pulse registered ninety-three, ninety-six, ninety, eighty-eight. “What’s up, Victor? Why so much interest in Shaw?”
“I’m just asking.”
“Lawyers don’t just ask.”
“I heard that he got pretty far behind and you started getting tough, a little too tough.”
He turned his head away from me. “Yeah, well it’s a tough business.”
“How much did he owe?”
“Aw, you know me, Victor, I wouldn’t hurt a pussy cat.”
“How much?”
“Lawyer-client, right?”
“Sure.”
“Over half a mil. Normally I cut it off before it gets that high, just cut them off and work out a payment plan, but he has so much money coming and he loses so regularly, I just couldn’t bear some other book taking my money. I let it get too high, and I was willing to be patient, with the interest I was charging it was going to be my retirement when his old man died. But January a year back I took more action than I should have on the game and laid off too much to the wrong guys. The refs don’t call the interference on Sanders, and it was clear, so clear, but they don’t call it and I’m way short. Next thing I know those bastards started squeezing. I was in hock to them, Shaw was in hock to me, so I had to apply some pressure. It was just business is all, Victor, nothing…”
The phone interrupted him. I picked it up. “What’s the spread on the Knicks tomorrow night?” said a voice.
“Hello, Al?” I said into the phone, rapping the handset as if the connection was bad. “Al? Are you there, Al? I think the tap shorted out the wires. Al? Al? Can you get on that, Al?”
“Aw cut it out,” said Jimmy, reaching for the phone.
“I don’t understand it,” I said. “He hung up.”
“You’re killing me here.”
“You said you needed a vacation. Tell me what you did about Shaw.”
“I went to Calvi.”
“Calvi, huh?” I said. “I heard he’s gone to Florida. Any idea why the sudden visit South?”
“I don’t know, maybe the boss got sick of the smell of those damned cigars.”
“I wouldn’t blame him for that.”
“I also heard some rumors about him getting impatient with his share, stuff I never believed. But I got sources say that Earl Dante was behind the rumors and his ouster.”
“Dante’s rising fast.”
“Dante is a scary man, Victor, and that is all I want to say about that.”
Just then the door opened and a thin young man in a black leather coat and a black fedora stepped into the room. On some guys the leather coat and the hat would have made them look hard, like Rocky, but not this guy, with his long face and beak nose and wide child-taunted ears. He wore thick round glasses and between his pursed lips I could see a set of crumbling teeth. When he saw me he stopped and stared.
“Hey, Victor,” said Jimmy, “you know Anton Schmidt here?”
I shook my head.
“Next to you, Victor, he’s the smartest guy I know.”
“That’s not saying much for you,” I said.
“No, really. Anton’s the real deal, got a mind for numbers like a computer. And don’t ever bet him in chess, he’s a prodigy or something. He’s got a ranking. I didn’t know they gave rankings, but he’s got one.”
“How high?” I asked.
“Nineteen fifty as of my last tournament,” he said through his twisted set of teeth.
“Impressive,” I said, and from the way he said it I guess it was, though I had no idea what it meant.
“He’s almost a master,” said Jimmy. “Imagine that, and he works for me.”
“Anything going?” asked Anton.
“Rocketman bet thirty units on Houston.”
“He would,” said Anton.
“Other than that, Victor put on the kibosh so I think it’s going to be quiet. You got that match to study for, go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow after the procedure.”
Anton looked at Jimmy like he wanted to say something, his eyes behind the glasses widened, then he looked away.
“It’s nothing,” said Jimmy. “Just a procedure is all. Get the hell out of here and
“I’m just asking.”
“Lawyers don’t just ask.”
“I heard that he got pretty far behind and you started getting tough, a little too tough.”
He turned his head away from me. “Yeah, well it’s a tough business.”
“How much did he owe?”
“Aw, you know me, Victor, I wouldn’t hurt a pussy cat.”
“How much?”
“Lawyer-client, right?”
“Sure.”
“Over half a mil. Normally I cut it off before it gets that high, just cut them off and work out a payment plan, but he has so much money coming and he loses so regularly, I just couldn’t bear some other book taking my money. I let it get too high, and I was willing to be patient, with the interest I was charging it was going to be my retirement when his old man died. But January a year back I took more action than I should have on the game and laid off too much to the wrong guys. The refs don’t call the interference on Sanders, and it was clear, so clear, but they don’t call it and I’m way short. Next thing I know those bastards started squeezing. I was in hock to them, Shaw was in hock to me, so I had to apply some pressure. It was just business is all, Victor, nothing…”
The phone interrupted him. I picked it up. “What’s the spread on the Knicks tomorrow night?” said a voice.
“Hello, Al?” I said into the phone, rapping the handset as if the connection was bad. “Al? Are you there, Al? I think the tap shorted out the wires. Al? Al? Can you get on that, Al?”
“Aw cut it out,” said Jimmy, reaching for the phone.
“I don’t understand it,” I said. “He hung up.”
“You’re killing me here.”
“You said you needed a vacation. Tell me what you did about Shaw.”
“I went to Calvi.”
“Calvi, huh?” I said. “I heard he’s gone to Florida. Any idea why the sudden visit South?”
“I don’t know, maybe the boss got sick of the smell of those damned cigars.”
“I wouldn’t blame him for that.”
“I also heard some rumors about him getting impatient with his share, stuff I never believed. But I got sources say that Earl Dante was behind the rumors and his ouster.”
“Dante’s rising fast.”
“Dante is a scary man, Victor, and that is all I want to say about that.”
Just then the door opened and a thin young man in a black leather coat and a black fedora stepped into the room. On some guys the leather coat and the hat would have made them look hard, like Rocky, but not this guy, with his long face and beak nose and wide child-taunted ears. He wore thick round glasses and between his pursed lips I could see a set of crumbling teeth. When he saw me he stopped and stared.
“Hey, Victor,” said Jimmy, “you know Anton Schmidt here?”
I shook my head.
“Next to you, Victor, he’s the smartest guy I know.”
“That’s not saying much for you,” I said.
“No, really. Anton’s the real deal, got a mind for numbers like a computer. And don’t ever bet him in chess, he’s a prodigy or something. He’s got a ranking. I didn’t know they gave rankings, but he’s got one.”
“How high?” I asked.
“Nineteen fifty as of my last tournament,” he said through his twisted set of teeth.
“Impressive,” I said, and from the way he said it I guess it was, though I had no idea what it meant.
“He’s almost a master,” said Jimmy. “Imagine that, and he works for me.”
“Anything going?” asked Anton.
“Rocketman bet thirty units on Houston.”
“He would,” said Anton.
“Other than that, Victor put on the kibosh so I think it’s going to be quiet. You got that match to study for, go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow after the procedure.”
Anton looked at Jimmy like he wanted to say something, his eyes behind the glasses widened, then he looked away.
“It’s nothing,” said Jimmy. “Just a procedure is all. Get the hell out of here and
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