Published: July 03, 2008 02:20 pm      

WRITERS CORNER: Blackjack game erupts in melee

The following is an excerpt from “The Elusive Chauffeur.” Detective Samuel Mohlar was hired to find Richard Flood, the prime suspect in a murder. When Mohlar heard that there was a card game in the back room of a pool hall, he went hoping to find Flood there. The following scene occurs immediately after Mohlar evaluated the skill level of the four men playing blackjack.

Mohlar waited patiently to be invited into the game. He thought Thompson and Babcock are avid card players. Downs and Himes are avid sports card collectors. If Flood is in Buffalo, there’s a good chance someone here has seen him. I’ve got to get into this game and talk to them.

Fifteen minutes later, Babcock finally said, “Want to join the game? But if you join us, I’ll still be the dealer until the next black jack.”

“I’ve got money and I want to play,” the detective said while pulling a chair up to the table between Babcock and Downs. The chair was well-padded and open-backed.

Mohlar won the first game with three cards totaling 21. He won the second game with a king and 10 — a total of 20.

He thought: This is too easy. They may be hustling me. I’m not going to play very long if these guys are cheating. On the other hand, I knew the deck was heavy in high-count cards. So it’s not surprising I was dealt these five cards.

Mohlar often won at card games such as blackjack or poker. He knew how to play the odds — most mathematicians do.

Yet odds are meaningless when people cheat. At first, hustlers deal cards so their patsy wins. After a while, the patsy starts losing. When the patsy counts his money at the end of the game, he finds he has lost hundreds of dollars. So everyone goes home happy, except the patsy.

Mohlar watched the men carefully, especially the dealer, to see if he could spot any cheating. He knew how to detect communication between players through their table talk. He watched to see if players were getting cards from their shirts or other players. After a few games, he knew these men were playing honestly.

During the next hour, Mohlar dealt most of the time. Two games ago, Babcock got a blackjack and had become the new dealer. During that time, Downs had a run of bad luck and had become very grumpy.

While Babcock was pouring everyone a drink, Mohlar pulled a picture out of his pocket. He said, “I’m looking for a man who likes to gamble. Here’s a picture of him. Have you seen him?”

"What’s his name?” Thompson asked.

"Richard Flood,” Mohlar answered.

Each man said he had not seen Flood.

"There’s a poker game on Riemann Street tomorrow morning,” Babcock said. “Mohlar, do you think you’ll be there?”

"Maybe,” Mohlar answered.

Babcock dealt each man their first card, face down, on the table. Mohlar looked at his card, a six, and made the minimum bet. After everyone placed his bet, Babcock dealt each man his face-up card. Mohlar’s second card was a king, giving him a total of sixteen. Babcock’s up-card was a seven.

Mohlar thought, At this point in the game, there is the same number of low cards as high cards in the deck. If I take another card, the odds are eight to five of breaking 21; i.e. I’ll break if I get a card different from an ace or two through five. If I stand on these two cards, Babcock will probably beat me.

“Hit me,” Mohlar whispered.

Babcock tossed Mohlar a card that landed face-up in front of Mohlar’s king. It was an ace. Although Mohlar wanted to be closer to 21, he said, “I’ll stand.”

Downs looked with vicious eyes at Mohlar’s ace. After a few seconds, Downs said, “Hit me.” Babcock flipped him a five, which landed next to his exposed four. After Downs hesitated for a second, he said, “Hit me.” He pounded the table with his fist as he watched a jack land in front of him.

“I went bust,” he said while turning over his down-card, a six.

"If you had not drawn a card, Mohlar, I would’ve won. That ace would’ve given me 21,” Downs angrily told Mohlar.

"Calm down,” Mohlar said in response to Down’s outburst of anger. “Maybe you’ll be luckier next game.”

"I’d like to know what your down-card is. If you played stupid by taking an extra card, I’ll knock those pretty teeth of yours down your throat,” Downs threatened.

Mohlar thought: “Played stupid!” Look at who’s saying that to me. He’s played against the percentages often and he just did it again. Why didn’t he double his bet when his first two cards totaled ten and the dealer’s up-card was a 7? I’d like to give that guy a right hook to the head.

"If you try messing with me, I’ll change those two eyes of yours to the same color — both red,” Mohlar responded. As Himes put his hand inside his sport coat, Downs moved his head from side to side. Himes then put his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

"Calm down, boys,” Babcock said. “Let’s play cards.”

