Mark reached the casino after his wife and the man with her moved out of sight. The weather was finally breaking and the snow had finally showed signs of ending, but the clouds had the night come earlier. With that in mind, Mark made his way inside, constantly on the look-out for his wife, though he knew it didn't matter much, she knew he was here now, only he wondered how would she act.
Entering the casino again, he expected to find her waiting for him, but she wasn't. He knew she couldn't be far as she just walked in a few minutes before him, so he decided to put his jacket in the coat check room and see if she turned up. There are several of them located throughout the casino and as he handed his jacket to the woman behind the counter, he heard noises coming from around the corner. Curious as to where his wife could be and wondering what the noise is, he walked past the check in room and saw a closed door, hosting a cheap plastic sign stating that this room is for the Thomas Corporation Holiday Party.
Okay, so this is the room Veronica's company was using. Opening the door, he walked in to find a large number of people here, some of whom he recognized and everyone present greeted him as a friend. He stopped a woman walking by that he knew. "Hey Janice, have you seen Veronica?"
Janice looked around the room a moment, and replied, "I just saw her a moment ago, but not now. Maybe she went out the back door," she said, pointing to a door at the far end of the room.
Mark thanked her and hurried through the door, finding himself at a series of elevators. She wasn't here either, so rather than retracing his steps, he took one up to the main floor exiting near several gaming rooms. He quickly spotted Veronica in the first room he checked, the one closest to the elevator, but she didn't seem to notice him. He walked up to her as she played a slot machine and she was sitting on her coat. It was quickly brushed off, but there are still signs of snow on the collar. He walked over and stood next to her.
Veronica noticed him then. "Hi Mark, I'm glad you're here," she said, getting up to give him a kiss. Mark scanned the room, but the man who followed her to the casino wasn't around.
"Hey, I just wanted to apologize for spending so much time at work. I should have left sooner."
"It's fine. I was a little pissed, but you want that promotion. I understand. It's fine."
"So how much money have you lost?" He asked with a smile.
"Actually, I won four dollars. See, gambling doesn't always mean a person will lose."
"I guess you're right. So why aren't you down at the party?"
"You found the party room?"
"Yeah, when I checked my coat. Why didn't you check your coat as well?" He said this casually, but noticed the look of concern that crossed her face for a second.
"Well sometimes it's cold in here and I brought my coat up with me. It's nice in here today and I didn't want to have to walk back down and check it."
"Fine. Well are you interested in a drink from the bar?" He asked.
"No thanks, but go ahead and get one," she responded.
Mark walked to the bar, throwing a quick look over his shoulder and saw his wife get off her stool and walk back into the game room, probably meeting with the man who had accompanied her from Mr. Thomas' home. They both looked in his direction, but Mark had already turned his head and made his way to the bar. Quickly making a purchase he returned to the room arriving just as Veronica sat down. Not sure how to proceed, he decided to give her some rope and see what developed. "Honey, do you want me to take your jacket to the coat room and check it in. You'll be more comfortable that way."
"Oh yes, please," she replied, then added, "Hey, I might move to another room with less people."
"Sure. I might wander around a bit myself. If we don't see each other, let's plan on meeting for something to eat in what, say about an ninety minutes. We'll meet over at the restaurant. That okay with you?"
"Yeah. You don't mind me wandering around by myself, do you?"
"Absolutely not. I trust you," he added, wondering if she would feel a little guilty, but she just smiled and handed him her coat. Knowing she would be watching him carefully, Mark casually took her jacket down and checked it in, then rushed back up the stairs, but she was already out of sight. He stood there thinking. She had left as soon as he did and was lost in the crowd. She could be anywhere, but, he would bet that she had probably skipped the closer game rooms and headed to the far end of the casino. That's where he started to look. Moving quickly, he didn't waste time looking in the closer rooms, or the bar, instead he thought he would head all the way down and start backtracking. The casino was seven stores tall, but the gambling section was only on the second and third floors, the smoking area one flight up and the non-smoking area on this floor. Since Veronica didn't smoke, he was certain she would remain on this floor.
He figured it would take a while to locate her, but to his surprise he spotted her as soon as he had reached the end of this floor. She was off to one side talking with the same guy who had accompanied her to the casino, but also with Mr. Thomas. Mark liked that, figuring her having to chat with the boos, would interrupt any plans she had made to go somewhere else. Casually he entered a game room nearby and began playing the penny slots. The machine he chose gave him the perfect view of her and the two men and provided the perfect cover. Just a few minutes later the three passed by the room as they walked casually back toward the center of the casino, Veronica throwing nervous glances around, obviously looking for him. Mark knew she was up to something again, but he was patient. After they passed by, he followed them from a distance to the main stairwell. It looked like they were heading to the party, so Mark moved quickly back to the elevators and took the same one down and made his way through the rear entrance of the company party.