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The play moved deeper into the shoe. Out of the corner of his eye, Pendergast could see that another marked player, being spotted by the young blond man, was wi
The spotter in the muumuu had evidently also tracked the shuffle. Now, as the play worked up toward the begi
A murmur rose.
“Hell, if he’s doing it, I’ll do it too,” Pendergast said, pushing in fifty. He winked at the mark and lifted his drink. “Here’s to us, friend.”
The ladies each bet a thousand, and the cards were dealt.
Pendergast stood on eighteen.
The mark drew, asked to be hit on a twelve with the dealer showing a five—a violation of basic strategy—then drew an eight card.
An
oooh!
came from the crowd.
The ladies drew a series of low cards, one eventually busting. The dealer then completed her own hand: three, five, six, five: nineteen—a win for the mark.
A few more hands were played, most of the cards coming low out of the shoe. Pendergast’s ru
This deal he would have to bust, and do it in four cards.
He bet a thousand.
The mark put in a hundred thousand.
Another
oooh!
from the crowd.
Pendergast was dealt a fourteen.
The mark was dealt fifteen, with the dealer’s upcard a ten.
Pendergast took a hit. A five: nineteen. The dealer was about to move on when Pendergast said, “Hit me again.”
Bust.
There were snickers in the crowd, whispers, a derisive laugh. Pendergast took a swig from his drink. He glanced over at the mark and saw the man looking at him, a sudden faint look of contempt in his eyes.
The mark took a hit and was dealt an eight: bust. The dealer raked in his hundred thousand.
A quick mental calculation told Pendergast the ru
“Ladies and gentlemen?” asked the dealer, gesturing for the bets to be placed.
Pendergast bet a hundred thousand. The Chinese man pushed out a pile of chips: two hundred and fifty thousand. The two ladies bet their thousand each, looked at each other, and giggled.
Pendergast held up his hand. “Don’t deal yet. I can’t do this without another drink.”
The dealer looked alarmed. “You want to pause the play?”
“I’ve got to have a drink. What if I lose?” The mark did not look pleased.
The dealer cast a quizzical glance at the floorman hovering nearby, who nodded his approval.
“All right. We’ll take a short pause.”
“Waitress!” Pendergast snapped his fingers.
Anh Minh bustled over. “Yes, sir?”
“A drink!” he cried, handing her a fifty, which he dropped. As she bent down to pick it up Pendergast leapt up. “No, no, I’ll get it!”
When their heads were close, Pendergast said, “Get those two ladies off the table. Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pendergast rose with the bill in his hand. “There it is! Keep the change, but don’t you dare come back without that drink!”
“Yes, sir.” Anh bustled off.
A minute passed, then two. Word about the size of the bets had circulated and a sizable crowd was developing around the table. The impatience of the crowd—not to mention the mark—was growing. All eyes were on the tottering stacks of chips sitting on the green felt.
“Make way!” came a cry, and Hentoff, the casino manager, stepped through the crowd. He paused before the two women at Pendergast’s table, flashed them a broad smile, and opened his arms. “Josie and Helen Roberts? Today is your lucky day!”
They looked at each other. “Oh, really?”
He put an arm around each and drew them up. “Once a day, we have a little lottery—all the room numbers are automatically entered. You won!”
“What did we win?”
“Ninety-minute massages with Raul and Jorge, deluxe spa treatment, a gift basket of cosmetics, and a free case of Veuve Clicquot!” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, no! If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss Raul and Jorge! We’ve been looking all over for you two!”
“But we were just—”
“We’ve got to hurry. The prize is good for today only. You can
always
come back.” He gestured to the dealer. “Color them up.”
“With the bets on the table, sir?”
“I
said
, color them up.”
The dealer exchanged their chips and Hentoff, arm around each sister, led them away through the crowd. A moment later Anh Minh arrived with the drink.
Pendergast drained it, banged it down. He looked around the table with a grin. “Okay. I’m fortified.”
The dealer swept her hand over the table, calling for final bets, then she pitched out the cards. Pendergast was dealt two aces, and split. The mark got two sevens, which he also split. The dealer’s upcard was a queen.
The mark advanced a new stack of chips against the split hand. Now there was five hundred thousand on the table. Pendergast added his second bet, bringing his stake to two hundred thousand.
The dealer dealt Pendergast his two cards: a king and a jack. Two blackjacks.
The crowd erupted in applause, then quickly fell into a hush as the dealer turned to the mark and dealt a card on each seven.