Wizard for Hire

by Jack Simmonds

  I took a moment, just to be dramatic. What other choice did we have? It was the last lead left to follow. “Come on then wizard, let’s do this.”

  21

  Sharon

  It was dark by the time we left the house. Travelling on the tube in our smartest outfits, I felt a few eyes turned towards us, this didn’t bother Felix in the slightest as he sat uncomfortably in his best tuxedo. However, I was rather more self-conscious., not just that, I was also paranoid that any of these people could be undercover police, or undercover wizards.

  The bombshell that Alister was now working for the very Creep that had got us into this mess was disheartening. I thought Alister was a good guy, he struck me as having a high sense of morals, or perhaps he was just mistaken. Taken in by an excellent orator, spun a story so convincing he took the bait. Or it could have just been the obscene amount of money he must have been offered, combined with the tantalising prospect of getting to lock up someone he clearly regarded as a nemesis.

  Felix was undoubtedly thinking on this matter too, for his eyes didn’t move and struck with their usual glazed expression, although with an added mixture of defiance. Getting onto the tube he rather limped, clutching one of his ribs. I told him he needed to get it seen to, but he ignored me. It was likely one or more of them were broken, Alister was a big man and his fists had flown with fury.

  I wanted to ask who this Jessica was, the way Alister got so riled up about her made me imagine that Felix had perhaps come between him and this Jessica girl — that would explain the I sensed from Alister towards Felix. Every time I went to ask, the wizard shushed me, rude.

  “Karen and Bob are right,” said Felix as we stood in the centre of Leicester Square, “they do use the casino as front for their criminal empire. I have my ears to the ground on all this type of stuff, for my job—” he added at my bemused face as he mentioned his apparent job, which I now knew was working mostly for criminals. “They launder money through it. It’s just one of those secrets that everyone knows.”

  “I didn’t know,” I muttered after the wizard who had already started marching towards it. Leicester Square was lit by lights, bright and consuming. Vitalies Casino was a large, ugly and crass building dominating an entire corner of Leicester Square. Large neon glowing signs flashing with arrows pointing to the entrance and the promise of free drinks. It was the sort of place I would try and avoid at all costs in my normal life.

  As we approached the entrance, a sense of foreboding filling every crevice of my being, a white limousine pulled up right outside. Out stepped the most stunningly beautiful woman. Now, I am no pervert. I would even class myself a feminist, but I couldn’t help but stare at this woman’s wondrousness.

  “Put your tongue away Norton,” said Felix, his gaze still on the woman too.

  “You first.”

  She had long blonde hair and long legs tucked inside a black and white sequined dress -- and the face of an angel. In that moment, she reminded me of Cameron Diaz in the film The Mask. You know what I’m talking about, right? It was just like that.

  I felt the bottom of my mouth all but extend to the floor as she strutted past us, two security guards following close behind, as she entered the casino.

  Felix and I looked at each other, like only two men can upon seeing a beautiful lady, and smiled, before entering. Suddenly, it was not so much of a chore.

  However, we had some trouble getting in. The guards were checking ID, that was fine, but then we were pushed aside to the corner of the lobby by a big burly gentleman with a ponytail.

  “We ain’t seen you two ‘ere before, you new?” he said.

  Felix was far more comfortable speaking to people than I, and especially more comfortable speaking to men the size of pickup trucks. “We have this,” said Felix holding up the £5k poker chip with VIP written on it.

  At this, the guard nodded once, appeased before letting us past. Phew. I didn’t fancy being chucked out by him.

  The inside was large, plush and dimly lit. Through the lobby led to the tables, in the corner a large stage area dressed with long red velvet curtains. There were CCTV cameras everywhere, no windows, no clocks, but lots of waiters with trays of drinks.

  Felix reached up as one waitress passed and took two tumblers of whisky and passed me one. “What you doing?” I whispered. “You can’t just take the drinks, you have to order them!”

