A/N Thank you for all your reviews. They do keep me going. I really appreciate your opinions and input. I am still just borrowing these characters.
Penny liked to drive rather than ride, so she was a little bummed when she was told Amy would be driving to Vegas. It didn't help when Sheldon mentioned her tendency to speed and that her engine light was on. Leonard finally defused the situation when he pointed out that if Penny drove, Amy would have to pay mileage.
Leonard had thought it necessary to inform Amy that this would be Penny's first case. Instead of dissuading her, it made her feel honored.
They had hardly left Pasadena before Amy made it clear she wanted to 'bond' with Penny.
"So, what made you decide to be a detective?"
"I am involved with one of the guys, Leonard."
"Leonard? I would have thought you and Kurt…"
"What's wrong with Leonard? He is sweet, smart, loving…"
"I didn't mean anything…"
"Of course not." Penny decided what the heck, she hadn't really talked to anyone about this for a while and for some reason she liked Amy. Maybe it was her complete guileless.
She went on, "Actually, I lived with Kurt for a long time, but that was a long time ago."
"What happened?"
"He cheated on me, but we were about to break up anyway. I am just glad we have gotten back to being friends."
Penny went on, "When I was accused of murder, it was these guys that cleared me. They also saved my life."
Amy stared at her, "You were accused of murder?"
Penny stared back, "You didn't know that?"
"I don't spend much time on current events. I am dedicated to my work."
"I know you are a doctor. What do you specialize in?"
"I am not a medical doctor; I have a PhD in neuroscience."
Penny was a little stunned, "Wow, you must be really smart."
"My IQ has been estimated at 193."
Seeing Penny stare at her, "Anyone with an IQ above 160 is considered to be a genius."
"What kind of work do you do."
"I work at UCLA. I am currently using monkeys to analyze human emotional responses. I mostly work with the brain."
They drove in silence for a bit and then Amy spoke, "I noticed that one of your detectives, Sheldon Cooper, is referred to as a doctor?"
Penny smiled, "He has a doctorate in Detectiveology."
"Detectiveology? That is absurd. He sounds like someone with a problem."
Penny was stunned and then found herself getting angry, "I will have you know he is a great detective and really smart. It was he who figured out how to find me and saved my life. Did you know he and Leonard were at some college called Caltech before they became detectives? Leonard once told me Sheldon was one of the smartest people at that school."
Amy was surprised, "They were at Caltech? That is a very prestigious school. Perhaps I was wrong in my assumption."
Penny went on, "I think Sheldon just wanted to take an academic slant on detecting. I know it is not a real doctorate but it did show the effort he made."
"How about you, Penny, what do you do when you are not detecting?"
"I am a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory. I used to go to a lot of auditions but haven't for a while."
They drove in silence for a time. When they stopped for a quick lunch, Amy called up Sheldon Cooper on her phone. She was stunned to see that he had indeed attended Caltech. It also talked of several papers he had published and how he was regarded as one of the most gifted students at the university. It also mentioned the many milestones he had already achieved.
Still marveling over what she had found out, wondering why he would have ever decided to waste his potential and become a detective, she decided to check out Leonard as well. She was again stunned to discover he was also a genius and had also published papers and received awards.
She decided she wanted to know more about these people. They seemed to be quite remarkable.
When they arrived in Las Vegas, Penny checked in with Howard who had accessed Flamingo information. He told them that her father was in room 3234 and was paid for two more days.
When they arrived at the door, Amy suddenly wondered if this was the right thing to do. Then taking a deep breath, she knocked.
They were both surprised when a woman's voice answered, "Who's there?"
Penny and Amy quickly checked the door number. Seeing it was right and feeling they needed to trust Howard, Amy answered, "Amy Farrah-Fowler. I am looking for my father, Larry Fowler."
There was a long hesitation and they could hear the murmuring of voices. Finally, the woman said, "He's not here."
