Two hours later, my mood had not improved.
Our initial search had taken us to the Grand Sierra Resort, but, frustratingly, either they had either checked in under different names or weren't there to begin with. So, I'd suggested we check out the other major casinos, starting with the two nearest, the Peppermill and Atlantis, which also turned out to be dry wells. After leaving each casino, I'd taken time to casually drive through the parking lots, looking for their Cadillac. Not that I'm one to brag, but one of my odd talents is having a memory for odd license plates, which turned out to be an added benefit in my line of work. Unfortunately, this also proved fruitless as well.
Then we got caught up in the traffic jam.
Some accident had managed to close off the entire northbound freeway, and I hadn't been able to exit in time.
Still, I mused, it could have been worse. I could have been the schmuck in the accident.
"Rrgh...what could the hold up be? It's been nearly a half hour, if Trixie is reading your clock right."
Then again... I took a deep breath, and consciously, loosened my grip on the steering wheel, mildly surprised that I hadn't crushed grooves into it. It was several more seconds before I could answer civilly.
"Must have been a pretty bad one for the whole freeway to be shut down. Highway patrol's got to make sure the scene's documented, EMT's have to make sure they can move people before the cars can be cleared..." I sighed, covering my growling stomach. The charitable part of my mind pointed out that Trixie must be likewise hungry, and reminded me to be patient. I shrugged. "Not much we can do except wait."
Trixie made a frustrated noise and stared out the windows. After a moment, her expression turned pensive. "There sure are a lot of people in this city of yours, Finn Kelly."
"You're right. And please, just call me Finn." I responded, devoutly thankful I hadn't given her my full name. Nobody in their right mind should have to slog through life with a name like "Finbarr" anyway.
"So busy...and it's only Midday."
I nodded. "Reno's getting busier and busier too. Granted, we're nowhere near Vegas, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, but we're up and coming."
Trixie turned to look over at me, her expression genuinely curious. "So, how many of these people do you know? Or who know you?"
That's an odd question... It took me a few seconds to change mental gears. "I don't know...maybe a half dozen?"
Trixie's eyebrows rose slightly. "Does that count your family?"
Oof...well, she couldn't have known. "No, not really." I debated not telling her, but pressed on anyway. "Don't have any. At least, not anymore. My father died overseas when I was young...I don't really remember him much. Mom died a few years later in a car accident, and I was raised by my Grandad. He passed away a couple of years ago."
It was an old ache, something that had gnawed at me for a while. I had more or less moved on from it, but every now and then, the grief reared its head and I'd be a bit of a wreck. I sat back in my seat, doing my level best to ignore it. Grieve later, solve problems now.
I was, however, surprised when I felt Trixie place a pale hand on my shoulder. "Tr...I am sorry. I didn't know..."
I shook my head and gave her a sad smile. "No way you could have known. Don't worry about it." I decided to circle back to the previous conversation that I had so ably derailed. "So, yeah, six, maybe seven or eight people I'd call really close friends."
"In such a big city...it seems..." She shook her head, searching for a word.
"Sad?" I offered, helpfully.
"Wrong." Trixie said with emphasis. "You have so many opportunities to make friends here. Given the numbers involved, I would have thought you'd have dozens, given how helpful and handsome you are."
I laughed. "Well, don't get me wrong, it's not like nobody's unfriendly. It's just that..." I took a second to order my thoughts. "It's that everyone has to make a living, and everyone has different schedules, different interests...and sometimes, people's jobs take them to work at odd hours. In general, everyone's polite and kind to each other, but if you're talking about people that you can actually spend free time with..." I shrugged. "It's hard, sometimes."
Trixie nodded, her expression pensive. "I suppose that makes a certain degree of sense. My job required a certain degree of travel. I can really only say I've got three or four close friends as well."
"Huh...well, I guess I can see why you'd be desperate to find them, if they're all here."
