The Longest Con: A Family of Grifters Tale

by Bill Patterson

The next two races were also called perfectly. Khan was still looking for the joker, but he was convinced that Hannon's engineer friend was the real deal.

  “Well, it's 3 p.m., station time. Let's meet over in The Augean Stables at five. The race runs around 6 p.m., correct?”

  “Yes, Khan,” said Hannon. “I'll be there. After all, they are holding onto my money.”

  “Good. Pia?” he asked, extending his arm. “I'd like to show you something. Have a good afternoon, Hannon. Don't be late!”

  Khan left the bar with a bounce in his step and Pia radiant on his arm.

  Hannon felt Mrs. Royce moving closer to grab him by the arm once again.

  STEP 8 – The In-and-In

  Khan moved through the Station. After tonight, he might just be on the fast track to making this entire installation his own. Then there'd be some changes! He looked around. The deck plates were shiny in spots, but were more often marred with stains, skids, and odd dents that occurred after long use. This was no way to show off the Contriole family jewel to the rich tourist. Khan escorted Pia as if she were the Queen of Italy. He'd be mortally embarrassed to walk with Her Highness thus through the entertainment areas of the station.

  “It looks so…industrial,” Pia said, almost on cue. It was a good thing that the gravity was so light, or Khan would have tripped, he was so startled.

  “Well, we're just starting to extract the wealth from Venus,” he said. “In another fifteen years, you won't recognize this place. If I owned it, I would be putting in a nice carpet in this area, and cover those aluminum walls with some excellent tapestries.”

  “I imagine that would cut down on the echoes,” she said. The din of conversations bouncing off the metal walls and bare floor was deafening.

  “Absolutely! Plus, the lighting needs to be upgraded. LEDs are all fine and good, but if you look at them, your eyes are full of spots. Might cause an accident.”

  “You almost sound like you're in charge,” she said. “You never told me what you do.”

  “I didn't,” he said, holding his badge up to a hidden sensor. A section of wall obligingly rolled aside, revealing a grimy elevator. “Sorry for the mess, this is the elevator to the dirtier sections of the station.”

  “Do you work here?” she said, her eyes taking in the grubby cage.

  “Yes. I am Sandro Contriole. Yes, one of the family that owns this station. The rest of my story is true. I am indeed thirty, single, and rich. I just wanted you to like me without knowing I am a Contriole.”

  “Awww,” said Pia, snuggling closer. “That's so sweet! And here I thought you were some kind of playboy.”

  Khan looked at the elevator buttons as if he had never seen them before. “I was, back on Earth. Then I got sent here as punishment. Part of me still wants to live that life, because the opportunities onboard are so limited. Plus, my family is here. Mom runs Station Operations, Dad runs Manufacturing, and my sister runs the Casino.”

  “What do you do?” she asked. The elevator had been descending through the decks, and they could feel themselves getting heavier the further they dropped.

  “I'm about to show you.” The car bounced to a stop, the door opened to a quiet, dark corridor. “Saturday, everyone's either off shift or on the surface.” He walked through the office area to the end of the corridor, where a featureless slab of metal cut off further progress. Khan moved to an unmarked area on the wall and held his badge an inch away. With a small thud, a two-meter circular section of the wall jutted out by an inch, then rotated slowly through a full turn. It then extended itself another meter into the room.

  “Through here, take my hand,” Khan said, as he slipped into the space between the plug and the slab's surface. A bright glow sprang up as he entered the space, revealing the meter-thickness of the slab.

  “This is some vault!” Pia said as she stepped over the lip of the combing. The walls were lined with small incised squares, unlabeled. It reminded her of a safe deposit box at the local bank.

  “The most valuable commodity in the Solar System, so far,” he said. He went to the console and stroked it to life. He stared into a scope, then held his hand on a scanner plate. The machine chuckled to itself for a few seconds, then presented him with a menu.

  “Let's see,” he said. “I need something in the thirty to forty million range. I don't want one big one, but a selection of about, hmmm, a hundred should do it.” He worked the console, finishing with a flourish. “You will never see anything like this again.”

