The Troubleshooter: Hard Luck Grift

by Bard Constantine

  "Is that so?" I gave him a tight grin as I matched the bet. I figured he was jawing off to distract me from focusing on his bluff. Faye and Dean folded, but Harry matched along with me.

  "Yeah." No-Nose Nate barely glanced as Felix dealt an Ace to a board that had two Jacks, a nine and an eight. Nate smirked and shoved his entire bankroll forward. "Did she rope you in with her flawless looks? Her perfect blend of mysterious vulnerability? Pulls 'em every time. You think you got you a perfect dame, but all you got is a spider. She'll leave you dangling, mark my words."

  Harry folded. No-Nose Nate stared at me, rubbery lips twisted in a mocking smile. He was daring me. Or so he wanted me to believe.

  My eyes flicked over at Faye. She raised an eyebrow, her lips curved in an amused manner. Her eyes said it all. There was no way she'd cut me out. We had a bond of trust that folks like No-Nose Nate couldn't possibly understand.

  "You know, you could be right, Nate. Then again, you could be just hiding behind a bluff." I matched the bet, which took nearly all I had. The quick flash of surprise that flickered across his face verified my assumption. Turned out all he was holding was a pair of nines. My three Jacks officially put him out of business.

  He managed to lose with grace, downing a shot of whiskey with a rasping laugh. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He shook a lazy finger at me, lit a Cuban, and strutted away from the table puffing like a chimney.

  That left me with Faye, Dean, and Harry. The playing field would've been pretty much even had everyone being playing fair. Which wasn’t the case because No-Nose Nate was right about one thing. Me and Faye were working the system. Collusion happens all the time in poker, no matter what rules are in place to stop it. Most players know this, but a combination of arrogance and confidence makes a top rate player believe they can beat even those odds. Dean and Harry apparently felt comfortable in their positions not to feel threatened by the idea of an alliance between Faye and me. Maybe they should have formed their own temporary alliance, because Dean busted out on a bad beat when Harry dropped a royal flush on top of his quads after he bet the house. He looked heartbroken as his chips shuttled over to the other side of the table.

  That left me and Faye with Harry, which should have been overwhelming odds had Harry been anything less than a savant at the game. What was supposed to be a cakewalk turned into a tense, evenly matched battle of wits and cons. Time ticked by, but no one cared. It was like Faye said. The moment was the only thing that mattered.

  I'd lost count of the rounds. The night had been swallowed by bourbon shots, gasper smoke, and the clack of shuffling cards. I had a pair of twos in the pocket, but the flop was a four, a Jack and a Queen. That odds of me winning that particular hand were pretty much zilch unless another two card showed up. But I'd won three straight hands on solid cards after drastically upping the bet in the final round. I figured I'd established a pattern of behavior that would fool Harry into buying my bluff.

  Felix dealt a nine card. I upped the ante by a mere five large. Faye and Harry matched the bet. Felix dealt the river card: another Jack.

  I pushed seventy large on the table, leaned back, and took a nonchalant swallow of bourbon. Just like I figured, Harry folded right on schedule.

  Faye didn't.

  I tried to contain my shock when she raised the bet with her entire bankroll. "All in." She looked at me with one her small, secretive smiles.

  I couldn't figure out what she was trying to do. She had to know either I had a high hand or I was bluffing. With her betting the farm, I had to either fold or match. Either way I was screwed.

  I shrugged it off and pushed the rest of my chips forward. Whatever it was, I had to trust her. At that point, I didn't have much of a choice anyhow.

  Faye beat me with a lousy pair of fours to combine with the twin Jacks on the board. She didn't glance up when my large pile of chips were added to hers. I was dismissed from her mind, just a ghost in a game that continued while I slowly stood up and shakily made my way to the exit. The room blurred as though all the alcohol I'd ingested through the night hit me right between the eyes like a hollow-point slug. I caught the smug look on Harry's face as I passed her. Like she knew exactly how it would end. The realization dawned, too late as always. I'd been completely outwitted, gut-punched from the blind side. Faye had played me like Fats the Jazz Man on freestyle sax.

