Through a series of credit notes and refund checks, Jack Wilson returned every cent he had expropriated from Defcon. The illicit transactions were never discovered.
Once he had accomplished this task, he tendered his resignation to chairman Bill Swinden. Swinden was cordial and appropriately sympathetic but made no attempt to persuade Wilson to stay on. “Good luck, Jack,” he said piously. “I wish you all the best and I trust we’ll meet again.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” replied Wilson coolly.
Thousands Of mourners thronged the streets around the Roman Catholic cathedral in Jersey City where Tony Francisco’s funeral services were held. Telegrams and phone calls poured in from around the world. Movie stars and entertainers, politicians and royalty arrived in stretch limousines and joined the late singer’s grieving family in the packed church. It was like a star-studded Hollywood premiere. Francisco would have approved.
When the circumstances surrounding his death were revealed, family and business associates launched a series of massive lawsuits against the Galaxy and its corporate masters, Summit Enterprises. In the end, the courts held that the Galaxy was not liable for Francisco’s death.
Gloria Latorella mourned Tony’s death for almost a year. Eventually she and Solly Greenspan were married in a quiet ceremony.
Sales of Tony Francisco’s albums skyrocketed.
Barney Leopold’s family slowly recovered from the shock of his death by poisoning. His wife, Shirley, was surprised at the magnitude of her late husband’s debts—and even more so by the nature of the people to whom he owed the money. But she managed to cover the debts with the proceeds of his life insurance. Upon the advice of her attorneys, she sued the Galaxy for negligence and settled out of court for a little over $3 million. Uncharacteristically, Emmett Druperman approved the settlement without a qualm.
Because the original receipt for Leopold’s dice winnings had disappeared, however, Druperman adamantly refused to pay any part of them to his widow.
Bulk seasonings and unsealed condiments were henceforth banned from all Galaxy restaurants.
It was generally assumed that Buster Malloy’s body had been vaporized in the Drifts blast. Helga Johanssen’s body was never discovered.
Attempts to extradite Dan Shiller from Libya met with no success.
Torn between admiration for Steve Forrester’s heroic act and resentment at his ex-partner’s perceived insensitivity to his personal advancement, LVMPD Lieutenant Frank Marshall remained ambivalent in his attitude toward Forrester.
Emmett Druperman settled the strike against the Galaxy on his own terms, which amounted to giving the unions nothing. Within a few months, the megaresort was again posting record profits.
“Gamblers have short memories,” rasped the CEO, shifting uncomfortably in his leather chair.
Amid speeches and flashing cameras, Steve Forrester and his fiancée, Lucy Baker, were honored for their heroism with a presentation of symbolic keys to the city by Las Vegas mayor Oscar Fairchild.
During the hourlong ceremony at City Hall, Lucy managed to maintain an appropriately modest demeanor, while Forrester squirmed with embarrassment and profoundly wished he were somewhere else.