by Bronwen John
“Ash Cox?”
Ash turned to see a freshman – yes, freshman – standing behind her with an outstretched hand. “Yes?”
“A woman asked me to drop this off for you, but didn’t stick around.” He held out a large envelope.
Ash took it between her fingers. “Thank you.”
She studied it for a moment as she waited for him to leave. It was made from fine, heavy paper, the handwriting on it as small and neat as a spider’s. She opened it carefully and smiled as she saw the news that Harry Holmes had been killed in a prison riot… that was expected.
Ash leaned against the wall. They’d done it. They’d gotten even. It was then that she paid attention to what she had not expected; the note attached.
My dear Ashia,
I am glad to see you’re enjoying the benefits of a good old-fashioned American education. I have no doubt you’d like to catch up; unfortunately, I find myself confined to this bed for meetings that forgo an immediate assembly of like-minded souls.
It is nice to meet old friends and read about new ones, don’t you think? So I was rather hoping that you’d enjoy reading up on a like-minded soul by the name of Victor Lustig. Unfortunately he’s long gone from this world, but I feel I have several new friends who might need an introduction to his methods.
Oh, and please remember, if you will insist on following me into the legal profession, this valuable motto:
You can do what you like with the law; bend it, twist it, hide behind it… just don’t break it.
E. C.
Ash tucked the note back into its envelope and studied the extravagant invitation that had also been inserted. A small smile flitted across her face as she came to the realisation.
The con was on.
Con Jargon / Terminology
Con: What is a con?
Well, it’s simple, really. A con can be played out long term, over weeks or even months, with a large payout; or it can be short, a quick scam for a smaller amount of money. Either way, for a con artist, the con is what pays the bills.
The con that Esther specialises in is called the long con, or, in US terms, the long game. This refers to a more complex, planned con whereby the mark is taken for more money than they have on their person. If a long con is done well, the con artist can walk away unscathed as otherwise the mark will have to admit duplicity in an illegal scheme of their own.
The con man can’t be classed in the same group as thieves, since he doesn’t actually do any stealing – the victims give him the money.
The players in the con
Extra: Unemployed con man playing a supporting role in the con. Also known as a shill. In short-term cons such as Find the Lady or Three-Card Monte, they can play enthusiastic members of the public to lure the marks in.
Grifter: An informal name for a con artist. A criminal who lives by their wits, rather than by violence. A gentleman thief, you might say.
Fixer: The person who works out the logistics of the con. They arrange for the con artist’s needs, such as the big store, to be met
Insider: The key player; the member of the long-con mob who stays near the big store and receives the mark whom the roper brings.
Manager: Manages the outfit, and is often the bookmaker for the group. They often work hand in hand with the fixers.
Mark: The key to a good con is its intended victim. This person is known as the mark. The term derives from the chalk mark once surreptitiously placed on the back of someone seen as an easy target or thought to be carrying a lot of cash. Although this practice is no longer employed in the long con, the nickname remains the same.
Roper: Also known as the outside man. This is the grifter who finds a mark and gains their trust, persuading them into the con.
Victor Lustig: Bohemian-born hoaxer who posed as a government official to ‘sell’ the Eiffel Tower as scrap metal to the highest of twelve bidders in 1925. The ‘winner’, Monsieur Poisson, was so humiliated when he realised he had been conned that he told no one and Lustig escaped to Vienna with a suitcase full of cash.
The steps of a con
A tell: An unconscious signal or discrepancy (e.g. an involuntary spasm) that the educated observer can use to determine that someone is lying or trying to cheat.
The blow-off: Any technique used to get rid of the victim of a con after it’s complete. Also the climax to the con itself.
Giving him the convincer: The process of allowing the victim to make a substantial profit on the first scam, thereby gaining his trust.
The mark is lured in: In the first instance, by the con man allowing him to make money on one of his scams. Having gained the mark’s trust, he then stings him for a load of money.
Playing the con for him: Gaining the victim’s confidence.
Putting him on the send: Another term for a long con or big con.
Roping the mark: Steering him to meet the inside man, who will eventually fleece him.
The two types of con settings
Real life: e.g. restaurants and hotel rooms.
The big store: Empty offices rigged out to look like a real-life setting.
