The Ambitious Card (An Eli Marks Mystery) Read Free

playlist or the machine was set on shuffle. “So, what’s a Debunker?” she asked again.
    “Well,” I said, settling into my well-practiced description, “in the world of psychics, mystics, and the supernatural, a Debunker is someone who vehemently believes that all other-worldly occurrences are bogus and that they can always be explained by a simple, scientific explanation.”
    “And that’s not what you do?” She pushed lightly on my forehead to get me to tip my head back as she deftly applied some powder to my neck.
    “I’d like to think so. Debunkers are often as fanatical as the people they oppose. I’ve always preferred the term Skeptic.”
    “And that means what?” She replaced the makeup brush in the tackle box and produced a comb and what appeared to be a can of hairspray.
    “That means that I approach each situation with an open mind. I don’t immediately assume that every supernatural occurrence isn’t simply a natural occurrence that has been misunderstood or faked in some way.”
    “Ever come across one that wasn’t?”
    “Not yet. But I’m keeping an open mind.”
    “Well, keep that mind open but do me a favor and shut those baby-blue eyes for just a second.”
    I closed my eyes and heard the hiss of the hairspray and felt the sharp tug of her comb as she attempted to give my unruly mop of hair a bit of well-needed discipline. When I opened my eyes I was surprised to see a deck of playing cards fanned out in front of my face.
    “Pick a card, any card.”
    The fanned cards dipped for a moment and I recognized Pete’s face behind the cards.
    Before I go any further, I want to go on the record here and say that I like Pete. I really do. He’s a swell guy. But there are two things that have me deeply, perhaps fatally, conflicted in my feelings toward him.
    The first is that Pete is trying to learn magic. That’s an unsightly thing to observe for anyone, but it’s particularly gruesome for a professional magician.
    The other somewhat larger reason I’m conflicted about Pete is that I’m in love with his wife, Megan. Which really isn’t his fault, but there you go. And although I can fall back on the excuse that they’re getting a divorce and all’s fair in love and war, the truth is I had no idea they were getting a divorce when I first started to fall for her.
    If it makes any difference, she hardly knows I exist.
    “Come on, pick a card. Free choice.” Pete held the fanned deck closer, swaying his clasped hands from side to side, in his sad attempt at what I suspected was intended to be an enticing manner.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked, completely mystified. I was having one of those out-of-context experiences.
    Pete and his soon-to-be ex-wife Megan own the row of shops on the corner of 48th and Chicago that includes Chicago Magic. I’m very used to seeing him around the neighborhood and I see far too much of him in the shop, but I was completely taken aback to encounter him and his ubiquitous deck of cards here in The Caves.
    “I’ve got a client who owns this place. They’re trying to unload it. Interested?” He switched effortlessly into realtor mode. “I mean, think about it. This place would make a killer magic emporium.”
    “Sure, but what would we do with the other ninety-five percent of the space?”
    “You’re probably right, there’s way too much square footage here.” He pushed the fanned cards at me once again. “I think I’ve got this sucker nailed, finally. Go ahead, pick a card.”
    I acquiesced reluctantly and pulled a card from the center of the fanned deck, showing it to Lauren.
    “Now look at the card,” Pete said as he fumbled to square the deck. He glanced up at us. “Oh, you already did. Good for you. Well done. Okay, now, remember that card. I want you to put your randomly-chosen card back into the deck. Anywhere in the deck, this is a free choice that I’m not influencing in any manner whatsoever…”
    He lost track of his