  “They’re free ain’t they?”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” I said already exasperated with his childishness. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

  But he was already off. I like how he had commandeered the poker chip for himself. I was even more upset when he promptly walked to the nearest chip booth and exchanged it for a big pile of £100 chips, passing me a bundle which I had to hold in my cupped hands. That was a £5k chip, I imagined all the things I could have done with £5,000, it ran through my mind making me even more upset. I pocketed as many of the chips as possible, until I had a small handful to play with. The rest were mine. That would pay back all the money he owed me.

  It’s safe to say Felix was a terrible gambler, he was all risk. I wondered if he was doing it on purpose or not, throwing his chips liberally about the games tables like a cowboy. Blackjack, he lost £700 asking to twist when he had two kings. I mean what the hell?

  But I didn’t even have time to ask him what he was playing at because a second later, he would zoom off to another table and blow £500 on something else. I tried to keep up with him, but after twenty minutes, he was all out of chips and asking me for some. I lied and told him I’d blow all mine too.

  After that extravagant display which made me feel rather sick and hoping it was part of some plan. We took seats in a booth facing the stage, for entertainment was about to start.

  Felix tutted and hissed as a magician came out and displayed his tricks. He could not hide his dismay and rage as this, what he considered, travesty. For most of it, he couldn’t even look, staring into his whisky with disdain as a round of applause echoed around the casino.

  “That was shit,” he said loudly. “You know what that was? Nothing more than a dramatic representative example of real magic. Like a Punch and Judy is a representative example of domestic home life.”

  Just a few booths away, I spotted the ridiculously pretty blonde lady. I tapped Felix and pointed towards her. As we both looked, I noticed she was sitting with around a dozen men; tough, suited and dangerous looking men.

  “Gangsters,” said Felix at my worried expression.

  Shortly after the magician had finished and a singer graced the stage, the blonde lady got up from the booth of gangsters and circled the room. She stopped and flirted with the men in the booths. The gangsters watched her admiringly.

  “She’s not a…” I started afraid of the answer. “Prostitute is she?”

  Felix shot me a dirty look. “Take your mind out the gutter Norton. No, she’s the casino’s asset. Men come here just for her, in the hope that she will speak to them. Thus, the men come in and spend lots of money. She’s the draw. The bait.”

  It was true, she was circling the room, and saying hello to all of the men and seemed to be on first name terms with most of them. Big grins plastered the men's faces as they got to speak to the pretty lady.

  And it wouldn’t be long before we got to speak to her too…

  Felix nervously watched the show, I thought he would give us away, he was tapping his leg, sipping his whisky and looking around the casino hoping something would spring up to give him the clues he needed to solve this thing.

  The blonde lady clocked us and came over. My heart started fluttering upon sight of her.

  “Hey,” she said seductively in an American accent. “Would you two gentlemen mind if I sat with you?”

  “S-sure,” said Felix stuttering. I am glad he spoke because my voice was trapped. She parked herself between Felix and I and said her name was Sharon. A flowery perfume drifted under my nose.


  When I was a teenager I fancied one girl all the way through school. Right from when I was eleven and I first sat next to her in Math. She was called Sarah. I fancied her so much I used to dream about her most nights (and no, not in that way). Well, I never did anything about it, even though everyone knew. But one gloriously sunny day, she came to sit next to me on the school field. Completely randomly. I remember the feeling as my stomach fluttered with butterflies.

  That same feeling hit me now. Like a teenage crush, she compelled me.

  “So gentlemen, what’s your story? Why you here tonight?”

  Felix grinned, he was alpha-male through and through. “We’re just here for a good time.”

  “Is that right?” she said running her tongue along her top lip.

  She asked me what I did, I said I was in sales, putting the emphasis on was.

  “So this is your first time here then?” she said.

  “Yeah,” said Felix leaning closer to her. “But I tell you what I’d love…” suddenly she seemed to lose some of her control as Felix gazed into her eyes. But only a fraction. “I would love to find out about my friend.”

