trick was beaten to death with his own gun.'
She laughed.
'And the second one?'
'I don’t know, like I said, people try to make it seem more risky than it is. Some of the conjurers who supposedly died in the line of fire turned up in the next town, some of them never existed. Sometimes it’s like the trick’s reputation slays them. There was a conjurer in the Wild West who was killed when someone in the audience jumped up and shot him.
Yeah, he was dead, but you couldn’t really blame the trick. Another guy was shot by his wife, presumably she’d decided not to bother with the trouble of a divorce. None of that’s going to happen to you.'
'And what about the ones who get it wrong?'
I sighed.
'I guess the truth is that they just weren’t careful enough. They didn’t switch bullets properly or used faulty equipment.' I took her hands in mine and looked her in the eyes.
'The trick is safe if you do it right.'
'And you’ll always do it right?'
'I wouldn’t attempt it if I didn’t believe that. Look,' I took a T-shirt from the top of the pile of clothes and pulled it over my head. 'You’re right. I should have gone through the risks more carefully with you. I’m sorry. I guess I was just a bit gung-ho.'
'Gun ho.'
She passed me a jumper and I laughed.
'Yes, gun ho. I’ll tell Dix its no go on his offer.'
'No, let’s do it.'
'Why?'
'What’s life without a risk or two?'
'Is anyone pushing you into it? Me?' I hesitated. 'Dix?'
Her voice was impatient.
'No, you want to do it and I want to do it. And Dix certainly wants us to do it. So let’s do it.'
'What makes you so sure I do want to do it?'
'I watched your face when Dix said he’d found someone who wanted us to perform a special show.'
It was true; Dix’s news could solve my money problems, but it was more than that, it was a chance to perform, to go out on a high rather than slinking back to Britain with my tail between my legs.
'Then let’s do it the other way round. This time you shoot me.'
Sylvie stared at me.
'Are you serious?'
'Serious as cancer. You’re right, there is a risk and this time it’s bigger. According to Dix we won’t get to inspect the venue before we go ahead and we don’t know who this creep is who’s willing to pay a fortune for a command performance.' I slipped on a pair of boxers and pulled Dix’s old jeans over them. 'So this time you shoot me. That way if there are any accidents it’s no great loss.'
Sylvie grinned.
'You’re good William, but when it comes down to it you’re a shit liar. You know as well as I do that no one’s going to pay big money to watch you getting shot. What they want is the chance to see a pretty lady take a bullet right between the eyes.' She stepped closer.
'Admit it.'
I took a comb from the washstand, wiped the condensation from the mirror and started to smooth back my wet hair. Sylvie pulled me round to face her.
'Admit you knew Dix and his audience of one wouldn’t go for it or the deal is off, permanently.'
'OK,' I turned back to the mirror. She was right, for a man who made his living out of illusion I was a pretty crap liar. 'OK, I guessed it might be a possibility.'
'A possibility?'
I met her eyes in the mirror.
'OK, 'possibility' might be a bit of an understatement.'
'William,' Sylvie shook her head as if mortally disappointed. 'You’re just as bad as the rest of us.' She squeezed my waist as she pressed past me towards the hallway rubbing her groin briefly against mine. 'OK then, let’s go out with a bang. But first you’ve got to reassure me by telling me exactly how the trick is done.' She held open the door for me. 'Tell Dix too, he’ll enjoy it.'
So I followed her into the blood-red lounge, Dix passed me a beer, Sylvie phoned out for pizza and I explained the secrets of the bullet trick with all its complexities and variations. Sylvie was right. Dix did seem to enjoy it. He sat and stared and occasionally asked questions. All in all it was a pleasant evening, the last I was going to enjoy for a long time.
Glasgow
