a good player can beat a bad player. They don’t know what in hell they want.’
‘Can a good player win at blackjack?’ asked Warren interestedly.
Follett nodded. ‘It takes a steeltrap memory and nerves of iron, but it can be done. It’s lucky for the house there aren’t too many of those guys around. We’ll take that risk on blackjack but on the wheel we’ve got to have an edge.’ He looked despondently into his glass. ‘And I don’t see much chance of getting one – not with the laws that are in the works.’
‘Things are bad all round,’ said Warren unfeelingly. ‘Maybe you’d better go back to the States.’
‘No, I’ll ride it out here for a while.’ Follet drained his glass.
‘Don’t go,’ said Warren. ‘I had a reason for coming here. I wanted to talk to you.’
‘If it’s a touch for your clinic I’m already on your books.’
Warren smiled. ‘This time I want to give you money.’
‘This I must stick around to hear,’ said Follet. Tell me more.’
‘I have a little expedition planned,’ said Warren. ‘The pay isn’t much – say, two-fifty a month for six months. But there’ll be a bonus at the end if it all works out all right.’
‘Two-fifty a month!’ Follet laughed. ‘Look around you and figure how much I’m making right now. Pull the other one, Doctor.’
‘Don’t forget the bonus,’ said Warren calmly.
‘All right; what’s the bonus?’ asked Follet, smiling.
‘That would be open to negotiation, but shall we say a thousand?’
‘You kill me, Warren, you really do – the way you make jokes with a straight face.’ He began to turn away. ‘I’ll be seeing you, Doctor.’
‘Don’t go, Johnny. I’m confident you’ll join me. You see, I know what happened to that Argentinian a couple of months ago – and I know how it was done. It was a little over two hundred thousand pounds you rooked him of, wasn’t it?’
Follet stopped dead and turned his head to speak over his shoulder. ‘And how did you learn about that?’
‘A good story like that soon gets around, Johnny. You and Kostas were very clever.’
Follet turned back to Warren and said seriously, ‘Dr Warren: I’d be very careful about the way you talk – especially about Argentinian millionaires. Something might happen to you.’
‘I dare say,’ agreed Warren. ‘And something might happen to you too, Johnny. For instance, if the Argentinian were to find out how he’d been had, he’d raise a stink, wouldn’t he? He’d certainly go to the police. It’s one thing to lose and quite another to be cheated, so he’d go to the police.’ He tapped Follet on the chest. ‘And the police would come to you, Johnny. The best that could happen would be that they’d deport you – ship you back to the States. Or would it be the best? I hear that the States is a good place for Johnny Follet to keep away from right now. It was something about certain people having long memories.’
‘You hear too damn’ much,’ said Follet coldly.
‘I get around,’ said Warren with a modest smile.
‘It seems you do. You wouldn’t be trying to put the bite on me, would you?’
‘You might call it that.’
Follet sighed. ‘Warren, you know how it is. I have a fifteen per cent piece of this place – I’m not the boss. Whatever was done to the Argentinian was done by Kostas. Sure, I was around when it happened, but it wasn’t my idea – I wasn’t in on it, and I got nothing out of it. Kostas did everything.’
‘I know,’ said Warren. ‘You’re as pure as the driven snow. But it won’t make much difference when they put you on a VC-10 and shoot you back to the States.’ He paused and said contemplatively. ‘It might even be possible to arrange for a reception committee to meet you at Kennedy Airport.’
‘I don’t think I like any of this,’ said Follet tightly. ‘Supposing I told Kostas you were shooting your mouth. What do you suppose would happen to you? I’ve never had a beef against you, and I don’t see why you’re doing this. Just watch it.’
As he turned away, Warren said, ‘I’m sorry, Johnny; it seems as though you’ll be back in the States before the month’s out.’
‘That does it,’ said Follet violently. ‘Kostas is a bad guy to cross. Watch out for your back, Warren.’ He snapped his fingers and a man who was lounging against the wall suddenly tautened and walked over to the bar. Follet said, ‘Dr Warren is just leaving.’
Warren glanced over at Andy Tozier and held up a finger. Tozier strolled over and said pleasantly, ‘Evening, all.’
‘Johnny Follet wants to throw me out,’ said Warren.
‘Does he?’ said Tozier interestedly. ‘And how does he propose to do that? Not that it matters very much.’
‘Who the hell’s this?’ snapped Follet.
‘Oh, I’m a friend of Dr Warren,’ said Tozier. ‘Nice place you’ve got here, Follet. It should be an interesting exercise.’
‘What are you talking about? What exercise?’
‘Oh, just to see how quickly it could be taken apart. I know a couple of hearty sergeant types who could go through here like a dose of salts in less than thirty minutes. The trouble about that, though, is that you’d have a hell of a job putting back the pieces.’ His voice hardened. ‘My advice to you is that if Dr Warren wants to talk to you, then you pin back your hairy ears and listen.’
Follet took a deep breath and blew out his cheeks. ‘All right, Steve; I’ll sort this out,’ he said to the man next to him. ‘But stick around – I might need you fast.’ The man nodded and returned to his position against the wall.
‘Let’s all have a nice, soothing drink,’ suggested Tozier.
‘I don’t get any of this,’ protested Follet. ‘Why are you pushing me, Warren? I’ve never done anything to you.’
‘And you won’t, either,’ observed Warren. ‘In particular you won’t say anything about this to Kostas because if anything happens to me all my information goes directly to the places where it will do most good.’
Tozier said, ‘I don’t know what this is all about, but if anything happens to Dr Warren then a certain Johnny Follet will wish he’d never been born, whatever else happens to him.’
‘What the hell are you ganging up on me for?’ said Follet desperately.
‘I don’t know,’ said Tozier. ‘Why are we ganging up on him, Doc?’
‘All you have to do is to take a holiday, Johnny,’ said Warren. ‘You come with