Just then, the traffic started moving again, as well as Trixie's stomach giving an extra large growl. I glanced over at her. "I'm guessing you're hungry too?"
"Starving. Where can we get something to eat?"
I grinned. "How would you like to sample Nevada's greatest contribution to fine dining?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok look. Nevada might not look like it has much going for it, culturally. What land isn't owned by the government or casinos is generally sagebrush and desert. We have mineral deposits almost as far as the eye can see, but other than geologists, that's not terrifically exciting. We can't claim regional food delicacies, like Louisiana can for Cajun food, or any number of other states for barbecue.
That said, I don't know if we invented the buffet, but we certainly perfected it.
After checking for Trixie's friends at the Harrah's front desk (no luck, naturally) I paid for myself and my companion for the buffet at the same hotel.
"Celestia's shiney hiney..." Trixie's voice held a note of reverence, which I couldn't really fault her for containing. To a hungry person, the massive buffet was Food Nirvana.
We met at a table later, and I goggled at what Trixie had assembled on her tray. Sure, I'd loaded up with my usual favorites of General's Chicken and Pizza, but other than a salad (heavy on the croutons and dressing), it looked like she'd hit the dessert station and gotten two, if not three, of everything.
I nodded at the sugary mountain piled before her. "Someone's got a death wish."
"Bite me, Finn. It's not often I get to indulge myself in this manner." She began to eat a salad with a dainty voracity I'd rarely encountered before.
"So, Finn, let me ask you a question."
"Fire away." I muttered around a mouthful of food.
"Is there Magic here?"
I frowned and took a drink from my ginger ale. What kind of question is that?
"I mean, if you're looking for me to take you to see a show, I'm going to have to put my foot down."
She shook her head. "You're doing more than enough for me already. I mean, can people do feats of magic here?"
"Well, not everyone can, but I can show you a few magic tricks. Here, watch this."
Ever since I was in high school, I was in the habit of carrying a deck of cards on me wherever I went, for a few reasons; First off, there's always an opportunity to play cards with any number of bored people. Second, If I were ever stranded on a desert island, I'd have something to occupy myself with. And finally, there's a chance to do what I was about to do: Impress someone.
I pushed my plate to one side, and pulled the cards out. I flipped the top card over, showing the King of Diamonds, Then flipped it back over, then pulled the card back into the center of the deck. Then, grinning, I tapped the top card, and flipped it over again, revealing the King of Diamonds again. Then, I pulled the card off the top of the deck and inserted it into the middle again with a flourish, followed by a shuffle and a cut. I slid the top card off and turned it over to reveal our old friend the Diamonds again. I gave Trixie a smile. "Was that what you were looking for?"
To my amazement, she was nonplussed. "No, not really. Although your Double lift and false cut were more than impressive enough, that's just...ledgermane." She leaned in. "I'm talking about stuff like...Levitation. Teleportation. Actual Magic."
I shook my head as I stowed my cards again. "Not really. At least, nothing that the government hasn't classified. I mean, sure, you might see an act like that in Vegas, but it's usually just more of the same."
Trixie had finished her salad by this point and started on a slice of key lime pie I swore I could have slept on. "What about Harmony?"
Even though I heard the capitalization in the word, I can't resist a straight line. "Oh sure. That comes right after Melody and Rhythm."
"No, you fool, I mean..." She frowned, her gaze going distant. "Isn't there some...Energy that permeates your world, that drives folks to work together?"
"Sounds like The Force", I muttered. When she looked at me like she expected me to elaborate, I continued. "You know...Star Wars? An invisible force that surrounds us, gives life to the universe?"
Trixie looked excited. "Yes! That's it exactly!"
I shook my head. "Only in the movies."
At her crestfallen expression, I continued. "Well, again, it's not that people don't get along. But if there's some mystical force that's running through here, I haven't heard of or seen it."
"Madness." I heard Trixie mutter to herself, as she moved from the few remaining crumbs of Key Lime pie to the cheesecake.
