The Lady Gambles Page #6

in the morning.

Do you have everything you need? Mmm-hmm.

Driver's license?

Yep.

Identification?

Yep.

Money?

Uh-oh!

It's a good thing one member

of this family has some brains.

I was running off without

a dime in my pocket.

Drive carefully,

won't you, darling?

Yes, Joan.

And don't forget to eat.

No, Joan.

I'll chew my food well,

brush my teeth,

and I'll shave

in the morning.

Any other

last-minute instructions?

No.

Goodbye, darling.

Goodbye.

Oh, now, stop looking like that,

Jonnie. You're breaking my heart.

Oh, Davie, it's been months

since you called me that.

Now, get out of here

before I...

Will you please go?

See you tomorrow.

David. David!

Let me ride into town

with you.

Sure.

I... I have some

shopping to do.

Who are you kidding?

Hello.

Hello.

Well, look who's here.

Mrs. Boothe, I do declare.

Hello.

Ducky, you remember Mrs. Boothe

from Las Vegas. The Pelican?

The lucky lady?

I certainly do.

How do you do?

Now, don't give yourself a headache

trying to remember our names.

We're the Sutherlands.

Oh, yes, of course. How

are you enjoying your visit?

Fine. Fine.

For Dennis, Mexico is no

different from anywhere else,

just so long as he can smell

out someplace to gamble.

He's a regular bloodhound.

Isn't she a scream?

Of course, here,

he managed to find that little

undercover place behind the hotel.

So, naturally,

we're stopping over.

Not much of a place

at that

with that one broken-down

crap table, is it, Mrs. Boothe?

To tell you the truth, I

don't know anything about it.

You mean you haven't even been there?

I'm afraid I can't afford it these days.

Oh, well, we'll take care

of that. You just come along.

You provide the luck

and I'll provide the money.

No. No, I don't think

I'd better.

Oh, you can't let me down.

The biggest streak I ever had

was riding with you in Vegas.

Well, I...

I'm not really dressed.

Dice don't care

how you're dressed.

The worst beating I ever took

was one time in Cleveland,

and I was wearing

white tie and tails.

So, you come along. We'll have

cocktails, dinner, and a fine evening.

Will it be all right if I

don't play? If I just watch?

Oh, certainly.

Ducky never plays either.

She doesn't bring me

the luck that you do.

Oh, come along, Ducky.

You've got to give me

the magic word, Joan.

We've got to get warmed up.

Here, you roll it for me.

No. No, I don't want to.

Oh, go on. Just once.

No, please.

Okay. Here we go.

Look at that! Snake eyes.

How about it, Joan?

No. No.

Why not?

What are you afraid of?

Attagirl! Attagirl!

Okay, pay me. Now, let

this ride, let this ride.

Now, do it again.

Ah! See what I mean?

See what I mean?

Okay. Okay.

Come on, give the dice.

Give me the dice.

Come on. Let's have them.

Now let's roll...

Joan.

Joan!

All of it, Joan?

All of it?

You didn't gamble it away,

did you, Joan?

Tell me I'm wrong.

Tell me you did

something else with it.

Anything.

No.

What else could it be?

In one night.

A few short hours.

What else could swallow up a

couple of lives so completely?

You and me.

The book.

This place.

Kids.

Where have

I failed you, Joan?

Where?

What's lacking in me?

In us together that we can't

fight off this... This poison?

We've got

$180 left.

Here's half.

It's not much.

It'll get me back to Chicago. Find a job.

This will have to wait

for a bit.

What you do with your half is

something I can't decide for you.

It's up to you.

But if it brings you

back home, well,

I'll be there.

Well, what do you want?

You got a visitor outside.

Oh.

Name of Boothe.

Boothe?

Big, heavyset guy

with a moustache?

No. Cute little number.

No moustache.

Oh.

Anybody with her?

Not at the moment.

May I come in?

Ask a foolish question and you're

liable to get a foolish answer.

What are you doing

in Vegas?

Staying a while

or just passing through?

That depends.

On what?

On you, I'm afraid.

Oh, that's bad. I'm

not the dependable type.

You said once if I ever

wanted full-time work

to come around.

Well, I've come around.

I see.

Uh, what's with you

and, uh...

We separated.

It figured.

Didn't he leave you

with any cash?

The other way around.

I didn't leave him with any.

Oh.

You found a wheel, huh?

A table.

So you see, I could

really use a job right now.

Yeah.

The only trouble is it

looks as if I'm going to be

pulling out of Vegas

in a week or so.

There isn't much I could

really do for you around here.

Oh, you're...

You're leaving?

I got a little project

of my own on the fire.

Well...

Wait a minute.

It's crazy,

but it might just...

Get me Chuck Benson again. The

Los Angeles number. I'll hold on.

It's a brainstorm, Joan,

but I...

I think maybe

you got yourself a job.

Doing what?

Well, a few of the boys

and myself have got together

a little syndicate,

and we...

Hello, Chuck?

Corrigan.

I think I got

the answer for us.

You sitting down?

Well, sit down and hold on to your chair.

A woman.

No, you mug, a lady.

She's right here

with me now.

Mrs. David Boothe

of Chicago.

He wants to know if you got

a record, a police record.

No, she's in the clear.

Absolutely.

My personal guarantee. Isn't

that good enough for you?

Okay, you can get started.

Tell the boys.

Well, Joan,

you're all set.

Here's the deal.

We've taken over

a racing stable,

but we couldn't move

without a front.

You're the front.

You're about to become the

owner of a string of horses.

But I don't know anything

about horse racing.

Well, I do.

Just about everything.

Then why do you need me?

Well, these state racing boys,

they're a little on the stuffy side.

I could never get a license because

of my past business connections.

So the stable

will be in your name.

Well,

don't look so scared.

This is strictly

a legitimate enterprise.

No fixed races, no doping,

no dirty work at all.

The job will pay your expenses

and a small share of the profits.

Interested?

Oh, yes.

It's a lifesaver.

Thank you.

But there's...

There's one thing you ought

to know before you decide.

That money I lost

wasn't mine.

David had saved it nickel by nickel. $1400.

As soon as I can scrape

together that much money,

I'm going to take it

back to him.

And just how do you figure

on scraping it together?

Saving it nickel by nickel

or gambling?

Any way I can.

Fine.

I don't think you'll be

walking out on us too soon.

Come on. Let's go

buy you some clothes.

All right, let's.

Never a doubt.

Nobody even near him.

Corrigan.

I need some more money.

What for? You just cashed

a winner, didn't you?

Let me see that ticket

a minute.

Are you out of your head?

I told you Hotfoot

was going to win the race.

Yes, but I had

a terrific hunch.

What goes with you, Joan?

Do you like to lose?

No, of course not.

You ought to know

by this time

that when I give you

information, it's straight.

You can be wrong,

you know.

Anyhow, what fun is it betting on a

sure thing and giving the track odds?

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