Rhodes

Gambling Jacks

I wasn’t much of a gambling man. I had a good poker face and an ability to read people but I tended to overextend myself. The lower the stakes, the more impulsive I tended to be. It led to many counterproductive betting habits. So, trips to the Siren’s Song Casino were rare and almost always work related. I was familiar with many of its regulars. The hideaway was a lynchpin of Rhodes’ criminal underbelly.

The establishment was ran by a card shark named Francis Balthazar. He was a squinty-eyed old man with sparse silver hair. He was a pharmacist back in the day. He retired after his brother was arrested for racketeering. Balthazar’s pharmacy shut down shortly after and he used his retirement funds to by the casino.

The casino was nowhere near as lively in the middle of the day as it was in the evening. The low patron count made it quite easy to find an available worker to question. The worker in question was Shannon Morcock, an African-American fellow who I knew from the local bar that we both frequented. He was a trustworthy man. His testimonies had been the voice of justice in numerous cases that started and ended in the casino.

“Greetings detectives.” Shannon said with a pearly smile.

“Hello, Mr. Morcock.” Jasper greeted.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Shannon said. “Two fine detectives walking in here in the middle of the day never bodes well for the peace in Rhodes.”

“I’m afraid there was a murder this morning.” I said.

“Oh good heavens.” Shannon said in abject horror. “No.” He whispered. “Tell me,” he leaned in close. “Was it Alice?” He said in a hushed voice.

“I’m afraid so.” I said.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let her walk home last night.” Shannon groaned.

“What do you mean?” Jasper asked as he took out a notepad and pen.

“Alice always walks home alone.” Shannon explained. “She was never very sociable outside work. I’ve tried to walk her home on several occasions. It’s not right for a man to let a pretty girl like that walk down that road heading towards town. Especially as of late.”

“Care to explain?” Jasper asked.

“Well, strange things have been seen and heard in those woods.” Shannon said. “I’m not superstitious, but some people have said the Birchwood Colossus is back.”

“Not that urban legend again.” I groaned. The Birchwood Colossus was Rhodes’ resident myth. The story goes that during the early colonial days a man was sentenced to death by smelting iron. According to the myth, the man survived and terrorizes the Birchwood forest outside Rhodes. I had been to the place he supposedly originates numerous times. The old mausoleum was a favored dumping spot for murderers. Not many would pay mind to a fresh new grave amongst the old tombstones.

“Hey, I know those tales are phony just like you.” Shannon defended. “Just an excuse that evil men use to pass the blame for their actions. A ghost story to keep kids from playing in the woods at night.”

“What does this have to do with Ms. Penderton?” Jasper asked.

“It was a few nights ago.” Shannon started. “People started coming in here all kinds of spooked. Said they saw a demon. I didn’t believe them of course. I thought it was just some punk kids dressing in tin foil and scaring the locals.”

“As they so often do.” Jasper quipped.

“That is until Alice said she saw someone leering at her from the trees on her way to work last night.” Shannon continued.

“That is strange.” I noted.

“She was scared at first, but by the time her shift was done she was fine. I offered my services to her but she turned me down as she always did.” Shannon’s voice had dropped to an emotional tone. “I know it’s nothing like the Birchwood Colossus, but something or someone is in those woods. Leering from the trees and screaming.”

“Screaming?” I pondered.

“A high pitched and blood curdling scream coming from the trees.” Shannon said. “That’s what these spooked patrons have all said.” Shannon’s voice started to shake. A large bald man wearing a uniform came up behind him. “I swear I’ll…”

“That’s enough Mr. Morcock.” The bald man spoke with a Russian accent. “Detectives...Mr. Balthazar would like to speak with you.”

“Alright.” I nodded. “Take care Shannon. If you remember anything else, or hear anything else, notify me immediately.”

“Can do, sir.” Shannon nodded.

The bald security guard led us through the casino and towards Balthazar’s office. The pathway was visually appealing on account of the ornate red velvet carpet and the suits of armor lining the walls. I fell back as to converse with Jasper on what Shannon had said. It was most troubling and most bizarre.

“Leering from the trees?” I whispered.

“It doesn’t fit any of the urban legends I’ve heard from around here.” Jasper said. “Up north there’s allegedly a demon called a Banshee. But no one around here has ever said anything matching Mr. Morcock’s description. Not in my lifetime anyway.”

“I can’t shake the feeling that Shannon had more to say.” I noted.

“We’re here.” The guard said as he opened a door. Jasper and I stepped inside and were greeted by Francis Balthazar, puffing away on his tobacco pipe. His hands were fidgeting with a deck of cards.

“Greetings detective.” Balthazar said. He gestured us to a pair of chairs. “I heard about Ms. Penderton.” He said. “Terrible thing that.”

“Is there anything you can tell us?” I was forward with my question. Balthazar was a tricky man, and wouldn’t be caught in any roundabout way. Which was fine by me. I never liked beating around the bush anyway.

“Only that Ms. Penderton was in trouble long before last night.” Balthazar said with a scowl.

“How so?” I asked.

He carefully shuffled the deck of cards. “How about a simple game of texas hold’em?” He dealt out a pair of card to Jasper, myself, and himself. He then set up the game, three cards, then two cards face down on his mahogany desk.

