Dallas 2.0:Sessions:20160521

Brenda claims she's "working a party" tonight. Benjamin asks if she wants 'accompaniment'; after a moment, she says yes, "but I'll be distracted." Benjamin asks "Can we help?" Brenda starts to apologize for getting him involved last night, then cuts herself off and says that her work begins at 7:00pm.

Nathan walks in and is introduced to Brenda Simons. Brenda: "Should I know you?" Nathan: "Who do you work for?" Brenda: "I'm part of Softlight's internal security." Nathan, handing her his business card: "Are you looking to make a move? I'm always looking for good talent. Why do they need security here?" Brenda: "Bigwigs. Can't tell you more." Nathan: "I hired Ben this morning." Benjamin: "He likes the drones, too!"

Nathan: "I propose a small wager. If I guess which room you'll be in, will you allow Ben and me to be in that room?" Brenda, shooting Benjamin a 'wicked' smile: "Your charmer has already worked his way in. You think something's gonna happen." Nathan: "Room 432. My special skill is called 'money'." Benjamin: "Let us say we are invited guests!" Using her smartphone, Brenda snaps pictures of Nathan and Benjamin (and later Orley) and shares them with her Softlight crew.

Clyde is stuck in the backup behind a traffic accident and is fuming about it. As he passes the accident, he rolls down his window and angrily cusses out the cops, who glare back at him. Realizing how hungry he is, and unwilling to pay for what he considers to be overpriced, bland hotel food, he cuts across several lanes of traffic and pulls into a sports bar.

Orley reports to Nathan that room 702 has not been used, although the key had been picked up from the front desk at 8:00am. There has been no sign of Vicki Zann or Ricardo Hansel.

Nathan, Benjamin, and Orley go to one of the hotel restaurants for dinner. Orley: "Ben, I think Brenda likes you." Benjamin: "I think she don't."

After dinner, Benjamin walks the area, paying special attention to stairwells and exits. He has checked his clothing and found no bugs or trackers. Nathan looks into suite 432 where the caterers are setting up. Across the hall from the main entrance, leaning against a wall, a man seems to be messing with his smartphone. Another man comes away from a window and approaches Nathan. "Mr. Rahl, you're about an hour early. I'm Wesley Weltz, head of security at Spotlight." Nathan: "I like to know all the entrances and exits." Wesley: "Brenda spoke highly of your operatives. What are you doing here?" Nathan: "I have information that something untoward might happen, and it is my nature to investigate these things. And for no fee, you get three more security agents." Weltz says the man playing with the smartphone is one of his men, Vernon. Nathan: "Benjamin's English is rough, but he's very smart. Oh, and where are the knives, and how many of them are there?"

Nathan takes Benjamin aside and tells him to introduce himself to Wesley. Benjamin: "Is there something you not tell me?" Nathan: "The lady who threw the elbow last night called and said there would be a slaughter here. Also, we have a case of a lady that should be here that's gone missing." Benjamin: "We should talk to Brenda." Nathan: "I'm not a very trusting person. Watch her reaction to the name Vicki Zann."

Benjamin texts Brenda, "Let's meet, it's important." Brenda spares him a few moments, and he asks her about "Vicki from Highland Tropic." Brenda doesn't respond to the name Vicki, but she mentions "we have run many checks on Mr. Bara [head of marketing, Vicki Zann's boss]."

Clyde checks to see if anyone is following him. His suspicions are drawn to a man reading a magazine sitting in a car in the parking lot. He sits up and puts aside his magazine when Clyde appears. Clyde, thinking this is too much of a coincidence, starts up his car, pulls around to the back of the sports bar, immediately pulls into a parking space, goes around to the trunk and pulls out a baseball bat. He had hoped that the guy would follow him, but after about three minutes Clyde realizes there is no exit from the parking lot back here. He replaces the bat and drives out of the parking lot. The guy pulls out four or five cars behind him, so Clyde guesses the guy put a tracker on his car.

Nathan sees Joe Powell, one of Clyde's poker buddies from last night, enter the suite. He learns that Joe is an executive with Softlight. Other execs include Paul Sales and Pedro Sisto.

As the day ends at Scarborough Faire, Ellen Parker mentions to Kef that she's going to a horror convention. "Stay off the fourth floor," Kef warns her.

Promptly at 8:00pm Clyde strides into suite 532. He recognizes Herman from last night, and he's already acquainted with Larry Powell (Joe's brother). He goes straight up to Kirk and calls him "dickhead" to his face. "If you send any more thugs after me, I'll break their legs -- and yours!" Tonight's game is Texas Hold-Em; the players besides Clyde are Kirk, Herman, Larry, Gordon, Greg, and Lester. The dealer's name is Tammy.

