Trying to hide the truth from your girlfriend is a risky proposition. And when said girlfriend also happens to be a shrink, a cop, and a hot-tempered Latina, the risk factor goes up exponentially, and secret-keeping becomes more of a death wish.
So I decided to do a one-eighty from where I was that morning. As soon as I got to Cheryl’s apartment, I told her everything. She might not approve, but she couldn’t slam me for withholding information. I started with my dinner with Q.
She stopped me immediately. “Q points a finger at these two guys, Jessup and Jewel, and you believe him?” she said. “He has no evidence.”
“Cheryl, this is not a jury trial. Q is a world-class snitch. He said, and I quote, ‘These brothers are spending money like the sultan of Brunei died and named them sole beneficiaries.’ Unquote.”
“That’s specious logic.”
“It’s street logic,” I said. Then I launched into the details of my undercover meeting with the two hip-hop promoters at Rattlesnake. She didn’t say a word until I got to the name of my alter ego.
“Fly Boy?” she said, laughing.
“Johnny Fly Boy Wurster,” I said. “Funny how I got that name.” I told her my story about being thrown off a seventh-story balcony and walking away without a scratch.
She shook her head. “Those two guys actually bought that?”
“What’s not to buy? It’s like Freddy No Nose or Sammy the Bull. It’s a nickname with a story behind it.”
“And they believe you’ve recruited them to stick up a poker game at a private home and get away with a million dollars.”
“A million two,” I corrected. “Eight players at a hundred and fifty K a pop.”
“So now what?” she asked.
“At this point, they’ve had twenty-four hours to think about the score. They figure it’s a piece of cake, and they’re already spending the money in their dreams. So now I’m going to throw a monkey wrench into the deal. Do you want to watch?”
“Of course I want to watch,” she said, adding some more white wine to her glass and sitting down on the sofa with her legs curled underneath her. “As long as you understand that my fascination should in no way be misinterpreted as an endorsement of your actions.”
“Understood,” I said, taking it as a small victory. “Jessup is the less trusting of the two. If the sting is going to work, I have to get him to take the bait.” I got out my burner phone, put it on speaker, and dialed Jessup’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Tariq, this is Fly Boy,” I said. “I got bad news. That sweet deal we had planned for Saturday night—I’m pulling the plug on it.”
“What the fuck, man? You find someone who would do it for less money?”
“No, I was totally down with you guys. It’s just that I’ve done this before. Always in a new city, always with new players. But I just found out that one of the guys in the room on Saturday is going to be someone who sat in on the game when I pulled this in Phoenix. He’s not stupid. First thing he’s going to think is, What are the odds of being in identical robberies in two different towns, and both times Johnny Fly Boy is at the table with me?”
“He’ll make you in a heartbeat,” Jessup said.
“That’s why I’m moving on.”
“Where you going next?”
“I’m thinking Dallas,” I said.
“So that’s a short plane ride. Me and Garvey will go with you.”
“Not happening, bro. This is not a traveling circus. I’m a one-man show. I pick up local talent wherever I go. You were my Jersey boys, but I can’t walk into that room, so the deal is off. Lose my phone number after I hang up.”
“Wait a minute, Fly Boy,” Jessup said. “Think this through before you bail. You already got the game lined up. You got the muscle in place. So if you can’t sit in, all you need is someone who can.”
“Don’t you think I thought of that? I have a friend who I would trust to sit in for me, but he’s in Europe for a few months making lonely wealthy widows a little less lonely…and a lot less wealthy.”
“What if I can help?” Jessup said.
“No. You’d look like you were crashing the party.”
“You saying I don’t fit in because I’m black?”
“Hell, no,” I said. “Black, white, brown, yellow—if your money’s green, nobody gives a shit. But nobody sits down at that table unless they’re a regular high-stakes player. That’s not you, Tariq.”
“What if I told you I got a guy who buys into six-figure games all the time? This dude would fit right in.”
Cheryl looked at me, her eyes wide, her mouth open. The fish was nibbling at the hook.
“Do you trust this guy?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah. He was the inside man on the hotel job, and that went down like silk. He’s going to want his cut, but with that much money on the table, I’m sure we can come to terms.”
“I don’t know, Tariq.”
“Come on, Fly Boy. At least meet him.”
“All right. Tonight at eleven. Houston Hall.”
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s in the Village on West Houston Street, just off Varick. It’s big, it’s noisy, it’s crowded, and I never have to worry about running into anyone who’s ever played in a poker game where the limit was more than twenty bucks. You and Jewel bring your boy. If I like him, I’ll stake him to the hundred and fifty grand, and then we’ll move on to the next plateau. I’ll see you at eleven.”
I hung up. “And that, Dr. Robinson, is how it’s done,” I said.
“That was brilliant, Zach. You’re a born con man. What happens when they show up?”
“Jessup and Jewel are small fish. Reitzfeld will toss them back into the pond and give C.J. a chance to pay back the money and get out of town. The guy’s a poker player. He’ll know that’s the best hand he’s going to be dealt.”
“How do you feel about all this?” she asked.
“Pretty shitty. I feel good about cracking a case, but I hate sneaking around on my partner. I just hope she never finds out.”
“Aren’t you going to ask how I feel?”
“Cheryl, I know how you feel. You don’t trust my motives, and you don’t approve. You told me that this morning.”
“I changed my mind. At your core, you’re a cop. I think your motives may be a little purer than I gave you credit for. Also…”
“Also what?”
“Watching you manipulate that guy into doing exactly what you want him to do was a bit of a turn-on.”
“You’re kidding.”
She got off the sofa, took me by the hand, and started walking me to the bedroom. “Come on, Fly Boy. I’ll show you if I’m kidding or not.”