"Not near as nice as Tennessee."

"Big hotels and people from all over the world splashing around in the ocean," said the Colonel. "They say the water is warm. Say you can stay in it all day and not get a chill."

"Like Grandma's bathwater," said Baby. "I'd rather swim in one of our mountain lakes, where you come out covered in goose bumps, so alive your whole body's tingling."

"Takes a while for a person to decide what they like best, I guess," said the Colonel. "Some folks never do decide. Always changing their mind, back and forth."

Baby poured him a glass of lemonade. "I'm not going to change my mind, Zachary. That's not why I came back."

The Colonel sipped his lemonade, winced. She always made it too sweet for him.

"Zachary? I'm here now, but I'm not staying. I just wanted you to know it wasn't you that was at fault."

The Colonel wiped his lips. "Married people have troubles once in a while-anyone who tells you different has never been to the altar."

"You…you're not listening."

"I heard everything I need to," said the Colonel. "You're here now, that's all that matters. From the first moment I saw you, the very first moment, that's all I ever wanted."

Baby played with his fingers, aware of his yellowed nails. She watched the river flow past, on its way to God only knew where, and couldn't wait to get moving herself. Soon as she was done with her business here, she'd hightail it back to the Old One. Ibrahim would already be busy poisoning things behind her back. She was going to have to take care of that boy once and for all. Have to do it careful, though.

"Just sitting here with you…never thought it would happen again," said the Colonel.

"Hush now," said Baby. "Let's just enjoy what we got."

Gravenholtz should be making the rounds of zombie territory by now. Two days after she left him and he was probably still grumbling about her going back to the Colonel and why did he always get the dirty jobs?

Well, we all do what we're good at, Lester, honey, she had told him, standing there with the sun shining through her clothes.

I thought we could have a little vacation, just the two of us, Lester had persisted. Who's gonna know? Shit, I'm not afraid of the Old One.

I am, Baby had said. It was a lie. Kind of.

Baby unwrapped a chicken sandwich, handed it to the Colonel. "I put a few mint leaves in there, just the way you like it." She put a hand on his knee. "You're too good for me."

"I know." The Colonel took a big bite of the sandwich. "Maybe I'll let you dirty me up a little bit tonight. I am still your husband, aren't I?"

"You're still my husband," said Baby.

CHAPTER 34

The Old One stood behind Leo, who was playing all six hands at a twenty-one table at the Gilded Lily, the biggest casino on the Las Vegas strip. Gigantic tropical flowers bloomed from hydroponic tanks along the walls, orchids and lilies the size of basketballs, their delicate petals wiggling in the air currents. The Old One wriggled his nose at their heavy fragrance. Leo was just as Baby had described him, big and soft and pale as an infant, his eyes fixed on something just out of range, something no one but he could see.

Leo looked up at the Old One, went back to his cards. No reason anyone would recognize the Old One-he had always maintained a shield of privacy, was almost never photographed, but just in case, he had shaved his beard, lightened his skin and blued his eyes. He wore the shimmering, oversized silk suit of a modern European businessman.

The dealer showed a jack, a good card. Leo split a pair of eights anyway. Stood pat on a twelve, two fourteens and doubled-down on a ten.

The bored dealer actually raised an eyebrow, then turned over his hole card. A six, for a total of sixteen. House rules, he had to hit on sixteen or less. He slid a card out of the shoe: a queen. Busted. He paid off all six of Leo's bets.

Leo added the chips to his already huge pile, then glanced behind him. "I'm going to have the table tied up until I take a cab to the airport." He placed a hundred-dollar chip in front of each of the six table positions. "Three hours, seventeen minutes."

The Old One pulled out a chair, sat down. "That's plenty of time for us to talk, Leo."

The dealer dealt two cards facedown to each of Leo's positions. Dealt two cards to himself, one faceup, one facedown. His up card was a king.

"How do you know my name?" said Leo.

"What are you going to do, sir?" said the dealer.

Leo continued to bet against all good sense, hitting on sixteen, seventeen sometimes, splitting sixes…and he kept winning.

The pit boss wandered over, a bulky man with the face of a bulldog.

"I can't figure him out," the dealer said to the pit boss.

"It's a system," said Leo.

"You're a card counter," said the pit boss.

"That's not illegal, is it?" said Leo.

"No…not illegal." The pit boss looked at the dealer. "Are you using a fifty-deck shoe?" When the dealer nodded the pit boss smiled at Leo. "Good luck with your system."

Leo watched the pit boss lumber away. Covered each of his spots with a thousand-dollar chip. He won four of the six. Won five of the next six. "You never did tell me how you knew my name," Leo said, stacking his chips.

The Old One stuck out his hand. "Harry Voigt, Harry Voigt Investments. Geneva, Shanghai, Nairobi."

Leo didn't take the hand. He put down a five-dollar chip, the minimum bet, at each of his positions. Lost all of them when the dealer made twenty.

"I heard you read your paper at the Pure Math Symposium," said the Old One.

"Did you come by to laugh at me in person?" said Leo.

"I came to apologize for the way you were treated."

"Place your bets, sir," said the dealer.

"May I buy you a drink?" said the Old One. "You don't need to prove anything at this table, and if it's money you're interested in…I'll be happy to pay for your time."

"Place your bets, sir."

Leo stood up, stuffed his chips into the pockets of his sport coat and followed the Old One into the lounge. They sat at a booth in the corner.

"You have no idea what a pleasure it is to meet you," said the Old One.

"Yeah…well, it would be if anybody understood my paper," sniffed Leo. "Nothing like being the smartest one in the room and having everyone think you're an asshole."

"They were hostile," said the Old One. "I think they were expecting your father."

"My father's brilliant, but he'd be the first one to tell you he can't keep up with me."

"Beyond the Poincare Conjecture: An Exploration of the Fourth-Dimensional Spheroid." The Old One shook his head. "I had no idea what you were talking about, but I was certain that you did. It was your certainty that intrigued me…and the fact that the other mathematicians in the room felt so threatened by you. I decided you might be operating at a much higher level than they were…or you might be the unlettered buffoon they seemed to think you were." He looked at Leo. "May I order for the both of us?"

"I don't drink alcohol."

'Then I won't either." The Old One tapped the table-screen. "I've ordered a couple of Brain Fizzes. I think you'll like it. Cerebral stimulators in a base of fruit essence."

"So what are you, some kind of math groupie?" said Leo.

The Old One laughed. "I came to the conference with a rather complex problem to solve. None of the other speakers were able to solve it. I thought you might like a chance."

The waitress delivered the two Brain Fizzes. Leo tentatively took a sip. "Ummm." He drank half of it. Wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm glad you like it," said the Old One, taking a swallow. "There's a pleasant euphoric quality to it also, which is always welcome."