A/N Thank you again to Warriorcreed for your excellent review. You as usual raise some interesting points. I hope I can cover them.
I am still just borrowing these characters.
As Tort drove toward Denver, Colorado, he was surprised how much he was enjoying this. He was amazed at the amount of open spaces between the cities. Doria was almost one big city with only preserved areas for nature.
He was also amused by the people he encountered along the way. He smiled as he remembered his first stop at a gas station.
Somehow, with all the training he had gone through, they had not covered everything about filling up the gas tank.
When he stopped by the pumps and put in his credit card, he found himself with the pump in his hand and realized there was no place to put it.
As he stood there, wondering how he was to proceed, an older man that had been sitting in front of the station, called out, "Something wrong, Sonny?"
Startled, he stammered, "No."
The guy smiled, "The gas tank is on the other side."
Tort smiled ruefully, "I just got this car…"
The man walked over to him, "Here, let me hold that nozzle while you turn your car around."
As he took the nozzle, he said, "I'm Tom Baxter." He smiled, "Where are you headed?"
Tort smiled, "Glad to meet you, I am Stephen Johnson. I'm headed for Denver."
Tom reached out his hand and Tort shook it, saying, "Well, I better get the car turned."
After the fueling was done, Tort turned to Tom, "Thanks for your help," he hesitated, "I better get on the road."
Tom smiled, "Glad to help." He paused and ran his hand through his hair, "I was just going to go over to Clem's and get a beer. Would you like to join me?"
Tort was about to say no, but then realized it would be a chance to interact with a Human. Besides, he was kind of interested in trying a beer. He had drunk alcoholic beverages on Doria and was curious how Earth drinks compared. He figured he would be safe with one beer.
"All right. I could use one."
Tom smiled, "Great."
After they were seated at the bar, a pretty waitress came up to them. "What are you guys having?"
Tom spoke up, "Give me a Bud Light."
Molly smiled at Tort, "How about you, big boy?"
"I'll have the same."
As she filled the glasses, "So, Tom, aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Molly, this is Stephen Johnson. Stephen, this is Molly Carter."
Molly smiled, "So, what's your story?"
Tort smiled back, "I am just passing through. Ran into Tom at the Gas Station."
As Tort took a sip, pleased to see he liked it, Molly went on, "So what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a Private Detective."
Molly's eyes widened, "Wow. Just like Tom Selleck."
When Tort didn't respond, she smiled, "You know. Like Magnum PI."
Hoping he sounded convincing, "Oh, yeah."
Molly looked at him a little strangely, but then let it go.
Tort finished his drink and got up, "Well, I better get back on the road."
Tom stood too, "Nice to meet you. Have a safe trip."
Tort smiled and turned to Molly, "Nice to meet you too."
Molly, a little disappointedly said, "Take care."
As he turned to leave, she called after him, "If you ever head back this way, drop in."
Tort smiled, "I'll do that."
When Tort arrived in Denver, he got a hotel room and then headed over to the apartment that Randall Smith had lived in.
Locating the Manager, he was gratified to find that Gregson was a man who like the sound of his own voice and was a little bit of a gossiper.
"Randall Smith. Yeah, he lived here for about three years. Kind of a quiet guy. Really don't remember him having any visitors. I was sorry to see him go. I was surprised when he broke his lease. It cost him about five-hundred dollars plus his deposit. I mean, he only had about three months left."
"I don't suppose he gave a forwarding address?"
"No. About the only mail he got after he left was junk mail."
He looked at Tort, "You never said why you were looking for him."
Tort shrugged, "He owes my client quite a bit of money."
"Well, I can't help you much. I never heard from him."
"Do you know where he worked?"
"He was some kind of speaker. Far as I know, he worked for himself."
"Is there anything else that might help me find him."
Gregson pondered for a few moments, "Once, one of the other tenants told me he saw Smith in Las Vegas. He said he was winning big at the Crap table."
Not wanting to show his ignorance, Tort decided he would find out about Las Vegas and what this Crap table was on his own time.
Thanking Gregson for his time, he returned to his hotel. Using a computer in the hotel, he found out what he needed to know.
He smiled to himself; he now had an idea where Smith had obtained his money. The inhabitants of Darvin 7 were mildly telekinetic. They could control small objects. He smirked, like dice.
