Lizzie looked at her watch. She decided she had time for a brief catch-up chat with her newest associate. "Marble Rose was our initial case, but she was a diversion. Yes, she won a boatload of money, and, yes, they put the screws to her, but she was still a diversion. Her. . .uh. . .winning streak, for want of a better word, happened just as Owens and his team were taking on the other casinos and the Babylon and winning big. I don't know as of this minute how many people are involved in what they orchestrated. Greed, as I've always said, is the most powerful motivator in the world. I guess to people like that, no amount of money is ever enough. I do know that the Babylon, like most casinos, has a bonus program. Whatever the head of security saves the casino by being on top of things factors into his monthly bonus.

"I'm thinking that guy Owens has a small army of gamblers who hit a casino once, then they're replaced with others in the crew. That's why they haven't been caught. Mr. Udal says this has been going on for a year, but even with all their high-tech security, they couldn't nail anyone. Then in comes Marble Rose and her big winnings, which brought it all front and center.

"I guess the casinos have their own code of ethics. What they do behind the scenes is something else. That slogan What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas has some truth to it. Bottom line is they want the entire security team at the Babylon taken care of. And they are willing to pay for it.

"Everything is a smoke screen. To put them on edge so they might make a mistake. They know something is up, but they don't know what it is. I got a phone call late last night from Peter Udal, and he said there were no big wins anywhere on the Strip in the last two days, which means Owens and his people are lying low because they can smell trouble. We have to flush them out.

"We're a temporary fix until the vigilantes take over. Another distraction, if you will."

Whatever Lizzie was going to say next was cut off when her cell phone rang. "I'll be right down." Then she said, "Our taxi is here, Ted."

"No fancy cars today, Counselor?"

"No, no fancy cars."