Penny decided to step in, "Open the door. We need to talk to you. We are not leaving until we do."
Another along hesitation and more talking. the door was opened a crack.
Surprising herself, Amy put her foot in the opening, her orthopedic shoes working well.
Penny then pushed the door open. Both Penny and Amy stared at the women who was wearing something out of a sex fantasy. It was leather and pushed her breasts up and out.
She stumbled back as Penny asked, "We know this is Larry Fowler's room. Where is he and who are you?"
Just then they heard a man's voice, "For God's sake, get rid of them."
The woman turned toward them, "You're Larry's daughter?"
"Yes. Where is my father? I came a long way to see him."
As the woman hesitated the man spoke again, "Tell them so they will leave."
The woman looked back, "Okay, okay."
She turned back, "He's at the Fun and Games club. It's on Manchester Avenue."
Penny started to ask who she was but the woman suddenly pushed Amy back and shut the door.
They were about to knock again but decided they would check out what she had said first.
As they made their way back to the car, Amy turned to Penny with a distressed look on her face, "What has my father gotten himself involved with? Who was that woman?"
Penny had been as shocked as Amy but told her not to jump to any conclusions until they talked to her father. Amy agreed but they both knew the situation did not look good.
When they got to the car, they looked up the Fun and Games Club. They found it was a "Place to explore and expand your sexual horizons." Penny decided to call Kurt and see if he was available to help them.
"Hey, Kurt, this is Penny, have you got time to talk to Amy and me?"
"Yeah. I have a couple leads but have a few moments. What's going on? Wasn't he there?"
Penny told him what had happened. Kurt was stunned.
"It appears your father has gotten involved in the local sex scene. I assume you still want to be sure he is all right?"
Amy answered, "More than ever."
"Well, I suggest you go to this club. I would pose as possible new clients. What I know of these places…"
He paused, "Not that I have any personal contact. They will usually discuss what they do and may even give you a tour. It is unlikely you will see your father even if he is there, but it will give you an idea of what is going on." He hesitated again, "Many of these places are pretty mild. But there are some that are more extreme."
"If you don't see him, I would suggest you get somewhere where you can see the exit and wait to see if he comes out, remembering they may have more than one exit."
When he finished Amy couldn't help but think of her and Penny… For Penny's part, she wasn't too thrilled with the idea but decided Kurt was right. Telling him they would keep him posted and having him wish them good luck, they set out for the Club.
Penny was a little nervous about the enthusiasm Amy seemed to be having in them posing as lovers.
She immediately squelched several of her ideas such as exchanging a kiss, but finally caved and agreed to occasionally hold hands.
When they entered the club, hand in hand, they were met by what appeared to be similar to a lobby of a hotel. That image suffered a little when they met by a statuesque woman dressed in a leather suit so tight they wondered how she could breathe.
"Welcome to the Fun and Games Club. My name is Stella, how can I help you."
Penny spoke up, "A friend of ours talked to us about your club. It sounded like something we might be interested in. I am Penny and this is Amy."
"May I ask who recommended us?"
"Larry Fowler."
"I see. Of course, I cannot I say whether this, Fowler did you say, is a member of this club. We never reveal the names of our clientele." She waved her hand, "Could I interest you in some wine?"
When they agreed she led them to a nearby table and a woman dressed as a French maid brought them some wine. After she sat it down, Stella gave her a small slap on the butt.
"First of all, I want to make it clear that if you are into S&M, this club is not for you. This is a club for people who want to explore their sexuality. We will not allow anything that inflicts pain. We indulge in light bondage and role playing. Any sex will be between consulting adults."
Both Amy and Penny found some solace in that, assuming she was telling the truth.
"If you should wish to join, our services consist of a private room where you can indulge in whatever harmless fantasies you prefer. We also do have therapists that can help you if you wish. They can be either submissive or dominating. But again, only for pleasure not any sort of coercion or pain." She paused, "Of course, they do not indulge in any actual sex."