  Along the vault walls, several squares protruded. He selected one and tugged it open. “Hold out your hands,” he said. He turned over the small box, and a dozen vivid green stones fell into her hands. All of them were in small hard plastic cases, with embedded labels.

  “Oh, my!” Pia exclaimed, stunned. She held a dozen Green Diamonds, where just a single one was a sensation. They were uncut, but their future brilliance and worth was not lost on her.

  “We'll need a case, of course,” said Khan, selecting one of the racked empty aluminum cases that were stored for just such an occasion. Between the two of them, they loaded the case with about a hundred green stones.

  Pia was breathing heavily when they finished. Khan smiled. He had seen that reaction before, indeed, was counting on it. “Are you okay, my dear? You look flushed.”

  “I, I don't know,” she said. “I have this weird feeling. I've never seen this many diamonds before.”

  “It is a bit overwhelming, isn't it?” said Khan. “I find myself charged up, refreshed, ready for action. Odd what a few pebbles will do.”

  Pia brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled at him. Khan was enchanted. He was going to do so many things with Pia, starting tonight. But business came first.

  “Well, dear Pia, much as I'd love to show you more, I have to get these up to The Augean Stables. I suspect they will want time to evaluate these diamonds before I can use them to bet on the races. Come along.”

  They worked their way out of the vault, up the elevator, and back to the tourist areas of the Station.

  “I'll leave you now,” said Khan. “I suspect you'd like to freshen up before the big race. I have some pesky business things to take care of first, then I’ll join you.”

  Pia was taking a quick shower, prior to her big entrance to come. The Station was never quiet. Something was always making noise. A ventilation fan, a motorized skidloader, an elevator. The lack of effective soundproofing seemed to amplify all of the sounds. When a three-millimeter piece of Comet Tempel-Tuttle drilled a pit into the outer shield of the Station, the impact rang throughout the habitat. Pia heard the impact over the rush of shower water and braced against the walls. When nothing seemed to happen, she relaxed. Nobody ever promised the grifter lifestyle was safe.

  She was drying her hair when the loudspeakers clicked on.

  “Your attention, please. The loud noise you heard a few minutes ago was the impact of a fragment of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. We expect several more such impacts over the next forty-eight hours. Please do not be alarmed. The debris struck our outer armor around Deck L, in the industrial area. The armor vaporized the debris and dissipated its energy. The inner hull was undamaged. After the stream is past, we will replace the damaged piece of armor, and we will return to full coverage. Thank you for your patience.”

  Pia continued her makeup, determined to outshine everyone in The Augean Stables on Derby Day.

  ***

  Hannon had finally rid himself of the aggressive Mrs. Royce. He really felt bad for her. She was only sixty, but her dating years were rapidly drawing to a close. Ordinarily, he might have considered giving her the time of her life. But the rest of the Conners would never let him live it down. Plus, there was the blow-off to get ready for. He was slicking back his hair when he heard the debris impact down on Deck L. He hoped no workers got hurt.

  Eskil crawled out of the small passage and back into the maintenance corridor. He looked around and pressed a small button on his key fob. He pu
t his ear to the wall and was gratified to hear the sound of air pumps sucking the air out of the cargo hold directly behind the main wall of the VIP area.

  When he arrived back at The Stables, Thayer 'Jim' Bussone IV, approached him.

  “Ready?”

  “Well, the calculations were tricky, but I'm pretty sure the effect will work.”

  “Hope so. He's bringing a load of diamonds for us to count. Better go relieve the VIP cashier, they'll be expecting you there.”

  “Break a leg,” said Eskil.

  “Oh, I think we'll break a Contriole instead.” The two grinned at each other, then Eskil, went to relieve the cashier.

  STEP 9 – The Hurrah

  Pia's entrance turned everyone's head as she entered The Augean Stables at five minutes after five. Khan was there to greet her just outside the doors, and they went in together. They looked smashing, she in a glittering off the shoulder full-length gown in a sea green that reminded everyone of the Green Diamonds of Venus. She had lightly tinted her brunette hair, bringing out the reddish highlights that directed attention to her face. Her eyes were enhanced in perfectly done shadows of dusky red, and her mouth was a demure shade of rose that looked perfectly natural.

