Aces and Knaves

in sight. The land was once used for cattle ranching and more recently for growing grain, vegetables and flowers. Some sheep grazed on the hillsides.
    The trees were planted by "settlers" who built homes here starting in the 1920s. Perhaps a case of people improving the environment, not ruining it. Thoughts like these sometimes occurred to me as I ran along the tree-lined streets in the mornings, but this morning they were more concerned with the future of Dionysus.
    Would Elma side with Buchanan or my father? Why did Ned want to fool Buchanan into thinking that he was losing a lot of money? Who killed Ned? Why did he need a gun if he wasn't a drug dealer? Who was the mysterious Chinese lady? I was still pondering these questions later as I worked on my baseball card business.
    While I was checking eBay auctions other than my own on the Internet I came across the Honus Wagner card again. The bidding for it had reached $350,000. That sounded low if the card was in good condition. I rechecked the pictures of the front and the back of the card. I looked at some of the favorable comments other bidders had made about the seller. His credentials were impeccable and he stated the card was in near-mint condition. He was probably selling it for somebody else, but his reputation was still on the line.
    Unless there were some sandbaggers waiting to pounce, I suspected that the card could be stolen for under $400,000. On impulse, I found James Buchanan's business card and called his office in San Francisco.
    A man answered the phone. I gave my name and said I'd like to speak to James Buchanan. He asked what it was regarding. I said it was in regard to a baseball card. He said to hold on. I held, thinking that he would come back on the line and brush me off.
    Instead, I heard a familiar voice. "Good morning, Karl, I'm glad you called. I saw you at Ned's funeral yesterday and I was thinking about you."
    "I saw your limo." I wanted to ask him about the woman who was with him, but I couldn't think of a smooth way to do it.
    "Sorry I couldn't stay around and chat, but I had some business meetings to attend. But back to you. How would you like to come to work for me?"
    My planned speech evaporated. I stuttered something about being happy where I was, and then realized this was absurd because I was nowhere. I finally had wit enough to ask him why he wanted me to work for him.
    "I like your style, Karl. I checked out your website. Anybody who knows as much about baseball cards as you do must have something on the ball, so to speak. And you've had no problem solving the entrance puzzles."
    "Do you use them as a screening device for potential employees?"
    James chuckled and said, "Now you know my secret."
    "I don't have an MBA."
    "There's always night school. Wouldn't you like to live in the Bay area? Get out from under Richard's shadow?"
    "No thanks. Not right now, at least."
    "Let me know when you're ready. I can wait. And I usually get what I want. What can I do for you today?"
    "You told me to let you know when one of the special Honus Wagner baseball cards was up for sale. There's one on eBay now and I think it can be bought for a bargain price."
    James showed immediate interest. He asked me some questions about what I thought it was worth and what it could be purchased for. After a two-minute conversation he gave me authorization to bid up to $400,000 on it.
    This was too easy. I said, "Do you want some written confirmation?"
    "Why bother? We know each other. What do you want to do, exchange emails? What good would that do? If you get the card just tell me where to send the check."
    "Of course you'll own the card, not me."
    "We'll work that out. I have no use for a baseball card."
    That was the catch; I was selling my soul. After I hung up I thought about that, but not long enough or hard enough. I wanted that card too much. I put in a bid of $400,000 on the Wagner. Only the minimum incremental bid showed up on the screen, but any additional bids from other people would be automatically topped by one from me until the bidding reached $400,000.
    I was excited and I danced around the room, completely forgetting about any possible downside. It took me a while to calm down.
    I finally remembered that I was going to call Esther. I was fortunate enough to catch her in her office. I apologized for standing her up the night before and made a new date with her for that evening.
    I had barely hung up the phone when it rang. It was Arrow.