Jean-Jacques Tibor - The loser_s wife

"Just a second, Laura, that must be our breakfast." He rose and pushed a button by the bar and the front door opened.

They spoke very little as the waiter served the breakfast, and it wasn't until later, with the coffee, that he continued: "It's something that most people don't know about, and shouldn't, but most of us who run casinos as large as this have to deal with some pretty unsavory characters. The only difference is that these characters have a considerable amount of money. I've always thought before that if I didn't follow the practices of the other casino owners that I'd lose too much money. What the hell, I figured if I didn't provide these guys with what they wanted they'd just go to another club. Just one of the things they demanded were women. Beautiful girls that the house paid for and private little parties where they could have their fun to take away the sting of their losses."

He paused to refill the coffee and pour a little more brandy. "I've never had anything against prostitutes. There's certainly enough demand for them, I just didn't know where to find them. This is all long before you time, Laura, but bear with me because it'll explain a lot of what happened."

She nodded, intent on his words, and waited for him to continue. He had such a beautiful voice and as he spoke she realized that he wasn't as old as she had thought. At a first glance, he appeared older, but now she realized that it was his silver-grey hair. He spoke again, and she lifted her eyes from her coffee cup to watch him.

"As I said, I didn't know where to find the right girls, and then a friend of mine down in Las Vegas recommended Vito. I brought him up here and he seemed to be working out alright. He wasn't exactly my type of person, but I had to admit that he was able to supply what I needed." He laughed. "What the hell, I didn't really expect to get a Stanford man to supply me with a bunch of whores."

"At any rate, because it was a business that I didn't particularly want to get mixed up in, or even know much about for that matter, I gave him full rein."

She watched him turn and pat Harry on the shoulder. It's strange, she thought, Harry's so much older but Mr. Mornay treats him like a son.

"If it hadn't have been for Harry, it might have gone on that way forever. I'm here so rarely, as you know – though that'll be changed – and I never suspected that Vito was doing more or less than I told him. It seems that he'd taken this whole disagreeable business of prostitution and made a sucker out of me."

"When I'd get back from a trip I'd ask for the cost figures on the parties, etc. and pay it without question."

He turned to Harry.

"As a matter of fact, Harry, I ought to be mad that you didn't tell me earlier, it sure had cost me a bundle." Then he laughed.

"I'm only kidding. I did some checking with the other club owners this morning and I found out the risk you took by telling me even now."

"Mr. Mornay… I…"

"Harry, why don't you and Laura start right now by calling me Cass? I know it's a silly name, but it's better than Cassis." He laughed again, and Laura thought how much different his laugh was than the others she'd heard in the past few days. Vito's, Goldman's…

"Mr… uh, Cass, I wasn't really afraid of Deke Vito, I just didn't know how you'd take it. I mean I thought that maybe you already…"

His voice dropped in confusion.

"You mean you thought that I already knew," he chuckled, "that I was part of the whole deal."

He turned to Laura, "Harry's done us all a tremendous favor, and I think he'll find that I'm able to show my appreciation. Well, let me continue, I'll try to make the whole thing a little shorter. It seems that over and above what I was paying him, Deke was raking money off the top of the figures he'd given me and giving the girls less. And, now that I've looked into it, I've found that was just one of the rackets he was running. Another was blackmailing girls like yourself, and even bigger, the squeeze he was putting on the entertainers he's booked here."

He paused to light another cigarette, and as he did Laura wanted to ask him about Johnny. The mention of entertainers had jolted her back into the memory of her husband. Poor Johnny, he's probably worried to death. Wait until he finds out all the wonderful news!

"Laura, the gist of all this is that no one in one of my clubs, or any of the other owners for that matter, will ever have to worry about Deke Vito or any of his henchmen again. I've seen to that!"

He seemed to be thinking intently for a moment before he continued, "I'm afraid I had to use a few gangster tactics myself. I didn't want to, but it was nothing I could turn over to the police, and violence seemed to be the only thing Deke Vito knew."

Cassis Mornay put his hand on her shoulder. "Laura, you've found the friend you have in Harry, but there's someone else who thinks you're awfully special." He shook his head. "This morning after talking to Harry I called Black Jack."

Both Harry's and Laura's heads lifted in surprise at the giant Negro's name.

"I asked him about what I'd been told and he confirmed it. Then he asked me what I planned to do with Vito and when I said I hadn't decided, he mentioned your name."

She looked at him, puzzled, wondering how much Black Jack would have told him.

"He asked me if I knew what Deke Vito had done to you and when I told him I wasn't sure I knew everything – for a moment he really did look like a great wild animal – then he told me Vito had been terrible to you and would I mind if he personally escorted him out of town."

He stopped for a moment. Then he got up and walked over to the bar.

He mixed them all a drink, and came back. "Deke Vito won't be doing any fancy gambling or playing with women again after Black Jack finished with him not with those hands and that face." He paused, raising his glass. "Well, enough of that. I think we should drink a toast, a two-fold toast! First, because we're rid of Deke Vito and all the troubles he caused, and secondly…" He tapped Harry on the shoulder… "to our new casino manager!"

Harry sputtered in his drink, and Laura clapped her hands in delight.

"Oh, Harry! That's wonderful!" she cried, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mr. Mornay… you didn't have to… I mean, well, hell…" His voice was lost in the rim of his glass, and they could both see the dampness in the corners of his eyes.

"Harry, Goddamn it! My executives call me Cass, is that understood?" Mornay said menacingly, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yessir, Mr…"

"Harry, I want you to go home and relax. I've got some big plans I want to go over with you tomorrow." He laughed, and shook the shorter man's hand as they both rose.

Moments later, he came to Laura's side.

"Cass, that's wonderful, no one could have deserved it more than Harry." Then she sobered momentarily, "Cass, where's the phone? I have to call Johnny. He'll be so delighted with the news, and he must be terribly worried about me."

She saw a strange look cross his face, and then he gently pushed her back against the couch.

"Laura, I have to talk to you about Johnny…" He stopped when he saw the fear in her eyes. "No, don't worry, he's alright."

The sudden tenseness went out of her shoulders. "What is it, Cass. What do you mean about… Johnny?"

"Laura, Black Jack told me a few things about Johnny and Vito, about the contract and some other things. It wasn't very pleasant, but I realized Black Jack would have no reason to lie." He paused, but continued before the young girl was able to pose the question he saw in her eyes.

"Laura, I had to test Johnny. I talked to him this morning. Naturally, he denied having anything to do with offering you to… well, anyway, I asked him if he still wanted that contract in San Francisco. I told him he had a choice."