  “Friend?”

  Felix knew he was running out of time, so threw caution to the wind. “Yeah, his name is Kriston. Do you know him?”

  Sharon lost her composure, giving away that in fact yes she did know him. She took a breath and whispered. “Undercover police really are not welcome here, you have no idea what they will do to you if they find out,” she said nodding at the booth of gangsters.

  “We’re not police,” I said softly.

  “Oh come on,” she grinned. “I can spot you a mile away, you come in gamble all your money, think you look like good customers and then hope the casino will look favourably upon you and answer your questions.”

  “No seriously,” I said, “Felix is just shit at gambling! I’ve still got most of my chips left look…” I opened my pockets and showed her.

  “You lying sod,” Felix cried. “I was on a roll and you said—”

  Sharon held up a hand, seductiveness ceased. “So why are you here then?”

  Felix pulled his best wizarding expression. “I am a real wizard. I am trying to find out anything I can about Kriston who I knew to have some connection with this casino. And if you know whether he worked here or not.”

  “I’ve never heard of him,” Sharon said.

  “That’s strange,” said Felix rubbing his chin. “Usually when I tell people I am a real wizard, they laugh. Unless you already have a knowledge of who I am, or wizards?”

  “I knew there was something odd about you,” she said. “Soon as I saw you outside. You’re different. You’re like him.”

  “Him?” Felix repeated.

  “Why have you come here?” she said, a modicum of concern in her voice. “You are in so much danger if they find out who you are. Jonnie knows who you are, you’re the other wizard that has the ring. You stole it from the freak. You’re crazy coming here! I would leave now, if you value your life.”

  I went to stand, but Felix waved a hand at me to sit.

  “I know about you too,” he said taking her hand and holding it softly. “You are scared to leave because they will kill you, for you know too much. I can protect you.”

  Her eyes gazed into Felix’s, it was almost uncomfortable. It was as if she was searching his eyes for the truth, to see if he really meant it. She looked like she had experienced years of being lied to, and could spot one a mile away.

  The next moment my heart sunk, for it seemed Sharon was right. They knew who we were. We had been rumbled.

  “Sharon!” screamed one of the gangsters, standing from his booth with a face of fury. “Get over here now.”

  22

  Where We Find Out Who Kriston Really Was

  Sharon stood up quickly, she knew that command and did not want to oppose it. So with a rather meek smile, she sidled slowly back to the table of gangsters. Rejoining them, the big brute sat close as the lights in the room dipped and a comedian graced the stage.

  Felix started tapping his leg again out of impatient nervousness. I checked my watch. we had just under an hour to get the ring before the Magic Council would be putting out a warrant for Felix’s arrest.

  He kept glancing back at Sharon, who sat rather squished in between the thick-set men.

  “She knows,” said Felix picking his lip. “We need to find a way of getting her alone.”

  “Don’t think those men like her spending much time at each table,” I said.

  Felix grimaced. “They’ve got her on a tight leash, but she’s the one we’ll get the information out of. I can feel it.”

  The comedian was causing raucous laughter to echo around the casino,. I wasn’t listening. The whole situation had made me withdraw firmly into my shell. But I could feel something in the air. The same metallic smell I had experienced twice already was ever so faintly recognisable. I looked to the wizard, his eyes glazed over, deep in thought, then as was in his reckless nature, he acted. Smoothly withdrawing his wand from beneath his jacket pocket, he pointed ever so slyly at Sharon’s back. Whatever he did, it worked, for she turned around.

  “Come back over,” Felix mouthed.

  Sharon shook her head. “I can’t,” she mouthed before turning back.

  “Okay,” said Felix with a look that I didn’t much like, for it forbode trouble. “Time for plan B.”

  “Plan B? There is a plan now? Well that’s good to know.”

  “When the time is right, grab Sharon and take her to… that booth over there, in the corner,” Felix said.