  I was finished. Gambler's regret settled in, greeting me like an old friend. My entire body throbbed from whiplash cuts, phantom pain from the shame of walking away in defeat while the mocking ring of silent laughter rang in the air. I was left with nothing.

  Nothing except the rage.

  Part 4: Gone For Broke

  I must have had a look of a man about to do murder, because four security bulls shadowed me all the way to the casino exit doors. I staggered out into the pouring rain, my mind still trying to piece together what happened. It's funny. I had no problem conning the system, no thought for tiptoeing around the questionable side of legality. Came with the game.

  But being conned was another thing entirely. The feeling of sheer helplessness only fed the flames of rage that burned in my chest. I lifted a half-crushed gasper to my lips. The lighter quivered in my trembling fingers. I took a deep drag and let the poison seep into my lungs and calm the adrenaline that rushed through my veins.

  I had to figure out my next move. Going back into the casino was a bunny act—I was a marked man now, and the bulls would be on my keister faster than you could say blackjack. Nix the parking garage for the same reason. Had go figure Faye had an out already planned to exit the building undetected. I would have to catch up to her on the street. Figured she was too smart to go back to her apartment. Which on second thought probably wasn't her apartment to begin with. There had to be something, though. Everyone slips up sooner or later, even a smooth operator like Faye.

  My holoband beeped.

  I lifted my wrist and took the call. Frankie Newman's profile flickered onto the holographic display. I glared at him. "Whatever you got, it's too late."

  "Yeah, I bet it is. She took you for a ride, didn't she?" Newman's mug looked so self-satisfied that I wanted to punch him right through the holographic display. "I tried to warn you. It's always the beautiful ones that break you. Anyway, you want the wire or not?"

  "May as well."

  "Obviously Faye is an alias. Real name is Sue Li. Don't have much record of her being here long, but she still managed to run a small but profitable gambling ring, mostly in underground or extremely private locales. Known for her unpredictability, particularly with temporary alliances with unexpected partners."

  "Yeah, no kidding. Like Harry Gutierrez, for one."

  "So it seems. And you, of course." He followed the statement with a sardonic grin.

  "I'm not her partner anymore."

  "Like I said—temporary."

  "Yeah, I get it. Bad thing is I'm in for fifty large with Goryachevas, and I just lost it in their casino."

  "Not the best idea."

  "Thanks. They have to know I blew their stacks with nothing to show. They're gonna be breathing down my neck to get those dibs back. Figure it can't be too long before they unleash the hounds to encourage me with a broken leg or two."

  "So you want me to find Sue Li? I can try, but she's not a ghost for nothing."

  "Don't bother. I need you to find her boss."

  "Her boss?"

  "Yeah. He caught her up last night, talked her down like she was nothing. That's gotta be the reason she double-crossed me like that. She's has to owe him something big, and this score was the only way to level up."

  "Okay, so how do I find this boss of hers?"

  "He was nabbed by the coppers in Chinatown last night after I introduced the back of his egg to the Mean Ol' Broad. He was sporting a black market holoband, which I kindly relieved him of. The brass had to take him in after that."

  "Unauthorized holoband removal arrest in Chinatown." Frankie tapped a keyboard off-screen. "Yeah
, I got the rap sheet. Errand boy for a small gang related to the Jade Dragon Triad organization. Name is Joe Smith."

  "'Joe Smith?' C'mon, the guy is Chinese."

  "Shame on you, Mick. Not every Chinese person has a distinctly ethnic name, you know."

  "Yeah, but 'Joe Smith?'"

  "Guy's a criminal. Goes to say he'd have an alias. Anyway, he posted bail this morning. Has to report to his probo, so he's been secured with a police monitored holoband. Duck soup to trace."

  I exhaled a cloud of gasper smoke. "Finally. Figure if I put the squeeze on him, I can take care of whatever he's got over Faye. She shouldn't have a problem squaring up with me after that."

  "I don't think that's gonna happen, Mick."

  "Whaddya mean? I'm pretty sure I can handle this guy with no problem, even if he is Triad. Not like I got a choice, anyhow."

  "No doubts on your hurt skills, brother. It's your guy. According to my data, he isn't Sue Li's boss."

