"Nah. Are you sure Ted doesn't need my help? I can do there what I'm doing here. Ted might need me, Maggie."

Maggie gathered up her paper and trash and stared at him for a long minute. "It might come to that, Joe. I think I can guarantee that there will be no available flights to Vegas out of D.C. today or tomorrow. I'll let you know. Get me everything you have on Homer Winters and his family. Everything, Joe. Call in on the hour."

Espinosa saluted smartly. "Yes, ma'am." He started to text message Ted until he realized the time difference between D.C. and Las Vegas. Ted was probably still catching his z's and might not have his BlackBerry set on vibrate. Espinosa slipped his own BlackBerry into his pocket and sauntered out of the coffee shop. At the last second he turned around and went back to get two coffees to go. Maggie liked it when people brought her coffee. So what if he was brownnosing the new EIC? So what?

The inner ring were munching on jelly donuts and drinking vanilla-flavored coffee as they viewed the night's security films. The only thing of any interest was live video of Homer Winters stomping his way toward his chauffeur-driven car, which was blocking the entrance to the casino. They all shrugged, as much as to say, He's old, and if he wants to be a curmudgeon, let him. He was the owner in name only as far as they were concerned. Hank Owens, although he'd never admit it aloud, considered the Babylon to be his. He knew how to keep Winters in line.

"Nothing else?" Owens asked.

"I picked up the airport video before I came in this morning," Leon Quintera said.

"Anyone look at it yet?"

"No, Boss," the men said in unison.

"That's it, then?" Owens's tone of voice clearly meant there better not be anything else.

"Unless you count the morning edition of the Washington Post," Oliver said.

Owens bent over to stare down at the online headline. He started to curse. "What the hell does that mean? Who the hell is 'flocking' here? I want names.

"Now, look alive, gentlemen, we're in the security business here. Let's see who's arrived in our fair city in the dark hours of the night. Maybe if you guys put your glasses on, you can identify the Washingtonians who are invading our fair city."

Airport tapes were usually on the boring side, grainy and poor quality but still good enough to make out the features of those the camera captured. You could always tell the high rollers and the movie stars because they held their heads up so the cameras could capture them full face. It was the travelers who wore caps, sunglasses at night, or big hats, and kept their heads down, that interested the security team.