The Doc Justice Files - Mystic Mayhem part 4
by Direwolf

Chapter 4 - Now You See Him!

There was no doubt in Alex's mind. The Amazing Randini had her stone in the lapel of his black jacket. And as he fanned a deck of cards in preparation for a trick, his hands moved just like Randu's in the bank. They had found their bank robber, or his twin, and he was bathed in the bright glare of the stage footlights.

Alex's hand closed over the .32 caliber automatic in her purse. The cross cut grip slid comfortably into her hand and with a flick of her thumb, the safety clicked off. She knew a round was chambered.

But before she simply stood up, pointed the gun at him and demanded he return her jewel, Alex paused to consider. Drawing a gun here was apt to simply get her overwhelmed and thrown out if not arrested. Worse yet, it was likely the Magic Castle had its own guards and bouncers who might well be armed. If San Francisco's organized crime figures frequented this nightclub, it was likely more then a few guns would be present. And starting an open gunfight in a crowded room was a very bad idea. There were far too many people who could be hurt. Alex ground her teeth in frustration but she realized that she has to leash in her temper and find some other way.

Applause erupted, as the cards in Randini's hand suddenly seemed to turn all red. As she watched Britt clapping enthusiastically, Alex got an idea of how to arrange for a more ‘private' meeting with the self-styled Amazing Randini. But that meant doing something she found rather difficult. Being patient.

With supreme effort, Alex let go of the gun and sat back to watch the show. To an untrained eye, she was simply enjoying the display of prestidigitation. But the truth was she was carefully and thoroughly sizing up her opposition.

Randini went through a string of magic tricks, all well performed but nothing remarkably innovative. But there was no denying that Randini was good at his craft and had quick hands that would bear watching. Alex was determined not to let him ever get the drop on her.

The performance ended with Randini vanishing from the center of the stage. One moment he stood there, arms out stretched, head back as if in deep concentration, then there was a puff of smoke and the lights flickered for an instant and he was simply gone. The audience applauded wildly.

"Come on Britt," Alex hissed, grabbing Britt's arm. "You two wait here, we're going back stage."

They were gone before Go-on and Justin could object.

"What was that all about?" Go-on asked as he watched the two ladies wind their way through the tables towards the innocuous door beside the stage.

"I don't know, but I'll bet it's trouble. Let's see if we can ask Mister Cipher about the Amazing Randini."

Alex and Britt reached the small door. It wasn't locked but a burly man who looked like a pool hall tough except for his expensive suite lurked on the other side.

"This ain't the powder room," he growled.

But Alex had expected this hurdle and had brought her secret weapon, Britt's winning smile.

Britt turned on the charm. "Oh sir, I know it's asking a lot, but it would mean ever so much to us if we could just see that Amazing Randini and tell him how much we enjoyed his performance!"

Britt set one of her impeccably manicured hands on the stage door bouncer's arm and looked up at him with her deep blue eyes. Alex could almost see his will melt under her relentless assault.

"Sure, ladies, he's back to stage right past the green room."

His smile made him look much less menacing, Alex thought as she and Britt moved past him.

The Magic Castle back stage area was small, dark and crammed with ropes, pieces of scenery and people moving carefully. Most were stagehands but others were performers waiting for the cue to enter. Alex spotted two more men in evening dress, a woman in a bright red Chinese Coolie's jacket and pants and a nearly naked man in a loin cloth carrying a hissing basket under one arm.

The two of them moved slowly through the shadowed wings. No one seemed to find their presence back stage odd and they were largely ignored. At last they passed a larger well-lit room where the performers were applying make up. Alex always wondered why they called it the green room; this one had gray walls in fact, but didn't pause to ask. There was door a short way past with a card thumbtacked up reading "Randini".

"You know what to do," Alex hissed, reaching into her bag for her gun.

Justin and Go-on left their table while the next act was taking the stage. They had spotted Mr. Cipher seated at a table near the back, one with an unobstructed view of the audience rather than the stage. The red-faced man was seated at the table with two large men, obviously bodyguards, flanking him. There was an open bottle of champagne on the table and Mr. Cipher sipped from a long stemmed crystal flute. When they got closer, they realized that there was also a deck of cards, and the cards were slightly oversized. Justin noticed that Cipher seemed to be going through a pattern of action. He would sip from his glass while he watched a person seated at one of the tables, then turn over the card while still watching the person. Once the card was face up in front of him, Cipher would look down and examine the card. Then he would look up to another person and start the pattern all over. Justin had no idea what it all meant, but the action seemed very deliberate rather than accidental.

The two bodyguards spotted them coming from half way across the room but must have decided the pair of them weren't a threat. When they we only a few feet away, Cipher looked up from his cards and smiled, inclining his head in a welcoming bow.

Before Go-on could make introductions, Cipher held up his hand. "No need, your lordship. It would be a poor excuse for a nightclub owner who didn't recognize two such luminaries as Lord Gawaine Paget and one of San Francisco's most famous industrial tycoons, the enigmatic Doctor Justin Collins. Though I am sad to say that you two have never graced the Magic Castle before. I am quite pleased you have decided to visit tonight. Please, have a seat and make yourself welcome in my club."

Somewhat bemused, Justin sat down. Up close, he realized that the man's make-up looked remarkably life like.

"Would you care for a drink on the house?"

"Right-o, gin and tonic for me, my good man, and be careful with the tonic. That stuff will kill you I have heard."

"I'm fine," Justin insisted. "Mr. Cipher..."

"Please, call me Lewis," the red-skinned man insisted as a tall gin and tonic was set beside Go-on by a lovely young women. He sipped it appreciatively.