After Thompson and Himes went bust, everyone knew that Babcock would collect all the bets if he could beat Mohlar. Babcock carefully looked at Mohlar’s up-cards. While turning over his down-card, a queen, he said, “I’ll stand.”

Mohlar turned over his down-card and said, “I lose because we both have seventeen.”

Mohlar turned his head toward Downs and said to him, “Do you still want to mess with me?”

"Deal the cards,” Downs said to Babcock, ignoring Mohlar’s comment.

Babcock said, “Let’s take a break for a few minutes. I’d like to visit the men’s room.”

"This has been a bad day for me,” Downs said. “I’m overdue to get a blackjack.”

Mohlar, in an attempt to smooth things over between Downs and himself, said, “Your luck is bound to change. You’ve been playing smart, but you’ve been unlucky.”

Mohlar glanced at Thompson and saw him crack a smile. He knew Mohlar had just told Downs a white lie.

A few minutes later, Babcock returned. He walked toward Mohlar and stopped beside him. When no one was looking his way, he slipped Mohlar a note. Mohlar put the note into his pocket and went to the restroom.

He opened up Babcock’s note and read, “Be careful of Downs. He’s a hot head, and he has a friend — Himes.”

When Mohlar returned, everyone was sitting at the table. Mohlar sat between Babcock and Downs.

Downs got a blackjack on the next deal, giving him the privilege of being the next dealer. Mohlar lost again, his third consecutive loss, but he was still more than $50 ahead.

"I’ll cash in my chips now. It was nice playing cards with you guys,” the detective said.

"I don’t think so, Mohlar. You can’t quit while I’m dealing. You’ve got to give me a chance to win back some of my money.”

Downs nodded to someone standing behind Mohlar. Himes must be behind me because he is no longer at the table, Mohlar thought. Immediately, Mohlar felt something hard pressing on the spine of his lower back.

"I think Downs is right. It’s rude to quit while you’re ahead. This gun you feel says that you’ll quit when we say we’re done.”

Mohlar turned his head. Himes was close behind him, smiling broadly as if he were wishing for a chance to pull the trigger of the gun.

Suddenly, Mohlar lunged backward with all his strength. His momentum pushed the crossbar of the back of the chair so fast that it hit the gun and pulled it from Himes’ hand before he could pull the trigger.

Mohlar went head-over-heels onto the floor, landing close to Himes and the gun. When Himes went to pick up the gun, Mohlar drove his right fist against Himes’s chin. Mohlar followed with a vicious left hook, landing on the right side of Himes’ head. Dazed, Himes dropped the gun and he fell to the floor.

Downs grabbed Mohlar from behind. Mohlar pushed back his two arms and his elbows hit Downs in the ribs. Downs let go of Mohlar and bent over in pain. Mohlar grabbed the gun.

Mohlar pointed the gun at Downs and yelled, “Everybody, put your hands up.” The four men quickly obeyed Mohlar’s command.

"Himes, I think you misunderstood the gun. Actually, the gun said I can leave anytime I want. I’m cashing in my chips now and leaving. You’re to stay in this room until I’m out of the pool room.”

When Mohlar grabbed his money and left the room, he put the gun into his pocket because he didn’t want to alarm the men playing pool. He dropped the gun immediately after leaving Smith’s.

Mohlar was irritated that he allowed Himes to put a gun against his back. Sweat had formed on his face, and some of it was dripping onto his shirt. As he was walking to his car, he recalled that Babcock said there was a poker game tomorrow on Riemann Street. Maybe Flood would be at that game, but probably not.

Mohlar was frustrated and discouraged.

Author David Henry Brown is a retired Niagara Community College math teacher whose first mystery novel, “The Elusive Chauffeur,” was recently published by Tate Publishing. He and his wife, Kay, have three daughters and one son who all live in the Niagara Falls area.



IF YOU GO

• WHO: Book-signing by David H. Brown of Sanborn, author of “The Elusive Chauffeur”

• WHEN : 1 to 3 p.m. July 26

• WHERE: Beacon at The Summit mall, WIlliams Road, Wheatfield

• WHEN: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 23

• WHERE: The Book Shoppe, 519 Main St., Medina