I sighed. "Maybe. Lord knows the world could use it." I ate some more, then a thought occurred to me. "Hey, you spotted how my trick worked."
"Naturally! A performer of Trixie's Caliber should be able to recognize an act when she sees one." The cheesecake had been reduced to a few scant crumbs, and she had moved onto an Everest-sized mountain of soft serve chocolate ice cream festooned with gummy bears, sprinkles and swimming in chocolate syrup. "Your performance was amateurish, but competent."
"Gee, thanks." I said, sardonically. "I suppose I am a little rusty. But that's besides the point. You're a Stage Magician?"
She smiled at that. It did wonderful things to her face. "I suppose you could call it that. I do more traveling than anything else, performing in towns for passers by."
"Busking." I nodded. "I tried doing that, while I was in college. It's a tough way to make a living, though."
Trixie nodded. "You're not wrong. Though I will admit, it's nice to own your life, to be beholden to no-one." Her expression turned wistful. "It can get lonely on the road though. Trixie has come to appreciate her friends." She glanced over at me. "So, you tried the role of wandering performer, eh?"
I wavered a hand. "Only briefly. I couldn't make ends quite meet doing either magic or music. Luckily, I managed to get a better job as a deckhand on a party fishing boat. The work was harder, but it was almost more honest. And I never went hungry, during the tourist season."
Trixie frowned. "I may have not noticed it, but I can't see much ocean up here."
I grinned and gestured in a vaguely westerly direction. "Lake Tahoe's only about an hour away. Plenty of fishing there, even in the winter."
Somehow, in the intervening conversation, Trixie had finished her mountain of sugary treats. She sat back and dabbed daintily at her mouth with a napkin. "It sounds like you have led an active and interesting life, Finn Kelly."
I smiled at that. "I could tell you the same thing. It's not an easy thing to pull off the traveling magician gig." I glanced at the time. "We should probably keep going, if we're hoping to find your friends."
"Give me a few minutes, Finn. I don't think I can move just yet."
I felt my grin broaden. "No no, your Worshipfulness. Time and Tide await for no man." I stood. "We're burning daylight, come on."
"Finn...I would kill you, if I could stand up."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I managed to get Trixie up.
She didn't kill me.
In case you were wondering.
The next two hours were fruitless as we checked the other major casinos. The Silver Legacy, Cal Neva, the El Dorado...dry wells all.
As Trixie and I walked back to my Suburban, I gave her a sidelong glance. "I don't suppose you have any idea what their trip was all about in the first place, do you?"
She shook her head as we got in. "Only vague references. Fussy Miss Purplesmart had wanted to do some further research, And Her Sunniness had decided she could use some entertainment in her retirement. But more than that, I have no idea."
"Retirement?" I frowned at that, thinking back to the three women we were searching for. "She must have been doing well, to retire so young...and what's so funny?"
"N-nothing." She said, restraining a wave of giggles. "You wouldn't believe me, anyway."
I snorted. "Maybe." I glanced out the window. "Ah, there you go. Told you the moon would be up."
Trixie's giggles trailed off, as she saw where I was looking. "Huh..." She trailed off into pensive silence as I navigated back onto the freeway. "That's...odd." Her brows knit again, then she inhaled sharply. " WHAT IN TARTARUS' TESTICLES IS THAT!?"
Her tone of voice was so fearful and panicked that I jerked the steering wheel in pure reflex. "What is what?!"
"THAT!" She was pointing out the windshield at...
"That?!" I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Oh that! Saints preserve us!" I wrestled with my laughter, but it took me a good minute to get my mirth under control. Granted, once I looked over at Trixie, it was a good deal more difficult. Her otherwise beautiful features were currently marred by an expression of equal parts horror and someone whose sense of propriety had been gravely affronted.
"What is it you are laughing at, Finn Kelly?"
