Bits of life

A-2 Words-875

to see that the pieces were falling in place. Let us see who was going to checkmate whom. I came home and freshened myself and got ready by 7.45 pm. Uncle John was ready too. We took a cab to the casino.
After showing our identity at the entrance, we entered the Den at eight in the evening as appointed by Luke Harris, the detective hired by Rod. Waves of noise and raucous music greeted us as we went in. It was nearly full with young crowd aged between 16 and 25. We were told by the manager to take the corner table reserved for three. It was conveniently placed. We were overshadowed by the tall window with a lintel projecting inside. It shadowed our faces very effectively. Yet, we could clearly see the exits and entrances of people to the Den.
Within five minutes of our taking seats, we saw a man, about 5 feet 6 inches, aged around 40, entering the den and walking towards our table. Looking like a no nonsense type, he introduced himself and sat down at the table.
We ordered our dinner and sat nursing our martinis till it arrived.
“Mr. Mackenzie, I made some inquiries about the casino and the loan shark whose name is Andrews, a Russian immigrant.” Luke paused before proceeding further and checked a small handbook he carried in his breast pocket.
He continued, “On the seventh of July, Jake borrowed twice from Andrews, a hundred thousand dollars at seven O’clock and another twenty thousand dollars at eleven O’clock of the same evening. After having lost at the Roulette, he had a scuffle with them and injured one of the goons that belonged to the club with a wine glass. Then there was a real mayhem and the authorities closed down the casino for the evening.”
“When I questioned one of the waiters at the casino, he said much had happened on that fateful day. After closing down for the night, the tough guys at the club, made Jake sign some papers in which they mentioned a sum of 150,000 thousand dollars against the amount he owed to the casino. They calculated the damages done to the club property as well and added it to the sum amount. They also threatened to chop his hand off if he failed to return the money back to them within a month. This is where Jake needed Oliver’s help.”

“I met the two guys, Oliver and Jake, at the jail house. Oliver told me that Jake was in tears and he was moved by his close friend’s sorry state. They put their heads together and planned how to get this huge amount and from whom they could borrow it. Oliver’s bank balance was nowhere near the borrowed money. Jake had nil balance in his bank if he had any account. They understood that all doors closed on them.”

“So, they thought of Oliver’s uncle John who owns plenty of property, which none in the family had. They also presumed, rather correctly, that he must he having a lot of money stacked in the bank as well. He seemed their best bet to supply the amount required. If they go to John and ask for the amount he would ask questions as to why they needed such a large amount. So the best way they thought to get their hands on his money would be to rob him. Once they decided to loot him, Jake started following John and observed his activities closely, especially those involving his bank transactions. On making discrete inquiries about his bank dealings, they concluded that he was the right person to fulfill their objective. One of the things that worked in their favor was the fact that he was a bachelor and that he lived alone in a huge house.”

Our dinner arrived. We started on the main course and were engrossed in our own thoughts. So much had happened and we did not have an inkling of doubt regarding their plans. Despite the saying that blood is thicker than water, money makes villains out of blood relations as well. Money had many uses. Similarly, it also had misuses. It could elevate and it also could cause disgrace. It never mattered how many resources one had but how well one was able to use what one had at his or her command mattered. Jake and Oliver were able and intelligent young men. Jake never bothered to know what really his goal was in life. He just lived for the moment and indulged in sensual pleasures. Oliver’s big mistake was to give company to the wrong man. He paid heavily for doing this. He also did the mistake of being an accomplice in a wrongful deed. He knew he was being a traitor to someone who trusted him and loved him. He double crossed John and so he too was a criminal.

Luke continued once the plates were removed.
“Our next question is who forged John’s signature on the cheques. Of course Oliver and Jake stole the cheques as John had guessed. But as far as forgery is concerned, the story takes another interesting turn. The two friends approached a professional forger via a contact they