Jean-Jacques Tibor - The loser_s wife

The employees of the casino knew that whenever he used the closed suite upstairs it was for some very high-stake gambling with people that didn't want to be seen downstairs. And Laura knew that it was very likely that Vito would be up there running errands or whatever he did for Mornay.

She went to one of the house phones and asked that a call be put through to the suite's special switchboard. After giving her name it seemed like several moments before she heard Vito's voice at the other end.

"Well, hello Laura, baby. Have a nice time?" She felt a shudder of disgust pass through her at the sound of the knowing laughter in his voice.

"Come on up, kid. I'll have Black Jack let you in."

She rode up in the it elevator and wondered how it would be to face Black Jack and then Deke Vito. But, she shouldn't have worried about the huge Negro, because as he opened the door for her there was absolutely no sign of recognition. He just nodded slightly to her and taking her arm, led her through the crowd to the table where Deke Vito was buried in conversation with several men whose faces Laura recognized from the newspapers.

"Laura, baby, just have the black boy here make you a drink and I'll see you in a moment." At the words "black boy" Laura felt the huge hand at her elbow tense momentarily and then relax. And, turning, she saw an intense shadow of hatred pass across the giant Negro's face. Then he led her back to the bar and poured her a drink.

She sipped her drink and looked around the room. The crowd wasn't very large but it probably represented more money than everyone downstairs combined. She recognized several movie stars, older men who had once been the idols of millions, and other men in the room seemed to have been cast from a common mold. All a little fleshy looking and obviously extremely prosperous. And interspersed amongst the men were half a dozen beautiful girls. The latter caught her attention for a moment until she realized that they too all looked alike. Each one was tall and lovely, and each one was a little too trashy and hard looking as though they had really been around.

Call girls, she thought correctly.

It probably wouldn't have surprised her very much if she had known that the stable of beautiful girls was run completely by Deke Vito. Each of the larger casinos found it advantageous to have a few girls on tap for their better customers. The customers never had to pay for their favors, the casinos picked up the tab. And, it was Deke Vito who handled the procurement for the customers of the clubs owned by Mr. Mornay.

Even after her evening with Harry Goldman Laura Dutton remained spectacularly attractive and as she wandered around watching the action at the tables, she attracted the attention of every man in the room. And, particularly the attention of a tall silver-haired man a the center roulette wheel. The man was Cassis Mornay, one of the most powerful man in Nevada gambling circles.

It was almost an hour before Deke Vito came over to her and handed her a large manila envelope.

"Here you are, Laura, baby. A little something for you and Johnny. Now, get outta here."

She snatched the envelope from him and tried to think of the appropriate words to thank him, but he had already returned to his table.

Black Jack helped her on with her coat at the door, and as it closed she heard him say something to her in that rumbling bass voice.

In the elevator she tried to remember what it was. It seemed like: "I'm awfully sorry, Missy."

She got out of the elevator and hurried out of the casino. She walked a half block to an all-night diner and took a booth in the rear. Then, as she sipped her coffee, her fingers trembling as she opened the envelope. She just wanted to see the contract that had streaked such havoc in her life.

There seemed to be several papers in it and she shook it until they fell into her lap.

Her anguished cry startled the other people in the restaurant but none of them paid enough attention to the brunette in the back booth to see her tears as she thumbed through the unbelievably obscene photographs in her lap.

Laura's mind screamed in disbelief. It couldn't be! He couldn't have done this to her…!

Something seemed to snap inside her, and she just stared into the distance, the tears streaming down her cheeks. She no longer saw the two figures so carefully depicted in the photograph – one, so white and eager, and the other black. The other photographs were even more graphic, showing her widely distended mouth as a man's swollen penis plunged wetly into it.

Then she picked up the small slip of paper that had also fallen out of the brown envelop – and through the blurred haze of tears she read the typewritten words:

Without even knowing what she was doing, she ripped the note and the photographs into shreds. She wanted to tear them out of her memory and then she realized that until she held the negatives there would always be more copies of the horrible pictures to haunt her.

She gathered up the scattered pieces and stuffed them into the envelope, and then walked out into the darkness. There were no more tears in her and she didn't even remember moving through the dimly lit streets until she reached the door of her hotel.

She stumbled blindly through the dark hallway and almost fell as her foot bumped against a body at the foot of the stairs.

"Ohbhbhhhh…" The moan startled and frightened her and she fell back against the wall – then her eyes slowly picked out the crumbled form on the floor.

At first she thought it was some drunk who had staggered in from the outside and passed out on the stairs. She tried to step around and then she beard the soft mewling cries of pain. As she bent to help him, he turned and the dim light exposed his face.

It was Johnny!

She screamed, and tried to pull him to his feet. He stood for a moment and fell to his knees. "Laura… honey, is that you? Laura, I'm hurt…"

"Please, darling, get up. Lean on me." She pulled him back to his feet and together they were able to make it to their apartment. The pounding of her heart drowned out his agonized moans as she helped him to the bed.

Then she turned on the light and ran to his side. "Johnny, what's happened to you? Darling, what happened?" She searched his face frantically for injuries but there were none then she saw his clothing. His suit was filthy as if he'd been rolled in mud, and through the tears in his shirt she could see the great, raw bruises on his chest. She tore his clothes from him and almost fainted when she saw the terrible damage to his legs and chest – and around his neck on each side were two darkened swellings oozing blood.

"… They said I'd never sing again, Laura. My throat… they said they're going to ruin my…" his voice trailed off and she couldn't hear him.

"Darling, who…? Who said you'd never sing… who did it!"

"Vito's boys… they grabbed me outside… they kept kicking me, over and over… they told me that nest time they'd go for my throat."

He kept moaning, and she could see that he was almost in a state of shock. "SHhhhhhh… Darling, don't talk. I'll be right back."

She ran to the bathroom to get some hot towels to clean his cuts, and in a while he was able to tell her what had happened.

Three of Deke Vito's men had beaten him up, telling him they were delivering a message from the gambler. They'd told him Vito wanted his money, that Vito was going to take it out in trade with Laura. And that, if Johnny and Laura had any idea of running away or going to the police they'd come after Johnny one more time. Only the next time they were going to fix it so he'd never sing again.