  Quick as a flash and without even a chance for me to ask why, he was up. Time was of the essence I suppose.

  Rubbing his face hard like he was scrubbing it of dirt, he now had the face and hair of a balding middle aged man with a pot belly. Felix grabbed a drink, walked drunkenly around the side of the gangster booth, before pretending to trip, chucking the red wine all over them!

  My heart stopped. He was going to get his head smashed in! There was a growl, as three of the gangsters in their expensive suits surveyed the damage.

  “Whoops a daisy! Sorry gents!” said Felix giggling.

  It had the desired effect, the three wine soaked gagsters stood first. “What you playing at?” one of them cried.

  Felix shrugged, nearby tables looking worried that this would end in violence. “So sorry,” said Felix. “Looks like I missed some of you…” he promptly grabbed another large glass of red wine from the nearest table and threw the lot over the remaining men!

  The wizard was an absolute madman. Even the comedian had stopped speaking as he saw what was going down. But Felix had another problem, his face was flickering, obviously the pain was too great in holding up this image of a middle-aged man. But he got his desired effect, all twelve gangsters stood, roaring like lions at this most brazen of attacks. Felix laughed in their face, then ran, at which they all gave chase. I didn’t see where he went, but didn’t have time to, as the crowd was distracted by this ridiculous display. I jumped across to Sharon, who was now alone.

  “Come with me,” I said. It took a few moments of persuasion, before she relented and joined me in the private booth Felix had chosen in the corner of the room. It was private and well out of the way of the main stage. The comedian had cautiously continued, and the crowd simmered. I kept an eye out for Felix, but couldn’t see or hear a thing.

  “Nice one Norton,” said a voice right behind me giving me a fright! It was Felix, standing slightly out of breath, but now taking up a seat next to Sharon.

  “Wait,” said Sharon. “Was that you who spilt the wine over Johnnie's boys?”

  Felix grinned. “Yes it was. But shhh, down to more pressing matters, we don’t have long.”

  “Where did you lose them?” I said.

  Felix sighed. “I made an apparition of myself and they’re chasing it round Leicester Square right now.”

  Sharon was about to ask what an appa
rition was, but Felix had already stopped her, reaching up and pulling a small drape over the booth entrance. “Well this is seedy,” I said.

  Sharon nodded. “It used to be strip club.”

  “Clearly,” said Felix. “Norton, three drinks please, anything.”

  I cleared my throat, a jolt of annoyance at being treated like a tea boy. But as this was a pressing matter, did as he asked, leaving the booth, finding a nearby waitress and, against my better judgement, grabbing three drinks off it.

  My lack of thieving finesse compared to the wizard was clear, the waitress turned and glared at me. I stood awkwardly. “Sorry,” I said about to put them back. Before the wizard reached out and grabbed me by the trouser pockets and yanked. He was lucky they didn’t rip! I flew back to the table, he caught the drinks and placed them down. After a few minutes, I realised why he wanted them.

  As we sat in relative privacy, he leaned in towards Sharon who held the steely gaze of a person not wanting to give anything away. He began to rub the top of his glass in a slow rhythmic fashion, if I had to hazard a guess I would say he was doing something hypnotic. For in the intervening moments of silence, Sharon’s tongue loosened.

  “…we are at war,” she said finally, seemingly unable not to speak.

  “Who with?” said Felix.

  “The freak. The one like you.”

  Felix rolled his eyes at this thin insult. I won’t downplay this, whatever Felix was doing it looked to be working, however Sharon’s right eye was twitching ever so slightly and she gave odd jerks of the head. But there was something else I noticed in her eyes, when she looked at Felix, it was as if she had found her saviour, her knight in shining armour. Perhaps that was also part of the spell Felix seemed to be weaving.

  “Jonnie Reed my fiancee, is the leader of this criminal empire,” she said, words gushing out like water from a broken pipe. “He and this weirdo freak wizard are at war because…”