“Hardly,” he said. “I just haven’t made enough money to handle what I needed to handle.”
“Why is that?”
“I have to go away for a bit,” he said.
“So, go away,” he said. “Casinos are everywhere. Maybe nobody will figure out what you’re doing in a new one.”
“I had hoped, on Friday, I’d make a big score and then maybe move on from Vancouver. Find a place where I can start fresh.”
“Well,” he said, “whatever you need to do, I’ve got to get back to business.” And he hung up. He was more than a little disturbed about Yale’s phone call. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Simon finished his work and slowly headed toward his apartment. He wondered how Kate’s day was going. He’d heard on the news that a man had been found dead at the Starbucks on the way out of town.
Simon figured it was the one she had tracked down, but it also could be the one in the blue truck that Simon had seen. On the way home he stopped, picked up fish and chips. Just as he walked inside and headed to his elevator, a series of numbers flashed before his eyes. He frowned, grabbed his notepad, and wrote them down. He often had no clue what the numbers were until later.
These were right in his face, as if to say something was deadly important about them. He looked down at his notes, but it made no sense. It was just 4441 4441 4441. He didn’t know, but, with her on his mind, he quickly texted her, sending4441 4441 4441. Hoped that maybe it made sense to her. When she phoned him almost immediately, just as he was walking into the kitchen, he answered the call.
“What’s that number for?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t know.”
“Well, that’s no help,” she snapped.
“No, it isn’t,” he said, “and I’ve just gotten home with dinner, so I’ll talk to you later.”
And, with that, he put down his cell. He smiled because it’s not what she would have expected, but, hell, it wasn’t what he expected either. But it’s what he needed to do. He took off his jacket, hung it up, and then turned his attention to his fish. He sat down and ate it, having missed lunch. He still didn’t understand why his friend Yale suddenly needed to leave.
Then he remembered the in-town poker game with the cheater and how some strange looks had been directed at Simon. Maybe they suspected Simon of cheating. Knowing Simon and Yale were friends, maybe the other poker players were looking at Yale as well. If that were the case, they would be coming after him sooner or later. He phoned his friend back. “You should probably leave sooner,” he said. “I’m remembering the looks on their faces at that last game. I think they’re going to be hard-asses from here on in.”
“Of course they will, but I had nothing to do with it. You on the other hand…”
“I only cheated the one guy,” Simon said, “and that’s because he was cheating everyone else.”
There was silence, and Yale said, “Seriously?”
“Yes. You should know that about me by now,” he said. “I don’t cheat friends, and I don’t cheat at all, unless I need to deal with somebody like that.”
“How the hell can you always win at cards then, if you don’t cheat all the time?”
“I happen to be good with numbers,” he said. “But it’s another thing to have somebody take everybody for a ride, even ones who couldn’t afford it.”
Yale sucked in his breath. “Are you saying they might know I cheated?”
“Oh, I know it’s you, so, yeah, maybe so.”
“Great, so I guess no game on Friday.”
“Probably not,” Simon agreed. “Me neither.”
“Don’t suppose you have any spare cash you can lend me, do you?” Yale said humorously.
“No, can’t say I keep any at home.”
“You could always go to the bank,” Yale said, this time with a bit more of an edge to his voice.
“Stop off and get into a local game at the casino,” Simon said. “Pick yourself up a grand and don’t do anything to attract any attention.”
“Too risky,” he said. “I just want enough money to fill up a gas tank and get going.”
“You should have that,” he said.