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“Why does that matter?” I repeated. “Seriously?”
“Look, it’s crypto. You don’t understand cryptocurrency. I didn’t either at first. But there’s nothing mysterious about it. It’s just another way of doing business. Lots of people use it.”
“What, pray tell, do Frankie’s friends use it for? To launder money? To hide money?”
“Invest,” she said. “Invest. Some are friends who used to use his investment bank before it closed its Moscow office, some are entrepreneurs, some are just sort of, I don’t know, visionary. Early adopters. Obviously, it’s all above board.”
“Obviously,” I repeated, but I didn’t mean it. “And why do they want to buy the Buckingham Palace?”
“I don’t know that they do.”
“They were at the show again the other night. A gaggle of them. I believe they’re doing their due diligence.”
“Well, even if they did, it would have no effect on you.”
“Oh, do you know something of their plans?”
“Not when it comes to buying a casino. I just know they love your show. Besides…”
Her voice trailed off, and when she didn’t resume speaking, I pressed her. “Go on.”
“Look, they all have tastes that are kind of highbrow. Like that club they have in Grand Cayman.”
“Oh, I’ve seen pictures. Rory O’Hara had a brochure left in my room. The Maenads. Sounds like a resort for men who want underage girls.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, it’s not. Not every story is Jeffrey Epstein’s. But it is very special. I’ve seen pictures. It’s elegant and exclusive, and the Buckingham Palace is…it just isn’t. It’s more down-to-earth,” she said, obviously trying to apply lipstick to what she viewed as a sow.
“That’s not a reason they wouldn’t buy the BP,” Nigel observed. “Maybe they want to turn it into a casino that is elegant and exclusive.”
“And not down-to-earth,” I added, my tone caustic.
“But it’s always going to be off the strip,” she said. “It’s always—”
“May I ask you something?” Nigel pressed.
“Sure. Grill me some more. Why don’t we all just go to the pool so you can waterboard me?”
He ignored her frustration and inquired, “Why is Futurium even in Las Vegas? I’m assuming the company plans to get involved in gambling. Be among the crypto pioneers out here, either by buying a property or convincing other places to make Futurium the coin of the realm.”
“Futurium now has a coin that’s pegged to the dollar. As you know, a lot of cryptocurrencies aren’t.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that,” I said.
“So that means they work with more stable assets. As the gaming laws evolve and the casinos start allowing guests to gamble with crypto, they’ll begin with the coins that are less volatile. We’ll be among the first in. With any luck, we’ll have what Tony and Damon call their beachhead before Bitcoin or ETH.”
“What does Frankie say?” I asked.
My sister looked annoyed. “Would you please let this go? There is nothing illegal about anything Futurium does.”
“Cryptocurrency and gambling are both great ways to launder money,” Nigel said. “Put them together, and just think what you could accomplish.”
“We’re worried about you,” I said.
“Don’t be. You’re the ones who work at a casino where the two owners killed themselves.”
“Which,” I told her, “should have you alarmed, too, if Futurium is trying to acquire the casino. Look, I don’t mean to pretend to be the wise older sister, but you’re hanging around with people who carry guns. Are you safe? Do you need us to—”
“I need you to have a little faith in me!” she snapped. Then she glared at us both, and I braced for the rancor that she was about to unleash. Instead, however, her eyes pitying me, she shook her head and said, “The way Terrance exploited your…your issues…is unforgivable.”