  "No? Who is, then?"

  "That's the point. Sue Li runs the whole operation. Joey boy works for her."

  My jaw clenched. "Where is he?"

  JOE HAD REPORTEDLY spent his newfound freedom getting plastered at a dive joint just outside of Chinatown. Afterward he staggered home and assumedly fell face-first on his ratty sofa in a drunken stupor just as the sun was rising.

  At least that's what I figured when I kicked his door in off the hinges.

  A cold, nickel-plated muzzle pressed against my temple when I stepped into the dark apartment. Naturally, I froze with my hands upraised in the most non-threatening manner I could assume.

  "Must be at the wrong address. Thought this was my pad."

  "Very funny, Mick Trubble. The famous Troubleshooter. Thought you'd catch me off guard? Joke's on you. I was expecting you to show up."

  "So it seems." I remained still as he patted me down and relieved me of the Mean Ol' Broad. He slipped his snub-nose in his waistband and stepped back, pointing the Broad at me.

  "This will be good. Down and out Troubleshooter loses big time at poker, and ends up committing suicide after being marked by the Russian Mob. No one will ask any questions. Just another loser taking the easy way out."

  I gave him a wry glance. "This isn't Faye's idea, is it?"

  He frowned. "Does it matter?"

  I shrugged. "Figure Faye would be too smart for this kind of shoddy attempt. Seems to me your little plan doesn't have too much going for it."

  "Yeah? Why is that?"

  "You're gonna shoot me with my own gun. In your apartment?" I tsked and shook my head. "How do you explain that to the boys in blue?"

  He considered for a minute. "Breaking and entering. I have a legal right to shoot you."

  "I thought you said suicide. Make up your mind, Ace. If it's breaking and entering, you better shoot me with your pistol. Then place my revolver in my hand like I was trying to plug you. Makes it easier when the dicks ask questions."

  His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why...why are you telling me this?"

  "Hey, just trying to help you out, Ace. I get the feeling you're not very good at this sort of thing."

  He pointed the Mean Ol' Broad in my face. "You think I won't plaster your brains against the wall right now? I'm with the Jade Dragon Triad, you son of a bitch. Killing you is nothing to me!"

  I punched him in the face.

  He yelped and staggered back, one hand flying to his broken nose. "You...bastard!" He pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened.

  I made good use of his confusion to pick up a wooden stool from the bar and shatter it over his head. He crumpled to the floor in a shower of broken wooden splinters.

  I knelt, snatched his snub-nose from his waistband, and flung it across the room.

  "Guess you didn't notice the fingerprint sensor on the Mean Ol' Broad's trigger." I plucked her from his twitching fingers. "It's easy to miss, especially since it's mostly exclusive to mech weapons. The Broad is a special gal, though. Had that little upgrade installed, 'cause you never know when some dirty rotten skel is gonna try to blast you with your own bean shooter. Now, this is how it's gonna go, tomodachi. You're gonna tell me where to find Faye, or Sue Li, or whatever her name is. In return, I'll leave you in one piece when I walk outta her. Deal?"

  He looked up with pure murder in his eyes. "Tomodachi? That's Japanese, you asshole. You think we all look alike or something? That's so typically racist!"

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I only came here to beat you senseless until you gave up Sue Li's location. Didn't mean to be culturally insensitive. My apologies."

  "Look, you can hurt me all you want." He winced, squeezing the bridge of his nose with blood-plastered fingers. "Pain is like a lover to me. Nothing you can do will make me betray Sue Li."

  "Nice." I jabbed the Mean Ol' Broad against his temple in a non-too gentle manner. "Thing is, I'm not buying the whole loyal act. You're an errand boy, Joe. Small fries. You think Sue Li cares whether you make it out of this little situation alive? You're just a loose end to tie up. Personally, I don't care about you, either. Know who I really care about? Me. And right now, I got a price on my head. I'm a dead man walking if I can't get hold of Sue Li and get my dough back. So do yourself a favor, Joe. Look into my eyes and believe one thing: I'll kill you if you don't tell me where she is right now."

  Joe looked into my eyes.

  "HELLO, SUE LI."