“We don’t have time to play games.” I said.

“Just a hand.” He said. “I’ll tell you the gist of it after the hand, think of it as my annie.”

“Our annie will be what we know so far.” Jasper said.

“Jasper, the case is still fresh.” I protested.

“The girl was under his employ.” Jasper said. “We can’t expect a man of his stature to be honest with us if we’re not honest with him. Just leave that much to me.” He said.

“Well then, if I win, the two of you leave it at that and come to me when you have more information or a warrant.” Balthazar said. “If you win, I’ll tell you everything that’s been transpiring in these woods these last few days. No skin off my bones, I even gave you the advantage. Just one of you must when this hand to get everything I know.”

“It’s a deal.” Jasper said.

“Deal.” I said.

I looked at my hand. I had a pair of jacks, spades and hearts. A solid hand to start with. Without any further betting-which actually took out a lot of the dynamics of the game-Balthazar flipped over the three cards. I grew more confident. The cards were the jack of diamonds, the king of spades and three of spades.

Balthazar seemed quite pleased as he tossed over the next card. It was the ten of clubs. The next card was the four of clubs. So I was left with just three jacks. I flipped them over first. It was a pretty decent hand. Jasper flipped over his cards next. He had the four and nine of spades.

“Nearly a flush.” Jasper said. “But stuck with a pair of fours.”

“Looks like luck was not on your side.” Balthazar said as he revealed the ace of spades and the queen of hearts. “Straight. I win.” He seemed rather pleased.

“Lost with a pair of jacks in my hand.” I sighed.

“Don’t act so surprised detective.” Balthazar said. “It was a decent hand. In a conventional hand- that is one with a string of bets padding the game out- a skilled player would have beaten me with that hand.”

“This game though, was all about luck.” Jasper said.

“Real men make their own luck.” Balthazar smiled as he took another puff off his pipe. “Now tell me what you know.”

Jasper filled him in on some of the details. I was impressed at how well Jasper managed to leave out any key information that only those in our precinct were privy to. Namely, he didn’t utter a single word about that metal fragment I had found.

“What about your end of the deal?” I asked after Jasper had finished.

“Suffice to say but young Ms. Penderton hadn’t been on the level the last few days.” Balthazar said.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“I’m a pharmacist, least I was. I know what people look like when they’re taking opioids.”

“Ms. Penderton was an addict?” Jasper guessed. That would be something for the coroner to find.

“Not an addict.” Balthazar said. “Not yet...or I guess she never got the chance to. I first noticed a few days ago. She came in here all bleary eyed and half delirious. Last night it was worse. I had to call her into my office and question her.”

“I didn’t think it would be a triviality to you.” Jasper said.

“I do my best to keep people like you out of my casino.” Balthazar said. “Watchful eyes are not something that helps me sleep. I wasn’t about to have some hopped up kid bring me under scrutiny, not if I had a say.”

“I understand.” I said. It sounded like motive to me but I didn’t press further. On one hand, Balthazar was the kind of man I could imagine putting a hit on someone. On the other hand, in this situation, firing the poor girl would be much easier and less risky than offing her.

“Have a good day, Francis.” Jasper said as he stood.

“We’ll be back, if the case requires it.” I said as I stood.

“Escort these men out.” Balthazar said as his bald henchman came back in.

“We’ll see ourselves out.” I said as I brushed past the large bald man.

As soon as we stepped outside I stopped. I took my flask out and took a sip of its contents. I needed a moment to think things over before we left. Jasper seemed to be on the same page as me.

“I believe that Francis isn’t telling us the whole truth.” Jasper noted.

“Aye, that’s a bloody understatement. He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s hiding something.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t know and wants us to find the truth.” Jasper guessed.

“I’m going to come back up here tonight.” I said. “Alone. I’m going to see if I can catch a glimpse of our tree hopping leerer.”

“Do be careful.” Jasper said. “All manner of beasts roam the woods at night. The Birchwood Colossus and the Banshee may not be real, but wolves and bears are very much so.”

“Tonight, I think it would be appropriate to contact Eli.” I said reluctantly.

“That superstitious government boy? Whatever for?”

“He knows these woods better than anyone.” I said. “We might be able to find more evidence in the old graveyard, or that abandoned cottage that lays in the middle of the woods. I’d feel safer going at it with him than anyone else.”

“I see.” Jasper said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The two of us walked back to the precinct. We had to fill out reports about what we saw and check with the coroner. What troubled me more than Balthazar was Shannon. He had seemed genuinely spooked. As far as I knew, he wasn’t the kind of man to take things likely. A man like him, who suffered all sorts of injustice from the older populace- and was still seen as a second-class citizen to some- was the kind of man to look the things that typically frightened people and offer it a nice drink. He wasn’t the kind of man to take fear lightly. I wondered if he had seen this strange ghoulish figure himself.

I’d find out soon enough. For in those woods that night something was bound to happen. This was the search for justice first and truth second. Sometimes, like the fog that had swallowed up the Birchwood Forest, the truth was much murkier than I would like. But it was there, watching from the distance.