Double Eagle by Thomas King

Author:Thomas King [King, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2023-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

21

The dealers had been standing in a knot, looking like a small herd of ungulates on the graze, and now they were gone. As though they had all moved at the same time in search of greener pastures. Thumps made his way through the people, certain he would find the gang somewhere in the room. They couldn’t have gotten far. And yet they weren’t here.

Perhaps Cruz was right. Perhaps the casino was the answer. The dealers dealt in money. The casino dealt in money. It seemed a perfect match, so long as you ignored the obvious.

That collecting coins and losing your shirt had little in common.

Thumps was in the hallway, heading for the lobby, when the sheriff appeared in front of him.

“DreadfulWater.”

“You run into the dealers?”

“The coin guys?” Duke tried to find the right word. “And coin . . . women.”

“They all disappeared at the same time.”

“Abducted by aliens,” said Duke. “I’ve read about this.”

“Lukin seems to be among the missing as well.”

“The gala still going?” said Duke.

“Just left it.”

“Is there any food?”

THUMPS STOOD NEXT to the food table and watched Duke help himself to everything.

“The meatballs are my favourite,” said the sheriff.

“Keftedes.”

“And the things in grape leaves are pretty good too.”

“Dolmades.”

“That’s the nice thing about good food,” said Duke, “it doesn’t matter what you call it.”

Thumps could stay with Duke and watch him eat or he could go to the casino and try to find Cruz.

“Is food all you two think about?”

Archie pushed his way between Duke and the table.

Duke licked his fingers. “Food from your restaurant?”

“Of course the food’s from my restaurant. Why would it be from another restaurant?”

“Well, it’s really good.”

“That’s because it’s free,” said Archie. “Stolen food always tastes better.”

Duke looked around the room. “Good turnout.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“And nothing’s happened.”

“Yet. Nothing has happened yet.” Archie searched the room. “Where’s Nico? Where are Myers and Souto and Hunter and Poe?”

Duke devoured another keftede. “Abducted by aliens.”

“That would get you off the hook,” said Archie. “Wouldn’t it?”

“Cruz thinks Lukin may be in the casino,” said Thumps. “Could be the other dealers are there as well.”

Archie took Duke’s empty plate. “Then why don’t you two go over there and help him. It’s a big place. Three sets of eyes are better than one.”

“I’m hungry.”

“So, eat at the casino.”

“If I eat at the casino,” said the sheriff, “I’ll have to pay for it myself.”

“Exactly,” said Archie.

WHEN HE WAS a cop, Thumps had been to a great many of the casinos that the small rancherias in California had set up as an economic base for the tribes in the area. Lucky 7 and Elk Valley near the Oregon border. Hidden Oaks, Rolling Hills, Colusa and Red Hawk farther south, along with Cache Creek and Thunder Valley.

The most distinctive thing about such casinos was that there was nothing distinctive. They were all exactly the same. Thumps suspected you could be dropped into a casino almost anywhere in the world and you would have no way of knowing where you were.

Casinos didn’t have windows.

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