The Year's Best Mystery & Suspense Stories 1983 by Edward D. Hoch

Author:Edward D. Hoch [Hoch, Edward D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The casino was small with, at that early hour, only one table in use. Selena gave the operator a 20-Finnmark note and received ten orange chips. There were five other people at the table—a young man in jeans and a UCLA T-shirt, an elderly couple who conferred with each other in Spanish before placing their chips, a tall, turbanned East Indian, and a sharp-featured woman of about fifty in a gray-tweed tailored suit. As the wheel spun, Selena studied the table. UCLA’s chips were blue—there was one on number 7. The Spaniards had green chips on 2, 12, and 20. The Indian had put his browns on even, black and 0. The woman’s yellows were on black, 25 and 36.

Selena made a mental calculation. Today was July 24. Hugh said the shipment must take place within three weeks, which made August 14 the latest possible date. So the operative number for the month would be 7 or 8 and for the day between 25 and 31 or 1 and 14.

The wheel slowed, the little ball hovered near 7, then dropped on the red 18. The croupier added a brown chip to the one on even and swept away all the others. The Spaniards conferred again, agreed to play 3, 13, and 30. UCLA put one on 27. The Indian left his doubled stake on even, dropped two chips on each black and 0. The woman put chips on red 8 and 9. “Make your plays,” the croupier repeated and Selena dropped a chip on odd a second before he said, “No more.” Again the Indian was the only winner as the ball stopped on 22.

On the next dozen spins Selena, alternating odd and even, won only four times while she studied the other players’ patterns. UCLA, his supply of chips dwindling, bet only one at a time, alternating 7 and 27. July 27? Day after the day after tomorrow? That was calling it very close but, if the arms shipment was already en route, not impossible. Yet the rebels had gone to such lengths to cover their trail and keep their plans secret it seemed out of character to make the date announcement so obvious.

But if not UCLA, who? The Spaniards, after a final conference, eliminated themselves by gathering up their chips and leaving. The gray-suited woman each time put down three chips, one on red or black, the other two on numbers. But the numbers seemed to be chosen at random, with her yellow chips roaming the table from high to low to middle and back again. Perhaps she was a professional gambler with an intricate system. If so, it wasn’t working. She won a little more than she lost on red and black, but her numbers had not yet clicked. Yet she showed no sign of tension, seemed untroubled by her diminishing pile of chips. It was as if she played only to pass the time, unconcerned as to whether she won or lost. As if—

“How’re you doing, hon?” Hugh had come up behind her, falling easily into the role of hearty American tourist.

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