Mad Powers (Tapped In) (24 page)

“
You sure?
”
I asked.

She nodded, not even attempting to hide her smile. I wrote down their order and gave her ten one hundred dollar bills from my wallet
—
then kissed her on the cheek.
“
Catch you later.
”

I heard bugles trumpeting up ahead. The jockey-mounted horses must be making their way to the starting gate. I edged through the crowd as people slowly moved toward the sidelines. I saw patches of brightly colored silks moving in the distance. I needed to get above the crowd and have a clear sightline to the horses, while they were still close enough. There was no way. Then I noticed a man above me on an upper level wearing gray overalls and sweeping trash into a long-handled metal dustpan. The section he was working on was closed off, but it had an excellent view of the track.

“
Hey. Kann ich dort f
ü
r ein paar Minuten. Auf der Suche nach jemandem.
”

I
’
d asked him if I could get up there for a few minutes. That I was looking for someone. I held up two crisp hundred dollar bills.

He looked at the bills, and then looked around to make sure nobody was watching.
“
Sie m
ü
ssen runter, bevor das Rennen beginnt.
”

I
’
d need to get back down before the race started. I climbed up the wall and he helped me over the iron railing. He went about his business and I watched the horses on the track directly in front of me. I
’
d memorized the three horses
’
names in reference to the assigned starting position numbers worn by their jockeys. I
’
d start with number ten,
Obvious Choice.

Hello,
Obvious Choice. I have some bad news for you.

Who are you? Why are you talking to me?

If you win this race today, you
’
ll be gelded, first thing tomorrow morning. Right there in your little stall. Do you know what gelded means?

I know what that means. Who are you?

I am the one that sired you. I am your father.

You are Triumph
’
s Glory?

Oh, yes, I am he. Now, listen to me. You will not come in first today
—
you will come in second. Not third, or any place else, just second. A gelded horse is a disappointment. Do you want to disappoint me?

I will come in second. I will not disappoint you, Father.

Chapter 37

By the time I arrived at William Genz
’
s box, Pippa was already there. William and Ingrid welcomed me in and were all smiles. I noticed we were practically standing in front of the finish line. Pippa held up the betting ticket. She looked excited and pulled me in for what I thought was a quick kiss. Hugging me, instead, she whispered into my ear,
“
Did you do it
—
talk to the horses?
”

I whispered back, “Yes. They seemed to understand me. Was only able to talk to the top four horses, so they’ll have to stay ahead on their own. It’s a risk. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

“
How do you talk to them?
”

“
I don
’
t know
…
it
’
s not like I
’
m talking to Mr. Ed, or anything. More like our thinking is synchronized
—
meshed.
”

Ingrid caught my eye and with the slightest nod of her head gestured to the box kitty-corner to ours. It was one of the larger reserved boxes, holding ten people. Leon and Heidi were instantly recognizable to me, since I had reviewed their dossiers extensively. Leon, in his early fifties, looked fit and trim and had a commanding air about him. I noticed William also watching Leon, and he looked as if he
’
d just tasted something unpleasant. I leaned over and asked William which horse belonged to Goertz.

“
Number ten,
Obvious Choice
,
”
he replied.

I nodded.
“
That horse will come in second, right behind yours,
”
I said.

“
You think?
”
he responded, chuckling.
“
He
’
s quite the three-year-old. Amazing track record, actually.
”

Pippa repositioned herself, moving to the corner of our box, and was within several feet of Leon. She looked over to me and gestured for me to come join her. Leon had already noticed Pippa and was eying her cleavage. Although trying to be discreet, he was edging closer to the back corner of his box, nearer to where Pippa was standing.

As I joined Pippa, she pulled me closer. She held up the ticket and spoke loud enough for Leon to hear:
“
So
A Grand Dream
will come in first; second, will be
Obvious Choice
; and
Bingham
will take third, right?
”

Leon
’
s attention was fully on Pippa.
“
Dreierwette
? You
’
re betting a Trifecta
—
all three horses finish in that specific order?
”
he asked her with an exasperated expression on his face.

Pippa glanced back at her ticket and then up to Leon.
“
Yeah, I
’
ve got it on good authority that
’
s exactly how the race will finish.
”
Pippa smiled back at the older man with a flirty shrug.

“
Sorry, dear Fraulein, you
’
ve wasted your money.
Obvious Choice
will win today. Hell, I
’
d be surprised if
A Grand Dream
finds his way out of the gate. Unfortunately, not the smartest horse
…
questionable genetics, you know.
”

William heard this last remark and gave Leon a crooked smile. Leon winked back at William and then turned back toward the track. I could see Pippa was thinking of some way to reengage with Leon when the man suddenly turned toward us again.

“
Leon Goertz,
”
he said, holding out his hand.

Pippa took his hand in hers and said,
“
Pamela Craft. Nice to meet you, Leon. This is my husband, David.
”

He extended his hand to me.
“
Well, enjoy the race. I hope you didn
’
t bet the farm with that ticket of yours.
”

“
No. Actually, I wish I
’
d bet more.
”

Leon looked at me and shrugged.
“
I
’
d be willing to make a side bet,
”
he offered.

“
What kind of bet?
”
I asked. But I was already in his mind. Sure enough, he was certain his horse would win. He
’
d spent millions procuring
Obvious Choice
—
as well as acquiring the best trainer in Germany, and, of course, the horse
’
s lineage was superb. His horse simply couldn
’
t lose.

