Luke Murphy - Dead Man's Hand

“I’m in some trouble.”

Mike picked up a note pad, flipped to a fresh page and grabbed a pen. He sat back and listened. When Calvin was through, Mike spoke up. “I thought you went back to your college look for a reason. Man, does that take me back. You didn’t know your man back then, did you, Rachel?”

She shook her head.

“He was something. King of the campus.”

Calvin shifted in his seat as Mike continued.

“I remember the day my nephew, my sister’s only kid, called me here, excitement in his voice. He told me how the great Calvin Watters came and sat at his table in the library with his nerdy computer friends. Andy said they were as nervous as hell. Boy, were they some surprised when you started talking shop with them. What most people didn’t know, Rachel, not even his college teammates, is that our boy Calvin here used to hang around with the computer geeks in the library at USC. He asked them to show him some computer stuff, even skipped a football keg party one night to hang out in their dorm room. Andy was fixated on him. The party, booze, drugs, sorority girls, that just wasn’t Calvin’s style.”

Rachel smiled at Calvin as he said, “I think we heard enough, Mike.”

“No,” Rachel cut in. “Tell me more about Calvin. He never talks about his college days.”

Mike ignored Calvin’s protests and continued. “All Calvin thought about was the NFL.”

Calvin cut him off. “How is Andy?”

“Doin’ great. Stuck around California working for some big computer company out there. I still help him out when I can. But don’t change the subject. You were a big part of Andy’s life back then. You protected him and kept him out of trouble. He was never the kind to make friends easy and you helped him. When you got to Vegas, I was glad to do the same.”

“And I owe you for that.”

“Nonsense. The first thing I did, before I agreed to help you, was a little digging. Rachel, did you know that Calvin here scored 145 on an IQ test? I knew you were smart, but not that smart. That categorizes him as highly gifted.”

Calvin held his breath. No one was supposed to know about that.

As if Mike read his mind, he said, “That’s right, I found out about it.”

“No one was supposed to know. In my line of work, brilliance isn’t an essential attribute. If no one knew, I knew I’d always be underestimated, which gave me an advantage every time.”

“I figured that. Modest too. That’s why I agreed to help.” Mike winked at Rachel. “We’ve been playing around with computers for three years now. Calvin’s almost the hacker that I am. But I have to admit, he’s a bit more aggressive, ready to take more risks.”

Calvin intervened. “You taught me how to hack into any computer in any protected system in the world, which is going to be an extremely valuable skill now. But you also have underground connections throughout the country. You can get anything for anyone. That’s what I need.”

Mike turned back to Calvin. “Okay, chitchat over. What do you need?”

“New IDs. The total package and by tomorrow.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he said, checking off items on a list. “Anything else?”

“Some added protection for me and Rachel. We need to secure my hideout. Rachel and I need every corner of that building protected.”

Mike thought to himself for a moment.

He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a thick book. Calvin and Rachel pulled their seats closer to the desk.

“This package is just right. Security alarms, motion sensors, fail safes, detectors and cameras inside and outside. Since I helped you set up the computer system there, I already know the place inside and out.”

As Mike continued to write, Calvin asked, “What about a secondary emergency exit plan?”

Mike chewed the end of his pen. “I’ll have it tomorrow when I come out with all the gear. I’m assuming payment isn’t a problem? It’s $20,000, cash.”

Calvin counted Pitt’s money out onto the desk. He could hear Rachel breathe in deeply and hold it.

“Here’s ten thousand. You’ll get the rest tomorrow.”

The bar owner slipped the bills into an envelope, sealed the flap and stuck it into the top drawer of his desk.

As they were leaving, Mike asked, “Do you think Pitt set you up?”

“I’m going to find out.”

“I bet you will. Just let me handle your security issues.”

He felt better hearing Mike say that and was starting to like his chances.

When the cabbie dropped them off again, Calvin said to Rachel, “I’ll walk you to the door and make sure you’re safe. Then I have one more stop tonight.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought you said we shouldn’t be seen together until things blow over.” Pitt sat at his desk and eyed the bathroom.

Ace loomed silently in the doorway so the bookie would be even more on edge.

Pitt poured some scotch and twisted the lid back on. He threw the bottle into the bottom drawer of his desk, slamming it shut, and rose, finger-combing what was left of his hair over his bald head.

The bookie wore nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts. His fat, hairy belly hung over the waistband and a cigarette dangled at the side of his mouth. He took a hit off the cigarette and then flicked it on the side of an ashtray.

Obviously, Pitt had been trying to disguise his lifestyle, trying to persuade Ace that he could fit in with the rich and powerful. Now Ace was disgusted.

“Don’t get up.” He entered the office as Pitt sank back into his desk chair.

“How’d you get in here anyway?”

“You gave me a key, remember?” He twirled the key chain around his index finger.

Pitt swallowed hard. “Want a drink?”

“No, thanks. I just stopped by for an update.”

He tucked the key inside his jacket pocket and removed a deck of cards, which he started shuffling.

“Speaking of which,” Pitt said, his voice cracking, “what the hell happened to the original plan? I wasn’t going to say anything. I knew you had changed your mind about when and where to murder Grant and I didn’t think I wanted to know why. But since you’re here, why did you change? The cops were supposed to find Watters with Grant’s body in the office. Case closed. The plan had been to set up Calvin. I had started to dial your number at the Golden Horseshoe but thought better of it. So I sat back and waited. So?”

“Sometimes plans just change. That’s all you need to know. If you want to run with the rich and powerful, you have to learn that.”

“I will.”

He moved toward Pitt, through a haze of cigarette smoke, all the while shuffling the cards.

Pitt squirmed in his chair and glanced toward the corner of the room, his neck and face damp with sweat. “Don’t worry. The cops don’t suspect a thing. They were already in here asking about Calvin. They suspect him because he was at the office this morning and now they’re searching for him. Poor bastard―in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He grinned, raised his glass and drank a silent toast. “Like I asked before, what are you doing here? You only come out of the shadows when something’s up.”

“What did you tell the cops?”

“Nothing, I swear.”

“Does Calvin suspect anything?”

“That boy is as dumb as a stump. Not a thing.” Pitt took another hearty swig. “The idiot left his prints all over that office. But it wasn’t easy getting him there. Calvin came in here screaming he wanted out, that he was done. But I managed.”

“You’ll be well compensated, Donald.”

Ace’s reassurance seemed to relax Pitt.

“But I don’t think we should underestimate Watters. He could be a dangerous liability. We don’t know where he is, where he’s going, or what he’s going to do next.”