? I heard that someone was assaulted out here." She looked at Mike and Nessa. "Where are Danny and Ed?"
Upon hearing her father's name, Delinda broke down and started sobbing. She buried her face in Sam's chest. A look of concern flashed upon Mary's face.
"Oh, God." Mary gasped as another police car was heard pulling into the lot. "It wasn't Ed, was it?"
"No, it wasn't Ed." Mike replied, shaking his head.
"Then, who was it?" Mary asked curious.
"It was me, Mary."
All eyes turned to see Danny, who had just gotten out of the passenger side of the newly arrived police car. On the surface, he appeared to be okay as there were no visible bruises or scratches on his face. However, due to a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs, he was still in a lot of pain.
"You?" Mary repeated as she walked over to him. Her dark eyes surveyed his entire body. "Oh my God, Danny."
"I'll be fine, Mary." he assured, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Besides a lot of scrapes and bruises, I've just got a couple of bruised ribs and a little concussion." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "I'm going to be just fine."
"What about my father?" Delinda asked frantically as Danny and Mary slowly rejoined the group. "Where is he?"
"I don't know." Danny shook his head, feeling angry with himself. "The last thing I remember was seeing the goons behind this throwing him into the back of a van and taking off." He looked up at Delinda. "I've got no idea where they were going."
"Some help you are." Delinda commented angrily.
"I know." Danny agreed sadly. He slowly turned and walked over to where Luis Perez, a close friend of his and a detective with the Clark County Sheriff's Department, was standing. The Latino man turned upon hearing Danny walk over. "Thanks again for bringing me out here."
"No problem, man." Luis smiled before nodding at the Montecito group. "How are they holding up?"
"Like you'd expect." Danny replied, "You find these bastards yet?"
"We've apparently found the van." Luis said, looking at Danny. "Stranded in the desert, burning."
"Damn it." Danny swore quietly.
"We're doing everything we can, Danny." Luis assured, "However, you and I both know that Ed has a lot of enemies that are capable of making him disappear like this. It's going to be hard to track him down."
"That sounds optimistic." Danny commented with a sarcastic smile.
"It's the truth though." Luis shrugged.
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As consciousness slowly returned to him, Ed Deline groaned. His head felt so heavy that he thought that it might fall off of him at any second. He tried to clear his blurry eyes with his hand, but they wouldn't move. It was then that Deline realized that his hands had been bound together behind him and the chair he was sitting on.
Shaking his head, Ed looked around the small room he was in. It appeared to have been used as an office sometime ago, but everything appeared to be too run down now to be functional. There was a desk facing him and behind that another chair. The facing wall had a huge window that looked down below, but Ed was too far away to see what was there. He could just make out that it was a window into another room and not to the exterior.
"Where the hell am I?" he said to himself.
"Your own personal hell." a familiar voice said from behind him.
To be continued...
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The news of the incident in the employee parking lot spread through the casino like wild fire through dry brush. Even at the late hour of three in the morning, employee and guest alike ventured out to look at what was left of the crime scene. The lot had been taped off and police were everywhere, looking for clues and trying to reenact what had happened. The general public didn't know the specifics of who was involved or what happened, but it was an established fact that some guy had been brutally assaulted.
Sighing, a dark blonde woman pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to the front. Mary Connell was the Special Events Coordinator for the Montecito, and had heard about the incident a few moments ago while stepping onto the casino floor. As she reached the front of the line, she looked around for her best friend, Danny McCoy. A puzzled look appeared in her eyes as she noticed that neither her nor Ed Deline were anywhere to be seen.
"Mary!" a woman's voice called. Connell looked over to see an African American woman waving at her from near Ed's Hummer, where some of the Montecito employees had gathered. Ducking under the police tape, she quickly ran over to join them.
"Hi." she greeted, looking at the group. Sam was comforting a hysterical-looking Delinda, while Mike, who had been off on his own, walked over and joined Nessa, who had waved Mary over. "What's going on? I heard that someone was assaulted out here." She looked at Mike and Nessa. "Where are Danny and Ed?"
Upon hearing her father's name, Delinda broke down and started sobbing. She buried her face in Sam's chest. A look of concern flashed upon Mary's face.
"Oh, God." Mary gasped as another police car was heard pulling into the lot. "It wasn't Ed, was it?"
"No, it wasn't Ed." Mike replied, shaking his head.
"Then, who was it?" Mary asked curious.
"It was me, Mary."
All eyes turned to see Danny, who had just gotten out of the passenger side of the newly arrived police car. On the surface, he appeared to be okay as there were no visible bruises or scratches on his face. However, due to a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs, he was still in a lot of pain.
"You?" Mary repeated as she walked over to him. Her dark eyes surveyed his entire body. "Oh my God, Danny."
"I'll be fine, Mary." he assured, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Besides a lot of scrapes and bruises, I've just got a couple of bruised ribs and a little concussion." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "I'm going to be just fine."
"What about my father?" Delinda asked frantically as Danny and Mary slowly rejoined the group. "Where is he?"
"I don't know." Danny shook his head, feeling angry with himself. "The last thing I remember was seeing the goons behind this throwing him into the back of a van and taking off." He looked up at Delinda. "I've got no idea where they were going."
"Some help you are." Delinda commented angrily.
"I know." Danny agreed sadly. He slowly turned and walked over to where Luis Perez, a close friend of his and a detective with the Clark County Sheriff's Department, was standing. The Latino man turned upon hearing Danny walk over. "Thanks again for bringing me out here."
"No problem, man." Luis smiled before nodding at the Montecito group. "How are they holding up?"
"Like you'd expect." Danny replied, "You find these bastards yet?"
"We've apparently found the van." Luis said, looking at Danny. "Stranded in the desert, burning."
"Damn it." Danny swore quietly.
"We're doing everything we can, Danny." Luis assured, "However, you and I both know that Ed has a lot of enemies that are capable of making him disappear like this. It's going to be hard to track him down."
"That sounds optimistic." Danny commented with a sarcastic smile.
"It's the truth though." Luis shrugged.
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As consciousness slowly returned to him, Ed Deline groaned. His head felt so heavy that he thought that it might fall off of him at any second. He tried to clear his blurry eyes with his hand, but they wouldn't move. It was then that Deline realized that his hands had been bound together behind him and the chair he was sitting on.
Shaking his head, Ed looked around the small room he was in. It appeared to have been used as an office sometime ago, but everything appeared to be too run down now to be functional. There was a desk facing him and behind that another chair. The facing wall had a huge window that looked down below, but Ed was too far away to see what was there. He could just make out that it was a window into another room and not to the exterior.
"Where the hell am I?" he said to himself.
"Your own personal hell." a familiar voice said from behind him.
To be continued...