Lizzie laughed again. "And none taken." She winked at him, and Ted almost wet his pants. "See that machine over there? The jackpot is $187,444. Imagine that." Five minutes later, when she turned around, the numbers read $187,993. "I hope some construction worker from New Jersey and his wife win it."

"Just out of curiosity, can you practice law here, Lizzie?"

"Yep, I can practice law in every state except South Dakota. Don't even ask why I don't want to practice law in South Dakota. I thought you knew I'm billed as the female Clarence Darrow and a legal whiz who has no equal. You need to get with it, Teddie," Lizzie said airily, as her gaze raked the rows and rows of slot machines. Since Marble Rose wasn't into blackjack or roulette, Lizzie gave the tables barely a glance.

Ted frowned as he tugged at one of his ear-lobes. "All of that aside, there's a first time to fumble. Happens to the best of us." He hated it, absolutely hated it when Lizzie one-upped him.

"I'm not you, Teddie, and it isn't going to happen. I have secrets that have secrets. I know people who know other people. A long time ago I decided I didn't need just a plan but a master plan, so I formulated one. It's all up here," Lizzie said, tapping her head. "You look. . .scared, Ted. Why is that?"

"Because you scare the shit out of me, that's why. Listen, I forgot to mention I'm going to amble over to wherever the Review-Journal is and talk to a few of the local reporters. I want to get the real skinny on this place. I might hit up the Sun and the Northern View, too. The single guys are the ones I want to talk to. But that's for later, after our walk outside and after your meeting with Ms. Preston."

"That sounds like a plan. I think we should head back to that cocktail lounge and order a drink. I've seen enough. I cannot imagine working a full eight-to twelve-hour shift in a place like this. A person's nerves must be twanging all over the place when they leave at the end of the day."

"This ain't nothin'. You should see these casinos come eleven o'clock at night. That's when everything goes through the roof, and the high rollers come out to play." At Lizzie's quizzical look, he said, "I read a lot and go to the movies even more. Vegas is a gold mine in the entertainment business. People can't get enough of it."

Lizzie's gaze swept the rows of slot machines until she found the one that had read $187,993 at last look. It now read $188,311. Absolutely amazing. She made a mental note to check the machine one last time before calling it a night. She might even do what Ted did, put a dollar in to see what kind of return she'd get for her investment.