Page 58 of A Midlife Gamble

The croupier laughed. ‘He will soon. He’s lost eleven thousand tonight. Started on the hundred-buck table, and is back on the five-buck table. He never learns. I’ll take over after my break, so Joel can go home. If he’s still there that is. Tony’s the only player left.’

‘What happened to the woman he was with yesterday?’

‘Which one?’

‘The old one. Short and fat, has a funny accent.’

Hearing this, Marianne pulled herself up to full height, which wasn’t high. All the time, Helen kept her hand pressed lightly against her back.

‘Doesn’t sound like his normal type?’ the croupier said.

The desk clerk laughed. ‘As long as she’s loaded, that’s his type.’

‘True. Do you remember that octogenarian he picked up a couple of years ago? The one in the wheelchair?’

‘The one he tried to marry? What happened there? I never did find out.’

And before either Helen or Caro could react, Marianne had stepped out from behind the column, one pudgy knee peeping from her ruched jeggings, a rash rising up like a wave across her chest. ‘Yes,’ she said loudly. ‘What did happen? We’dalllike to know.’

The emphasis Marianne had given to theall, was a call to arms. It had Helen stepping out from behind the column just in time to see surprise slap itself on the desk clerk’s face, opening his eyes painfully wide, dropping his jaw.

Now Caro joined her and as the croupier turned to see who had spoken, her ponytail flipped helplessly like a puppy’s tail.

‘What happened?’ Marianne said again. Her chin was at the angle normally supported only by a neck-brace, but, standing so close, Helen could see how her hands, balled to fists, trembled.

‘Umm…’ The croupier twirled her ponytail.

Helen folded her arms.

The other side of Marianne, Caro reached down, flicked an invisible speck of dust from her arm, and slowly turned her best boardroom gaze to the croupier.

No one spoke.

Marianne shrugged. ‘You know what,’ she said and waved her hand dismissively. ‘I don’t want to know.’

Half a second passed in which the croupier’s face had time to begin to relax, before Marianne took a step forward and said, ‘Where is he now? Playing Blackjack?’

Recoiling, the croupier nodded nervously.

‘Is he with anyone?’

She didn’t answer, glancing back at the desk clerk instead.

Marianne dropped her head to one side. ‘This may surprise you, young lady… but even a fat old woman like me has self-respect.’

The croupier’s mouth hung open. ‘I didn’t me—’

‘I haven’t finished!’ Marianne hissed.

Helen glanced across at Caro, her lips twitching.

Caro looked back at her.She hadn’t finished,she mouthed.

She hasn’t even started,Helen mouthed back.

‘So I don’t care if Tony is with a twenty-two-year-old heiress. I’m asking where he is and who he's with, because I’m looking for my friend.’

‘Our friend,’ Caro said tightly.

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