Jack of Diamonds (97 page)

‘Well then, what about getting a group we can trust into the game? Guys who’ve played before, so the Krauts don’t suspect anything.’

‘What, and you’ll brief us? Mate, I know about the black bloke’s amputation; you don’t want to go shitting in your own nest again.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Jack, how fucking good are you?’

I shrugged. ‘Good enough, I reckon.’ He looked doubtful. ‘Noel, I’m very, very good.’

‘Righto, Jack, if you can pull this off, even the diamond drillers in the union will forgive you for saving that black guy. Jesus, mate, I don’t think you know how fortunate you are that Karel Pretorius stood up for you. You’re lucky you weren’t on the next train outa Ndola, carrying a very bruised body and a bone or two out of position, mate. You sure you know what you’re doing?’ His concern for me was genuine.

‘Noel, I wasn’t a full-time professional in Las Vegas but I played with some of the best players in America and won my fair share. If these Congo guys are not fixing the game, I’ll take what’s coming to me. But we’ll try to set it up so that if the game is straight, we all go home knowing we were beaten by better poker players and not by a couple of cheats.’

‘I can see you doubt that’s gunna happen,’ Noel replied.

‘Well, put it this way, I’d be very surprised; delighted, in fact. It would mean I could play whenever I wanted. The only reason I haven’t played is that I loathe those Nazi bastards. Every one of that so-called committee says
‘Jawohl!’
to Hans Meyerhof and practically clicks their heels together. It’s always a bad idea to play with someone you dislike intensely – too easy to let your emotions cloud your vision rather than playing the cards you’re dealt well.’

He nodded. ‘Fair enough. Tell you what, I’ll invite a bunch of blokes I know have played in the past.’

‘No, Noel; ask guys who’ve been several times, played often enough to have won a bit once or twice.’

‘Sure, I get the drift, Jack.’

He arranged a meeting at his home for the following Saturday and Judy turned on a
braaivleis
– that’s a barbecue to the uninitiated, but even Noel had learned to use the South African term. Jannie Coetzee was there with three diamond drillers I’d met once or twice, Russell Howell from the School of Mines, and two other drillers I’d seen around but hadn’t actually met. If I could convince the guests at the barbecue – sorry,
braaivleis
– then, together with the two guys from the Congo, that would make ten, enough for a poker table with a couple of guys to spare.

Noel, while cooking sausages, outlined why we were there, although I think he’d already given everyone a fair idea. Then he introduced me and mentioned my experience in Las Vegas; just that I’d lived and played poker there and knew what’s what.

‘Thanks for coming, guys,’ I said, then explained why I was convinced that the game with the Congo guys was rigged.

Jannie Coetzee interjected. ‘But hey, Jack, the German guys don’t even play. So, what’s in it for them?’

I realised that I was going to have to be very careful with my answers. ‘Jannie, I’m guessing they take a share of the winnings from the Congo guys, which would make it well worth their while to set up these games.’ I looked around at the group. ‘Someone here take a stab. What do you think they would take out of a game, the two guys from over the border?’

The men looked at each other. ‘Jesus Christ, boyo, two thousand pounds, maybe a little more? I’ve been known to drop a couple of hundred,’ Russell Howell admitted. Several in the group nodded.

‘
Ja
, maybe, man. I never thought of that before,’ Jannie Coetzee admitted. ‘That’s why they’re so keen on putting on a game. They always say it’s just a friendly game with the guys from across the border.’

‘Why would you suspect their motives?’ I said, in an attempt at appeasement, although I was surprised they hadn’t questioned these games a lot more closely before this. ‘Look, you guys are professional miners, not professional poker players. You may know everything about drilling a shaft or a stope or blasting ore, but you play cards to relax, have a bit of fun, win a bit, lose a bit, it’s just recreation.’

‘It’s been fucking expensive recreation, boyo, if that’s what you want to call it,’ Russell Howell ventured again to general laughter as we helped ourselves to bread and meat.

‘You can say that again!’ Piet Wenzel shouted.

‘Well, what’s the decision?’ Noel asked, looking at the guys, who now had plates of charred meat on their laps.