About ten minutes past seven, Nathan and Benjamin return to suite 432. Nathan sends Orley up to "try to prevent Clyde from getting killed. You know, be all official-like. Project your 'cop-ness'."

Clyde easily wins the first hand. Orley enters and makes it obvious to all that he's a cop and he knows Clyde. He explains that Clyde is a material witness from last night. Clyde does not appreciate the attention thus drawn to him.

Benjamin makes sure always to stay within a few steps of Brenda. At one point, though, he has to sit down, doubled over with a grimace of pain. When Brenda comes over to check on him, he immediately smiles and passes it off as a minor stomach bug. (After another dose of medicine, he feels fine the rest of the night.)

While sitting at a campfire listening to some people singing, Kef has a flash: Ambulances and police cars, a body breaking through a fourth-floor window and falling at her feet, another man hanging in the window, impaled on steel bars and broken glass. A woman who sounds like Ellen Parker screams in terror. Kef sighs and mutters, "I told her not to go to the fourth floor."

A little after 11:00pm, a man enters the room, a tentative, furtive manner about him. Benjamin thinks he might be a movie actor. He approaches and offers to get him a drink. The man says, "Sure... bourbon, neat." Benjamin brings him the drink and tries to clap him on the back in a friendly way (and check for concealed weapons) but the man pulls away uncomfortably and gulps down the bourbon. "What movie were you in?" "Uh, Bloodsoaked 2."

Brenda comes up behind another man, shakes her head to signal Nathan not to give away her presence, then mouths to Nathan, "Is he carrying?" Nathan replies, "Don't know." Abruptly she grabs at something near the small of the man's back and murmurs, "Oh, my. I can tell you're glad to see me." She drops a snub-nosed revolver into Nathan's coat pocket. The man pales, and Nathan mutters, "If you start screaming, I'll punch you in the throat. And who's going to notice screams at a horror convention?" The man gives his name as Earl Garrison and claims he is supposed to report on the suite's layout and personnel to a Darren Young. Nathan strikes Earl with his stun baton.

The man Benjamin was talking to slinks out of the room and suddenly bolts toward the stairs. Benjamin, gaining on him, shouts "Hey! He took my wallet!" A man just stepping out of the elevator tries to grab the fugitive, who grabs him instead and slings him at Benjamin. Benjamin adroitly steadies the Good Samaritan and uses the increased momentum to catch up with his target. He pulls out his baton and tries to hit the man across the knees, but the baton slips out of his hand. Benjamin then thrusts the heel of his hand into the man's throat, striking rather harder than he'd intended. The man gurgles and drops to the floor with a broken jaw and a concussion. Benjamin searches the man and exclaims, "Ah, my wallet! You bastard!" He also slides the gun out of the man's ankle holster. The bystander, Sam Yorkley, gets his phone out and calls the police.

Benjamin texts Nathan: Bad guy in hall. Knocked him down. Nathan says to Brenda, "I don't think it's over. I'm going to go get Benjamin."

Benjamin gives the holdout gun to Nathan. Benjamin exclaims, "I want to go back to the party and have fun with the womens!" He checks the man's ID: Dean Nightingale, age 31, of Fort Worth. In the wallet is also a slip of paper with the name POWELL printed in block letters.

Clyde draws a great hand, baits Kirk into going all-in, and cleans him out. Immediately he snarls at Kirk, "Get the f*ck out of here!" Larry stands up, allows that he needs a break, and invites Clyde to the party that his brother Joe is throwing downstairs. Clyde takes his cash and has it locked up in the hotel safe (tipping the attendant $100), then takes the elevator up to the fourth floor. Stepping around the man on the floor receiving medical attention, Clyde sees Larry waiting for him at the entrance to suite 432. Inside, Clyde recognizes the blonde from last night, Joe Powell across the room, and Benjamin and Nathan off to the side with Brenda. Clyde complains to Nathan about Orley's having busted into the poker game like a cop.

Kef had gone to her tent and is trying to sleep, but she wakes up in a cold sweat. She had smelled smoke and heard screams and seen Orley impaled in a broken window. She seems to have experienced this from Hayley Frederick's point of view. Stumbling back to the campfire, she borrows someone's phone, pulls out a slip of paper, and sends a text to Nathan: Trouble centered around Orley. Keep him away from windows!