  She didn't look surprised when she slowly emerged from the wheeler and shut the door. She had chosen to park her borrowed ride in an inconspicuous neighborhood that just so happened to be two blocks away from the Transit Express station, where for a steep price a body could purchase a one-way ticket out of town. Some folks say New Haven is a dream, and you can only wake up if you leave. Others say there is no ticket out of New Haven, that Transit Express is an illusion to make unmanageable residents disappear. No one can really say, because no one has ever come back.

  Rain had just started to drizzle, sparkling in Sue Li's hair like liquid crystals. The streetlights painted the area in iridescent blues and yellows, fighting against the gloom from the trees and houses. It had taken me all day and nearly all night to track her. She was good, but I was desperate.

  I stepped closer, holding the Mean Ol' Broad up so Sue Li could see the cold glint of gunmetal. She set her suitcase down, clutching a wide-brimmed hat to her chest as though it were a flak jacket. Her head tilted slightly to the side, eyes studying my every move.

  "Joe gave me up, didn't he?"

  "Can you blame him? You used him like you used me. That night I followed you. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?"

  "When I saw you tailing me, I arranged for Joe to arrive on the scene. All a part of the act, Mick. To play on your emotions. Joe was useful in some small ways. But it was time to part ways with him."

  "You knew I'd track him down."

  "I expected you might."

  "Yeah, or maybe you expected he might kill me."

  She ignored the accusation, choosing to look me directly in the eyes. The rain became a steady shower that wet her fur stole and satin dress, plastering the fabric to her diminutive frame and framing her face with glossy ringlets of raven hair.

  "Are you going to shoot me, Mick?"

  "Depends on whether or not you cooperate, darling. Mighty rude of you to cut me out like that. I thought we had something."

  "We had a game, Mick. We played it, and you were dealt a bad hand. That is the way of gambling. You knew this from the start."

  "Bullshit." Vapor exploded from my mouth into the cold downpour. "I need that money, Sue Li. You had to know the kind of people I borrowed from. I can't go back empty-handed."

  "You're good at taking care of yourself. People talk about you. They say you're not a man to cross. You should have no problem taking care of whoever comes for you."

  "Well, there's a flip side to that. If I'm not a man to cross, you should consider yourself in a lot of danger right now."

  Raindrops slid down he
r porcelain cheeks. "I don't think you have it in you to hurt me."

  "Then don't give me a reason. I just want what's mine. I just want what's fair."

  A smile touched her lips. "If you want what's fair, you should never gamble."

  "I'm not playing, Sue Li. You deal with me, and I'll take on whatever it is you're mixed up in. You have my word on that."

  She considered it for a single moment before dismissing it with a tiny shake of her head. "You can't help me, Mick. My troubles are beyond even you. You don't know about my past."

  "I don't care about your past." The words ripped raw from my throat. "I'm willing to deal with it, whatever it is. You and me, Sue Li. It doesn't have to end this way."

  The rain streamed down, cascading in sheets. Sue Li was reduced to a silhouette in the deluge. Her voice was barely audible. "You really would, wouldn't you? You really care that much."

  "I do. Damn it, I really do."

  The storm was the only sound for a long moment. We stared at each other through a curtain of glimmering rain.

  She slowly bent to pick up her suitcase. "That's just another reason for me to leave. A clean break heals the fastest."

  "Sue Li, don't do it. I'm warning you..."

  She straightened up, case in hand. "You have all the cards, Mick. Complete control of the game. If you truly want to end this, you know what you need to do."

  She turned and walked away, dwindling into the downpour. Her voice lingered in the air after she was lost to sight.

  "All you have to do is pull the trigger."

  I stood there, drenched to the bone. The gun in my hand may as well have been a handful of odd cards with an all-in bet on the table. There wasn't anything I could do other then watch her fade away.

  Once again, she had called my bluff.

  LOSING IS A FUNNY THING sometimes. I sat at the bar in some dive joint where the drinks were cheap and the jazz band poured their souls into their sound. The melancholy melodies were the perfect soundtrack for my bittersweet reminiscences. I was surprised that despite everything that had happened, it wasn’t the loss of money that hurt the worst.