"You!" I wheezed. "That's an airliner!" I pointed at the red and blue painted jetliner that was flying in to its final approach to Reno Tahoe International Airport. "Run! Run! Flee from the terror of Southwest Airlines!" I waved one hand in mock alarm, laughing all the more. "Save us! Flee in terror of their unassigned seating and low grade peanuts!"
"I am wondering when you will cease having fun at my expense and explain what's so funny."
I glanced over at her, chuckling. "How do you not know what an Airliner is? Hell, didn't you arrive on one?"
Trixie folded her hands over her chest and huffed out a breath. "Of course Trixie did! She just...didn't see it from the outside is all."
"Sure" I said, laughing. "Whatever you say, Your Worshipfulness." I shook my head, letting my laughter die out naturally. Something was troubling me.True, I knew Trixie to be self absorbed and needy. But she had a brain between her ears. Certainly something had truly worried her. And clearly there was almost no chance she could have missed what an airliner looked like. Something about her story and that of her friends' was starting to smell. There were too many inconsistencies, based off what I'd seen. Either Trixie wasn't telling me the whole truth, or there was something more sinister going on. Outwardly, I kept my expression cheerful, but I was starting to worry, and not for the first time.
Just what have I gotten myself involved with?
"Where are we going to next, Finn?"
I glanced at her. "Well, we've burned enough daylight searching and we've hit most of the major casinos here. We could try and hit every motel in Washoe Valley, but that's going to take more time than we have. So, we're heading back to my place."
"Your place?"
I nodded. "Yep. If nothing else, we know they're in town somewhere, and odds are good by now they know you're in town." Another thought occurred to me. "Hey...Have they tried to get in touch with you?"
She turned to me, genuinely surprised. "How would they do that?"
"On your phone?" I fished my cellphone from my pocket and waved it by way of example. "I mean, have they left a message or a voicemail for you? Haven't you checked?"
"Ah." She patted her jeans down, then her shirt pockets. "I...must have left it back at your house."
What person leaves their phone at home? Outwardly, I said "Well, no worries. We should be home in a few minutes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When we arrived home, Trixie hustled off to her room, muttering something about wanting to check her phone. I, for my part, flopped on my sofa. Sure, I had been sitting on my rear for most of the day driving, but let's be honest: any time you can sprawl on a sofa, you should with extreme prejudice.
Trixie came out of her room, her expression frustrated. "No messages from them, or a speakmail. They haven't tried to contact Tr-Me."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "Did you try to get ahold of them?"
"Of course Trixie did! Trixie is Great and Powerful, and almost certainly not an imbecile!" She flounced over to the armchair and threw herself into it. "So, what are we to do now?"
I thought about that for a second before I spoke. "Well, I've got to work the evening shift tomorrow, when your friends are due back with the car. We can't do too much unless they get in touch with us, so we get a breakthrough in the next eighteen hours..." I reached over to the coffee table and picked up the TV remote. "So we do what every red blooded American does."
I flipped the power on and gave Trixie a grin. "We binge watch some television."
If I hadn't known better, I'd have said she was shocked, but she recovered quickly. "Very well, Finn Kelly. If you insist."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have to say, Finn, I find this show very relateable."
"Oh, do you?"
"Yes. These...characters are remarkably similar to po...er...people I know back home."
"No kidding?"
"Oh yes. In particular, the random, frizzy haired one. Who sings the silly songs."
I nodded at that. "She's one of the more entertaining characters."
"And the super-organized neurotic one and the fashion conscious one. Both of them are remarkably similar to people I know."
I nodded. "This was a pretty popular show for it's day. Ran for nearly ten years, too."
"Really? That long?"
"Oh yeah. That's crazy long in television."
Trixie snuggled deeper into the blanket I had provided for her four episodes ago. "The theme song is quite catchy as well too."
I grinned as I turned it up. "Tell me about it. I used to tune in every week for this show."
And we settled in for the evening with the tv playing.