Croupier Page #6

'Jake stayed.'

(Ball drops)

(Phone)

(Jack) 'Nobody around.

Leave a message.'

(Beep)

(Jani) 'It's set.

The day after tomorrow.

'The 24th. Good luck.'

'It's set. The day after tomorrow.

'The 24th. Good luck.'

Are you ever tempted to gamble?

- Never. Why do you ask?

- I can just imagine

being around so much money

all the time.

- Gambling's not about money.

- Really?

Gambling's about not facing reality,

ignoring the odds.

I must be a fool.

I never think about the odds.

# Jingle bells, jingle all the way

# Oh, what fun it is to ride... #

(Christmas music)

'Chapter 12.'

(Wheel spins)

(Ball drops)

Change. 2,500.

(Speaks Chinese)

Money down.

(Fruit machines beep)

(Speaks Chinese)

Two seven five.

New dealer.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

(Phone)

Can I help you?

(Croupier) 18, 18, 17...12. 17, 20.

No more cards.

Larger than ten.

(Fruit machines drown dialogue)

Place your bets, please.

50. In tens.

Change. 50 pound.

Money down.

No more bets. Thank you.

(Ball drops)

23 red.

No, I'm sorry, sir. Th...

That was a late bet.

- You calling me a cheat?.

- You are a cheat.

I saw you.

- I'm talking to you.

- It was a la...

(Groan)

(Woman) Come on!

(Groans)

(Gunshot)

(Screaming)

(Speaking Chinese)

(Alarm rings)

(Microphone crackles)

(Reynolds) 'Ladies and

gentlemen, please be calm.

'There is no cause for alarm.'

'Enjoy yourselves. It's Christmas.'

(Microphone crackles)

(Christmas carols start)

How did you know I was here?

I thought you wouldn't want

to spend Christmas day alone in here.

Did you go to the casino?

Happy Christmas.

Now...

noodles or rice?

I don't want a criminal

for a boyfriend.

There was a message, wasn't there?

It's probably easier

for you to eat the rice.

Marion.

What did you tell the police?

Nothing about you.

Then what?.

Give up being a croupier, Jack,

or I'll shop you.

All you have to do

is keep your promise.

Simple.

Here. Use a spoon.

Leave me alone, Marion!

You're already alone.

Marion! Marion!

Come here.

Come here. Listen.

I really don't want to lose you.

I'll quit.

I swear to you.

Why did you take the money?

I hate public transport.

- What?.

- I want to buy a car.

How can anyone be that naive?

(Reynolds) So, how you feeling?

Bruised.

Take as long as you like.

Couple of weeks.

Three if you need it.

We'll pay you sick leave.

Don't wanna lose you, Jack.

You're a good man.

What's this?

Happy New Year.

Have a drink on the company.

You've earned it.

'Chapter 13.

'It's all numbers,

the croupier thought.

'Spin of the wheel,

turn of the card,

'time of your life,

date of your birth,

'year of your death.

'In the book of numbers

the Lord said...'

(Doorbell)

'..the Lord said,

thou shalt count thy steps.'

(Wheel spinning)

'Jack thought, this is it.

'The famous two-in-the-morning

knock at the door.

'It was pay-back time.'

(Doorbell)

'But he wasn't afraid.

'He hadn't spent

one penny of the ten grand.

'He'd covered himself.

'He knew the odds.'

Mr Manfred?

(Wheel spinning)

(Ball drops)

She was on her way home.

- To you.

- No, she wasn't.

'Marion had been visiting his mother.

'No, no, no.

Not his mother. Her mother.'

Her mother.

She was visiting her mother.

- Who are you?

- Detective Inspector Ross.

- Who?

- Ross.

Who did it?. Tell me.

We think it's a hit and run.

A drunk driver, probably.

There is the possibility

of a revenge killing.

'Revenge? For what?. Whose revenge? '

As you know, she was

a WPC with the Met.

Up until two years ago.

She called me last week.

She got wind of a planned

robbery at your casino.

'What had that got to do

with her death? '

You didn't recognise

your attacker, did you?

Of course

I f***ing recognised him.

You did?

I know a cheat when I see one.

The man was a cheat.

If anything occurs to you,

call me, will you?

Do you gamble?

I was in love with her, you know.

'"The world breaks everyone.

'"And afterwards,

many are strong at the broken places.

'"But those that will not break,

it kills.

'"It kills the very good

'"and the very gentle

and the very brave impartially.

'"If you are none of these,

'"you can be sure

it will kill you, too.

'"But there will be

no special hurry."'

(Greek music)

Hey!

Jacko, how you doing?

I heard what happened at the casino.

Pity they didn't get away with it.

I wish I'd been there.

- You were there, mate.

- What?.

You know what happened

to me, don't you?

That b*tch Bella shopped me.

B*tch Bella shopped me

and you know what I had to do,

I had to beat the sh*t out of her.

You know what I'd like Matt?.

I'd like to buy you a drink.

Cheers! Congratulations.

Happy New Year.

I like you, Jacko.

You're so f***ing straight.

Here.

You haven't changed your clothes.

'The music stopped.

'Jack was drunk.

'Hallucinating.

'He was back.

'A child in the Wild Coast casino.'

You've been avoiding me.

Have I?

I'm Lucy.

So, what do you do, Lucy?

I'm a witch.

A white witch.

(Wheel spins)

Are you gonna put a spell on me?

I might.

(Wheel spinning)

That's mine.

F***in' hell.

(Ball drops)

That's a nice car.

How much did you pay for it?.

Too much. 1800.

(Racing engine)

(Singing)

(Tyres screech)

I saw her!

You don't trust women drivers,

do you?

'Jack didn't trust anyone.

'Except himself.

'It was finally finished.

'He thought of sending it to Giles,

'but that wouldn't be right.

'He would select a publisher

at random.

'Like a number.'

21, 19, 13.

- Here, please.

- 20.

16, 20.

Blackjack.

You're wasting yourself.

With your luck, you ought

to come over to our side.

'Even his publisher had no idea

who the author was.

'He had done the deal

through a lawyer.

'It gave him a good feeling,

no one knowing.

'It never occurred

to anyone at the casino

'that the Golden Lion

had been his model.

'Why should it?.

Weren't all casinos the same?

'It gave him an exquisite pleasure

'being an Underground man.

'With all his money,

he hadn't even brought a car.

'Jack knew the truth about himself.

'He was a one-book writer.

'A one-time winner who had

quit while he was ahead.

'He changed nothing in the flat.'

(Phone)

'Bought nothing, spent nothing.

'The only thing he did was to

remove the bars on the window.'

'Nobody around. Leave a message

after the beep.'

(Beep)

- Hello.

- 'Jack, it's Jani.'

Jani.

- 'Where are you? '

- Sun City.

I've been meaning to call you

for months.

'So how are you doing? '

Great. Listen, I'm getting married.

At least, I think I am.

- Did you solve your problems?

- 'Yeah.'

I'm all over that now.

Jack, hold on a minute,

there's someone here

who wants to talk to you.

- 'Jacko.'

- Dad.

I never thanked you

properly for your help.

Jani tells me you behaved

like the perfect gentleman.

I knew you would.

I know my son.

The woman thinks I'm gonna marry her.

But you know me.

It's a shame things never worked

out, but we saw you all right.

'You didn't gamble

the ten grand, did you? '

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