Lady Death, Brian Drake [howl and other poems .TXT] 📗

Sven excused himself again. Raven reached behind the bar for a menu card. One could eat at the bar, but he didn’t partake in such uncivilized behavior. He’d consumed meals in so many godawful places around the world he refused to eat anywhere but at a proper table when home.

But since the girls were ignoring him...

He laughed and took another drink. Tanya Jafari was long gone from his thoughts.

The chef’s special of prime rib and fried potatoes caught his eye. He put the card back. He looked behind him. The tables in the restaurant were filling up fast.

He finished his drink, paid Sven and told him to keep the change. Then he said, “Your roulette table will pay for my prime rib.”

“Good luck, Mr. Raven.”

Raven nodded and turned to walk away. A chill went down his neck. Sven’s good wishes carried with it a subtext he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Very soon Raven would need much more than luck if he were going to keep on living.

2

The wheel spun. The dealer counter-spun the wheel and the ivory ball raced along the track.

The interior of the casino always impressed Raven. Tiles with individual etchings lined a high arched ceiling. The ceiling was too high for patrons to appreciate the etchings, but they provided a nice detail.

Table games lined either wall with the roulette tables in two rows down the center.

Beyond the tables, a staircase led to the lower level where more games awaited.

A railed walkway, overlooking the game room, contained slot machines. Chairs and tables covered other spaces throughout the floors.

Raven paid attention only to the table in front of him. He stood close, near the dealer, a stack of chips in front of him and bets placed. His attention was on the wheel and the table. Other players crowded close. Their excited chatter might as well have been carried away in high wind. He was aware of everyone’s position at the table and glanced around now and then to check his exposed back. But his focus was on the game.

He didn’t feel in danger, but there were eyes on him.

Was Tanya Jafari here?

He focused on the game again.

Roulette was a game a lot of people played but nobody played well. It was easy to win if you spread out a lot of chips on the table, but one ran the risk of winning and losing at the same time. Raven had seen it often. Somebody would bet 125 krona across the table, won 50, but actually lost 75. The wider the spread, the more lost than won, and it only offered the illusion of success.

Betting on individual numbers was also a no-no for Raven, and the sign of an amateur too. Pinpoint accuracy in roulette wasn’t attainable. In a game depending on randomness, he had to account for chance as much as possible.

The wheel slowed and the ball dropped. The dealer announced, “Red, 12, even.”

Raven tapped the edge of the table as the dealer cleared chips and distributed winnings. Raven preferred the outside bets to the numbered rows. Much better chances of winning, as in this case. He’d placed 50 krona on the red square outside the rows. Any red result would have put winnings in his pocket.

Raven collected his 100 krona return and set the two chips aside. The winnings paid for dinner. Now for a little fun.

He continued to play, mixing the red and black boxes with corner bets, where one chip covered four numbers. He bet on corners close to the wheel covering squares one, two, four and five. The ball landed on black 24, at the far end of the table. A loss.

Raven shifted his next corner bet to cover 23, 24, 26 and 27. 50 krona. He also placed an additional 50 krona chip on the black square.

The wheel spun. The dealer counter-spun the ball. The sound of the ball running in the notch was mesmerizing. Raven reminded himself to breathe. Gambling was a form of combat. You couldn’t take your eyes away from the target for a moment. One distraction and you’re history.

The ball dropped with a sharp click.

“Red, 21, odd.”

Groans around the table. Raven bowed his head and laughed. At this rate he’d get cleaned out. He’d started with 1000 krona and the losses were chipping away fast.

Then his stomach grumbled.

All right, he decided. One more for the road.

Fifty krona on the outside red square. Another 50 to cover the second 12 numbers on the board.

The dealer spun the wheel and flicked the ball into the slot. They rolled counter to each other and the ball snapped into a slot.

Raven shook his head.

“Red, 34, even.”

He collected his 100 krona win.

But his bet on the column numbers had cost him 50. He won, and he lost. Such is roulette.

Raven cashed in, changed his chips for banknotes, and wandered back to the Jackpot Bar & Grill.

Raven stopped midway, moved to the wall to put his back behind something solid, and looked around.

Somebody was watching him.

But nothing around him suggested surveillance. Players filled every seat at the table games. On the walkway above, more players sat at slot machines. Some observed from the rail, but they were groups of people, caught up in their own conversations. Nobody was looking at him, per se. Nobody stood out and tripped his mental alarm.

He didn’t think Tanya Jafari would be traveling with a friend. She’d be alone. There were no individuals, like him, floating around. If he was wrong, she was good enough to avoid his detection.

He left the wall, walking faster than normal.

Laughter greeted him as he passed through the archway of the Jackpot Bar & Grill. The two young women he’d seen at the bar earlier occupied a table with two gentleman and all four were having a good time. Raven smiled again. His 20s were further behind him than he wanted to admit. He had no wish to relive those days, but a quick visit wouldn’t hurt. Long enough to correct a mistake or two;