He wondered if there was any value in going to this Las Vegas. He was surprised to find he was curious about it. Convincing himself he might find something out, he checked out and headed for Nevada.
Penny sat back contentedly. Even though she had taught herself to eat a little bit each day, she still loved Pizza night. She knew she still ate too much.
She looked over at the guys. Leonard caught her eye and smiled as she found herself smiling back.
She looked at Howard. She had been reluctant about doing anything after Howard had told her about his being interested in Bernadette. But she had realized she was kind of curious about what could happen. She surprised herself by approaching Bernadette.
She was a little surprised at how pleased she was when Bernadette didn't dismiss it completely out of hand, saying she would think about it.
Just as Sheldon was finishing up discussing a documentary he had recently seen on bees, her phone rang. She saw it was from Tort. She was surprised at her reaction. It was like her other world had interrupted this one. Saying she had to take the call, she left for her apartment.
Seeing Leonard looking after her, Sheldon spoke up, "Really, Leonard, are you never going to give up your obsession with her? She is never going to be interested in you."
Howard added, "He's probably right, Leonard, but you shouldn't give up without trying. Take a shot. Ask her out. She can only say no."
Leonard sighed, "I am afraid it might affect our friendship if she finds out how I feel about her." He hesitated, "And maybe I don't want to know what she thinks of us getting together."
Raj spoke up, "Maybe you could just arrange to spend some time alone with her. Figure out something you could do together without the rest of us along."
Leonard said, "That sounds great. Do you have any suggestions, anyone?"
They all shook their heads.
Penny and Tort had decided they needed to use their Earth names at all times, "So, Stephen, what's going on?"
He brought her up to date on his talk with Gregson and told her he was on his way to Las Vegas.
Penny wondered why he was bothering to go there, "What do you think you will find there?"
"I don't know." He hesitated, "I have to admit I was curious. We do have some versions of gambling where I live, but nothing like a city dedicated to it."
Penny nodded, "I have to admit, I was kind of intrigued when I heard about it."
There was a long pause. Penny was stunned when he continued, "Why don't you drive out and join me? We could sit down and figure out how to proceed."
Penny thought over what he was saying. She knew it wasn't necessary for them to meet. I mean what was there to decide. But she also had to face the fact she was intrigued. She realized she wanted to do it.
Not believing what she was doing, "If you think it is necessary, I can get away."
Tort was surprised how pleased he was. He had surprised himself when he had realized that he wanted to see her, "How about if I meet you there in three days? Is that enough time for you to make arrangements?"
"That should work. I have some time off coming. I'll see you in three days."
"Good. I'll call you when I know where I am staying."
After they said their goodbyes, each of them mulled over what had happened. They both decided not to think too long about it.
Leonard had thought about what the others had said. He realized he wanted to take a chance. He was gathering up his courage when Penny informed them she was going to Las Vegas for a couple of days.
At first Leonard was disappointed but then realized this might be a chance to be with Penny away from the others. He pointedly ignored the little voice in his head that said Penny might be meeting someone.
When Leonard approached her and told her about his idea, Penny was speechless. What should she do now?
Since she had talked to Tort, she realized there could be a problem. She thought about Fomac. If he heard she was going to Vegas, he might follow her. She had planned to call Tort and tell him they would have to pretend that they had just met. She also realized that Fomac could still be suspicious.
Taking Leonard along would solve that problem. It should stop him from suspecting anything.
Leonard was thrilled when she agreed. Seeing his obvious pleasure, Penny realized she had completely ignored how Leonard would look at this. She sighed; this was going to be an interesting trip.
As she was preparing to leave, she got a call from Tort that he had reserved two rooms for her at Circus Circus.
While Leonard waited by the stairs, Penny was locking the door to her apartment when she realized something. How had she not thought of it before? Fomac had a key to her apartment!
She must have reacted because Leonard quickly asked, "Is something wrong?"
As she assured him she was all right, her mind was running a mile a minute. Was there anything in her apartment that could expose Tort?
When she couldn't think of anything she relaxed a little. Then, telling Leonard to wait, she went back inside her apartment. After thinking for a moment, she laid some papers on the floor that would be disturbed if the door were opened all the way. She then opened it slightly and slipped through the opening into the hallway.
She and Leonard then headed for her car.
