Brenda W. Clough by How Like A God

Author:How Like A God
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

It felt very strange to wear new clothes after all this time. Mrs. Ruppert, with job interviews in mind, took Rob to the Salvation Army store and bought him a blue jacket, a red tie, and a pair of khaki pants. He was surprised to find that his waist size had gone down more than two inches.

No wonder he had needed string to hold up his ragged old jeans. In the mirror he saw a figure that didn’t look unduly odd at all— weathered, tall, blond, a little too thin. Meeting the gaze of his reflection gave him a peculiar feeling, however—as if there was someone else, a stranger, behind those ice-chip eyes.

“I don’t know,” Edwin said when he arrived on Friday and saw the result.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve only known you in your old clothes.”

“I kind of miss them,” Rob admitted. He stared, awed, at the sleek vehicle at the curb. Edwin’s car cast a startling new light on his character. It was a sexy red Mazda RX-7 with a spoiler, a moon roof, and leather upholstery—curvaceous as a centerfold model. Somehow Rob had imagined that as a nice nerdy type Edwin would drive a very different sort of car.

Rob wedged himself into the low-slung seat and shut the door. The car had such tight suspension, and was so close to the ground, it was like sitting in a roller skate. It made a powerful contrast to Rob’s own minivan. From the state-of-the-art CD sound system came the supple voice of Barbra Streisand singing Broadway show tunes. Rob said, “And I thought of something else.”

Edwin let in the clutch. “Oh? What?”

“I’m going to learn how not to win at blackjack, right?”

“Strange but true,” Edwin said, nodding. “Ideally, months of training and careful coaching will finally enable you to lose your shirt.”

“But until I do learn, I’m going to win. Won’t this be cheating the casino, sort of?”

Edwin’s grin lit up his face. “Funny you should mention that. I thought of it too.” The light turned green and the car swung with smooth power out into Colesville Road. “During the first few sessions, I expect you’ll take the poor fellows to the cleaners. That would be a severe blow to an honest business.”

“It would be terrible. We can’t do that!”

Edwin didn’t slow down. “But suppose the casino was a dishonest one.”

It was a new idea. Rob thought about it. “Are there any?”

“My very question to Gary.”

“And Gary is?”

“Katie’s dad, my brother-in-law. He’s also the number three guy at the FBI office in Albany, New York.”

“You know somebody everywhere, Ed. It’s amazing.”

“Well, my older sister deserves most of the credit for my acquaintance with Gary. He especially urged me to keep out of the Lady Luck Casino Royale, the least savory establishment on the boardwalk. It’s a money-laundering operation for a Colombian drug cartel, and under investigation by New Jersey’s Casino Control Commission. I think the Lady Luck has earned a visit from you. You want to fight crime? We fight crime.

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