“Do it.”
Carlson looked at Dr. Robinson. “Do you mind?”
Dr. Robinson looked at the ceiling, as if asking God what the hell he was doing there, then nodded his compliance. Dr. Carlson went over him with the same painstaking precision he’d used on Rufus. Again he stepped back.
“He’s clean,” Carlson said.
“Good,” the Greek said.
Taking a paper bag off a chair, the Greek removed a pair of wraparound glasses made of stainless steel. The glasses were the same design worn by Arnold Schwarzenneger in the Terminator movies, and completely covered the wearer’s eyes. As the Greek showed them to the crowd, Valentine got closer, and had a look. The glasses were half-inch thick, and the idea that someone might be able to see through them seemed impossible.
When the Greek was finished showing the glasses around, Gloria Curtis stepped forward and stuck her mike in Rufus’s face.
“This is Gloria Curtis reporting from the poker room at the World Poker Showdown. Standing beside me is Rufus Steele, who has bet a number of gamblers that he has X-ray vision. Rufus, when did you discover you had X-ray vision?”
“About two years ago,” Rufus replied.
“Do you know what brought this on?”
“Happened after I wrecked my car. I’d been drinking.”
Gloria tried not to laugh, although several gamblers in the crowd did.
“How much money have you wagered?” Gloria asked.
“A hundred thousand dollars,” Rufus said. His eyes swept the sea of faces. “If there’s anyone else who’d like a piece of action, please step right up, and talk to this handsome fellow standing to my right. He’ll take care of you.”
Two dozen gamblers formed a line in front of Valentine. He had come prepared, and wrote down each man’s name on a pad of paper he’d gotten in the restaurant, and the amount of his wager. He kept a running tally in his head, not wanting to go over the three hundred thousand bucks he was responsible for, and when the last man was done, did another re-adding. One hundred and ninety-seven thousand dollars in additional bets had been placed. Rufus had called it perfectly.
He went over to Rufus, and showed him the amount.
“That’s a nice number,” Rufus said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
A folding chair was placed in the center of the room. Rufus sat down with a smile on his face, and was quickly surrounded by the crowd. Stepping forward, the Greek fitted the steel glasses onto Rufus’s face, then produced a piece of twine, and tied the glasses behind Rufus’s head.
“That’s a little snug,” Rufus complained.
“Does it hurt?” the Greek asked.
“Come to mention it, yes.”
The Greek added another knot, then another. He wore the twisted look of someone who enjoyed inflicting pain. Finished, he stepped back with a triumphant look on his face.
“You done?” Rufus asked.
“Sure am,” the Greek said.
Rufus stuck his hand into his pants pocket, and produced a leather bag with a drawstring. He tossed the bag in the Greek’s direction, and the Greek plucked it out of the air. “Put that over my head, will you?”
The Greek looked at the other gamblers, a suspicious look on his face. Then he tried the bag on over his own head, then tugged it off, his hair standing on end like he’d been shocked.
“I can’t see through it,” he announced.
“That’s the whole idea,” Rufus said.
Several gamblers who’d made bets with Rufus wanted to examine the bag, and it was passed around the room. Valentine caught Gloria flashing him a nervous smile. When the gamblers were finished examining the bag, it was handed to the Greek. He stepped forward, and began to fit it over Rufus’s head, when the old cowboy stopped him. “One last thing. We need to agree on how many items I have to identify.”
The Greek hesitated, and glanced at his partners.
“Three,” one of the men called out.
“Three?” Rufus asked. “I was thinking more like one.”
“You could guess with one,” the man shot back. “Three is fair.”
“I’ll do three,” Rufus said, “if you’ll make it double or nothing.”
The Greek looked at his partners, then at the other men who’d made wagers with Rufus. Gamblers were good at communicating with their eyes, and without a word being spoken, everyone who’d made a wager with Rufus agreed to double it.
Valentine felt his knees buckle. The only way he could cover the bet now would be to sell his house and his car and probably his giant-screen TV. If there hadn’t been so many witnesses and a camera rolling, he would have dragged Rufus across the room and beaten the living crap out of him.
“Double or nothing it is,” the Greek said.
With a smile on his face, the Greek placed the leather bag over Rufus’s head, and tied the drawstring as tightly as he could.
Dr. Robinson stepped forward with the annoyed look still on his face. He didn’t look like a gambler, or the kind of person who enjoyed gamblers’ company, and Valentine imagined him going straight home after this, and taking a long shower. The doctor looked at the Greek and said, “Ready when you are.”
The Greek fished a worn deck of playing cards from his pocket. Removing one, he held it up to the crowd. It was the four of clubs. He handed the card to Robinson. Without a word, the doctor held the card a few feet from Rufus’s bagged head.
“It’s a playing card,” Rufus’s muffled voice said.
Another hush fell over the group. The Greek acted like he’d been kicked in the groin with a steel boot.
“Which one?” the Greek asked.
“Four of clubs,” the muffled voice said.
Valentine could not believe what he was seeing. There was only one way to pull this stunt off — by having Robinson “cue” Rufus through a verbal code. These codes, called second sight, were the staple of mind-reading acts, and known by cheaters. Only Robinson hadn’t said a word, the annoyed look still painted across his face.
The Greek took a stack of chips from his pocket. They were a rainbow of colors, indicating several different denominations. He plucked out a purple chip, and gave it to Robinson. The doctor held the chip in his outstretched hand.
“It’s a chip,” Rufus’s muffled voice said.
“What denomination?” the Greek asked.
“Ten grand,” the voice said.
The Greek angrily threw the chip to the ground. “You’re cheating!”
Valentine stepped forward to defend his man. “How can he be cheating?”
“He’s somehow seeing through the glasses and the bag,” the Greek said. “He has to be. There’s no such thing as X-ray vision.”
Valentine got in the Greek’s breathing space. “Then why did you bet with him?”
The Greek started to reply, then thought better of it, and shut his mouth.
“Cover my eyes with your hands,” Rufus’s muffled voice said.
Valentine’s head snapped.
“You heard me,” the voice said.
The Greek took the bait, and scurried around to the back of Rufus’s folding chair. Leaning forward, he placed his enormous palms directly over Rufus’s eyes. One of the Greek’s partners stepped forward, and removed a handful of change from his pocket. The man selected a coin — an old-looking silver quarter — and bypassing Dr. Robinson, held the coin up to Rufus’s face.
“What’s this?”
“A dirty fingernail,” Rufus’s muffled voice said.
Everyone in the room who wasn’t part of the wager started laughing. Those who were part of the wager looked like candidates for Siberia. After a few moments, the room quieted down.
“You’re holding a quarter,” the muffled voice said.