A couple of days earlier, Tort arrived in Las Vegas. Remembering that Gregson has said that Smith had been seen at Circus Circus, he got a room and reserved two others for Penny and Leonard.
Once again he wondered why Penny was bringing someone. Oh, she had told him it was to maybe fool Fomac, but that didn't seem like enough reason to have anyone else involved.
After getting settled in, he was eager to see what this gambling was all about. He had to smile when he entered the main casino. So much effort put into entertainment. But then he had been surprised during his indoctrination at these Human's many interests. Only some of the more hedonistic planets in the Republic matched their interest for enjoying themselves.
When he had read about Craps, he had learned of the hierarchy around the area. Finding what he presumed was a Pit Boss, he approached him.
"Could I talk to you for a second?"
Looking him over, the man answered, "What's up? I am busy."
Tort took Smith's picture out and showed it to him. "Have you ever seen this man?"
Taking a quick look at it, "Should I?"
"I just thought you might remember someone who was unusually lucky at Craps."
The man looked more closely at him, "What's going on? Who are you?"
"Could we find somewhere to talk?"
Signaling for someone to take his place, he led Tort to a nearby bar. After they were seated, the man turned to him, "Well?"
"My name is Stephen Johnson. I am a Private Detective. I represent a client who is interested in locating Mr. Smith. A few months ago, this Mr. Smith had a very unusual run of luck at a casino my client owns. They did everything they could to see if he were cheating but could find nothing. They finally just told him he was no longer welcome."
"When he left, he neglected to pay his bill."
"What made you think I would know him?"
"I talked to the landlord at the apartment he used to live in. He mentioned someone had seen him doing well at Craps in your casino."
The man sat back and looked deep in thought. Finally, he leaned forward, "My name is Bill Hanover. Yeah, I know this guy. Our experience was similar to your friend's. I mean we tried everything. Changed the dice almost every roll. Observed him from above. X-rayed the dice he used. Nothing."
He sat back, "How about the Roulette table?"
Tort was caught off guard, "He didn't mention anything to me."
"Well, he did the same thing there. Once again we couldn't find anything."
"Did you have him leave too?"
"We were going to but then he checked out."
After a moment, he said, "It's funny. A couple of months ago, we had a similar thing happen. Somebody got hot at Craps and Roulette. But this time it was a woman. She was only here a short time."
Tort perked up. Could it be? They had mentioned the possibility he had changed his sex. "I don't suppose you have a picture of her?"
"Afraid not. As I say she was only here a day." He thought a moment. I suppose she could have been caught on a camera, but I wouldn't know her if I saw her. I just heard about it afterwards."
"Do you think anyone else would remember her?"
"I suppose it's possible." He paused, "But I am not going to have any employees go through a mountain of film when we don't know if they have anything to do with each other. As I said, it was a woman this time."
"Could we at least see if we could get a description?"
"Listen, I would like to find this Smith character too, but I ain't got time to spend on a wild goose chase."
He got up, "Are we done?"
Tort stood up too. "Yeah. Thanks for the information. I appreciate it."
Bill nodded, "If you ever find this guy, let me know."
"I will. Thanks again."
Bill nodded and walked off.
As Sheldon and the others reached the fourth floor on the day after Penny and Leonard left for Las Vegas, they saw a man standing in the hall outside of Penny's apartment.
Sheldon spoke up, "If you are looking for Penny, she is not home."
Startled, the man hesitated for a moment and then said, "Penny? Is that who lives here? I must have gotten off on the wrong floor."
Howard spoke up, "Who are you looking for? Maybe we can help."
"No, that's all right. I must have gotten the wrong information. I'll call my wife and find out where I am supposed to be."
As he pushed past them, Raj called out, "You look familiar. Do you go to the Cheesecake Factory?"
Heading down the stairs, the man called back, "You must have me confused with someone else, I don't even know where that is."
As Sheldon unlocked the door and they entered the apartment, Raj continued, "Did that all seem very strange to you?" He turned to Sheldon, "You have an Eidetic memory, do you remember seeing him?"
As Sheldon settled in his spot, "I go to the Cheesecake Factory to eat, not to see who else is there."
Howard spoke up, "Sorry, Raj, I don't remember seeing him either."
Raj sighed and then remembered he and Leonard were seated so they could see him. Maybe Leonard would remember…