"Fine Mr..., I mean, Lewis. We're trying to get some information on one of the people who works here, the opening act, Mr. Randini." For the first time, Justin looked down at the cards. One of them was face up in front of Lewis. It showed a body slumped on the ground with a number of long swords stabbed into the back. He could not tell if it was a man or woman. The ground looked gray, rocky and foreboding while storm clouds boiled in the sky behind.

"Well, I will help if I can though there isn't a lot of information I can impart. I don't ask a lot of questions about the talent. If they can perform, I pay them and that is about it. I think it adds to the aura of mystery in the club, and mystery is the heart and soul of magic. Before I say too much more, can you tell me if ... Randini is in some sort of trouble?"

Justin rapidly considered how much he should tell Cipher. He decide it wasn't wise to tell him everything but he had to give him enough to make Cipher willing to impart what he knew.

"We think Randini is involved with something criminal, something ‘federal crime' criminal. My friends and I are working with the full sanction of the San Francisco Police Department on this matter, by the way."

Cipher looked at him with deep black eyes and the ghost of smile seemed to flicker across his lips. "For some reason, I find that less than surprising. Here is what I can tell you. Randini has been performing here on and off for about six months, polishing his act. He's good, I'll give him that, but he needs to work on his stage timing."

Cipher paused to drink from his champagne. Whatever he was using for makeup, Justin noted it didn't smear the glass.

"About three months ago, Randini changed his act for a while. He wore a turban and was doing a mind reading bit that worked quite well. I thought he was going to switch from the slight of hand and illusion bag of tricks and go for a full mentalist act. Didn't happen that way. He switched back to his old act a month later, though this time, his props were a whole lot better. He must have come into some cash. Aside from that, not much I can add. I'm sure he's a local boy and he's personable back stage but doesn't really fraternize with the club staff. I gather he considers himself a real ladies man but then, what actor doesn't?"

For an instant, Justin was sure Lewis' eyes flicked to Go-on who flushed all the way down to his elegant collar.

"Any other signs of new found wealth?" Justin asked.

"He suddenly paid off his bar tab, if that counts."

Justin nodded. "I think at this point, we have enough to go on. Thank you for your time, Lewis."

"I say, those are deucedly interesting cards you have. Never seen anything like them before. Must make for an interesting game of solitary."

Cipher smiled thinly at Go-on's comment.

"It's called a tarot deck, it's a very old fortune telling tool. Some say the deck is as old as the pharaohs of Egypt, some say only as old as Castiglione. But it has been around for quite a while and has a number of...uses."

"Interesting," Justin said, "And again, thanks for your time."

Justin and Go-on stood up and started back towards their table.

"My pleasure. And I do hope you will come back. The Magic Castle has a lot to offer to a man like yourself, Doctor...."

While Cipher was talking, he watched Justin's back intently and drew a card. He glanced down to see what he had drawn. The card showed a robed woman seated in a throne, a sword over her shoulder while she held out a two panned scale. She was blindfolded and her face was set in a look of stern concentration.

".... Justice," Cipher whispered.

"Well, that was informative," Go-on said as they walked back towards their table. Onstage, the acts were changing again as a young woman in a bright red Coolie costume came back flipping out of the wings to a scattered applause.

"It sure seems like we have found our man, I wonder how Alex and Britt are faring backstage?"

As if in response to Justine's question, they heard a pair of muffled bangs echo from behind the stage. The two friends looked at each other.

"Bloody hell, those were gun shots!"

Justin was already running for the stage door.

Britt tapped on the dressing room door.

"Who's there?" a voice called from with in. Alex decided that it sounded suspiciously like Randu.

"Someone who wants to tell you how much she enjoyed your performance, sir!" Britt gushed.

The door opened a moment latter and Randini stood smiling. A maroon velvet smoking jacket had replaced his black coat but aside from that, he was still in his stage cloths. This close, Alex was sure that Randini was Randu, with out the beard and mustache or his twin.

"Oh, Mr. Randini, I so wanted to tell you how amazing your performance was," Britt exclaimed. "I was amazed and mystified by everything you did. Part of me wants to ask you how you did all those fantastic things but then, that would spoil the mystery, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, and who wishes to spoil a mystery?" Randini seemed to pluck a rosebud from behind Britt's ear.

Britt kept prattling on, distracting Randini while the three of them moved into his dressing room. Alex scanned the room. She spotted Randini's stage jacket draped over a birdcage filled with white doves. She was able to maneuver over to get a look at it and confirmed her fear. The stone was not in the lapel. Most likely, Randini had slipped it off and it was in one of his pockets.

"But how to get it?" she wondered.

Just then, Randini took a step back from Britt, his eyes hardening. "Wait a minute, I know you two..."

His voice trailed off in realization. Alex saw that in the language of ‘the great game' they had been made. She reached for her gun.

Randini's arm shot out and a fountain of cards erupted from his sleeve, spraying over Alex. She swore and spun to the side, but it spoiled her draw. The gun's hammer snagged on the lining of the bag. By the time she dragged the gun free, Randini was out the door.

Alex raced after him. In the hall, she spotted him running away towards a small door at the end of the hallway. A red light glowed over it, showing the "Fire Exit Only" painted on the door.

"Halt", Alex shouted, leveling the gun.

Amazingly, he did so, and slowly turned around with his hands up.

"Looks like you caught me," he said.

Alex didn't hear the soft click of metal as the spring loaded slide on his arm snapped the small revolver into his hand. The first warning she had that something was wrong was when Randini threw himself back and fired. The gun made a sharp whip crack and Alex felt a blaze of hot pain crease her side. The fact that she had been shot didn't keep her from firing in return.

"Damn, he got the drop on me," she thought as she crumpled to the floor.

To be continued...