There was a general mumble of acquiescence. ‘Count me in,’ Jannie Coetzee cried, waving a half-eaten sausage.

‘Me too, boyo,’ Russell said. And all the others followed with nods or ‘Yeah, me too, man!’

‘How many of the Germans usually attend a game?’ I asked.

‘They generally make it a bit of a party. The twenty guys on the committee are usually there,’ said Bokkie Prinsloo, one of the diamond drillers.

‘Then we’ll need some backup in case things go wrong,’ I suggested. ‘But choose guys who can play poker, so if they’re needed they can sit in on the game, as well as break a few heads.’

‘Leave that to me,’ Jannie Coetzee volunteered. ‘Jack, are you going to cheat? Show us how, then we can give them a taste of their own
mutie
?’
Mutie
was the Cikabanga word for ‘medicine’.

I shook my head. ‘Nah, we’ll keep it straight. If we can screw up their scam, they’re going to be thrown off their natural game anyhow. The very fact they may be cheating means they can’t be that good in the first place.’ I paused and looked around the group. ‘I’d like to think we can play the game straight, but why not take the opportunity of getting back some of the money you’ve lost in the past?’

There was cheering all round. ‘And you think you can do that, Jack?’ Noel asked.

I grinned. ‘We can give it a damn good try.’

‘
Heere,
man, I lost two weeks’ copper bonus last time I played,’ Piet Wenzel said. ‘Let’s go get the fockers.’

‘I’m going to need one of you to liaise with me, someone the Krauts absolutely trust.’

They all looked at Jannie Coetzee. ‘Jannie, you?’ I asked.

‘
Ja
, that’s okay by me, Jack. What do I do?’

‘Well, for a start, I want you to come with me to buy four packs of new cards, brand-new sealed packs from the Club. Then, should we decide to introduce new packs into the game, you can tell them you were with me when we bought them and that they’re legit, haven’t been tampered with. Oh, and by the way, I guess you all drink a fair bit during the game? This time, bring just one drink to the table, and nurse it, don’t have a second. Please, it’s important.’

They looked at each other. ‘Jesus, no grog?’ Noel cried.

‘Just one drink when we start the game, so they don’t suspect anything. But it’s important to stay off the booze if we’re going to pull this off.’

‘The Congo guys do a lot of talking, but it’s in their lingo. What if that’s how they’re, you know, cheating?’ Noel said.

‘That would be great. I’m a Canadian. A lot of us speak reasonable French.’

This brought a general laugh.

‘But . . . but, Jack, lad, the Jerries, they’ll close the game down if they realise we’ve found out they’re cheating,’ Russell Howell said. ‘They’re ex-SS, they’re not stupid. Well, Hans Meyerhof isn’t.’

I shook my head. ‘That’s precisely why he won’t close it down. He knows if the story gets out that they’ve been cheating, he and his committee will be torn limb from limb.’

‘You’re focking right there, man,’ Piet Wenzel growled.

‘So, as they say in Las Vegas, Hans Meyerhof will be made an offer he can’t refuse. We’ll give him an out. How much have you guys lost in the past? Counting the guys you’re going to bring as backup – four, five thousand pounds?’

‘Make it six, Jack,’ Noel laughed. ‘Just to be on the safe side.’

‘Okay, you can have a private chat with Hans Meyerhof, Jannie. Tell him we’re onto him and we want him to keep the game going until his two Congo stooges have lost six grand, then they can get out and we’ll keep our mouths shut about the cheating.’

Jannie Coetzee started to laugh, and the others joined in; the prospect of revenge was truly sweet.

‘Okay, gentlemen,’ Noel said, ‘I guess that’s it. Let’s have a drink or five. Let Jannie here know if the Krauts invite you to play next Saturday and, of course, if you’ve accepted.’ They all nodded. ‘Show a bit of reluctance – not too much, just something like “Shit, last time I lost my shirt. But okay, what the hell . . . ” That kind of thing. In other words, act normal.’

I could see the union guys had changed their opinion of me. I wondered how any of these men would feel if they knew what was contained in Jacob’s gift. ‘See you all at the game next Saturday. Jannie, you and I will have to talk before then.’