  Khan was stylish in his standard black tuxedo with a cream shirt and sea-green bow-tie. He sported a Green Diamond on his right hand, and he had a surprise for Pia in his other.

  “You look dazzling tonight, Pia. I'd like to make one addition. I had two of these set as earrings for you. When we win, they will be your gift from me.” He opened a small box and presented her with two Green Diamonds, at least two carats each, framed as pendants in pure silver.

  “Khan! They're beautiful! And far, far too expensive for me to accept!”

  “In two days, you will be gone. Please accept them, for what might have been.”

  “Thank you, Khan. Every time I wear these, I will remember you.” She clipped them into place on her earlobes and they entered The Augean Stables arm-in-arm.

  ***

  Hannon waited inside the VIP area, sipping at a mint julep and staring at the overhead monitors. Every once in a while, he would stare at his phone. This being Derby Day, everyone who had the slightest interest in horseracing was present.

  He turned at the hubbub, and watched as Khan strode into the VIP area. The smile on Khan's lips was pure honey, but Hannon knew that the man was showing off his latest prize: Pia. Another notch in his belt, thought Hannon with disgust. Well, the arrogance ends here, ends tonight.

  The monitors were displaying the feed from Earth. Churchill Downs ran an abbreviated racing schedule on Derby Day, so they filled the two-hour broadcast with fluff about the horses, the owners, the odds, and various watch parties. All to run up the betting throughout the viewership.

  Other monitors were showing races from other venues, and the cashiers were busy processing bets and, less often, disbursing wins.

  Hannon's fingers tingled the way they always did when the action was on. He never asked the others how they felt during the Hurrah. For him, it was a time of maximum adrenaline. He wished he was on a ship headed back to Earth right now, cash in his pocket, instead of enduring this drawn-out, interminable waiting.

  ***

  Khan spotted Hannon Vult, but he also knew that he had plenty of time to put down the bet to end all bets. So, he avoided him, meeting with people he knew, thought he knew, or wanted to know. Pia was bright and lively, and he reveled in the jealousy of the other men. Some wives might be getting a hard time tonight, he mused.

  He fingered the pocket of his jacket. The slip of paper was there, cataloging his diamonds and their worth. Forty million dollars, more or less. All he needed was a horse running three to one, and the Augean Stables where his!

  He smiled suddenly. For the first time, the thought of owning his own business hit home. It would be his by right of conquest; not given to him by a previous generation. There was something else, too…

  “Pia, dear, you know I'm going to own this place after tonight, right?”

  Pia looked up at him, clear-eyed and expectant. “Yes.”

  “What will I do then?” he asked.

  “Probably fire a few folks, check the books, not that there has been much time to have books, but, I guess, a clean sweep would be in order.”

  “So, I would be…” he teased.

  Pia wrinkled her nose, a habit of hers when she was thinking hard about something. It made him want to kiss the end of it.

  “You would be…” Suddenly, she laughed, a clear, perfect tone. “Cleaning out The Augean Stables. That would make you Hercules.”

  “Better imagery than 'Khan', but at least they won't see us coming, eh?”

  Laughing, they accepted champagne flutes from a waiter, clinked, and drank to the future regime.

  ***

  “Well, shouldn't we be getting down to it?” said Hannon, appearing at Khan's elbow.

  Khan had been leaning close to Pia, and was certain that this time, she'd kiss him. That irritating pest! He would have gone out an airlock a long time ago, if Khan didn't need the wart's man on Mercury. Still, after the win, Khan supposed an accident could be arranged…

  “Ten minutes to post time,” Hannon persisted. The man dithered around like he had to pee.

  Well, in his shoes, I might myself, thought Khan, strolling closer to the cages. “Do you have a pick?” asked Khan. “Remember, I need three to one or better.”

  “My man says place it on Beautiful Dreamer,” said Hannon. “I've already got my bet down,” he said, flashing a betting slip. “You better move—you don't want to be stuck in line when the race goes off. I'll stay here and keep the wolves off of Pia. Hurry!”

