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.”
Lara was dismayed. “A month?”
“Yes. We have a bit of checking to do.”
“I understand,” Lara said. “That will be fine.”
There was a music store in the hotel’s shopping complex. In the window was a large poster of Philip Adler, advertising his new compact disc.
Lara was not interested in the music. She bought the CD for Philip’s photograph on the back of the case.
On their way back to New York, Lara said, “Howard, what do you know about Philip Adler?”
“Just what everybody else knows. He’s probably the top concert pianist in the world today. He plays with the finest symphony orchestras. I read somewhere that he just set up a foundation for scholarships for minority musicians in inner cities.”
“What’s it called?”
“The Philip Adler Foundation, I think.”
“I’d like to make a contribution,” Lara said. “Send them a check for ten thousand dollars in my name.”
Keller looked at her in surprise. “I thought you didn’t care for classical music.”
“I’m starting to get interested in it,” Lara said.
The headline read:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY PROBE OF PAUL MARTIN—ATTORNEY REPUTED TO HAVE MAFIA TIES
Lara read the story with dismay and telephoned Paul immediately.
“What’s going on?” Lara asked.
He chuckled. “The DA is on another fishing expedition. They’ve been trying to tie me in with the boys for years, and they haven’t had any luck. Every time an election comes up, they try to use me as their whipping boy. Don’t worry about it. What about dinner tonight?”
“Fine,” Lara said.
“I know a little place on Mulberry Street where no one will bother us.”
Over dinner Paul Martin said, “I hear that the meeting with the Gaming Commission went well.”
“I think it did. They seemed friendly, but I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I don’t think you’ll have any problem. I’ll get you some good boys for the casino. The man who owned the license got greedy.” He changed the subject. “How are all the construction jobs going?”