‘My office, any afternoon, Jack; I’ll tell the dragon you’re coming,’ he laughed.

I spent the next week getting to know Diamond Jim. He liked several types of grain and lots of fruit, and we quickly took to each other, getting on like a house on fire. Maybe I was just imagining it, but it struck me he was pretty intelligent. For instance, he only shat in his cage, which had a removable tray and was easy to clean.

I wrote off to the Audubon Society in New York and, of course, Foyles Bookshop, asking each to send me any information they had on the African Grey Parrot and enclosing cheques I hoped would cover costs. I had a half-formed idea about Diamond Jim, so every afternoon I practised the harmonica for two hours with the little guy perched on my shoulder, swinging my body in time to the music and bobbing from one foot to the other. It was good exercise, even if it didn’t teach my parrot a thing. Then I decided to buy a mirror so that I could check if my new partner was reacting to any of the stuff I was playing. In the week leading up to the big poker game, Diamond Jim simply cocked his head at me and blinked his big, intelligent eyes. But I told myself to be patient; poor little guy must still be unsettled by the move.

On the Thursday afternoon before the poker game, I dropped in to see Jannie Coetzee and got what passed for a smile from Mrs Dulledge.
If ever anyone was well named
, I thought. Jannie Coetzee suggested his secretary go to the staff canteen for a cup of tea. He had a big voice that carried through walls, so after she left, with a toss of her head, Jannie noted, ‘
Ja
, just in case, you never know. Noel White’s got this expression, “stickybeak”; that’s her, man. So, now we can talk, Jack,’ he continued, adding, ‘afterwards we’ll go and buy those cards.’

‘Jannie, there isn’t a lot to talk about. As you know, it’s usual to change cards a couple of times during a game, so if I find out they’re cheating, I’ll get up to take a piss, and shortly afterwards you do the same and I’ll brief you on what to do. It’s best the others don’t know what’s happening, so they’ll play their normal game. You’ll call the shots to my directions, okay?’

‘
Ja
, that’s fine by me, Jack.’

‘So, when it’s time to bring the new packs into the game, you’ll do it.’

‘
Ja
, okay, but you know, in the past when they present new packs, they’re always sealed, they break the seals in front of our eyes.’

‘Buddy, any cardsharp worth his salt knows how to reseal a pack of cards so not even an expert can tell they’ve been opened and marked. Just grin and say you bought them at the Club on a whim, you thought it might change your luck . . . something like that.’

‘And we don’t do the same, mark ours?’

‘No. If I’m right, we can do this straight, Jannie; no fancy tricks.’ I hoped to hell I
was
right, otherwise I was going to have a lot of explaining to do. My guys would be bringing big bucks to the table, hoping to win back some or all of the money they’d lost.

We left to purchase the cards and Jannie Coetzee took charge of them. ‘So long, Jack, see you at the game, Saturday, six o’clock sharp.’

‘Jannie, for Chrissake, tell the others not to have a free drink or two at the bar before the game, it’s very important they’re sober.’

‘
Ja
, understood, I’ll tell them all. Thanks, Jack.’

Saturday night came and I put Diamond Jim into his cage and stroked the tiny soft feathers on his head. He nuzzled his beak and face into my hand and made a sort of throaty rattling sound. ‘Wish me luck, buddy,’ I said, closing the door of his cage. Then, almost on cue, he gave out a loud chirp. ‘Thanks, buddy,’ I called back. Diamond Jim was the nicest thing to happen to me in a long time, and I couldn’t help but wonder in what condition I might be when next I opened his cage.

Apart from my intense dislike of the Germans in the so-called committee, they frightened me. I was familiar with men who made their own rules. Las Vegas had taught me to keep quiet and knuckle under and when I hadn’t done so . . . well, you know the result. Now here I was again, facing up to men who had all the power they needed to do me a lot of harm.
What is it with you, Jack Spayd? Don’t you ever learn?
I told myself. But then I could almost hear Joe saying, ‘Jazzboy, sometime we got to shut our mouth even when we be right, but sometime we also got to do ourself a deal o’ yellin’ out.’ I could only hope tonight was the night to start yelling.