Following the events of
Bad Day in Minsk, Tom has retreated to
his father's static caravan to lick his wounds and look after
Dolores and
Steven, the alpacas. One day, he receives an unexpected phone call from
Ali asking him to be the donor for her and
Patrice's baby. He agrees, but a more urgent problem arises when he realises that the alpacas have been stolen. The only clue as to the thief is a key, attached to a small rubber duck.
Tom visits Ali and Patrice to discuss donor arrangements and while he is there, he asks Ali if she can track down where the key fob might have come from. She manages to trace it to the Luxxy Duxxy Corporation, a defunct manufacturer of novelty rubber ducks, one of whose properties - in Basingstoke - is also occupied by Merritt Foods, owned by the American billionaire and Institute for Progress and Development donor, Robert J Merritt III. Tom resolves to go to Basingstoke to find out what's going on. He also asks about Dorothy and it turns out she is currently on an extended visit to Third Uncle in Macau.
While attempting to break into the Luxxy Duxxy offices in Basingstoke, Tom encounters the mysterious Ada, who is doing something similar. Tom and Ada manage to find out that there is something unusual going on there involving Robert J Merritt III and some dodgy software but then they are discovered and they have to make their escape via Ada's high-performance motorbike. Ada drops him off back at the caravan and disappears into the night without explaining anything about who she is or why she was there.
Tom finds out that there is a cyber gambling convention coming up next week at the Robert J Merritt III Convention Center in Las Vegas the following week, so he decides to go there to tackle the mystery at its source. After checking in at the Heartbreak Motel, he inveigles himself into a temporary job at the convention center, working in a team under boss Jolene alongside Maria and Jésus. It turns out that Merritt himself is in town, staying at the presidential suite at the top of the El Gran Pelícano hotel and casino across the road. Unexpectedly, there is a need for someone to do some electrical work up there and Tom volunteers, despite knowing nothing about electrics.
Tom is introduced to
Don as the man in charge in the suite. Eventually he manages to gives Don the slip and goes exploring, ultimately finding himself inside an artificial jungle, along with a big cat. He escapes just in time, only to find himself face to face with Don once again. He explains to Don that he was looking for a particular tool and Don drives him out towards the desert to find one. It soon becomes apparent that Don in fact intends to dispose of Tom, but he is unexpectedly saved by the arrival of Ada on a Harley Davidson. Ada sets fire to Don's vehicle and leaves him there, taking Tom back into Las Vegas. Ada drops Tom off back at his motel, bit not before revealing that she is actually Ada Vavasor.