  Khan glared at some of the VIPs in line and they let him cut ahead of them. He leaned into the grill of the cage. “Beautiful Dreamer, all of this, to win.” He passed along the valuation sheet to Eskil, pointing out the total with a perfectly manicured finger.

  “Just a second, sir,” said Eskil, pressing a button on his counter. After a few seconds that felt like an hour, the door behind the cage opened, and 'Jim' Bussone appeared.

  “Problem?” he asked.

  “Ah, the bet size,” said Eskil.

  “No maximum bets, right, Eskil? Issue the man a slip.”

  Eskil set up the machine, punched the button, and the betting slip appeared like an impudent tongue. “Good luck sir,” said Eskil.

  “Luck doesn't enter into it,” Khan said as he spun away from the cage. Mr. Stocki will be back in carbon processing or wherever he came from, just for questioning my bet.

  Khan caught up with Pia and showed her the slip, eliciting a gasp from her. “You really did it?”

  “Yes, I did. And in about ten minutes, I am going to own this place.” He held his champagne flute away from himself slightly. Ah, to be atop it all, and watch the inevitable unfold. Life was good.

  A loud bang sounded. Another piece of that freaking comet, thought Khan. There had to be a better way of armoring Aphrodite Station so that the plebs wouldn't be so damned nervous. Look at them, he thought, smugly. A faint roar faded completely away.

  “The horses are in the starting gate,” announced the monitor. A bell rang shrilly, “And they're off!”

  STEP 10 – The Blow-off

  Pia was hopping up and down. “Go Dreamer!” she called. Khan looked at her again. No matter how many times he went over it, she still didn't seem to understand the problem of simultaneity. On Earth, the race had finished twenty-four minutes ago, the blanket of roses was around Beautiful Dreamer's neck, and the television was interviewing the jockey. On Mars, the race ended seventeen minutes ago. On Mercury, the race was eight minutes old, the results transmitted to Hannon Vult by his friend.

  It was only light, crawling through the vastness of space, that was taking the long way around. Sure, the race results were still in the future as far as the Augean Stables was concerned. But for Vult, Khan, and Pia, the Earth-Mercury-Venus path was eight light-m
inutes shorter than the Earth-Mars-Venus path. They lived, essentially, eight minutes behind everyone else.

  “Beautiful Dreamer, for the win, baby,” said Khan. “My beautiful dream.”

  “The win?” asked Hannon. “I told you to place! See?” He showed Khan his ticket, Beautiful Dreamer, Place, Churchill Downs, 5/2/2144. “I told you to place!”

  Khan raced over to the cage. “There's been a mistake!” he shouted at Eskil. “I meant Beautiful Dreamer to place, not win!”

  Eskil looked at the monitor. “The race has already started sir, I'm sorry.”

  Khan tried to reach him through the cage. “I have to change my bet!”

  Jim Bussone was still in the cage. “Sir, the race has already started, all bets are final when the bell sounds.”

  “I misspoke, I wanted him to place!” He looked back over his shoulder. Pia was still clapping and shouting, oblivious to the disaster.

  “And down the stretch they come! Beautiful Dreamer in front by two lengths, followed by War Drum, Solidity, and Beanful. Dreamer starting to fade, War Drum moving up. Will Dreamer hold on? Quarter mile to go!”

  Khan slumped against the cage. Disaster. Utter disaster. He had hoped to have the diamonds back in the vault the same night, and the Stables in his back pocket. He stared dumbly up at the monitor as the race wound to its preordained conclusion.

  “War Drum by a nose, Dreamer places, Beanful shows. War Drum pays two to one, Dreamer three to one, and Beanful three to two. What a race!”

  “Sir, your horse just lost,” said Bussone. “Please move away from the cage, we have some winners to pay off.”

  Khan stumbled away from the cage. Pia passed him by, eyes bright and fixed on Hannon.

  A series of hammer blows sounded on the station as more bits of comet impacted. Khan fell into one of the stuffed chairs along the far wall. How was he going to explain this? How could he hide this?