He looked back down the track, where the horses were being prodded into their respective gate enclosures.
“
Not money, too pedestrian. How about a simple gentlemen’s bet?
”

“
Sure, why not?
”
I said, and we shook hands again.

I looked over the heads of thousands of spectators and colorful hats. My eyes followed the grassy track into the distance. I tried to connect again with
A Grand Dream
, but without actually seeing him, I couldn
’
t. Now, sensing the final preparation for the start of the race, my confidence level wasn
’
t nearly as high as it had been earlier. Winning today, and in a very big way, was our only ticket to gaining the attention and respect of Leon Goertz
. What was I thinking?
This isn
’
t going to work.

The crowd had quieted and the announcer was providing last-minute information before the starter bell. Leon glanced in my direction and gave me a nod.

The bell rang.
“
Und sie sind weg!
”
The horses were off and running.

European tracks were longer: a mile and a half, compared to the usual mile-long tracks in the U.S. Although I could see the horses running off into the distance, there was no way I could differentiate one from another. Pippa
’
s eyes were wide and she held our ticket to her lips. I turned toward William and Ingrid, giving them a reassuring nod. The crowd had come alive and everyone was screaming for their favorite horse to run faster.

Heidi moved closer and now stood alongside her husband. Both were yelling toward the distant horses. Heidi was younger than her husband by at least fifteen years
—
somewhere between thirty-five and forty, I guessed. Her hair was blonde and was pulled back and braided; the braid, tied with three pink bows
—
one at the top, one in the middle, and one at the end
—
fell far down her back. She turned her head and quickly sized up Pippa and then me. Her eyes lingered on me for several beats before she looked toward the track again, yelling in German for their horse to move it along.

The jockey riding
A Grand Dream
was wearing bright red and black silks. I could just barely make him out, in the galloping chaos, three quarters of a mile away. He looked to be in third position, maybe fourth. Yellow and green silks held the first spot
—
Leon
’
s horse,
Obvious Choice.

A Grand Dream
had fallen back to fifth. It was
Obvious Choice
in first
, Bingham
in second
, Charlie
’
s Wish
in third and
Flapper Boy
in fourth
. A Grand Dream
seemed to be struggling. I screamed along with everyone else,
“
Move your ass, you old nag!
”

Pippa looked up at me and burst out laughing.

Two of Leon
’
s friends, seated in his box, now joined him at his side. One had his hand on Leon
’
s upper back. Leaning in, I heard him congratulate Leon, telling him the race was all but won.

At a half mile out, I could clearly see the horses. Funny, how this simple bet with Leon was eating away at me. Maybe it was the man
’
s smug attitude. More than the mission, I wanted to beat him
—
humiliate him in front of his arrogant friends.

Finally! I was now able to connect with
A Grand Dream.

What are you doing? You need to move your ass.

I
’
m tired. Very tired.

Soon the other horses will slow. You can still win this, I promise.

I will try harder.

Next, I connected to
Bingham, Charlie
’
s Wish
and
Flapper Boy.
The latter horse needed to be brought up to speed on what would happen to him if he continued running at his current fast pace.
The others also needed reminding what would happen to them if they didn
’
t place exactly where I had earlier directed them. With the exception of
Obvious Choice
, the horses immediately slowed
—
allowing
A Grand Dream
to move forward into second place.

William and Ingrid were ecstatic. Both jumped up and down as their voices screamed encouragement. Leon
’
s face had turned red. He held a meaty fist in the air and yelled angrily for
Obvious Choice
to hold his lead.

All the horses galloped toward the finish line. They were close enough to hear their hoofs pounding on the grassy track, and jockeys yelling encouragement, as their crops whipped across sweaty, tired flanks. I jumped into
Obvious Choice
’
s
mind.

I know you want to win. You
’
ve gotten caught up in the race.

I want to win. I always win.

That
’
s fine. Gelding is not so bad. Although
…
you
’
ll be like a mare
…
you
’
ll be one big mare. A laughing stock.

That seemed to do it. As if hitting the brakes,
Obvious Choice
fell back and became even with
A Grand Dream
. Together, they ran side by side, neither giving an inch. At thirty yards out, there was no way to tell which horse was going to win. At ten yards out I had time for one more
…
You
’
ll be a laughing stock.

A Grand Dream
won the race by a nose.
Obvious Choice
came in second, followed by
Bingham
third, and
Charlie
’
s Wish
fourth
.

Pippa held the ticket up and checked it, as if uncertain.
“
We won
…
We won!
”
She jumped into my arms, screaming uproariously. Ingrid was enveloped in William
’
s arms, also screaming. Looking over Pippa
’
s shoulder, I watched as Leon stood staring at the track, as if wishing the last few minutes could be replayed and the race could have a different outcome. His face, still flushed red, turned in my direction. I read his thoughts. I wish I hadn
’
t.

Chapter 38

The four of us, William, Ingrid, Pippa and myself, stopped for dinner at an intimate Baden-Baden restaurant. We ordered a bottle of fine wine, followed by a second one, and more food than any of us could possibly finish. I spotted Pippa surreptitiously peeking into her purse every so often, as if she needed to verify the cashier’s check I’d handed her to hold on to was actually real.