Preston Allen - Las Vegas Noir

Maybe, Legs thought, he could find a way to free them, but what was the point if they killed whoever they’d been trained to kill? Or if they killed him.

Either way, it seemed to him, he was a dead man.

He was still staring at the birds when the barn door reopened. The man stood back while the woman, who had changed into a pair of short-shorts, came toward him. She held a large syringe in her right hand. Praying it wasn’t meant for him, he said, “You got some pair of legs. Get me out of here and I’ll make you a star.” He squinted at the name tag attached to the collar of her shirt. “Ava. Perfect. Why would you want to be here when you could be a headliner?”

“You’re a funny man, Mr. Cleveland.” She came closer.

“Legs,” he said. “Call me Legs.”

“All right, Legs. Let’s talk. What did Willie tell you about his work here?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? That’s hard to believe.”

“Believe it.”

For a moment the woman was silent. Legs figured he had nothing to lose by asking what was it they were doing to the ostriches to turn them into killing machines and why they were doing it. He was as good as dead anyway. Might as well know what he was dying for.

“Willie told you nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me something, Mr. Cleveland. Legs. Do you also have an ostrich spirit guide?”

Legs shook his head. “I don’t believe in that stuff.”

She looked at the syringe in her hand. “He did. It kept him safe in there.”

Legs could feel the sweat running down his neck. “What did he do here?” he asked again.

“He worked with the ostriches. Taught us about them.”

“Why?”

She held up the syringe. “He wanted to live to be old and keep his own teeth. There was a price to pay and he paid it.”

It was all Legs could do not to reach out and knock the syringe out of her hand. “I don’t mind false teeth,” he said.

She laughed.

“Those dead men at the apartment...” Legs began.

The woman waved at the ostriches. “Our first real experiment.”

“But why frame me, and how did you get the beasts out of there?”

“No harm in telling you, I suppose. They disintegrate when the job is done. As for why you, why not you? There’s always got to be a mark. If we let you go back, you’ll be up for murder.”

“I’ll tell them—”

“What? That we’re training an army of killer ostriches? You’ve got to be kidding. It’s called a rock and a hard place, Mr. Cleveland. Work for us the way Willie did and we’ll cover for you. Don’t, and we’ll let you pick between those animals in there and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.”

“How much time would I have to spend here?”

“As much as we say.”

In his mind, Legs heard old Willie telling him to stay off the road to Rachel.

Now that he had disobeyed, he saw only one realistic possibility open to him: He would work on Ava, which wouldn’t be the worst punishment in the world. She did have great legs, and who knew, maybe she could sing.

Preston L. Allenis a recipient of a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature and the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction. He is the author of the Miami-based thriller Hoochie Mama and the award-winning short story collection Churchboys and Other Sinners . His latest novel is All or Nothing (Akashic Books, 2007). He lived in North Las Vegas, near Nellis Air Force Base for a brief period of time in the ’90s.

Janet Berlineris the Bram Stoker Award — winning author of six novels, including The Madagascar Manifesto trilogy with George Guthridge. She is the editor of six anthologies, including two with illusionist David Copperfield, and one with Joyce Carol Oates. In more than thirty years in publishing, Berliner has also worked as an editor, agent, ghostwriter, teacher, and lecturer. Born in South Africa, she now lives in Las Vegas while she plans her escape to the Caribbean.

Felicia Campbellhas trodden the mean streets of both Las Vegas and UNLV for more years than she cares to admit. A professor at UNLV, she has gained international attention for her pioneering work on the positive aspects of gambling and risk taking. As a book critic, she gave weekly reviews on KNPR for over twelve years. Currently, she is executive director of the Far West Popular and American Culture Associations. She is also editor of the Popular Culture Review .

David Corbettis a former private investigator with considerable case experience in Las Vegas. He is also the author of three critically acclaimed novels: The Devil’s Redhead , a finalist for Anthony and Barry awards; Done for a Dime , a New York Times Notable Book and a Macavity Award finalist; and Blood of Paradise , named one of the top ten mysteries and thrillers of 2007 by the Washington Post and a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book. For more information, visit www.davidcorbett.com.

Bliss Espositowas born and raised in Las Vegas, where she learned the intricacies of the gaming world. She writes about the hidden side of the city, the details below the glitzy surface. She recently earned an MFA from UNLV in creative writing.

Tod Goldbergis the author of two novels and the story collection Simplify , winner of the Other Voices Short Story Collection Prize. His long-running column in the Las Vegas Mercury ,“Cheap Wisdom,” garnered three Nevada Press Association Awards and his writing appears regularly in Las Vegas City Life , the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Jewcy , and E! He teaches creative writing at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and in the MFA program at UC-Riverside.

Jaq Greensponlives in Las Vegas and has been writing professionally for over twenty years. He has been read widely on several continents and has had the pleasure of seeing his words mangled by professional actors on a number of TV shows and film sets. In Lithuania he is like a god.

Jarret Keeneis the author of two poetry collections, Monster Fashion and A Boy’s Guide to Arson , as well as the unauthorized rock-band bio The Killers: Destiny Is Calling Me. He has edited several books, including The Underground Guide to Las Vegas. His primitive post-apocalyptic black-metal band Dead Neon promises to crush your soul.

Lori Kozlowskiwas born and raised in Las Vegas. A journalist and a published poet, she is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Master of Fine Arts Writing Program. Her first book is about the Mafia. For more information, visit www.lorikozlowski.com.