“Well since I won’t be able to talk you out of this nonsense,” Matt began, all joviality draining from his voice. “Tell me that your reconnaissance has been going well.”
I mentally began reviewing what I had managed to see ever since I set up my single surveillance camera. Unfortunately, the effort had only produced a steaming pile of nothing. The motion that I thought I saw earlier was the first sign of life, let alone activity, that I had seen from my sole vantage point. Not for the first time I began wishing I had been able to get more eyes on the warehouse. But there had been people, probably Dempsey’s men, guarding the building. And they did an excellent job making sure that everyone steered clear of the area while not making it look like that was what they were doing. Not even the homeless were safe from their interference, and that was just mean. I had spent the whole trip down here creating my homelessness persona only to have my efforts wasted.
Normally the homeless are left alone, so I had figured I would be able to plant a few of my surveillance cameras. All I had to do was get close enough to touch the building and presto, my system would be in place. I would have been able to plant a good sampling of cameras pointing into the building. But the one time I tried to get close enough to place my cameras, a guard materialized out of thin air. Well he didn’t actually “materialize,” that would have been quite the trick, but it certainly felt like he had. If he hadn’t been carrying that rather large gun, I might have made another effort somewhere else along the wall. Instead, I contented myself with a simple perimeter search. This turned up only a single entrance, a door to the building adjacent to the loading dock. Disheartened, I decided to place a camera pointing at the entrance before I gradually made my withdrawal.
Since I had already taken enough grief from Matt, I decided not to mention just how little information I was able to scrape together about the location. “Well I think I just saw something a moment ago.”
“What do you mean, you think?”
“Considering that I was dealing with an irate and rather shrill voice at the time...” I definitely couldn’t resist the poke. “Yeah, I only Think I saw something enter the warehouse.” I had to learn how to bite my tongue. A comment like that was just going to add fire to all Matt’s objections.
“I’m must not have heard you correctly just now...” This time, it was clear from his tone that he was furious. “The Marcus I know wouldn’t be so incredibly stupid as to even consider walking into an illegal poker game in some random warehouse!”
Yup, zero to fight in less than a second. I was too tired for this, physically and mentally. Normally I don’t really mind arguing with Matt, it can be fun, or as I like to see it, a challenge. But the renewed vigor in his voice let me know that if I let this go on, fun was the last thing this conversation would be. The game was tomorrow, I needed to rest and clear my mind. Again I found myself wondering why I had picked up the phone in the first place. But then, I already knew the answer to the question, I was feeling a little bit guilty. Sighing, I decided to make the argument that I knew would get me out of this discussion, not that I was proud of what I was going to do.
“Matt, where did you think a game like this was going to be played? Did you think Dempsey would just rent some office space? There is a reason I set up surveillance on the building.” I had to be very careful not to let my lack of good surveillance slip out. “I’m also not downstairs drinking heavily tonight. I do know what I’m voluntarily getting myself into. I will be fine. Okay?”
“Was that supposed to be a hint?” I could tell that he was resigned to what was happening. I must have sounded angrier than I thought because I have very rarely heard him give up an argument so quickly.
It made me feel like a heel and there was no reason I had to let him know that it had been intentional so I lied as best as I could. “I hadn’t intended it to be one.” And I held my breath hoping that it would work.
“But you’ll use whatever you’re dealt, is that what you’re saying.”
Either it worked or he knew what I was doing and decided to let it pass, for the moment. Fortunately it did not matter which was the case as long as he let it go. “Something like that. Hey, I’m not expecting to be able to place very many phone calls while the game is running so I’ll give you a call when it’s all over. And when I get back dinner’s on me so don’t cheap out on the choice of restaurant.”
“Sounds like a deal. Just do me a favor and try, I mean really Try not to transform any of the cards you’re dealt. I’ve enjoyed our friendship far too long to see it end at Dempsey’s hands. Besides, I want that dinner.”
I smiled at his words and bit back any pithy retort that I might have had, I was ready for the conversation to come to an end. “I promise to do as little mischief as possible.”
“That’s not the same thing, Marcus. Remember what I said, this isn’t some back-alley game, this is Dempsey you’re dealing with. Changing anything could get you into trouble and you know it.”
“Matt he’s not arrogant enough to make any of these people disappear. Remember, they can afford to pay his entrance fee, he would rather keep them alive so that they will keep coming back for more.”
“Marcus you don’t need to win.” It was a last ditch attempt, just so he could say “I told you so” in case things really fell apart later on. Any fire that had previously been coursing through his words was now gone.