"Does this sound like something you could be interested in?"
Penny and Amy replied that it did.
Stella stood up, "Would you like to see one of our rooms?"
When they agreed she led them down the hall and opened one of a series of doors. When they followed her in, they saw a room with apparatus for bondage as well as what appeared to be cloth whips and other paraphernalia.
When she asked if they wanted to try anything, Penny quickly spoke before Amy could, not sure what she would say, "Thank you, but we do have an appointment. I believe I can speak for both of us that we are definitely interested but need to discuss it."
Stella smiled, "Of course." They went back out to the lobby and Stella obtained a business card and gave it to them. "Please call me when you have decided." She looked Penny up and down, "I believe you would find we could satisfy any needs you may have."
"Oh, and in case you might have been wondering, everything we do here is perfectly legal. We are monitored by local government entities."
Saying goodbye, Amy and Penny made their way out into the street. Penny took a deep breath.
"Well, that was interesting."
Amy nodded, "Do you think my father is in there?"
"I don't know. I wanted to ask but figured she wouldn't answer."
"What should we do now?"
"I guess we do what Kurt suggested. Wait to see if he comes out."
She looked back at the building, "I wonder if there is another exit." She went on, "You go to the car. If he comes out while I am gone, don't lose him but give me a call."
Penny found an alley next to the building and walked down it a little nervously. She found that there was a back door but it led out into the alley, so anyone leaving by it would still have to come out on the street.
She made her way back to the car and after parking where they could observe both the door and the alley, sat back to wait.
It was only fifteen minutes later when they were surprised and gratified to see him come out the front door. He turned and walked down the street, heading for a Cab Stand.
Before Penny could decide what to do, Amy jumped out of the car and with reckless abandon rushed across the street toward him. Penny sighed and hurried after her.
As she neared him, Amy called out, "Dad, it's Amy."
Just as Larry reached a Cab, he turned toward her with a look of astonishment. For a moment, it looked like he was going to get in the cab. "Amy cried out, "Don't leave, Dad, I just want to talk."
Sighing, his shoulders sagging, he stepped away from the Cab.
As Amy came up to him, catching her breath, he managed to get out, "Amy, what are you doing here? How did you find me?"
As Penny came up to them, Amy took a deep breath, "I just wanted to be sure you were all right." She gestured to Penny, "I hired a detective firm to help me."
"Is your mother with you?"
"No, Dad. She doesn't know anything about this. I did it on my own." She moved forward and hugged him, "I was worried about you."
Larry hugged her back.
Penny spoke up, "Maybe we should get off the street. Amy's car is just over there."
Larry nodded and walked with them to the car. When they were all inside, Amy turned to him, "We went up to the room at the Flamingo. Who were those people?"
Larry smiled, "That was Harry and Edith Bordon. I have been in contact with them for some time. They were the ones who told me about the Club. They were members once but then Harry got laid off. They have three kids at home, so when I go to the Club, I let them use the room."
Penny spoke up, "Mr. Fowler, how long have you been planning this?"
"It's Larry. For about a year."
He looked at Amy, "For a long time, I have been putting a little away in a safety deposit box. I also had my coin collection. When I thought I had enough, I sold the collection and took the rest out. I am staying at the Flamingo because I wanted to be sure this is where I wanted to stay before a got an apartment."
He went on, "I have talked to a lawyer. I am going to file for a divorce."
Amy felt a touch of sadness but also understood.
He turned to Penny, "How did you find me so fast?"
Penny smiled, "If you decide to do this again, I suggest not using a credit card for the plane and the room."
Larry shook his head, "I guess that was pretty stupid."
Amy went on, "Dad, you don't have to answer, but why the club?" She hesitated, "Didn't you get enough abuse from Mother?"
He smiled at her, "You don't understand. That is the point. At the club, I am the one in charge. I have a submissive therapist."
Amy and Penny were stunned and internally shook their heads, but even though feeling a little guilty about it, had to smile.