Havenhurst walked with us across the atrium toward the Aztec Billiard Room.
“We’ve been fortunate not to have much trouble here, thank God,” Havenhurst said as we walked. “For a time I had two security guards on full-time. They were retired deputies from Las Vegas law enforcement, but after a period of complete calm I let them go. They are on call, though, so to speak. They live near here, should trouble arise, but thankfully I’ve not had to request their services. That is until now, so I can certainly send for them if you’d like.”
“Everett and me will be okay,” Virgil said as we arrived at the doors of the billiard room.
We stopped shy of entering and Virgil turned to Havenhurst.
“You should remain out here, though, Mr. Havenhurst. Never know how things might go down and I would not want you to get summed up on the wrong end of some kind of weapon wielded by a goddamn escaped prisoner who has no intention of being locked up again.”
“Yes, yes . . . I understand, Marshal . . . Please know, I do my best to run a tidy ship here, so hopefully when and if you do find the men you are looking for you can settle this with decorum.”
Virgil looked at me and nodded a little.
“We will do our best,” I said as Virgil and I both pulled our Colts. “Decorum is our business.”
We both checked the chambered loads, and with our Colts close to our sides I opened the door and followed Virgil inside. As the door closed behind me Virgil leaned toward me and said, “Decorum?”
“Good behavior,” I said as we both scanned the stately dark billiard room for our three men.
There looked to be twenty, maybe thirty, people in the wide room with ten billiard tables, and it appeared there was a game happening at each table.
“Full house,” I said.
“Is.”
Like the previous saloon, this place was full of cigar smoke, but unlike the previous place, this room was noisy with the sounds of pool balls, laughter, and game commentary.
“No one looking at us,” I said.
After continued perusal Virgil shook his head.
“Don’t see ’em.”
“No,” I said. “Don’t, either.”
Virgil slid his revolver back into its holster and I did the same. Then we walked slowly toward the bar, all the while keeping a sharp eye out for the three, but as we strolled and neared the bar we saw no sign of them.
We stood toward the right end of the bar, and within a short amount of time the bartender came walking over.
“Evening, gents,” he said.
He looked like he might be the brother of the bartender across the way at the State Room, except he was bigger and not as heavy.
Virgil showed his badge and I turned my back to the bar so as to keep an eye on the room.
“We are marshals,” Virgil said, “and we are looking for three men. We know they have been in the hotel as late as this afternoon. We just had a conversation with Mr. Havenhurst and Tony across the way. Havenhurst is just outside the door here. Havenhurst and Tony have shared with us how the whores are lined up for your guests. So now we need a few answers to a few questions.”
The big man looked back and forth between Virgil and me, and before Virgil could continue, he said, “I know exactly who you are talking about.”
I turned and looked to him.
“And they were liquored up,” he said. “Two dark-headed guys with scraggly beards and hair and a bigger guy, bald, strong-looking.”
Virgil glanced to me.
“That’s them,” he said.
“You can find them at the bathhouse. The far end bathhouse, number sixty-three. It’s a place where some of the girls go with the guests. It’s an option, instead of the rooms. They paid for three gals, and bathhouse sixty-three . . . They had the money.”
We wasted no time, and with Havenhurst leading the way we quickly made our way to the bathhouses.
Bathhouse 63 was situated just off the wide, tree-lined creek behind the hotel. The hot waters from the hot springs offered up rising vapors that gave the whole setting a mysterious foggy atmosphere.
“What is on the far side of the bathhouse?” Virgil said. “The side we can’t see?”
“On the opposite side of the structure there is an opening with a deck. The hot waters follow a channel to a pool in front of each bathhouse. They are all situated the same way. Sixty-three is no exception.”
“Thank you, Mr. Havenhurst,” Virgil said.
“What would you like me to do?” he said.
“Nothing you can do right now,” Virgil said. “You should go back inside and wait. And make sure no one comes this way. Later, there might be some need to clean up a bit, but we won’t know what is what until we have a chance to get in there and assess the situation.”