At the Bar
The blackjack table was a blur of hands and money, a silent, beautiful con. I was too close, too wrapped up in the action to see it clearly. I tapped Jamie on the shoulder and nodded toward the bar. We slipped away from the table, two ghosts in a world of living men.
“So?” Jamie said, sliding a glass of cheap whiskey my way. “What do you see?”
I took a sip. The liquid was a burning truth in a glass. “I see a dealer who’s too good, a waitress who’s too perfect, and a player who’s too lucky,” I said, my voice low. “I’m sure Lola is part of it. I’ve been watching her like a hawk, and every time she comes by that table, the dealer seems to hit a winning streak.”
Jamie nodded, a grim line on his face. “I told you. It’s a cold one. But how? She’s not talking to him. She’s not passing him anything. I’ve been looking.”
I thought about it, running the scene over in my head. The smile, the way she held her tray, the way her eyes swept the room. It was all a perfect, practiced lie. I watched a busty cocktail bunny in a black outfit and ears serve a man across the bar.
“It’s not about what she’s passing to him, Jamie,” I said. “It’s about what she’s getting.”
Jamie scoffed. “From who? The other players? The dealer? They’re all too focused on the game to give her a second look.”
A Flash of Insight
He took a drink, his eyes scanning the room. “The place is full of marks,” he said, shaking his head. “Look at that old lady over there, running between slot machines like she’s got a fever. Pick a machine and stay put, that’s what I always say. But she’s got some kind of gambling bug.”
He laughed, a short, bitter sound. But in my head, a light went on. It was a faint glimmer, but it was there. The old lady wasn’t a mark. She was the grift.
I stood up, leaving my drink on the bar. “Jack, where are you going?” Jamie asked.
“To find out how a fever can cheat at blackjack,” I said. My eyes were on the old lady, who was now bent over an old-style slot machine, a pad of paper in her hand. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place.
- Jamie Diamond’s Sparkle
- THE HAMMER FILES: The Grand Reserve
- THE HAMMER FILES: A Different Kind of Grift
- THE HAMMER FILES: Uncovering the Grif
- THE HAMMER FILES: The Alleyway
- THE HAMMER FILES: A Cold Farewell
