The Best Con of Them All: Chapter 1
The tall, lean man sat on the balcony of the penthouse, elbows on his knees, looking out on a London skyline that had changed so much.
Mind you the ants down there had changed too - not as many greedy bosses fleecing their workers, crooked gamblers who didn't give a shit for the rules.
No , the marks were now red braced ' fund managers' and 'city traders' who drank too much, laughed too loudly - and disgusted him. The recession hadn't touched them - yet.
Ash narrowed his eyes at the sun, lit another cigarette, and relaxed back into the leather chair.
His life since the Vegas con had become grey and boring - Mickey in Oz, Albert in jail and Stacie in the States with that flash little git Danny. Alone in London, Ash was reduced to divesting smarmy bankers of small amounts of money in bar games and the odd Find the Lady. Christ, what a life. It was a living of sorts, but it certainly wasn't a life. It was no fun, and no challenge for a man of his calibre - who'd said that? Mickey. Ah… Mickey.
He narrowed his eyes at the sun, lit another cig, and relaxed back into the chair.
A few weeks ago Mickey had returned, bloody but unbowed, from Oz, had 'sorted' a penthouse in Mayfair, found Albie and set about planning the Sara con. Things should have felt on the up at least - back to being Ash the fixer -a little rusty perhaps, but getting there. Still - something was missing -a bleedin' big something.
He couldn't find Stacie.
God knew he'd tried . He'd searched every possible link he could, using his not inconsiderable connections, but had seen no mention of her. No-one had.
Maybe she didn't want to be found. Maybe someone else was now where he longed to be - in her arms, in her bed, in her life.
He often wondered what he could have given her - he couldn't offer her stability - or any sort of long term relationship - you never knew what was around the corner in this business. But he knew he'd already given her his heart. Maybe that wouldn't have been enough. Maybe it would. But she didn't know. And that was the trouble.
He'd love to have been able to show her just how much he cared - he did care - he thought about her constantly even when it was inappropriate to - he was letting his mind wander a little too often onto Stacie lately.
If only he had made that move - no - you didn't make a move on Stacie, you invited her to dinner, swamped her with presents / flowers / compliments - you courted her. He laughed to himself - 'Gawd I sound like me Mam'. A small dark part of Ash was glad he hadn't - because if he had made that move and she'd rejected him he could not have borne to be near her afterwards - his heart would break every time she laughed, spoke, breathed.
But it would have spoiled the team. Mickey's bloody Grifter's Code. Ash's head had always said 'no' - his heart had said 'yes'; and increasingly what his body had said had absolutely nothing to do with courting. Sorry Mam. Christ he wanted her so badly - and he had left it far too late to do anything about it. She'd gone.
Ash - supremely confident Ash - can tackle any software, hardware, alarm, accent - you name it he can do it. Anything except have Stacie. . . .
'Enough of this ' Ash said to himself. "Doing you no good at all -constantly wishing for what you can't have. Get a grip."
He walked back inside to where Mickey was sitting, the Guardian spread over the whole table. Scanning it for yet more clues to yet more cons, Ash thought. They'd not completed Albie's master plan yet and here he was looking for the next mark already.
Mickey was just finishing a phone call. He clicked the phone shut when he saw Ash, and shuffled the papers together. "Well - how's Simon's little soiree coming along then? Have you found your 'guests' - more importantly - have you found your Maisie? "
"No - I'm just off to round 'em up now. Back later Mick! "
As soon as Ash had closed the door behind him, Mickey was on the phone again. "Hello - yes - have you spoken to Albie yet? He's the fixer for this one."
Walking into the wine bar, Simon Porter Jones dropped the doctored copy of the Independent on the table, looked round and he spotted Sara immediately, He went effortlessly into full on obnoxious lech mode, chatting up the lovely brunette Albie had set up as their mark. She nibbled.
Ten minutes later Ash's mind went again to the original lovely brunette of his dreams. Always sitting next to him whether they were sorting the fix or celebrating the con; next to him, smiling, laughing, touching. Cradling his head in her lap when she thought he was dead; [ how she didn't hear his heart thudding he'd never know.] And then the Hollywood sign con - God how he'd loved that. Pretending to be 'giving her one' as Danny so charmingly put it. [ how she didn't feel that his body wasn't acting, as he lay on top of her in that limo, he'd never know that either.]
Mickey was on the phone again [still?] when Ash got back to the apartment, so he decanted himself yet again to his balcony retreat. Laptop, cuppa, fags. Sorted.
Snatches of conversation from Mick kept interrupting him - "OK, fine............ 7.30 for 8, as they say..............No not a glimmer............. Best bib and tucker mind, none of your usual tat!" Ash had enough to do organising this con -so wasn't remotely interested in the next one. Mick would tell him when he needed to know.
"Right Mick -we're all systems go. Bimbos and Hooray Henrys arriving soon - nibbles and drinks all laid out ready." he called from the balcony. But Mickey had already left.
Shortly leggy blondes and their 'partners' started arriving and positioning themselves at strategic points around the room, all designed to cut Sara off from talking to Mick until he was ready. All the moves were rehearsed -at a nod from Ash a 'guest' would approach Sara if she was getting too close to Mickey, who'd positioned himself out of harm's way on the balcony, ostensibly giving financial advice to someone.
Sara arrived with Alan her "P.A." and the plan proceeded without a hitch. 'Simon' who by now had the lovely Maisie almost surgically attached to him, was manoeuvred into the bedroom to look at her presents.
And lovely presents they were too thought Ash, after slowly unwrapping them and lovingly inspecting each one. The birthday bunny had been very generous indeed to Maisie, She must have been a very good girl, chuckled Ash to himself. Yes, he decided -she was - very good.
All the guests had by now 'toodled off' and Sara had dispatched Alan to wait outside, leaving herself alone at last with Mick. Not to be a gooseberry -after all he'd enjoyed his fair share of the festivities with Maisie - Ash thought it was only fair to let Mickey have his, so to speak. And went on to the balcony for a smoke.