Marble Rose looked like she was back to normal. She wore khaki slacks with a lemon yellow T-shirt and camel-colored loafers. Her shiny blond hair curled around her face. She looked like the girl next door with her intelligent blue eyes and an oh-so-subtle shade of lipstick. Curled in her lap was a pure white Angora cat with startling green eyes. Marble Rose explained that after her arrest a friend who had a key to her house had come in and taken the cat to care for. The cat was purring loudly as it burrowed in her lap.

"Just tell me," she said as she stroked the cat's head.

"Well, we started out with me demanding you be reinstated in your job with full back pay and, of course, all your benefits. They agreed. By they, I mean Mr. Udal, who is the president of the Nevada Gaming Commission. He speaks for the casinos. I received a call from him, and he said the Babylon is falling into line. You will be compensated for your. . .false arrest, all the pain and suffering you endured. Handsomely compensated. You could donate everything you've won at the casinos to charity, plus what's in your trust fund, and still live very handsomely on your compensation if you so desire."

Marble Rose smiled. "I guess that's the good news. What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is you have to relocate. I know, I know, that's not what you want to hear because first he said he would make sure you got your old job back, but as we negotiated, he turned a little stubborn. If you stay, you will be banned from all the casinos on the Strip as well as those in town. I took some liberty and said you'd take the deal. I can always go back and say you changed your mind. I wouldn't recommend it, Marble Rose. You're a good teacher, from everything I've heard. You can get a job anywhere. Some. . .things are going to happen here, and I don't want to see you become part of the problem or the solution. Oh, the casino is going to buy your house at fair market value. We can close this out, and I can deliver checks to you by tomorrow morning. You should plan to leave right after breakfast tomorrow."

Ted looked up and watched the young woman as she pondered what she must perceive to be her options, when really there weren't any choices open to her. Would she take Lizzie's advice or not? He hit the BlackBerry again.

"And my mother?"

"Your mother is not part of this equation."

Marble Rose licked at her lips. "I suppose you wonder. . ."