DOUBLE DOWN Chapter Four

The elevator doors opened to the long hallway and I heard fire alarm bells in the distance. I pulled my shirt up, covering my mouth and nose. I figured my shirt would partially obscure my face from security cameras and wouldn't appear out of place with the fire alarms sounding. Opening the door leading from the hallway to the casino, the sound of the alarms bells caused me to cringe and I observed firefighters and police officers running around as casino workers rushed guests out of the casino and attached hotel. I could detect faint traces from the smoke from the burning plant down below us in the casino and knew the ungodly thing would soon burn itself out and those of us on the surface were safe enough.

"Sir, the fire alarm is going off, you have to leave!" A casino worker explained as he hurried me towards the front of the establishment.

Carrying the bags full of money, I eagerly complied. As I walked outside, I lowered my shirt and spied May Rogerson's sports car still illegally parked in the front of the casino, blocked in by several fire trucks and police cars.

As I wondered what happened to the woman complicit in the death of the real May Rogerson and who knows who else over the years, the imposter stepped out of her car, a gun in her hand.

"You're the Corsair!" The double screamed at me as she assumed a firing stance. "You did this! You tricked me into helping you!"

BANG!

My luck held as the woman fired her first shot at me and missed. Upon receiving fire, my first course of action is usually to find cover. Quickly searching for something bulletproof to hide behind and finding nothing nearby, I landed on a new course of action.

With limited options, I pointed at the unnatural and nearly exact copy of May Rogerson and shouted to the police officers moving around me who had drawn their weapons upon hearing a shot. "Robbery! Gun!"

"Drop your weapon!"

"Freeze!"

"Drop your weapon!"

"Don't move, lady!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Suspect down!"

After the police officers sent May Rogerson's duplicate to her long-overdue death, I had an amusing thought as I casually walked away from the casino with my own questionably obtained fortune, leaving the ongoing chaos far behind me.

Suspect down? You mean, double down!

* * * * * *

The CORSAIR will return!