“Holmes told me, ‘They are currently playing dice, but I asked Emerson and his dealer if we could play a few games of Vingt-un if I brought along my partner. I had made certain to lose a few games of Commerce, then threw away even more money on poor rolls of the dice. Don’t look stricken, sir. I had to do it to get him to agree to the game. Vingt-un has more risk to the dealer because he is taking on multiple opponents at the same time. It is much easier for the House to bust. Emerson only agreed to the game when he saw my money flowing into his coffers. Don’t worry, everything’s going according to my plan, and at our current pace, we should arrive in plenty of time for this escapade of mine to work.’
“‘Do you know how Vingt-un works, Father? No, I didn’t think so. It is a newer game and there’s a few versions of it making the rounds. It is a game of cards where the dealer deals everyone two cards, including himself. The dealer always holds his cards in hand while the players receive their cards laid down – at least in this version they do. The first card is dealt face-up and the second card is face-down. The goal of the game is to get your cards to add up to twenty-one without going over. If you go over, then you bust and lose the game. Whoever has the highest hand without going over twenty-one wins. The number cards are worth their face value – the royal cards are worth ten points, and the Ace is worth eleven. You can ask for additional cards if you have a low hand, but you run the risk of busting by going over twenty-one. That make sense, Father? Good. I know this is long, but I won’t take much more of your time.
“So we arrived, Father, and me and Holmes got ourselves dealt into the Vingt-un game. There were two others with us, playing against the dealer. We lost the first two games, and I wondered if Holmes had thought himself capable of more than the rules of the game allowed. After all, he was wonderful at observing things, but cards are a different story, especially when the dealer gets to keep his cards hidden until the end of each hand. Then, I won the next game, and Holmes won the following. We started winning more and more, but then we’d lose a few hands as well. Holmes would signal to me when he wanted me to ask for another card, and I followed his lead, even when I knew I would go bust. Holmes never spoke a word to me, just occasionally looked at his watch and said he had to make certain not to miss his afternoon appointment.
“We played like this for a while, when suddenly, Holmes completely changed his strategy. He started putting in bigger wagers and then he’d win. Holmes won five hands in a row, and amassed a small fortune. Emerson and the dealer looked testy. The other players quit, and Holmes offered to continue with just the two of us as players. We played two more hands and lost, but our bets were small. Holmes then said he had an appointment to get to, and thanked the dealer for the rousing games.
“Holmes helped me to my feet, and Emerson started coughing. I wondered if he became ill from seeing his daily take dwindled, but when I had my crutch under my arm, I turned around with Holmes, and we saw our exit blocked by three ruffians.
“I may not be the smartest man on the planet, Father. I certainly don’t have the brains of Sherlock Holmes, but I could tell Emerson’s coughing was just a way to call his dogs.
“‘What’s all this then?’ I growled at the burly men before me. They stood arms crossed in front of their chests making a human wall before us.
“‘We don’t tolerate cheats in here, you dirty cripple,’ the man in the center said with a sneer.
“‘I assure you, sir,” said Holmes, “that we did not break any rules in playing our game. Indeed, we lost almost as much as we won. Now, if you will excuse me and my partner, I do have a luncheon – ‘
“But Holmes didn’t finish his statement. A lot happened all at once. The leader of the group took a swing at Holmes, but he dodged it and the man ended up striking me in the side. Another one kicked out my crutch, and I toppled to the ground. I felt a foot kick me in the ribs when I heard the bleat of a police whistle and someone yelled, ‘Coppers! Beat it!’
“I heard the clopping footsteps of people dashing away when I was suddenly hoisted up by Holmes and a constable. ‘What is this world coming to when ruffians beat a cripple in the street?’ the officer complained. ‘You all right, sir?’
“‘Yes. I really don’t know what happened,’ I confessed.
“‘I’ll tell you what happened, Officer,’ Holmes complained. ‘This man was just minding his own business when he turned down this alleyway and saw illegal gambling. They didn’t like the way he looked at them, like he might call the police, so those scoundrels attacked him,’ Holmes spat on the ground and shook his head full of remorse, then he bellowed with his fists in the air. ‘This neighborhood! What is becoming of my home?’
“‘Don’t you worry none, sir, we’ll get Emerson and his gang,’ the officer said, consoling Holmes.
“I heard a voice call out, ‘Officer, hurry! This way!’
“‘You rest now, and stay put. We’ll be needing a statement,’ the constable said, his eyes darting down the alley. He ran off blowing his whistle. Holmes waited until he had turned the corner. Then, he slapped
