The Stars Shine Down

"The safety brake slipped," the operator explained later. "Gee, I feel really awful. I liked Bill a lot."

When she heard the news, Lara immediately telephoned Paul Martin. "Did you hear about Bill Whitman?"

"Yes. It was on television."

"Paul, you didn't...?"

He laughed. "Don't go getting any crazy ideas. You've been seeing too many movies. Remember, the good guys always win in the end."

And Lara wondered, Am I one of the good guys?

There were more than a dozen bidders for the Reno hotel.

"When do I bid?" Lara asked Paul.

"You don't. Not until I tell you. Let the others jump in first."

The bidding was secret, and the bids were sealed, to be opened on the following Friday. By Wednesday Lara still had not made a bid. She telephoned Paul Martin.

"Sit tight," he said. "I'll tell you when."

They stayed in touch by phone several times a day.

At 5:00 P.M. , one hour before the bidding was to close, Lara received a phone call.

"Now! The high bid is a hundred and twenty million. I want you to go five million over it."

Lara gasped. "But if I do that, I'll lose money on the deal."

"Trust me," Paul said. "After you get the hotel and start redoing it, you can cut corners on the changes. They'll all be endorsed by the supervising engineer. You'll make up the five million and then some."

The following day Lara was notified that hers was the winning bid.

Now Lara and Keller were on their way to Reno.

The hotel was called the Reno Palace. It was large and sumptuous, with fifteen hundred rooms and a huge, glittering casino that was empty. Lara and Howard Keller were being escorted through the casino by a man named Tony Wilkie.

"The people who owned this got a bum deal," Wilkie said.

"What kind of bum deal?" Keller asked.

"Well, it seems that a couple of the boys were pocketing a little money from the cash cage..."

"Skimming," Keller interjected.

"Yeah. Of course, the owners didn't know anything about it."

"Of course not."

"But someone blew the whistle, and the Gaming Commission pulled out the rug. It's too bad. It was a very profitable operation."

"I know." Keller had already studied the books.

When the tour of inspection was completed, and Lara and Howard were alone, she said, "Paul was right. This is a gold mine." She saw the expression on Howard's face. "What's the matter?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't like us getting involved in anything like this."

"What's 'anything like this'? It's a cash cow, Howard."

"Who's going to run the casino?"

"We'll find people," Lara said evasively.

"Where from? The Girl Scouts? It takes gamblers to run an operation like this. I don't know any, do you?"

Lara was silent.

"I'll bet Paul Martin does."

"Leave him out of this," Lara said.

"I'd like to, and I'd like to leave you out of it. I don't think this is such a great idea."

"You didn't think the Queens project was a great idea either, did you? Or the shopping center on Houston Street. But they're making money, aren't they?"

"Lara, I never said they weren't good deals. All I said was that I think we're moving too fast. You're swallowing up everything in sight, but you haven't digested anything yet."

Lara patted his cheek. "Relax."

The members of the Gaming Commission received Lara with elaborate courtesy.

"We don't often meet a beautiful young woman in here," the chairman said. "It brightens up our day."

Lara did look beautiful. She was wearing a Donna Karan beige wool suit, with a cream-colored silk blouse and, for good luck, one of the scarves Paul had given her for Christmas. She smiled. "Thank you."

"What can we do for you?" one of the gaming commissioners asked. They all knew perfectly well what they could do for her.

"I'm here because I would like to do something for Reno," Lara said earnestly. "I would like to give it the biggest, most beautiful hotel in Nevada. I'd like to add five stories to the Reno Palace, and put up a large convention center to attract more tourists here to gamble."

The members of the board glanced at one another. The chairman said, "I think something like that would have a very beneficial effect on the city. Of course, our job is to make sure that an operation like this would be run completely aboveboard."

"I'm not exactly an escaped convict," Lara smiled.

They chuckled at her little joke. "We know your record, Miss Cameron, and it is admirable. However, you've had no experience in running a casino."

"That's true," Lara admitted. "On the other hand, I'm sure it will be easy to find fine, qualified employees who will meet the approval of this commission. I would certainly welcome your guidance."

One of the members of the commission spoke up. "As far as the financing is concerned, can you guarantee...?"

The chairman interrupted. "That's all right, Tom, Miss Cameron has submitted the financials on it. I'll see that you each get a copy."

Lara sat there, waiting.

The chairman said, "I can't promise anything at this moment, Miss Cameron, but I think I'm safe in saying that I don't see any obstacles to your being granted a license."

Lara beamed. "That's wonderful. I'd like to get moving as quickly as possible."

"I'm afraid things don't move quite that fast here. There will be a one-month waiting period before we can give you a definite answer."