Card Sharks

'Why?' Troll asked, much more calmly.

'Well …' I felt I had to keep Flo out of my explanation, but the rest of it was joker business. 'Look, I need some help. I might have to break into a place.'

'What?' Cheetah's eye widened in surprise. 'Little Chop-Chop's turning into a juvenile delinquent? What's the deal?'

'I can't go into it, but it's big.'

'Jokers shouldn't hurt each other,' Troll said firmly.

'Not jokers,' I whispered. 'A place is gonna burn.'

'What place?' Cheetah shoved his Coke bottle aside.

'I got to keep that quiet. But I have to find out what Lansky's doing in jokertown.'

'All right,' said Troll. 'He rented that red brick warehouse where we used to throw rocks through the windows. And the one just down the street from it, too. Take your pick.'

Cheetah laughed, showing his large chimp's teeth. 'Half the windows in that red one are still busted out.'

'Will you help me?'

'You just want to see what's inside?' Cheetah asked.

'If I find what I'm looking for, I want a sample.'

'Like what?' Cheetah studied my face.

'I don't know, exactly.' I turned to Troll. 'You in?'

'If a place in Jokertown is going to burn, I'm in.'

'Okay. After dark, at nine, right outside.'

'We'll be there,' said Cheetah.

I went home for dinner. Then I told my mother that I was going back to Biff's, which was true. I met Troll and Cheetah on time.

They simply fell into step with me in the darkness outside.

'You guys know more about this than I do,' I said.

'Who says?' Troll demanded, in his low rumbling growl. His belt buckle was higher than the top of my head.

Cheetah screeched with laughter. 'Okay, Chop-Chop. We get the message. You just tag along.'

We stopped in the shadows across the street from the red warehouse. Lights were on inside the front of the building. Pedestrians were still strolling nearby in the cool night air.

'This one or the one down the block?' Troll asked.

'Doesn't matter,' I said.

Cheetah looked down at me. 'This is your show.'

'This one, I guess.'

Cheetah led us down to the rear lot, with the loading dock. It was fenced and locked. None of the rear windows was lit.

Troll lifted Cheetah over the top rail of the eight-foot fence, then me. Last, he grasped the top of one of the steel fence posts and jumped. It bent slightly, but he was merely using it for leverage, not pulling with his full weight. At his height, the fence was just an annoyance.

Cheetah jogged quietly to the back of the building, craning his simian neck upward. He pointed with a long, hairy arm to a third story window that was almost completely broken out. Troll moved under the window Cheetah had chosen. He held Cheetah around the waist and lifted him. Cheetah's long arms stretched up to the top of the second story window, where his fingers found a hold lost in the shadows. Then Cheetah climbed upward out of his grasp to the open window and carefully moved through it, avoiding the bits of jagged glass still in the frame.

We waited in silence. Finally the rear door creaked open gently. Cheetah stuck his head out and gestured for us to follow him. 'Just two guys down in the front,' he whispered. 'Playing cards. But they have guns.'

I drew in a sharp breath. 'Look, maybe — '

Troll gently shoved me forward. 'Too late,' he rumbled.

I followed Cheetah inside. At first the only light came from the streetlights behind us. Deeper inside, light came from the front of the warehouse, angling around tall stacks of wooden crates. I could hear the voices of the two men talking quietly to themselves, and then the rippling sound of cards being shuffled.

Troll, moving with a stealth that seemed impossible, moved over one aisle between stacks of crates. Cheetah slipped over to another aisle. I followed Cheetah, quivering with fear.

Near the end of the aisle, Cheetah turned and began climbing the stack of crates. I moved up close and simply watched. By now, I had no idea where Troll had gone.

'I'm sick of goddamned cards,' said one of the men. 'Three more lousy hours till we're off. You still got that flask on you?'

'Aw, come on. It's almost empty … hey, you hear somethin'?'

Suddenly Cheetah let out a shriek. I ran up to look around the corner. Cheetah was swinging on a rope that dangled from the ceiling on a block and tackle, toward the two men.

The two men were both in shirtsleeves, wearing shoulder holsters and narrow ties pulled loose. They had been sitting on crates, using a third one to hold their cards, an ashtray, and a couple of empty beer bottles. Now they looked up in shock, reaching for their guns. Jarring footsteps shook the floor as Troll ran toward them on his long, lumbering legs.

One man started to aim at Cheetah, then spun toward Troll.

'No! Not in here!' His companion screamed in terror and pushed his arm aside. 'The whole joint'll go up!'

The first man hesitated, staring at Troll in astonishment. Then, ignoring his friend, he fired, apparently figuring he had nothing to lose. Two bullets ripped through Troll's shirt, careening off his hard, green skin.

The man fired again and again, backing away in horror. 'Holy goddamned — '

Cheetah dropped onto his shoulders, still screeching insanely, and knocked his arm askew. As the man tumbled sideways from Cheetah's weight, Cheetah rolled and the gun skittered across the floor. The man leaped for the gun, snatching it up in both hands.

Troll was still chasing the other man, who was on his feet and backpedaling as he continued to fire. All the bullets ricocheted off Troll's skin, ripping up his clothes as they struck. Troll batted the gun out of his hand.

The first man was aiming for Cheetah.

I didn't realize I was running forward until I saw how close I was. Without thinking, I flung myself forward and collided with the man as he fired at Cheetah. The gun snapped twice in my ear as we rolled on the floor.

A much louder bang sounded high above us, but I couldn't turn to look yet. I knocked the gun away from the man, sliding it across the dirty floor. Then, before the man could recover, Troll stomped on his neck; it gave with a loud crunch.

The other man had escaped Troll, but was staring up over our heads someplace. A small fire had started in one of the crates up there. A stray bullet had hit something.

'It's gonna blow! The whole damn place!' The man screamed, looking around frantically, and tried to run past Troll.

Troll strode forward on his long legs. This time he slammed a fist the size of a volleyball into the side of the man's head. His neck snapped loudly and he collapsed to the floor.

'Never killed anybody before,' Troll muttered, gazing down at the two dead bodies. 'Hell, Cheetah. I didn't plan on that.'

'Nobody tried to kill you before, did they?' Cheetah asked.

'Well … no.' Troll grimaced and licked his crooked, yellow teeth. 'Little.22 pistols. These racket guys like 'em.'

'Look up there! He said it's gonna blow!' I pointed. 'Come on, we gotta get outa here!'

'Aw, calm down, will you?' Cheetah demanded. 'I thought you wanted to look inside one of these crates — '