Sinners and Saints

Sinners and Saints Chapter 27 - Another One Bites the Dust

I’m picked up by the same driver.  I’m checked into the same suite at the Bellagio.  It’s like Groundhog’s Day – except, of course, it’s not.  “I wish,” I mumble to myself.  

I’m also handed a sealed packet when I check in.  After the bellhops wrangle all of my luggage into the suite and wait around for their tips (and I have to wonder if I get an expense account after forking over two hundred bucks), I’m left alone. 

The Invitational has moved on also.  Since that’s the only type of gambling I enjoy, I’m going to be a bored girl here. 

After I unpack, I open my packet.  There’s a list of some two thousand files and instructions on how to log onto the L’s VPN. 

I am to study each file and give my judgment on what I would do and why.  I’m to provide my answers in as standard a format as I can, ranking each factor on a scale of one to ten.  

That’s the homework. 

I’m also to show up at an office building downtown at nine the next morning, dressed professionally. 

“Oh goody,” I scoff, looking at my job description, “I get to be Luc’s PA for the next ten days.” 

It’s still fairly early here, but I really didn’t get much rest last night – between crying and drinking – so I order room service and set up my computer to tackle at least a couple of files before making an early night of it.  Staying busy will also help me keep my mind off my thrice-broken heart. 

 By eight-thirty, I’m yawning over my tenth file. 

Whoever set up the sample did a good job, though.  It appears to be completely random.  There are some very bad, some very good, and a lot inside the bell-curve.  

And I also realize that this would be much more efficient for me if I set up a database for it all. 

I jot down some notes on what kind of tables and fields I would need and log out.  I’ll have to ask about that in the morning. 

I put my room service tray out in the hallway and head to the bedroom.  I pick out my shoes and then a suit to match and set them out for the morning and head to bed. 

“Good morning.  Calieñte Enterprises.  May I help you?” I answer Luc’s line again.  I soooo hate being a secretary, “I’m sorry, Mr. Calieñte isn’t in at the moment.  Is there something I can help you with?” 

I listen to the arch-demon’s thick Russian accent, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Dmitri, but disputes over bi’s are strictly Mrs. Calieñte’s area.  I’d be happy to transfer you to her assistant.” 

He hangs up on me.  They almost always do.  I log his call in Luc’s ever-growing list of arch-demons that Lil has managed to piss off and return to my database. 

Luc hasn’t been in the office yet, and it’s Wednesday afternoon.  Lil’s offices are on the floor above us, so I have no idea if she’s in or not.  

“Be glad he’s not here,” Stacy, his other assistant, tells me, “We always get a lot more done when he’s not.  How’s the database coming?” 

“Good,” I tell her, swinging one of my three monitors around so she can see, “It’ll be a lot of data-entry at first, but eventually it’s going to save you all loads of time.  Look,” I run one of the queries that I’ve set up on the two hundred and seventy three files I’ve already entered, “This shows all of those that have the sin of murder on their souls, sub-typed by degree, relationship and repeats.” 

“Wow,” Stacy nods, “We should have had this years ago.” 

“Yes, you really should,” I laugh, “It’s like Mad-Men up in here.  I thought you all would be so much more advanced than this.”