Free Illusion of Luck by Robert Burton Robinson Page A

flight and landed in two parts on his chest. He snatched
it up, smearing it across the pocket of his white sports jacket,
and shoved it all into his mouth at once and mumbled, “Thanks,
Sis.” Then he started laughing again. Bits of bread and tuna spewed
from his mouth.
    A woman appeared out of nowhere and pulled
the boy up by one ear. “What did I tell you?”
    “ Ow, ow, ow—that hurts,
Mama.”
    “ I don’t believe we’ve
met.”
    Rebecca had been so caught up in the drama
at the punch bowl that she hadn’t seen the Best Man walking up to
her side. “Uh, no, I guess not.”
    “ Well, I’m Sandy. What’s
your name?”
    “ Rebecca.” If he asked for
her last name she would use one of her old standbys. She often had
to lie when doing private investigations. It was just part of the
job.
    “ I’m surprised nobody told
me about you . I know most of Greg’s old friends. You must be a friend of
Cynthia’s.”
    “ Actually I’m working
security for the wedding. Keeping an eye on things. You never
know—somebody might be out to get Greg and Cynthia.”
    “ To walk right into their
wedding reception and shoot them.”
    “ Or poison the wedding
cake.”
    “ Or go after them with a
slingshot.”
    They laughed.
    Sandy slapped her across the shoulder. “I
like you, Honey.”
    “ Good.” Rebecca punched him
in the stomach. “But I’m not your honey. Look—I went to high school
with Cynthia, but she won’t remember me. I saw in the paper that
she was getting married, and I didn’t have anything better to do
tonight, so—“
    “— so you thought you’d crash
the wedding—get some free food and booze.”
    “ Sure, why not. It seems
like fun when they do it in the movies.”
    “ Well, if you were looking
for alcohol I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. These people
don’t drink.” Sandy noticed she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. “I’d
be happy to be your date for tonight—so you won’t feel funny
standing around all by yourself.”
    “ Okay. Sure. As long as you
don’t touch me. ‘Cause if you do, then be prepared to lose whatever you
touch me with.”
    “ No problem. I’ll get us
some punch.” As Sandy walked away, he imagined the stocky, but sexy
woman ripping off his lips…or his hands…or his… He couldn’t
understand why he was so attracted to her. Not that she wasn’t
pretty. But she was definitely rough around the edges. She might
even be dangerous.
    Maybe that was the attraction.
    **********
    Larry walked out of the convenience store,
lit his pipe and stood there puffing on it as he watched the cars
go by. He had not played the Texas Lottery in a long time. He knew
he could win any time he wanted. But that wouldn’t fair to everyone
else. So, he used his powers of luck sparingly.
    But now that his funds were
dwindling, he figured it was his turn to win again. By correctly
selecting all six numbers, he could walk away with as much as $45
million. Then he wouldn’t need to play again for a few years. But
he didn’t plan to sit nervously in front of the TV at 10:12 PM to
witness the drawing. He knew he would win.
    Money had never been an issue for Lucky
Larry. Let everyone else work at a crummy job for low pay. All he
needed was his luck.
    And now his luck in
publishing was finally turning around. He knew it would happen. Two
agents and a small publisher had already contacted him about his
new book, Illusion of
Luck . It would be a New York Times Best
Seller—he could just feel it.
    They would need a good portrait for the back
cover. He would go to an expensive hairdresser for a precise trim
of his beard and shaggy hair. In his picture he would, no doubt,
appear to be in deep thought, holding his beloved pipe to his
lips.
    He got into his Jaguar and drove away. He
laughed when he pictured the pastor of First Baptist Church,
Coreyville looking for Johnny Jones at the wedding reception. What
a doofus, he thought.
    Larry had not attended the
wedding. He had never