Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

by Jon Krakauer

The Lafferty brothers visited Circus Circus early on the afternoon of August 7, but they didn’t see Debbie dealing cards at any of the blackjack tables. According to Dan, he inquired of Ron, “‘Should I go and ask for her?’ which I knew would spring the trap.” Ron told him to go ahead and do it. When Dan approached a pit boss and asked to speak with Debbie, Dan says, “his eyes got big and he quickly disappeared.” At that point Ron and Dan strolled over to one of the casino’s eateries and got in line for the lunch buffet. As they stood in the queue, Dan says, he could see men who appeared to be FBI agents “peeking around corners and stuff.” A moment later a swarm of police officers “rushed up from behind and put guns to our heads and said, ‘Don’t move or we’ll blow your brains out.’ I just smiled. It was kind of fun.” Both Lafferty brothers surrendered without a fight and were placed in the Reno jail under extraordinary security.

Baffling