The Big Fix
The Big Fix
Anyone who holds that telepathy and psi powers would mean an end to crime quite obviously underestimates the ingenuity of the human race. Now consider a horserace that had to be fixed...
Book Excerpt
ldn't change his clothing, too. His name was Gimpy Gordon.
I said, "Get out!"
He whined, "Mr. Wilson, you just gotta help me."
"How?"
"Fer years," he said, "I been living on peanuts. I been runnin' errands for hard coins. I been--"
"Swiping the take of a Red Cross box," I snapped at him.
"Aw, Mr. Wilson," he whined, "I simply gotta make a stake. I'm a-goin' to send it back when I win."
"Are you going to win?"
"Can't I?"
For a moment I toyed with the idea of being honest with the Gimp. Somehow, someone should tell the duffer that all horse players die broke, or that if he could make a living I'd be out of business.
Gimpy Gordon was one of Life's Unfortunates. If it were to rain gold coins, Gimpy would be out wearing boxing gloves. His mental processes meandered because of too much methyl. His unfortunate nickname did not come from the old-fashioned reason that he walked with a limp, but from the even more unfortunate reason that he
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In a future world where everyone can read minds--somewhat--Wally Wilson (cardsharp, bookie) is better than most. Joe Barcelona wants the Kentucky Derby fixed, and leans hard on Wally to do it. But how?
If you can believe the fairytale premise of universal telepathy, light a cigarette or cigar and enjoy the story.
If you can believe the fairytale premise of universal telepathy, light a cigarette or cigar and enjoy the story.
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Clever, Runyonesque short about a Chicago bookie who has to fix a horserace in a world of telepaths.
09/17/2009