The driver catches a whiff of chilled seafood mixed with steaming meats and greens. A mound of snow-crab legs is dumped out over a bed of shaved ice before him. It looks like the tangle of a multi-limbed space creature. The driver wastes no time in lunging for the pink tubes poking out at every angle. The teenager spots his posse in the corner. The two, unnoticeably to each other, go their separate ways.

Having had his fill of exotic seafood, prime cuts of steak, and more sickly sweet cocktails, the driver steps out onto a wide-open veranda, crowned at its edge by towering palms. It descends onto different levels of pools, each connected by waterfall. The water is aglow with a warm turquoise, and the surface froths with delicious bubbles where one pool spills into the next. At the very bottom, the water collects into a dimly lit grotto, shrouded by ferns as large as a car. From there, it’s anybody’s guess as to where the rocky lagoon leads.

The driver takes a large gulp of the humid, chemical smell. In his lungs, it forms an odd combination with the dry desert air. It tickles until he coughs. He climbs the veranda to its crest, where it peaks forty feet over a ridge. Ahead are the twinkling lights of Las Vegas, like a miniature and newly formed star system. They are so clear, they look like as if they can be grabbed, if only he could reach out just a little further over the railing.

The driver leans on the balustrade and reflects: it’s the tranquil times like this that makes the driver want to celebrate with a cigarette. He reaches into his front pocket. The box is there, just as he thought it would be, but he decides to overcome the urge. Sure, nothing adds to those rare, calm moments in life –where all the storm clouds happen to part, if only for a second, to tease with a glimpse of something greater, something worth slogging on for- like a cigarette; but he realizes that this moment is different. The way everything has come together -the discovery of Paula’s body early this morning; the split decision to take off on the road right away; the hitchhiker; the sloppy heist and subsequent chase back in Las Vegas; and now this glimmering party- it won’t let him shake the suspicion that it has all led up to this moment for a reason. The driver also suspects that this is the most tranquil and lucid things are going to be for quite some time. Dare he enjoy it?